Montgomery Co. awarded childcare expansion grant

FULTONVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The Montgomery County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has received a grant from New York State to expand childcare throughout the county. The $270,000 grant, awarded by Empire State Development, will go towards creating up to 10 new family childcare facilities in high-need areas.

According to the Montgomery County Business Development Center (MCBDC), the county has consistently struggled with childcare gaps. In 2020, the county conducted a Childcare Feasibility Study, which showed significant shortages in childcare options in the area.

The new grant comes as part of the Mohawk Valley Empowers program, a state-wide initiative to boost the Mohawk Valley's regional workforce system. The Montgomery County IDA plans to use the money to begin a program aimed at creating 10 new childcare facilities within the county. Officials hope the development will mitigate the local childcare gap, benefitting both working families and the county's economy.

"This initiative directly benefits our business community because we have heard that some families are choosing between working and taking care of their children," MCBDC CEO Ken Rose said. "There’s a significant need and we know that childcare is a reason why employers are having trouble hiring or keeping people on staff, so this was something that we felt was important."

For this project, the Montgomery County IDA has partnered with Wonderschool, a company that works to support family childcare providers through a training and mentorship program. The collaboration will help in prioritizing economic development, childcare management, community engagement and regulatory compliance within the project.

"Childcare options are critical for working families and we are looking at providing solutions and more options countywide," County Executive Pete Vroman said. "I know how expensive it can be to raise a family and add to that the rising cost of finding good, quality childcare, so parents can work, and it’s something we are committed to working on."