Overview
Texas is home to 10 percent of the nation’s children 0–5 and 20 percent of the nation’s Latinx. Each year approximately 400,000 children are born in Texas and more than $3.5 billion federal and state dollars are invested in early childhood programs and services. During the 2019 legislative session, state leaders made significant advances in the early childhood area by passing legislation to provide funding for full-day pre-k care for eligible children, providing stronger supports for childcare safety. Additionally, Texas lawmakers provided a significant increase in funding for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for babies and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays.
The following annual funding breakout, map, and program and service descriptions are not exhaustive of all early childhood expenditure but are intended to be a primer on the state’s complex early childhood system.
Annual Early Childhood Funding Breakout
*Budget Data for children 0-5 is not available.
**Budget data includes children 0-3; data on children 3-5 is not available.

Map of Texas’ Early Childhood Funding

Click each service/program name to view the funding stream
Types of Program & Service Descriptions
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Head Start
Head Start (HS), Early Head Start (EHS), Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP)
- What is the program/service?
Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children from birth to age 5 and their families. Many Head Start programs also provide Early Head Start (EHS), which is a comprehensive child development program for low-income pregnant women, infants, and toddlers (from birth through 2), including young children with disabilities. Texas also has Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships. - Who is the provider?
K–12 schools and operators of community-based early childhood centers, some family childcare homes, and child and family support entities. - How much funding is there and what is it for?
$642,500,000 (FY18); $444,000 for American Indian and Alaska Native funding (FY18).Head Start funds are awarded directly to eligible program operators at the local level. Operators can use contract funds for a wide range of program expenses including operations, professional development, quality improvement, and investments in technology. Additional funds for professional development are also included in grants and may be used for technology as well. Regional technical assistance centers receive separate funding and may choose to leverage technology.
- Who benefits?
A total of 72,053 children are served.