Access to quality child care is essential infrastructure for families, employers, and the local economy. Yet across Santa Barbara County, families struggle to find affordable care, providers face financial instability, and the early childhood workforce remains underpaid and overstretched.
The Santa Barbara Foundation works with public agencies, nonprofit partners, and community leaders to strengthen the child care ecosystem by expanding access, supporting providers and the workforce, and advancing long-term solutions that help families and communities thrive.
The Santa Barbara Foundation advances child care access and affordability through a combination of grantmaking, partnerships, and systems change strategies that strengthen the early care and education ecosystem.
Our work focuses on:
These strategies help build a stronger child care system that supports children, families, and the regional economy.
Grantmaking is a cornerstone of the Santa Barbara Foundation’s work to strengthen the early care and education system in Santa Barbara County. Through targeted investments, the Foundation supports families, child care providers, and the early childhood workforce.
William & Lottie Daniel Child Care Scholarships
The William and Lottie Daniel Fund provides scholarships that help families afford quality child care. These scholarships expand access to care for working families while helping child care providers maintain stable enrollment and sustainable programs.
The Foundation also invests in the child care workforce, supporting programs that strengthen provider capacity, expand training opportunities, and help sustain the professionals who care for young children across our community.
Learn more about Child Care funding programs on our Grant Opportunities page.
A cornerstone of SBF’s Child Care work is the Santa Barbara County Child Care Facilities Master Plan, a countywide roadmap to address the shortage of licensed child care spaces—particularly for infants and toddlers.
Developed with community partners, the Master Plan outlines strategies to increase child care capacity by supporting facility development, partnering with local jurisdictions, and aligning public and private investment in child care infrastructure.
The Master Plan provides a pathway for cities, the County, and community partners to work together to expand child care access and strengthen the infrastructure families rely on every day.
Explore the Master Plan & ToolkitFollowing the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Barbara County’s early care and education system experienced major disruptions, including closed classrooms, workforce losses, and fewer available child care spaces.
In response, the Santa Barbara Foundation partnered with Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County (CRR) and the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Child Care Planning Council (CCPC) to launch an equity-driven recovery initiative funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) with support from the County of Santa Barbara and First 5 Santa Barbara County.
With $1.125 million invested between 2023 and 2025, the initiative:
This work demonstrates what is possible when public investment aligns with community leadership and a shared commitment to strengthening child care.
Strengthening child care is essential to the long-term vitality of Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara Foundation remains committed to working with partners across the region to expand access to quality care, support the workforce, and build a child care system that allows children, families, and communities to thrive.
While progress is underway, significant gaps remain between the need for child care and the resources available to support families and providers. Philanthropic investment plays a vital role in helping close these gaps and advancing solutions that strengthen the entire child care ecosystem.
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