Child Care Associates

About Child Care Associates (CCA)

For over 55 years, Child Care Associates (CCA) has been a powerful force for equity in early childhood, delivering high-quality education and care to over 580,000 young children across North Texas. As the largest early education provider in Tarrant County, CCA is committed to closing opportunity gaps for children living in poverty—because we know that a child’s zip code should not determine their future.

CCA’s comprehensive, three-pronged approach ensures that children are ready to thrive in school and life by focusing on the pillars that matter most:

1. Educating Children: Through Early Head Start and Head Start centers and home-based programs, we provide nurturing, developmentally rich learning environments that support both academic and social-emotional growth from birth to age five.

2. Empowering Educators: We invest in early childhood teachers through hands-on coaching, training, credentialing, and degree pathways—strengthening quality from the inside out and building a skilled workforce for the future.

3. Strengthening Families: We offset the high cost of child care through subsidies and work hand-in-hand with parents on goal-setting and economic mobility, recognizing that family stability is key to long-term success.

Who We Serve

Our programs are intentionally designed to reach families with the greatest need—pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in under-resourced communities across Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Most of our families live at or below the federal poverty line, with many working full-time but still unable to afford quality early education on their own.

Each year, we serve:

• 1,800+ children ages 0–5 through our federally funded Early Head Start and Head Start programs—over 97% of whom live in poverty or face homelessness.

• 12,000+ children whose families receive child care subsidy assistance, enabling parents to work, attend school, or pursue training.

Our Track Record of Impact

With decades of experience and deep community partnerships, CCA is a trusted leader in early childhood. We bring our core values—“Children First. Always.” and “Do It at Scale.”—to life through programs that are evidence-based, culturally responsive, and outcomes-driven.

Yet, the need has never been greater.

Why We Need You

Despite overwhelming evidence that early learning is one of the smartest investments a society can make, high-quality programs remain out of reach for too many. Public funding only covers 80% of our Early Head Start and Head Start costs. The remaining 20%—which is critical for sustaining and expanding our work—must be raised through local contributions.

Your support can make the difference. Unrestricted funding from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners enables CCA to:

• Create exceptional infant and toddler environments that are trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate, and culturally affirming—something federal dollars alone can’t fully support.

• Advance teacher training and credentials to improve classroom quality and ensure more children are truly ready for kindergarten.

• Lead systems change and policy advocacy to scale best practices across North Texas—so that every child, not just those in our care, has a strong start.

Join us in building a future where every child has the chance to reach their full potential. Together, we can turn today’s early learners into tomorrow’s leaders.