Establishing a child care grant pilot program.

A Local Law in relation to establishing a child care grant pilot program

This bill would require an administering agency designated by the Mayor to establish a three-year child care grant pilot program by July 1, 2023, from which grants may be awarded to child care programs that establish a need for assistance, in an amount that the administering agency determines appropriate to assist with maintaining such child care program’s operations. To be eligible for a grant, a child care program would need to be at significant risk of closure or displacement, file an application on a form prepared by the administering agency, certify the number of employees employed by such child care program, and meet any other requirements as determined by the administering agency. The administering agency would be required to post information about the pilot program online within one year after the commencement of the program, to be updated as appropriate. This bill would also require the administering agency to submit a report to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council no later than one year after the commencement of the program, and annually thereafter, on the grants awarded to each child care program, including, but not limited to, the name of each grant recipient, the type of child care program such grant recipient operates, and the amount of the grant received. The report would also include an overview of any challenges associated with implementing the pilot program and recommendations for whether and how such pilot program may be continued or expanded.