EARLY LEARNING
Advocating for our youngest children to have access to high-quality early learning programs, including child care and pre-k, that help them start school ready to succeed.
We envision a Texas in which:
Working families from all communities can find affordable, high-quality child care for their children.
Children from every zip code receive the early learning experiences they need — whether in pre-k, child care, at home, or in other settings — so they can start school ready to succeed.
Children of all backgrounds, including emergent bilingual students, become strong readers by third grade.
FEATURED
We’re working to ensure more families have access to high-quality child care.
Early Learning FAQs
How much does high-quality pre-k help Texas children succeed in school?
Only 51% of Texas public school kindergarten students are considered kindergarten-ready by the state. However, when children attend high-quality pre-k, they are much more likely to be prepared to succeed in school. During the 2024-2025 school year, 55% of students who attended public pre-k were considered kindergarten-ready, compared to only 30% of students who were eligible for pre-k but did not attend, according to the Texas Education Agency.
How can Texas improve access to pre-k and child care?
In Texas, eligibility for public school pre-k is limited to four-year-olds (and some three-year-olds) who are in low-income families, are learning English, or meet other eligibility criteria. The Texas Legislature should extend pre-k eligibility to include children with disabilities and improve funding for Texas schools. The Legislature should also provide additional funding for child care scholarships for low-income working parents who are stuck on the waiting list.
What bills or funding did the Texas Legislature pass during the last legislative session regarding pre-k and child care?
In 2025, the Legislature invested $100 million in child care scholarships to ensure that thousands of low-income parents could go to work and secure quality child care. Legislators also made a number of policy changes that affect pre-k, including starting Education Savings Accounts, extending pre-k eligibility to the children of teachers, and creating potential barriers to pre-k partnerships and tuition-based pre-k. Additionally, lawmakers passed bills to improve the state’s governance and planning of early childhood education programs. Learn more.
For additional information on our Early Learning work, please contact Peter Clark, our communications director, at pclark@txchildren.org.
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