The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a $3.7 million, two-year contract to fund the new Apple Blossom Centers at an Aug. 26 meeting.
Category: Child Care
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Travis County rolls out $35 million for affordable child care
Travis County families struggling with the rising cost of child care may soon get some relief.
This week, county leaders announced the first phase of funding of $35 million from Prop A, a tax rate increase approved by voters last November that expands access to affordable child care in Travis County.
“We will mark this time in history as the turning point for 9,000 families who couldn’t otherwise afford quality child care for their children,” Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea (Precinct 2).
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Travis County moving forward with voter-approved child care fund
Travis County is moving forward with its voter-approved child care fund. Leaders say the first contracts, worth nearly $5 million, will go to three school districts.
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Travis County directs $34M in taxpayer funds for affordable child care
Less than a year after voters approved a countywide tax rate hike to expand affordable child care, Travis County officials are rolling out the first wave of local investments for the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES, initiative.
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More than 2,000 Austin-area kids will get free or low-cost after-school care this year
Twenty-seven schools in the Austin area are getting free or low-cost after-school care programs this year thanks to funding from a tax rate increase Travis County voters approved in 2024.
The programs will open at schools with the most economically disadvantaged students in the Austin, Manor and Del Valle school districts. More than 2,000 pre-K and elementary school students are expected to participate. The county is working on getting after school programs to Pflugerville ISD, too, according to county documents.
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Travis County, school districts partner to expand child care access
The first contracts funded through a tax rate increase approved by voters in November and aimed at improving access to child care could be approved Tuesday by Travis County commissioners.
Three school districts — Austin, Del Valle and Manor — will use $4.85 million each year to fund 2,000 child care seats during and after the school day. Commissioners also are expected to approve a letter of intent to nonprofit Workforce Solutions Capital Area that $24.4 million will go toward contracts with child care providers next year.
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Funding for up to 1,000 new slots for child care may be coming soon for Travis County residents
The first significant round of Travis County’s new child care funding could be available as early as fall 2025, following a tax rate increase approved by voters last November.
The Travis County child care subsidy waitlist is over 5,000 children, according to Texas Workforce Solutions, or TWC, reports.
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Capital Area Retention and Elevation Program awards $1.2 million in bonuses to child care providers
We’re awarding $1.2 million in bonuses to our child care providers through our Capital Area Retention and Elevation (CARE) Program!
Why it matters: CARE provides financial incentives to eligible early learning providers to support staff retention, motivation, and satisfaction. We want to recognize and reward providers’ dedication to high-quality childcare and strengthen the long-term well-being of families in our community.
This year, we selected 51 providers with a total of 483 staff for awards, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per person, depending on how many people each provider employs. Providers can distribute bonus funds to their staff based on individual performance and contributions.
What’s happening: These providers participate in Texas Rising Star, a quality rating and improvement system for Texas early childhood programs. All center based and home based child care providers in Texas can be certified in Texas Rising Star if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Programs that participate in Texas Rising Star meet higher quality standards than many other child care programs.
Katelyn H. is a director at a child care center in Austin. Katelyn H. is a director at a center caring for 67 children receiving scholarships. Her center has participated in Texas Rising Star for 10 years.
“This has helped teacher retention, especially when we cannot afford to give raises each year,” Katelyn said.
Other providers shared how CARE impacts their Early Learning Programs:
“It has been such a blessing to my program. It has made such a positive impact to my center to have the extra assistance to provide more quality childcare to my children,” Tanya Joiner said.
“This funding helps providers because the limited funding and the low enrollment we are not able to give raises to our staff do to limited funds. With this funding we are able to show appreciation as well as retain good teachers and directors,” Ramonica Williams said.
“It allows us to hire with sign-on bonuses and allows to keep our current staff and show appreciation. This is very helpful for centers to show appreciation and support to their staff,” Alejandra Gardner said.
Any licensed or registered provider of child care services in Austin/Travis County may apply to have a provider agreement with Workforce Solutions Capital Area Child Care Services. As part of our commitment to quality child care, Workforce Solutions Child Care Services offers quality rated programs, quality initiative activities and other community resources to child care providers who strive for quality. Learn more about how to participate.
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Travis County approves new Workforce Solutions child care agreement
Commissioners on Tuesday approved a new agreement with Workforce Solutions for child care services and stipends for early childhood educators.
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High cost of child care slammed for draining economy of profits and workers
Workforce Solutions, which is part of the Texas Workforce Commission, provides workers with professional development and child care assistance. According to the agency, it served more than 4,900 children in 2023, including at licensed centers and homes.
Still, it had over 5,000 children on its waitlist as of July, Lawson said. Roughly 40% of the waitlist was comprised of children under the age of three, indicating a higher demand for child care for infants and toddlers. In a survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 55% of parents who voluntarily left their jobs did so when their kids were two years old or younger.