SerpApi.Org
James Talarico, Texas’ Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, wants to make childcare affordable and accessible to all families, he announced at a press conference in Fort Worth on Tuesday.
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, revealed his childcare affordability agenda amid a closely-watched race against Republican opponent and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. As the pair prepare to face off in the Nov. 3 general election, Talarico is outraising Paxton by more than three-fold, according to the latest numbers. Paxton will also be hosting a press conference in Fort Worth on Tuesday.
Talarico toured Green Space Nature Preschool and gardened alongside young children before addressing the media, describing childcare and early childhood education as not only an education issue but an economic issue. When asked what his top policy priority would be if elected, he pointed to universal childcare for all families. He wants to ensure families don’t pay more than 7% of their total income on pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.
“I think we have a real opportunity at the federal level to bring Democrats and Republicans together to pass universal childcare for every single family in this country, regardless of the ZIP code that you’re born into, regardless of your skin color, regardless of what language you may speak,” Talarico said.
The annual cost of center-based childcare in Texas is about $11,350, while home-based care is about $10,000, according to the First Five Years Fund. While families feel the pinch in their wallets, Texas businesses experience employee turnover and understaffing due to a lack of accessible and affordable childcare that would allow their employees to go to work. Texas is estimated to be losing out on about $9.4 billion annually as a result, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Talarico highlighted legislation he spearheaded that led to a 2023 voter-approved measure, Proposition 2, allowing local governments to provide property tax relief to eligible childcare providers. The measure was approved by almost 65% of Texas voters, and multiple Texas cities and counties, including Fort Worth and Tarrant County, have implemented either partial or full exemptions since.
“It is cutting taxes for small businesses like this one - childcare providers that are doing essential work for our tiniest Texans, for our working parents all over the state. This is the kind of public policy that we need. Policies that actually help working people, that help lower costs, that help serve the future of this state,” Talarico said.
Green Space Nature Preschool was among the recipients of this property tax relief, and as a result, the money that would’ve been spent on taxes was invested in early educators while keeping tuition costs at more affordable rates to families, said owner and founder Audrey Rowland.
“We are providing a critical public good, even though we’re doing it as private citizens who are mortgaging our houses and working second jobs so that we can keep our childcare centers open. That’s the reality of having a childcare center,” Rowland said. “(Proposition 2) was a reinforcement that childcare for voters is a bipartisan issue. It may not quite be yet for legislators, but it absolutely is for voters. And it’s important to every Texan to have high-quality childcare, whether you have children or not.”
Other policy initiatives announced by Talarico include:
- Eliminating childcare deserts in Texas by utilizing federal and state subsidies through the Child Care for Working Families Act
- Expanding tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit
- Protecting and increasing federal childcare investments to the Child Care Development Fund and Head Start, a federal program that provides childcare to low-income families
- Continuing expansion of the Section 45F Employer-Provided Child Care Tax Credit to support workforce participation
