The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) and Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County (CRR) have been awarded a $550,000 Launchpad Catalyst Predevelopment Grant from Uplift Central Coast, securing funding to expand child care spaces and strengthen the child care workforce across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Monterey counties.
The investment supports SBF’s Central Coast Childcare Workforce Expansion Project (CCWEP), a strategic initiative aimed at addressing the region’s critical shortage of child care spaces and providers.
“Building upon the success of a $1.125 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant from Santa Barbara County, the Uplift-funded initiative will continue efforts to increase the availability of quality child care while fostering sustainable career pathways in the industry,” SBF said.
ARPA-funded strategies achieved in partnership with Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County (CRR) were the foundation for expanding access, and the Uplift grant investment ensures further progress in meeting the growing demand for child care services, SBF said.
“The Santa Barbara Foundation could not be more thrilled to procure funding to expand upon the profoundly impactful work that resulted from the ARPA grant and our child care initiative partnership with Children’s Resource and Referral in our county,” said Liz Thasiah, vice president/programs at SBF.
“We are excited to scale our work in both Santa Barbara County as well as surrounding counties according to the best practices that grew out of our partnership to increase the number of child care spaces and develop the professional child care workforce,” Thasiah said.
“In addition to helping children and families receive the child care they need, the project will launch many more new woman-owned child care businesses and create jobs for caregivers across the Central Coast region that support families and our local businesses,” Thasiah said.
Through the initiative the Santa Barbara Foundation and CRR will distribute $287,500 in provider grants, leading to the creation of 572 new licensed child care spaces along the Central Coast.
Grant and learning partners include Child Development Resources in Ventura County, CAPSLO in San Luis Obispo County, and Early Development Services in Monterey County.
Each of them will be provided training, along with $12,500 in funds, to implement a pilot provider grant system, creating more than 24 new licensed child care spaces in each county in the next 18 months.
The initiative aims to create meaningful, sustainable careers in child care, particularly for communities facing the greatest need, by providing essential training, coaching, and business support at no cost.
“Hands-on training will be offered in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Mixteco and Zapoteco, ensuring that the project supports our region’s families, particularly those in the agriculture industry who rely on access to affordable, high-quality child care, according to SBF.
The SBF child care strategy encompasses grantmaking, collaboration with private and social sector child care leaders and providers, advocacy at state and local levels, and strategic partnerships to strengthen and expand child care efforts across the county.
Uplift Central Coast’s Catalyst Grant awarded funding to 36 organizations across six counties, addressing critical needs in workforce development, aerospace, education and job training, child care, community development, climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.
With some $50 million in funding requests and only $9 million available, the Santa Barbara Foundation was selected as a recipient, receiving $550,000.
The grant is a part of Uplift Central Coast’s portfolio of projects seeking to bring develop innovation, economic growth, and community impact aimed at region-wide collaborative implementation efforts.
For more about SBF, visit https://sbfoundation.org.
Learn more about Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County at crrsbc.org.
More about Uplift Central Coast is at https://upliftcentralcoast.org.