Corte Madera reports $65,000 in recreation scholarships, largest share to childcare and summer programs

Staff presented the commission with the third formal year summary of the Corte Madera Recreation Scholarship Program and recommended maintaining the current program structure for 2025.

Staff reported about 55 applicants in 2024 and said the program distributed “a little over $65,000 total,” with the majority of awards serving childcare and summer camp-related requests. The program’s stated caps are $600 per person, $1,000 per family and $200 per adult; staff said they work with families to find additional funding when needed.

Jim Barry and other staff described coordination with the Marin Child Care Council, which staff said provided about $30,000 in additional funding to qualifying families in 2024. Staff also described a regular referral relationship with the local school district to identify children who need after‑school or summer care, and said 28 district-referred students attended last summer’s Camp Corte Madera.

Commissioners asked whether the program’s emphasis on childcare is intentional or a result of demand; staff said the district referral and the nature of childcare costs drive the current distribution and that staff will do more outreach to seniors, where they saw relatively few applicants.

Staff recommended continuing the program with the same caps and asked that the budget process include an appropriate scholarship allocation for 2025.