It’s no secret that a shortage of access to affordable childcare impacts communities and working families. That’s why the City of Tumwater, the Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC), and the Childcare Action Council joined together to help address the problem by awarding city grants to six local childcare providers.
“This program was a continuation of Thurston EDC’s work in strengthening childcare in the region,” says Sean Moore, Thurston EDC Center for Business & Innovation director. “Strong childcare systems are an absolute requirement for economic development and the building of vibrant communities.”
“The overall goal of the project was to strengthen and increase childcare capacity by supporting childcare organizations serving Tumwater,” he adds. “To accomplish this goal, we worked in partnership with the Childcare Action Council to identify providers that could utilize this funding to build capacity to increase childcare availability with the grants. Well-established providers with a desire to grow their programs will strengthen the overall childcare system in the city.”
Tumwater Joins with Thurston EDC to Award Six Grants to Local Childcare Providers and Serve Additional Children
This project took about a year to complete. With the grants, more childcare slots can be added and additional children served. The Tumwater City Council funded the grant program. “High quality childcare isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline,” explains Tumwater Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff. “It can determine whether someone is able to move forward in their career or stay stuck, whether a family can make ends meet or continue to struggle. For many in our community, access to childcare opens the door to building skills, gaining experience, and growing incomes.”
Moore agrees. “The Thurston Strong effort, a collaborative effort among several partners including the City of Tumwater, had identified childcare as a critical component to support during the COVID pandemic and necessary for a strong economic recovery,” he says. “Our team works on the frontlines with small businesses and understands the challenges childcare providers face along so many fronts. The Thurston EDC has extensive experience managing grants of this nature, so we were a natural fit for this work.”
Thurston EDC and Childcare Action Council Work with Providers to Complete Applications and Award Funds
The EDC handled logistics including the grant application process, reviews, documentation verification, and grant distribution. Childcare Action Council Trustee April Messenger says among other assistance, her organization also helped get the word out to providers to apply. “We had a connection to many of the providers,” she says.
Messenger says the grants’ goal was to help providers expand capacity, such as by hiring more staff, constructing an outside play area or increasing hours to line up with more parents’ work schedules. “The biggest issue is, ‘I don’t have care to fit my hours,’” she says of parents who work early or late hours. She adds that federal and state funding challenges means childcare financial support becomes an even bigger local concern. “It’s going to fall on places like Tumwater or Olympia,” she says. “We need to treat childcare as a public good. It’s not glamourous, but it’s needed.”
Tumwater City Council Approved Grant Funding to Strengthen and Support Childcare Local Providers
Lack of access to affordable child care impacts local workers’ abilities to obtain and remain in their jobs, which in turn impacts local economies. With residual COVID-19 funds, the Tumwater City Council offered the grants to strengthen childcare capacity and support local providers and families. “That’s why I’m truly thrilled that the Tumwater City Council approved our participation in the Thurston Strong effort,” says Dahlhoff. “This grant is expected to support childcare slots for about 77 children in Tumwater, and that’s a strong beginning. Affordable, reliable childcare is essential to the wellbeing of our children, our families, and our community as a whole.”
Grant amounts were divided into three categories based on the amount of capacity increase the providers could achieve with the funding amounts, at $50,000, $30,000 and $22,500 levels. Recipients included the YMCA, Scribbles and Giggles Learning Center, Our Ninos Queridos, Homestead Daycare, Misty’s Childcare and Lydia Sanders Daycare.
Moore says the Thurston EDC has a strong partnership with the City of Tumwater in providing startup, growth and business attraction and retention support for its business community. He says the childcare grants were a natural extension of that work. The partnership recognizes the city’s desire to provide dedicated support for its businesses and the Thurston EDC’s commitment to provide support resources through its entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Just a big thank you to the City of Tumwater and the Childcare Action Council for supporting grant projects like this,” adds Moore. “We need more of them!”
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