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When people think about workforce development, they usually picture job fairs, apprenticeships, career counseling, or skills training. Those programs matter because they're the most visible parts of the workforce system. They're where employers find talent and job seekers discover new opportunities.

But here's a question we don't ask often enough.

What good is a new job if you have no safe place for your child while you're at work?

That simple question helps explain why Texas has become a national leader in workforce development.

Many states view workforce development and child care as separate responsibilities managed by different agencies. Texas takes a different approach. Our state recognizes that employers need skilled workers, workers need opportunities, and many parents need access to quality child care before they can participate in the workforce. By bringing workforce development and early learning together under the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Texas has built one of the most comprehensive workforce systems in the nation.

That philosophy shapes everything we do at Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA). Every day, we help employers grow, workers build meaningful careers, and families overcome barriers that might otherwise prevent them from sharing in our region's economic success.

Texas Built an Employer-Led Workforce System

One of the defining characteristics of Texas' workforce system is that it's employer-led. Local Workforce Development Boards aren't built around government programs. They're guided by employers who understand the workforce challenges facing their industries and the skills they'll need to remain competitive.

Business leaders help identify emerging occupations, workforce shortages, and future hiring needs. Workforce boards then bring together educators, economic developers, community organizations, and public partners to align training and career pathways with those real-world demands. The result is a system that's responsive, accountable, and focused on preparing Texans for careers that are available today and tomorrow.

That partnership has helped Texas build one of the strongest economies in the country, but employer leadership is only part of the story.

Child Care Makes Workforce Development Possible

A business can have open positions. A worker can have the right skills. The wages can be competitive.

None of those things matter if a parent can't find dependable child care.

For thousands of Texas families, access to high-quality early learning isn't simply an education issue. It's a workforce issue. Parents can't consistently accept employment, complete workforce training, work overtime, or pursue promotions if they don't know their children are in a safe, nurturing environment.

Texas recognized that reality years ago.

Through TWC, the state administers the Child Care Services (CCS) program using federal Child Care and Development Fund resources. Delivered locally through Texas' 28 Workforce Development Boards, CCS helps eligible families afford quality child care while strengthening early learning through initiatives like Texas Rising Star.

That isn't a separate mission from workforce development.

It's one of the most important workforce investments we can make.

By helping parents participate in the workforce while giving children a strong educational foundation, Texas strengthens today's economy and invests in tomorrow's workforce at the same time.

Wraparound Services Help Families Build Lasting Success

One of the greatest strengths of Texas' workforce system is that it doesn't stop after solving one problem.

When a family contacts WSRCA for child care assistance, they're not simply applying for a scholarship. They're connecting with an entire workforce system designed to help them achieve long-term success.

For many parents, affordable child care is the first barrier that must be removed before they can think about employment, education, or career advancement. Once that barrier is addressed, new opportunities begin to open.

That's where wraparound services make a lasting difference.

Rather than treating each challenge separately, WSRCA looks at the whole family. Through referrals and coordinated services, parents may be connected with career counseling, job search assistance, résumé development, interview coaching, hiring events, workforce training, financial literacy resources, education opportunities, transportation assistance, or trusted community partners that help them remain successful once they enter the workforce.

This coordinated approach transforms a child care scholarship into something much bigger.

A parent who first visits WSRCA looking for child care may later earn an industry-recognized credential, secure a higher-paying career, and build long-term financial stability for their family. Child care often becomes the first step toward a brighter future because it opens the door to every other workforce service we provide.

That's the power of an integrated workforce system. We don't simply help people solve today's challenge. We help them prepare for tomorrow's opportunities.

Early Learning Strengthens Today's Workforce and Tomorrow's

We often describe roads, bridges, utilities, and broadband as economic infrastructure because businesses depend on them to operate.

Child care belongs in that same conversation.

Reliable early learning allows parents to work, employers to hire, and local economies to grow. At the same time, children develop the social, emotional, and academic foundations they'll carry into school and eventually into their own careers.

Texas continues strengthening that investment through initiatives like Texas Child Care Connection, Employer Child Care Solutions, Texas Rising Star, Pre-Kindergarten Partnerships, and the Quad Agency Child Care Initiative. Together, these efforts improve access, affordability, and quality while helping employers become active partners in addressing one of today's greatest workforce challenges.

The return isn't measured only in today's employment numbers.

It's measured across generations.

WSRCA Brings the Texas Model to Life

WSRCA is proud to bring this vision to life across the Rural Capital Area.

Our mission goes far beyond helping people find jobs. We strengthen employers, prepare workers for in-demand careers, introduce students to future opportunities, support child care providers, and help working families overcome barriers that stand between them and economic success.

Every service reinforces another because workforce development works best when people have access to the entire system.

In 2025, WSRCA delivered measurable results across our nine-county region.

Supporting Employers

• 29,864 employer services delivered
• 3,896 employers served
• 337 hiring events hosted

Preparing the Workforce

• 8,540 job seekers served
• 1,089 individuals sponsored for workforce training
• More than 4,200 students participated in career exploration events

Strengthening Working Families

• 3,289 families received Child Care Services
• 4,641 children accessed quality early learning
• 318 child care providers partnered with WSRCA to strengthen quality and expand access

Behind every one of those numbers is a story. An employer filled a critical position. A student discovered a career they never knew existed. A parent accepted a promotion because dependable child care made it possible. A family gained greater financial stability because they were connected with the right services at the right time.

Those outcomes are possible because Texas built a workforce system that sees the whole person, not just the immediate need.

Investing in Families Strengthens Our Economy

As stewards of public investments, WSRCA believes accountability begins with measurable outcomes.

In 2025, WSRCA invested more than $59 million in workforce development and early learning across the Rural Capital Area. Those investments continue generating returns that strengthen businesses, increase wages, and expand economic opportunity throughout our communities.

The results demonstrate why workforce development is one of the smartest investments we can make.

• Every $1 invested in workforce development generates approximately $4.86 in community-wide wage gains.
• Every $1 invested in Child Care Services generates approximately $1.91 in local economic activity.

Those returns represent far more than economic statistics. They represent employers finding the talent they need to grow, parents building better futures for their families, children receiving a stronger start in life, and communities becoming more competitive for generations to come.

Building Stronger Communities Starts With Stronger Families

When people ask why Texas continues to lead the nation in workforce development, the answer isn't found in a single program.

It's found in a philosophy.

Texas understands that workforce development is about much more than filling job openings. It's about creating the conditions where employers can grow, workers can build meaningful careers, children receive a strong start through quality early learning, and families have the support they need to thrive.

That's the mission WSRCA delivers every day.

Whether someone first walks through our doors looking for child care, career guidance, workforce training, or hiring assistance, our goal remains the same. We remove barriers, create opportunities, and empower people to build brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Because workforce development doesn't start with a résumé.

It starts by investing in people.

When we invest in people, we strengthen families. When we strengthen families, employers gain the workforce they need to grow. And when employers and families succeed together, the entire Rural Capital Area becomes stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for whatever comes next.