For Providers

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.

Quality Rated Programs

Texas Rising Star Providers

The Texas Rising Star program is for child care providers who meet quality requirements that exceed the state’s minimum licensing standards and that are designed to enhance the intellectual, physical, and social development of children in care. In return for their commitment to quality, providers receive numerous benefits including enhanced reimbursement rates, learning materials and equipment, child development college course scholarships, and more. Click here for more information on qualifying for the Texas Rising Star program.

Texas School Ready!™ Grant Project (TSR!)

Formerly known as TEEM-Texas Early Education Model, the TSR! Grant Project is a high quality early childhood model, based on proven school readiness components. This program is administered by the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI).

Kindergarten Readiness System (KRS)

Formerly known as Texas School Ready Certification System (SRCS), KRS evaluates the effectiveness of prekindergarten, Head Start, and community-based licensed child care programs in preparing children for kindergarten.

Quality Child Care Collaborative (QC3)

The Quality Child Care Collaborative is a partnership between WFS Capital Area the City of Austin, Travis County, United Way Success by 6, and Austin Community College. The goal of the program is to help providers become Texas Rising Star Providers and meet other national quality standards. Participating providers will receive free mentoring and training, technical assistance, referrals, and resources.

Success By 6

In partnership with United Way Capital Area, Success By 6 is a community-wide initiative of public and private partners working together to ensure all children under age six are healthy, nurtured, safe, and prepared to succeed in school. For more information on Success By 6, please visit United Way Capital Area’s website.

Technical Assistance to Providers

We offer child care providers access to a professional staff person with extensive knowledge of child care programs. Whether you need technical assistance in implementing quality program or addressing compliance challenges, our staff can assist you in your goal to become an outstanding child care provider. Please contact us at 512.549.4967, option 5.

Training Opportunities

We sponsor numerous training for child care providers throughout the year. Topics include Health & Safety, Infant/Toddler Care, Early Brain Development, Partnering with Parents, and Supervision 101. See Staff Training Section more information.

Child Care Director Symposiums

WFS Capital Area Child Care Services is the founder and co-host of the Child Care Directors Symposium, a two-day conference that aims to help child care directors learn important skills for business administration and quality improvement. The symposium is held in both the Capital Area and Rural Capital Area service delivery area and offer topics such as budgeting, evaluating staff, and time management. Information regarding upcoming symposiums is sent to all Travis county providers and surrounding Rural Capital area counties.

Wage Supplements

The Jeannette Watson Wage Supplement Project is a salary supplement program. The salary supplement is intended as a means of identifying professionals who have furthered their education in Early Childhood Education or a closely related field. To be eligible, applicants must be working directly with children in a licensed child care facility and earning $14.00 or less per hour, and must have worked in their current facility for the past consecutive six months prior to initiating the application process. For more information, please contact us at 512.549.4967, option 5.

Community Resources

Through a collaborative with community and state organizations, we provide additional quality improvement programs to childcare providers. These organizations include Austin Community College, Institute for Child Care Excellence, Raising Austin, and Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

We are excited to offer the Capital Area Retention and Elevation (CARE) Program, which provides financial incentives to eligible early learning providers to support staff retention, motivation, and satisfaction. The goal is to recognize and reward your staff’s dedication to high-quality childcare and strengthen the long-term well-being of families in our community.

Program Overview

The CARE Program offers bonuses to staff in eligible childcare programs to help improve retention and create a supportive work environment. This initiative is not a replacement for existing wages or bonuses but an additional incentive to acknowledge the hard work of your team.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the CARE Program, childcare providers must meet the following criteria:

• Be a contracted provider with WFS Capital Area.
• Operate within Travis County.
• Have at least one CCS child enrolled as of February 10, 2025.

Bonus Distribution

Eligible providers can distribute bonus funds to their staff based on individual performance and contributions.

• Bonus amounts will range from $1,000 to $3,000 per staff member, depending on available funding.
• Payments must be distributed to staff within 60 days of receiving the funds.
• Proof of payment must be submitted by August 29, 2025.

Next Steps

For further details regarding eligibility, the application process, and full program guidelines, please go here.

Apply for the CARE Program here.

Important Dates

• Application Deadline: February 28, 2025
• Award Letters Sent: April 2025
• Funding Released: June 2025
• Reporting Due: August 29, 2025

We deeply appreciate your commitment to delivering quality childcare and are excited to support both you and your dedicated staff through this initiative.

The Jeannette Watson Wage Supplement Project, funded by the City of Austin, Travis County, and Workforce Solutions Capital Area Workforce Board, is a salary supplement program that is being administered by Workforce Solutions Child Care Services.

The salary supplement is intended as a means of identifying professionals who have furthered their education in Early Childhood Education and work with children from low-income families. This is an effort towards helping our valuable Early Childhood teachers and directors continue to work in a field where wages are not commensurate with other skilled positions.

All awards are based on experience in childcare and education level obtained. Award levels will be determined after applications are submitted. Supplements will be awarded based on available funding. Previous awards do not guarantee future payments.

Download:

• Intro Letter
• Checklist
• Wage Supplement Director Verification form

Please apply using our online application. Prior to completing the application, please set up a TECPDS account to upload your transcript and paycheck stub. This must be done BEFORE your application is submitted. Completing this paperwork does not mean you are awarded. Download TECPDS instructions.

Please note: All paperwork must be submitted online on or before February 28, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. to be considered. Please e-mail CCSJW@wfscapitalarea.com with any questions.

Inclusion services are designed to support children with developmental and/or behavioral concerns within their current Early Learning Program (ELP) setting. By providing strategies and resources, we aim to help you and parents create a more inclusive environment that promotes healthy child development.

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

In some cases, children may qualify for additional funding through the Inclusion Reimbursement Rate. The parent must make a request to ccs.support@wfscapitalarea.com. To be eligible, a child must have one of the following:

• An Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
• Be receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

If the child qualifies an Inclusion Specialist will write an Inclusion Plan with the parent and the ELP. This additional funding can be used to make the ELP setting more inclusive and supportive for the child’s specific needs.

Empowering Early Learning Programs with ASQ Training

We offer comprehensive support to Early Learning Programs (ELP), including training on implementing effective developmental screening tools. By participating in this training, ELPs will receive:

1. Certified Training Hours: To meet professional development requirements.
2. Physical Materials: Tangible resources to aid in the screening process.
3. Software Access: A digital platform for efficient in-house screening of children.

We recommend the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) as a screening tool. The ASQ-3 assesses overall developmental, while the ASQ:SE-2 focuses on behavioral and social-emotional development.

How to Apply

Click here to fill out the ASQ Training Interest Form.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

ASQ training is prioritized by how many CCS children the ELP serves and TRS status. A member of the ASQ team will reach out to the ELP to schedule a good date and time for the training.

Parent Share of Cost

PSoC is calculated as a weekly fee to align with the prospective two-week payment schedule.

Because PSoC will appear as weekly deductions on the payment statement, ELPs are encouraged to collect fees on a weekly or bi-weekly interval to help ensure payments are accurate. ELPS may choose to continue collecting a monthly fee but the fee will vary from month to month. PSoC are due to ELPs on Mondays.

The process for reporting unpaid PSoC is also changing. ELPs should report parents with an unpaid PSoC by Wednesday , after the missed Monday payment date. Based on your PSoC schedule, this could mean reporting the same parent multiple times per month and the reporting period is no longer limited to the beginning of the month.

Workforce Solutions Capital Area will no longer reimburse ELPS for unpaid PSoC. Please continue to report any unpaid PSoC so we can follow up with the family. We work with families to ensure PSoC payments are made and to determine if they qualify for a reduction, helping them maintain their scholarship.

Your Non-Pay Report should include:

1. Parent Name
2. Case Number – also known as TWIST ID or ID
3. Dates of missing payments
4. Email Reports to nonpay@wfscapitalarea.com

Communicate

Clearly communicate your PSoC collection schedule to families on CCS scholarships.

Changes in Calculation

Families who are renewing their scholarship will most likely experience a change in their PSoC amount, even if there is no change in the family income. To comply with federal regulations, the Texas Workforce Commission has introduced a new standardized fee calculation method. This caps all Parent Share of Cost (PSoC) amounts at 7% of family income, regardless of the number of children receiving care.

Monthly Fee Calculation

If you choose to continue collecting PSoC monthly, here is how to calculate the family weekly fee to a monthly rate:

Weekly fees x Mondays per month