WBDC Accepting Applications for Next Round of CT Child Care Business Grants

The Women’s Business Development Council’s Child Care Business Support Program and Opportunity Fund is now open for a new round of applications and child care businesses in Connecticut are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $25,000. The innovative grant program, supported by a partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), will accept applications through September 27.

WBDC Announces New Round of Grants for CT Child Care Businesses

A partnership between the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) and the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) began in 2020 to support child care businesses through the WBDC Child Care Business Support Program and Opportunity Fund. In its first two years, the program — powered by this first-of-its-kind partnership — has distributed 366 grants to 219 child care businesses, totaling $4.19 million in funding to Connecticut’s child care providers — an industry devastated by the pandemic.

Women’s Business Development Council Announces 5 New Hires, Including Three Child Care Business Advisors

The Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) is pleased to announce the hiring of five new staffers, including three new business advisors specifically committed to supporting home- and center-based child care businesses in Connecticut.

The child care industry has been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many providers closing their doors due to factors such as severe revenue losses, increased health compliance costs, and staffing shortages. This situation has wider ramifications for the economy as a whole, as a lack of available child care has forced millions of parents — primarily working women — to pause or stop their careers to care for young children.