LIIF is proud to announce that the Access to Quality Child Care (A2Q) grant program exceeded its goal of bringing 1,000 new early care and education (ECE) slots to Washington, DC’s families. The program was launched in 2018 as joint initiative with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and LIIF to address the District’s shortage of early care and education slots, especially among low-income families. LIIF created 1,244 slots to date, months ahead of schedule and well under budget.
Over $470,000 in remaining funding was generously reallocated by OSSE as grants to child care providers within LIIF’s COVID-19 Child Care Relief Effort. The OSSE-supported grants were distributed to 30 A2Q grantees to help cover operating expenses and construction costs due to delays and lack of revenue as a result of COVID-19. OSSE’s support will bring LIIF’s total grantmaking to child care in the District to $5.2 million. In addition to the A2Q grants, LIIF administered the DC Child Care Road to Recovery fund to award relief funding to over 200 District center and home-based child care providers.
“Now more than ever we are seeing the critical role of child care in our country and the need to make investments that ensure the sector is sustainable,” said Laura Jackman, LIIF’s Deputy Director of Early Care & Education. “Providing enriching educational environments for the District’s youngest increases academic and life outcomes for children, enables parents to go to school or work and creates jobs and broad economic benefits for communities.”
LIIF will continue to partner with OSSE to administer federal child care relief funds this fall and into 2022.