Nearly $6M in CARES funds distributed to Iowa childcare providers in first two months

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The Iowa Department of Human Services recently announced that it has disbursed nearly $5.86 million in relief stipends and grants to licensed child care centers across the state as part of its COVID-19 Childcare Sustainability Plan. The funding is part of nearly $31.9 million that Iowa DHS received from the federal CARES Act to help licensed centers and registered homes to remain open or, if temporarily closed, reopen through a variety of funding strategies. More than 1,800 child care programs received basic monthly stipends of $2,000 for licensed centers or $500 for licensed homes in April and May, and more than 1,000 programs received funds to assist in adding employees. Providers that wish to receive the monthly stipend must complete a monthly stipend survey. “Child care is an integral service in the community and vital to supporting Iowa’s workforce,” said Julie Allison, DHS bureau chief of child care. “The dedicated partnership and collaboration with child care providers during this unprecedented time has been inspiring.” For more information about the programs, click here.