“I hope my experience with the Stabilization Fund is helpful to others.” – Carol Crawley, Family Child Care Professional

October 2021

Written by Lin Nordmeyer

Carol Crawley received a sub-grant from the Stabilization Fund and shares her experience from start to finish, including details on applying and how she invested in her program. She offers helpful tips from dealing with contractors to accounting for her investments.

What was your experience with the application process?

“I was fortunate to have a very helpful Stabilization Fund technical assistant (TA) who walked me through the application process. It only took a couple of hours total for the actual process. I had to call my TA several times with questions, but she happily responded. Also, as a tip, I had written estimates from various companies on hand to upload. My application went through without a single glitch. Within days of my acceptance email, the funds were deposited into my account.”

How have you used (or plan to use) the funds you received through the Stabilization Fund to sustain your program?

“I used the entire amount to make my daycare as safe from COVID or future pandemics as possible. This decision will strengthen my business and keep my daycare children safe. The upgrades included:

• Nonporous kitchen counters with new, deeper sink.
• Larger deck for outside play and eating
• New Fencing.
• New HVAC unit with UV Light/Filter.
• Nonporous flooring in all areas used for daycare. (Such a difference—I simply run my shark steam cleaner each night! No germs hidden in )
• Totally renovated daycare
• All daycare walls were freshly painted with washable ”

What advice or tips would you share about this process/experience with other early childhood professionals who have yet to apply or are considering applying?

• “Do not be afraid to call and speak up regarding your needs. It is your daycare— you know what will help keep you and your daycare children ”
• “Take time to get estimates—interview potential contractors. I was upfront with all contractors, explaining the funds were from a sub-grant, and it would take a while to complete estimates, applications, etc. I made sure there was no rising-cost clause in the contracts I ”
• “Get references—good, solid references before hiring a contractor! Make it clear you are running a business and prefer as few disruptions as possible. There were two days I had to close because it simply would not have been safe to open daycare during ”
• “This is just a personal preference I felt would protect me, but I went to my branch bank and printed out cashier checks rather than write a personal check. It was an extra record for my business.”
  

“My daycare parents have raved about the work I was able to have completed and feel their children’s safety is important to both me and the state.”

Editor’s note: The current application for family child care professionals no longer allows for uploading the documentation. The application process currently only takes about 15 minutes. Once you hear from a technical assistant and determine what you’d like to request funds for, you can submit any documentation, if necessary, at that time.

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