Travis County Approves Millions for Child Care

Travis County commissioners on Tuesday approved two contracts totaling $21 million in funding for 1,000 child care scholarships for local families.

The money comes from a tax hike that voters approved last year. (Remember??) Commissioners voted last August to include a property tax increase of 2.5 cents per $100 valuation for homeowners on the November ballot in an effort to increase access to affordable child care for Travis County residents.

“The Travis County CARES Initiative will make high-quality, affordable child and afterschool care available to thousands of low-income families in our community,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said at the time.

The program is now called Raising Travis County, with child care services — and raises for care providers — funded by tax revenues of roughly $75 million a year.

Eligible families will be able to receive child care starting in January. County officials have previously said they will consider household income and residency when determining eligibility.