Forty-four ZIP codes in the Greater Houston area have childcare deserts, with 28 of those ZIP codes designated as chronic childcare deserts, according to April 9 data released by the research and advocacy nonprofit Children at Risk.
The 2026 analysis shows childcare facilities tend to open in areas where it is already attainable, whereas more rural and low-income regions are overlooked.
Zooming in
An area is considered a childcare desert when the number of children under 6 years old with working parents surpasses the number of childcare providers by three times in a certain ZIP code, according to Children at Risk’s website. A ZIP code becomes chronic once it is listed as a childcare desert for three sequential years.
Community Impact studied the data from several counties in the Greater Houston area, including:
- Harris
- Montgomery
- Fort Bend
- Brazoria
- Galveston
- Waller
The six counties’ total number of childcare seats amounts to 430,385—equating to an average of 98.2 seats per 100 children.
Since 2017—the first year Children at Risk began examining childcare deserts—the number of childcare seats per 100 children of working parents in all six counties has decreased.
Diving in deeper
Based on Children at Risk’s data map, ZIP codes that have zero to five childcare seats per 100 children of working parents include 77420 and 77430 in Brazoria and Fort Bend counties; 77485 in Fort Bend County; 77426, 77880 and 77363 in Waller County; 77093 and 77506 in Harris County; and 77563 and 77554 in Galveston County.
The bottom line
During the 2026 Children at Risk’s child care desert April 13 press conference, Santrice Jones-Hare, director of the Greater Houston Strong Start Alliance at Children at Risk, said Houston’s overall childcare quality has improved; however, families’ ability to access that care remains an obstacle.
Jones-Hare said it is vital for local organizations to collaborate with affected communities to discover long-term solutions.
She highlighted Harris County’s Early Learning Quality Network—which sets out to develop plans to strengthen childcare services for residents—as a partnership example.
“I’m very much so looking forward to this continued work and the visions that are possible for this work because, ultimately, it’s going to impact our workforce, our economy, but most importantly, we have to do what’s best for children,” Jones-Hare said.
Learn more
View Children at Risk’s 2026 analysis of Texas childcare deserts at www.childrenatrisk.org/2026-child-care-deserts-analysis.