Providers
SPECIAL MESSAGE TO PROVIDERS
On January 13, 2025, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) launched a new case management system for the Child Care Services program—Texas Child Care Connection (TX3C). Below is more information about upcoming changes to policies and procedures resulting from the TX3C launch.
New Statewide Application for Families
TX3C will include an online statewide application for parents who are applying to the Child Care Services (CCS) program. The application is web-based and mobile device–friendly.
Workforce Solutions South Plains (WSSP) will continue to determine eligibility for CCS families, manage a waiting list, authorize services, and pay child care providers.
Improvements to Provider Payments
NEW: Advance Payments
Beginning January 2025, WSSP will pay licensed centers, licensed homes, and registered homes for authorized child care before care is provided (similar to private-paying families that pay tuition beforehand). The following are details on these prospective payments:
- Payments will cover two-week periods, Monday–Sunday; you will be paid for the days that a child has been authorized to attend your program at the beginning of each two-week payment period.
- The first two-week payment period beginning January 13, 2025 will be transitional, and payments may not be issued until approximately mid-February.
- WSSP will provide a payment period calendar in future correspondence; the calendar will outline each two-week payment period and how quickly providers should anticipate receiving payments each cycle.
- For children that enroll in CCS in the second week of a payment period, payment for the initial week of child care will not be paid prospectively but will be paid with the next available payment run (typically 1-3 weeks after services).
- If you receive an overpayment for a child whose authorization changes or ends during a period for which payment has already been made, WSSP may adjust a future payment or require you to repay the overpayment.
- TX3C will determine each child’s age group for rates based on the first day of the two-week billing cycle. In other words, if a child has a birthday that places them in the next age group, the change will not be applied until the beginning of the next pay period.
- TX3C will base the prospective payment on the provider’s location (Board area), rather than the child’s residence. The change will ensure that payments reflect the market rates and costs where the provider operates.
Parent Copays
To align with the new prospective payments that will be based on a two-week payment cycle, parent copays will also be aligned to weekly fees (which may be paid weekly or biweekly, in alignment with the payment period) beginning January 13, 2025. CCS will notify you of each family’s weekly copayment amount which will be converted from their current monthly rate.
The new system will continue to calculate your payment amount by determining the applicable rate for the type of care provided and subtracting the parent copay. Ensuring parents pay based on a weekly or biweekly interval will help ensure your payments are accurate.
Absence Tracking – Starting 01/13/2025
A child’s regular attendance is imperative; consequently, WSSP will continue to monitor attendance to ensure that funds go to the families that are most in need of services.
Your payments are not affected by a child’s occasional absences—payment is based on the child care authorized. However, a child’s eligibility may be affected if they are not consistently attending care.
WSSP will use the new time and attendance features in TX3C to monitor attendance. In accordance with your agreement to provide subsidized child care, you must ensure that parents record attendance directly in TX3C or through an approved child care management system (CMS) that uploads CCS attendance data to TX3C. Additionally, if you are not making the attendance system or your approved CMS available to parents to record their children’s attendance, the Board may terminate your agreement to provide subsidized care.
More information about the attendance tracking system is available at https://tx3c.info..
Expanded Age Groups
A new state law requires TWC to match age groups for provider payments with Child Care Regulation age groups, and TX3C will support this change. You will be able to designate rates for more age groups, as demonstrated in the following table.
|
Rate Groups before 01/13/25 |
New Rate Groups Effective 01/13/2025 |
| Infant: 0–17 months |
Infant-0: 0–11 months Infant-1: 12–17 months |
| Toddler: 18 months–2 years |
Toddler-1: 18–23 months Toddler-2: 2 years |
| Preschool: 3–5 years |
Preschool-3: 3 years Preschool-4: 4 years Preschool-5: 5 years |
| School Age: 6–13 years |
School Age: 6–13 years (no changes for this age group) |
WSSP CCS will request updated rates from providers. If any changes to your rates please contact your assigned TRS Mentor and request the CCS PROVIDER RATE ADDENDUM TEMPLATE if you did not already receive one via email. Changes must be submitted annually prior to October 1.
For more information or if you have questions, please contact your local Workforce Solutions Child Care Services Office at (806) 744-3572.
Thank you!
Workforce Solutions South Plains Child Care Services subsidizes child care for eligible low-income families and helps contracted CCS child care providers improve their services. The goals of Child Care Services program are:
- Provide child care subsidy assistance to low-income families
- Improve the quality of care for all children
- Promote children’s healthy development and safety
- Provide support for parents who are working or are in training or education
REMINDER: Providers are required to report immediately when a child has 5 consecutive absences!
Resources: Attention! The forms below are for CCS Providers ONLY.
CCS – Provider Reporting Consecutive Absences (5) Days or More
Supplemental Billing Form
Provider First Day of School Care Changes Form
Provider Documentation Submission Form
CCS – Provider Agreement Updates
Provider Direct Deposit Form
Free Business Coaching
Benefits of becoming a CCS Provider
Child Care facilities that meet certain requirements may become Child Care Services providers by signing an agreement with the Child Care Contractor.
The benefits to being a CCS provider include:
- Receiving one-on-one technical assistance from Child Care Provider Services staff
- Access to the Betty Anderson Resource Room which houses over 200 developmentally appropriate curriculum boxes for provider check-out, 600+ die cuts, a monthly allotment of butcher paper and laminating materials.
- Access to live trainings, materials, resources, mentoring, and professional development trainings on DVD to assist providers in meeting required clock hours.
- Rural area providers would have access to the FROG Bus which delivers materials to every rural CCS provider on a monthly basis to promote quality child care.
- Receiving direct payment for child care services provided
Click here if Interested in becoming a CCS Provider
Additionally, CCS collaborates with Region 17, Texas School Ready, Headstart/Early Headstart, DFPS, university/college professors and mentors, credentialed child care professionals both locally and throughout the country, as well as community leaders in order to provide child care providers valuable information.
Becoming a Licensed Provider
The mission of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Child Care Licensing is to protect children through regulation and education.
Child Care Licensing responsibilities include:
- Regulating all child-care operations and child-placing agencies to protect the health, safety, and well-being of children in care.
- Permitting and monitoring operations and agencies for compliance with state licensing standards, rules and laws.
- Investigating complaints alleging violations of minimum standards and reports of abuse or neglect in daycare and residential childcare operations.
- Informing parents and the public about child care, including how specific daycare and residential childcare operations are complying with minimum standards of care.
- Giving child-care providers technical assistance on meeting licensing standards, rules, and laws.
The process to obtain a permit is designed to ensure the protection of children through a cooperative relationship between the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and the potential applicant.
If you are interested in starting a day care operation you will need to visit the DFPS website and follow the steps ensuring you do not miss any important pieces.
For more information, helpful materials, and resources please visit the DFPS website: Texas DFPS
PAYMENTS TO CLOSED CHILD CARE PROGRAMS AND CHILD TRANSFERS
If a child care provider has an exposure to a presumed or confirmed COVID-19 case and needs to close in order to sanitize their facility and/or quarantine staff and children, the closure must be considered involuntary. The Board will continue to pay the provider for up to two consecutive weeks of involuntary closure.
If the involuntary closure extends beyond two consecutive weeks, the situation will be submitted to TWC for review and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
If a provider elects to close for reasons not related to a specific COVID-19 exposure, the closure is considered voluntary. Additionally, if a child care program voluntarily closes for reasons not related to a specific COVID exposure, Contractor must end authorizations for care at that facility and work with the families to find placement with another eligible program. If acceptable care cannot be found, then the child’s care is suspended, and the child care referral is closed. The child’s current eligibility period remains, and the TWIST program detail remains open.
The CONTRACTOR will require a two week waiting period for child care transfers except for cases where the child’s safety may be in jeopardy (including CCR actions against a provider as required by §809.94). Requiring a two-week waiting period prior to ending care at a facility aligns with common private-pay practices, which is a goal of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act. During the waiting period, the child’s referral at the original provider shall continue unless the parent requests a suspension.
CONTRACTOR must ensure that provider closures as well as requests to transfer children are documented in TWIST Counselor Notes.
CONTRACTOR shall notify providers and parents of this policy change.
Child Care Provider Newsletter
Texas Rising Star *NEW* Entry Level Designation
Effective October 1, 2022 any Texas child care provider wishing to participate in the Child Care Services (CCS) program must be designated as Entry Level and agree to work with a mentor towards Texas Rising Star certification.
- What is Entry Level Designation? (PDF)
- Entry Level Designation Overview for Providers (PDF)
- TRS – Provider Brochure (PDF)
- Entry Level Video – Spanish
The Texas Rising Star program offers providers the opportunity to improve the quality of child care and early learning by meeting progressively higher levels of quality. These levels are tied to higher reimbursement rates.
Providers interested in learning more about TRS may visit Texas Rising Star – Provider Program.
You may contact CCS through our website or by calling (806) 744.3572.
