Child care business training to create over 175 child care slots for Lane County families

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 across Oregon, Lane County is considered a child care desert, defined as a community with more than three children for every regulated child care slot. To shed this status, Lane County needs to add approximately 1,500 new child care slots to its current supply.

The Early Child Care Business Accelerator is a four-month program that focuses on providing the skills and knowledge to open a registered or certified home-based child care business.

Quality Care Connections provides safety and quality improvement training and licensing support for providers to become licensed with the Department of Early Learning and Care. According to Onward Eugene, a Licensed Registered Family provider can have up to 10 children in their home, and a Certified Family Provider can have up to 16 children in their home. The SBDC is providing business training and support so that early educators have the skills necessary to become a successful small business owner.

Accelerator participants are assigned an SBDC business advisor and licensed graduates receive $5,000 to start their business, as well as continued wrap-around services from both QCC and the SBDC after the program.

“The decisions are still all 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, partners have completed two cohorts of the program with 27 graduates, 14 new child care programs and a projected 175 new child care slots across Lane County.

“Two additional cohorts are scheduled to launch this fall – one serving rural community members in Cottage Grove and Florence and one serving participants who speak Spanish. Both are currently accepting applications,” says Cheryl Henderson, director of Child and Family Education at Lane Community College.

“We are thrilled to not only continue to chip away at the number of new slots needed across the community, but to also support these new businesses and local job creation,” says Holly Mar-Conte, Child Care Sector Strategist at Onward Eugene.

This free program is made possible by 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 be awarded a “highly competitive” Strategic Innovation Grant from the Oregon Workforce and Talent Development Board, via the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, in support of the Early Child Care Business Accelerator program.

Both the City of Eugene and City of Springfield partner to provide eligible graduates in each city $5,000 start up grants through small business micro-enterprise grant programs.

“This program gives people an opportunity to build a business and to provide child care, which we need so desperately,” said Kori Rodley, Springfield city councilor.

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

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

If you are interested in applying for one of the Early Child Care Business Accelerator’s fall cohorts, visit Quality Care Connections | Resources for the Community | Lane Community College (lanecc.edu) or call (541) 463-3954