To help answer California’s great need for early care and child education, new grant funding is available to licensed providers serving children age 0 to 5 in a Family Child Care setting or Child Care Center. The funds are intended to help bridge the child care gap that was worsened when the pandemic forced countless programs to close. The deadline to apply is March 25, 2022, so providers are encouraged to submit their application immediately.
Through the Infrastructure Grant Program (IGP) Minor Renovations and Repairs Grant being offered by the State of California, FCC providers can apply for up to $75,000 and Centers can apply for up to $249,999 per site. The funds can be used for minor renovations and repairs, modernization or retrofitting of existing child care facilities to help recover capacity, address health and safety needs, licensing, and the COVID-19 pandemic in general, and to preserve, enhance or expand the existing child care spaces for children age 0 to 5.
To be eligible, applicants must have been in operation prior to August 1, 2021 and must serve or plan to serve children from families earning low incomes. The grant is not available to Family, Friend and Neighbor programs, unlicensed providers, providers who don’t serve families with low incomes, Local Educational Agencies, suspended programs or those that are no in good standing with the California Department of Education or California Department of Social Services.
The funding awarded through this grant must be spent within 120 days of receiving the grant funds or by June 30, 2023, whichever comes sooner. Under this grant, FCCs must commit to providing child care at the same location where funds are used for a period of two years after receiving the funds. Centers where funding is awarded will be required to operate for four years.
In order to bolster the economy, parents must be able to work and that demands stable child care options. By financially supporting these essential programs, future closures can be reduced and the supply and access of child care programs can be increased.
Apply directly using the following links.
Child Care Centers can apply in English here. Family Child Care Providers can apply in English here or in Spanish here.
Read more about the grant requirements and find answers to frequently asked questions:
English: https://www.ccrcca.org/publications/igp/IGP_FAQs_ENG.pdf
Spanish: https://www.ccrcca.org/publications/igp/IGP_FAQs_SPA.pdf
