Burlington Childcare Center Project (BCCP), in collaboration with the City of Burlington, has been awarded a CIRCLE grant in the amount of $100,000. In partnership with the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, Early Milestones is leading the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Initiative. This initiative will provide nearly $23 million in grants to child care providers and other community, education, or governmental partners pursuing innovative solutions to challenges worsened by the pandemic.
BCCP has allocated the bulk of the awarded funds to a scholarship program sending recipients to college to work towards becoming certified to work in the future childcare center. The certificates offered through Morgan Community College are Early Childhood Education Director, Early Childhood Education Infant/Toddler Teacher, Early Childhood Teacher, and Early Childhood Education Assistant.
The scholarship will pay tuition, fees, books and materials, paid internships at local classrooms and childcare centers and CPR & first aid certification, with stipends for childcare costs, mileage, and for a completion grade of “C” or better.
Any existing language barriers will be removed through customized language assistance. Candidates will have the opportunity to learn English alongside the Early Childhood Education coursework with language learning resources and bilingual support. For more information about the scholarship, please visit the BCCP website or call/text 970-630-1238.
In order to implement this program, BCCP has allocated a portion of the CIRCLE grant money to pay for the following two support roles: a Bilingual Training Coordinator to oversee the scholarship program and to provide ongoing support to the scholarship recipients throughout the term of the scholarship program; and a Bilingual English Learning Coordinator who will work directly with the English-learner candidates to provide bilingual support for the English-learning program and will provide English immersion activities to supplement the language course offered. These positions are currently open and all interested candidates are encouraged to apply.
Stemming from advice of the Early Childhood Council for Yuma, Washington, and Kit Carson Counties (ECCYWK), a portion of the grant budget is allocated to pay a part-time project manager. It was indicated by the ECCYWK representation on the BCCP board that based on previous experience with other successful childcare center initiatives, having a dedicated project manager will likely speed up the project timeline and contribute greatly to the success of the project. Interviews are underway to fill this position.
Lastly, a portion of the CIRCLE grant funding is allocated to purchase signage to advertise the fundraising, enrollment, and recruitment efforts of the project.
The CIRCLE grant is just the tip of the iceberg of grant funding which BCCP has identified to pursue. Many private charitable foundations and government agencies are actively seeking ways to transform childcare affordability and availability state-wide. As cliché as it may sound, it is true that these larger philanthropic organizations look to help communities that help themselves. Grant funding is typically awarded only to applicants who show widespread community collaboration and strong financial backing from local stakeholders. For this reason, local leaders and organizations are urged to consider how they may take part in this community effort!
