Montco Cares Program To Provide $12,000,000 In Financial Assistance To Childcare Centers And Families

Press release from TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce:

Oct. 16, 2020

Norristown (October 8, 2020) – Montgomery County childcare facilities suffering disruption due to low enrollment and parents struggling to pay for childcare due to loss of income resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic will soon get financial help. The Montgomery County Commissioners have allocated up to $12,000,000 of Federal Cares Act money to fund the Montco Cares Program administered by the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC), Region 17, in conjunction with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

The program has two components; one for childcare providers and one for families. Applications for each component opened on October 5, 2020.

“These past seven months have been really difficult for both families and childcare providers,” said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “These grants are intended to help stabilize our critical childcare providers and give families with children up to 13 years of age assistance in obtaining affordable childcare. As a mom, I know that no parent can fully concentrate on work if they are worried about their child's safety and security. This grant program will give many parents the option for professional childcare that they can afford.”

Childcare Providers
Montco Cares Program provider grants will ensure Montgomery County childcare centers' financial viability for those who experienced disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial support will cover eligible costs incurred between October 5 and December 30, 2020. Applications opened on October 5 and will close on November 2, 2020. Guidelines, eligible costs, and the online application can be found at www.montcopa.org/MontcoCaresProgram.

Families
The Montco Cares Program will provide families in Montgomery County with financial support to help pay for childcare for children enrolled in a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services licensed childcare facility. The financial support will cover the cost of childcare from October 5, 2020, through December 30, 2020. Applications opened on October 5, 2020, and will close on November 2, 2020. Eligibility requirements and application instructions can be found at www.montcopa.org/MontcoCaresProgram.

“Child care providers in our region have struggled financially during the COVID -19 pandemic, and we hope that the grants issued under the Montco Cares Program will help ease those struggles and allow the child care programs to focus on what really matters: the children,” said Jeanine K. Moser, Director, Early Learning Resource Center, Region 17. “The Family Grant will provide financial support for families to assist them in paying for the high-quality care their children deserve.”

The submission of a grant application is not a guarantee of funding.

For information on COVID-19 and Montgomery County’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit www.montcopa.org/COVID-19. For information on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/.

This press release was produced by TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.