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$5 Million In Grants Available For L.A. County Child Care Providers
A home day care in South Los Angleles. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
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Child care providers have struggled during the coronavirus pandemic, and those that have managed to stay open are often losing money because of increased operating costs and lower enrollment.
Starting today, some Los Angeles County child care providers can apply to a $5 million grant fund. The money comes from the federal CARES Act and will be doled out in $10,000 increments to individual providers and $40,000 each for child care centers.
The county’s Development Authority estimates it will approve 225 grants. To put that into perspective, there are 7,302 licensed child care providers currently open in L.A. County.
Eboni Allen is one of them. At the end of this month, she’ll have been a home-based provider for 13 years.
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Her business, Wonderfully Made Academy, which focuses on caring for children with special needs and from foster care, has remained open during the pandemic, though some days she only has one child show up.
Before the pandemic, she was usually fully enrolled with 11 to 13 kids.
“I’m a Christian so I am strictly walking by faith,” Allen said. “This year has all been God. Every month has been a blessing that I’m able to pay my rent.”
She plans to apply to the county program. If she receives a grant, the money would go toward paying her $4,000-a-month rent and buying supplies, such as cleaning products and batteries to power the thermometer she uses for daily health screenings.
These grants are only available to providers outside the city of L.A. The application is available here. Providers who receive money through the LA Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund will only be eligible for payments from one program.
MORE LAIST CHILD CARE COVERAGE:
- The Pandemic Takes A Financial and Mental Toll On Child Care Providers
- For California Child Care Workers, Inequality Is Baked Into The System
- Santa Monica-Malibu School District Lays Off Dozens After Sharp Drop In Early Education Enrollment
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