| Child care is critical to Santa Barbara County’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This past year has highlighted how child care is a pillar of our national and local infrastructure, and has exposed unsustainable vulnerabilities and inequities that existed pre-pandemic. Santa Barbara County’s already fragile child care system needs a stronger infrastructure to ride out and recover from this pandemic as well as to ensure preparedness for the next emergency.
At last month’s First 5 Commission Meeting, we voted to disburse $75,000 to the Carpinteria Children’s Project, $75,000 to the Goleta Union School District and $75,000 to the Orcutt Elementary School District, $50,000 to the Cuyama Joint Unified School District, $50,000 to the Buellton Union School District, $600,000 each to the Santa Maria-Bonita, Lompoc, and Santa Barbara School Districts, and $500,000 to the Guadalupe Union School District all for early learning work over the next four years. We also committed to directing ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to building a strong child care infrastructure that will support the current systems of care, support the ability for parents to return to work, and prepare county-wide systems for future emergencies. |
