This project was made possible through a generous partnership with the Harold Simmons Foundation.
Child care plays a critical role for our state’s families, economy, and future workforce. At its best, it does more than just provide parents with the help they need to support their families and be successful in the labor market. High quality early care also provides children with important skills and a rich, developmentally appropriate environment that helps kids enter school ready to learn and succeed later in life. However, not all parents have access to safe, affordable, high-quality care in our state. As state and local leaders work to improve access to child care, it is important to first understand the level of need, availability, affordability, and quality in the state.
The Dallas Community Child Care Portfolio provides a snapshot of child care in the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex community. It includes information on the 12 counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise. This report also includes detailed county-by-county data on child population, demographics, and issues of early care and education. Throughout the portfolio are spotlights on Dallas County that provide a more in-depth examination of child care needs. As reflected in the report, many working families in the community rely on child care providers outside the home, but the availability of quality, affordable care that meets individual family needs is limited.
