Mayor Stoney surveys families on childcare needs

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Click here to access the survey and share with families

In a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Stoney asked Richmond families to complete a survey assessing childcare needs and preferences throughout the city to help his administration ensure that working families have access to high-quality emergency childcare options.

 

The results of the survey will guide the Stoney administration as they determine how best to use the $3 million in CARES Act funding that Mayor Stoney has put aside for childcare support during Richmond Public Schools’ virtual start to the school year.

 

As businesses continue to reopen while schools remain closed to in-person instruction, many caregivers face challenges caring for their children and supporting their virtual learning. This creates a need for accessible, affordable, quality childcare options across the city.

 

“My administration, alongside RPS and the city’s nonprofit partners, has been working to meet the need for emergency childcare in Richmond,” said Mayor Stoney. “The first step is to listen. With this survey, we’re asking families of all kinds: Do you need help with childcare? Ideally, what would that help look like?”

 

The mayor noted that the outreach effort, while working on a necessarily short timeline, should be reflective of the city as a whole. To meet that goal, the survey is available in Spanish and will be promoted by the city’s network of nonprofit partners, including out-of-school time providers and the emergency childcare task force. Community Wealth Building Ambassadors will be canvassing neighborhoods and making calls in underserved areas with unique needs.

 

This survey comes after the mayor sent a letter to the RPS School Board on Monday to request the availability of school facilities to create a public option for childcare. Chesterfield and Henrico Counties have opened some school facilities and are enrolling children in advance of the start of the school year.

 

“If you have a child in Richmond, please take this survey,” said Mayor Stoney. “Tell us what this fall is looking like for you, so we can design a solution that fits this city’s needs.”


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