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State of Rhode Island Resources for Children, Families and Community
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Family Child Care Start-Up Grants

The Family Child Care Start-Up Grant program will help increase the number of newly licensed Family Child Care (FCC) providers in the State. Designed to help stabilize the child care sector, the start-up grants will assist providers in opening 100 new FCC homes through grants of up to $2,000 in addition to receiving technical assistance to successfully open. Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) — as appropriated by Governor Dan McKee and the General Assembly — the grant program will support the need to increase capacity in a vital part of a mixed-delivery system.

The application window will remain open from June 30 to December 15, 2023. If you are interested in becoming a newly licensed Family Child Care provider, please contact ChildCareGrants@pcgus.com or call 833-930-3540 for assistance in English or Spanish.

To be eligible for this grant, you are either:

  1. A recently DHS-licensed Family Child Care provider, (licensed a maximum 30 days prior to submitting this grant application); or
  2. In the process of becoming a DHS-licensed Family Child Care provider.
  3. Previously licensed Family Child Care providers (that is, provider who are not currently licensed but have been licensed in the past) may also be eligible for this grant as they reopen their program, given their previous license was in good-standing at DHS.

To become a licensed Family Child Care Provider, you must follow all of the instructions outlined by the Center for Early Learning Professions on their website.

You can find the application for the Family Child Care start-up grant here.

Family Child Care Start Up Grants Application