The San Deigo Foundation released a report about how its grants have helped childcare providers during COVID-19. | Stock Photo
The San Deigo Foundation released a report about how its grants have helped childcare providers during COVID-19. | Stock Photo
More than 81,000 children across San Diego County have benefitted from funding distributed to childcare providers, a report from the San Diego Foundation found.
The organization released its San Diego County Childcare Provider Grant Program's impact report earlier in February.
"The childcare sector is very important as our economy cannot be sustainable if parents do not have safe places for their children to be cared for and educated while they are working," San Diego County Board of Supervisors member Nathan Fletcher said in the foundation's release.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors first established the San Diego County Childcare Provider Grant Program last summer after approving $25 million in CARES Act funds to curb the negative economic impact of Covid-19. The grant program's purpose was to provide funding to childcare providers for staffing, supplies, and rental assistance.
"This $25 million grant program helped childcare providers make their centers safe during the coronavirus pandemic and allowed them to remain open so parents could return to work," Fletcher said.
Several organizations collaborated with The County of San Diego, including The San Diego Foundation, Child Development Associates and YMCA of San Diego County. Together, these combined entities and the program were able to support a total of 3,355 childcare providers. Among these providers are 2,494 licensed family childcare centers, 757 childcare centers and 104 license-exempt group care providers. According to the report, at least one application was submitted from a total of 90 zip codes in San Diego County.
"Childcare is essential to keep our economy moving and our families thriving," Mark Stuart, president NS CEO of The San Diego Foundation, said. "We are proud of this partnership and its impact because when local providers and parents were most in need, the Childcare Provider Grant Program helped ensure that the people we trust to care for our children still had the resources and support they needed to keep them safe."
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