Applicants are invited to submit applications for the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Workforce Demonstration Pilot Project.
Donor Name: Best Starts for Kids
State: Washington
County: King County (WA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/22/2022
Size of the Grant: $500,000
Details:
The Best Starts Child Care Workforce Demonstration Pilot Project (also known as the Wage Boost Pilot Project ) will provide a wage boost to low-paid child care providers who are working with infants from birth to age 12 in King County and study the impact of these wage boosts. They want to bump up the wages of child care workers while tracking the long-lasting impacts these pay increases have on sustainability for child care providers, continuity of care, and employee retention.
The Workforce Demonstration Pilot Project will be implemented in partnership with an intermediary responsible for distributing funds and collecting data. The intermediary will be identified, and project will begin in 2022, and the contract will continue through December 2025. Participating child care providers will be accepted on a rolling basis, as funding allows, and remain in the project for the duration of their employment, or through 2027, whichever comes first.
Funding Information
- This RFQ offers up to a total of $15,500,000 in funding over three years, to stand up and administer the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Workforce Demonstration Pilot.
- For 2022 Estimated Funding Amount: $500,000
Eligibility Criteria
This RFQ is open to for-profit and nonprofit organizations, Community-Based Organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations and public or governmental agencies serving communities in King County, unless otherwise specified in the minimum qualifications of each role. Small nonprofits and Community-Based Organizations are encouraged to submit applications.
Minimum Qualifications
The organizations applying should have the following qualities:
- Have demonstrated standards for service delivery that are culturally and linguistically relevant to communities who identify as BIPOC, including a Racial Equity focus and supportive practices within their organization.
- Have a focus on holistic values of strengthening pathways and impact for BIPOC leadership in the child care community in King County;
- Emphasize the importance of community connection as they collaborate to create an established feedback loop with the child care community;
- Understand all child care models within King County;
- Can establish technical support abilities to support Child Care Providers with the application process to this Pilot Project, including language and technology barriers providers may face;
- Can provide linguistically appropriate services and translated documentation in the top languages preferred by King County Child Care Providers, as determined by the County;
- Can adapt to a dynamic child care landscape, including new funding, increasing costs, shifting eligibility, etc.;
- Have the infrastructure to effectively provide an ongoing salary supplement to Child Care Providers working with children aged birth through twelve;
- Will prioritize Child Care Providers in areas with limited child care access, as determined by the County, or who are serving low-income families; and/or
- Understands the current landscape of Child Care Provider wages and the potential impact of improved pay Applicant on retention and Continuity of Care.
For more information, visit Best Starts for Kids.
