To find out whether you qualify for child care assistance, please answer the following questions:

• Do you live in Hidalgo, Willacy or Starr County?
• Are you (and your spouse, if applicable) employed, in school or in training for a minimum of:
         - 25 hours per week for a single parent household, or
         - 50 hours per week for a two parent household?
• Is your child under 13 years of age or a child with special needs under the age of 19?
• Are your children U.S. citizens or legal immigrants?
• Does your household meet the income guidelines for your family size? (See below for Income Eligibility Guidelines.)

If you answered "yes" to all of the questions, you may be eligible for child care assistance.  For more information, please see the "How do I Apply?" tab below.

*Income Eligibility Guidelines for Child Care Services

Effective October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013

Family Size	Monthly 85% SMI
2	$3,183
3	$3,933
4	$4,682
5	$5,431
6	$6,180
7	$6,320
8	$6,461
9	$6,601
10	$6,741
11	$6,882
12	$7,022
13	$7,163
14	$7,303
15	$7,444

If you believe you may be eligible for child care assistance, the next step is for you to complete an application and other required forms, submitting all documents to Child Care Services (CCS).

A copy of the following documents must be included with your application package.

Personal Identification for each household member:

• Birth Certificate,
• Social Security Card, and
• Valid Driver License or Picture ID for Parents.

Income Information, if employed:

• Last four recent check stubs, and
• Work Schedule Verification Form.

For New Employment:

• Employer must complete the Wage Verification Form.

For Self-employment:

• Form 1049 for the last complete month,
• Receipts and/or Ledger, and
• Previous year’s income tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Household Income:

• Proof of all other household income and/or benefits received including, but not limited to, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance (UI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Support, and Parental Contribution.

If Attending School or Training:

• Current school schedule and current transcripts

If attending High School, a GED program or a Vocational school:

• Current letter of enrollment from the school, and
• School or Training Schedule Verification Form

Compliance with the Attorney General of Texas:

• If you have an active child support case with the Attorney General, you must provide proof that your case is open, suspended or closed.
• If receiving Parental Contribution, please complete the Parent Responsibility Agreement Informal Child Support Form

Once you have gathered all of the above information and completed all the required forms, please fax, drop off or mail to one of the following centers:

Workforce Solutions - East Hidalgo

1600 N. Westgate Suite 400 Weslaco, Texas 78596

Fax: 1.866.890.5452

Workforce Solutions - West Hidalgo

901 Travis St Suite 7 Mission, Texas 78572

Fax: 1.866.580.6089

With the Child Care Services (CCS) program, parents choose which child care center their child will attend.

Workforce Solutions assists parents in making child care decisions based on the services offered, hours, fees and ages of children accepted by licensed child care providers that offer CCA-funded care in Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties.

Subject to certain restrictions, parents are given the option of selecting a relative to care for their children. 

In order for a family member to qualify as a Relative Child Care Provider with CCS, the individual must meet the following requirements.

A relative child care provider must be an individual who is at least 18 years of age and is (by marriage, blood relationship, or court decree) related to the child.

A "relative" must be the child’s grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling (only if the sibling does not reside in the same household as the eligible child). 

Relative care may be provided either in the child's own home (in-home child care), or in the relative's own home, which is not the child's home.

Relative in-home child care is allowed for the following:

• A child with disabilities as defined in §809.2(6), and his or her siblings;
• A child under 18 months of age, and his or her siblings;
• A child of a teen parent; and
• When the parent's work schedule requires evening, overnight, or weekend child care in which taking the child outside of the child's home would be disruptive to the child.

In order for a relative child care provider to be eligible for reimbursement, the following rules apply:

1. Providers caring for a child in the relative's own home, which is not the child's home, shall list with Department of Family Protective Services;
2. Providers caring for a child in the child's own home (in-home child care), shall not appear on the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Sex Offender Registry.