SB 708 Makes Early Learning Classrooms in Texas Safer for All Children
June 19, 2019
Portland, Ore. (June 19, 2019) – Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently signed SB 708 into law. The Child Safety Data for Licensed Centers Study bill will begin a study into children’s safety in at-home and group childcare with potential to lead to a statewide change in teacher-to-student ratios. SB 708 is the result of nearly five years’ worth of advocacy efforts by early childhood education providers, including KinderCare Education (KCE), the nation’s largest private provider of early childhood education and care.
“We wholeheartedly support SB 708 and believe it will ultimately help make early learning classrooms in Texas safer for children and help teachers be more effective at educating children,” said Tom Wyatt, KCE CEO. “At KinderCare Education, we believe all children should have access to high-quality education and care, regardless of their background and financial circumstance. This bill has the potential to impact the lives and safety of children across the state, including the more than 8,500 children in our 96 licensed centers in Texas.”
SB 708 will form a committee to review and analyze child safety data from at-home and group childcare centers. Those results have potential to bring Texas childcare ratios in line with nationally accepted levels.
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About KinderCare Education®
KinderCare Education is America’s largest private provider of early education and child care with more than 30,000 teachers and staff serving 185,000 children every day, where they need us:
- In neighborhoods with our KinderCare® Learning Centers and Rainbow Child Care Centers that offer early childhood education and child care for children six weeks to 12 years old
- At work through KinderCare Education at Work™, family benefits for employers including on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care
- In local schools with our Champions® before and after-school programs.