Dallas County is making a historic investment in early child care to support working families and boost economic vitality.

Studies show the child care crisis in Texas costs the state more than $11 billion a year in productivity and revenue losses. 

Dallas County's new Employer Child Care Match Program is one of the first of its kind in Texas and across the United States.

"A lot of people are being kept out of the workforce because it costs more for child care for an infant, per year, than it does for tuition and books at an in-state university here in Texas," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

Dallas County is investing $1 million into the program. Participating employers can provide up to $1,500 annually in child care assistance to their employees. The county will then match that amount dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total potential benefit to $3,000 per family each year.

"It's a win-win-win because the employer gets better retention rates, less absenteeism, and a happier workforce," Jenkins said. "The county gets help from the employer to fix a problem that is a growing major problem, the economic vitality here in the county. And, of course, moms and dads get a win because they've got two sources other than themselves helping pay for child care."

Data from the Boston Consulting Group suggests that companies that invest in child care benefits can see returns of up to 425%.

"I think if employers would give it a shot, their employees would have less time off due to child care issues," said Evern Speers, who runs Storytime Overnight Childcare Services out of her home in Cedar Hill. "They would be happier. I think their productivity would be up."

Speers knows the importance of reliable child care firsthand. Her center offers overnight services, catering to parents working late shifts in industries like nursing and retail.

"It's really a lot of parents that are working two jobs or maybe single mothers, single fathers, and they need someone they can count on so they can go to work and support their families," Speers said.

She believes this program will help many families, with near-endless ripple effects.

"Parents are relieved and they're happy parents, which makes happy children, which makes educational opportunities," Speers said.

The program is run through TOOTRiS, the nation's largest child care network, which includes more than 230,000 providers. The technology platform connects parents directly with care providers and will also handle the administration of the subsidy funds.

"Dallas County is setting a national precedent by showing what's possible when local government, employers, and communities come together to support working parents," said Alessandra Lezama, CEO of TOOTRiS and member of the ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood, in a statement. "This isn't just about solving the child care crisis — it's about workforce stability, economic growth, and empowering families in real-time."

Employers of all sizes and across all industries in Dallas County are encouraged to enroll in the program. With the support of TOOTRiS, employers can offer their teams a flexible and scalable benefit that helps retain talent, boost productivity, and build a stronger, more resilient workforce.

"The hope is that it is a model for other employers who don't join immediately, but look at it and say, well, the people who did join are having really good success and retention and their absenteeism is way down," Jenkins said. "And maybe this three-party payment plan is something that can work on a broader scale, either throughout the state or in a different county or city other than Dallas."

Businesses can sign up here.