Ask any working parent and a top concern is finding and affording good quality child care. While there are some subsidized programs for low-income families, those programs have only about half the spaces needed. Working families who do not qualify for subsidized care find that child care costs can be prohibitively expensive. For all parents there is a serious lack of care available for infants and toddlers. So whether the problem is cost, availability, or indefinite time on waiting lists, the lack of accessible and affordable quality child care is a major roadblock for parents in the workforce.
Access to high-quality child care is vital for the well-being of children and the success of families and communities. In Santa Barbara County, families from all income levels struggle to find affordable, high-quality child care, leading to long waiting lists due to a shortage of 9,000 child care spots.
To address this pressing issue, we need innovative strategies to increase the number of child care spaces and the child care workforce. That’s why the Santa Barbara Foundation collaborates with private and social sector child care leaders and providers to expand access to affordable child care by enhancing child care spaces and the child care workforce.
As part of the Santa Barbara Foundation’s commitment to strengthening working and vulnerable families, we engage with our Build Up Santa Barbara partners to address the challenges of providing quality child care for our youngest residents, and identify opportunities to strengthen the child care workforce.
Key elements in our child care strategy include grantmaking, convening, local and state advocacy, event sponsorship, collaborative co-leadership, and partnerships that uplift and expand current child care efforts. Grantmaking efforts include the annual William and Lottie Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund and Child Care grant cycles.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Santa Barbara Foundation hosted Build Up Santa Barbara County Childcare Collaborative meetings to monitor and respond to emerging needs. In 2021, SBF and the collaborative advocated and garnered support for Childcare Sector Pandemic Recovery and Resilience American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding. In 2023, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors allocated ARPA funds to implement child care sector recovery and resilience efforts between 2023 and 2025. The Santa Barbara Foundation is one of the fiscal sponsors of this fund.
Additionally, the Santa Barbara Foundation has committed $100,000 over five years to Santa Barbara County Education – CTE’s Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Program, which supports quality child care and education, by addressing current staffing challenges with workforce expansion.
William & Lottie Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund
The William and Lottie Daniel fund has been investing in childcare scholarships in support of the Santa Barbara County workforce since 1997. The Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund makes child care scholarships available to nonprofit organizations that provide quality childcare for working families.
Between 2019 and 2023, the Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund received $2.8 million in requests for child care scholarships from sixty-three nonprofit applicants. The Santa Barbara Foundation awarded $1.5 million in scholarships to fifty-nine nonprofit child care providers. We seek to continue to grow this fund to support more working families across the county.
Child Care Grants (formerly Early Care and Education)
The Santa Barbara Foundation offers childcare grants to help nonprofit childcare providers in Santa Barbara County increase their capacity to meet the critical needs of young children and set the stage for lifelong learning success. Our grants support projects focused on professional development, family engagement, and the development of key areas of leadership. SBF gives priority to organizations serving children ages 0-5 years.
Between 2019 and 2023, the Child Care grant cycle drew $809,671 in requests from fifty-eight child care providers. The Santa Barbara Foundation awarded $536,208 to 44 grantees across the county. Consider making a donation to grow this fund to support our critical child care workforce.
2023 2024 William and Lottie Daniel Child Care Scholarship Fund recipients:
Build Up Santa Barbara County ARPA Project
Since 2023, the Santa Barbara Foundation’s partnership with CRR and CCPC increased infant and toddler child care spaces by 456 countywide, conducted a countywide survey, established a database to track expansion and facility child care projects, conducted a comprehensive Santa Barbara County Child Care Needs Assessment with child care asset map by region, and developed a child care grant program for for-profit providers.
If you are interested in contributing to child care solutions, we welcome your partnership and appreciate your support.
A summary of local efforts to understand and address child care facilities development with planning departments across Santa Barbara County and recommendations for improved processes for new and existing child care facilities. Click to read the full report.
The purpose of this report is to review and expand on what is known about child care facilities in Santa Barbara County to more clearly understand the need for child care facility development and expansion, especially for infants and toddlers. Click to read the full report.
Contact our team to help you with your specific needs.
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