“We see that there is a major shortfall in trained childcare workers,” Robillard said. “So, these funds will help pay for that training. That will hopefully help fill a gap in day care providers.”
The childcare workforce has lost 88,000 jobs, or 8.4 percent of its pre-pandemic employers, since February 2020, according to the Center for American Progress.
An average of about 170,000 openings for childcare workers are expected annually this decade, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
“The demand for preschools and childcare facilities, and consequently childcare workers, should remain strong,” according to the bureau.
Kettering, Robillard said, is funding 4Cs for Children, which provides job training in a 10-county area from its Dayton regional office.
The childcare training spending for Kettering is equal to more than 19% of the CDBG money Kettering is in line to receive from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this year, city records show.
But it is only about 7.5% of the nearly $1.32 million the city plans to spend in 2023 from block grant funds. More than $774,000 is being carried over from previous years, Robillard said.
CDBG funds in Kettering this year will also be used for activities to “address priority needs in areas of housing, public services, neighborhood revitalization and economic development with a focus on small and microenterprise development,” he added.
This, according to city records, includes:
•Housing rehabilitation, $556,832, estimated to help at least 20 low- to moderate-income households.
•Economic development, $363,780, assisting 18 businesses to create or retain “jobs available to low- to moderate-income residents.”
•Direct homeownership assistance, $125,000, estimated to help at least 10 low- to moderate-income households.
•Public services, $83,407, at least 1,500 individuals will be assisted.
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