Primary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Jie Wu, Interim Executive Director
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): University of Houston
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 Second Annual Report (June 2026) conducted by the University of Houston.
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.
On April 23, 2024, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a contract with the University of Houston
Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality (UH IRWGS) to conduct an evaluation of the economic
impact of Early REACH. The scope of the evaluation includes center, family, market impacts, and cost effectiveness of the program.
This transmittal highlights the second of four reports assessing the economic impacts of Early REACH. It offers key insights into the Harris County child care landscape, Early REACH program implementation and larger impacts, including:
• Federally funded child care slots are available for fewer than 1 in 5 eligible Harris County children.
• Caregivers participating in Early REACH experienced positive effects on employment (e.g., transition-to-employment and retention) compared to non-Early REACH caregivers.
• Child care centers participating in Early REACH experienced strong enrollment growth across the program period, as well as higher staffing levels and staff wages, compared to non-Early REACH centers.
Expected Impact:
Acceptance of the UH Second Annual Report (June 2026) will enable Harris County Commissioners Court, early learning stakeholders, and community members to gain insights regarding the economic impacts of Early REACH on participating child care centers and families.
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):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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04/23/2024 |
22 |
Approved Interlocal Agreement |
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05/07/2024 |
14 |
Approved Data Use Agreement |
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08/06/2024 |
13 |
Amended Data Use Agreement to share Personal Identifiable Information (PII) with the evaluator. |
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10/29/2024 |
10 |
Amendment to Interlocal Agreement to transition payment structure to milestone-based billing. |
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01/29/2026 |
266 |
Transmittal of the Early REACH Economic Impact Evaluation Year 1 Report. |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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Anticipated Court Date: 9/17/2026
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): Early REACH Second Annual Report, University of Houston (June 2026)