FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 203 child care centers in the region that were at-risk of losing state Child Care Services (CCS) subsidies after a new law took effect on 9/30/2024 successfully maintained their funding thanks to the support of the Alamo Quality Pathway (AQP). This means these centers can continue to offer high-quality learning environments without an interruption in funding, benefiting thousands of families with young children throughout the community.
The Alamo Quality Pathway is a partnership between United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County (UWSA), Workforce Solutions Alamo (WSA) and Education Service Center, Region 20 (ESC-20), launched in 2023 with the goal of improving the quality of early learning in child care centers throughout the community.
A law passed in 2021 requires all Texas child care centers with a Child Care Services agreement to become Texas Rising Star (TRS) certified in order to keep state subsidies that had historically not required certification. Had these centers lost these subsidies, they would have been faced with the difficult choice of how to compensate for it including passing the cost of tuition onto the families who send their children to them.
“Parents in our community are often forced to make difficult choices between their careers and their child’s early education.,” said Adrian Lopez, CEO of Workforce Solutions Alamo. “Losing this funding would have had far-reaching consequences for our local workforce and economy.”
The Alamo Quality Pathway provides centers with individualized coaching, mentorship, professional development and other support to prepare centers for the TRS state assessment. Once centers enter the TRS program through quality certification, they maintain their CCS funding. To date, the Alamo Quality Pathway has had the following impact in the community:
- 203 early learning centers are no longer at-risk of losing state CCS subsidies
- 100% of centers who worked with the Alamo Quality Pathway will not lose their CCS funding
- 17,000+ child care slots in the region have improved in quality of instruction
“Many families in our community are struggling, with 46% of households facing economic difficulties,” said Chris Martin, CEO and President of United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County. “Thanks to the Alamo Quality Pathway, these families won’t have to worry about the impact of CCS funding being passed onto them and they can rest assured that their young child is receiving high-quality care and instruction at a critical time in their development.”
Child care center directors who want to learn more about the Alamo Quality Pathway are encouraged to reach out to UWSA at aqp@unitedwaysatx.org to learn how they can receive support. Or, to access the quality early childhood education data including quarterly updates on the percentage of child care centers that have achieved TRS certification, visit the Alamo Quality Pathway website.
“The Alamo Quality Pathway efforts will ensure that more of our families can remain active in the workforce while also accessing high quality early education services” said Jeff Goldhorn, Ph.D., and Executive Director for ESC-20. “We are grateful to have our partners, United Way and Workforce Solutions Alamo, as support like this for our community’s young children, families and workforce is truly a collaborative and shared responsibility.”
Families looking for community resources to enhance their young child’s early learning or find affordable, quality child care are encouraged to call United Way’s 2-1-1 Helpline. 2-1-1 is anonymous, available in Spanish and open 24/7/365.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kevin Femmel, Director of Communications, 210-836-8616, kfemmel@unitedwaysatx.org.
James Keith, Director of Public & Government Relations
jkeith@wsalamo.org, (210) 840-9529.
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About United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County
United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County launched its first campaign in 1940 and has grown into the largest private investor in health and human services programs in San Antonio and Bexar County. United Way focuses on preparing children for school and life, helping students graduate and succeed, strengthening the well-being of individuals and families, and providing safety net services. United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County also operates the 2-1-1 Helpline, Mission United and fosters volunteerism through the Volunteer Center at United Way. Check our newsroom online for more United Way news.
About Workforce Solutions Alamo:
The Workforce Solutions Alamo Board serves as the governing board for the regional workforce system, a network of service providers and contractors that brings people and jobs together. Workforce Solutions Alamo is composed of the 13-county Alamo region. Workforce Solutions Alamo membership reflects the diverse constituencies of the regional community: business, economic development, education, labor, community organizations, and government. For more information on available workforce programs and services, visit www.workforcesolutionsalamo.org or call 210-438-0581.
About Education Service Center, Region 20:
Education Service Center, Region 20 is one of 20 regional education service agencies within Texas that assist school districts in improving student performance and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of school operations. We are a non-regulatory agency; our relationship with school districts is collaborative and supportive.
The mission of ESC-20 is to provide trusted solutions that lead to student success. Our clients are our partners. We respond to the needs of our partners by providing an array of programs and services in the areas of administration, business support, certification and recruitment, curriculum, instruction and assessment, health and safety, professional development, specialized services, and technology.
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Categories: Press Releases |
