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Child Care Retention Payment and Seattle Stabilization Grant

Funding Amount and Source

Seattle’s Department of Education & Early Learning (DEEL) and King County Best Starts for Kids are partnering to release $7.4 million in funding to support the child care workforce in Seattle and King County. The spread of new variants has taken a toll an already fragile sector. Providers are facing lost revenue, staffing shortages, frustrated families, and an inability to hire and retain staff.

DEEL is expanding child care stabilization efforts that began in 2020 with $2.4 million in additional funding from the JumpStart Payroll Expense Tax, and combining efforts with King County for an additional $5 million from the Best Starts for Kids Levy. This funding creates an opportunity for  one-time retention bonuses to child care workers across King County to support retention, continuity of care, and stability in the field. Historically, this is a highly valued industry that continues to see an underinvestment and this funding is one step toward bringing needed support to this critical workforce. Child Care Resources will distribute payments to the child care community on behalf of DEEL and King County.

Two Funding Opportunities, One Application

In this funding opportunity, both initiatives are accessed via a single application:

Child Care Retention Payment is for eligible staff members working at DCYF licensed child care programs located in King County. These grants will be distributed by the child care program to all eligible staff via the program’s payroll system.

Seattle Stabilization Grant is for DCYF licensed child care programs located within the City of Seattle. These flexible-spending grants will be used to support stabilization of the child care industry. 

Application Now Open

We are pleased to announce we are now accepting applications.  Applications will be accepted until Monday, June 27, 2022, 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time. The Recognition Payment and the Stabilization Grant are not competitive; all applications received during the application period will be equally considered for eligibility.

Child care programs (family child care, center based, and school age), located within the boundaries of King County that are licensed by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) are encouraged to apply. Programs located outside of King County, programs categorized by DCYF as license exempt, and Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers are not eligible.  

Application for these funds must be submitted by the employer. In the case of family child care providers, this is the licensee. 

Full Details in the Attached FAQ

Important additional details regarding the Child Care Retention Payment (grants for King County DCYF licensed providers, including those located in Seattle) and the Seattle Stabilization Grant (grants for DCYF licensed providers located within the City of Seattle) are included in the attached FAQ document. Please read this thoroughly before beginning the application process.

Accessing the Application

The application is available in Amharic, Simplified Chinese, English, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Click below to apply. 

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Application forms and the FAQ document can also be accessed via DEEL’s website. If you are unable to submit the application electronically, a pdf version may be submitted to DEELfunding@seattle.gov.

If you need assistance, please contact CCR’s Provider Line at 1-800-446-1114, email us at grants@childcare.org (do not submit applications to this email address), or for those with an Early Achievers coach, contact your coach.