This week the Children’s Investment Fund (CIF), an affiliate of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), and the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) announced changes to the funding available through the Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund.
The three organizations announced that in FY21, the EEOST Capital Fund special round will award grants between $100,000 and $250,000 to early childhood education and out-of-school time programs to fund expenses for capital improvements related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funding is intended to provide early education centers with the resources they need to make improvements and emergency repairs that address health and safety issues. You can read more about those changes here.
We know that child care providers are facing tremendous strain because of the COVID pandemic. Many are modifying their spaces to continue to provide early education services to families safely. Being able to have the flexibility to use the resources available through the EEOST Capital Fund to meet their needs and strengthen the Commonwealth’s childcare infrastructure is important, as many families rely on child care to return to work.
The EEOST Capital Fund provides capital grants to non-profit childcare centers seeking to renovate or develop new high-quality learning space for children living in low-income communities and is managed by EEC and CIF, along with CEDAC. It was established in 2013 to offer capital financing to non-profit community-based childcare providers serving low-income families that are looking to improve the quality of their facilities. For more information on the Fund, you can visit CIF’s website here or the Commonwealth’s website here.
Most importantly, if you are a child care provider who might qualify for this new, flexible funding in FY21, please visit https://cedac.org/cif/financing/eeost-capital-fund to learn more about the eligibility requirements.
