By John Cullen and Peter J. Holt
Child care is the small, silent engine that drives Texas businesses. It is as simple as this: if our young can’t access quality child care, much of the Texas workforce can’t return to work. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the essential role child care plays in our economy — it is the overlooked sector that makes all other work possible.
With a billion-dollar infusion by the federal government dedicated to child care, we now have a unique opportunity. First, to ensure that necessary child care locations are open so families can return to work, and second, to enhance the quality of that early learning and care.