Through research, awareness, and advocacy, CHILDREN AT RISK improves public policies for the children of Texas. With its research and advocacy programs, the nonprofit organization is a leader in understanding the educational, health, safety, and economic indicators impacting children, and in educating public policy makers about their importance in improving the lives of children.

For over 25 years now, CHILDREN AT RISK has been advocating for the children of Texas and affecting policy changes at the municipal and state levels. As time has progressed, so has its ability to speak out and elicit change for the state’s children.

One of the organization’s four primary causes is education, the other three being parenting, human trafficking, and health and nutrition. By advocating for education, the nonprofit ensures all the children of Texas are given access to high quality public education and early education. Texas is the second largest state in the nation. One in ten American children is born here. Providing them with a good education is imperative to the local, state, and national economies. The research CHILDREN AT RISK carries out unearths trends, inequities, resources, and opportunities in public education. That research is used to advocate for policy changes within all levels of government.

Each year, CHILDREN AT RISK grades and ranks nearly every public school in Texas. These rankings have become an accessible and invaluable tool for parents, educators, and community members. They have also initiated a dialogue regarding the state’s public education. As well, the organization analyzes state-funded early education systems and disseminates its findings. Working closely with its public policy team and community partners, the nonprofit uses its data to improve public policies in education. And, CHILDREN AT RISK works hard to provide parents with all the information they need about local schools and how they can get involved in their own children’s education.

Each year, CHILDREN AT RISK grades and ranks nearly every public school in Texas. These rankings have become an accessible and invaluable tool for parents, educators, and community members. They have also initiated a dialogue regarding the state’s public education. As well, the organization analyzes state-funded early education systems and disseminates its findings. Working closely with its public policy team and community partners, the nonprofit uses its data to improve public policies in education.

And, CHILDREN AT RISK works hard to provide parents with all the information they need about local schools and how they can get involved in their own children’s education. The state of Texas has set standards for quality child care through its Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), known as Texas Rising Star (TRS). Because only about 13 percent of eligible child care providers are certified through TRS, however, many parents have no recourse to quality care options. Thanks to an $800,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation,

CHILDREN AT RISK will seek to improve the quality of child care in Texas through TRS. Using its previous work to enhance outcomes in early education as a starting point, the nonprofit, with the aid of this generous grant, plans to achieve the following goals: increase public access to critical information about the state’s subsidized child care system; improve low-income, working parents’ access to quality child care; and help generate actions that empower parents to understand and choose quality care or increase the existing quality of child care.
 

These admirable goals will be accomplished through: 

 

Research
Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and analysed to better understand the quality of TRS, access to TRS, and all opportunities to improve both.
 

Child Care Desert Map
An interactive map will be created to identify the areas in which there is a lack of providers in order to highlight all gaps in access to quality public education.

Texas Tours
Early education stakeholders will be convened in key cities across Texas.

Final Report
Research findings will be compiled in a final report.

Child Care System Recommendations
Recommendations will be developed in conjunction with the final report.

Collaboration
Input and support will be sought from other early education advocates
across the state and the nation.

With the generous help of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CHILDREN AT RISK can expand its research to further assist Texas in increasing quality education access to its children. The $800,000 grant will allow the worthy nonprofit to continue doing what it does best, specifically in the area of education, which is advocating for improved quality education for the children of Texas.