MassDevelopment webinar outlines eligibility, budget and application tips for Family Child Care Capital Grant

Diana Figueroa, program manager for the Family Child Care Capital Grant program at MassDevelopment, told webinar attendees that the program has limited funding and not all applicants will receive awards. “Please note that this program has limited funding, and not everyone will receive a grant,” she said.

The Family Child Care Capital Grant, administered by MassDevelopment and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, supports home-based child care providers seeking physical improvements to their childcare spaces and measures that expand program capacity. Figueroa said the program’s goals include increasing enrollment, raising licensed capacity and improving the quality of child care environments.

Figueroa described four application elements reviewers prioritize: a clear business and project purpose, a statement of need tied to measurable outcomes, a detailed implementation plan and a specific, itemized budget. She advised applicants to use SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound — noting projects should be completed within a nine-month time frame under this grant.

She gave specifics about eligible and ineligible expenses. Tier 1 equipment must “directly support program operations and have a useful warranty of at least 3 years,” and requests must be for fixed, integrated items, not movable furniture or portable equipment. Figueroa said portable items such as tables and chairs, toys, general childcare supplies and electronic equipment are ineligible. Basic bathroom remodels are not eligible, she added.

On site improvements, Figueroa said funding is limited to areas where care is provided and may include outdoor upgrades such as resurfacing pavement, adding fencing and building decks or patios. She encouraged applicants to request energy-efficient equipment for the childcare space but cautioned that HVAC work must be fixed and integrated to qualify.

Budget and contractor guidance featured prominently. Figueroa said many applicants were disqualified for insufficient scopes of work or for using unlicensed or expired contractors. She urged applicants to provide itemized quotes showing how grant funds will be spent and to verify contractor credentials. “Contractors or any third party vendors cannot be relatives,” she said. She also said some applicants requested more than the program cap without showing a personal match or other revenue to cover costs above the cap.

The grant cap is $25,000 per applicant; requests above that amount require documentation of additional funding or a personal match, Figueroa said. She also described a valid contractor quote as one that includes all necessary details from both the contractor and the applicant and recommended using license verification websites, links to which are included in the webinar slide deck that was emailed to attendees.

Timeline and next steps stated in the webinar: applications for the first round were submitted in September of last year; round 1 award recommendations will be announced in early summer; and applications for round 2 will become available at that time. Attendees were given a help desk phone contact for questions.