Harris County is strengthening access to affordable, high-quality child care by unanimously reaffirming a 100% property tax exemption for eligible child care facilities, a policy the Court first approved last year. In just two years, 124 centers qualified in both 2024 and 2025, exempting more than $150 million in property value each year and relieving over $600,000 annually in county taxes—savings providers can reinvest in staff, facilities, and expanded services for families. As demand for affordable child care grows, especially among the more than 400 eligible centers in Precinct One, Commissioners Court underscored the exemption’s role in stabilizing providers and expanding early learning access countywide.
What Commissioner Ellis Says: “Lack of access to affordable childcare is a significant barrier to prosperity for working families in Harris County. That’s why Commissioners Court has made historic investments in childcare, from funding zero-cost childcare slots to supporting facility upgrades and more. I fully support a 100% property tax exemption for qualifying child care centers as one more tool in our toolbox to support working families and the future of our kids.”
When the measure was first approved, FOX26’s Ronnie Marley reported that the exemption was designed to “alleviate financial pressures for quality childcare facilities while encouraging them to serve low-income families who rely on the Texas Workforce Commission subsidy to pay” for services. Community Impact reported that an estimated that hundreds of Harris County child care providers qualified for the exemption, saving facilities about $2,800 per year with no fiscal impact to the county, while helping providers “keep their doors open and hire talented, qualified staff.”