Parent FAQs

The Child Care Services (CCS) program subsidizes childcare for low-income families to help enable parents to work or attend workforce training or education activities. CCS also educates parents about the availability of quality child care to enhance children’s early learning and development. CCS is funded through the federal Child Care and Development Fund, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Care. The Texas Workforce Commission administers these funds for Child Care Services through Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas and other workforce boards.

Child care assistance is available to families that meet the following requirements

• Child care must be needed for a child from ages birth through twelve, or a child with a documented disability through age eighteen.
• Proof of residency in one of the following counties: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell and Wise.
• If you are homeless and you do not have a permanent, fixed, and adequate residence
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status for each child on whose behalf you're applying for child care scholarships (birth certificate, alien registration card I-551, etc.).
• Training information for all adult household members to include name, address, phone number, name of the school, hours enrolled, total hours completed, transcript.
• Income (pay stubs) for the last thirteen weeks for all working household members.
• Family assets do not exceed $1 million.

If you are experiencing homelessness, you may be eligible for child care. Homelessness is defined in the McKinney-Vento Act as children who are lacking a nighttime residence that is fixed, regular, and adequate. This includes children 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;
• are abandoned in hospitals;
• 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;
• are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
• are migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are living in circumstances described above.

Fixed means stationary, permanent, and not subject to change.

Regular means consistent; used on a regular (e.g., nightly) basis.

Adequate means sufficient for meeting both the physical and psychological needs typically met in home environments

Work/Training Requirements

Families may be eligible for assistance with child care costs if you work, or attend an education or vocation training program for a minimum average of 25 hours per week for a single-parent family and 50 hours per week for a two-parent family or if you are searching for employment. If searching for employment you will receive three months of initial child care in order to obtain employment for a minimum of 25 hours per week for a single parent family and a combined 50 hours per week for a two-parent family. If at the end of the three months of initial eligibility the parent/caretaker still does not meet the minimum employment activity requirements as stated above, care will be denied. If attending job training or educational program, the parent must show progress toward successful completion of the program, which is demonstrated through continued enrollment in the program at the time of eligibility determination.

If you need to transfer your child/ren from one provider to another, a minimum of two-weeks notice is required. Please contact CCS at 1-800-234-9306 to request a transfer.

You can apply for assistance on at dfwjobs.com/child-care or you may call 1-800-234-9306 to be placed on the wait list.

The wait list number changes daily depending on how many children leave the program and are added to our program. We will contact you via mail or e-mail once we are able to place your children.

You must call child care services every 90 days to remain active on the wait list.

We accept pay check stubs from your employer, bank account statements if self-employed, letters of employment, etc. We also may call your employer to verify employment. We will discuss this with you thoroughly when we are able to enroll your children.

Your income as well as other personal information is confidential and is not reported to anyone.

A parent fee will be assessed based on your gross monthly income and the number of children needing care. The parent fee is paid directly to your child care provider prior to you receiving child care.

If you lose your job while receiving child care services, you are required to contact the CCS office within 14 days after the loss of your employment. You will be eligible for a maximum of three months of continued care in order to begin participation in another activity, i.e. work, training or education.

Licensed Child Care Centers may care for 13 or more children under the age of 14 for less than 24 hours in a day. Licensed centers are routinely inspected every 5 to 12 months, or more frequently if reports of abuse, neglect or violations of licensing minimum standards are received.

Licensed Family Homes may care for 7 to 12 children under the age of 14 for less than 24 hours per day in the caregiver's own home. Licensed homes are routinely inspected every 12 to 24 months, or more frequently if reports of abuse, neglect or violations of licensing minimum standards are received.

Registered Family Homes may care for no more than 6 children in the caregiver's own home. They may also care for an additional 6 school age children. The number of children allowed in the home is determined by the ages of the children. Registered homes are routinely inspected every 1 to 3 years, or more frequently if reports of abuse, neglect or violations of licensing minimum standards are received.

You may select an eligible relative to keep your children if they meet the following criteria:

1. Must be at least 18 years of age and be one of the following: the child’s grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling if the sibling does not reside in the same household as the eligible child.
2. A relative provider may not reside in the same household as the child receiving child care services unless the eligible child is the child of a teen parent.

Relative providers caring for a child in the relative’s home must now be listed with the Texas Department of Family And Protective Services (DFPS).

Relative Care is defined as care provided by a relative who is at least 18 years of age and is one of the following: the child’s grandparent, the child’s great-grandparent, the child’s aunt or uncle, or the child’s sibling. Families receiving financial aid for child care through Child Care Services can choose a relative to care for their children. Relative child care providers cannot reside in the same household as the child receiving care and must become a Listed Family Home with the Child Care Licensing Division.

• The relative must be related to the child/ren by blood, marriage or court decree;
• The relative must be 18 years of age;
• The relative must be related in one of the following ways:
  • The child’s grandparent;
  • The child’s great-grandparent;
  • The child’s aunt or uncle; or
  • The child’s sibling (who resides in a separate residence);
• The parent and relative provider cannot live in the same home (some exceptions apply);
• The relative provider must become a listed provider with Child Care Licensing and sign a Provider Agreement before being paid to provide child care in the relative’s home;
• The relative provider cannot provide care for the child/children in the child’s home unless one of the following applies:
  • The child has a disability that makes it difficult to take the child outside his/her home;
  • The child is under 18 months old;
  • The child is a child of a teen parent;
  • 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;
  • Other child care provider arrangements are not available in the community.

Please contact Child Care Services at 1-800-234-9306 for relative provider packet.

The purpose of the inclusion program is to create a positive child care environment for children with disabilities by providing technical support to CCS providers.  The parent(s), child care staff, and the Boards Early Childhood Specialist work as a team to determine how to best meet the needs of the child with a disability, whether that is with adaptive equipment or with the assistance.

To be eligible for the inclusion program the child must meet the following definition for a child with a disability.

A child with a disability is considered to be the following: A child who is mentally or physically incapable of performing routine activities of daily living within the child's typical chronological range of development. A child with a disability would require assistance in performing tasks (major life activity) that are within the typical chronological range of development, including but not limited to, caring for oneself; performing manual tasks; walking; hearing; seeing; speaking; breathing; learning; and working.

1-800-234-9306 (toll free)
940-382-6712 (local)
940-387-0154 (fax)

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 130
Denton, TX 76202

Physical Address:
5800 I-35 #100
Denton, TX 76207

The hours of operation are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.