Over 120 TX organizations urge lawmakers for child care reform. What are their solutions?
The spotlight on the call for Texas child care reform intensified on Oct. 9 after more than 120 organizations across the state released a statement to the Legislature, urging lawmakers to make change through four policy recommendations.
Advocacy group Texans Care for Children sent the statement alongside various 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 for programs with financial struggles, and hindering parents’ ability to go to work and pay for the cost of high-quality care. The legislative session begins in January, and committees in both the House and Senate have been assigned to study interim charges related to child care ahead of lawmakers convening in Austin.
“The Legislature has an opportunity to give more parents a chance to go to work and more kids a chance 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, kids, employers, and child care providers. Lawmakers have signaled that expanding access to high-quality child care is a top priority, and we’re hopeful we’ll see significant investments made this session.”
The four policy recommendations include:
Investing in the state’s subsidy system by addressing the waitlist of about 80,000 children and tailoring reimbursement rates to providers who accept subsidies.
Increasing the supply of programs by offering competitive grants to expand affordable care in high-need areas. This includes focuses on child care deserts, serving children with disabilities and infant and toddler care.
Ensuring programs recruit and retain qualified staff by way of helping low-income educators access child care themselves
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 working day
Among the Fort Worth-based organizations who signed onto the statement include the Early Learning Alliance, Child Care Associates, Green Space Learning and the Goddard School Fort Worth.
Kym Shaw Day, executive director of the Early Learning Alliance, said the organization is proud to stand by the several other entities that signed on to the statement, as the alliance believes that “accessible, high-quality child care to be essential for the development and 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 have signed onto these actions to encourage lawmakers to prioritize the needs of young children and their families. The outline priorities in the letter address critical issues such as funding, accessibility, and the quality of child care services. These are fundamental to building an equitable system that supports both our children’s growth and our state’s economic future.”
Kara Waddell, president and CEO of Child Care Associates, said innovation is needed in the child care sector because parents, children and providers are hurting.
“With only 12% of eligible families able to access state child care financial assistance, family waitlists are acutely high, and the rising cost of care is even pricing out child care educators from affording care for their own children. Texas parents who rely on child care to work understand that state action is needed in 2025,” she said.
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 began a partnership with Fort Worth ISD this school year for its PreK Today program, which serves about 150 children in the district at five different community programs.
“One opportunity available this legislative session is removing barriers to expand community-based prekindergarten options, giving working parents with preschoolers access to extended-day pre-K programs,” Waddell added. “We’re excited to see so many organizations statewide standing in support of these innovations to finally get the help working Texas families need.”
Notable statewide organizations that signed on to the statement include Children at Risk and the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children. A director with Children at Risk called attention to the quality child care deserts throughout the state, which are areas with a certain number of low-income children, up to 5 years old, 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 quality child care deserts throughout Texas, child care access is an issue for working parents and businesses in every corner of our state. Every state senator and representative has constituents who are struggling to find quality, affordable child care,” said Kim Kofron, senior director of education for the organization. “Kids 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 is supporting children, parents, and businesses.”
A Texas Association for the Education of Young Children leader said child care is a necessity for everyone, even those who don’t have children.
“We either need it for our own children or the children of people we rely on in our daily lives, like cashiers, nurses, and delivery drivers. Prioritizing child care in the 89th legislature is prioritizing every Texan,” CEO Cody Summerville said.
