The Learning Experience opened the doors to its Mueller location in East Austin on June 17, providing programs for children 6 weeks up to 5 years old, Center Director Amelia Villarreal said at the July 8 ribbon-cutting. The early learning academy is open Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

What's special about it: Commercial real estate and marketing developers Brad and Brittany Neff have built 30 locations in total, which they either leased or sold back to franchise owners for the company, they said. This is the first they will be owning and operating.

According to its website, characters and hands-on activities play a significant role in learning from logic and phonics to science, mathematics and technology.

• 2201 Airport Blvd. Ste. 100, Austin

The Austin healthcare landscape is shifting to increase specialized care for pediatric patients as community needs grow.

Previously, children and families had to travel outside of the region to seek treatment in the '80s and '90s, said Deb Brown, chief operating officer at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Similarly, patients within the Texas Children’s Hospital network had to travel to Houston before its North Austin campus opened in 2024.

Now, leaders at Austin’s pediatric medical facilities are sharing the importance and unique aspects of pediatric care.

What’s different? Facilities specializing in pediatric medical care are intentionally designed to help ease patient anxiety and provide specialized training for medical professionals, said Dr. Edward Buchanan, chief medical officer of Texas Children’s Austin Campus.

The Austin Community College district board of trustees unanimously approved a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-27, keeping the district's tuition and mandatory fees unchanged for the 13th consecutive year and continuing to fund the college’s free tuition program.

The details: Under this budget, local students will continue to pay $67 per credit hour—or $85 including mandatory fees—while the out-of-district price is held at $201 per credit hour.

The budget also includes a 2% annual raise and a $1,700 one-time lump sum for full-time employees in addition to retaining the district's $23/hour minimum wage.

What they’re saying: The budget for FY 2026-27—which begins Sept. 1—is funded through state appropriations, property tax revenue, and tuition and fees, of which the first two are currently seeing shifts.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Cedar Park to improve more neighborhood roads: Cedar Park City Council approved a change to the city’s contract with Lone Star Paving on June 25. The change order adds ten new streets to the project, with the existing asphalt removed and replaced with a new 2-inch asphalt surface.

Gattis School Road lane closures in effect through end of July for construction: A section of Gattis School Road between Via Sonoma Trail and High Country Boulevard will be reduced to one lane in each direction until the end of July. The closure will facilitate installation of three waterline crossings.

Roadway plans move forward as Dog's Head site prepped for major industrial project: Preparations for the first major addition to the recently annexed Dog's Head are underway, while local leaders ready to adopt a long-term public financing plan for upgrades across the more than 4-square-mile East Austin megasite. A range of mixed-use development is possible after city officials' initial vote for a long-term deal this spring. 

In Texas, 246 of the state’s 254 counties are designated by the federal government as “mental health professional shortage areas,” meaning local law enforcement are often tasked with responding to mental health crisis calls.

The situation: All Texas peace officers are required to complete crisis intervention and deescalation trainings, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

What's happening: Across Community Impact’s coverage areas, some city and county law enforcement agencies are partnering with local mental health professionals to respond to crisis calls. However, law enforcement and criminal justice leaders from smaller communities told state legislators July 7 that they have “limited tools” to effectively respond to mental health calls and help people in crisis.

“We do not have any inpatient mental health facilities in my county—we've never had that, and we've needed them for decades,” Comal County Criminal District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said July 7. “We originally started out sending individuals to the San Antonio area, and right now we are transporting individuals for inpatient treatment to North Austin.”