Maintaining the Texas economic miracle requires ensuring families are not faced with avoidable obstacles to economic prosperity.
Over the past few decades, Texas has enjoyed tremendous economic growth and prosperity — but among the fundamental building blocks of family well-being, including childcare and housing, Texas faces growing challenges that demand thoughtful, long-term solutions. While each of these systems operates independently, they share common challenges: fragmented oversight, distorted markets, outdated policies and a lack of actionable data. By collaborating across state agencies, local governments, and private sector entities — Texas can ensure economic mobility is available to all Texans.
Our work on early childhood care and education begins with a simple inquiry: what is the state’s primary goal for early childhood? Should these programs be focused on maximizing the number of Texans able to participate in the workforce of today, or should it focus on preparing the workforce of tomorrow? While the two are not mutually exclusive, there is a trade-off between quantity and quality that sits behind nearly every state decision relating to early childhood funding, oversight, and regulation. Either path can lead to good outcomes, but the state must establish a vision and mission that enables all of its resources to work together, rather than against each other.
The state’s objective and mission is not the only unanswered question about childcare. Key data gaps, such as where Texas families are able to access quality childcare, and where they are not. Recent successes in the past legislative session will lay the foundation for answers to this, and other questions, such as: Where are vacancies and shortages occurring? Which investments in quality are leading to stronger educational outcomes? And, what are the long-term economic impacts for parents who gain access to subsidized care? The answers to these questions can help the state make more informed investments, at both a tactical, and strategic level.
