How Houston’s Home-Based Providers Are Powering Economic Growth

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Houston Webinar: Home-Based Child Care as Workforce Infrastructure

In Greater Houston, nearly 1,000 home-based child care businesses quietly support the region’s workforce by caring for over 12,000 children every day. These small businesses, licensed, registered, and listed providers, are often overlooked in economic development conversations, yet they play a vital role in keeping Houston working.

That’s why Collaborative for Children is proud to partner with LISC Houston to co-present a powerful webinar:

“Child Care Is Workforce Infrastructure: Lessons from Houston’s Home-Based Child Care Pilot”

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT

Why Home-Based Child Care Matters in Houston

Home-based child care (HBCC) providers are often the first, and sometimes only, option for working families in underserved neighborhoods. These providers offer flexible hours, culturally responsive care, and deep community ties. Yet, they frequently operate without access to the same resources available to other small businesses.

Over the past two years, LISC Houston and Collaborative for Children have worked together to change that. Through targeted investments and technical assistance, we’ve helped HBCC providers strengthen their operations, improve quality, and prepare for future disruptions.

This work builds on our shared commitment to certified child care Centers of Excellence, STEAM-based curriculum, and expanding access to early childhood education at home with parents.

What You’ll Learn in the Webinar

Led by experts from LISC and Collaborative for Children, the webinar will explore:
How capital and coaching improved business resilience for 30 local HBCC providers.
The economic impact of investing in child care infrastructure.
Scalable strategies and policy recommendations to integrate HBCC into Houston’s workforce and small-business systems.

Presenters include:

Rushka Tcholakova, Director of Community Programs, LISC Houston

Megan Ressler, Senior Program Officer, LISC

Shawn Harmon, Manager, Childcare Business Empowerment, Collaborative for Children

Who Should Attend

This session is designed for:

Economic development professionals
Policymakers and funders
Workforce and early childhood leaders
Anyone shaping Houston’s resilience and competitiveness agenda

Learn more about our speakers

A Message from Collaborative for Children

“At Collaborative for Children, we believe that early childhood education is the foundation of a thriving workforce,” said Shawn Harmon, Manager of Childcare Business Empowerment. “This pilot proves that when we invest in home-based providers, we’re investing in Houston’s future.”

Read the Full Report

The session builds on the findings from our newly published paper:
“Including Home-Based Child Care Into the Economic Infrastructure: Two Years of Lessons from LISC Houston’s Small Business Capacity Building Pilot.”

Read the Full Paper Here