Giant Company creates grant program for childcare centers
Program will help centers impacted by coronavirus pandemic
CARLISLE » Pennsylvania child care centers facing operational and financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are eligible to apply for grants through a $200,000 grant program announced Tuesday by The Giant Company.
The grant program is being offered in partnership with Pennsylvania Key and The Hershey Company. Through Nov. 13, child care organizations licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) can apply for grants of up to $10,000.
It is designed to support child care centers that have remained opened during the pandemic. Grant funding will help child care centers overcome new challenges created by the pandemic and invest in new measures to help support families struggling to balance work, school and child care.
The funding is intended to assist “with meeting the unique needs of and engaging families and children served during the pandemic,” according to information on the program’s website. Those needs may include: increased staffing, expanded operating hours, care of school-age children, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or other sanitation measures, increased technology needs or services, school-age virtual learning labs or serving of meals or addressing food insecurity needs.
Nicholas Bertram, president, The Giant Company said the company had heard from its own employees about the challenges the were facing with child care.
“We knew that others in our community likely were too, and we wanted to do something about it,” Bertram said in a press release. “Together, in partnership with Pennsylvania Key and TheHersheyCompany, we’re making a difference as we work to ease the unexpected burdens child care providers are facing while offering families a little more peace of mind in a time when so much is uncertain.”
Child care centers in 35 Pennsylvania counties — including Berks, Chester, Delaware andMontgomery counties — served by Giant stores are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to applicants in underserved areas, those that serve meals, those impacted by school scheduling changes, those that are offering innovative services (such as technology and tutoring for students who need more in-person learning), and those that may be forced to close without financial support. Applicants must have remained open for at least part of the last seven months since stay-at-home orders were implemented, according to the release.
Applicants will be asked to provide information on how COVID-19 has challenged their business and describe ways they are overcoming and providing innovative services to families as they see needs arise.
Awards will range between $2,000 and $10,000. Recipients will be notified in late November and funds will be distributed before the end of the year.
For full criteria and to apply for funding, visit www. pakeys.org/GIANTprovidergrant.
“Child care is an incredibly important part of any community, and we empathize with families and child care providers during this challenging time,” Leigh Horner, vice president of global sustainability and social impact at The Hershey Company, said in the release. “The opportunity to partner with TheGiantCompany and Pennsylvania Key aligns closely with our desire to make a difference in our communities, and honors Hershey’s longtime legacy of supporting children and youth.”
In August, researchers at Penn State Harrisburg’s Institute of State and Regional Affairs released a report on the operational and financial impacts of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania’s child care industry, according to the company. The report found that as of the end of June, 125 providers had announced permanent closure. In addition, the report stated that without immediate assis
tance to offset increased expenses and reduced enrollments, another 4% of child care providers in Pennsylvania — an estimated 280 — will close permanently and estimated an additional 1,000 providers were at risk of closure without financial assistance.