L.A. County Sets Aside $10 Million for Child-Care Aid

In the wake of a report that there is only one child-care slot in Los Angeles County for every six children of working parents, the Board of Supervisors approved a $10-million grant and loan program Tuesday to boost available child care in the county.

The county’s Community Development Corp. will administer the program, which will consist of grants of $2,500 to $100,000 and loans of $5,000 to $1.5 million. The money can be used to start new facilities, expand or improve existing ones and to leverage money from other funding sources, such as foundations or banks.

The program is funded by the county’s welfare office, which will also be using surplus funds to start “family resource centers” to provide one-stop family services such as child care and counseling. Supervisors directed officials to draw up a plan to create a grant or loan program for those centers as well.

But experts say that the need is so great that only state legislation could free up enough funds to make child care accessible to the hundreds of thousands of parents who are locked out.