Education
BY WESLEY GARDNER & CASSANDRA JENKINS
In the Greater Houston area, 45 ZIP codes qualify as child care deserts, according to data provided by Children at Risk. To determine child care deserts, Children at Risk ocials used 2022 U.S. Census Bureau data to dene a child as eligible for care if they were age 5 or younger and both of their parents were employed. In The Woodlands area as dened by Children at Risk, two ZIP codes qualify as child care deserts: 77382 and 77385. Kim Kofron, Children at Risk’s senior director of education, said she believes access to child care has been a problem statewide for decades, but the issue was complicated by the pandemic. Kofron said Texas had around 17,000 early child care centers before the pandemic hit in 2020. While that number had fallen to roughly 12,000 in 2021, she said the number of providers has since rebounded to around 14,000. Despite the increase, Kofron said more than 70,000 kids throughout the state are currently on waiting lists to receive early child care. Amanda Welch, director of the Alden Bridge Presbyterian Preschool located in the 77382 ZIP code, said from August to December enrollment nearly doubled. The school briey had a waiting list for 2-year-olds before opening a new classroom in November. “There’s denitely been a surge, because ... a lot of families are relocating from dierent parts of the country,” she said. “One of the rst things new families as us is, ‘Do we have availability?’ The second is, if we don’t, ‘How long is the waiting list?’” Parents, providers face child care obstacles
Child care seats vs. eligible children in The Woodlands area, 2022
Number of child care seats
Number of eligible children
500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
0
77381
77380
77382
77386
77389
77385
77384
Child care deserts in The Woodlands area, 2022
High access to child care: 76% or more of eligible children have access to a child care seat Moderate access to child care: 34%-75% of eligible children have access to a child care seat Child care desert: 33% or less of eligible children have access to a child care seat
77384
77382
77385
77381
The Woodlands
77380
77389
99 TOLL
77386
Child care desert The Woodlands area is home to two ZIP codes referred to as child care deserts, meaning there are at least three times as many children eligible for early child care as there are seats available.
45
N
SOURCES: CHILDREN AT RISK, U.S. CENSUS BUREAUCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Looking ahead
Child care bills approved in 2023
Senate Bill 1145 Allows local tax authorities to give property tax relief to some child care programs
House Bill 2729 Lowers hiring qualications for pre-K teachers at child care centers partnering with local school districts
House Bill 1615 Helps child care centers become eligible to partner with local school districts to provide care for pre-K aged students
While Kofron said she was disappointed the state Legislature failed to approve an additional $2.29 billion for early child care that was originally included in the state’s budget, she pointed to a handful of bills approved aimed at assisting child care providers in Texas.
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURECOMMUNITY IMPACT
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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