Okanogan County Non-Profit Receives Grant To Expand Child Care Services
An Okanogan County organization that provides assistance to children and families is receiving over $136,000 in grant funding from Washington State.
The Okanogan County Child Development Association (OCCDA) is one of 18 entities chosen to receive $2 million in Child Care Partnership (CCP) grants from the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The funding is designed to help in expanding child care in underserved communities across the state.
OCCDA has been providing early childhood education and prevention-based services for children five years and under, pregnant women, and their families for over 50 years.
The association will receive two separate CCP grants of $75,900 and $60,300 respectively over the next two years.
The CCP program has been in place since 2020 and has already distributed $4.7 million to 41 organizations in 28 counties in the state.
In a recent study, the Child Care Collaborative Task Force reported that Washington's workforce has been reduced by more than 130,000 individuals due to a lack of adequate child care in 63% of the state.
