Syracuse, N.Y. -- Onondaga County has lost 42 child-care providers since 2020, pushing what was already a child-care desert to the edge.
Before the pandemic, there were only enough licensed child-care providers to meet about 30% of the need. Now, it’s even worse, said Lori Schakow, executive director of Child Care Solutions, a regional advocacy group.
A new state grant program is aimed at rebuilding at least some of what was lost, though. In Central New York, there is about $3.6 million available to people who start new child-care sites. The state money is available for in-home providers, group providers and day-care sites, and varies based on the type of site.
Because there are so few infant spots, any new sites with infant spots could be eligible for a $3,000 bonus for an infant spot.
The grants are one-time awards for new sites only; these are the maximum awards:
- Family Day Care - $14,000
- Group Family Day Care - $23,000
- Day Care Center - $7,000 per seat for a maximum of $400,000 (57 seats)
- School Age Child Care - $2,500 per seat for a maximum of $200,000 (80 seats)
Schakow said the state scoring process for the grant applications pushes the money toward areas where the need is highest, but she encouraged anyone in Onondaga County to apply.
She said most of the current home-based child-care programs are full. Centers and school-aged programs are not full but still running waitlists, Schakow said, because they can’t hire enough people to be fully staffed because the pay is so low.
“It has always been bad, but the salaries have not gone up,” Schakow said. “Why would you go into a stressful job like childcare, when you can make more money at Dunkin Donuts.”
The application website is here. The deadline is May 19.
Schakow’s office can answer questions about the grant process.
Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people, public affairs and the Syracuse City School District. Contact her anytime email | Twitter| cell 315-470-2246.
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April 20, 2022 at 10:21PM
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The pandemic decimated child-care in Onondaga County. New grants aim to rebuild - syracuse.com
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