February 11, 2026
Decisions to close school programs are never easy, and they are never just about numbers. They affect parents and staff who care deeply about the services and it’s natural to feel upset when something valued comes to an end.
At the same time, school districts must make hard business decisions that balance individual impact against the responsibility to serve all students and remain sustainable for the future. These choices are difficult and must be made with the entire community in mind.
Why Humble ISD is Closing the Employee Daycare Program
Humble ISD is closing the employee daycare program to preserve resources for students and to prioritize services that align directly with the district’s educational mission.
First, space is needed to expand special education services.
The space currently occupied by the daycare is needed to expand the Cambridge Program, which serves students with disabilities in grades K–12 in a highly specialized educational environment. Campuses report that additional students could be better served at Cambridge if adequate space were available. Special education is about providing students what they need to succeed. Families of students with disabilities depend heavily on public schools because it is challenging to access services elsewhere. In contrast, daycare services outside of public school settings are accessible to families with young children.
Second, relocation is not feasible.
The district explored relocating either the daycare or the Cambridge Program, but determined that doing so is neither economically nor programmatically feasible. Both programs require specialized facilities, staffing, and building code compliance.
Third, daycare utilization is expected to decline.
Beginning in 2025, a new state law allows teachers to enroll their children in Pre-K 4 at no cost. Beginning in 2026, Humble ISD will allow other district employees to enroll their children in Pre-K 4 through tuition. As a result, 25 percent of children currently attending the daycare will age out and become eligible for Pre-K or kindergarten for the next school year.
Fourth, school districts face increasing financial pressures.
While Humble ISD passed a balanced budget for 2025–2026, 77% percent of neighboring districts adopted deficit budgets. Inflation, insurance costs, and increased demand for special education services continue to strain resources. Teachers and staff also expect compensation increases in 2026–2027. These realities require difficult decisions to preserve services that benefit the entire community.
Clarifying Common Misperceptions
Rumor: Humble ISD is stopping support for pregnant students and the student’s babies.
Reality: Our Pregnancy Related Services (PRS) Specialist will stay on the job and will continue to support pregnant students and their children by coordinating homebound services, connecting families with community resources, and assisting with applications for no-cost or low-cost childcare available in the community. The district will continue to provide transportation for students with their babies to daycares/schools.
Rumor: A lot of student-parents relied upon the district daycare.
Reality: Most student-parents actually rely on relatives or other community childcare providers. Only five children of student-parents are currently enrolled in the employee daycare while 34 children are cared for by relatives or other daycares. Eligible families receive childcare assistance through Early Head Start or Child Care Services (CCS) through Workforce Solutions.
Rumor: Daycare staff are not being treated well.
Reality: Every daycare staff member who wishes to continue working for Humble ISD will be supported in doing so through a thoughtful job placement process. Human Resources hosted and invited daycare staff members to personally meet with HR over February Break to listen to their interests, discuss preferred positions and campuses, explain the process for applying for available current postings as they become open for the 2026-27 employment year, inform of an upcoming district job fair to attend, and support a smooth transition which includes continuous interaction with HR with further communication and related employment opportunity updates as they become available. No employee who accepts a new position will experience a reduction in annual compensation. The district will preserve each staff member’s current pay and will increase compensation for those who accept higher-paying roles.
Additionally, the district is committed to caring for our employees during this transition and has created an attendance incentive that allows daycare staff to earn up to $2,000 extra who meet requirements between now and June 2, 2026.
Rumor: Employees will struggle to find alternative childcare.
Reality: Fifteen daycare providers attended a childcare expo at the Community Learning Center on Feb. 5 and confirmed available openings. There are 123 state-licensed childcare providers within Humble ISD boundaries, and a list has been shared with families currently using the employee daycare.
Rumor: Daycare costs will exponentially increase.
Reality: Employees currently pay between $230 and $260 per week, depending on their child’s age. Community daycare options cost approximately $10 to $80 more per week, depending on provider.
Rumor: Employee daycare was financially self-sufficient.
Reality: During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the daycare generated approximately $707,591 in tuition, while the district incurred $1,335,411 in operating costs.
Rumor: The daycare served a large portion of Humble ISD employees.
Reality: There are 63 out of 7,000 Humble ISD employees (less than 1%) currently utilizing the employee daycare program. While sometimes there is a wait list for classes serving a specific age group due to staffing ratios, there are currently openings in the infant, age 3 and age 4 classrooms.
Conclusion
Humble ISD must prioritize the needs of students that the district is legally and ethically responsible for serving over operating an employee daycare program that falls outside the district’s core mission and can be provided through private, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations in the community.
We recognize that this decision is difficult for families who have valued and trusted the employee daycare program. However, we believe this decision ultimately strengthens our ability to serve students, families, staff, and the broader community by preserving resources for high-quality education from Pre-K through Grade 12.
We remain deeply grateful to the families and staff who made the employee daycare a caring and supportive place for children. Humble ISD is committed to supporting families through this transition and will continue working closely with employees. Our shared goal remains the same: ensuring every child in Humble ISD has the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed, now and in the years ahead.