Early Childhood Education Challenges: Childcare Deserts

What Are Childcare Deserts?

Childcare deserts are areas where there are too few licensed slots in early childcare centers or sites, for the number of children who need care. These areas have extremely limited childcare options and are widespread across the United States. (American Progress)

Factors Contributing to Childcare Deserts

According to research by American Progress, many of the factors contributing to childcare deserts include:

Lack of childcare infrastructure in rural areas
Low wages for teachers and lack of training support
Lack of childcare slots for infants and toddlers
More supervision and care means higher costs for younger children
Lower-income families cannot afford to go to work and pay for childcare

Who is Affected By Childcare Deserts?

Research from The Washington Post found that rural families nationwide are known for having the fewest childcare slots. Areas where households have a combined annual income of about $75,000 to $85,000 are also most likely to live in a childcare desert, along with heavily Latino populations.

Many parents struggle to work full time when there is a severe lack of childcare options. Although women represent nearly half the U.S. workforce, they still spend more time than men on housework and caring for their children. In fact, women are more often the ones who must adjust their schedule and interrupt their careers for the needs of their children. (Pew Research Center)

Many childcare centers are only open from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, which can affect many parents who work late nights and on weekends. Not only are more childcare options needed in general, but it will be crucial to change operating hours to accommodate parents who work non-traditional hours.

Texas Childcare Deserts

Texas faces a major issue by not having enough childcare providers. Roughly 60.4% of children with working parents are low-income, and therefore are eligible for subsidized child care. But there are limited spaces. (Children at Risk)

San Antonio's Increasing Childcare Deserts

According to the Texas Childcare Deserts Map, there are large areas of San Antonio that have little to no seats available. The map does not show seats that are open for enrollment–instead it shows the maximum number of children that providers are licensed to care for.

The City of San Antonio has found that licensed childcare providers are only operating at about 70% capacity. This is the capacity that might ensure that there is a good ratio of staff per child. (Texas Public Radio)

Research identifies that the reasons for operating at lower capacity include a commitment to offering quality care requiring smaller group sizes, difficulty in finding qualified staff, restrictive regulatory standards, and financial barriers.

The City of San Antonio Early Learning Landscape report identifies some alarming facts about childcare across San Antonio.

55% of openings are for preschool-age children, 28% for toddlers, and only 17% for infants.
Families seeking high-quality sites face a greater challenge when compared to families open to a site developing in quality. Only 3% of all seats are open in high-quality sites.
Families with infants, children requiring special care, and military families all face limited options for childcare.
Families needing non-traditional care hours encounter the greatest challenge, as 93% of sites operate between 6:00 a.m. and 6:59 p.m. Less than 1% of sites offer overnight or weekend hours.

Solving Childcare Desert Challenges

It is essential that parents have the resources available to access high-quality childcare. According to a study by the City of San Antonio there are three key elements to improve access to childcare:

Capacity: Expand high-quality infant care options and increase funding to help facilities meet quality standards.
Quality: Improve educator compensation and establish professional development pathways to enhance access to professional degrees.
Affordability: Advocate for increased state, federal, and local subsidies to reduce financial burdens on families. Develop a public website that allows families to view and compare childcare pricing alongside information about subsidies they may be eligible to apply for.

What is Early Matters Doing to Address Childcare Deserts?

Through our Access to Quality workgroup, Early Matters San Antonio is working to increase access to early childhood education by tackling childcare deserts in our community. One key measure we’re targeting is the equitable distribution of early childhood education, focusing on reducing the number of zip codes classified as childcare deserts.

As of April 2024, 15 zip codes in our area qualify as childcare deserts. Our goal? Reduce that number to 8 by the end of 2025. To achieve this, the Early Matters San Antonio team is working with Pre-K 4 SA, Children at Risk, and other partners to analyze data and better understand the needs of the community. By mapping out gaps in access and targeting specific solutions, we’re working toward a future where every family has access to quality early learning opportunities.