Early childhood education leaders call for collaboration as Texas takes control of FWISD – Fort Worth Report

Report on Early Childhood Education and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The “Pouring with a Purpose” Panel

A panel discussion on November 13 in Fort Worth, titled “Pouring with a Purpose,” convened leaders from the child care and workforce sectors to address critical issues in early learning and school readiness. The central theme, articulated by Dominique McCain of Educational First Steps, was the fundamental importance of a child being prepared for their educational journey. This report analyzes the key findings from the discussion, framing them within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Challenges in Early Learning and Linkages to SDGs

SDG 4: Quality Education – The Foundation of Learning

The panel identified significant challenges to achieving Target 4.2 of SDG 4, which aims to ensure all children have access to quality early childhood development and pre-primary education. The current system is strained, hindering the goal of making children ready for primary education.

• School Readiness Deficits: Panelists emphasized that readiness extends beyond academic skills like literacy and numeracy to include social-emotional learning. Children experiencing trauma require educators equipped to support their holistic development.
• Literacy Crisis: The report noted that only 41% of Fort Worth’s third graders met grade-level reading expectations, a critical indicator for long-term academic success. This highlights a failure to build a strong educational foundation, a core tenet of SDG 4.
• System Alignment: A significant gap exists between early childhood providers and the K-12 system. Efforts to improve literacy in primary schools will be less effective if children do not arrive with the foundational skills developed in quality pre-primary settings.

SDG 8 & SDG 5: Decent Work, Economic Growth, and Gender Equality

The discussion revealed that the child care crisis is a major barrier to achieving SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Workforce Participation: The high cost of child care, rivaling in-state college tuition in Tarrant County, forces parents to consider leaving the workforce. This directly impacts economic productivity and household financial stability, undermining Target 8.5.
• Gender Inequality: The burden of unaffordable care falls disproportionately on mothers, who are more likely to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs entirely. This perpetuates gender inequality in the workforce, conflicting with the aims of SDG 5.
• Low Educator Wages: Early childhood educators earn an average of $33,801 annually, well below the county’s living wage. This contributes to high staff turnover and program instability, failing to provide the “decent work” called for in SDG 8.

SDG 1 & SDG 10: No Poverty and Reduced Inequalities

The state of the child care system exacerbates poverty and inequality, running counter to the principles of SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

• Financial Strain: The immense cost of care places a significant financial burden on families, particularly those with low to middle incomes.
• Access to Support: A waitlist of over 21,000 children for child care scholarships in Tarrant County demonstrates that the need for affordable care far outstrips supply, leaving the most vulnerable families without support and reinforcing cycles of poverty.
• Systemic Inequality: The fragmented and underfunded nature of the child care sector means that access to quality early education is not equitable, creating long-term disadvantages for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Strategic Recommendations and the Path Forward

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Breaking Down Silos

A primary conclusion from the panel was the urgent need for collaboration, directly aligning with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The current approach, described as operating in “silos,” is ineffective.

• Fragmented System: The child care sector is not a cohesive system, with providers navigating numerous state departments and divisions.
• Call for Collaboration: Panelists stressed that addressing the interconnected challenges of jobs, wages, housing, and child care requires a collaborative, multi-sector approach rather than isolated efforts.

Data-Driven and Collaborative Solutions

To build a robust early learning ecosystem that supports all relevant SDGs, the panel proposed several key actions:

1. Utilize Data and Coaching: Implement tools like the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) and the Hatch assessment platform to provide educators with real-time data and actionable feedback to improve instruction and track kindergarten readiness.
2. Invest in the Workforce: Acknowledge and support early childhood teachers, whose work forms the foundation of the entire educational pipeline. This includes advocating for better wages and professional development.
3. Prioritize Early Investment: Recognize the critical period of brain development between birth and age five. Continued investment and collaboration in early childhood education are essential for making a dramatic, positive impact on school districts and the future workforce.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The article’s primary focus is on early childhood education, school readiness, and literacy.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The text discusses how the high cost of child care disproportionately affects mothers, forcing them to leave the workforce.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The article links the child care crisis to workforce participation and highlights the low wages of early childhood educators.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The financial strain of child care costs on families, particularly those with lower incomes, is a central theme, pointing to economic inequality.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The article emphasizes the need for collaboration between different sectors and criticizes the current “siloed” approach to child care and education.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  • Target 4.2: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.” The entire article revolves around this target, discussing the importance of “early learning and school readiness” and the goal for children to arrive in kindergarten with the necessary “language, social-emotional skills and early literacy proficiency.”

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • Target 5.4: “Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies…” The article directly connects to this by highlighting how the unaffordability of child care forces parents, especially mothers, into unpaid care roles. It states that pressures “tend to fall heaviest on mothers, who are more likely to scale back hours or leave jobs when care becomes unaffordable.”

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  • Target 8.5: “By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.” This target is relevant in two ways. First, the article describes child care as a “workforce issue,” where high costs force parents to “consider leaving the workforce altogether.” Second, it points to the lack of decent work for early educators, whose wages average “just $33,801 a year — far below the county’s living wage.”

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.2: “By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all…” The article highlights economic inequality by noting that “middle-class families with two working parents… simply cannot afford care for two children” and that there are “more than 21,000 children in Tarrant County on the scholarship waitlist.” This demonstrates how the high cost of care is a barrier to economic inclusion for many families.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.17: “Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships…” The article explicitly calls for an end to the current fragmented system, quoting a panelist who says, “Silos are not working.” The event itself, gathering leaders from across the child care sector, and the call for collaboration to “build consistency across the sector” directly align with the goal of building partnerships.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for Target 4.2 (Quality Early Childhood Education)

  • Third-grade reading proficiency rates: The article provides a specific metric: “Just 41% of the city’s third graders met grade-level expectations on last year’s STAAR exam.” This is a direct indicator of the effectiveness of early learning in preparing children for long-term academic success.
  • Kindergarten readiness assessments: The article mentions the use of specific tools like “CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System)” and “Hatch,” a digital platform that “tracks early literacy and math skills for children ages 3 to 5.” These tools provide measurable data on school readiness.

• Indicators for Target 5.4 & 8.5 (Gender Equality & Workforce Participation)

  • Female labor force participation rate: While not providing a specific number, the article implies this indicator by stating that mothers “are more likely to scale back hours or leave jobs when care becomes unaffordable.” Tracking the employment rates of mothers with young children would measure this impact.

• Indicators for Target 8.5 (Decent Work)

  • Wages of early childhood educators: The article gives a precise figure for this indicator: “early educator wages averaging just $33,801 a year.” Comparing this figure to the “county’s living wage” is a direct measure of decent work within the sector.

• Indicators for Target 10.2 (Reduced Inequalities)

  • Cost of child care relative to income: The article uses a powerful comparison as an indicator of financial burden: “the average cost of care for an infant now rivals a year of in-state college tuition.”
  • Demand for child care assistance: The number of children on the waitlist for financial aid is a clear indicator of need and inequality. The article specifies there are “more than 21,000 children in Tarrant County on the scholarship waitlist.”

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fortworthreport.org