- Am I obligated to participate?
No. Participation in this study is optional. However, your responses help determine the market rate of childcare for your region of Texas. While not required, your participation is extremely valuable and greatly appreciated.
- Can you mail/email me the survey?
Unfortunately, we cannot mail or email surveys at this time. All surveys are conducted via phone interviews in order to standardize the method of data collection. If you would like to review a sample of the questions ahead of time to prepare for your phone interview, you may view an overview of the survey here.
- Who conducts this study?
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) contracts researchers from the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at The University of Texas at Austin to administer this survey. Undergraduate and graduate level University of Texas students hired as Research Assistants through the School of Social Work generally conduct the phone interviews with childcare providers.
- How long will the survey take?
The average completion time for a survey is about ten minutes. Of course, some surveys are a bit shorter or longer depending on factors such as the number of children enrolled (for homes), or the number of age groups (for centers). Some providers enjoy talking with our researchers and thus provide extra information which slightly extends the length of the survey. Other providers provide short, quick answers, which typically reduces the survey time to less than ten minutes. Therefore, the length of the survey depends a lot on the preference and style of those being interviewed.
- Where are my responses reported to?
Data from individual childcare facilities are compiled by region, and reported to TWC in aggregate form. That is, TWC analyzes average rates by region, and groups of responses regarding the cost of quality, rather than looking at individual information from one particular childcare home or center.
- Are my responses published?
Only aggregate data is published. We will not publish the responses of any individual childcare facility. All participants will receive, via mail, a copy of the Market Rate published results for their region following the completion of the survey and a link to the Child Care Cost of Quality Report.
- How was my business selected to be a part of this study?
Facilities are randomly selected from the public list of all childcare facilities registered with child care licensing through the Department of Family and Protective Services.
- I am a registered home day care, am I still eligible to participate?
Yes. We are gathering information on registered homes, licensed homes, and centers.
- How do I know if I am non-profit or for-profit?
The vast majority of childcare homes and centers are for-profit. For-profit does not mean that a business makes a lot of money, or profit. Rather, for-profit is a type of business whose purpose is to make a profit. For-profit businesses must pay taxes on any income received. Non-profit childcare facilities are typically affiliated with a church, school, or similar entity. They have 501(3)C status which means they are tax-exempt (i.e., they do not have to pay taxes on income or goods purchased).
- What is NAEYC?
NAEYC stands for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Childcare providers looking to attain national accreditation may do so through this organization. According to the NAEYC website, the mission of NAEYC is “to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources.” For more information please visit www.naeyc.org.
- What is NAFCC?
Like NAEYC, NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care) is a nationally accrediting organization. NAFCC “is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care” (https://nafcc.org/). Please visit this organization’s website for more information.
- What is the Texas Rising Star Program?
Texas Rising Star is a voluntary certification program developed by the Texas Workforce Commission. Childcare providers who attain this certification agree to serve subsidized children, and to surpass minimum licensing standards. With the Texas Rising Star Program, providers can achieve different levels of certification (i.e., from one to four stars). For a more complete description of the program, and information on how to apply, please visit http://texasrisingstar.org.
- What are the market rates for my area right now?
For information on market rates in your area, please contact your local workforce development board (LWDB). Contact information for each LWDB is available on the Texas Workforce Commission’s website at http://www.texasworkforce.org/dirs/wdbs/wdbmap.html.
- Who do I call to get my reimbursement rates raised?
All comments and inquiries regarding reimbursement rates should be directed to your local workforce development board. TWC provides a list with links to all LWDB websites at: http://www.texasworkforce.org/dirs/wdbs/wdbweb.html.