Maine's Department of Health and Human Services is distributing $73 million in grants to child care providers to help them retain staff and recoup costs during the pandemic, but there's only a few days left to apply.
The funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act must be used to pay $200-a-month bonuses for staff who care for children. Providers can also use funds to reduce fees for families, cover loss of revenue, pay rent and utilities, and pay for mental health services for children and staff.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 30. DHHS says it's made more than $14 million in payments to directly support child care providers since the beginning of the pandemic.
