HUD Grant to Fund Child Care Program

The Pacoima portion of the federal Empowerment Zone for Los Angeles received its first grant Thursday for a program that combines child care and job training at the San Fernando Gardens housing project.

The Child Care Network Program, whose goal is to provide low-cost, high-quality child care to residents through a network of small child-care businesses located within the housing project, received a $449,437 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I think this will be really helpful for the community, “ said resident Paula Ledesma, who plans to use the network to care for her 2-year-old son. “It’s going to help a lot of people get out there and work instead of having to find someone to take care of their kids.”

Ledesma said the high cost of child care prevents many women living in San Fernando Gardens from being able to look for work.

The project was chosen because area residents cited a need for quality child care, said Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who presented the grant, with Congressman Howard Berman (D-Panorama City).

The first part of the program will consist of training up to 15 residents to run small child-care businesses out of their homes, said Laura Escobeda, of the Child Care Resource Center of the San Fernando Valley, which helped apply for the grant.

Once the businesses are up and running, fees will be kept low by subsidies from the grant.

Ironically, a day-care center built in the housing project’s community center two years ago remains unused for lack of funds.

Escobeda said she hoped that the Child Care Network Program would be able to begin using that facility sometime early next year.

In December 1994, portions of Los Angeles were designated an Empowerment Zone, making several areas eligible for low interest loans, tax breaks and grants.

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Pacoima Empowerment Zone

A program that will provide child care and job training for residents of the San Fernando Gardens housing project has been awarded the first grant to the Pacoima portion of the Los Angeles Empowerment Zone.