Early care and education is important to the development of children. We understand that quality child care is expensive. Next to housing, child care is the largest expense in most families' budgets. Through federal, state and local funding from the Texas Workforce Commission, Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas Child Care Services is able to provide financial aid for eligible families and provide professional development opportunities for early care and education providers.
New Child Care Services Program System
- On January 13, 2025, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) launched a new system called Texas Child Care Connection (TX3C) for the Child Care Services (CCS) program. With the new system, you will be able to complete an application through the website.
- We appreciate your patience while Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas and TWC complete the transition to TX3C. We are excited to share some of the new features you will have access to in our new system.
- The new system will feature the following:
- A new statewide application for families
- An easy-to-use interface that works with mobile devices
- A common user experience for all Texans
- If you have any questions, please email: ccsdet@detwork.org
To Parents: Important Notice about your Child Care Benefits
We want to let you know that TWC and KinderSystems will soon send you a message inviting you to sign up for the TX3C Parent Portal. Starting January 13, 2025, all important information about your child care benefits will be shared through the TX3C Parent Portal, which is powered by KinderConnect. The message will come from noreply@childcare.texas.gov (760-258-4029). Please don’t ignore this email, and make sure to register as soon as you get the notice!
TX3C Parent Portal Instructions
If you have questions, please contact us at 936-631-8624.
Eligibility criteria to receive Child Care Services (CCS) include:
- Need child care for a child under 13 years of age (or 19 years of age if disabled)
- Child needing care lives in the household with you
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or immigration status
- Parent and step-parent, living in the household, must be working, attending school, in training/other educational program, or combination of these, at least an average of 25 hours each week over a four-week period for a single parent household or 50 hours for a two-parent household. Household members include those who live in the household: parents, step-parents, adult dependents and a child or other minor living in the household who is the responsibility of the parent.
- If taxes are not taken out of pay or parent is paid for work in cash-the parent is considered to be self-employed.
- Parents who are seeking employment may be eligible for three months of child care assistance during the initial job search period.
- Families who identify as homeless are exempt from this requirement to apply for services. Homeless children and youths are defined as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes: children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals; children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and migratory children.
- Meet income guidelines based on gross household income (before taxes) and family size. Types of other household income include, but are not limited to: rental income for a house, homestead, store, or other property; income from boarders/lodgers; income from estate and trust funds, or royalties; pensions, annuities, life insurance, and retirement income, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), workers’ compensation income, alimony, court settlements, or judgements.
Initial Income Eligibility Limits for Deep East Texas October 2024 - September 2025 - Total Family Assets do not exceed $1 Million.
- The person applying for services must have primary custody of the child(ren) needing services. If applicant is not the parent of the child needing services, then applicant must provide the following with the application:
- Reason the parent is not available, and
- Paperwork verifying reason parent is not available, and
- Paperwork verifying that applicant is the person responsible for the child.
- Families must live within these counties: Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler.
- Training or Education limitations
- Parents enrolled full-time in a postsecondary undergraduate educational program is provided for up to a cumulative total of 60 months. Child care assistance is not allowed for graduate school, unless the parent meets the 25 per week work requirement, at initial certification or recertification.
- Online class hours will be considered in the parent’s total training hours if the parent is enrolled at a licensed Texas Career School or other accredited school.
- For education programs using semester credit hours, 3 activity hours per week will be used for each credit hour for spring or fall classes, and 6 activity hours per week for each credit hour of summer or condensed classes.
- For education hours not using credit hours, actual class time hours will be used.
- Parents attending a program that leads to an undergraduate degree from an institution of higher education may be exempt from residing with the child.
Waitlist Notification
To better serve you, we have implemented a waiting list to help us manage applications.
CURRENT STATUS: We are currently processing applications submitted through April 2024.
All Texas Rising Star Certified Providers have a star rating – providing higher quality learning environments for the children in their programs.
Attention Parents!
You can find all the important forms you need on our Child Care Forms page including the Child Care Eligibility Application Packet.
