A new childcare center opened in Fulshear's Cross Creek West community.

Children's Lighthouse of Cross Creek West, at 31631 Fulshear Bend Drive, offers programs for infants, toddlers, preschool and pre-K students, along with before- and after-school care, My Neighborhood News reported. The school serves children from infancy through age 12.

Owner Emily Fernando, a multi-unit Children's Lighthouse franchise operator who has been with the Fort Worth-based company for more than a decade, already runs two other schools in Fort Bend County. The Cross Creek West location is her third.

"One of our goals is to instill a love for lifelong learning in every child who walks through our doors," Fernando said.

The opening lands as Fulshear's population keeps surging. U.S. Census Bureau data released in May ranked the city as the second-fastest growing in the country among cities with populations of 20,000 or more. Fulshear's population jumped 21% from 2024 to 2025, with more than 11,000 people moving to the area, according to Spectrum News.

The broader Fulshear area now has roughly 65,000 residents.

Across Texas, childcare supply has not kept pace with that kind of growth. A CHILDREN AT RISK analysis published in April found about 195,000 Texas children with working parents live in child care deserts, defined as zip codes where demand for care is at least three times greater than licensed capacity. The state has about 995,000 licensed childcare seats total, and 413 zip codes qualified as child care deserts as of September 2025.

Children's Lighthouse, founded in Fort Worth in 1997, operates more than 70 franchised schools, with 25 more in development. The company uses a curriculum called Lighthouse Pathways, which blends academics with social and emotional development. Infant and toddler programs focus on developmental milestones, while preschool and pre-K classes introduce early literacy and problem-solving.

Michael Brown, president of Children's Lighthouse, said the curriculum helps children develop academically and socially, and called Fernando's experience an asset for Cross Creek West families.

The school at 31631 Fulshear Bend Drive is open and enrolling students for all age groups.