On the ballot in November is a local initiative to expand child care and after school initiatives for low income families, making child care and time outside of the traditional school day not only more accessible but also more affordable.  We encourage Travis County citizens to research the topic and be an informed voter.

In 2023, Seeds for Change Consulting worked with United Way for Greater Austin to assess and provide recommendations to its newly formed coalition.  The Shared Services Alliance for Early Learning aims to streamline resources for child care providers, allowing administrators to work more effectively and efficiently. The Alliance is a key component of United Way's Success by 6 and membership includes child care providers of all sizes - from a single provider caring for a few children to nationally affiliated franchises with dozens of local sites. Our collaborative work focused on technology tools, services, and solutions including hardware, software, and internet accessibility.  Ultimately, we aligned our recommendations with collective desired outcomes of:

• ​improving effectiveness
• time savings
• money savings
• enable effective planning
• improve accountability

 
For more information on United Way and the ballot initiative, here are some links.  

September News Report (KVUE): youtu.be/JReCDlHyBKg?feature=shared
August News Article (KUT): tinyurl.com/2024care
United Way for Greater Austin: https://unitedwayaustin.org/
Success by 6:  https://unitedwayaustin.org/success-by-6-plan/
Website:  https://www.affordablechildcarenow.com/

And thanks to Cathy McHorse and the team at UW for trusting us to do great work!