A new analysis from advocacy group Children at Risk found that 263 Texas ZIP codes, roughly 14%, are now classified as chronic childcare deserts, meaning they have lacked enough childcare seats for at least three consecutive years. In Dallas County, 17 ZIP codes rank as childcare deserts, and 12 of them are chronic, representing roughly 13% of ZIP codes countywide.

In a childcare desert, the number of children under age 6 with working parents is at least three times higher than the number of licensed childcare seats, according to Children at Risk. The group’s new “chronic desert” label applies that same standard over time, identifying communities that remained deserts from 2022 through 2025.

Dallas County has about 112,600 licensed childcare seats, or roughly 83 seats for every 100 children of working parents, according to the report. Advocates say that countywide number masks deep gaps in access to affordable, high-quality care for low-income families.

“It’s a significant barrier,” said Kim Kofron, executive director of early childhood education at Children at Risk, during a recent virtual news conference. “Living in childcare deserts for three out of these five years limits not only the child’s learning abilities and opportunities, but also that family’s economic stability.”

Statewide, the report identified 413 childcare desert ZIP codes. About 64% are considered chronic. The analysis also counted 884 subsidy childcare deserts, which largely affect low-income families.

The report also identified 938 Texas Rising Star deserts. About 76% of low-income Texas children under age 6 with working parents live in a subsidy childcare desert, according to the report.

Texas Rising Star is the state’s quality rating system for childcare providers participating in the subsidy system, and those deserts represent areas where families lack access to high-quality, state-certified care.

Childcare in Dallas County 

Those shortages are especially visible in Dallas County, said Shari Anderson, vice president of child care assistance at ChildCareGroup, which administers public childcare funding in the region. 

Christina Torres-Garcia, an Irving single mother of four, said finding dependable and affordable childcare for her 5-year-old son has directly shaped her ability to work.

“The biggest thing I had to sacrifice was working at night,” she said. “That way I can be available during the day for my child.”

Torres-Garcia said reliable childcare gave her stability as a working parent, especially while raising a child with special needs.

“I wish policymakers understood that childcare is not just a convenience,” she said. “It’s essential for families to work, support their children and remain financially stable.”

Local leaders are trying to improve both quality and access, Anderson said. Dallas County and the city of Dallas have each established a 100% property tax exemption for eligible childcare providers in certain areas, an incentive advocates hope will help centers survive and expand.

The report underscores a broader statewide tension. Texas has improved childcare quality in recent years, but supply has not kept pace with demand.

Across Texas, the number of licensed childcare seats increased by roughly 3,000 over the past year to about 995,000. Over the same period, the number of children under age 6 with working parents grew to roughly 1.16 million, an increase of about 20,000.

At the same time, the share of subsidy providers participating in the Texas Rising Star quality system jumped from 46% to 74% in one year after a 2021 state law required providers accepting subsidy dollars to receive ratings through the program.

“In some communities, providers have doubled or even tripled their participation in these high-quality care programs,” said Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk. “We’ve made real progress, especially in improving quality, but now we have to match that progress with meaningful resources and access and capacity.”

That mismatch is especially stark for low-income families. The report estimates roughly 441,000 low-income children under 6 with working parents live in subsidy deserts, while nearly 469,000 live in areas without access to high-quality Texas Rising Star care.

The shortages extend beyond large cities. Children at Risk’s chronic desert map shows heavy concentrations in rural regions, including East and northeast Texas.

Dakota Finney, a childcare provider in Tyler and board member of Champions for Children, said many East Texas communities have seen centers close, forcing parents to drive long distances or rely on informal care.

“Childcare providers are doing everything they can to stay open, to improve quality, to expand their capacity, but the systems they’re operating in aren’t enough to encourage that growth in the areas that we need it the most,” Kofron said.

Children at Risk is urging state leaders to use the Texas Legislature’s interim period, the ongoing Sunset Advisory Commission review of key agencies and Gov. Greg Abbott’s Task Force on Early Childhood Education and Care to pursue deeper reforms. The group’s recommendations include increasing reimbursement rates for providers, investing specifically in chronic desert ZIP codes, expanding childcare scholarships and reducing administrative barriers for families.

“Texas cannot sustain a strong economy if hundreds of thousands of children lack access to quality care and their parents can’t fully participate in the workforce,” Kofron said.

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.