Four Vancouver early-learning providers received a combined $400,000 from the Washington State Department of Commerce. Park Crest Early Care and Education Center and Hough Early Care and Education Center, both part of Educational Service District 112, received $182,864 and $77,929, respectively. Innovative Services NW received $102,746, and Family Home Childcare received $40,000, the department announced in a news release Tuesday. The money will go to health and safety renovations. “We’re going to be doing basic infrastructure updates. It’s important to have access to safe and up-to-date space,” ESD 112 Executive Director of Communications Monique Dugaw said Tuesday. “It’s really about supporting these facilities so we can continue to offer support and care to families who need it.” In total, the department awarded $7 million in grants to 64 early-learning providers across the state. The grants will provide financial assistance for child care providers to make minor renovations, such as updating playground equipment, fencing and HVAC upgrades. “We know that child care is a barrier to employment for families, and we can advance economic opportunity for Washington’s families by ensuring children have a place to thrive,” Commerce Director Mike Fong said in a news release.

The funds came from the department’s Early Learning Facilities Program, which launched in 2017 and has awarded more than $180 million to create more than 12,500 child care openings statewide. The Early Learning Facilities Program received 179 applications requesting more than $21 million, more than triple the available funds. The department collaborated with the Department of Children, Youth and Families to develop a criteria for grants, such as the number of child care openings serving low-income families, location and projects in rural or low-income areas. “Investing in licensed child care providers means increased access to high-quality early learning programs for families across the state,” Department of Children, Youth and Families Secretary Ross Hunter said in the news release. “I am pleased the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and Department of Commerce continue to support and sustain access to child care, which supports school readiness, allows families to secure stable employment, bolsters local economies and makes communities stronger.”

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