Texas child care assistance and free pre-K: CCS, Texas Rising Star and TEC 29.153 (2026)

How Texas splits child care help across TWC, 28 boards and school districts

CCS pays part of the cost of care so parents can work, look for work, or attend school or training. Your child must be under 13, or under 19 with a disability. Your family must live in the board’s workforce area, have income at or below 85% of state median income (SMI), and have assets of no more than $1,000,000, which you certify yourself ⁠¹. The board pays the provider directly, so this is a voucher-style subsidy, not cash to the parent. Parents can choose licensed centers, licensed or registered homes, or listed relative caregivers ⁠¹.

Boards do not set their own income limits. The 85% SMI ceiling is written into rule §809.41 and applies statewide. What does vary by board is the money available, and so how long the waiting list is ⁠¹⁠⁷⁠⁸.

The 85% SMI ceiling for Board Contract Year 2027

TWC updates the income limits every October 1, at the start of each board contract year (BCY). Workforce Solutions East Texas posts these BCY2027 gross monthly limits, which apply from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027 ⁠⁷:

BCY2026 figures are from TWC’s chart ($92,041 a year for four) ⁠⁶. The one-person BCY2027 figure could not be verified and is omitted.

Child support, TANF, SSI, unemployment compensation, tax refunds, Pell Grants, student loans and SNAP do not count as income ⁠¹. A temporary raise that pushes you over 85% SMI does not end your eligibility partway through the year ⁠¹.

Who gets served first when a board’s money runs short

Rule §809.43 sets three priority tiers ⁠¹⁠³:

1. Assured care

   Families in Choices (the TANF employment program), SNAP Employment and Training, TANF Applicant child care and Transitional child care (up to 12 months after TANF ends while you are working) are served without waiting ⁠¹.

2. Funded-first groups, in this order

   Children of qualified veterans or their spouses, children of foster youth, children experiencing homelessness, children of deployed military parents, children of teen parents, children with disabilities, children of child care workers, and children in a pre-K partnership program or using a Texas Educational Freedom Account for private pre-K ⁠³.

3. Local priorities

   Each board may add its own, but it cannot give priority based on which provider a parent chooses ⁠¹.

Children who need protective services child care are enrolled when the Department of Family and Protective Services authorizes it. They do not go on the board’s list ⁠³.

Everyone else applies as low-income (“At-Risk”) care and usually waits. Waiting times differ widely. In October 2026, Workforce Solutions East Texas was reviewing applications received before August 2025 ⁠⁷. Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas was processing applications submitted through January 2026 ⁠⁸. Boards must check with waitlisted parents every three months. If you do not answer, the board removes your child from the list ⁠¹⁠⁸.

Hours, job search and school: the activity test

To qualify for At-Risk care, a single parent must work or attend job training or education for an average of at least 25 hours a week. A two-parent family needs at least 50 combined hours ⁠¹. Boards look at the average over a four-week period ⁠⁸. If you are applying while still looking for work, you can get care for an initial job search period. You keep care for the rest of the 12-month eligibility period if, within that window, you reach 25 hours of activity (50 for two parents), including at least 12 hours of paid work (25 combined) ⁠¹. Care for full-time undergraduate study is limited to 60 months in total ⁠¹.

Once your child is authorized, care continues for the full eligibility period through changes such as parental or sick leave, seasonal gaps between work seasons, semester breaks and reduced hours. This holds as long as your income stays at or below 85% SMI ⁠¹.

What a Texas parent share of cost looks like

TWC sets the parent share of cost (PSoC) on a statewide sliding scale. For one child, it starts at 2.00% of gross income for families at 1% of SMI and rises to 7.00% at 85% of SMI. Small add-ons apply for each additional child, but the total never goes above 7% ⁠⁵. Examples from the BCY2026 chart, the latest we could retrieve:

Source: TWC PSoC Sliding Fee Scale, BCY2026 ⁠⁵. For BCY2026, the highest monthly PSoC ran from $279 for a family of one to $709 for a family of six ⁠⁶. The BCY2027 scale took effect October 1, 2026.

Your PSoC is set at eligibility determination and redetermination. During the eligibility period it can go down but cannot go up, except when you add another child to care ⁠¹. You pay nothing if you are in Choices or SNAP E&T, or if your child is in DFPS protective services care (unless DFPS assesses a fee) ⁠¹⁠³. Families experiencing homelessness pay nothing during the first 90-day enrollment period. After that, a PSoC applies once they meet the activity requirement ⁠³.

The federal rule that required states to cap copays at 7% of income was repealed in May 2026 ⁠¹⁵. Texas’s own cap is in 40 TAC §809.19(a)(1)(C). TWC’s rule package adopted in September 2026 left it unchanged, so the 7% ceiling still applies in Texas ⁠¹⁠².

October 2026 rule changes families should know

TWC’s Chapter 809 amendments took effect October 1, 2026. The Texas Rising Star changes follow on November 1, 2026 ⁠²:

• Your 12-month authorization now starts when your first child actually begins care with the provider, not on the date you were found eligible ⁠².
• Children experiencing homelessness are no longer automatically eligible. The 90-day initial enrollment continues, but the parent must meet the work, school or training requirement by the end of it ⁠².
• Children in pre-K partnerships, and those using a Texas Educational Freedom Account at a private pre-K that also offers CCS wrap-around care, now have waitlist priority ⁠²⁠³.

Texas Rising Star: what the stars mean for your provider choice

Texas Rising Star is TWC’s quality rating system for providers that take CCS. Every licensed or registered provider paid through CCS must be either Rising Star certified (Two-, Three- or Four-Star) or designated Entry Level. Relative caregivers are the exception. Entry Level normally lasts no more than 24 months, and extension waivers are capped at 36 months in total ⁠¹. State law requires boards to pay certified programs at least 5% (Two-Star), 7% (Three-Star) or 9% (Four-Star) more than non-Rising Star providers for the same care ⁠⁹.

Free public pre-K under Texas Education Code §29.153

A district must offer free pre-K if it identifies at least 15 eligible 4-year-olds. It may also offer classes for eligible 3-year-olds. Classes for 4-year-olds must be full-day, while classes for 3-year-olds may be half-day ⁠¹⁰. Your child must be 4 on or before September 1 of the school year (or 3, where the district offers a 3-year-old program) and meet at least one of these categories ⁠¹¹⁠¹⁰:

• Unable to speak and understand English
• Educationally disadvantaged, meaning eligible for free or reduced-price school meals
• Homeless
• Child of an active-duty service member, or of one injured or killed on active duty
• Is or ever was in DFPS conservatorship, or in foster care in another state
• Child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award (peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical first responders)
• Child of a classroom teacher employed by the district offering the class

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Add $10,508 for each additional member ⁠¹³.

A child who enrolls at 3 stays eligible the next year ⁠¹⁰. A district may charge tuition to families who do not meet a category only if a state-designated intermediary has found that no qualifying private provider can serve those children ⁠¹⁰. TEA estimates that about 57,000 eligible 4-year-olds and 225,000 eligible 3-year-olds are not enrolled in public pre-K ⁠¹².

Applying through TX3C and your Workforce Solutions office

1. Check the two limits that matter

   Compare your gross monthly income to the BCY2027 table above and confirm you meet the 25-hour (single parent) or 50-hour (two parents) activity requirement ⁠⁷⁠¹.

2. Gather documents

   Bring your child’s birth certificate or passport, a lease or utility bill, six recent pay stubs showing hours worked, and a school or training statement if you study ⁠⁴⁠⁸.

3. Apply online through Texas Child Care Connection (TX3C)

   The statewide application sends your case to the board for your county. TWC then invites you to the TX3C Parent Portal, which is also used to record attendance ⁠⁸.

4. Expect a decision or a waitlist notice

   The board must tell you within 20 calendar days of receiving all required documents whether you are eligible ⁠¹. If there is no funding, it places you on its waiting list in priority order ⁠¹.

5. Answer every waitlist check-in

   The board will contact you every three months. Reply each time, or you will lose your place ⁠¹⁠⁸.

6. Pick a provider and pay your share

   Once your child is authorized, choose a Texas Rising Star or Entry Level program. Pay your PSoC directly to the provider before care is delivered ⁠¹⁠³.

7. Appeal if you are denied, delayed, reduced or cut off

   You can request a hearing under 40 TAC Chapter 823, and someone can represent you. Before ending care, the board must give you written notice at least 15 calendar days ahead. Care continues during the appeal unless it was ended for unexplained absences or unpaid PSoC ⁠¹.

8. Enroll in pre-K separately

   Contact your school district. Many districts begin pre-registration after April 1, and enrollment continues during the school year ⁠¹¹⁠¹².

Read more on child care assistance in other states or other help in Texas.