Feb. 18, 2021
CWU Early Childhood Learning Center Secures Grant for COVID-19 Relief
The Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) at Central Washington University has secured a grant from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families that will support its operations through the end of the academic year.
Funds from the Child Care COVID-19 Grant will cover the licensed child care facilities at 1900 Brook Lane, and will help offset costs incurred during the pandemic. ECLC Director Michelle Hill said being able to provide uninterrupted services to CWU faculty, staff, and students is a priority for the center.
“This grant is important to ECLC because it provides funding to help with our operations so we can continue to provide our services to parents, and offer a safe place for their children to attend during the day,” she said, noting that the demand has increased this year since most kids in Ellensburg have been doing online-only or hybrid learning.
Hill added that the grant funding will immediately go to good use, allowing the staff to support changes in operations that have resulted from COVID-19.
“Instead of having the school-age children just two hours a day like we had pre-COVID, we now have them all day long,” she said. “This grant will help with additional staffing and providing care for this age group.”
To learn more about the ECLC and its services, call 509-963-1744 or email eclc@cwu.edu.