In 2022, CHILDREN AT RISK unveiled The Quest for Equity and Quality, a groundbreaking report that highlighted significant disparities in child care providers’ experiences with the Texas Rising Star (TRS) program across the state. Now, our latest report, Paving the Way to Quality, builds on this crucial work, providing an in-depth analysis of how Texas’ Local Workforce Development Boards (LWDBs) invest in child care quality.

In this report, you’ll discover:

• How each LWDB allocates Child Care Quality funds
• Regional TRS participation trends and Child Care Deserts
• Key decisions affecting provider development and family access to subsidized care

For this 2024 report, we analyze how local, state, and federal requirements shape funding and policy decisions, explore gaps in access, and offer recommendations for improving the child care landscape. Our goal? To empower leaders across Texas to create a future where every child has access to high-quality care.

Leveraging comprehensive data, including Census Bureau’s county-level Vintage 2023 population estimates, our team analyzed the number of children under age 5 and their race/ethnicity by LWDB region. Our findings also incorporate CHILDREN AT RISK’s proprietary Child Care Deserts data, offering a detailed look at access gaps across the state.

For a breakdown of child care desert data and more insights, dive into C@R’s latest report below! We’ve broken into an executive summary, a statewide report, and a deep-dive into the local spending of each LWDB with our local analysis.