Governor Laura Kelly Announces Additional Grants to Support Child Care Providers in Kansas

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced that Child Care Aware of Kansas, in partnership with Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), is launching a second round of Child Care Sustainability Grants to aid child care providers in meeting the costs of operating their business.

Grant awards will range from $5,000 for family child care programs to $60,000 for large centers.

“At the height of the pandemic, the Child Care Sustainability grant program supported nearly 3,200 child care centers in Kansas, allowing them to stay open when families needed them most,” Governor Kelly said. “As we grow the economy, this second round of grants will provide the continued support our child care facilities need to stay open and to ensure that Kansas families have access to safe, quality child care.”

“Time and again we heard from child care providers that as families sheltered in place during the pandemic, they were faced with difficult decisions involving staffing, operating expenses and even providing classroom supplies,” Kansas DCF Secretary Laura Howard said. “We are confident the second round of grants will continue to provide needed support to child care providers and offer one less worry for Kansas families.”

The Child Care Sustainability grant application will be available via the Child Care Aware of Kansas website beginning Oct. 1, 2021, and must be received by 5 p.m., Nov. 5, 2021. To be considered for funding, child care programs must maintain an active permanent license with Kansas Department of Health and Environment, whether they remain open or temporarily closed.

Funds may be used for any normal operational expenses, additional expenses the child care program has due to meeting CDC guidance for mitigating the spread of COVID-19, and other activities necessary to maintain or resume the operation of programs.

“Child care providers are essential to parents’ ability to work, especially at a time when child care is in such short supply. Financial support from these grants will stabilize our existing child care infrastructure, ensuring that parents have a safe, nurturing environment for their young children,” Kelly Davydov, Executive Director, said.

For more information about the Child Care Sustainability Grants, visit https://ks.childcareaware.org.