At a time when Santa Clara County is grappling with a lack of child care and day care centers are struggling to stay afloat, one program is giving providers the support they need to prosper.
Last August, San Jose gave $1 million to Upwards for its Boost program to help child care centers streamline their operations. A year later, 43% of participating providers have increased their child care slots — and 35% reported an increase in revenue by at least 20%. About one-third of the providers were able to hire an assistant, according to Boost Program Manager Judy Ahumada.
The county awarded Upwards a $50,000 contract in April to continue expanding child care services. Upwards also received contracts in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Mountain View totaling $234,000.
The Boost program provided support to 131 San Jose day care centers serving low-income families for a year. It offered one-on-one business coaching and taught day care owners how to market their business, helped digitize operations and connected them with families in need of child care services.
“One of the biggest goals of the program was really helping the day care owners increase those child care slots,” Ahumada told San José Spotlight. “One of the things that makes this program very special is that it is catered to the needs of these day care owners, and really understanding what the business needs are and what each day care owner is looking to achieve.”
Cristine Pajarillo has been running a small day care for the past decade. Since she joined the program last year, she’s had access to curriculum resources, updated her contracts, connected with more parents and filled two child care slots. She said her mentor has been key in providing the support she needs.
“Boost is really there for me if I need assistance,” Pajarillo told San José Spotlight. “(My business) is more efficient now.”
Recently Pajarillo heard of child care providers having to shutter their business due to California expanding transitional kindergarten in public schools for 4-year-olds by this school year. She credits Upwards for keeping her business afloat.
“The new changes haven’t affected my day care, but I’m hoping it won’t affect me in the future,” she said.
Ahumada said this expansion is a great opportunity for families looking for a free child care option, but space is limited.
“We are hearing from families that kids are being put on a wait list because everybody is moving in that direction,” Ahumada said. “So it really just highlights the importance of helping the in-home day care owners stay in business, so that there’s additional options for families.”
The need for more child care providers in Santa Clara County is dire. Roughly 700 local day care facilities have closed over the past decade, with more than 300 closing during the pandemic, according to county officials. In addition, child care assistants are leaving their jobs for other work with higher pay, such as fast food and retail, officials said. Others have left the area completely due to the high costs of living.
Ahumada said nearly all of the providers who participated in the Boost program have been able to stay open, except one who moved out of the area.
In 2023, Santa Clara County invested $15 million toward increasing child care slots through its child care expansion grant program, initiated by District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg. It awarded 55 grants to providers who used the money to renovate buildings or grow their business, creating nearly 600 new child care slots, according to the county.
“We need to continue to find ways to expand funding and provide support to the providers across the county,” Ellenberg told San José Spotlight. “This emphasis remains at the forefront of my mind as the impacts of H.R. 1 continue to unfold. Child care is one of the most powerful tools we have for early homelessness prevention, violence and crime reduction and addressing mental health challenges before they escalate. Nearly every priority we discuss, from economic stability to public safety, is rooted in the support children receive at a young age and the ability of their families to uplift them throughout life.”
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X.
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