FREE Daycare Being Provided For Single Mothers!

Since 1993 this organization has been giving babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers a stable start in life while helping their young mothers to start over. Says one single mother who is now engaged to be married, "....played a role in my life that no other entity could. It nurtures you. It makes sure you can stay on track to become an asset to the community." She is one of the success stories of this organization that has one of seven programs in four states that provide free child care so that low-income, single mothers can finish school. Typically, about half of them are in high school — girls as young as 13 or 14!

According to a spokesperson, "This program isn’t a handout; the free child care comes with strings. Moms have to make a commitment to attend school full time, earn passing grades, volunteer two hours a week at the organization, attend and participate in weekly parent meetings, and observe various house rules."

If the participant doesn’t hold up her end of the bargain, she’ll be asked to leave the program — making room for someone else who is in desperate need of a hand. There are many more single mothers waiting to get into our program right now.

"We try to offer stability and build responsibility. They have to learn to be a woman of their word, to be responsible, to give back. We help them become whole as a young woman and a better parent. They leave as adults. They’re beautiful inside and out."

Says one graduate of the program, while others judged her for becoming pregnant at an early age, the organization "embraced who I was and who my son was...They made me feel like a real person, not just someone they were putting through a system. It was a place to turn for help with anything." With the organization providing free child care for her, the woman graduated and went on to college on a full scholarship, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education.

Says another, "I can tell you that without I probably wouldn’t be graduating with a master’s degree this year," she said, pointing to the difficulty of dealing alone with the twin stresses of motherhood and school. "It’s helpful to get through those hard times when there are other people around you in the same situation, and there are people telling you, ‘You can do this,’ when you feel as though you can’t."

Meanwhile, their kids are developing in a child-care program that’s earned a top, three-star rating. The ratings program grades child-care agencies on such factors as staff-to-child ratios, and staff education and familiarity with early learning standards.

Another mother who participated in the program says, "Anything that I need they have for me including diapers, clothing, and food, getting help with her homework, doing her laundry when her washer and dryer were broken, and finding comfort in discussions with the other moms. You think you’re the only one in a certain situation, but you’re not. Everybody is going through the same situation."

The program strives to create scholarship programs, counseling, and referrals to community agencies for problems the staff isn’t able to address. Among the payoffs: fewer unwanted pregnancies.

The organization operates on a budget of $460,000, money that comes from grants, contributions, fund-raisers, and the United Way. It receives no government funding, and stretches its dollars with the help of donations of food, diapers, cleaning supplies, and other items from the community.

Child Care Assistance Grants!

One state announces new child care assistance grants!

This new grant program has been brought to the state courtesy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This increased federal funding will assist low-income families with child care and improve the quality of care and delivery of services.

According to a spokesperson, "These funds offer critical assistance to hardworking families with children, and contribute broadly to the Commonwealth. When parents can work and still send their children to a safe and enriching environment, and when child care programs have the opportunity to enhance their skills and services, our families, communities and economy are all made stronger.”

Approximately $18 million in funding will be used over the next two years to enhance and expand assistance to income-eligible families through the state’s child care subsidy program, which provides services for the children of working parents and parents currently receiving job training. The increased financial support from the funding will raise infant reimbursement rates to child care providers while expanding child care services for families in the child care subsidy and other related programs. Nearly 55,000 children are already benefiting from the subsidy program this year. This funding will also help reduce the match payment required of local departments of social services to assist with the delivery of child care subsidy services for needy families. Communities that have struggled in the past to make the matching contribution will be better able to meet the needs of families already in the subsidy program and can apply any savings to address the needs of families currently on waiting lists for services.

In addition, approximately $14 million of the grant will be used to create an automated system for administering and tracking payments to child care providers. When fully implemented, the automated system is projected to provide the area significant annual savings through improved efficiency and accuracy.

If The Links On This Blog Are Not Working For You......

If the links on this blog are not working for you it simply means that you are not a client and you will have to find the information yourself.

Childcare Facilities Get Grants For Shading Their Playgrounds!

Eight state school districts are getting grants to build sun shade structures to shield students from the midday rays. The grants came from the state where a spokeswoman says kids need to learn early about the potential hazards of too much sunshine.

"A lot of the school grounds have taken shade off of the playgrounds and then they put the kids out to play for recess over the noon hour, which is not the best time of day to be out. We've put money out available, it's federal and state funds that are helping do this."

Each school district got $4,000, for a total of $32,000 being spent on the structures statewide. Each school is choosing the type of shade-provider that'll work best during recess or other outdoor activities.

Some are putting hard structures in place, like gazebos. There are also picnic shelter-type structures that are open with just columns and a roof. Other schools are planning to use more temporary structures that are basically canvas awnings supported by metal poles. They can be taken down during stormy and winter weather.

Since skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the state and in the United States, these structures will offer kids protection from the sun. "We need to protect our skin, no matter what age," says one spokesperson. "Our children need to be taught how to take care of their skin for their lifetimes to reduce their risk of developing skin cancer."

Eight the state's school districts applied for the funds and all eight got the money. The program will likely be offered again next year. Among the facilities that got the grants:

• Elementary School
  
  
• a county child care facility
  
  
• a religious school

Grants Available in Alberta, Canada

An organization has been started to help provide more childcare facilities in the region. So far there are only 2 licensed daycares in the area. The group began to work on the project because families had been approaching them saying there was not enough child care programs in the area after various daycare facilities closed. The group was formed at a meeting to look into the various opportunities there are within the region for alternative childcare. This group will also be questioning local schools and businesses to see if there is room to be rented for a daycare facility.

According to the group's spokesperson, “Our first step was to do the survey and hold a public meeting. Now that we know there are enough children to warrant daycare services and we have a group of people interested in moving forward, we will start the next step of finding space.”

The group worked together to draft a letter that will be sent to schools, municipalities, churches, community organizations, and the hospital to see if there is any available space in their buildings. There are grants available from the government to prepare or renovate existing space to use as a daycare.

One recommendation of the ministry is to collaborate with Public and Catholic School Districts to establish child care programs in or adjacent to schools. This will allow the schools and childcare facility to work closely to provide optimal service to parents.

Another meeting for childcare feasibility will be set sometime this month to follow up on the response received from letters sent to local businesses.

The group is looking for other people to be on the board. If you are interested please contact the director Penny Fox by phone.

Woman Receives Government Grant Money To Start A Daycare!

One woman decided that she wanted to do something to honor the life of the son she lost a few years ago so she decided to open a daycare, and the state gave her over $50,000 to do it!

In researching programs and other things available for families with a disabled child the woman said she came up empty handed regarding daytime care. "There really wasn't anything here that was going to be beneficial to what my needs would have been," she said. Because of that, she decided to start her own child care center that will cater to children needing respite care but will be open to all children.

With the help of city staff, she applied for and received a grant through one of the government grant programs to renovate a property on a local road. It will eventually become the childcare center. The maximum amount of the grant is $480,000. Monies are distributed according to the cost of renovation or the number of full-time jobs the business will eventually create. For each job created, the grant awards $12,000. Depending on which amount is smaller, 50 percent of renovation costs or the number of jobs created, that is the amount awarded to the grantee.

The daycare plans to create eight full-time jobs once the center is open so that is why she was awarded $12,000 for each position.

"This is going to help our economic development initiative that we would like to have more businesses go in and reuse existing structures so that we can infill that with a viable business,"

"The grants that assist those businesses are designed to create jobs, and if you create jobs that will also help our economy in the local area." Not only will the business create jobs and provide much-needed childcare in the community, but it is hoped that it will also stimulate the economy. "To create those jobs is important to the city. Of course we want to increase the economy and hopefully with these people getting these jobs they'll be able to buy homes, they'll be able to contribute to our tax base - it will be a win-win situation for the people who have the jobs and also to the city." "Also it will be beneficial to have the building used instead of being run down and deteriorating."

The daycare center itself will eventually have space for 10 infants, 12 toddlers, four sick children and a few drop-ins. This will be the only center in the county that provides respite care and care for sick children, which requires a pediatric nurse on staff - thus making it eligible for yet more government grant money!
"It's going to increase the quality of life for many people and benefit families,"....."They need to be able to trust that somebody can take their child and have peace that if something were to arise, their needs would be met."

The renovations planned include updating the garage to become the classroom where sick children will be cared for and adding on a 900-square-foot space that will become the respite care classroom, among other things. The daycare center also hopes to eventually be able to provide respite care on evenings and weekends as well. The goal is to be able to offer this respite care seven days a week as needed. The daycare hopes to start renovations in the next few months and would like to have the center up and running by the first day of school this fall.


Since the first daycare center grant application, the city has a second one going through the consideration process and additional residents have shown interest in applying for the grant.


"Because of this grant, this project is possible," she said. "It just feels right, the space just feels right."

Comments Received

added 8/29/12

"How Do I Start My Own Daycare?"



Well one of the first things that you will have to decide is whether you are going to operate your daycare as a for-profit, a non-profit or a combination of both.


If you look on the side of this blog you will see where I mentioned that a lot of daycares operate on a marginal budget and not a lot of them make a lot of profit. That is where government grants for daycares comes into the picture!


You can start your daycare at first on a small basis. Some states allow this - where you are operating a smaller daycare - and you don't need a daycare license. It's best to check your state guidelines to see what you have to do.



Of course you should have some type of business plan before you open your daycare whether it's going to be a non-profit or not. This business plan will help you see the costs that you will incur when you are running your daycare.



Of course you can start small by operating your daycare at home and as your profits increase you can move to a larger facility.



Of course you should also be aware that it is not just the government that has grant programs! I blog a lot on my Grant Basics 101 Blog about grant programs being offered by groups other than the government. For instance if you want a grant to start your own daycare business then you should be looking for grant programs not just for starting your daycare business - you should be looking for grants to help you start your own business and not just daycare-related grants! For instance I know of one grant program for minorities (including women) who want to start their own business! The total grant award is $25,000 and previous grant recipients included a woman who started her own daycare business with this grant money.



So if you want to start your own daycare business you should do some planning beforehand - which includes deciding how you want to operate your daycare business and having a business plan before you start your own daycare business.

State Program To Help Those Who Are Unemployed Who Need Financial Help To Help Pay For Daycare!

Here is another benefit from President Obama's Stimulus Package:

A program has recently been started to provide child care assistance for recently unemployed residents while they search for work, beginning this month. Unfortunately this program will only be available for a limited amount of time!. However over $4 Million Dollars has been set aside for this program!

“There are growing numbers of families who need help paying for child care while the parents look for jobs, and this program will be a tremendous help”

“When a family member loses a job, it creates enormous financial strain. This program will allow those families to breathe easier and focus on finding new employment.”

Administered by the Department of Social Services, the program offers eligible residents certificates redeemable for up to two months of free child care. Interested parents can contact local governments offices to verify their eligibility and fill out applications. A list of DOL field offices can be found at this website.

In addition to providing free child care for recently unemployed residents, the Department of Social Services will use the funding to reduce co-payments for families receiving child care assistance through an existing program, to develop grant opportunities for child care providers, and to offer grants for rural school-age programs. Details on those programs will be released as they become available.

For more information about this program, you can contact the Department of Social Services either by their toll free number or by visiting their official website.

A Daycare Center Suspended From Government Grant Program!

Local county officials have suspended a local daycare center from a program that provides care for low-income families, saying the program was billed for days when children weren't at the center. The county is looking into whether the daycare intentionally billed for hours that aren't authorized as part of the grants program. According to police reports, the daycare center has said the overbilling was an error, but the county says they've talked to parents who said their children weren't present on days the childcare center claimed. The Sheriff's Department report notes discrepancies from 2008 to 2009. The county won't authorize any more children for the program at that daycare center for at least six months. A state Department agency revoked the daycare center's license based on the county's claims. The daycare center has appealed that decision and a hearing will be set. The daycare center also appealed the county's decision, and a hearing with the Division of Hearings and Appeals of the state Department of Administration will also be set. According to newspaper reports no one answered a phone at the daycare center and the center itself was closed and dark Friday afternoon.

The grant program itself provides state funding to child-care centers for low-income families in an effort to help parents find and keep jobs. Much of the program's funding comes through federal block grants. The county might overpay for a program for a variety of reasons, including changes to a parent's work schedule and changes to state regulations that facilities might not know about. Caseworkers look for patterns that might indicate problems.

Childcare centers are asked to report attendance every two weeks.

The grant program itself has seen the number of children participants drop from 1,640 in January to 1,481 in March. The number of providers also has dropped from 119 to 115 providers in that time period, as did the monetary distributions, which went from $779,000 to $529,000.

Grant Program For Single Mothers To Start A Business Of Their Own?

A great way for American single mothers who love children to become self employed while not missing a moment of those precious "growing up" years is acquiring single mothers business grants, and opening up a day care center. This concept is rapidly becoming an extremely favorable alternative to punching a clock to many single mothers who are tired of lost time with their children. Not to mention the fact that this type of business also helps to provide affordable quality child care for other single mothers who are still riding that time clock.

The government provides single mothers, and fathers, with an exorbitant amount of free government money in small business grants each and every year. While the genre of acceptable enterprises widely varies, a very popularly accepted business proposal by the US government is that of child day care services. There is such a lack of affordable quality childcare available to American citizens that the government is eager to help develop facilities with properly trained childcare specialists, in efforts to keep people working and out of the unemployment line.

Obtaining single mothers business grants to open a day care center is an amazing, and easily achievable way for single moms to do three of the uppermost important things in their life. First they are enabled to avail an advanced education in childcare while a single moms college grant funds their child development training to prepare her for caring for multiple children at once. Secondly, she becomes self employed, which offers the opportunity of personal freedom, feelings of pride and accomplishment. Third and most importantly, the ability to spend extended amounts of time with her children, without having to miss work or ever pay for child care services again.

The government smiles greatly upon single mothers small business grants for day care centers, ad with good reason. How could there be any argument over something that benefits all of us, especially the kids?

excerpt
Childcare Blog

You Never Know Where Daycare-Related Grant Programs Will Be Coming From!

For instance not all daycare-related grant programs are for daycare businesses themselves! For instance there is one women's organization that provides up to $400 in grant money to women who bring their small children with them when they attend certain meetings. Grant money is also provided to the women who attend the meeting but who have to incur the extra expenses associated with leaving their children at home. These expenses can include needing extra babysitting or daycare services! In fact the individual grant award amounts have received an increase in funding!



To find out more information about daycare-related grants please see my Grant Basics 101 - Daycare Website and my Grant Basics 101 Website.

Does Your Start-Up Or Existing Childcare Business Need Grant Money?

The Department of Social Services provides grants for the start-up of new or expansion of existing child care facilities. These funds, awarded through a competitive application process, primarily focus on programs serving children age birth to three. A new Request for Application for these competitive funds was released to the public for application. The department anticipates a release date for the new Request for Application. You can visit the department's website for more information. Once you have accessed their website, you may review the requirements for this year's child care grants that were recently awarded by clicking on the link to the application in the yellow box. If you have any questions, you can also contact the department by phone or by email.

"Interested In Funding For Opening A Small For-Profit Daycare Center"

I tried to answer a posting on one of the online message forums but couldn't. Then I thought that it would be a great idea to post the question and my answer here!

"Hi. I'm an African American female interested in opening a small for profit daycare center in metro Atlanta (not home based). I have a business plan, a MEd. in Early Childhood Ed., and 11 years of teaching experience.


Can anyone tell me of any RELIABLE grant sources or other sources for funding a center?

Unfortuntately lack of funds is the main thing holding me back. Thanks for any info.

A~

Actually the fact that you are a minority and that you want to start a business may make you eligible for grants other than just those limited to starting a daycare.

I had a woman client who wanted to get grant information for her already existing childcare and I was able to send her 10 pages worth of grant program information that her daycare might be eligible to apply for! But don't just limit yourself to just daycare-related grants!

The fact that you are a minority, woman and that you want to START a business may qualify you for much more!

It Seems That I'm Not The Only One That Knows About Grants For Daycare!

Here is an interesting excerpt that I found online:

Taking advantage of the child care grants that are available to you is something that you should do. You should not be ashamed to get help when it comes to raising your children the right way. This is something that you need to take seriously so that you know your child is taken care of when you are not around. Many parents have to go to work and it is necessary to make sure that you are doing all that you can to get them good child care.

There are many parents that go to school and need to have some type of financial aid getting child care for their children. When this is the case, they can get the child care grants that are out there for them to take advantage of. These are very helpful tools that will get you the care that you and your child deserves while you are getting a good education to make a better living.

There are many organizations that offer great child care grants for people that need some type of help. These grants are going to help parents pay for the care their children need. The grants are set in place to make sure that no child is left without care and that parents are able to afford the best care possible.

All you have to do is make sure that you are getting all the information that is needed to get the child care grants. You can check out your resources and get all the facts that you need. There are many places online that you can visit so that you are able to feel good about the information that you get so that you are able to start applying for this type of help. You will then be informed if you qualify or not and you can go from there.

These child care grants are a great way to do the things that you want to as a parent. You can now afford to put your child in the better care centers while you are at work or school. You will no longer have to feel guilty because you are going to work and leaving your child behind. You will actually be able to relax and be comfortable with the choice of day care provider that you have. These child care grants are a great thing to take advantage of for any parent that qualifies.

Grants For Child Care StartUps!

The Department of Social Services provides grants for the start-up of new or expansion of existing child care facilities. These funds, awarded through a competitive application process, primarily focus on programs serving children age birth to three. A new Request for Application for these competitive funds was released to the public for application on March 30, 2007, and the deadline has already passed for submitting an application for these funds. We anticipate a release date of late March 2008 for the new Request for Application. Our website is accessible online. Once you have accessed this website, you may review the requirements for this year's child care grants that were recently awarded by clicking on the link to the 2007-2008 application in the yellow box. If you have any questions, you can contact us via email or by phone.

Grant Program For Daycare Startups!

The Department of Social Services provides grants for the start-up of new or expansion of existing child care facilities. These funds, awarded through a competitive application process, primarily focus on programs serving children age birth to three. A new Request for Application for these competitive funds was released to the public for application on in 2007, and the deadline has already passed for submitting an application for these funds. The department will anticipate a release date of late March 2008 for the new Request for Application. Their website may be accessed for more information.

Once you have accessed their website, you may review the requirements for this year's child care grants that were recently awarded by clicking on the link to the 2007-2008 application in the yellow box. If you have any questions, please contact them via phone or by email.