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The First 5 Santa Barbara County Children and Families Commission has announced the publication of a request for qualifications for childcare sector pandemic recovery and resiliency.
Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are designed to improve the state of childcare for infants and toddlers in the county, according to a news release.
Currently Santa Barbara County has 9,767 licensed daycare spots for infants and toddlers, but according to the Santa Barbara Child Care Planning Council, more than 16,700 children under age 2 live in the county as of 2018.
The commission said expanded childcare for young children is urgent.
“Parents and families of very young children in our county are truly in need of high-quality infant and toddler childcare. Without enough childcare, many parents can’t work. Our local economy and the well-being of our families depends on affordable, accessible childcare,” Michelle Robertson, assistant director of First 5 Santa Barbara County, said in a news release. “Directing ARPA funding into this area is an opportunity to address a gap that existed pre-COVID. It’s also a chance to align with the California plan to support children and families from birth through age 5.”
For more information, see first5santabarbaracounty.org.
— Katherine Zehnder
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