Welcome to the Childcare Community Task Force Application System. We are proud to consider strengthening your organization through this grant process. These are competitive grants designed to focus, enhance and/or expand an organization’s existing programs and services; or as an investment in a project which is a critical enhancement to the mission of your childcare organization.
Through diverse engagement in late 2021, residents of Reno County, Kansas, identified child care as their top priority for local American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Then, in 2022, Hutchinson City Council committed $1,733,844.61 and Reno County Board of Commission committed $4.5 million to impact the local child care system. The United Way of Reno County was contracted to serve as fiscal sponsor of the combined funds, and it formed the Reno County Child Care Task Force to provide leadership, strategy, and oversight of the funding. The mission of the Reno County Child Care Task Force is to build systematic, sustainable, and equitable child care solutions that will benefit providers, parents, and businesses.
A total of $2.9 million through 2026 is dedicated to Retention Grants, a continuation of the Child Care Aware of Kansas Sustainability Grants and designed to provide unrestricted funding to retain licensed child care facilities in Reno County. Beyond retaining quality child care, a secondary purpose of the Retention Grants is to collect data that will reveal the true cost of care for providers across licensing types. This data will inform potential efficiencies, shared services, and innovative business models to impact child care availability, affordability, and quality, and it will inform how a separate $2.9 million in ARPA funds will be allocated or granted through 2026 for innovation and expansion. All of the information provided will help the Reno County Child Care Task Force track the impact of ARPA funds and generate strategies to support the child care system long-term.
Eligible Applicants
Permanent and current license through KDHE
Home, group, and centers, including non-profit and for-profit
Care for children 0-5 all-day, all-year, no school age programs. However, you will be asked about school age programs on the application.
Located in Reno County, Kansas
Must agree to all requirements
6 months license
Grant Amount
A total of $362,225 is available to award in 2023
Individual grant awards will be based on a formula of $220 per child under 12 in care in the prior quarter
Funds will be disbursed on a reimbursement basis
Grant checks will be issued X weeks after each submission window closes
Procedure for Submitting Proposals
Applications will be accepted on the following timeline:
Q1 2023 - May 15-July 15
Q2 2023 - July 16 -August 15
Q3 2023 - October 15-November 15
Q4 2023 - January 15-February 15, 2024
Reporting Requirements- Since these grants are reimbursement based there will be no reporting requirements other than providing the detailed budget for this round of funding. However, someone on behalf of the Reno County Childcare Taskforce may reach out to you for an impact story on how the dollars helped you and the children you serve.
Contact childcarerenocounty@gmail.com or call 620-669-9329 with any questions.
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