Child Care Business Opportunity Fund
WBDC is pleased to offer grants of up to $25,000 to qualified child care businesses.
WBDC, in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), is offering grants of up to $25,000 to qualified child care businesses in Connecticut through its Child Care Business Opportunity Fund.
Designed to help licensed and aspiring child care businesses grow, the Opportunity Fund has grant programs targeting different stages of business, from start-ups to those ready to expand.
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Current Grant Programs to Meet a Variety of Needs
Grant application portal, and no-cost grant application support, is available in English & Spanish.
Start-Up Grants
- Up to $5,000 for family homes, $10,000 for group homes, and $25,000 for centers for start-up operating expenses
- Open to aspiring & licensed child care providers open for less than 1 year
- Applications will be open August 12 – September 9
Expansion Grants
- Up to $25,000 to create slots and maximize enrollment
- Open to licensed providers operating with enrolled children for 2+ years
- Applications will be open August 12 – September 9
Emergency Facilities Grants
- Up to $15,000 for urgent facilities projects to remain open & safe
- Open to licensed providers operating with enrolled children for 6+ months
- Applications will be open August 12 – November 15; applications accepted on a rolling basis; pre-application required
FCC Incubator Pilot Start-up Grant Program
- Up to $5,000 for individuals approved to operate in an OEC-approved Family Child Care Incubator (e.g., YMCA New Britain)
- Grants to support start-up operating expenses within the first 6 months of operation
- Applications currently closed – eligible individuals will receive a direct invite to apply
Learn About Our Grants
Ready to learn more about how you can apply?
Sign up for an info session and click through these boxes to make sure you have all the information you need to make your application strong!
Join us for a Grant Information Session to learn about what the grant can be used for, eligibility requirements, and what information we’re looking for in the application. If you have attended a Grant Information Session in the past year, the information will be similar, but you are welcome to attend on of these dates.
Wednesday, August 7 from 1:15PM – 2:30PM (English) – Register Here
Thursday, August 15 from 1:30PM – 2:45PM (English) – Register Here
Wednesday, August 7 from 6:00PM – 7:30PM (Spanish) – Register Here
Tuesday, August 13 from 1:00PM – 2:30PM (Spanish) – Register Here
Applied in the past? We encourage past applicants who are familiar with our grants to skip the Information Session., Instead, book an advising appointment to discuss your grant project and work on your application. We invite you to also join the Grant Prep Sessions most relevant to you.
Once you’ve attended a Grant Information Session, we encourage you to take advantage of the multiple sessions to help you complete your grant application.
Application Walk-Thru
Join us as we do a live demo of the grant application portal. Get tips on how to use the portal effectively, from uploading documents, saving your progress, to printing your app.
Friday, August 16 from 10:30-11:00AM (English) Register Here
Saturday, August 17 from 9:00AM-9:45AM (Spanish) Register Here
Preparing Your Financial Statements & Projections
We will walk you through gathering your financials and filling out the WBDC financial templates for your Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Projections.
Tuesday, August 20 from 1:00-2:30PM (English) Register Here
Wednesday, August 21 from 5:30-7:00PM (Spanish) Register Here
Preparing Your Use of Funds & Supporting Documents
This session will help you consider what relevant projects or expenses you may have for your business, how it will benefit your business, and how to turn that into your use of funds request & impact statement. We will also guide you on how to gather the backup documents to support your project idea.
Monday, August 26 from 1:00-2:00PM (English/Spanish) Register Here
Business Advising (English/Spanish)
Our team can guide you on eligibility requirements and selecting the right grant program for you.
You can also meet with a WBDC Business Advisor at no cost to assist you with your application once you’ve started it. Business advising is an important part of our grant application process. We encourage applicants to create a profile on our grant portal and look over the application questions. If you have any issues, we encourage you to reach out.
- When? Daytime, evening, and weekend appointments
- Where? Virtually for your convenience, or at a WBDC office if needed
- Language? English and Spanish. Support in other languages may be possible – just ask.
Please note that meeting with an advisor does not guarantee your grant application will be awarded – selections are made by an external review committee.
REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT HERE
Bonus Office Hours
In addition to our regular advising hours, we are holding bonus office hours for eligible providers actively working on their application. You will receive an invite. Save the date!
Thursday, August 29 from 6:00-7:00PM (English & Spanish)
Thursday, September 5 from 1:00-2:00PM (English & Spanish)
For the Start-up and Expansion Grant Programs, grant awards are not made on a first come, first served basis. All eligible applications are considered once the application period closes. Funds are set aside on an ongoing basis for Emergency Facilities Grant recipients.
This is a competitive process and WBDC may not be able to fund all applicants. You must be licensed, or pending licensure, with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) in order to be eligible. You must also meet the eligibility of the grant program and submit a complete application to be considered.
Part time programs are ineligible.
If you have multiple OEC licenses, you may submit an application for each location/license number, but you are limited to grants for 3 locations.
If you received a WBDC grant in the past 6 months, you are ineligible until the next round (anticipated to open Winter 2025).
WBDC has distributed $7.3 million across Connecticut, through 669 Child Care Business Grant awards. These grants have supported the creation or maintenance of 3,700 jobs and 11,400 slots.
These grants are made possible through the generous financial support of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).
