The Texas Family Child Care Network Start-Up Mini-Grant Initiative will award funding to up to 200 family child care providers. Applications from providers serving one or more of the following priority care areas will be prioritized for review, scoring, and interview scheduling ahead of general-pool applications:

1. Child Care Desert: providers whose business is located in a designated child care desert as defined in Texas Labor Code §302.0461(b)(2)(A)(i)

2. Infant and Toddler Care: providers offering care for infants and toddlers under 36 months of age

3. Non-Traditional Hours: providers offering care during non-traditional hours, defined as early morning care before 7:00 A.M., evening care after 7:00 P.M., overnight care, weekend care, and holiday care

How Priority Status Affects the Application Process

Priority status does not carry bonus points, and there are no reserved award slots or quotas by category. Instead, applications from providers in one or more of these categories will be:

1. Reviewed and scored ahead of general-pool applications

2. Prioritized for interview scheduling

3. Factored into the Business Resilience scoring category, where the applicant demonstrates how serving that population supports quality of care and business resilience

Claiming Priority Status

Applicants who serve or plan to serve one or more priority care areas should indicate this on their application. Depending on the category, this may require a Docusign attestation confirming those services as part of the application review process.

Minimum Qualification Standards

All applicants, regardless of priority status, must meet minimum eligibility requirements and achieve a minimum application score to be considered for funding. Priority status does not override the requirement for a viable, well-developed application.