Training for child care providers to create over 175 child care spaces for families in Lane County

EUGENE, Ore. — A new child care business training program led by child care resource and referral agency Quality Care Connections (QCC) and the Lane Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in partnership with Onward Eugene is creating new child care slots in Lane County, the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and Onward Eugene announced.

Like most other counties in Oregon, Lane County is considered a child care desert, meaning a community with more than three children per regulated child care spot. To get rid of this status, Lane County must expand its current offering by approximately 1,500 new child care spots.

The Early Child Care Business Accelerator is a four-month program designed to provide the skills and knowledge needed to open a registered or certified home-based child care business.

Quality Care Connections provides training and licensing support in the areas of safety and quality improvement for providers seeking licensure with the Department of Early Learning and Care. According to Onward Eugene, a licensed registered family provider can care for up to 10 children in their home and a certified family provider can care for up to 16 children. The SBDC offers business training and support to help educators gain the skills necessary to become a successful small business owner.

Accelerator participants are assigned a business advisor from the SBDC and licensed graduates receive $5,000 to start their business as well as ongoing wraparound services from both the QCC and SBDC after the program.

“The decisions are still entirely in their hands, but we are here to guide them in the right direction so they can make smart business decisions,” says Jason Petorak, one of the course instructors at the Lane Small Business Development Center.

To date, the partners have completed two cohorts of the program with 27 graduates, 14 new child care programs, and an expected 175 new child care spaces throughout Lane County.

“Two more cohorts are scheduled to start in the fall – one for members of rural communities in Cottage Grove and Florence and one for participants who speak Spanish. Both are currently accepting applications,” says Cheryl Henderson, director of child and family education at Lane Community College.

“We are very pleased that we can not only continue to reduce the number of new spaces needed in the community, but also support these new businesses and local job creation,” said Holly Mar-Conte, child care strategist at Onward Eugene.

This free program is made possible through funding and support from Lane Community College and several philanthropic foundations including: Chambers Family Foundation, JTMF Foundation, and Roundhouse Foundation. Onward Eugene was one of eight recipients in Oregon to receive a “highly competitive” Strategic Innovation Grant from the Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to support the Early Child Care Business Accelerator program.

The City of Eugene and the City of Springfield are partnering to provide $5,000 startup grants to eligible graduates in both cities through micro-enterprise grant programs.

“This program gives people the opportunity to build a business and provide child care that we so desperately need,” said Springfield City Councilwoman Kori Rodley.

The cities' grant programs are funded by federal Community Development Block Grant funds. These funds are used to improve local communities by providing housing, improved infrastructure, public facilities and services, and increased economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.

“For many families, access to child care is key to economic stability,” said Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis. “By investing in new in-home child care facilities, we are not only meeting a critical need for working families, but we are also supporting local businesses and economic growth. This program is a win-win for our community and we are proud to support it.”

To apply for one of the Early Child Care Business Accelerator fall cohorts, visit Quality Care Connections | Resources for the Community | Lane Community College (lanecc.edu) or call (541) 463-3954.