ELIGIBILITY.

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), to be eligible for admission to a day-care center authorized under this subchapter, a child must be at least six weeks of age and:

(1) the child must be eligible for state assistance under the aid to families with dependent children program and the child's caretaker must be employed, enrolled in a job training program authorized by the Texas Workforce Commission, registered to work by the Texas Workforce Commission, or permanently and totally disabled; or

(2) the child must be from a family eligible under federal law or regulations to participate in a partially or totally federally funded welfare or social services program.

(b) Additional children of the same age group may also be admitted to a center under additional standards established by the Texas Workforce Commission.

(c) To reduce rapid turnover of children in care and to ensure maximum stability for the child to the extent possible within federal guidelines, once a child meets the initial eligibility standards and is enrolled in a child-care program, the child remains eligible for not less than one year after the date of enrollment.