Voices United's featured speakers in April were Michelle Salazar Perez and Zutella Vea Holmes, both affiliated with UNT. Professor Perez holds the prestigious Velma E. Schmidt Endowed Chair for Early Childhood Education, and Ms. Holmes is pursuing her doctoral studies in the Early Childhood Studies program.
Texas' investment in pre-K education falls approximately $2,000 below the national average per child, leading to significant childcare deserts across the state, Perez said.
Shockingly, one-third of all zip codes in Texas meet the criteria for being labeled as "childcare deserts," areas where the number of children is at least three times greater than the capacity of licensed childcare providers in that area, she said. This phenomenon is not uncommon in Denton County, where several zip codes face similar challenges. Perez told Voices that the number of childcare deserts have increased by 62% across the state since March 2020.
It's worth noting that most early childhood educators are women, with Hispanic educators comprising the largest proportion in childcare centers, followed by white and black educators.
This trend is mirrored in home-based childcare settings. Despite the vital role they play, the average salary for childcare center educators stands at $12 per hour, while home-based educators earn an average of $11 per hour, the professor said.
Over half of the respondents from a Texas 2023 survey of childcare facility operators indicated that the top challenge was the recruitment and retention of staff, Perez said. There is concern that the federal Childcare Relief Funding (CCRF), allocated during the pandemic, will not be extended to nearly 11,000 child care programs. Two thirds of the programs reported that they would have closed without the funding.
Texas Workforce Commission says the U.S. is far from where it needs to be to equitably pay childcare educators. The average hourly wage for a childcare educator in Texas is $11.43.
The speakers listed several organizations shown below that advocate for additional government resources for childcare at the local, state and federal level and said they need support for their work.
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TxAEYC)
- Early Learning Alliance
- United Way of Denton County
- Children at Risk
- U.C. Berkeley Center for the Study of Childcare Employment
The next Voices United gathering is scheduled for Saturday, May 4 at 11:30 am, hosted at the Robson Ranch Clubhouse.
Voices United, a non-partisan organization comprised of progressive-minded women from Robson Ranch, is dedicated to community engagement, promoting civic awareness, fostering social connections among members, and, of course, enjoying each other's company.