Additional $314.75 million available for childcare subsidies for low-income families

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

An additional $314.75 million is being made available for childcare subsidies to assist low-income Texas families over the next two years, the Texas Workforce Commission reports. This is in addition to more than $293 million the commission allocated last November to childcare scholarships.

Congress allocated funding to states through a Child Care Development Block Grant in the latest stimulus package. Combined, both allocations total $607.95 million in funds to be distributed through 2024.

The funds will be dispersed statewide through local Workforce Solutions partners through12-month childcare subsidies. They’ll “help address local demand for subsidized childcare and enroll more children currently on existing waiting lists,” TWC says.

The nearly $315 million in additional funding will be made available later this year, and at different times in 2023 and 2024. Approximately $46.25 million will be available from May to September 2022, the TWC says. Another $138.75 million will be available October 2022 to September 2023; $129.75 million will be available October 2023 to September 2024.

“Childcare scholarships for low-income Texas families are vital for the overall success of the Texas labor force,” TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez said. “Affordable, quality childcare has a ripple effect in the economy and at home.”

In December, the subsidies helped serve approximately 121,000 children a day. There are over 38,000 children statewide on waiting lists, TWC says. The additional funds will help reach less than half of them initially, about 15,800 more children a day from May 2022 to September 2022, TWC estimates. But this number will more than double in 2023 and 2024, it says.

“Quality childcare is a win-win situation for our Texas employers and job seekers alike,” TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson said. “These additional funds will assist those Texans returning to work and assist those childcare specific employers in growing their business and providing much needed services to the growing population here in Texas.”

Parents can find childcare partners near them through Texas Child Care Solutions, a division of TWC. It provides parents with resources to help them make informed decisions about the best program fits for their children, up-to-date parenting information, ideas, and on-the-ground resources.

Parents can determine if they qualify and apply for assistance through the website. The childcare program and availability can also be found at https://find.childcare.texas.gov.

Texas Child Care Solutions also provides information about how to “find the right childcare for your family, what types of care are found in Texas, and how to make a good final choice that meets your needs.” Among other resources, it provides infant, toddler, and three-year-old early learning guidelines and pre-K guidelines, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.