Resource Guide

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Resources available to help with your efforts include:

• National Resources

• Texas Resources

• City of Austin / Travis County Resources

• General Parenting & Caregiver Resources

• Accessing High Quality Early Care and Education

• Local Family Economic Stability Resources

• Area School Districts

NATIONAL RESOURCES

National Child Care Toolkit for Employers

The Best Place for Working Parents® and Early Matters Greater Austin (EMGA) collaborated on this toolkit to provide tangible options to employers who are eager to support their working parents’ child care needs, but unsure of where to begin. This toolkit provides accessible suggestions that meet you where you are today so you can take the next step that best fits your organization.

Employer Guide to Child Care Assistance and Tax Credits

Four things employers can do to help their employees with child care from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Employer Roadmap

Child care solutions for working parents from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

FAMILIES AND WORK INSTITUTE (FWI)

FWI is a nonprofit research-to-action institute dedicated to providing research for living in today’s changing workplace, changing family and changing community. Review their Workforce & Workplace Research and explore the rest of their site for more guides and resources on adapting workplaces to meet the needs of employees and their families.

PARENTING IN THE WORKPLACE INSTITUTE (PIWI)

Researches and provides resources for the implementation of formal programs in which parents can bring their children to work and care for them while doing their jobs.

MOMSRISING.ORG

This is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to achieve economic security for all moms, women, and families in the United States. Visit their site to learn about family-friendly workplace policies and other related topics.

ZERO TO THREE

Works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development. This website provides connections to comprehensive resources for information new families.

Breastfeeding

MAMAVA Is a business dedicated to transforming the culture of breastfeeding. They sell a variety of freestanding “lactation suites” in various forms that can be purchased for private and public spaces as well as rental for inflatable lactation pods for events.

Pump Spotting

Pump Spotting is in the business of nourishing to make the feeding journey more supported at work, at home, and on-the-go. Their software and solutions make it easy for companies to remove the barriers faced by feeding parents, create inclusivity, and signal commitment to women and families.

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TEXAS RESOURCES

Early childhood Texas

Early Childhood TX provides a one-stop shop on resources for parents with young children about:

• Health & Development: child development (including resources for children with special needs), nutrition, health tips and healthcare

• Parenting: child safety, parenting tips and supports, at-home learning activities

• Child Care & Education: child care and after school programs, prekindergarten, Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education

• Eligibility Programs: state sponsored programs and assistance opportunities for Texas families

Information available in Spanish & Vietnamese

TEXAS MOTHER FRIENDLY WORKSITE PROGRAM

Mother-Friendly Worksites are businesses that proactively support employees who choose to breastfeed their infants. Creating and implementing a Mother-Friendly policy is both simple and inexpensive. Their step-by-step guide can help a business get started.

TEXAS WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC)

WIC is the special supplemental nutrition program that supports income eligible women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or had a baby within the last six months as well as infants and children up to their 5th birthday. This includes food, nutrition classes, breastfeeding support and more.

Texas Child Care Portal

Find open, licensed child care through the Texas’ Child Care Portal.

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CITY OF AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY RESOURCES

United Way For Greater Austin Family Resource Page

New parents and caregivers often find themselves in a whirlwind of questions. While there is yet to be a book on how to be the perfect parent, UWATX has created a space where parents can find answers to some of their most pressing questions. The bilingual Austin Family Resource Page contains resources where folks can learn about early childhood from pregnancy through Kindergarten to support how kids develop, sleep, and play. Visit AustinFamilyResources.org to get started.

Los padres nuevos frecuentemente se encuentran en un torbellino de preguntas. Aunque aún no existe un libro sobre cómo ser el padre perfecto, hemos creado un espacio donde los padres pueden encontrar respuestas para algunas de sus preguntas más importantes. Aprenda sobre la infancia desde el embarazo hasta el kinder y así saber cómo apoyar a los niños durante su desarrollo, y mientras duermen y juegan. Visite RecursosFamiliaresAustin.org para empezar.

AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR MOTHER-FRIENDLY WORKSITE

Austin Public Health (APH) can help you transition to a mother-friendly worksite through free technical assistance.  In addition, APH offers the Chronic Disease Prevention Mini-Grant opportunity. These competitive mini-grants of up to $2,500 support healthy nutrition, mother-friendly,  physical activity, or tobacco prevention projects at workplaces and other locations. Contact (512) 972-6472 or click here.

CENTERING PREGNANCY

This is prenatal care that includes the mother’s regular health check-up with additional time for learning and sharing. Groups start after the first trimester. Expectant mothers meet with a healthcare provider and other women who are due near the same time for 10 sessions throughout the pregnancy. Contact Centering Pregnancy Coordinators at (512) 978-9435.

FAMILY CONNECTS

Through Family Connects, all families have the opportunity for a trained, registered nurse to visit them at home within the first three weeks of their child’s birth. These nurses conduct comprehensive strengths and needs assessments for each family and can provide immediate assistance, such as safe sleep support, or make warm referrals to other programs in our community that can provide more intensive and ongoing support for families, such as health care appointments, child care services, parenting support groups and financial and social supports that promote family functioning and child-wellbeing. This program launched at St. David’s South Hospital.

PARTNERS IN PARENTING (PIP)

Partners in Parenting (PIP) improves the well-being of Austin’s new parents so they are confident, connected, and have the tools to blossom into their full potential. Our proven approach connects parents of babies with peers, trained facilitators, and experts so they can share the joy and weather the storms of new parenthood together. PIP believes that we build the foundation for healthy families by supporting parents in this early phase of parenthood. All new parents are welcome. Click here to learn more. Info in English and Spanish.

MOM’S PLACE LACTATION SUPPORT CENTER

Mom’s Place is a specialized breastfeeding support clinic and training center where mothers can receive free services and return as often as needed. It is grant funded through Texas Department of State Health Services and the Health and Human Services Commission. Additional services include: lactation consultations, breastfeeding support & education, and weight checks for baby. To make an appointment, call (512) 972-6700.

Click here for a full list of lactation support resources.

Toll-free Breastfeeding Hotline, call 1-800-514-MOMS (6667).

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GENERAL PARENTING & CAREGIVER RESOURCES

BRIGHT BY TEXT

Bright by Text sends free games, tips, and resources right to your cell phone. Messages are targeted to your child’s age and include information on child development, language and early literacy, health and safety, behavioral tips, and more! Bright By Text is a free texting service that sends timely resources, simple encouragements and supports for caregivers of kids ages 0-8 right to your cell phone. Sign up here or text the keyword SMARTATX to 274448.

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE TRACKING

From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Click here to track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern.

FATHER’S PLAYBOOK

About to be a Dad and trying to make sense of pregnancy, what to do, and where to start? The Father’s Playbook app is here to help. This app is developed for guys to help them understand pregnancy and prepare them for after the baby comes.

PBS PARENTS

(KLRU) In Austin, KLRU is the local PBS station which provides family-friendly programming and events. This website includes information for parents and caregivers.

RESOURCES AND REFERRALS FOR BASIC NEEDS FOR FAMILIES

United Way for Greater Austin’s 2-1-1- Navigation Center is available to anyone by simply calling the free 2-1-1 hotline. Call the Navigation Center to speak to a compassionate, certified specialist who will connect you to community resources. Specialists can even make appointments for callers for the Medical Access Program (MAP), Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through our Central Health partnership.

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RESOURCES FOR ACCESSING HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

The Case for Quality

Scientific evidence demonstrates that the most critical period of brain development occurs before age 5. Therefore, the quality of environment where a child spends his or her days will significantly impact long term developmental outcomes and educational success. Employees’ young children need to have confidence that their children’s needs are being addressed while they work. For these reasons, it’s beneficial to help employees identify and access high quality child care. Most importantly, children who attend high quality programs (indicated by national or state accreditation) are more likely to enter school ready for success.

• Looking for available child care? Click here to find available child care in Texas that meets your needs.

• Are you an employer? Share this helpful flier about the Child Care Portal (in English and Spanish) with your employees in need of child care.

Why Regulated/licensed Care is Important

Regulated/licensed child care providers are qualified and prepared to care for young children and give parents peace of mind that their children will be in a safe and enriching environment. Click here to learn more (and in Spanish)

What to look for

National Accreditation: National accreditation is available to early learning programs striving to meet the highest quality standards. These standards are based on research on the development and education of young children and include. The two most recognized accreditations include NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and NAC (National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs). Click here to find a NAEYC preschool near you.

TEXAS RISING STAR

Texas uses the Texas Rising Star (TRS) system for state-level accreditation for quality. Licensed child care centers have the option of being accredited for quality in addition to National Accreditations above. The TRS rating of a center indicates that a center has met specific quality guidelines related to staff qualifications, child-caregiver interactions, curriculum, nutrition and physical environment, and parent engagement programs. Centers meeting the highest standards are 4 Star Centers. Caregivers can be encouraged to “Look for the Stars!”

• Here are helpful resources and questions to ask when seeking quality care.

PUBLICLY FUNDED CHILD CARE PROGRAMS (available to income-eligible families):

CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES (Birth – 12 years)

Eligible families of children under the age of 13 may receive child care financial assistance so that parents can work, attend school, or participate in training. Families may choose from the following providers that meet local and state requirements. Eligible caregivers who chose a TRS accredited center for their child also receive a 15% discount on the parent share of cost. Workforce Solutions Capital Area Child Care Services: 512.597.7191 or wfscapitalarea.com

View these informational videos from Workforce Solutions Capital Area to determine if you qualify for a child care subsidy. (In English and Spanish)

HEAD START/EARLY HEAD START (Birth to 4 years)

This federally-funded program provides low-income families with comprehensive early childhood education, including mental health services, disabilities services, nutrition services, medical and dental services, social services and parent engagement activities.

Child Inc. provides Austin-are services including home and center-based Early Head Start services and center-based Head Start.

At least 10 percent of Head Start’s enrollment is dedicated to children with disabilities or other special needs. Specially trained staff members work closely with community agencies to provide services to disabled children while simultaneously providing them with an integrated, developmentally appropriate early childhood experience within the Head Start classroom.

Child Inc offers Early Head Start (prenatal to age 3) and Head Start (ages 3-5) programs. Contact Child Inc at 512-451-7361 for enrollment and eligibility information.

Austin ISD offers full day Head Start programming for 3-year-olds. For information about enrollment eligibility for AISD Head Start, call 512-414-4752.

PUBLIC SCHOOL PREKINDERGARTEN (3 and 4 Year Olds)

The state of Texas funds prekindergarten programs for eligible three and four year olds (age as of September 1st of the school year). Eligibility is open to children who are: unable to speak and comprehend the English language, income eligible / educationally disadvantaged, homeless, a child of an active duty member of the armed forces, the child of a veteran injured or killed in active duty, is currently or has been in CPS care, or the child of a person eligible for the Start of Texas Award (as a first responder). Registration is completed through each school district.

• Click here to learn more about Public Pre-K and to enroll a child for this upcoming school year (resources available in Spanish).

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LOCAL FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY RESOURCES

Foundation Communities’ Prosper Centers

Foundation Communities’ Tax Help Centers will be open from June 14 - Oct. 15, 2022 to provide free tax preparation support in English and Spanish as well as financial wellness coaching, healthcare marketplace, and enrollment assistance and college prep coaches. Share this flier in English and Spanish at your workplace.

Financial Wellness Coaches at Foundation Communities:

Foundation Communities trained Financial Coaches offer classes and one-on-one support to help you achieve your financial goals. They provide tools and resources you can use to improve your credit, pay off debt, create a budget, and build your savings. This is a free service that is open to the public by trained volunteers. Child care for children ages 3 and older is provided and Spanish speaking coaches are available. Click here to schedule an appointment or call the Prosper Centers at 737-717-4000.

ACC Adult Education Programs:

ACC’s Adult Education Division provides classes in English as a Second Language, literacy and civics, and GED preparation in convenient locations across Travis County.

Goodwill's Excel Center:

The first free public charter high school in Texas that provides adults ages 18-50 the opportunity to earn their high school diploma, complete an in-demand professional certification, and begin post-secondary education.

Literacy Coalition of Central Texas:

The Learning Center offers multiple levels of free adult basic education classes from Basic Reading to High School Equivalency (GED and HiSET). They also offer Job Readiness and Computer Classes to clients that are looking for a new or better job. Students can enroll at any time of the year during one of the Intake dates. All classes at The Learning Center are free and all Adults 18+ are welcome.

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AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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