Alaska Daycare and Child Care Grants
In launching and keeping up a day care business, the standard resort is the application for a loan from a bank. On the other hand, a healthier alternative is by looking for funding as there are a lot of private and government organizations which offers such. It would be probable for a day care service to get numerous grants to keep its operation going. The finest source for grants is the Child and Family Service Office, which can definitely aid a child care service in getting a number of grant programs. Moreover, the small, local businesses can also dole out money to help establish and maintain a child care center.
In getting a grant, it is not as hard or as complex as you might think. Many organizations that offer grants have their application forms ready, which are usually easy to understand. A lot of these grants are given for child care centers that function with definite groups of children but it is not the universal requirement for most of the day care funding. The vital requirements for acquiring of a grant consist of a business license to run a day care center and a national tax identification number.
A lot of grant programs also require a proposal, which is basically an appeal for a grant that presents the basis why the day care center is worthy of it. The grant application, consequently, must be able to sell the business to the grant endorsement board by specifying the intention of the center and the people it will serve. The application must give details how the day care center can offer a positive force on the community that it aspires to serve. This proposal has to also make clear how the grant will be purposely used for.
Different Sources of Grants
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Federal
Federal grants are funded by the different agencies of the federal government. Typically, grants from a federal agency are funneled down to the communities through state agencies.
U.S. Department of Agriculture – It has two agencies with start-up/expansion funding programs:
The Rural Housing Service (RHS) has facility funding available for non-profits or local governments that support child care facilities. (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/index.html)
The Rural Business Cooperative Service has guaranteed loan programs for small business development available for profit child care programs. For eligibility or to apply for any of their programs, contact the state or local Rural Development Office, http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd.map.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – The agency has funding programs that support child care services. The Child Care Bureau has several funding programs for child care facilities. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – It supports child care facilities near or within public housing, EZ/EC’s, or low-income areas through facility construction using block grants, programs, and networks. To determine eligibility or to apply for any of their programs, contact the state HUD office at http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/states
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) – It provides small businesses financing options, technical assistance, and child care resource information. Check with your local SBA offices at http://www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html
U.S. General Services Administration – It has programs that allow the donation of surplus federal personal property to state and local public agencies and qualifying nonprofits, which include child care centers. Please contact http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_OVERVIEW&contentId=10092&noc=T
There are other federal programs that support child care such as:
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provide child care vouchers to subsidize the cost of care for low-income families as well as funds for state child care quality improvement initiatives. Nearly half of all children receiving CCDF subsidies are between the ages of five and 12. States are required to utilize at least 4 percent of their CCDF funds on quality activities and may also use discretionary funds earmarked by Congress for school-age care quality improvements and/or resource and referral activities. States may choose to use these funds to support initiatives to improve the quality and availability of school-age care, such as training programs or capacity-building grants for afterschool providers.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds, which provide financial support for low-income families, may also be used to support afterschool programs in ways consistent with one or more of the four purposes of the TANF program. States may either directly spend TANF funds on afterschool programs and initiatives, or states can transfer up to 30 percent of their federal TANF allocation to the CCDF. TANF funds transferred to CCDF are subject to all of the CCDF rules and requirements, and can be used to expand out-of-school time capacity-building and quality-enhancement efforts. Direct TANF spending can provide states with additional flexibility when it comes to afterschool care. For example, funds can support services for older youth and can support programs as well as individual subsidies for children.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) is the only federal funding source that exclusively supports afterschool programs. The purpose of 21CCLC is to support community learning centers that provide students with a broad array of academic enrichment services, including tutoring, homework help, and community service, as well as music, arts, sports, and cultural activities. When the program first began in 1998, the U.S. Department of Education made competitive awards directly to school districts. However, following the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, 21CCLC was converted into a state formula grant program. As a result, the Department of Education awards grants to State Education Agencies (SEAs), which then manage statewide competitions to grant funds to eligible organizations.
Federal Food and Nutrition Programs may support snacks or meals for afterschool program participants. After school programs may be able to receive reimbursements from one of four different food and nutrition programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: the National School Lunch Program: Afternoon Snacks, the Child and Adults Care Food Program, the Summer Food Service Program and the School Breakfast Program. Reimbursement from these programs can be used to free up funds already spent on meals and snacks to support other program components.
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State
State agencies fund child care assistance under Family Child Care and Development Grants. Application for the child care grants and health grants can be made through www.governmentgrants.us. In addition to this government agency of the state, funding sources could be obtained from the following sources:
Child Nutrition Services
Alaska Child Nutrition Services commits to help school districts and other program sponsors provide quality nutrition programs assuring that our families are well-nourished, healthy, and our children are ready to learn.
Child and Adult Care Food Program
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a program that provides healthy meals and snacks to children and adults receiving day care. It plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care and making it healthy meals more affordable for low-income families.
This program is available to a variety of day care types:
Child Care Centers – Public or private nonprofit child care centers, Head Start programs, and For-Profit centers which are licensed or approved to provide day care may serve meals and snacks through CACFP. Eligibility for this program is for children age 12 or younger.
At-Risk Afterschool Snack Programs – Community-based programs that offer enrichment activities for at-risk children and teenagers, after the regular school day ends, can provide free snacks through CACFP. Eligibility for this program is for children age 18 or younger.
Homeless Shelters – Emergency shelters which provide residential and food services to homeless families may participate in CACFP. Unlike most other CACFP facilities, a shelter does not have to be licensed to provide day care. Eligibility for this program is for children age 18 or younger.
Adult Day Care Centers – Public, private nonprofit, and some for-profit adult day care facilities which provide structured, comprehensive services to functionally impaired, or adults over age 60 may participate in CACFP.
Family Day Care Homes – CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks served to small groups of children receiving nonresidential day care in licensed or approved private homes. A family or group day care home must sign an agreement with a sponsoring organization to participate in CACFP. Eligibility for this program is for children age 12 or younger.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP)
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides all children in participating schools with a variety of free fresh fruits and vegetables at times other than during the school meals. It is an effective and creative way of introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options. The FFVP also encourages community partnerships to support the schools when they offer free fruit and vegetables to children during the school day.
This program is seen as an important catalyst for change in efforts to combat childhood obesity by helping children learn more healthful eating habits. The FFVP introduces school children to a variety of produce that they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to sample.
National School Lunch Program
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. The program provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. NSLP was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946.
Meal reimbursement is available to public and private nonprofit schools and residential child care institutions serving school age children. Program sponsors are school districts and residential childcare intuitions that are licensed and operate principally for the care of children. After School Snack Program participation and reimbursement is also available to NSLP Sponsors.
Family Services Program Statement
The Family Services Program provides comprehensive services in situations where the initial assessment has determined the child is unsafe or at high risk of being maltreated. Services are intended to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children, enhance the protective capacities of parents, and strengthen the family.It is comprised of two components:
- In-home Services and
- Out-of-home Services.
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Private
Private foundations that are based or operating in the State of Alaska, as well as those operating nationwide, can also be tapped as source of funding for the establishment and operation of child care business, support for parents and families to avail of child care services, and the training of professionals in the field of child care. Some of these foundations are the following:
Bank of America Foundation
The Bank of America Foundation operates with one of the largest philanthropic budgets of any financial institution in the United States. In 2001 it contributed more than $85 million in cash to nonprofit organizations across the country. It concentrates funding on pre-K through grade 12 educations and supports programs in early childhood development, economic and financial education, and teacher development. Community revitalization is another focus for funding nonprofit organizations.
Contact Information:
http://www.bankofamerica.com/foundation/index.cfm?template=overview&statecheck=CACharles Stewart Mott Foundation
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a private philanthropy based in Flint, Michigan. Through four programs, it makes grants in the United States and selected regions internationally. In 1997 the foundation and the U.S. Department of Education entered a multi-year partnership in support of 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). The foundation helped support the Urban Institute’s Assessing the New Federalism project.
Contact Information:
http://www.mott.org/about.aspxRockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF)
RBF is dedicated to promoting the well-being of all people in the transition to global interdependence. One of the goals of the fund’s Education Program is to promote universal, quality education and care for pre-K children by using a comprehensive approach to their development, including concerns for health, safety, and readiness to learn. Strategies include supporting development of public policies that promote universal access to early childhood programs, and advancing the professional development of early educators.
Contact Information:
http://www.rbf.orgThe Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization, dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. It was established in 1948 by Jim Casey, one of the founders of UPS, and his siblings, who named the Foundation in honor of their mother.
The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families. In pursuit of this goal, the Foundation makes grants that help states, cities and neighborhoods fashion more innovative, cost-effective responses to these needs.
Contact Information:
701 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
ph: 410-547-6600
fax: 410-547-6624
webmail@aecf.orgColgate World of Care
Providing oral health education to children worldwide.
Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® program promotes oral health education and prevention to underserved children around the world. Partnerships with governments, schools and communities enable us to distribute videos, storybooks, software and interactive activities to millions each year.
The program has reached 500 million children worldwide and recently achieved a milestone in the United States, reaching 100 million children.
Contact Information:
http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/Corp/CommunityPrograms/HomePage.cvspCaptain Planet Foundation
All applicant organizations or sponsoring agencies must be exempt from federal taxation under the Internal Revenue Code Section 501, in order to be eligible for funding (this includes most schools and non-profit organizations).
The Captain Planet Foundation does not make grants for:
- The purchase of real estate
- Endowments
- General operations expenses
- Capital or building campaigns
- T-shirts and other promotional items
- Scholarships to attend summer camps
- Field trips that are not supplemented by a semester long (minimum) lesson plan
- Expensive equipment used by only a small number of children
- Salaries
- Transportation costs
- organic gardens generally no more than $500; adopt-a-stream no more than $400
For questions regarding our grant program, please contact Taryn Murphy at tarynm@captainplanetfdn.org.
M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust
The Trust’s mission is to enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants and enrichment programs to organizations seeking to strengthen the region’s educational, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
In addition to a special interest in education and scientific research, the Trust partners with a wide variety of organizations that serve the arts, public affairs, health and medicine, human services, leadership development, and persons with disabilities. Funding Focus: Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana.
Contact Information:
http://www.murdock-trust.org
