Austin is split between two workforce boards. Workforce Solutions Capital Area handles Travis County only. A separate board, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, serves nine counties around it: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson. A family in Georgetown or Kyle applies to the rural board, even in a city neighborhood.
In Travis County, a single parent needs at least 25 hours a week of work or school, and two parents need 50 hours combined. Income must be under the state's limits for your family size. You apply online through the Texas Child Care Connection system, and you are asked every three months to confirm you want to stay on the waitlist.
This fills a hole TEFA leaves. The account can't pay for after-school care, but a child care scholarship can, at a provider that accepts both. A Texas Rising Star rating helps a provider qualify for TEFA pre-K too, so ask your preschool whether it holds one.
Combining it with other sources
Most families pair this with the school's own aid and one or two other sources on this site. A funding check lays out which combination works for your child and in what order to apply.