FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2020
Jill Johnson
Chief Public Relations Officer
Community-Minded Enterprises
(509) 822-8040
CARES Act Funds Immediately Available to Pay for Child Care or Support Child Care Businesses in Spokane
Spokane, Wash. — When the City of Spokane received $6.6 million in CARES Act funding, it identified child care as one of its priorities, awarding Community-Minded Enterprises money to cover the cost of child care for families and to help struggling child care centers. “COVID-19 hit the child care industry hard,” said Lee Williams, CEO of Community-Minded Enterprises and home of Child Care Aware of Eastern Washington. “Enrollment dropped, but expenses went up as child care providers took precautions to keep their businesses safe and available to first responders.”
Enrollment is inching up but the impact of COVID-19 remains. CARES Act money available from Community-Minded will help on two fronts. Grants are available for:
- Child care centers and family home child care in Spokane who are reopening or expanding
- Families newly enrolling in child care or coming back after COVID-19
Child care providers are eligible for grants between $800-$3,000 and families may be eligible to receive up to two months paid child care tuition.
The online application is quick and easy https://community-minded.org/caresactgrant/. The deadline to apply is October 9, 2020, but funding is on a first come first serve basis and space is limited. “We encourage families and child care businesses so apply right away so they don’t miss out,” said Williams.
Complete details can be found on our website https://community-minded.org/caresactgrant/.
Through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the CARES Act provides for payments to State, Local, and Tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Community-Minded Enterprises is a 501c3 nonprofit with four offices in Spokane and one in Pasco. It was formed as a grassroots organization in the early 1990s and incorporated 1997.
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