Local colleges, universities see slight increase in student enrollment for Fall 2024 semesterHow far will your child get in life? Depends on what city district they live in, report shows
But even before the pandemic, Kaminski and other providers were bracing for another big blow to make its way to the state’s 16,000 child care providers, one delivered by the Texas Legislature in 2019 that for all its good intents — making public schools offer full day pre-kindergarten — is now capturing child care’s most profitable customer base: 3-and 4-year-olds.Compounding the challenges is the Texas Legislature has hesitated approving meaningful infusions of state dollars into child care.
“It was going to have a devastating impact on our businesses,” Kaminski, who also serves as president-elect of the Texas Licensed Child Care Association, said during the hearing.Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune While child care providers can partner with schools to offer pre-K classes, the lack of guidance and coordination from the state has made this doubly confusing for child care providers, who answer to as many as five state agencies when it comes to remaining licensed and in business.Kofron concedes that the expansion of pre-K has hurt the child care industry but there doesn’t have to be winners and losers here.
Fewer than half – about 7,600 – of the state’s child care providers participate in Texas Rising Star.While the waitlist fell dramatically during the pandemic when schools and child care centers were closed, it is now creeping back up. By the agency’s calculation, it would cost more than $861 million dollars to get that list down to zero.