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How Raising Travis County will distribute scholarships, gap payments and OST slots
Summary
Officials detailed how families and providers will access Raising Travis County resources: Workforce Solutions will administer childcare scholarships and gap payments (gap payments expected mid‑November and 1,000 scholarships online by January), a service-location map will guide equitable investments, and out‑of‑school‑time procurements will use reimbursable contracts.
County staff used the town hall to explain how families and providers will interact with the program and to highlight eligibility, timelines and procurement mechanics.
Megan Robinson, senior planner for child care, said the county contracted with Workforce Solutions to expand infant and toddler slots and to reimburse providers at a new Travis County Child Care Quality Rate informed by local cost models. "Workforce Solutions is on track to begin dispersing gap payments mid November, and those will be backdated to include eligible children served since September 1," Robinson said. She added that the 1,000 additional scholarships are expected online by January, and that Workforce Solutions will reach out to families on its waitlist in the order they were placed; families should ensure Workforce Solutions has current contact details.
Roxanne Jimenez described the operational flow for out‑of‑school‑time funding: the county will serve as fiscal agent and release a request for services (RFS). Selected providers will contract with the county, add slots as specified in agreements, then submit for reimbursement; the county emphasized these are reimbursable contracts — providers typically cover costs upfront and are reimbursed afterward.
Officials stressed eligibility differences between programs. Jimenez described out‑of‑school‑time income eligibility at about 250% of the federal poverty income guideline (FPIG) or residence/school criteria for ISD‑based services, while childcare scholarship eligibility varies by program stream (the presentation referenced 85% of state median income for some scholarships and other thresholds for AISD or Early Head Start partnerships). Staff encouraged providers who serve children with federal scholarships to continue their current communication practices and to join local provider collaboratives if they need support.
On equitable distribution, county staff said they are developing a service‑location map to visualize funded childcare and out‑of‑school‑time locations and to prioritize underserved areas; the map was targeted for completion by year end. The county also said it is finalizing agreements with ISDs and several local governments to coordinate services across municipal boundaries.
Leaders said they will publish contracts, RFS schedules, and a digital report of community input on the newly launched Raising Travis County website; they will send answers to audience questions to registered participants within roughly two weeks and will post the town hall recording and slides for later reference.
