Child care services in Central Texas are buckling under the weight of staff shortages, despite the area's economic gains following the pandemic. These shortages have a ripple effect on both the availability and the affordability of quality child care. As providers scramble to fill positions, existing staff are stretched thin, compromising their ability to tend to the needs of the children adequately, according to KVUE.

Adding staff to their roster is not as simple as placing an ad for many smaller centers in Austin's metropolitan area, having to compete with bigger companies offering larger salaries and benefits. While some providers received federal aid, like Stacy Ham, owner and president of Little Acorn Academy in Cedar Park, who made use of a $100,000 check to pay higher wages, these solutions are not permanent fixes for an already unstable market. Ham admitted the effort might only last "one or two more years.", as per Community Impact.

In the face of a booming economy where August figures showed 100 more workers employed than the previous year, the childcare industry's recovery lags. Diane Tackett, chief operating officer of Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area, told Community Impact that there were 1,451 fewer childcare workers in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the previous year, as detailed by Community Impact. This deficit in workers has led to skewed child-to-teacher ratios, a problem that predates COVID-19 but was exacerbated by the pandemic's impact on employment and childcare costs.

Government efforts to bridge the funding gap include wage stipends offered by Workforce Solutions Capital Area, funded by the city of Austin and Travis County. However, the eligibility requirements include, the workers must earn less than $21 an hour, be full-time, and be employed for a minimum of six months, as reported by KVUE.