The state of Texas receives money from the federal government to fully or partially subsidize child care for low-income residents below the 85% SMI threshold. Regionally, the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Board <\/a>then connects eligible families to early education scholarships.<\/p>\n However, the funding only goes so far, as an estimated 30,000 eligible children in Harris County are on a waitlist to access scholarships from the TWC, the data shows. Texas funnels approximately $240.5 million in federal funding to qualifying Harris County families annually, or about $10,000 per child.<\/p>\n Garcia also said there aren\u2019t enough centers to address the “inordinate number of wait lists\u201d in Harris County. He said by working with the state to streamline processes, as well as implementing more local support, Harris County can reduce administrative obstacles to opening centers.<\/p>\n \u201cI learned myself the things that our current providers are dealing with\u2014cumbersome regulatory processes and an immense amount of regulations and standards to achieve,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n County officials are also exploring ways to help more centers earn a Texas Rising Star certification<\/a>, the TWC\u2019s quality rating system. While the number of TRS-certified centers has grown regionally over the past several years, some providers chose not to go through the process of obtaining the certification, as it is not required to operate a child care center.<\/p>\n On top of expanding the number of certified centers\u2014and improving provider retention\u2014officials said proposed policy solutions will focus on reducing cost barriers for more residents.<\/p>\n The average annual cost of infant care in Texas is $10,706, or almost $900 per month, according to 2025 data from the Economic Policy Institute<\/a>. Care for a 4-year-old costs $9,664 per year for Texas families, or $805 per month, the Institute found.<\/p>\n According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, child care is considered affordable if it does not exceed 7% of a family\u2019s income. The Institute\u2019s analysis found that only 26.5% of Texas families can afford infant care based on the HHS standard.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom an affordability standpoint, average child care costs about 28% more than a state college tuition\u2014that\u2019s just not sustainable,\u201d Briones said. \u201cWhen you have folks struggling to pay for rent and groceries, it is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n Both commissioners said the timing of Harris County\u2019s effort aligns with recent attention on early childhood education from state officials, creating a window of opportunity for policy change.<\/p>\n Gov. Greg Abbott launched a Task Force on Early Childhood Education on Jan. 20, composed of different representatives from the child care space to address the governance and operational challenges of the Texas early education system, according to a news release<\/a> from his office.<\/p>\n State lawmakers passed House Bill 117<\/a> in 2025, granting Abbott authority to form the task force under the Texas Education Code. The governor\u2019s task force will review existing early childhood education and care programs within state agencies\u2014including the Texas Education Agency and Texas Workforce Commission\u2014and consider methods for a \u201clarge-scale redesign\u201d of administrative procedures, according to the legislation.<\/p>\n The Texas Legislature also established the Quad Agency Child Care Initiative<\/a> in 2025 to improve affordability and access to child care. The initiative includes a commission of representatives from four state agencies:<\/p>\n Texas Workforce CommissionTexas Education AgencyHealth and Human Services CommissionDepartment of Family and Protective ServicesWhen asked about adding to the lengthy list of policy priorities<\/a> already identified for the 2027 session, Garcia and Briones said they’re hopeful about garnering direction from the governor and bipartisan support.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very optimistic, and jurisdictions across the state of Texas are working on it,\u201d Briones said. \u201cBecause this moment is ripe with the governor\u2019s focus on it, we want to do everything possible to come together from across the state and get something meaningful done as Texans.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back<\/p>\n In 2022, Commissioners Court established the Harris County Early Childhood Initiatives<\/a> division and identified early education as a funding priority for the county\u2019s American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, allocations.<\/p>\n The county\u2019s fiscal year 2025-26 budget included more than $125 million of ARPA funds for early childhood education, including the Early REACH program, Early Childhood Impact fund and SHINE Childhood Facilities fund, according to previous Community Impact reporting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Commissioners have also since approved a 100% property tax exemption for qualified child care centers that are Texas Rising Star-certified and provide subsidized services.<\/p>\n The one-time ARPA funding is set to expire at the end of 2026. In August, County Judge Lina Hidalgo tried to seek voter approval of a 1-cent property tax increase to continue funding early childhood education programs, but commissioners did not support what they described as a rushed attempt to put the proposal on the ballot, Community Impact previously reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Garcia told Community Impact on April 13 that Harris County can\u2019t solve the issue independently and instead must collaborate with other advocates in the Gulf Coast region and across Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cYou just can\u2019t announce something that has no study, no plan to it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to bring people together to understand what it is that you\u2019re trying to achieve, what it\u2019s going to cost, and the best possible way to get there sooner rather than later.\u201d<\/p>\n Next steps<\/p>\n As a first step in Commissioners Court on April 16, Garcia and Briones plan to propose a countywide Business Accelerator Program for local child care providers to teach best practices for bookkeeping, insurance requirements and other regulatory aspects of operating a center.<\/p>\n Both commissioners said they\u2019ve seen success with similar programs in their respective precincts for small business owners. Briones said they\u2019re working closely with the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Board and the University of Houston to develop a curriculum for providers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey want to grow their facilities, but they don\u2019t want to stretch themselves to the point that they put themselves in an inordinate amount of debt,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n One more thing<\/p>\n![\"visualization\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776279373_142_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Diving in deeper<\/p>\n![\"visualization\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776279374_260_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Zooming out<\/p>\n