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Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, flanked by a group of children who benefited from the county’s early childcare programs, speaks to reporters about a proposed tax increase Aug. 7, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Lomax\/Staff writer<\/p>\n
Harris County Judge\u00a0Lina Hidalgo will again ask Commissioners Court to consider a property tax increase to support a daycare and preschool subsidy for some residents<\/a>, public agenda documents indicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hidalgo did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, and the exact details of the proposal remain unclear. But records state the tax increase would maintain a \u201cportion of critical Harris County early childhood programming\u201d \u2014 language that closely mirrors a proposal Hidalgo floated last year that ultimately failed after she brought dozens of kids to court in a bid to pressure her colleagues to support the measure<\/a>.<\/p>\n Commissioners will discuss the proposal Thursday. If approved, the proposed increase would go before voters in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The program provides free daycare and preschool to eligible low-income families, and provides professional development and training to childcare providers. As many as 1,000 children can receive free childcare through the program, which currently is funded through December using federal grant dollars.<\/p>\n Hidalgo’s 2025 proposal would have dedicated a portion of the county’s tax revenue to support the initiative indefinitely.\u00a0<\/p>\n The county is facing a $130 million deficit<\/a> for its coming budget year \u2014 similar to the shortfall it faced when Hidalgo made her proposal last August.\u00a0<\/p>\n EXCLUSIVE: Hidalgo staffer says he was \u2018blindsided\u2019 by the use of children in chaotic meeting<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Nancy Sims, a University of Houston political science lecturer, said a tax hike may face political headwinds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a really complicated issue, and I think it’s going to be a tough sell,\u201d Sims said. \u201cEverything that our local governments are experiencing with budgets, so are our local citizens. So asking them to pay one more penny for anything is going to need to be seriously thought out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n More than 90,000 children in Harris County are on a waitlist for subsidized childcare, according to a fact sheet published by the Texas Workforce Commission<\/a>. <\/p>\n The\u00a0county childcare program functions similarly to others offered through the state and federal governments, but comes with fewer restrictions and covers the entire cost of childcare as opposed to just a portion. But the program also serves far fewer children, and at a higher cost per child than similar services provided through the state or Head Start,\u00a0according to a University of Houston report.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n UH researchers estimated the cost per child of the county program at roughly $18,750 compared to $10,000 per child through its state-run counterpart, which requires families to pay a small daily fee.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Head Start, its federal counterpart, spent roughly $14,000 per child while also providing free daycare and preschool, according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n