In December 2023, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved $17.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Supportive, Healthy, Innovative, Nurturing Environments (SHINE CCFF) initiative. A collaboration between the Low Income Invest Fund (LIIF), Volunteers of America Texas, LiftFund, and the Harris County Commissioners Court, SHINE CCFF helps providers with construction, remodeling, and expansion projects for the spaces where they offer early learning and care.
SHINE CCFF awards grants to expand or rehabilitate both home and center-based early education facilities and offers free technical assistance to help providers assess a project’s feasibility and apply for the grant. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to, physical facility and site renovation costs, equipment necessary for health and safety, playground equipment, security upgrades, and parking improvements. Eligible expenses also include improvements that increase a program’s ADA accessibility for children, parents, guardians, or staff with special physical or mental health needs.
The program prioritizes applicants with urgent needs, programs where at least 20% of enrolled children receive Child Care Services or scholarships from the Harris County Early REACH program, providers serving infants and toddlers, and programs in an area that has a Social Vulnerability Index score of .75 or above, among other factors. SHINE CCFF aims to award all grants by March 2025. All projects must be completed by September 2026.
Sources:
Harris County SHINE Child Care Facilities Fund. (n.d.). Program Overview.
Harris County Office of County Administration. (n.d.). Shine Child Care Facilities Fund.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.