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Approval of Revised Child Care Start Up and Operating Grant Programs and INNOVATION Grant Expense Categories
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SUBMITTED BY: Martha Barberio, Economic Development Director
FISCAL NOTES:
Expenditure Required: N/A
Unencumbered Balance: N/A
Funding Source: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve revision of child care start up and operating grant programs and INNOVATION grant expense categories.
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SUMMARY STATEMENT:
In response to the community's ongoing child care needs and the success of the City's investment through the 2024 Community INNOVATION Grant, administered by thread, the City of Valdez launched local Child Care Start-Up and Operating Grant Programs to encourage the creation and sustainability of licensed providers.
To ensure this program remains flexible and responsive to local needs, and that funds are expended before the grant deadline of December 31, 2025, administration proposes the following revisions:
Remove monetary cap from the Start-Up Grant Program
* Current policy: Start-up grants are capped at $50,000 per recipient.
* Revision: Eliminate the cap and allow award amounts to be determined based on demonstrated need, scale of service, and availability of funding.
o Removing the cap allows more meaningful support for providers incurring high upfront costs (e.g., facility renovations, licensing compliance) and aligns with community need and economic development goals.
Eliminate select qualifying restrictions on Operating Grant recipients
* Current policy: Operating grant eligibility includes specific financial or enrollment thresholds.
* Revision: Remove restrictive qualifiers to expand eligibility for sustainable providers.
Add "legally exempt" childcare providers as eligible applicants
* Revision: Update the eligibility language to include legally exempt providers operating within the bounds of state law.
* Legally exempt programs include tribal, Head Start and Department of Defense programs and play an important role...
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