TWC Child Care Services

» The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the Lead Agency for the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) » TWC delegates the administration of workforce services and contracts with each of the state’s 28 Workforce Development Boards (Boards) to administer CCDF-funded child care services. » State law prohibits Boards from directly delivering services. Therefore, Boards competitively procure child care contractors to provide child care services.

Contractors perform the following services: » determine eligibility for CCDF services; » provide information to assist parents in making informed choices related to their children’s care; » authorize child care subsidies with the provider each parent chooses; » Reimburse child care providers; and » implement services to improve the quality and availability of child care.

Targets and actual performance for State Fiscal * ChoicesNon-ChoicesCombined SFY 14 TargetActualTargetActualTargetActual Average Children Per Day 7,3515,53392,40196,47199,752102,004 SFY 15 TargetActualTargetActualTargetActual Average Children Per Day 7,471 90,670 98,141

Number of kids by age group » Infants/ 0 – 17 mo. ( 10.56% of children in subsidized care) » Toddler/ 18 – 35 mo. (18.44% of children in subsidized care) » Preschool/ mo. (36.84% of children in subsidized care) » School-age/ 72 mo yrs. (34.16% of children in subsidized care)

Percent of providers participating » 13% of regulated child care slots are filled by TWC- subsidized children » 40% of ALL regulated child care facilities serve at least 1 TWC-subsidized child; ˃63% of all child care centers; ˃23% of all licensed child care homes; and ˃20% of all registered child care homes.

In SFY 2014, the Commission approved $11.2 million for eight statewide quality initiatives: » TRS Mentors and Assessors ($3.6 million) » TRS Implementation ($600,000) » Inclusion Training and TA to providers ($1.5 million) » Child Care Professional Career Pathways—integrating Fast Start and Adult Education and Literacy programs ($2 million) » Child Care Incentive and Quality Award Conference ($400,000) » Pilots of individualized instruction and assessment tools ($2 million) » Parent Portal ($100,000) » Funding for providers serving military communities ($1 million)

» Texas Rising Star (TRS) Provider Providers voluntarily exceed licensing requirements Tiered Reimbursements for Subsidized Children » Approximately 1,150 child care providers or 17% percent of facilities providing subsidized child care are TRS certified » FFY % of children served in TRS

House Bill 376 enacted by 83 rd Legislature  Tiered Reimbursement Rates for TRS Certified Providers  2% of Child Care Allocation for Quality Activities ($9.4 million)  Funding for TRS Mentors and Assessors  TRS Workgroup to Review TRS Criteria  TWC Develop Rules and Guidelines Based on TRS Workgroup Recommendations

TRS Categories (Rule ) Director and Caregiver Qualifications and Training Caregiver-Child Interactions Curriculum Nutrition and Indoor/Outdoor Activities Parent Involvement and Education

Implementation timeline » March 2015: conduct statewide training for TRS assessors and mentors on new TRS program rules and TRS Guidelines » April-August 2015: conduct assessments of current TRS » September 1, 2015: New tiered rates for TRS Providers are effective.

First reauthorization since 1996; Provisions include » HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS » TRANSPARENT CONSUMER AND PROVIDER EDUCATION INFORMATION » FAMILY-FRIENDLY ELIGIBILITY POLICIES » ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE

In SFY 2015, the Commission approved: » $1.5 million to improve access to infant and toddler care, and » $6.4 million to assist child care providers in improving the quality of care and achieving TRS certification or attaining a higher TRS certification level.

Patricia A. Gonzalez Director, Technical Assistance and Child Care Texas Workforce Commission