Expanding Child Care: new grants provide 430 slots to families in need
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact children, their families, and our entire community, United Way of Lane County and local partners have announced one important way to address a very urgent need: childcare for school-aged children. As schools continue distance learning and parents continue remote work and face economic uncertainty, child care is a need with major implications for the community.
“Going from three hours a day programs into eight to nine hour a day programs, the cost almost triples. When families have budgets that they've already figured out for the year, it's hard. It's hard for them to find that money when they're paying for rent and paying for food and paying for basic needs.”
- Holly Kriz-Anderson, VP of Operations and Youth Development at the Eugee Family YMCA
After hearing about the need for more available and affordable child care from families and providers alike, United Way of Lane County helped bring together various non-profits, community partners, and funders to find a way to fill the gap. This fall, a new partnership between the City of Eugene, the Tykeson Family Foundation, United Way of Lane County, and three local childcare providers has helped secure 400 childcare slots for school-aged children, many at reduced or no cost to the families. Another 30 slots were made available in Florence with support from the City of Florence.
To hear from our community partners about the impact of this initiative, click below
With a $350,000 investment from the Tykeson Family Foundation and $235,000 in CARES Act funding from the City of Eugene, United Way is distributing grants totaling $585,000 for this initiative. Grants have been awarded to The Eugene Family YMCA, The Boys & Girls Club of the Emerald Valley, and KinderCare Discover Champions Before- and After-School Care to offset operations costs, providing scholarships to families, improving technology, and providing additional staff support to ensure that students are successful academically, and personally as they navigate distance learning.
“These funds from United Way are making sure that kids that are vulnerable in our community are getting the help they need from school support to being able to get physically active, to remain active with their friends and in-person interactions, and really, to help parents be able to get back to work, because a lot of these families, without a safe place for their kids to go, can't work. And that has huge implications for their ability to survive.”
- Matt Sorenson, CEO of The Boys and Girls Club of Emerald Valley.
While costs rise, so does a lack of childcare availability, affordability, and the need for educational support among students. Child care staff have worked tirelessly to adapt to distance learning programs and make sure children are getting support in their school work, as well as their social and emotional needs.
“For the most part, we've been learning right alongside the kids. For our staff, this was unchartered territory, so they've been tested and they've been pushed beyond some of their typical job duties to really meet these needs for kids so they can reach academic success.”
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Shelly Williams, Club Director at the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Valley
United Way of Lane County has a long history of mobilizing resources and community organizations toward a common goal, and we were determined to meet this urgent need so essential to childhood success. With the vision of creating success for every child in Lane County, these collaborations are an essential part of the work we do.
“Raising funding and investing it back into the community to help families is what United Way does, it’s our superpower. It's what we do. We are always trying to think about ways that we can help find the holes and fill the gaps.”
- Bess Jayme, Director of Education at United Way
This is the collaborative and community-changing work United Way can do with your support.
Help ensure we can continue to bring together partners, resources, and collaborations needed to create more just, resilient communities where all kids can thrive.