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Child Care Services Inclusion

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protects children with disabilities and requires child care providers to serve children with disabilities if reasonable accommodations can be made. Child care providers cannot charge parents for the cost of making such accommodations available. 

TWC provides a higher amount of child care assistance funding (the inclusion assistance rate) for families we serve who have qualifying children with disabilities.  We require that a professional familiar with assessing the needs of children with disabilities be designated to certify a need for the inclusion assistance rate.

Workforce Development Boards administer child care funding provided by TWC through their Workforce Solutions offices. Eligibility requirements may vary by board area.

Workforce Development Boards work with:

  • Parents to verify a child’s eligibility for the inclusion assistance rate
  • Providers to assess the need for the inclusion assistance rate

For additional information or assistance contact your Workforce Solutions Office.

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Professional Development for Child Care Providers Caring for Children with Special Needs

Online courses and other resources are available to help child care providers learn about best practices in inclusive child care. The online courses and resources are developed and produced by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of the Texas A&M University System in cooperation with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Child Care Licensing Division, using funds provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Professional Development Training for Providers Caring for Infants and Toddler with Special Needs has online courses covering a variety of inclusive child care topics.

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Inclusion Assistance Rate

The Texas Workforce Commission, through the Workforce Development Boards, provides funding at an inclusion assistance rate to eligible child care services providers. A board or its child care contractor may reimburse up to 190 percent of the provider’s reimbursement rate to assist in the care of a child with disabilities.

The inclusion assistance funding is available to providers serving low-income families to assist them in making reasonable accommodations for a child with disabilities. The inclusion assistance rate also is available to assist providers and families if a child’s disability requires more than just reasonable modifications for the child to be fully included in the child care provider’s daily activities.

For more information on inclusion assistance rates, see the Child Care Services Guide, Section B-700PDF.

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