There has been plenty of pandemic trouble to go around and the child care system is taking more than its share of the abuse.

There are dollars available to help through the American Rescue Plan Act. The deadline for providers to apply for those federal relief dollars is approaching rapidly.

According to a Thursday release from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, child care entities in operation during the pandemic have until the end of the day Monday, Jan. 31, to apply, if they have not done so already.

“The child care industry has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the providers and staff in this sector deserve our thanks and support,” DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead said. “These funds from the American Rescue Plan Act are an unprecedented investment in the child care sector and are key to our economic recovery from this pandemic. I urge providers not to miss this opportunity for additional support.”

Application details can be found by visiting www.pakeys.org/arpastabilizationgrants.

Some of those dollars are already at work in Warren County, but providers that have not applied are encouraged to do so.

“The Jefferson DeFrees Family Center has received grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA),” Executive Director Melinda Johnson said. “ARPA monies have been very beneficial in helping maintain our fiscal fitness.”

“COVID, in the daycare system, has certainly presented its own set of unique challenges, affecting everything from staffing, to enrollment and our daycare families, not to mention the mental health of everyone involved,” Johnson said. “It is a very stressful environment.”

“When a classroom is in quarantine, that puts a huge strain on families,” she said. “What do they do for daycare? Will they be at risk in losing their jobs? How do employers handle the loss of the work force due to lack of daycare?”

“Over the past two years, especially late 2020 and early 2021, the JDFC daycare enrollment was down close to 50 percent,” Johnson said. “The challenge then became in staffing — how can you justify the retention of qualified staff?”

“We were fortunate to receive two PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) grants,” she said. “Since then we have been on a steady increase in daycare enrollment numbers.

“Finding enough qualified child care workers presents another challenge, not to mention the difficulty in maintaining ratios when so many staff are not able to come to work due to exposure to COVID,” Johnson said.

Providers may apply for one-time funding “to help address workforce and operational challenges due to the pandemic,” according to the DHS release.

“Child care providers have the discretion to use these dollars for a variety of purposes, which include:

¯ Personnel costs, including for both recruitment and retention efforts, such as sign-on bonuses and pay increases;

¯ Operational costs, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance, and insurance;

¯ Health and safety costs, such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning and sanitation supplies, and staff professional development related to health and safety practices;

¯ Equipment and supplies;

¯ Goods and services necessary to maintain or resume child care services;

¯ Mental health services for children and staff; and,

¯ Reimbursement for past COVID-19-related expenses incurred after January 31, 2020.”

The pandemic has had several impacts on the industry. “Child care providers have experienced increased costs in order to maintain safe care, staffing challenges, and disruptions in service. These issues strain providers and directly impact not only the parents and guardians who depend on child care to continue working, but also the children who benefit from the care and education child care centers provide.”

“In September, DHS announced its plan to distribute $655 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to stabilize Pennsylvania’s child care industry,” according to the release. “To date, $613 million has been committed, reaching approximately 83 percent of licensed child care providers across Pennsylvania. Additionally, $352 million in Child Care Development Fund funding from the American Rescue Plan Act is being invested in Pennsylvania’s Child Care Works (CCW) subsidized child care program, targeting decreased costs to families, greater support for child care providers participating in the program, and setting incentives for providers who expand care availability beyond traditional hours.”