Primary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jie Wu
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: N/A
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Brazelton Touchpoints Center
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Transmittal by the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity of the Early REACH Semi-Annual Data Memo (April 2026) conducted by Brazelton Touchpoints Center.
end
Background and Discussion:
On January 31, 2023, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a contract with BakerRipley (in partnership with United Way of Greater Houston) to administer the Early REACH program. The program aims to create 800-1,000 high-quality child care slots in child care deserts, serving children (ages 0-4) from families in high Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) areas or low-income households. Early REACH also aims to improve working conditions and reduce turnover for child care staff.
Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC), in collaboration with Harris County, BakerRipley, and United Way, is conducting an ongoing evaluation that explores the associations between Early REACH child care slots and access to high-quality child care and early education. BTC’s evaluation assesses the following program goals: 1) supporting teacher recruitment and retention in early childhood centers, and 2) building and supporting center quality. Evaluation results were used to strengthen program operations in real-time to best support centers and families.
The fourth semi-annual data memo, published in April 2026, provides insight into Early REACH's performance across teacher recruitment and retention, coaching and professional development, children’s social-emotional development, and other quality outcomes. It also provides recommendations for current program implementation and long-term investments in early childhood education in Harris County. In summary, the data memo will offer vital insights into the impact of the contracted slots model and future investments for Harris County.
Expected Impact:
Acceptance of the BTC Semi-Annual Data Memo (April 2026) will enable Harris County Commissioners Court, early learning stakeholders, and community members to gain insights regarding the impact of Early REACH and the contracted slots model on access to high-quality child care.
Alternative Options:
This is a transmittal.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 3. Make our economy more inclusive.
County Strategic Plan Objective: K: Provide workers with training and other supports (e.g. child care) to participate fully in the local economy.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): K1: Advance child care quality and accessibility through workforce development programming and child care slots.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
1/31/23 |
444 |
Early REACH Contract awarded to BakerRipley |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
N/A |
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 7/9/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): N/A Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Jie Wu, Interim Executive Director, Economic Equity and Opportunity;
Chris Darville, Ed.D., Interim Director of Early Childhood Initiatives, Economic Equity and Opportunity;
Attachments (if applicable): Brazelton Touchpoints Center Semi-Annual Data Memo (April 2026)