Tarrant County will lose 354 subsidized child care seats between 2026 and 2027, a 4.3% drop in capacity that local officials say reflects a statewide funding crunch rather than a local failure. The county’s available seats will fall from 8,217 this year to 7,863 in 2027, even as its overall child care program budget inches up by less than 1%, from just under $96 million to $96.8 million.
The reduction traces back to an August 11 vote by the Texas Workforce Commission, which cut the statewide Child Care Services program by 9.5%, eliminating roughly 14,000 subsidized seats across Texas as fourth-quarter budget adjustments take hold, according to The Texas Tribune. As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most regional workforce boards statewide are being forced to cut between 80 and 1,900 seats apiece, even as more than 100,000 Texas children remain on waiting lists for child care scholarships.
A One-Time Windfall Runs Dry
The roots of the shortfall go back to 2025, when Texas lawmakers approved a one-time $100 million investment meant to stretch child care scholarship funding through 2026 and 2027. That money was supposed to reach more families, but inflation and rising provider costs burned through it far faster than lawmakers anticipated, per the Tribune’s reporting. The Texas median market child care rate has climbed 7.3% even as program funding has grown only about 2% overall, according to Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County’s Max Rombado, who was quoted by the Star-Telegram.
“Funding growth has lagged behind child care costs,” Rombado said, per the Star-Telegram’s report. Rombado called on state lawmakers to continue investing in child care as the 2027 legislative session approaches in January, proposing either a renewed $100 million allocation or tapping general revenue or the state’s rainy-day fund to cover the gap.
Why Families Rely on the Subsidy
Child care in Texas costs more than $10,000 per year on average, the Star-Telegram reports, a price tag that puts unsubsidized care out of reach for many working parents. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro specifically, licensed center-based infant care now averages $1,180 per month, notably higher than the $1,057 statewide average, according to Hoodline’s reporting on Dallas-Fort Worth cost trends…