Texas House OKs $100M in child care funding. How could it impact Tarrant County?
The Texas House of Representatives approved $100 million for child care scholarships as part of a supplemental budget bill worth $12 billion total. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, an estimated 10,000 additional families could enroll their children in child care amid a lengthy state waiting list that’s continued to grow.
Child care advocates applauded the potential investment that would allow eligible children to receive high-quality care through scholarships during critical early years of brain development while making it easier for parents to join the workforce.
As the legislation, House Bill 500, reaches its halfway mark through the legislature, it will now go to the Senate. If it reaches Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk and he signs the bill, it would be the first time Texas invests in the child care sector beyond the minimum amounts that are required to draw down federal funding, said David Feigen, director of early learning policy at Texans Care for Children.
The budget item won’t completely fill in the existing gaps with the state’s waiting list of 95,000 families, but it’s a great first step, Feigen told the Star-Telegram. Solving all of Texas’ child care woes will take collaboration from public and private sectors, he said, but it’s always required an additional investment at the state level, which is what House Bill 500 facilitates.
“We know that addressing this is going to take everybody’s involvement,” Feigen said. “It’s going to take the federal government doing more than they’re doing. It’s going to take local governments continuing to find innovative ways to support child care. It’s going to take businesses figuring out ways to support their workforce and their ability to access high-quality child care. But it has always required the state having skin in the game.”
Feigen gave credit to Rep. Greg Bonnen, Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee; Rep. Armando Walle, Democratic chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII and VIII, which oversaw the child care portion of the supplemental budget; and Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows for the item’s initial passage.
“We’re just glad to see legislators from both sides of the aisle truly, earnestly working together to help get parents the child care they need so they can go to work,” he said.
Scholarship program has waitlist of thousands of kids
In fiscal year 2024, the average waitlist for the state scholarship program — overseen by the Texas Workforce Commission — was about 78,000. The most recent data shows the number has grown to 95,000 families. This includes almost 21,500 children in Tarrant County.
In October, more than 120 statewide groups banded together to call on lawmakers to prioritize child care during the 89th legislative session, which included expanding scholarships for low-income families.
Officials with Children at Risk, a Houston-based child advocacy and research nonprofit, said they were also grateful to see the Texas House approve the investment. The nonprofit tracks child care deserts, or ZIP codes with at least 30 children — who range from newborns to 5-year-olds — where the child care demand is at least three times greater than the area’s supply.
The nonprofit’s latest data shows 11 deserts in the Fort Worth region, which is a 37.5% increase from the previous year. There has, though, been an uptick in the number of child care providers who have enrolled in the Texas Rising Star program, the state’s quality rating and improvement system. As a result, Texas Rising Star deserts in the area have decreased by almost 16%.
“We are hopeful the Texas Senate will keep the funding in the final budget, giving more working families in Texas access to child care, allowing them to participate in the workforce, and help grow the Texas economy,” Children at Risk said in a statement.
Child care experts across Tarrant & Texas applaud budget item
Audrey Rowland, president of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, said the $100 million is “the farthest Texas has come to providing essential funding for thousands of Texas families to access child care.” This funding would facilitate families accessing care, programs filling empty spots, child care workers receiving better stability and wages, and children having “a strong start,” she said. All of these factors would support Texas’ growing economy, she said.
Rowland is also founder and CEO of Green Space Learning & Development, which runs a nature preschool in far north Fort Worth.
“Child care and small business advocates have worked for years for this type of budget item supporting child care,” Rowland said. “Child care is a public service provided by the private sector and essential to the economy — much like agriculture. And like agriculture, it isn’t sustainable without some state and federal support. This is an important step in the right direction.”
Kym Shaw Day, executive director of the Fort Worth-based Early Learning Alliance, called the House passage “a landmark decision” and “a significant step forward.” Shaw Day echoed Rowland’s points of addressing the needs of families who are awaiting financial assistance while providing children with educational opportunities needed for them to succeed.
“ELA commends the Texas Legislature for recognizing the importance of early childhood education and the profound impact it has on the future of our communities. By investing in child care scholarships, Texas is investing in its families, workforce, and early childhood education,” she said. “The Early Learning Alliance remains committed to advocating for policies that prioritize the well-being of children and families. We look forward to seeing the positive outcomes of this funding and continuing to work alongside local and state leaders to build a brighter future for all Texans.”
Kara Waddell, president and CEO of Fort Worth-based Child Care Associates, said child care businesses in the community have open, high-quality seats that are ready to be filled immediately with the potential funding being rolled out.
“The state investment is a win for Texas children and working families. In addition to investing in the expansion of child care scholarships, CCA is hopeful that Texas will see the opportunity for a parallel investment into the Child Care Innovation Program proposed in several pieces of legislation, including House Bill 3191, House Bill 5086 / SB 3009, & House Bill 5529 / Senate Bill 2979. This legislation would enable communities to target funding to ensure quality seats in high-needs areas to meet local employer needs. Together, these two investments would be a powerful step forward for Texas families and Texas companies eager to employ working families with young children,” she said.
This story was originally published April 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM.
