Athens-Clarke County families in need of childcare during the pandemic may qualify for state funding to help pay for that care. Clayton Adams, Lead Coordinator for Community Partnerships, with the Department of Early Care and Learning, explains.
“We know that with a lot of school districts around the state going to all virtual learning or a hybrid, that there would be a large amount of families that would be needing care during the day for their children. Through the Cares Act, Gov. Kemp allocated between 17 and 19 million dollars to the Department of Early Care and Learning to provide scholarships to families.”
Those Supporting Onsite Learning for Virtual Education or SOLVE scholarships, range in amounts but the average is $118 per child.
There are some requirements that must be met to qualify.
“A family needs to meet 85% of the state median income, your child or children must go to a school district that is 100% virtual – which includes Clarke County – and then the parents have to be meeting either the criteria of having a job or going to any type of school, post-secondary.”
Parents can apply at gateway.ga.gov. The scholarships are for three months. Depending on circumstances and funding, they may be approved for an additional three months.
