With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
$5 Million In Grants Available For L.A. County Child Care Providers
A home day care in South Los Angleles. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
()
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.
Support for LAist comes from
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
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent. -
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures.
Best of LAist