ounty Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. today announced a Family Daycare Startup Grant Program that would provide $250,000 to create new home daycare businesses and help existing home daycares expand.
“The inadequate supply of childcare is a major hurdle faced by families and employers across Oneida County,” Picente said. “The startup costs associated with creating a family daycare is a barrier that many cannot overcome. This grant program will alleviate that burden, and in turn, expand childcare capacity by strengthening the workforce pipeline, generating jobs and giving more options to families looking for affordable daycare.”
The Family Daycare Startup Fund is a direct result of the recommendations given in a recent report from the Oneida County Childcare Taskforce that Picente formed after his 2022 State of the County Address. One of the major barriers the taskforce identified with starting a family daycare is the initial cost, which currently is the financial responsibility of the daycare provider. Startup costs can include diapers, playpens, various toys, educational materials, sleeping mats or cribs and a variety of other equipment designed to improve the safety and quality of the environment for the children being supervised.
Those costs can be prohibitive to lower-income families interested in starting up their own family daycare and prevent some individuals from becoming New York State-certified providers. Existing providers also face the same cost barrier when in need of equipment to expand their capacity to be able to provide services to more parents.
According to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), there are currently 67 licensed family daycare homes, 51 licensed group family daycare homes and 34 licensed daycare centers in Oneida County.
