About the CCS program
CCS offers scholarships to help eligible families pay for child care. These scholarships can help pay for care for children from birth to age 12, and up to age 18 for children with disabilities. The program supports parents who are working, looking for a job, going to school, or in job training. Families must meet certain requirements to qualify. CCS can help with child care during the day, before and after school, and even during evenings or weekends.
Going to an early childhood program helps your child learn and grow. All CCS providers have attendance rules. If your child is unable to attend regularly, reach out to your local Workforce Solutions office to discuss other options.
Learn more about the CCS program on our Child Care Services webpage.
Eligible CCS program providers
Families can choose any provider that accepts CCS. The following types of child care providers are eligible to serve children in the CCS program:
Regulated child care provider
Provides care for an eligible child in a location other than the child's home and is one of the following:
- licensed by Health and Human Resources Commission Child Care Regulation (HHSC CCR)
- registered with HHSC CCR
- operated and monitored by the United States military services
Regulated child care providers that participate in CCS must also meet Texas Rising Star requirements that exceed the HHSC CCR minimum standards.
Relative child care provider
A person who provides care, is at least 18 years old, and related to the child. There are rules on which family members can provide this care and where the care can be provided.
Can I get a child care scholarship?
Eligible families can get help with child care costs through CCS program scholarships.
Your family may qualify if:
✔ You live in Texas
✔ Your child is under age 13 (or under age 19 with a disability)
✔ Your child is a U.S. citizen or has legal immigration status
And one of these applies:
✔ Your income is within the limit (see income limit link below)
✔ You have less than $1 million in assets
✔ You need child care to work, look for work, or go to school/training*
✔ Your family is experiencing homelessness
✔ Your child has a deployed military parent (and you meet income limits)
*To be eligible for CCS, parents must require child care in order to work or attend a job training or educational program for a combination of at least an average of 25 hours per week for a single-parent family or 50 total combined hours per week for a two-parent family. CCS cannot exceed a cumulative of 60 months for a parent/guardian enrolled full-time in an undergraduate degree program. Parents/guardians must demonstrate progress towards successful completion of a job training or undergraduate degree through continued enrollment.
Child care scholarship costs
Families with CCS scholarships pay a portion of the child care cost. This may be called a copayment or parent share of cost. The parent share of cost is based on the number of people in the household (family size) and family income. The parent share of cost will not exceed 7% of the families household income.
Income limits for CCS eligibility, parent share of cost sliding fee scale, and the parent share of cost calculator are updated at least once per year. You can view these documents below:
Apply for a child care scholarship
Ready to apply for a child care scholarship for the CCS program? We've created a detailed step-by-step application process for you. We recommend you review the step-by-step process. It has important information on who to contact for help, document lists, and tips.
Below is a quick overview of the application process:
Create an account
To apply for a child care scholarship for CCS, you must create a Parent Central account.
Eligibility Screener & Waitlist Application
Once your account is created, log in to complete and submit your Eligibility Screener & Waitlist Application.
Initial review
A caseworker reviews your Eligibility Screener & Waitlist Application and may request more documents.
Standard Application
If you are potentially eligible, a caseworker will send you a request to submit a Standard Application. Fill out and submit the Standard Application along with requested documents.
Eligibility determination
If you’re approved for CCS, you’ll receive a notification. Not all families that apply will be determined eligible. If your family is not eligible, you'll receive a notification.
Choose child care provider
If you haven't chosen a child care provider already, you must choose one within 14 days. Search for a child care provider on our website.
CCS program forms
The CCS program has certain forms for families. Families can find all CCS program forms along with descriptions on our CCS forms webpage.
These forms include parent rights and responsibilities, making changes to your case, guides, and resources.
CCS program waitlist
Enrollment in the CCS program depends on how much funding is available. Sometimes, there isn't enough money to help every family that needs child care. When that happens, families may be put on a waitlist. The only way to find out your waitlist status is to contact your local Workforce Solutions office.
We want you to find the best child care fit for your family! Did you know you can filter your search results to only show results that have financial aid options available? This is just one of the options available to help you find the care that works for your family!
Find more help paying for child care
There are other programs for eligible families to get help paying for child care. These programs have eligibility requirements.
Visit the Early Childhood Texas website or contact your local Workforce Solutions office to learn about other programs.