A wide gap remains between available childcare and the number of families who need it in Santa Barbara County, but several agencies delivered positive news to the Board of Supervisors on the results of the $2 million in funds from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act that were spent on the Childcare Sector Relief and Recovery Initiative. While United Way of S.B. County worked to expand childcare offered by employers and corporations, the Santa Barbara Foundation added to the number of qualified early childhood–education professionals. Both reported in early October that they’d exceeded their original goals, with nine months left in the contract.
A United Way report in May revealed some alarming childcare statistics countywide — 75 percent of parents reported difficulty finding childcare spaces, only 10 percent of lower-income families are enrolled in center-based care, and 30 percent of middle-income parents are spending at least 30 percent of the family income on childcare. Three-quarters of employers believed that childcare challenges hurt their employees’ attendance.
The childcare initiative’s efforts thus far have resulted in more places for babies and toddlers, and more licensed professionals to care for them. The work done by subcontractors — which included Children’s Resource and Referral of Santa Barbara County and the S.B. County Education Office’s Child Care Planning Council — created 314 new places for infants and toddlers. Some children were placed at 10 brand-new childcare centers, while seven other centers expanded the number of children under their care.
