According to the Texas Workforce Commission, a child care desert is an area in which the number of children under the age of 6 with working parents is at least three times greater than the capacity of licensed child care providers in that area. Texas struggles to provide accessible child care, according to data collected by the Center for American Progress (CAP), with approximately 48% of Texans living in areas designated as child care deserts.
Kelsey Erickson Streufert, a member of the Employers for Childcare Task Force, said that immediate action is required to confront the challenges faced by parents and caregivers in child care deserts.
"Every community in Texas is facing a child care shortage that is hurting working families and our economy. Access and affordability are key challenges," said Streufert, who also is the chief public affairs officer at the Texas Restaurant Association. "Many child care providers are struggling to hire and retain enough teachers, directly limiting the number of children they can serve."
Children at Risk, a Texas nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children, has mapped out where the child care deserts in Texas are, and North Texas isn’t immune. The 75220 ZIP code in Northwest Dallas above Bachman Lake has only eight childcare seats per 100 working parents; the ZIP code 75254, which covers parts of Addison, Farmers Branch and a bit of Dallas, has only seven seats for every 100 working parents.
North Texas ZIP codes with less severe, but still notable, child care desert conditions include 75057 in Lewisville with a 9:100 ratio; the 75050 ZIP code in Grand Prairie with a 23:100 ratio; and 75240 in Farmers Branch with a 30:100 ratio.
Advocates say these barriers not only hinder parents' ability to participate in the workforce but also work to perpetuate economic disparities within communities. CAP found that “child care supply is especially low among certain populations, with 55% of Hispanic/Latino families, 63% of rural families and 62% of low-income families living in areas without enough licensed child care providers.”
"Every community in Texas is facing a child care shortage that is hurting working families and our economy." – Kelsey Erickson Streufert, Employers for Childcare Task Force
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Rena Frost, owner of Mac’s on Main in Grapevine and Mac’s Bar & Grill in Arlington, felt the effect of living in a child care desert as a working mother when she originally moved to Arlington many years ago.
“I was shocked that there wasn’t readily available child care … that would be open on the hours that my schedule needed and that was affordable,” Frost said. “I had to scramble to find someone that could look after my 12-year-old child, especially during nights, weekends and holidays. I relied heavily on my co-workers until I could make arrangements and lived as close as possible to my restaurant so that I could rush home if I wasn’t able to find someone.”
Now as a restaurant owner, Frost sees firsthand the toll that arranging high-quality child care can take on her employees, particularly women striving for leadership roles. She said that the scarcity of resources and expertise for employers to navigate the child care system is a significant challenge, especially in industries operating beyond normal business hours. That’s why Frost serves on the Employers for Childcare Task Force (E4C), an alliance of business leaders advocating for policy reforms to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care. She said that joining the E4C is a crucial step toward effecting change. By lending their collective voices to the cause, these business leaders can urge policymakers to prioritize child care as an economic imperative.
"There's absolutely a financial cost to families who cannot access affordable, high-quality child care," Streufert said. But that’s not where the possible costs end.
Streufert also explained that access to high-quality early learning is typically associated with higher high-school graduation rates as well as lower rates of behavioral issues later in life. As a result, it's reasonable to suggest that families lacking access to child care services face repercussions, including compromised academic performance.
There is hope that things could improve through the task force, Streufert said. The problem of child care deserts has been addressed in other states, which could provide a sort of template for Texas.
"One of our partners is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and they’ve shared several examples from other states including Kentucky, which matches certain employer investments in child care, and Colorado, which created a state child care office." Streufert said. "We will also study innovative ideas that individual employers have implemented and systemic reforms we can make to the child care industry itself to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care for working families."
