This month the Dallas County Commissioners Court made several important decisions that will affect voters’ November 3 ballot. The court opted to place a homelessness solutions tax-rate election on the ballot. Meanwhile, a proposed childcare ballot measure did not advance.  

At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, both childcare and homelessness prevention and intervention are two key issues that undergird our mission to improve access to education, income and health. Here’s a breakdown of the decisions from the Commissioners Court and what you’ll see on your ballot this November. 

What is the background on these two tax-rate elections? 

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas is a member of the All Neighbors Coalition—a network of public, private and nonprofit organizations working to end homelessness across Dallas and Collin counties. We support efforts to advance a tax-rate election to reduce homelessness.  

At the same time, community leaders had already been engaged in a year-long effort to advance a similar tax-rate election dedicated to childcare and out-of-school-time programs. Those efforts generated significant public momentum through the Dallas Childcare Works coalition, which United Way and its community partners launched in late May, with a focus on securing a place for the measure on the November ballot. 

As part of Dallas Childcare Works, United Way stood alongside families, childcare providers, employers and community leaders to call for expanded access to affordable childcare and out-of-school programs across Dallas County. This initiative was part of our ongoing work to support affordable, high-quality early childhood education in North Texas and to mobilize public support around the childcare solutions families need. Read the Dallas Childcare Works coalition statement. 

Of course, we are disappointed that childcare access won’t be on the November ballot. But for United Way, community partners, and the thousands of residents who raised their voices for families, the outcome is both a reminder of what organized civic engagement can accomplish and a call to continue advocating for the affordable, high-quality childcare and out-of-school time that working parents and young children urgently need. 

What did the Dallas County Commissioners Court approve? 

Commissioners voted 3-2 to send a homelessness solutions tax-rate election to Dallas County voters this November. County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins and Commissioners Andrew Sommerman and Theresa Daniel supported placing the measure on the ballot, while Commissioners Elba Garcia and John Wiley Price opposed it.  

If approved by voters, the measure would raise the tax rate by 2.4 cents per $100 valuation and generate up to roughly $100 million for homelessness response, including housing supports, mental health treatment, outreach, diversion, transitional assistance and related services coordinated through Housing Forward and the broader homeless response system. With this public investment, this proposed measure could help 4,500+ additional households exit homelessness each year. 

What does this mean for childcare in Dallas County?  

While the childcare ballot measure stalled, the public response demonstrated a powerful groundswell of support. Since the Dallas Childcare Works coalition launched at the end of May, Dallas Area Interfaith organized more than 4,000 Dallas County residents petitioned in support of the initiative, signaling that families, caregivers, employers and community leaders understand childcare as essential for our region’s economic mobility, workforce participation, school readiness and family stability. 

The setback does not change the need. It sharpens it. Local families continue to face rising costs driven by inflation, while providers struggle with attrition and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining early childhood educators. Without sustained public investment, fewer children and families will be served, and the burden will fall hardest on parents already balancing work, caregiving and household costs. 

Why should childcare be a public policy priority?  

Texas 2036’s recent report, State of Childcare in Texas underscores the scale of the childcare challenge across our state. Texas has approximately 2.4 million children under age 6, yet public early childhood programs—including pre-K, Head Start and childcare subsidies—reach only about one in six of them. The report also finds that childcare-related workforce disruptions cost Texas employers approximately $7.9 billion each year, while families with lower incomes can spend a large share of monthly income on care and many parents report sacrificing quality for affordability. 

These findings reinforce what United Way hears from families across North Texas: The lack of affordable childcare is not a private inconvenience—it is a public policy issue.  

Texas Women’s Foundation’s recent childcare research similarly connects access to affordable, reliable childcare with women’s economic security, workforce participation and regional growth. The report notes that center-based infant care costs more than $11,000 per year in Texas and consumes approximately 12.5% of median family income in Dallas County. Childcare shortages could have a long-term statewide economic impact of $5.5 to $8.3 billion if left unaddressed.  

Across North Texas, a lack of affordable childcare options creates ripple effects that touch nearly every part of our society: When childcare slots disappear or become unaffordable, parents miss work, employers lose productivity, providers operate on thin margins and children miss foundational learning opportunities that support long-term success. 

New research from the Boston Consulting Group further confirms the importance of childcare in the success of workforce development programs. When workers are supported with not just career training and development but also wraparound supports like childcare and transportation, they are more likely to succeed in those programs. This is an important reminder for policy-makers and for initiatives like our own Pathways to Work program.  

What is happening at the state level with childcare policy? 

At the state level, two new efforts are creating important opportunities to improve childcare in Texas:  

• The Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Education and Care is charged with developing policy and budget recommendations by December 1, 2026, to improve early childhood education and care governance.  

• The Texas Quad Agency Child Care Initiative brings together the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Education Agency, Health and Human Services Commission, and Department of Family and Protective Services to coordinate agency actions, reduce regulatory conflict and duplication, and improve access, affordability, quality and safety. 

These efforts matter because Texas’ current system is spread across multiple agencies without a single entity accountable for whether the system works for families. A more coordinated, parent-centered approach can help align funding, regulation, workforce supports and outcome measurement so that public dollars produce clearer results for children, parents, providers and employers. 

Join Us in Advocating for North Texas Children and Families 

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas remains committed to making North Texas the best place to live, work, and raise a family—and that commitment requires continued advocacy for children, families and the systems that support them.  

The momentum behind the childcare initiative extended beyond individual residents: A business letter organized by the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce also demonstrated support from the business, nonprofit and philanthropic communities, reinforcing that childcare is essential infrastructure for employers, families and the region’s long-term economic strength. 

The more than 4,000 Dallas County residents who petitioned in support of the childcare initiative showed that this issue has broad public backing. Now, United Way calls on our network to stay engaged: Share your story, talk with local leaders, elevate the need for affordable, high-quality childcare and support public policy solutions that meet the scale of the challenge.  

As voters prepare to consider the homelessness tax-rate election this November, we must also keep the childcare conversation moving forward. Safe housing and affordable childcare are both foundational to family stability, and both are essential to a thriving North Texas where every child and family can succeed.