City of Fort Worth, TX

05/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/05/2024 16:18

Panel working to enhance early child care options in Fort Worth

Panel working to enhance early child care options in Fort Worth

Published on May 05, 2024

Exciting new developments are in the works that will improve child care and early education in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the leader of a nonprofit organization told the City Council during a Tuesday work session.

Kara Waddell, president and CEO of Child Care Associates, provided a snapshot of happenings since a 16-member action committee was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March of 2020, community leaders met on rapid-response efforts and identified child care as an essential service to maintain. Historic levels of COVID relief funding followed, and in January 2022, the Blue Ribbon Action Committee on Child Care formed to guide new public investments and to shepherd a communitywide vision and progress for child care.

Two years later, Waddell spoke on these outcomes:

  • Six early childhood facilities are being established in high-need areas through public-private partnerships. These will provide 50 new classrooms with a total estimated licensed capacity of 928 youngsters. The centers are in Las Vegas Trail, Tarrant County Community College-Northwest, Rayner, Stop Six, Tarrant County Community College-Southwest, and Arlington.
  • The Prime Early Learning Pilot provides foundational grant funding to 19 programs operating in high-need areas. The program assists with building and utility costs and increases teacher pay to at least $18 per hour.
  • The North Texas Early Educator Workforce Study will be funded by philanthropic partners. It will quantify the existing early educator workforce in North Texas and develop five- to 10-year projected needs for early educators.
  • A mixed-delivery pre-K program will improve access to public pre-K programs for working families who need full-day child care.

"We recognize more and more that child care is an economic development issue, a workforce development issue, an education issue," Waddell said. "It is an issue for everybody."

Photo:Six early childhood facilities are opening throughout Tarrant County.

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