In Tarrant County, fewer than a quarter of licensed or registered child care programs serve children with disabilities, according to an Early Learning Alliance report. Advocates say limited funding, resources and training are forcing providers to turn some children away. A new Texas roadmap aims to address those barriers, but families and providers may not see meaningful change without additional funding and policy shifts.
The Texas Education Agency, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission jointly created a four-year strategic plan to improve early childhood inclusion for children with disabilities and developmental delays, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The plan describes obstacles families face while navigating child care, pre-K and support services and incorporates recommendations from providers, parents and early childhood intervention staff. It is intended to give the three agencies a unified inclusion strategy, after years in which responsibility for early childhood care was divided among them.
Workforce Shortages Top the List of Barriers
Workforce shortages emerged as the leading barrier in a survey conducted for the state plan, according to the Star-Telegram. Nearly half of respondents cited limited training and coaching opportunities, while more than half pointed to a lack of trained specialists. High turnover and low pay add to those challenges, making it harder for centers to retain staff equipped to support children with disabilities.
Bethany Edwards, director for research and evaluation at the Center for Transforming Lives in Tarrant County, called the state plan a promising first step but said Texas needs investments and policy changes for families to actually feel the difference, according to the Star-Telegram. Edwards said inaccessibility to early education and care prevents parents from working, pursuing education or building financial stability. Her organization's own research, published in November 2025, found that Tarrant County has only 11 subsidized child care seats for every 100 children who need them, while one-third of single mothers with children under age 5 in the county live in poverty, according to the Center for Transforming Lives.
The Cliff at Age Three
Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, early intervention is divided into two tracks: Part C covers children from birth through age 2, and Part B covers children ages 3 through 21, according to Start Early. In Texas, children from birth to age 3 can receive early childhood intervention services through the Health and Human Services Commission before transitioning at age 3 to early childhood special education through their local school district, the Star-Telegram reported. That handoff between agencies, along with gaps in coordination and communication, can interrupt services for children and families.
Max Rombado said the state has more work to do to support toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities and delays, telling the Star-Telegram that lawmakers need to invest in inclusive, high-quality child care. Families often seek speech therapy and occupational therapy during this window, the kinds of services most vulnerable to disruption when a child ages out of one system and into another.
Funding Cuts Have Squeezed the System for Years
The financial backdrop behind these gaps runs deep. An analysis by Texans Care for Children found that state per-child funding for the Early Childhood Intervention program dropped 38% between 2010 and 2024 when adjusted for inflation, describing financial pressure on providers in the state's ECI network over the past decade. The report also discusses the number of children who may need support and the reach of ECI services.
Lawmakers did allocate additional funding for the ECI program during the biennium as caseloads were projected to increase, per Texans Care for Children. Advocates noted the funding staved off potential cuts but did not restore historical per-child funding levels. Meanwhile, child-care subsidies remain part of the broader funding challenges facing families.
Readiness Gaps Show Up in Kindergarten
The strain is visible once children reach school, where kindergarten readiness is another concern in Tarrant County. Efforts to catch delays earlier are part of the broader response.
Stakeholders behind the state plan recommended increasing funding for programs, expanding eligibility for free public pre-K to children with disabilities, improving continuity of services during the transition from early intervention to special education, including child care providers and families in transition planning, and allowing more flexibility in ratio and class-size rules. The recommendations also highlight unresolved questions about how children with disabilities access public pre-K and specialized early-childhood services.
How public pre-K eligibility varies
Public pre-K eligibility begins with a child’s age and the options offered by the local district. According to the Texas Education Agency, a child must be at least 3 years old by Sept. 1 to qualify for free pre-K if a district offers a 3-year-old program, or at least 4 by that date otherwise. Children receiving early childhood intervention services transition at age 3 to early childhood special education through their local school district.
Arlington ISD illustrates how offerings can differ within Tarrant County: the district says it provides full-day pre-K for 4-year-olds and free, half-day pre-K for qualifying 3-year-olds, according to Arlington ISD. Families therefore must check their district’s age, eligibility and program rules when seeking public pre-K or special-education services.
What Inclusion Looks Like in Practice
The Star-Telegram reported that the Callier Child Development Program in Dallas offers one example of the integrated approach envisioned by the state plan. Its classrooms are co-taught by deaf educators and child development specialists and serve both neurotypical children and children who are deaf or hard of hearing through a partnership with Dallas ISD and UT Dallas. The state plan defines inclusion as enabling children with disabilities to learn, play and meaningfully participate alongside peers without disabilities, with individualized supports providing equal access to programs, curriculum, routines and environments.
The Callier Center illustrates what inclusion can look like in a daily classroom, but expanding that model statewide will depend on implementation decisions and funding. Advocates continue to point to unresolved policy questions, including whether Texas will extend free public pre-K eligibility to all young children with disabilities or raise reimbursement rates for private inclusive providers.
