Lawmakers are considering bills that would expand a successful Tarrant County child care pilot program to more regions across Texas.
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Inside the Ready, Set, Jump Early Learning Center, owner Felicia Davis can see a remarkable shift — not only in her teachers, but in the children they serve.
“If you have the teacher feeling good, being able to come to work worry-free and be able to just solely focus on the children, it helps the child in the long run,” Davis said.
Now, Texas lawmakers are looking to expand a pilot program’s reach, building on the success of the Prime Early Learning Pilot launched in Tarrant County. That local initiative directed millions in federal funding to 19 early learning centers, helping stabilize operations, raise wages and lower costs for families.
Senate Bill 2979 and House Bill 5529 propose the creation of the Child Care Innovation Pilot, modeled after the Tarrant County program. The statewide initiative would aim to expand access to high-demand child care, raise educator pay, stabilize tuition rates and improve program quality and child outcomes. An estimated 52 child care programs would benefit in the first phase. It enables local workforce development boards in Tarrant County and North Central Texas to partner with employers to address critical child care needs impacting the workforce.
Davis knows firsthand how impactful that support can be. Just three years ago, her Fort Worth center struggled to retain enough staff to keep going.
“It got really hard. We couldn’t keep our teachers here,” she said.
Ready, Set, Jump was one of the 19 centers selected for the Tarrant County pilot. The additional funding offered a critical lifeline.
“It changed a lot,” Davis said. “It was incredible.”
Her teachers saw their pay increase from $14 to $18 an hour. At the same time, tuition dropped for families, removing barriers for parents and boosting enrollment.
“This is a big year for wins in child care in Texas,” said Kara Waddell, president and CEO of Child Care Associates, the nonprofit that oversaw the pilot.
Tarrant County committed $45 million in federal funds to the effort, with about $11 million directly supporting the Prime Pilot program. According to Child Care Associates, the pilot resulted in a 17% improvement in teacher retention and a 33% reduction in tuition for private-pay families.
“Families in Texas are stepping up and saying, ‘We can’t do this on our own,’” Waddell said. “It’s an opportunity for employers to come together, for government to come together, and a community to come together around family, to have young children and to make sure that we have the workforce we need to make sure our children are growing and thriving.
In addition to SB 2979 and HB 5529, lawmakers are considering other bills — including House Bill 5086 and Senate Bill 3007 — that would allow the Texas Workforce Commission to select up to six local workforce board regions in Tarrant County and North Central Texas to operate similar pilots over a four-year period.
For Davis, the impact is more than just financial — it’s about giving children a stronger start.
“It’s very critical,” she said. “Our children are our future.”
