First round of grant funding open to expand child care access across Idaho

Submitted by Idaho AEYC on Tue, 07/26/2022 - 15:37
mother and child

The deadline to apply for the first round of child care expansion grants from the Idaho Workforce Development Council is Aug. 1, and council Executive Director Wendi Secrist expects the $15 million in available funding this fiscal year to quickly disappear.

During the 2022 legislative session, the Idaho Legislature approved $15 million from state fiscal recovery funds in the federal American Rescue Plan Act to be used for child care infrastructure grants. The grant funding is intended to be used to shorten waitlists for child care at high-quality facilities, including dollars that can help offset start-up costs for businesses and providers looking to expand. After the August deadline, the program will have two more rounds of funding with deadlines of Oct. 1 and Jan. 1. If the $15 million is not spent by then, the council will open another round.

Tags
Idaho Capital Sun

City of Boise Offers Incentive Pay for Local Child Care Providers

Submitted by Idaho AEYC on Wed, 07/20/2022 - 10:47
child care provider

Beginning August 1, 2022, two thousand childcare providers and workers licensed in Boise will be eligible to apply for a one-time payment of $1,500. The Childcare Incentive Pay program accounts for $3 million of the $34 million in American Rescue Plan funding that is being directed into the community to serve Boiseans who have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are scheduled to be open August 1 – 31, and checks will be issued October through November.

“Childcare providers are vital to the health of our workforce and our economy,” said Mayor McLean. “When the pandemic hit our community, the childcare industry was severely impacted. I am proud to partner with Idaho AEYC to support our childcare workforce. Investing in quality, affordable childcare is a direct investment in our community.”

Grant Opportunities

There is a lot of work our community partners, and early childhood educators do that need funding resources to create and/or sustain programming in Idaho. Idaho AEYC acts as a conduit, connecting child care providers, early childhood education programs, and other important programming to grant opportunities. 

In face of childcare crisis, collaborative group seeks solutions

Submitted by Idaho AEYC on Wed, 07/06/2022 - 15:40
Teton County

In April of 2022, Building Blocks Early Learning Center owner Adrianna Green, who rents her facility on Little Avenue in Driggs, learned that the owner wanted to sell the property. She was told that the future owner would honor her lease, which expires at the end of the 2023 school year.

Building Blocks is the only licensed daycare facility in Teton County that still offers care to children under two. In the Idaho Stars Quality Rating System, it is a Step Two provider, and accepts the Idaho Child Care Program financial assistance for families who are unable to pay the full cost of childcare. The facility currently has a seven-page, multi-year waitlist of parents seeking daycare.

READ FULL ARTICLE

Tags
Teton Valley News

Child and Family Connections

Promoting Active, Holistic Learning for Young Children and Their Families

Idaho AEYC's Child and Family Connections is a program created to provide information and resources for early educators, families, and communities throughout Idaho. Working together, we can support the success of all children.

Subscribe to
Top