Child care providers in Harford County may be eligible for $7,500 grants to help offset ongoing COVID-19 expenses, county government announced Wednesday. It also announced that it would open up existing COVID-19 relief grant programs to businesses that have opened since the pandemic began.
Applications for child care grants and any business grants are due by 5 p.m. Dec. 4. Any licensed in-home, nonprofit or faith-based child care establishments are eligible for the grants on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Many of our smaller child care providers have been adapting to COVID-19 restrictions since the pandemic started and now many of them are hosting students who are learning virtually,” County Executive Barry Glassman said in a statement. “Our newest grants will help some of those child care providers continue to provide safe and comfortable environments for our children who cannot be home with their parents during the day.”
Program guidelines and applications for child care provider grants can be found on the county’s website at bit.ly/CCPRGrant. Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the guidelines before making their submission, according to the county. Questions may be directed to COVIDgrantquestions@harfordcountymd.gov.
Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, the money can be used by child care providers offset expenses related to personal protective equipment (PPE), payroll, inside and outside facility enhancements such as additions or upgrades to maintain physical distancing standards and interest payments on business loans or lines of credit, according to a news release.
Rebecca Quinn, president of the Family Daycare Association of Harford County and owner of Becky’s Family Childcare in Bel Air, wrote to Glassman a few weeks ago asking for assistance. She said she was thrilled to learn the county was offering grants to providers who are struggling, but has heard from providers worried whether they should apply.
“Family childcare providers really need the help right now, due to the COVID-19 epidemic,” she said. “But a lot of providers are scrambling, trying to figure out how we can spend that much money in that amount of time.”
Any grant funding received needs to be spent by Dec. 30, but it can be applied retroactively to any COVID-related expenses incurred after March 9, said Cindy Mumby, a spokesperson for county government.
Quinn, who applied for the grant, said her greatest costs have been PPE, cleaning supplies and additional toys for the eight infants and toddlers she cares for.
“The cleaning costs are outrageous and supplies are hard to find– there are a lot of providers who still can’t find cleaning supplies,” she said. “A month ago Lysol was like $80 for a pack of three bottles if you have to order it online because you can’t find it in stores.”
She’s also bought an extra table to lunch and snack time, so students and spread out and social distance, and some providers have had to buy additional toys, since sharing them can also spread germs.
“You can’t just have one thing for them all to play with you have to have separate things,” Quinn said.
If she receives funding, one of the first items Quinn plans to purchase is a rug with circles on it spaced six feet apart to give the children a visual reminder to social distance.
“That money could real help out with those kinds of things,” she said.
The child care grant is the county’s fifth COVID-19 relief grant program. Harford initially offered a $7,500 Small Business Relief grant, a $5,000 Business Owner Assistance grant and a $2,500 Homegrown Harford Farm Relief grant. On Oct. 1, Glassman announced $10,000 grants for restaurant relief.
Previously, the grants were available only to Harford businesses open prior to March 9, around the time the first coronavirus cases were discovered in Maryland. The grants are now available to any businesses that have opened since then, according to county government.
Childcare providers who have previously received a Harford County COVID-19 Business Relief Grant are not eligible for the Childcare Provider Relief Grant.
CARES Act funding must be spent by Dec. 30, although some national organizations and federal officials have been seeking to extend the deadline.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan recently called on county governments to consider using some of their federal money to match state relief programs meant to bolster the economy during the pandemic and officials have noted state government has authority from Congress to recoup unspent funding from counties to repurpose it for state matters.
Harford County received approximately $45 million in CARES Act funding, which Glassman said last month he will have spent by the end of the year. About half of the money is required to be used for health-related expenses, such as PPE, and the other half to bolster local economies. The latest figures on how much funding has been spent were not immediately available Wednesday morning.
Last week, Harford County Public Schools announced it had received more than $5 million in CARES Act funding from Harford County government. The funds will be used to cover laptop purchases for Career and Technology education, pay for food service and Learning Support Center staff, as well as supplies and materials given to students for distance learning and PPE.
Glassman has also reached out to other allied agencies such as municipal governments, volunteer fire companies and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, asking they submit priorities for CARES Act funding.