Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo has announced the Early REACH (Raising Educational Access for Children in Harris County) program, an early childhood program that will create 800-1,000 new childcare spaces for children up to four years old.
The applications for the program are now open. Multiple children from the same family can be eligible. A child who qualifies for it can be in a childcare space by early July.
The $26 million for the program came from The American Rescue Plan funds, a $1.9 trillion project signed by President Joe Biden in 2022. The funding will run for three years.
Who is eligible?
Families must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible:
*Demonstrate financial need (Family must make under $75,468 a year for a family of four)
*Live in an area of high need according to the Social Vulnerability Index or experiencing homelessness
*Be in foster care or receive benefits like WIC, SNAP, TANF, free or reduced lunch, or SSI income.
The families who apply will know if they are eligible within two weeks. Then, they will be paired with an eligibility specialist who will work with them to find a childcare center for their needs.
According to Hidalgo, both children and childcare centers can apply to this program.
“Apply now, it is a first-come first-served system,” she said.
How will community leaders help?
In attendance at a recent press conference discussing the new program were Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones; Amanda McMillian, president and CEO United Way of Greater Houston; Rene Solis, chief program officer at BakerRipley, and Sandra Heath-Taylor, owner and director of Tiny Toes Academy.
“It’s not about quantity but quality,” Heath-Taylor said. “We need more quality centers, where teachers are getting paid. This program is so needed in the community.”
Hidalgo said this program is not meant to “solve the entire problem” but she believes the new additions will increase the availability of high-quality childcare by 10%.
“What makes the early REACH program different is it also seeks to address the inequities that exist in our county as it relates to the delivery of early care and education for neighbors,” Solis said. “By seeking to increase the number of high-quality classrooms, and spaces for infants and toddlers and by specifically targeting childcare deserts within Harris County, the early REACH program can aim to improve access to early care and education for everyone.”
Access to quality childcare is critical for parents who are trying to return to the workforce and establish financial stability, added Briones and McMillian. Often, families with lower incomes cannot afford high-quality childcare on their already stretched budgets. The program will also stress the retention of care providers by ensuring that they get paid at least $15 an hour.
The speakers also added the benefits of early childhood programs like higher rates of employment as adults, a reduction in the likelihood of contact with the criminal justice system, and a rise in graduation rates and academic performance.
Ensuring diversity in applications
Hidalgo told the Defender that one of the ways the program will ensure that underrepresented communities can access the benefits is by targeting who qualifies.
“The way we can reach the most people is really everybody’s help and spreading the word,” she said. “We’ve made it accessible in multiple languages, making sure that it’s online and via phone.”
Solis added that some outreach has already been conducted by analyzing data on where childcare facilities exist, and where low-income parents reside.
“Since then, we’ve also had provider meetings with childcare facilities,” he said. “We sent invitations to childcare providers to come in and have open houses and conversations about the program. We’ve also had parent meetings where we’ve gone into those neighborhoods and we’ll be going more into those neighborhoods to have conversations with the parents who most need the service.”
– Written by Tannistha Sinha
