Child Care Expansion and Access Grants (E&A Grants)
Reminder: Application Round 1 closes Monday, May 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m.
The deadline will not be extended.
The application for Child Care Expansion and Access Grants (E&A Grants) has been updated so that all school districts within a county apply at the same time. The Application Round 1 List by County is now correct. Applicants will also need to know their school district when they apply.
For applicants that are not currently licensed:
Interested parties who are unlicensed must setup their Business NCID and submit all requested information to DCDEE by 5pm on Friday, April 28th.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child Development and Early Education invites current and potential North Carolina child care providers to apply for new, one-time, competitive Early Care & Learning Expansion and Access Grants.
The Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (PDF) appropriated $20 million in nonrecurring funds to provide grants for child care facilities including NC Pre-K classrooms, child care centers and family child care homes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in child care deserts and low-performing and high-poverty districts.
These Early Care & Learning Expansion and Access Grants shall be one-time awards (up to $125, 000) to assist with new or expanded high-quality child care initiatives as follows:
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start-up costs* associated with establishing a new licensed or regulated child care facility;
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quality improvements for existing licensed or regulated child care facilities that increase the classroom or facility's capacity or upgrade its star rating; or
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capital improvements or renovations to existing licensed or regulated child care facilities, including adding or upgrading outdoor play and learning environments, or increasing a facility's total capacity.
*Unlicensed applicants will have to be licensed or regulated (including passing a criminal background check) by the Division, open, and ready to accept children for care on or before December 31, 2024.
Applying for E&A Grants
Current Providers
To apply, applicants will need a business account in the North Carolina Identity Management Service (NCID) to access the online grant application, and must submit both a project plan and a project budget.
Potential New Providers
To apply, applicants will need a business account in the North Carolina Identity Management Service (NCID). The following information must be submitted to DCDEE Customer Support email [email protected]:
- Name of facility (if known)
- Provider name
- Provider phone Number
- Address of facility (if known)
- Temporary address (PO Box, home address, etc.), if facility address is not yet available
- County where the facility will be located
- School District where the facility will be located
- NCID (cannot contain spaces)
- Whether facility will be a child care center or family child care home
This information will be used to set up an account in the E&A Grant Portal. The applicant must then log into the portal and submit a complete application by Monday, May 1 at 5:00 PM.
Unlicensed grant recipients awarded an E&A Grant will be contacted by DCDEE with further instructions.
Click to Apply for an E&A Grant!
Please use the latest versions of Firefox, Chrome or Safari browsers to access the application. Internet Explorer is not supported, and Edge is not recommended.
Applications will be accepted in two rounds. The E&A Grant Application Round 1 will open April 11, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. and close May 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. The first round will be limited to licensed child care facilities in or planned for the following counties (Updated 4/25/23):
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Anson
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Halifax
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Pasquotank
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Bertie
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Hertford
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Randolph
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Bladen
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Hoke
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Robeson
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Caldwell
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Iredell
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Rowan
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Caswell
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Jones
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Scotland
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Columbus
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Lenoir
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Swain
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Davidson
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Martin
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Tyrrell
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Duplin
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Mitchell
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Vance
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Edgecombe
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Nash
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Warren
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Graham
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New Hanover
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Washington
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Greene
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Northampton
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Wayne
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Application Round 2 will open May 22, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. and close June 12, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. The second round will be open to licensed child care facilities in or planned for any North Carolina location.
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