Help for families

Family help in Texas is spread across several programs, so the hardest part is often knowing which door to try first. Start with food, health coverage, child care or developmental help, then follow the page to the right program.

Start with the pressure you feel first

• Food problem: start with WIC, SNAP or a pantry.
• Insurance problem: start with Your Texas Benefits.
• Child-care cost: start with Workforce Solutions.
• Development concern: start with ECI or Child Find.
• Pregnancy coverage: check Medicaid or related programs.
• No regular doctor: use the clinic and pediatric pages.
• Keep proof of income where you can find it.
• Keep identification and benefit notices together.
• Save confirmation numbers from applications.
• Use 211 when the right program is unclear.

The fuller answer

Raising children costs more than anyone tells you. Diapers alone could make anyone sit down. There's no shame in any program on this page. They were built by people who understood that a strong town is made of children who were fed and seen by a doctor, and that the families doing that work sometimes need a hand. They're there for you.

Many of these programs are meant for working families, not only families in crisis, and plenty of parents who would qualify never find out. If you're not sure, apply and let them tell you. Here is what's available in and around Baytown, and how to apply.

One place to start

YourTexasBenefits.com is the state's front door for SNAP food benefits, TANF cash help for families with children 18 and younger, Medicaid health care and WIC. You can apply online or in the mobile app, on paper at a state benefit office, or through a community partner, and the online form lets you save it and come back. Have your income papers, your bills and the identification details the form asks for on the table before you sit down, because that is what makes it a twenty-minute job instead of an evening.

Food: WIC

WIC helps pregnant women, new mothers, breastfeeding mothers, infants and children up to age 5 with healthy food, breastfeeding support and nutrition advice. Many working families qualify. The Texas WIC site lists lactation consultants, nutrition classes and a 24-hour breastfeeding hotline, and the myWIC app is how you check your benefits and shop. - Baytown WIC Center: 1000 Lee Drive, Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. - Apply at texaswic.org/apply or find your nearest office at office.texaswic.org. - Siempre Grocery, at 4120 Decker Drive, is listed as a Baytown WIC store, and the hours we hold are Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 to 2, Saturday 9 to 4, closed Sunday.

Food beyond WIC

Hearts and Hands of Baytown Food Pantry is at 307 Cedar Bayou Road, and the days we hold are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check the pantry's own site for what to bring before you go. At school, Goose Creek CISD's nutrition page says breakfast is free for all students at every campus, and lunch is free or reduced for approved families, so it is worth filling in the meal application at the start of each school year even if your child qualified before. You can apply online or pick up a paper form at the school office.

Health coverage: Medicaid and CHIP

Texas Medicaid and CHIP cover children's checkups, shots, sick visits and more. CHIP is for families who earn too much for Medicaid but can't afford private insurance: the enrollment fee is up to $50 a year, and copays run about $3 to $35. Apply at YourTexasBenefits.com. More on finding a doctor who takes it: Pediatricians.

Pregnant, or just had a baby

Texas Medicaid for pregnant women covers you during pregnancy and for 12 months after the baby is born. Healthy Texas Women offers no-cost checkups and birth control for eligible women. Apply at YourTexasBenefits.com. More in A new baby in Baytown.

Checkups and dental: Texas Health Steps

For children with Medicaid, Texas Health Steps covers free medical checkups from birth through age 20 and free dental checkups from 6 months. The Texas Health Steps page at HHS explains how to find a provider.

Shots at little or no cost

Texas Vaccines for Children covers eligible children, and Harris County Public Health gives vaccines to eligible children at its locations. See Shots and school.

Paying for child care

Workforce Solutions child care scholarships, for families with income up to 85% of the state median (a family of four: up to $7,950 a month for October 2026 through September 2027, the state's newly published figure; the limits reset each October). There can be a waitlist, so apply early. See Choosing child care.

Free pre-K

Free pre-K for 4-year-olds who meet the state's rules, in Goose Creek CISD and Barbers Hill ISD. The Barbers Hill ISD offices are at 9600 Eagle Drive in Mont Belvieu. See Choosing child care.

If your child seems behind

You don't need a diagnosis to ask. Texas Early Childhood Intervention serves children from birth to 36 months, and from age 3 the school district's Child Find looks for and evaluates children who may need special education. Goose Creek CISD's Child Find coordinator for ages 3 to 5 works out of the Goose Creek CISD Education Service Center at 2610 N. Alexander Drive, which is open weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the hours we hold. The full steps are in Is my child on track?.

Clinics

Harris Health Baytown Health Center, 1602 Garth Road, is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until noon on the second Thursday of the month. It lists primary care and pediatrics, a lab and a pharmacy. Free parking. Harris Health accepts most insurance plans and has financial assistance for Harris County residents.

When you need to find something else

211 Texas connects people to food, child care, housing, utility help and mental health services. You can search at 211texas.org or use the chat there in English or Spanish.

Back to school

Texas's sales tax holiday falls in early August, and in 2026 it was August 7 to 9. It covers most clothing, shoes, backpacks and school supplies under $100.

Before you go

• Apply for what you might qualify for before you need it, since some programs have waitlists and paperwork takes time.
• Gather income papers, bills and identification before you start an online application, and save your progress if you have to stop.
• Check the hours before you drive, because the pantry, the WIC center and the county clinic each keep their own days and hours.
• Ask each office what it needs you to bring so that a second trip isn't necessary.
• Keep every approval letter and confirmation number in one folder, on paper or in your phone.

Sources

Texas HHS, WIC (texaswic.org) and Baytown WIC Center; Texas HHS, YourTexasBenefits; Texas HHS, CHIP, Texas Health Steps, Medicaid for pregnant women and Healthy Texas Women; Workforce Solutions, child care financial assistance; Texas Education Agency, prekindergarten; Goose Creek CISD, Nutrition Services and Child Find; 211 Texas; Harris Health; Texas Comptroller, sales tax holiday; Hearts and Hands of Baytown.

En español

Solicite en YourTexasBenefits.com: SNAP, Medicaid, WIC y más, en línea, en la aplicación o en papel. WIC ayuda a embarazadas, madres recientes, bebés y niños menores de 5 años; el Centro WIC de Baytown está en 1000 Lee Drive, de lunes a jueves de 8 a.m. a 5:30 p.m. Hearts and Hands of Baytown Food Pantry, en 307 Cedar Bayou Road, abre martes, miércoles y viernes de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. Goose Creek CISD ofrece desayuno gratis a todos sus estudiantes. Medicaid y CHIP cubren chequeos y vacunas. Becas de guardería de Workforce Solutions y pre-K gratis para quienes califican. 211 Texas conecta con ayuda local, con chat en español. Harris Health Baytown Health Center abre de lunes a viernes de 7 a.m. a 5 p.m.