Vermont Daycare and Child Care Grants
Funding and maintaining a day care service is a demanding effort. This is the reason why many people who plans to establish their own day care business typically obtain their capital from their own savings or route to sponging funds from other people. More often than not, even if the child care business is economically unsteady, they still strive to push it through for the grounds that they care for children very much and would desire to lend a hand for the community people, particularly the working parents who need child care services while they’re at work.
Rather than seeking from other people or a loan from a bank, a more beneficial option would be to solicit grants from different organizations that present them. But oftentimes, one grant is not sufficient to load up the entire gap that’s why it is essential that you acquire many grants so as to uphold your business. Usually, the license to operate and your federal tax I.D. number are the basic things that you need in applying and requesting for grants. Yet, other grants are limited to day care centers that accommodate to a definite target population of kids so it would be very clever to look into those as well.
In order to apply for a grant, a grant proposal is one thing you have to prepare. It should state your reasons why your center should be provided with a grant. Just deem, it is a paper which targets in selling your business to the board for grant approval and lend them reasons suitable for request approval. So, you should emphasize explicit intention of your center as well as the advantages it can provide your community. Also, it must elucidate how you plan to exploit the grant funds in every aspect.
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:
Department for Children and Families
3SquaresVT
Vermont’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, 3SquaresVT (formerly food stamps) helps Vermonters to stretch their food budgets so they can buy more and better food and put three square meals on their tables.Business Start Up
The Micro Business Development Program offers counseling, education, and support services to low-to-moderate income Vermonters who want to start, expand, or enhance a small business.Child Care Financial Assistance
Pay for Child Care
Child care is expensive. The amount you pay for child care depends on factors such as the child’s age, location, and whether it is full time or part time. A variety of programs are designed to help families to afford child care.
How can You reduce the cost of child care?
- Find out if you are eligible for child care financial assistance (subsidy).
To be eligible for child care financial assistance your family must have an accepted service need (or reason) for child care and meet current income guidelines. Use the PreScreening Tool to see if you qualify for child care benefits. Click here to find out more about the child care financial assistance program. - Utilize Child care tax benefits.
There are several federal and state tax credits that can reduce the amount of taxes you owe. Find out more about tax benefits you may be eligible to receive. - Ask your provider about scholarships and or sliding fee scales.
Some families who do not qualify for child care financial assistance still struggle to make ends meet. Ask your provider if they provide scholarships or determine rates upon ability to pay. - Check with your employer.
Some employers are able to support working families and rising child care costs. Ask your employer about the option to deduct child care expenses prior to taxes, child care contributions, flextime, and onsite child care benefits.
Reach Up
Reach Up helps families with children by providing services that support work and career, cash assistance for basic necessities, and health insurance.Savings Assistance
A savings program, called an Individual Development Account (IDA), that helps lower-income Vermonters to save money for a home, education, or a small business.Child Care Helpline:
1-800-540-7942Economic Benefits:
1-800-479-6151CHILD NUTRITION
The department’s Child Nutrition Programs staff administer the federal programs that support nutritious meals and snacks in schools, daycare settings and summer program sites, ensuring that nutritious, high-quality meals and snacks are served to program participants in all eligible sites in Vermont. The department supports program sponsors through program guidance, technical assistance, training, monitoring and evaluation to assure that every program receives the maximum federal and state funding available.
There are several programs available to support meals and snacks in public as well as private non-profit schools. The National School Lunch Program is the oldest federal nutrition program. Through this program public and private schools, and residential child care institutions, receive subsidies for lunches served to students enrolled in twelfth grade and under.
The School Breakfast Program provides subsidies to support breakfast meals served to students in public and private schools, and residential child care institutions. Research continues to show that students who eat breakfast do better in school.
Schools and non-residential child care programs that do not participate in either the Breakfast or Lunch Program may participate in the Special Milk Program which provides subsidies for milk served to school children who do not have access to a meal program.
Schools may also offer subsidized After School Snacks to children in organized after school activities other than intramural sports.
Child & Adult Care Food Program
The Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursement for nutritious meals and snacks served in daycare settings that meet meal pattern guidelines. CACFP is a federal program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, and is administered in Vermont by the Department of Education. The program generally operates in childcare centers, outside-of-school-hours care centers, family daycare homes, some adult daycare centers and after-school care programs.
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides reimbursement for snacks and, in some cases meals, to after school care programs that are operated by schools, local government agencies, private non-profit organizations, and licensed non-profit and some for-profit child care centers.
To participate in the At-Risk CACFP After School Snack Program, the program must be located in a school or geographic area with 50% or more of the enrolled students eligible for free or reduced price school meals. Programs not located in an eligible area are eligible to participate through the traditional CACFP.
Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Program (FFVP)
The FFVP provides funding for fresh fruits and vegetables served to all children in participating schools throughout the school day. It is an effective and creative way of introducing fresh fruits and vegetables as healthy snack options. To be selected for the FFVP, your school must be an elementary school, operate the National School Lunch Program and are those in which 50% or more of students are eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Schools between 40 and 50% may also be considered once all 50% and higher schools have submitted their applications.
Contact Information:
Laurie Colgan
(802) 828-5153 (P)
(802) 828-0573 (F)
laurie.colgan@state.vt.usEARLY EDUCATION
The Department of Education, individually and in collaboration with a number of other organizations, supports early education initiatives in many ways. The assortment of programs include:
Publicly Funded Prekindergarten Education
Vermont school districts have the option of providing publicly funded prekindergarten (preK) education for three- to five-year-olds by establishing partnerships with qualified early care and education programs, by operating a preK program directly or by doing both.Early Education Initiative (EEI)
Established by the Legislature in 1987, EEI prepares at-risk preschool children for success in kindergarten and beyond. EEI serves children who are ineligible or inadequately served by existing early childhood education programs. Coordinated with community programs to avoid duplication and to make the best possible use of resources, EEI services also fill gaps created by restrictive requirements or insufficient resources.Essential Early Education (EEE)
This statewide program coordinates early childhood special education services for children ages three through five. Services are administered by local school districts in conjunction with local early childhood service providers to ensure inclusive educational environments.Title I Preschool/Migrant Preschool Services
Many Vermont school districts receive federal Title I funds to provide compensatory education services to children considered at-risk or disadvantaged. Title I funds may be used to support a school’s preschool program for these children. In addition, three- and four-year old children who qualify for migrant status are eligible to receive early education services supported by federal funds.Manuela Fonseca, Early Education Coordinator
(802) 828-3850 (P)
(802) 828-3146 (F)
manuela.fonseca@state.vt.us - Find out if you are eligible for child care financial assistance (subsidy).
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Private
Private foundations that are based or operating in the State of Vermont, 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.orgA.D. Henderson Foundation
The Mission of the A.D. Henderson Foundation is to provide an opportunity for all children to succeed, with a special interest in promoting literacy for children and families. We also seek to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nonprofit sector to serve the interests of our communities. The Foundation limits its grant-making to Broward County in Florida and the State of Vermont.Contact Information:
Vermont Office
Edward A. Gale, Program Director
(802) 888-1188
egale@hendersonfdn.orgHenderson Foundation Office
Karen Pfeiffer, Senior Administrator
The A.D. Henderson Foundation
P.O. Box 14096
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33302-4096
(954) 764-2819
staff@hendersonfdn.orgAgnes M. Lindsay Trust
The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust was formed in 1939 in New Hampshire. It currently awards grants that support health and welfare organizations, particularly those serving individuals with special needs, including the blind, deaf, learning disabled, the elderly, and children. Organizations funded include (but are not limited to) children’s hospitals, youth/family services, children’s homes, summer camps and enrichment programs, hospice care, and programs for those with disabilities.Contact Information:
Telephone:
(603) 669-1366
Toll Free:
(866) 669-1366
FAX:
(603) 665-8114Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation
It is the primary mission of the Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation to provide assistance to various specified institutions in Castleton, Vermont and the immediate environs. Beyond that, the Foundation hopes to address the following areas of concern: 1. Issues affecting the elderly, particularly those “middle-income” elderly not served by other programs; 2. Education, particularly as it addresses hearing and/or learning impairments, or reading disabilities; and 3. Programs or agencies engaged in the furtherance of fundamental values, such as: self-reliance, respect for tradition, the value of work, the importance of family, the innate ‘goodness’ and ‘uniqueness’ of all persons, and the satisfaction to be derived from religious or similarly uplifting beliefs.Contact Information:
http://www.foundationservices.cc/AGD2/index.htm
Alma Gibbs Donchian Foundation
c/o Foundation Services LLC
640 W. Putnam Ave, 3rd Floor
Greenwich, CT 06830Email: agd@fsllc.net
Phone: (203) 629-8552
Fax: (203) 547-6112Baystate Charitable Foundation
The mission of the Baystate Charitable Foundation, established in 1999, is to raise money through various events to support local New England area charities. Two of the major charities that Baystate Financial supports are the DCF Kids Fund and Friends of the Children-Boston.Contact Us
http://www.baystatefinancial.com/section8.cfm
200 Clarendon Street, 19th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-585-4500
Fax: 617-369-9040
jtower @baystatefinancial.comCanaday Family Charitable Trust
The primary purpose of the Canaday Family Charitable Trust is to encourage and support not-for-profit organizations that work in Vermont to improve the lives of children and families, promote environmental education and conservation, and preserve the environment.Contact Information:
http://www.canadayfamily.org/missionval.htmlJessie B. Cox Trust
The Jessie B. Cox Trust is dedicated to improving the environment and the quality of life for people living in New England. To achieve its goals, the Trust pursues initiatives in three key fields of interest: education, environment, and health. For education, there is a special interest in promoting early learning and quality out-of-school time. Within the field of environment, the Trust focuses on preservation of fresh and marine waters through natural habitat conservation. In the area of health, the Trust emphasizes improving access to health care. Geographical areas f interest is New England – ME, RI, MA, NH, VT, CT.Contact Information:
For information regarding the grants process please contact the following staff:
Kirstie David, Program Manager
617-391-3081
kdavid@gmafoundations.comPhil Hall, Administrator
617-391-3097
phall@gmafoundations.comJessie B. Cox Trust
c/o GMA Foundations
77 Summer Street, 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02110-1004
617-426-7080General mailbox for information and receipt of concept applications:
jbcoxtrust@gmafoundations.comNSB Foundation
The NSB Foundation Board has chosen to initially focus on the complex social problem of childhood hunger and food insecurity. The Foundation will partner with The Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger, who will in turn, collaborate with qualified organizations in Chittenden County and Central Vermont.Olivia’s Organics Charitable Foundation
The Olivia’s Organics Charitable Foundation was established in early 2006 as a way to invest in the lives of children. The Foundation seeks to give direct-service grants to organizations that work with children by providing services that have an immediate and tangible impact on their well-being. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grants, but instead chooses organizations with which it would like to partner for each quarter of the fiscal year. Unsolicited grant applications to the Olivia’s Organics Charitable Foundation are not accepted. Please do not send a general grant application request form to the organization. If you would like to make the Foundation aware of the work that you do, please send a one page cover letter and three copies of your organization’s information brochure. Since its inceptions the Foundation has proudly partnered with dozens of children’s charities in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.http://www.oliviasorganics.org/Give_Back.asp
Address
Olivia’s Organics
PO Box 6277 Chelsea, MA 02150
617.884.1816Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation
The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation is a small private foundation started in 1999 and dedicated to the support of projects in education and the arts. The Foundation has two areas of interest that often coincide. Education: The Foundation will consider proposals for projects in any aspect of education — elementary through adult.The Arts: The Foundation will consider proposals for projects in any area of the arts. Of special interest are those proposals that make the arts more accessible to a wide audience. The Foundation is local in scope and generally limits it grantmaking to the northern New England area. (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine).
http://www.ramseymccluskeyfndn.org/
Foundation Address:
The Ramsey McCluskey Family Foundation
P.O. Box 275
Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773
Phone: 781-259-9948 (email is strongly encouraged over phone calls!)Sills Family Foundation
The mission of The Sills Family Foundation is to help children from poor families live up to their highest promise. We do this by giving grants to organizations that work on the front lines of supporting: Comprehensive Services to Families in Crisis with a special focus on children of incarcerated mothers; Early and Elementary Childhood Education with family supports such as health care and parent education; Environmental Justice with a concentration on reducing contaminants that harm babies and fetuses. With the exception of environmental justice organizations that may be national in scope, the foundation awards grants in metro New York City, metro Boston and Vermont.http://www.sillsfamilyfoundation.org/
Thank you for your interest in the Sills Family Foundation. If you have any questions or would like to contact us, please email us at info@sillsfamilyfoundation.org or write us at:
The Sills Family Foundation
c/o The Philanthropic Initiative
160 Federal Street, 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
