Child Care Burden Relieved

Funding from City of Bend and Deschutes County positioned NeighborImpact’s Child Care Resources to award $650,000 in grants to 103 child care providers impacted financially by the pandemic. The financial assistance not only helped the providers stay open but also supported the region’s workforce and economy.

Some providers opened new classrooms and expanded their spaces to accommodate school-aged children who could not attend classes in-person; these children needed supervised care outside the home for their parents to return to work. The expanded services required investments that, without Child Care Resources’s help, the providers struggled to absorb.

“The grant monies and Personal Protective Equipment has allowed me not only to find solutions to our challenges but also to hire a wonderful new staff member to help with cleaning,” said Sprout Montessori owner Sharon Richardson. “The hard work that [NeighborImpact does] every day to support us is invaluable.”