8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: Local Workforce Development Boards Local Match: Boards leverage local public expenditures in their LWDAs as match for federal CCDF matching funds. Boards work with public IHEs, ISDs, and local governments to certify local public expenditures for direct child care services to low-income families and for child care quality improvement activities. Boards use the federal CCDF matching funds resulting from the public certifications to increase direct child care services to CCDF-eligible families in their LWDAs. The funds are also used to expand quality improvement activities in the LWDAs. Child Care Investment Partnerships: This program allows Boards to leverage local industry cash donations with CCDF state funds to build public-private partnerships that support early childhood programs and systems and to expand and support activities that improve early learning and child care. Boards partnering with a corporation and/or foundation may apply to TWC detailing how they would like to invest these funds in local efforts to expand and improve the quality of child care. The purpose of this oversight is to ensure that the funds are spent on meaningful strategies that have long-term benefits. TWC used stimulus funding to provide 100 percent matching funds to support the following quality improvement activities: Child care apprenticeships; Home-based child care; Public-private PKPs; Business support for child care programs; Child care worker wage supports; Emergency response/recovery; Expansion of child care; Research studies; and Other quality improvement activities. Texas Early Learning Council The TELC serves as Texas’ State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. Members of TELC, including Texas CCDF Administrator and TELC Chairperson Reagan Miller, are appointed by Governor Greg Abbott. This group includes representatives from state agencies, school districts, colleges, HS, child care providers, early childhood advocacy organizations, and the private sector. TELC meets every other month. TWC regularly presents information to TELC and receives feedback on child care and early learning issues. TELC provides significant input into the PDG B-5 work, particularly the 2023 statewide early childhood needs assessment and 2024-2026 strategic plan. TWC’s coordination with TWLC results in enhancing and aligning the quality of services for infants and toddlers through school- age children. More information is available here. Prekindergarten Child Care Partnership TWC supports the development of partnerships between child care providers and public Pre-K programs. Developing partnerships between child care providers and public-school Pre-K programs is an important strategy to improve school-readiness, support families, and strengthen the ECE workforce through TWC’s CCS program. To facilitate greater coordination between child care and Pre-K services and ensure full-day care for children enrolled in these programs, in January 2021, TWC added §809.22 to the CCS rules requiring Boards to enroll eligible children in the child care subsidy program who are also enrolled in and referred by a Pre-K partnership or LEA. State law also requires coordination between TWC and TEA to support PKPs. Texas Labor Code §302.00436 requires each Board to inform the local school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in the workforce area regarding opportunities to partner with child care providers to expand access to and provide facilities for Pre-K programs. TWC supports Boards with sharing this information. HB 1615 (adding Texas Labor Code §302.0051) passed in May 2023 and formalizes the PKP program that TWC began with stimulus funding in 2021. TWC’s PKP Specialists aim to increase the number of children enrolled in PKPs by generating interest and increasing the number of partnerships between child care providers and local education agencies LEAs such as school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. PKP Specialists support the development of PKPs throughout the state by informing and engaging potential partners; supporting child care providers and LEAs during negotiations; identifying, partnership models that best meet the unique needs of the programs and families; coordinating efforts with stakeholders; and capacity building and systems development for the sustainability of partnerships. TWC gives eligible child care providers a one-time award of $25,000 for each new PKP classroom. Child care providers can use the funding to assist with the costs associated with the new partnership classroom, including teacher compensation, instructional materials, classroom furniture, and equipment. Providers are eligible to apply for the funding if they are Texas Rising Star Three- or Four-Star certified, have an executed Memorandum of Understanding indicating a partnership with a school district or charter school dually enrolled children, and have at least one new three- or four- year- old PKP classroom. TWC has awarded providers approximately $2 million for the 2023-2024 school year and continues to accept applications for the upcoming school year. Employer Child Care Solutions (ECCS) TWC launched the ECCS program to assist employers who want to develop site-based child care to meet the child care needs of their employees. This project uses public-private partnerships to improve the supply of child care in underserved areas and access to affordable child care for working parents. ECCS is designed to increase the supply of child care and increase access to affordable high-quality child care in underserved areas by providing TA to help employers identify how best to support their employees child care needs. TA contractors will provide free assistance, such as employee needs assessments, community child care landscape analyses, and feasibility studies to help employers determine if they could open an on-site or near-site child care center, partner with local child care providers, or provide other child care benefits. TA contractors may also help employers create a strategic plan to implement the option that best fits their needs.