HERE TO HELP
Of 709 jobs in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area that received annual wages, child care workers had the ninth-lowest average annual wage in May 2021. The following occupations share similar salaries to those of child care workers. METRO OCCUPATION WAGES
Resources are available to help low-income families in the Greater Houston area pay for child care. Many child care centers in the Cy-Fair area also offer scholarship opportunities or sliding-scale tuition options.
Avance Head Start and Early Head Start • Free early educational opportunities and other services for low-income families with children age 5 and younger www.avancehouston.org Houston Parks Department • Meals program for children age 18 and younger www.houstontx.gov/parks L.I.F.E. Houston • Emergency formula assistance for children under age 1 www.lifehouston.org/getformula
Texas Child Care Solutions/ Houston-Galveston Workforce Solutions • Financial assistance with child care www.wrksolutions.com Texas Workforce Commission • Financial assistance for families with children with disabilities www.twc.texas.gov YMCA of Greater Houston • Financial assistance available for program fees www.ymcahouston.org
Occupations
SOURCES: HOUSTON-GALVESTON WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, HOUSTON PARKS DEPARTMENT, LIFE HOUSTON, YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON, AVANCE HOUSTON/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Preschool, said he believes the number of early education centers in Cy-Fair is not enough to meet the needs of the community’s growing population. According to a 2021-22 report from demographics firm Population and Survey Analysts, local families have about 56 private preschool options. “If you look and calculate the total number of seats that are actually available, … we don’t have enough seats to meet the overall demand,” Kevin Kalra said. Staffing challenges Satish Kalra said staffing cost increases are being felt as Texas requires certain teacher-to-student ratios for child care centers. While having more teachers helps with man- aging classrooms and ensuring facili- ties are able to host full classes when a teacher is out sick, new employees are hard to come by. “So because of the pandemic, you can say whether it was strictly because of the pandemic or other policies that
standards to ensure parents are pleased with the care they provide. Resources and funding With the 88th Texas Legislature set to begin Jan. 10, many parents are look- ing to local legislators for assistance. In a June 23 email, state Rep. Sam Harless, R-Spring, said child care costs are “eat- ing up a larger portion of income” for families with children. “We are hearing more requests and higher demand for increased state funding in a number of areas. ... In the end, it will likely come down to avail- able budget dollars,” Harless said. Parents whose children meet certain eligibility criteria can take advantage of Cy-Fair ISD’s free pre-K program, which serves those who are age 4 on or before Sept. 1. The child must be unable to speak or comprehend English, be eco- nomically disadvantaged, be home- less, be a child of an active duty service member or have been in foster care. Many local child care centers offer financial aid to ease the burden for
came into force, the staff availability has gone down, and staff costs have gone up,” he said. A survey released in February by the National Association for the Edu- cation of Young Children reported two-thirds of child care centers in the U.S. are experiencing a staffing short- age. A September 2021 NAEYC survey reported 86% of child care centers in Texas saw staffing shortages; 79% of those surveyed identified wages as the main recruitment challenge. In May 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the average annual wage for a child care worker in the Greater Houston area was $24,150—the ninth lowest-paying occupation out of the 709 occupations in the region that receive an annual wage. Officials with Montessori Preschool and The Honey Tree Preschool said they have retained staff members for years but have had to find more teachers to fill in when one is unable to work. This has proven a challenge for both centers as they maintain high
low-income families. The Honey Tree Preschool partners with Workforce Solutions, a group that helps employ- ers meet their human resource needs and aids individuals in career devel- opment, to help student and working parents pay for child care. “In other words, I agree to accept less than what my normal tuition is, and the Workforce [Solutions] pays me a certain amount,” Fox said. “And plus, whatever the parent fees; some parents have zero fees.” Kofron said she hopes to see state and federal legislators continue to invest in child care in the future. “We really want to make sure that as we plan into next year as when those funds run out that there’s some mech- anisms in place to make sure that the bottom doesn’t fall out,” Kofron said. Ally Bolender contributed to this report.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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CY-FAIR EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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