Local child care providers are happy after the Columbia Basin Trust announced a new program to support child care in the Basin last week.
Last Monday, the trust announced that it is launching a $3.6-million Child Care Support Program to provide capital grants, training support and a program advisor over the next three years.
“We were delighted. It’s just a continuation of their earlier promises this year to support early childhood education. It’s fantastic,” said Rebecca McDonnell, executive director of the Blueberry Creek Daycare &After School Care.
Danielle Kozak, owner and director of Silly Monkeys Childcare, was also happy with the trust’s announcement.
“Any time investment and resources are being brought forth to our future generation it is a positive step and a big move towards recognizing the importance of our children’s care and the need for quality. I applaud the Columbia Basin Trust for recognizing the need for this stream of funding,” she wrote in an email.
Blueberry Creek received $30,000 from the trust last year to complete a capital grant that allowed the daycare to establish a new infant-toddler program and create a dedicated infant-toddler room. The program created three new staff positions and twelve new childcare spots for children aged zero to three.
“So we realize just how important that local support is in leveraging other funds,” said McDonnell.
Having just completed a capital project, Blueberry Creek is unlikely to apply for another capital grant right away, but McDonnell hopes that there will be funding available to help the daycare’s staff upgrade.
“We have a lot of assistant ECEs [Early Childhood Educators] who we’re hoping will take advantage of this,” she said, though McDonnell isn’t sure yet if the funding will include opportunities for assistant ECEs to become full-time ECEs.
“It’s much-needed in this community and in the Basin,” McDonnell said of the new program. “It was very insightful of them because early-years is such a vital, crucial time in children and families’ lives.”