The number of Texas families waiting for financial assistance to help pay for childcare has grown drastically in recent years.
Data collected by The Associated Press shows 31,728 Texas children were on the state's childcare assistance list in 2020. By 2023, that number had more than doubled to 66,410.
Data shared with KERA by the National Women's Law Center showed that by August 2025 the waitlist had grown to 194,892 Texas children.
All of the data comes from the Texas Workforce Commission, the state agency that oversees the federal dollars that subsidize childcare for eligible families.
Tori Mannes is president and CEO of ChildCareGroup, which manages the federal childcare assistance program in Dallas County.
She said the growing list reflects a real affordability problem.
"Families that may be making quite a middle-class income are increasingly needing support for childcare because the cost of care has gone up so dramatically," Mannes said.
She said what is commonly called a waitlist is more accurately an "interest list." Families can sign up for assistance before the state determines whether they actually qualify.
Once funding becomes available, families must submit information about their income, employment and other eligibility requirements. But, by the time they are contacted, Mannes said, some may no longer need care or may ultimately earn too much to qualify.
This year a family of four can earn up to about $92,000 a year and still fall within the program's income limit. But meeting the requirements doesn't mean help is immediately available.
"I would say potentially several months," Mannes said of how long families can wait for an application to be processed. "In some cases, maybe up to a year."
The wait can be shorter for families who fall into state-designated priority groups, including children experiencing homelessness, children in foster care and the children of childcare workers.
But, Mannes said lack of funding is still the main reason that the waiting list is long.
During the pandemic, billions of dollars in temporary federal relief helped states expand childcare assistance. Much of that money has now expired, while the cost of providing care has continued to climb.
Texas lawmakers tried to ease the pressure last year by directing $100 million in unused federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, funds to childcare scholarships.
The Texas Workforce Commission initially estimated the money could help serve about 10,000 additional children over two years.
But it hasn't worked out that way, Mannes said.
Most of the $100 million "was taken up with inflationary costs," she said.
But Mannes said there's a positive reason the cost of subsidized care is increasing. More Texas childcare providers are participating in Texas Rising Star, the state's quality rating program. Higher-rated providers receive higher reimbursement rates.
"Part of the increased cost of care is because we have more providers delivering higher quality care," Mannes said. "And that is a very good thing for Texas. It's just that we need more money in the fund to cover more children and more quality programs."
Dominique McCain, CEO of the Dallas nonprofit Educational First Steps, said providers are also paying more for basics such as food, utilities and staffing.
"It is not that the state of Texas is saying, 'We want to serve fewer children,'" McCain said. "They are forced to serve fewer children, because the cost of things have gone up so extremely."
The Texas Workforce Commission sets targets for how many children can be served based on available funding and the cost of care. As childcare costs rise, McCain said, those dollars don't stretch as far. In Dallas County, the number of children expected to receive childcare assistance is projected to fall by more than 1,000 by next year.
McCain worries the demand for childcare assistance could grow further if a proposed overhaul results in fewer children being served through the federal Head Start program.
"There's a connection between this and the Head Start potential cuts," McCain said. "Those families now have to get on the subsidized list. The wait list grows even more."
Sujata Dand is KERA's early childhood education reporter. Got a tip? Email her at sdand@kera.org.
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