$750K grant will provide more late-night, weekend child care options in Middle Georgia

Mar. 20—Middle Georgia parents in need of child care outside the normal 9 to 5 workday will soon find more options.

A grant awarded to Atrium Health Navicent, dubbed an Expanding Parents' Access to Nontraditional Delivery Grant, will enable local child care facilities to offer nontraditional hours. The grant gives Atrium Health$750,000 and it's funded by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. There are six recipients in total.

The Department of Early Care and Learning created the grants after seeing research showing that the availability of high-quality child care and early education plays a key role in Georgia's workforce development and economic growth. The money for the grants comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal resolution that put relief money into the U.S. economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The grants can be used for a variety of initiatives.

The grants for child care providers could cover staff pay and benefits, child transportation costs, or necessary health and safety improvements to support extended hours of operation.

Grants to nonprofits and government agencies could help underwrite partnerships between local businesses and child care providers to serve parents working nontraditional hours.

What Georgia child care centers will expand hours?

Facilities offering nontraditional care hours operate outside of the typical Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. schedule. Participating centers are extending their care hours to midnight, and two are offering weekend hours.

The child care facilities in Macon will soon offer extended hours enabling parents to work or attend school during nontraditional hours.

Participating Macon facilities include:

* Higher Excellence Learning Center Too

* Houston Road Day Care and Learning Center

* Little Disciples Daycare

* Tiny Tots Learning Academy

* Riverside Children's Center

* Care-A-Lot Learning Center

Milledgeville locations include:

* Robin's Nest Playschool

* Miller Plaza Learning Center

Bentley Ponder, Department of Early Care and Learning deputy commissioner for quality innovations and partnerships, said the grant was created to help families with young children and will help ensure a strong workforce and economy in Georgia.

"In order for Georgia to have a strong workforce and economy, working families must have access to quality child care during both traditional and nontraditional hours, and (the) grants are supporting that goal," he said.

The Expanding Parents' Access to Nontraditional Delivery Grants are just one component of more than the $2 billion in support the early care and learning department has developed using federal relief money to help the child care industry, families with young children and communities surmount the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agency has allocated more than $100 million in one-time bonuses for early care and education teachers and has distributed over $1 billion in STABLE 4wards to support child care providers and Award Child Care Education Scholarship Supplements payments to support families with Childcare and Parent Services scholarships in paying for child care.

The Department of Early Care and Learning has also made available tens of millions of dollars in Quality Rated Restoration Grants to help stabilize providers delivering high-quality care.

Eleyce Coleman with the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority said collaboration has tackled the challenge of nontraditional-hour child care.

"The EXPAND Grant enables us to better support and address the crucial needs of our industry partners," she said.

"This initiative underscores MBCIA's commitment to supporting both our local businesses and our community, fostering a more inclusive and vibrant economy for all," Coleman added.

A representative from the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce said the grant is a groundbreaking solution for employers and the workforce, bridging nontraditional work hours with quality child care options.

A spokesperson for Atrium Health Navicent said the health care facility was proud to join community partners in utilizing DECAL's investment to support central Georgia working families in need of childcare after 6 p.m.

JaJuandraula Green Taylor, director of Higher Excellence Learning Center Too, said the center chose to be a part of the program because the facility understands the hardship of finding child care in the evening.

"We chose to be a part of this pilot program because we understand the hardships parents have in finding adequate care when they have to work or go to school late in the evenings when most centers are closed," she said. "Higher Excellence is delighted to provide a safe and nurturing environment for parents to bring their children to during traditional and nontraditional hours."

For more information visit the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning website.

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