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Committee approves Kresge-funded start-up grants to help home-based child care providers expand
Summary
Detroit committee approved a resolution to authorize contract 6006998, using Kresge funds to help home-based child care providers convert to group homes and cover licensing and start-up costs; Office of Early Learning and IFF to support outreach and administration.
Council committee members voted to approve a Kresge-funded grant program to help home-based child care providers expand to group home licenses and cover initial licensing and start-up costs.
The motion to approve the resolution authorizing contract number 6006998 was made during the Committee of the Whole meeting and carried by voice vote with no objections. Dr. Lisa Sturgess, representing the Office of Early Learning, said the funding “is connected to the zoning regulations that were... adjusted, beginning in December” and is specifically intended to support family providers that are moving to group-home status. She said the grant can cover licensing fees and basic materials needed when a provider expands (for example, additional cots and chairs).
Dr. Sturgess told the committee that the grant is funded by the Kresge Foundation and that local nonprofit IFF has experience administering similar grants and has begun assembling a list of interested home-based programs. Asked how many providers the grant could support, she said the office’s goal was a range, adding “I would guess... somewhere between 40 and 50 home based providers with this grant.”
Committee members asked about other funding streams and supports. Dr. Sturgess noted state-funded Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) expansion grants — currently described in the meeting as $25,000 per classroom — and said she had heard informally that the state might increase that figure, though she called that information unofficial. She offered to follow up with contact information; the Office of Early Learning phone number given in the meeting packet is (313) 378-6817.
The committee sent the item forward with a recommendation to approve. The resolution authorizes the city to execute contract 6006998 to administer start-up grants for home-based child care providers; implementation and detailed eligibility and award procedures will be handled by the Office of Early Learning and the contract administrator.
The committee did not record a roll-call vote on the record; the item passed by unanimous voice consent.
