Childcare in Dallas County now costs nearly as much as in-state college tuition. Dallas Childcare Works is an initiative to bring those costs down, keep parents in the workforce, and end a crisis that costs our regional economy $4 billion every year.
What’s at stake in Dallas County right now
parents
Dallas County parents want to work but report staying out of the workforce because they cannot find or afford childcare.
months
Typical wait on the state subsidy waitlist — a window in which most working families simply can’t hold on.
lost
Annual hit to the Dallas regional economy from the childcare gap. Every year. Every household pays the price.
The Case
Six reasons it’s time for Dallas to act.
01 Proven to work
The program already delivers — we just need to scale it.
Texas families with subsidized childcare see a nearly $7,500 increase in annual income. 88% of subsidized parents find work within a year. This isn’t speculation. It’s documented return on investment, and Dallas County is ready to compound it.
02 A workforce engine
Affordable care keeps parents on the job.
Without reliable childcare, parents face impossible choices: leave a paycheck, run a single-income household, or piece together unstable patchwork care. Investing in childcare reduces turnover, boosts productivity, and stabilizes family budgets across Dallas County.
03 Affordability relief
Every bill is up. Childcare is the one we can solve.
Working families are stretched thinner than they’ve been in a generation. Quality, affordable childcare takes a real burden off household budgets — and unlike most cost-of-living pressures, it’s a problem Dallas County can directly act on.
04 Economic return
Dallas loses $4 billion a year to the gap.
Business, philanthropy, and government each have a role to play. Dallas County’s investment is the unlock — the keystone that activates the rest of the system and recaptures regional GDP we’re currently leaving on the table.
05 Generational impact
Strong starts compound for decades.
Quality early care and out-of-school programs lower incarceration rates and long-term healthcare costs, and set kids up for lifetime academic and career success. The dollars we invest now return many times over — to families, employers, and county budgets.
06 Business backs it
Dallas employers can’t hire their way out of this.
Major Dallas employers, chambers, and economic development leaders agree: childcare access is a workforce infrastructure issue, not a social program. Companies are losing hours, talent, and productivity to a crisis they cannot solve alone. Dallas County investment is the unlock the private sector has been waiting for.
The Affordability Crisis
Childcare costs more than college tuition.
For most working families in Dallas County, no monthly bill — not rent, not groceries, not the car — hits the household budget harder than childcare. And unlike other expenses, families pay the most when they earn the least: in the years right after a child is born.
This isn’t a luxury problem. It’s the single biggest reason working parents — especially mothers — are forced out of jobs they need and want to keep.
Infant care · Dallas area
$12,000/yr
The average annual cost of full-time infant childcare in the Dallas–Fort Worth region.
UT Dallas tuition · in-state
$14,644/yr
In-state undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of Texas at Dallas.
UNT tuition · in-state
$11,500/yr
In-state undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of North Texas.
Median Dallas County rent
$22,740/yr
Median annual cost of rent — childcare is the second-largest line in most family budgets.
Take Action
Tell your
childcare story.
Behind every statistic is a family doing impossible math… the two-year waitlist, the tuition that costs more than rent, the shift you had to turn down. Those stories are what move childcare from a line item to a decision Dallas County can’t put off.
A few honest sentences about what you’ve lived is enough. Not sure where to start? Try one of these:
- What happened when you tried to find or afford care?
- What did it cost you — a job, hours, savings, sleep?
- What would be different if care were affordable and close by?
Share with us!
Takes about 90 seconds. Your address helps us map where the childcare gap is felt hardest across the county. We never publish it.
The Coalition
A campaign as broad as Dallas itself.
Working Families
Parents, caregivers, and family advocates
The constituency that lives the childcare gap every day — and stands to gain the most from a working solution.
Business
Dallas employers and chambers
Companies losing hours, talent, and productivity to a workforce crisis they can’t hire their way out of.
Providers
Childcare educators and operators
The professionals who run the system today — and know exactly what investment will do for kids and capacity.
Faith & Community
Congregations, nonprofits, and civic groups
The faith community of Dallas County, united around investing in kids and parents.