EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Parents in need of child care support to either continue their education or jumpstart their career can once again apply for the cost-free CareForce program.
The CareForce Child Care Assistance Program, which is offered by Workforce Solutions Borderplex and is state and federally funded, has reopened enrollment after a two-year hiatus due to funding limitations.
Parents eligible for the program can get access to funding to help cover child care costs for a year with any of over 250 Texas Rising Star-certified child care providers approved by the program.
The goal of the program is to support parents who want to return to school, work, or upskill but face childcare barriers.
The program has 1,000 spots open, and officials are urging families in need of child care support to apply for the program as soon as possible in light of recent federal cuts to similar programs.
“I think as parents, we always want to ensure that we have safe, reliable care for our children. And so with this, it allows them to find a quality provider, our TRS or Texas Rising Star providers. And so this way, they can feel comfortable right when they’re at work. They don’t want to be stressing about their kids,” Jessie Kelley, project specialist at Workforce Solutions Borderplex, said.
Perla Bustos, a single mother with four children, currently has one child under the CareForce program and has previously benefitted from it with her other children. She described how the program had helped her in the past to first enter the workforce and now to continue rising in her career.
“First off, I think with (current) income it’s very necessary, especially now with inflation. It has helped me out a lot. Being able to maintain my job, now also going to school. So, it has helped out throughout the years,” Bustos said.
Beyond the financial assistance that the program provided for Bustos, she said it was the high-quality of child care that she was able to access that really gave her peace of mind.
“I think I would be lost, going crazy as a single mother. It’s very hard to have that trust. Just going to work and leaving your child with someone, that you are going to have that trust. So I feel very safe. I feel very comfortable. And just every day, dropping her off at daycare, knowing that she’s going to get picked up in a timely manner and she’s going to get dropped off at home,” Bustos said.
According to Workforce, the program already serves over 6,000 parents and 11,000 children.
If parents are relying on relatives for child care assistance, the relatives may be eligible for compensation through the program.
“I’ve seen Care Force help so many parents. Whether they’re single parents or a two-parent home,” Kelley said.
To learn more and apply, visit here.
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