The city of San Luis Obispo is investing $54,000 in a new pilot program to expand child care options within the next year.
Long waitlists to enroll children into child care and the lack of facilities to meet the demand have been a struggle for families for years, and the pandemic only made the situation worse.
“I was in the private business side when the pandemic first started," said Lee Johnson, San Luis Obispo Economic Development Manager. "And that was the first thing that happened, our employees were like ‘I can’t come to work, because of child care.’”
Johnson said the problem only grew as the pandemic continued.
“So to us, that was eyes wide open— that is an issue, and we need to think about it coming out of the pandemic of what do we do about it,” Johnson said.
San Luis Obispo is now allocating thousands of dollars to support child care start-up companies.
CAPSLO Children Services Manager Shana Paulson said those interested in starting a child care business can get a $5,000 grant, and CAPSLO will help with the process of starting the business.
“The goal is to create ten new child care businesses," Paulson said. "And this has the potential to unlock 40 to 80 slots for children in the city of San Luis Obispo.”
Paulson said those interested should contact CAPSLO. They can help people develop a plan and also can provide assistance with every step along the way.
The city aims to get these new child care businesses open within the next year.
Paulson said although the problem of child care services will continue to be an issue, this program is a step in the right direction of finding a solution.
“I think families will always be in need of access to more child care choices," Paulson said. "But to have more people involved in cultivating those opportunities-I think it’s going to change things for our community.”
