Travis County, Texas Passes Groundbreaking Affordable Child Care Plan, Backed by Brooke Couch Freeland’s Advocacy Work with the United Way for Greater Austin
Another transformative solution is found in Travis County, TX as voters last November approved Proposition A, a win-for-all $75 million annual investment in affordable child care, with 60% support.
Couch Family Foundation Managing Director Brooke Couch Freeland, who consults for the United Way for Greater Austin and leads their public advocacy through Early Matters Greater Austin, played a crucial role in the plan’s passage. Her efforts helped secure this vital support for working families in one of Texas’s most expensive child care markets.
The measure, which will add about $288 a year to the average homeowner’s property tax, will fund nearly 6,000 new child care slots for families earning up to $100,000 annually, addressing a critical two-year waitlist and filling gaps in state subsidies.
The initiative also focuses on expanding care for parents working outside typical 9–5 hours and raising provider wages from $14 to $20 per hour. Additionally, a public-private partnership will encourage employers to offer child care benefits by matching employer contributions, addressing deficiencies in Texas’s existing reimbursements to providers.