The Challenge

San Antonio’s population is increasing, and demand for affordable childcare is reaching unprecedented levels. 

Families are forced to choose between working full-time or staying home to save on childcare costs. This not only affects their household income but also limits their career growth.

Businesses face challenges too, as they struggle to find talent from a smaller pool of available workers, making the job market more competitive and costly.

Our Bold Promise

All children in San Antonio will have strong early learning and development, creating a powerful future for themselves, their families, and the community.

Together, we’re focused on building a stronger early learning ecosystem for San Antonio’s youngest children and families. In Bexar County, that means supporting a community of:

children under the age of 5 in San Antonio
0
of children under age 6 with all available parents in the workforce
0 %

Our Bold Promise is the foundation of all we do:

Key Outcomes

  1. An affordable, high-quality seat for every child seeking services
  2. All children receiving high-quality early childhood services are kinder-ready upon matriculation
View our impact plan

Our Headline Goal: Kindergarten Readiness

Our goal is that 70% of all Bexar County children are kinder-ready by 2030.

Kindergarten readiness is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success—more than any demographic factor. Children who start kinder-ready are over four times more likely to meet third-grade reading benchmarks. Yet only half of Bexar County children meet that mark. With the right investments, we can change that.

Our headline goal

In Partnership

The impact extends beyond individual families, affecting the city’s economic health by straining family finances, limiting workforce productivity, and hindering economic diversity. 

As the city continues to grow, it is imperative to develop innovative solutions that expand and make childcare services more accessible and affordable, ensuring the well-being of San Antonio’s young families and the city’s overall economic vitality.

early matters SA workgroup
Early matters SA Impact plan

Impact Plan

Learn more about our work, outcomes, and partnerships in our Impact Plan.

Read the plan

Research & Reports

Explore our in depth research and reports on early childhood.

Learn more
Early Matters SA news

News

Stay informed about early childhood news nationally and in San Antonio.

read more

Resources

Discover resources for families, business, and providers.

See Resoures

San Antonio Community Engagement

Learn about our work and areas of focus in this video overview from our monthly meetings called First Friday Breakfasts held in San Antonio. 

Strategies and Actions

Our strategies and actions represent the collective discernment, insight, and will of the early childhood sector in San Antonio. We are committed to tracking our progress and impact as we implement them.

  • DomainStrategyAction
    Quality SupplyIncrease the quality of current providersLeverage the success of Alamo Quality Pathway and Pre-K 4 SA coaching by increasing alignment, scale, and resources
    Integrate financial coaching into ongoing coaching
    Quality SupplyIncrease the number of high quality, affordable seats for children with special needsIncrease and activate the capacity of current high-quality providers to serve children with special needs
    Increase the capablity of all providers to serve children with special needs through additional training
    Include the ability to serve special needs as a filter in the search tool
    Increased AccessIncrease the number of providers that accept child care scholarships and/or military scholarshipsLearn from providers as to why they do or do not accept scholarships
    Promote scholarship acceptance among providers
    Provide technical assitance to providers who would like to begin accepting scholarships
    Sustainable QualityIncrease the number of providers participating in the Shared Service AlliancePromote the value of the Shared Service Alliance to providers and provide technical assistance to those interested in joining
    Create alignment between the Alamo Quality Pathway and the Shared Service Alliance
    Ingetrate technical assistance and training in increase ability to serve special needs children
    Quality SupplyAdd new high-quality early learning seatsBuild and pilot a seat accelerator that supports high quality providers to expand their centers or open new centers

  • Domain Strategy Action
    Talent Supply Alleviate the shortage of early childhood professionals Survey providers about the scale and drivers of the shortage
    Study and enact high-leverage remedies to address the shortage
    Training Pipeline Ensure access to a quality learning management system Partner with the Texas learning management system to ensure top quality and functionality
    Create a training and educational pipeline with no gaps Enroll all providers and professionals in the learning management system
    Use the data to identify the gaps in professional development and close them routinely
    Stackable Credentials Broker articulation agreements citywide Document lessons from success locally and statewide
    Map district and charter early childhood training programs
    Convene districts, charters, two-year and four-year colleges to develop articulation agreements
    Community Engage, nurture, and celebrate early childhood professionals Convene early childhood professionals regularly to celebrate successes and advance the field

  • Domain Strategy Action
    Search Tool Create tools to empower families to search for and choose the best option for their child(ren) Create a filterable search tool with reliable availability information
    Promote the tool the broadly to families
    Create, integrate, and promote a common application
    Enable adoption and integration across family-facing services citywide
    Enrollment Increase enrollment in affordable early learning Execute a citywide annual PreK Enrollment Campaign
    Child-centered Partnership Support the expansion of powerful partnerships between families and early childhood professionals Prepare famiilies to powerfully partner with their child(ren)'s teacher
    Prepare early childhood professionals to powerfully partner with families
    Equip families to extend learning at home
    Demand for Quality Elevate the importance of quality Engage families and early childhood professionals to co-create powerful messages about the importance of quality
    Promote these messages through a citywide family-facing campaign
    Wraparound Connect families with wraparound resources Integrate wraparound resources across the early childhood ecosystem

Domain: Quality Supply

Strategy: Increase the quality of current providers
  1. Action: Leverage the success of Alamo Quality Pathway and Pre-K 4 SA coaching by increasing alignment, scale, and resources
  2. Action: Integrate financial coaching into ongoing coaching
Strategy: Increase the number of high-quality, affordable seats for children with special needs
  1. Action: Increase and activate the capacity of current high-quality providers to serve children with special needs
  2. Action: Increase the capability of all providers to serve children with special needs through additional training
  3. Action: Include the ability to serve special needs as a filter in the search tool

Domain: Increased Access

Strategy: Increase the number of providers that accept child care scholarships and/or military scholarships
  1. Action: Learn from providers as to why they do or do not accept scholarships
  2. Action: Promote scholarship acceptance among providers
  3. Action: Provide technical assistance to providers who would like to begin accepting scholarships

Domain: Sustainable Quality

Strategy: Increase the number of providers participating in the Shared Service Alliance
  1. Action: Promote the value of the Shared Service Alliance to providers and provide technical assistance to those interested in joining
  2. Action: Create alignment between the Alamo Quality Pathway and the Shared Service Alliance
  3. Action: Integrate technical assistance and training to increase the ability to serve special needs children

Domain: Quality Supply

Strategy: Add new high-quality early learning seats
  1. Action: Build and pilot a seat accelerator that supports high-quality providers to expand their centers or open new centers

Domain: Talent Supply

Strategy: Alleviate the shortage of early childhood professionals
  1. Action: Survey providers about the scale and drivers of the shortage
  2. Action: Study and enact high-leverage remedies to address the shortage

Domain: Training Pipeline

Strategy: Ensure access to a quality learning management system
  1. Action: Partner with the Texas learning management system to ensure top quality and functionality
Strategy: Create a training and educational pipeline with no gaps
  1. Action: Enroll all providers and professionals in the learning management system
  2. Action: Use the data to identify the gaps in professional development and close them routinely

Domain: Stackable Credentials

Strategy: Broker articulation agreements citywide
  1. Action: Document lessons from success locally and statewide
  2. Action: Map district and charter early childhood training programs
  3. Action: Convene districts, charters, two-year and four-year colleges to develop articulation agreements

Domain: Community

Strategy: Engage, nurture, and celebrate early childhood professionals
  1. Action: Convene early childhood professionals regularly to celebrate successes and advance the field

Domain: Search Tool

Strategy: Create tools to empower families to search for and choose the best option for their child(ren)
  1. Action: Create a filterable search tool with reliable availability information
  2. Action: Promote the tool broadly to families
  3. Action: Create, integrate, and promote a common application
  4. Action: Enable adoption and integration across family-facing services citywide

Domain: Enrollment

Strategy: Increase enrollment in affordable early learning
  1. Action: Execute a citywide annual PreK Enrollment Campaign

Domain: Child-centered Partnership

Strategy: Support the expansion of powerful partnerships between families and early childhood professionals
  1. Action: Prepare families to powerfully partner with their child(ren)'s teacher
  2. Action: Prepare early childhood professionals to powerfully partner with families
  3. Action: Equip families to extend learning at home

Domain: Demand for Quality

Strategy: Elevate the importance of quality
  1. Action: Engage families and early childhood professionals to co-create powerful messages about the importance of quality
  2. Action: Promote these messages through a citywide family-facing campaign

Domain: Wraparound

Strategy: Connect families with wraparound resources
  1. Action: Integrate wraparound resources across the early childhood ecosystem