The City of Camarillo is delighted to have partnered with Child Development Resources of Ventura County, Inc. (CDR), who administered Camarillo’s Child Care Stipend Program which helped sustain child care services for families during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
“An investment in child care is an investment in the future,” explained Camarillo Mayor Charlotte Craven. “The Camarillo City Council unanimously voted in favor of this program to support child care centers and the families who rely on child care services. We are proud to be able to fund this critical service during these challenging times. Furthermore, we are delighted to have worked with Child Development Resources of Ventura County, whose staff did an excellent job implementing Camarillo’s Licensed Child Care Stipend Program.”
The Camarillo Licensed Child Care Stipend Program was funded by the City of Camarillo and administered by CDR. Grants ranged from $924 to $5,000, depending on the number of children licensed for child care at the given facility. Child care providers were eligible to receive a stipend if they had not already received a grant from the Ventura County Business Recovery Grant, which was administered by the Ventura County Community Foundation, and so long as they committed to remain open and serving children during the pandemic.
In October of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, CDR partnered with the City of Camarillo to create and implement a program to help child care providers stay in business. While many child care providers were able to reopen after a temporary closure, some are still not fully enrolled at this time. Providers have also had to make significant modifications to their businesses and continue to face rolling challenges that impact their sustainability.
To help this vital service continue, the City of Camarillo budgeted $119,600 in funding to CDR in order to support 54 licensed child care providers, serving 2,296 children in the City of Camarillo. Funds could be used to offset the increase of expenses for cleaning and safety supplies.
CDR awarded $93,278 in grant payments distributed between November 2020 and January 2021 to a total of 39 providers. Funding was only awarded to those who were eligible for the program, including 19 Licensed Centers and 20 Licensed Family Child Care Homes.
Gratitude was widely expressed by stipend recipients. “Thank you so much for supporting families here in the City of Camarillo,” remarked a representative from center-based Seven C’s. “We appreciate the support that helps us serve the community,” added center-based Peace Preschool and Child Care. Savanna Torres, who operates a child care emphasized, “Thank you for looking out for us providers!”
“Child care providers are essential workers primarily run by women and minorities,” said Stuart Orlinsky,” Program Operations Analysis Officer at CDR. “The reduction in income and increase in expenses in order to provide healthy and safe care has taken its toll on the industry, with almost 12% of licensed child care in Ventura County closed permanently since the start of the pandemic. These funds are a needed investment to keep the local economy going and parents working,” noted Orlinsky.
CDR is a leader in Ventura County serving families and child care providers for more than 40 years. To learn more about CDR, please visit their website: www.cdrv.org.
To learn more about how the City of Camarillo is helping the community navigate the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, please visit www.cityofcamarillo.org/covid19.
City of Camarillo
Michelle Glueckert D’Anna
Community Relations Officer
(805) 388-5370
Child Development Resources
Stuart Orlinsky
Program Operations Analysis Officer
(805) 485-7878 x301
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