Funding for New and Expanding Child Care Businesses in Maine
$15 million dollars in federal funding has been allocated for the Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program through Governor Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and Child Care Plan for Maine. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) is administering the Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program through a partnership with CEI.
The Maine State Child Care Infrastructure Grant Program has been providing funding to help start new child care businesses and to expand current licensed capacity of existing child care providers.
Child care providers with pending investigations or licenses that are “conditional” or “sanctioned” will not be processed and/or awards will not be granted. Awards may be rescinded for programs that become “conditional” or “sanctioned.”
New applications are no longer being accepted.
Funds Usage
Funds awarded for family child care businesses may be used to renovate a home to accommodate high quality child care, including adding a room to be used exclusively for the child care business. Funds awarded for child care facilities may be used to purchase and renovate a building and to construct a new space. Applications are also being accepted for costs associated with acquisitions of existing child care facilities that demonstrate at least a 25% increase in enrollment within four months of the transaction.
Uses of Grant Funds
Grant awards received may be used for the following purposes:
- Renovating a home to accommodate high quality child care. Example: adding a window to allow for egress
- Purchasing or renting a building and renovating it to deliver high quality child care. Selected examples include adding natural light, removing a wall to increase the size of a room, adding an accessible ground-floor bathroom and installing a fire alarm system.
- Constructing a new building that is designed to enhance a child’s development.
- Buying educational materials. Selected examples include books, musical instruments, developmentally appropriate toys and consumable supplies, such as paper, paint and chalk.
- Acquiring indoor furniture and fixtures. Selected examples include tables, chairs, cribs and sleeping mats.
- Creating an outdoor learning environment. Selected examples include building pathways, gardens or activity centers, such as a mud kitchen.
- Buying playground equipment. Selected examples include swings, sandboxes, shade areas, playsets and energy-absorbing material.
- Procuring health and safety supplies and other materials required to be licensed. Selected examples include first aid kits, electrical outlet covers and gates.
- Having sufficient working capital on hand for the first month. Selected examples include money to cover a week of pre-opening payroll and a month of children’s food while you register and onboard with the subsidy and USDA food programs.
Grant awards are expected to cover a portion of the total expenses required to open or expand a child care business.
Priority Areas
Priority will be given to applications from Aroostook, Franklin, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington Counties. In addition, applicants committing to the following will receive bonus points:
- Providing care for infants
- Providing care for toddlers
- Providing care for families income-eligible for the Child Care Affordability Program (formerly referred to as the subsidy program)
- Participating in the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program
Application Review Process
After submission of your application, the State goes through a rigorous review process. Below are the formal steps taken:
Step 1 – CEI checks for the completion of application. Applicants are notified if there are any missing documents. At this time, OCFS Program Specialist also reviews child care system to cross check data provided in the application.
Step 2 – An internal review team comprised of staff from OCFS (child care and child care licensing), CEI, and Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future meet to discuss application contents to ensure that it meets all of the program requirements, score the application, allocate priority points and approve or deny.
Step 3 – Review team meeting outcomes are sent to OCFS leadership for final review and approval.
Step 4 – Once received, application decision sent to applicant.
*If you feel that your application result is inaccurate and would like to request a reconsideration, please submit any additional supporting documentation, including a formal letter outlining justification, to CCInfrastructureGrant.DHHS@maine.gov, within thirty (30) days of the email notice regarding the application result. The submission of the reconsideration request email should be titled “RECONSIDERATION REQUEST”* Response to the request and notification regarding the decision of the secondary application review process will be made within four (4) weeks.