Friday, January 15, 2010

Here Is A Grant Program For FOR-Profit Daycares!



Here is yet another grant program for FOR-PROFIT Daycare Businesses!

In one state, over 10 area child-care centers have been awarded grants from that state's Department of Commerce!

(Please remember that grant money is free money that you do not have to pay back!)

Past grant recipients include:

  • a daycare that received $10,000 to help with their business plan!

  • another daycare received over $1200 to install a fence


Last year, the Legislature approved funding to create the grant programs. The first round of grants was designed to relieve unmet demand for quality daycare options and focused on the priorities of technical assistance, business planning and equipment, especially for safety or special-needs children.

The department awarded $262,000 in grants ranging from $750 to $5,000 for infrastructure and $10,000 in grants for business planning to support creation of 262 new child-care openings by 96 providers statewide. One dollar in matching funds is required for every $3 in grant funds.

The department will accept applications for a second round of grants in February. March 1 2010is the deadline. Approximately $240,000 will be available for the second round. This program also recently approved the first loan under its new day care loan program, which provides up to $100,000 in low-interest loans to day cares to acquire, lease, or remodel real estate, to purchase equipment or for working capital.

The program has $1.25 million available on a first come first served basis until June 30, 2011.

Applications are available at the program's website. Once at the website you can click on "forms" and chose which funding program that you would like to know more about.

People also can contact the program by calling their direct phone number.

Eligibility

Both of these funding programs are available to all licensed profit, nonprofit and public child care facilities within the state.