Dallas business, nonprofit and government leaders say childcare has become a workforce issue, prompting a growing number of local efforts aimed at helping families find care while keeping parents connected to the labor force.

At The Dallas Regional Chamber’s recent State of Child Care event, speakers argued childcare is no longer simply a family concern but a critical piece of economic infrastructure that affects employers, workers and the region’s long-term competitiveness.

“The DRC views childcare as the workforce behind the workforce,” said Dallas Regional Chamber President and CEO Brad Cheves. “When families have access to affordable, high-quality childcare, parents can participate fully in that workforce.”

When they do not, he said, the consequences ripple through the economy in the form of lost wages, reduced workforce participation and slower economic growth.

Vickie Allen, chief impact officer for The Dallas Foundation, echoed that message.

“We see early childhood as a bridge that connects family stability, workforce participation and economic growth,” Allen said. “When you invest early, children are better prepared to succeed in school, families are more stable and able to work, and employers have a more consistent and reliable workforce.”

The challenge is particularly acute in Dallas County, where County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said many families face childcare costs that rival major household expenses.

“Mom spends an average in Dallas County of $11,000 for someone to take care of her one-year-old,” Jenkins said. “This is not sending your kid to some top-of-the-line private school. This is what childcare is now costing.”

Local leaders say those costs are increasingly affecting employers’ ability to recruit and retain workers.

Research presented by Boston Consulting Group found that childcare benefits often pay for themselves through higher employee retention and lower absenteeism. Across five companies studied, childcare programs produced positive returns on investment, with some employers needing to retain as little as 1% of eligible employees for the benefit to break even.

“Every single company saw a benefit,” said Kelsey Clark, a managing director and partner at BCG.

Employers across North Texas are experimenting with different approaches.

Dallas College began by surveying its employees and students. The institution discovered more than 10,000 children under age 5 within its community of roughly 6,000 employees and 100,000 students.

In response, Dallas College expanded partnerships with childcare providers, helped bring the first Bezos Academy site to Texas and is planning a new early childhood lab school in partnership with the Meadows Foundation and Baylor University Medical Center.

At Parkland Health, childcare support grew out of lessons learned during the pandemic, when many childcare centers temporarily closed.

The public hospital system now offers emergency backup childcare and plans to open a childcare center near its main campus this fall with about 60 full- and part-time slots for employees’ children. The center will include sliding-scale fees based on income.

“We want to make sure our families have peace of mind when they’re working,” said Felicia Miller, Parkland’s executive vice president and chief talent officer.

Children’s Health has taken a similar approach, offering backup childcare, preferred enrollment arrangements and paid parental leave as part of a broader strategy to support working families.

“We look at childcare and family support as a workforce strategy and not just a benefit,” said Analisa Eaton, vice president of total rewards at Children’s Health.

Texas Mutual Insurance took a different route.

The insurer initially became interested in childcare after losing employees to a competitor that offered on-site childcare. The company eventually expanded a partnership with a childcare provider at its Austin headquarters and encouraged the center to pursue Texas Rising Star certification and accept children receiving state childcare subsidies.

“It was purely competitive at that time,” Texas Mutual President and CEO Jeanette Ward said. “I don’t want to lose any more employees.”

Beyond employer programs, local officials are also exploring policy solutions.

Dallas County recently launched an employer match program designed to encourage companies to contribute toward childcare costs for workers. Under the program, the county provides matching funds for participating employers that help cover childcare expenses.

Jenkins also pointed to efforts to increase enrollment in public prekindergarten programs. Dallas County currently has about 27,000 children enrolled in pre-K programs, despite roughly 51,000 children being eligible. Getting more three- and four-year-olds into school-based pre-K, he argued, could improve kindergarten readiness while freeing up childcare resources for infants and toddlers, who are typically more expensive to care for.

The speakers acknowledged there is no single solution to the childcare shortage. But they repeatedly returned to the same conclusion that improving access to childcare is essential for supporting workers, strengthening businesses, and preparing the next generation of Texans for success.

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.