Early Childhood Education
The brain’s architecture is built during a child’s first 1000 days
Early Childhood Education lays the foundation for a child’s future. CHILDREN AT RISK is working to ensure every child and family has access to affordable high-quality early education programs and strengthening an early childhood workforce that is prepared, rewarded, and supported.
Children under 5 live in Texas
Low-income children 0-6 live in a child care desert
%
of child care workers qualify for at least one form of public assistance
Exposure to high-quality early childhood education is the foundation to future academic success, especially for children from low-income backgrounds. In the early stages of development, a child’s brain is malleable, and early engagement can buffer the adverse effects associated with growing up in poverty. Children who participate in high-quality early childhood programs on average have higher high-school graduation rates, lower enrollment in special education programs, and lower rates of behavioral issues later in life.
CHILDREN AT RISK’s Early Childhood Education team works to ensure every family has access to high-quality, affordable child care and an early education workforce that is prepared, rewarded, and supported.
The C@R Early Childhood Education Team...
Analyzes the current state of Early Childhood Education in Texas, maps child care deserts, identifies innovative practices and monitors government regulations and funding streams.
Connects early education providers and fellow advocates with information on innovative practices and builds consensus to develop a common policy agenda.
Advocates for state and federal policies that increase access to affordable, quality child care and early education workforce that is prepared, rewarded, and supported.
Our Latest Early Childhood Education Research & Resources
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE TEXAS SUNSET COMMISSION
Our Latest Early Childhood Education Research & Resources
SB 940 Early Childhood Transparency and Coordination
Pre-K in Texas: A Critical Component for Academic Success
With funding from the Meadows Foundation, researchers at CHILDREN AT RISK engaged in a study to examine how participation in Texas public Pre-K is associated with performance on the 3rd Grade STAAR Reading assessment. CHILDREN AT RISK tracked approximately 47,000...