Travis County is funding free or low-cost after-school care at 27 schools in Austin, Manor and Del Valle school districts, prioritizing campuses with the most economically disadvantaged students. More than 2,000 pre-K and elementary students are expected to participate, and county officials are working to bring programs to Pflugerville ISD. The programs are the first investments following a 2024 voter-approved tax increase intended to make child care more affordable amid rising costs and anticipated federal funding losses. The county also plans a $24 million Workforce Solutions contract to create 1,000 affordable child care slots and pursue extended-hour and employer-incentive strategies.
"This is really a huge deal for Del Valle ISD," Del Valle Superintendent Matthew Gutierrez said. "90% of our students in our school district are considered coming from poverty."
"Frankly our state government has been tone deaf here; our federal government has been tone deaf here," Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion said. "But what we are trying to prove today is we understand that the only way we get the community we deserve is if we build it together."
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