Chautauqua Region Community Foundation

Young girl with braids and beads holding a pencil, sitting at a table, engaged in classroom activity.

COVID-19 Impact

Roughly 33% of available child care slots in Chautauqua County are filled at this time. The sector has lost more than $1 million in revenue since COVID-19 began.

Emergency Fund

A coalition of philanthropy, government, and business partners has allowed the Chautauqua County Crisis Response Fund to deploy mini-grants to the local child care resource and referral organization to assist 49 home-based child care providers that are impacted by COVID-19.

Home Grown is a national collaborative of funders committed to improving the quality of and access to home-based child care with a mission to increase access to and the quality of home-based child care. 

Home-based child care providers share feedback and insight on their experiences with legislative visits during the 2025 August recess.
Families and child care providers are being squeezed as pandemic-era supports expire and federal funding stalls. Across the country, home-based providers are struggling to stay open amid lower reimbursements and rising costs. Without stronger federal investment in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), tens of thousands of children could lose access to care.