The Texas Workforce Commission is launching a new Child Care Business Support initiative to uplift child care providers as a key part of the state’s workforce infrastructure.
Licensed and registered child care programs across Texas will have access to free business coaching, training and tools meant to help them stabilize their operations, manage finances and retain staff, according to the commission’s announcement on Monday.
To obtain the support, providers must register, complete a business health assessment, receive a personalized learning plan, and connect with one-on-one and group coaches, along with self-paced learning modules and training events in English and Spanish.
Joe Esparza, the Texas Workforce Commission chair, said in a statement that the initiative demonstrates his agency’s commitment to helping child care providers manage their business needs.
The Education Lab
“Texas child care businesses are a critical link in the workforce system, providing children with safe, nurturing environments while their families contribute to a strong Texas economy,” his statement said.
Texas Workforce Commissioner Joe Esparza speaks to vendors during an internship conference at Dallas College’s Cedar Valley campus on Thursday, July 31, 2025, in Lancaster.
Angela Piazza / Staff Photographer
The initiative offers two main types of support. Business coaching is aimed at improving day-to-day operations such as budgeting, marketing and supervising staff. The initiative also connects providers with experts in early childhood and adult learning for training in financial planning and risk management, among other topics.
Alberto Treviño III, the Texas Workforce commissioner representing labor, called the initiative a direct investment into the workforce. He said in a statement that the initiative will strengthen the foundation for working families to thrive across Texas.
That matters, because inadequate access to child care already costs Texas an estimated $11.4 billion each year in lost productivity and revenue for parents, businesses and taxpayers, according to the University of Texas at Austin.
Advocates warn those losses will only increase as more parents scramble for limited care. State Sen. Royce West, D‑Dallas, told The Dallas Morning News last year that more than 5,000 child care centers have closed in Texas since the pandemic. The state lost nearly 75,000 child care seats in 2024 alone, according to the advocacy nonprofit Children at Risk.
Related
Tori Mannes, the chief executive and president of ChildCareGroup in Dallas, told The News that the workforce commission’s initiative is a smart investment that digs into the heart of whether providers can stay open and keep educators in the field.
“When providers are able to operate more effectively, they are better positioned to invest in their workforce, reduce turnover and maintain consistent, high-quality care for children and families who rely on them to remain engaged in the workforce,” she said in a statement.
Higher education leaders say child care is also intertwined with whether student parents can enroll in and finish degrees or workforce programs. RJ DeSilva, a spokesperson for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, told The News in a statement that the board is working on several ongoing efforts to support student parents.
Graduate Amanda Steggall hugs her son Christopher Stephenson, 6, after speaking about her experiences during a Homeless No More Program graduation ceremony at Dallas Life homeless shelter, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
The coordinating board has awarded more than $1 million in Student Success Acceleration Program grants to 22 institutions to expand support and provide direct resources for pregnant and parenting students, DeSilva said. The board also provided more than $1.4 million in Data-to-Action grants to 12 institutions to strengthen parenting status data collection and provide enhanced resources for student parents.
DeSilva said the agency also helped implement a law requiring colleges to offer pregnancy-related accommodations. The board also helped to implement laws that give parenting students access to early registration when it is extended to other groups, and to designate a parenting student liaison on each campus to connect them with resources.
“Texas has statewide collaboration, targeted funding and coordinated legislation that is building a stronger ecosystem of support that helps pregnant and parenting students access resources, continue in their programs and achieve long term academic success,” DeSilva said.
Workforce Commission officials said the initiative is designed to meet child care providers where they are, whether they operate a home- or center-based program. Doing so could keep more child care slots available, so parents can take jobs, add hours or enroll in college and training programs without losing care for their children.
Child care providers can find more information about how to enroll in the Child Care Business Support initiative by visiting texas-ccbs.learnworlds.com.
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.