The spotlight on calls for child care reform in Texas intensified on Oct. 9 after more than 120 organizations in the state issued a statement to the Legislature urging lawmakers to enact change through four policy recommendations.
Advocacy group Texans Care for Children sent the statement along with several chambers of commerce, faith-based organizations, child care providers and other children’s advocacy groups, some of which are based in Fort Worth. The organizations underscored the challenges of the child care crisis that are impacting children’s success in school, creating roadblocks to financially strapped programs, and hindering parents’ ability to go to work and afford the costs of quality care. pay. The legislative session begins in January, and committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate have been tasked with studying interim charges related to child care before lawmakers meet in Austin.
“The Legislature has an opportunity to give more parents the opportunity to work and more children the opportunity to get the early learning experiences they need,” said David Feigen, director of early learning policy at Texans Care for Children. “Texans are counting on the Legislature to address the child care challenges facing parents, children, employers and child care providers. Lawmakers have indicated that expanding access to high-quality child care is a top priority, and we are hopeful that significant investments will be made this session.”
The four policy recommendations include:
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Investing in the state’s subsidy system by addressing the waitlist of approximately 80,000 children and tailoring reimbursement rates to providers who accept subsidies.
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Expand program coverage by offering competitive subsidies to expand affordable care in high-need areas. This includes an emphasis on child care, serving children with disabilities, and caring for infants and toddlers.
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Ensuring that programs recruit and retain qualified staff by helping low-income teachers access child care on their own
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Expanding pre-K partnerships in public schools by providing options for families in community-based child care programs that can provide education and care for a full workday
Fort Worth-based organizations that signed the statement include the Early Learning Alliance, Child Care Associates, Green Space Learning and Goddard School Fort Worth.
Kym Shaw Day, executive director of the Early Learning Alliance, said the organization is proud to stand behind the several other entities that signed the statement because the alliance believes that “accessible, high-quality child care is essential to developing and the well-being of our youngest Texans.”
“The Tarrant County community has done tremendous work in improving early childhood systems and continues to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for children,” she said. “We signed these actions to encourage lawmakers to prioritize the needs of young children and their families. The priorities in the letter address crucial issues such as financing, accessibility and the quality of child care. These are fundamental to building an equitable system that supports both the growth of our children and the economic future of our state.”
Kara Waddell, president and CEO of Child Care Associates, said innovation is needed in the child care industry as parents, children and providers are hurting.
“With only 12% of eligible families accessing government financial support for childcare, waiting lists for families are acutely high, and the rising costs of care are leaving childcare teachers to even care for their own children can no longer afford. Texas parents who rely on child care for work understand that state action is needed in 2025,” she said.
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Waddell also highlighted the pre-K partnership recommendation mentioned in the letter. She testified before the House Committee on Public Education in August to push for a better statewide system to expand these partnerships. Child Care Associates has partnered with Fort Worth ISD this school year for the PreK Today program, which serves approximately 150 children in the district in five different community programs.
“One opportunity this legislative session presents is removing barriers to expand community preschool options, giving working parents with preschoolers access to longer-day pre-K programs,” Waddell added. “We are excited to see so many organizations across the state supporting these innovations to finally get the help Texas working families need.”
Notable statewide organizations that have signed the statement include Children at Risk and the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. A director of Children at Risk drew attention to quality child care deserts across the state, which are areas with a certain number of low-income children, up to age 5, where the demand for subsidized child care is at least three times greater than the supply of Texas Rising Star Programs. Texas Rising Star is the state’s quality rating and improvement system for child care.
“With 981 high-quality child care deserts across Texas, access to child care is an issue for working parents and businesses in every corner of our state. Every senator and representative has constituents who struggle to find quality, affordable child care,” said Kim Kofron, the organization’s senior director of education. “Children need child care to grow and learn, working parents need child care to work, and Texas businesses need child care to grow our economy. When we invest state dollars in child care, Texas supports children, parents and businesses.”
A leader with the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children said child care is a necessity for everyone, even those who don’t have children.
“We need it for our own children or for the children of people we depend on in our daily lives, such as cashiers, nurses and delivery people. Prioritizing child care in the 89th legislative session prioritizes every Texan,” said CEO Cody Summerville.
