40 Tex. Admin. Code § 809.96 - Contracted Slots Agreements
(a) In this
section, the term "contracted slots agreement" is defined as a Board entering
into a contract with a child care provider to reserve a specific number of
places, or slots, for children participating in the child care subsidy program.
This contract shall:
(1) define the number of
slots to be reserved by age group (infant, toddler, preschool, or school-age);
and
(2) meet the eligibility
requirements as described in subsection (e) of this section.
(b) Boards may enter into a
contracted slots agreement with providers that agree to provide subsidized
child care services to eligible children residing in the Board's workforce
area.
(c) A Board that enters into
a contracted slots agreement shall include this strategy in the Board Plan, as
described in §
809.12 of this chapter.
(d) Each contract between a Board and a
provider must identify the number of places (slots) to be reserved for children
participating in the child care subsidy program.
(e) To be eligible for a contract, a child
care provider must be a Texas Rising Star Three-Star or Four-Star provider and
meet one of the following priorities:
(1) Be
located in:
(A) a child care desert;
or
(B) an underserved area that has
been identified by a Board as having an inadequate supply of child care in
accordance with the parameters described in the CCDF State Plan.
(2) Have a recognized partnership
with local school districts to provide pre-K services;
(3) Have a recognized partnership with EHS or
HS;
(4) Increase the number of
places reserved for infants and toddlers by high-quality child care
providers;
(5) Increase the number
of places reserved for children with disabilities; or
(6) Satisfy a priority identified in the
Board's plan, as described in §
809.12 of this chapter.
(f) A Board that enters into a
contracted slots agreement may continue payment for reserved slots during times
of transition between the time that one child leaves the program and another
child is placed in the slot. The period of continued payment shall adhere to
the Board's policy for contracted slots agreements and may not exceed one month
following the month of the vacancy.
(g) Except for children directly referred
from recognized partnerships, as described in §
809.22 of this chapter, to fill
open reserved slots, Boards shall contact families in order of the Board's
waiting list:
(1) that requested care in the
ZIP code where the provider with the open reserved slot is located;
and
(2) whose child is in the age
group for which a slot is available.
(h) In accordance with Commission guidelines,
Boards that enter into contracted slots agreements shall submit a report to the
Commission within six months of entering into a contract, determining the
contract's effect on the:
(1) financial
stability of providers participating in the contract;
(2) availability of high-quality child care
options available to participants in the Commission's subsidy
program;
(3) number of high-quality
providers in any part of the workforce area with a high concentration of
families that need child care;
(4)
percentage of children participating in the Commission's subsidized child care
program at each Texas Rising Star provider in the workforce area; and
(5) additional information as requested by
the Commission.
(i) A
Board shall resubmit the report every 12 months from the due date of the
Board's initial report to the Commission.
Notes
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