The big picture
County staff determined the quickest way to increase long-term capacity for early childhood and after-school slots would be through existing partnerships.
Travis County commissioners approved a contract Aug. 26, allocating $24 million to Workforce Solutions Capital Area. The agency already actively accepts applications from both parents and providers, distributing funding for student scholarships and gaps in provider funding for subsidized slots.
Through this existing infrastructure, the funding commitment is expected to result in child care for 1,000 children ages 0-3.
“These dollars will unlock hundreds of additional child care scholarships and reduce monthslong waitlists for Travis County families,” Travis County Judge Andy Brown said.
Alongside the Workforce Solutions contract, the county approved three interlocal agreements with Austin ISD, Manor ISD and Del Valle ISD for pre-K and after-school programs totaling $9.7 million.
The agreements kick off a two-year pilot for the funding, and enable local schools to expand their existing programs.
Austin ISD
Austin ISD will be expanding their Apple Blossom program. Apple Blossom Centers offers half-day and after-school care to supplement existing state-funded half-day pre-K3 programs. This no-cost program now offers care until 6 p.m.
Apple Blossom Centers are available at nine Austin ISD campuses that include 75% or more economically disadvantaged students.
By the numbers:
- Program: full-day pre-K3 and after-school
- Funding: $3.7 million over two years
- Children served: 306
Del Valle ISD
Del Valle ISD will now be able to offer after-school care and programming for pre-K4 students across nine campuses that have 60% or more economically disadvantaged students.
This funding also allows the district to maintain a low staff-to-student ratio—about 1-11—so pre-K students receive the individualized support they need, Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez said, adding that it’s especially important in a district where 90% of students come from low-income households.
By the numbers:
- Program: pre-K4 after-school programming
- Funding: $2.6 million over two years
- Children served: 200
Manor ISD will utilize funding from the county to provide after-school programming and summer care in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Austin.
The program will predominantly serve elementary-aged children but also include middle schools across nine campuses that have 60% or more economically disadvantaged students.
By the numbers:
- Program: after-school and summer programs
- Funding: $3.4 million over two years
- Children served: 1,593
Voters approved a tax rate increase last November, raising the rate by $0.025 per $100 valuation—about $288 more annually for the average homeowner. The measure is expected to generate roughly $75 million each year for the initiative.
Several specific programs have been outlined to increase affordable child care in Travis County:
- Increase subsidy spots in early childhood day cares; create incentives for providers to offer reduced-tuition spots
- Increase after-school and summer-care spots
- Expand nontraditional-hours child care—options outside the regular 9-to-5 workday for parents who work atypical hours
- Cover gaps in state subsidy funding
Individuals apply for any of the free or low-income programs must satisfy low-income eligibility and employment requirements. For example, Workforce Solutions eligibility sets the income limit for a family of four at $87,000 annually.
These programs are expected to create an estimated 9,800 additional child care opportunities for kids countywide by both increasing subsidy slots, and regular full-tuition after-school and nontraditional care slots, according to county documents.
County staff noted that this initial investment is the fastest child care fund to launch in the nation, as similar efforts typically take about two years to get off the ground.
Within 11 months of voter approval, Travis County is boasting a total investment of over $34 million resulting in 3,099 early child care and after-school slots.
“We will mark this time in history as the turning point,” Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said. “... With this investment in these programs, we are improving the future for these children.”
Other contracts are being negotiated with additional local providers, school districts and Health and Human Services, which are expected to add more than 1,700 slots.
The Austin region has the most expensive child care in Texas, according to a recent Texas Workforce Commission 2024 report, with the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex trailing in second.
TWC data reveals the average cost of child care for just one kid in Travis County is an estimated $13,300 annually—comparable to the $13,500 cost of in-state tuition at The University of Texas at Austin.
“One of the drivers of the waitlist, not just in Travis County but across the state, is that the state of Texas currently only invests what is the minimum requirement by the federal government into child care,” Cody Summerville, CEO of advocacy group Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, previously told Community Impact.
Additionally, schools across the metro area are bracing for a reduction in federal funding that supports after-school programs.
“Frankly, our state government has been tone deaf here; our federal government has been tone deaf here,” Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion said. “What we're trying to prove today is we understand that the only way that we get the community that we deserve is if we build it together.”
Brown said the county is still working to deliver on commitments made during the campaign for the tax increase, including expanded child care options beyond standard 9-to-5 hours for parents with nontraditional schedules, as well as incentivizing large, private employers to provide child care stipends.
County staff indicated that plans to approve several additional child care contracts will be coming to commissioners within the next couple of months.
