The San Diego Foundation announced $250,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit programs that will increase access to quality, affordable early childhood education and developmental care in San Diego County. 

The grantmaking is made possible through The San Diego Foundation Early Childhood Initiative and a pilot program that focuses on responsive grants in the community. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has further demonstrated just how critical child care is to the regional economy, as well as the health and well-being of San Diego children and families. 

“The number of families and children in San Diego County that need quality care far outweighs the amount of child care options available in the region,” said Katie Rast, director of community impact at The San Diego Foundation. “These grants will provide relief to working parents and help bolster the regional economy now, and into the future, by closing the child care gap in our communities.”  

According to research from San Diego Workforce Partnership and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, early childhood care and education is essential to the health, development and success of San Diegans and the regional economy, yet child care options are scare, inconvenient, unaffordable and of varying quality in the region. The Early Childhood Initiative grants are part of a regional effort by employers, working parents, policymakers and funders, who are working together to address the child care challenges in San Diego.  

The Early Childhood Initiative is supported by the Guy Clum Early Childhood Education and Development Fund at The San Diego Foundation and builds upon a regional vision that supports both immediate impact initiatives and systems-level change in early education. 

The Early Childhood Initiative grants include:  

Copley-Price Family YMCA: YMCA of San Diego County – $25,000 

The grant will help open an additional preschool classroom at the Copley-Price Family YMCA located in City Heights, adding 16 spaces to serve children ages 3-5. 

Horn of Africa – $25,000 

The grant will help enroll 25 East African families with young children in the Horn of Africa Early Childhood Readiness Program, offering weekly home visits, one-on-one parenting instruction, and facilitated parent-child interactions.  

Logan Heights Community Development Corporation – $25,000 

The Future Achievers Pre-School 

The grant will help expand the Logan Heights Community Development Corporation Future Achievers Preschool by hiring a full-time teacher, allowing them to accommodate 12 additional children annually. 

Episcopal Community Services – $25,000 

The grant will support Para las Familias at Episcopal Community Services, which provides specialized bilingual behavioral health services to low-income children ages five-and-under in Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, San Ysidro and southern San Diego. 

Father Joe’s Villages $25,000 

The grant will support the Father Joe’s Villages Therapeutic Childcare program, which provides child care, therapeutic interventions, and developmental support for hundreds of children and parents experiencing homelessness and poverty.  

Home Start, Inc. – $25,000 

Behavioral Health Services for Children Ages 0-5 

The grant will provide behavioral health services and child care support for children ages 0-5 who have been a victim of a crime or have experienced early childhood trauma.  

Neighborhood House Association – $25,000 

The grant will support additional full-day preschool slots at the Neighborhood House Association Broadway Learning Academy, providing much-needed assistance to working families in downtown San Diego. 

Parent Institute for Quality Education – $25,000 

The grant will expand the reach of the Parent Institute for Quality Education Early Childhood Development program to four new locations across the County. The program teaches low-income parents how to create a stimulating home environment that enhances their child’s brain development.  

Voices for Children – $20,000 

The grant will allow Voices for Children to match more abused and neglected children in the foster system with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) and connect youth to early childhood education and developmental care.  

The Chicano Federation – $20,000 

The grant will support The Chicano Federation’s Women’s Small Business Development initiative and will provide an eight-week training program that prepares women of color to launch a family child care business and meet state licensing requirements.  

Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership – $10,000 

The grant will strengthen and grow a network of family child care providers in southeast San Diego through increased workshop training, the creation of Quality Improvement Plans, and a learning community to foster continued professional development.