Thank you for considering supporting our project in the Cortland County participatory budgeting process! We believe that CCII is uniquely positioned to create maximum impact quickly and efficiently with this grant. A link will go up on this page at 9am on Thursday 20th August, where you can vote to fund our project. You will have until about 6pm that day to cast your vote. https://cnycf.org/cortlandpb/
CCII proposes a two-pronged project that would address the need for both school-aged and infant care and programming. CCII recognizes that this need in our community is an urgent one, and we believe we are positioned to answer this need quickly and efficiently. CCII already provides school vacation programming, and already has planned and received pilot funding to expand into after-school enrichment for the 26/27 school year. In addition CCII’s planned capacity expansion at The Hub location already incorporated partnerships to offer business training classes and workshops for adults, which would be tailored to create an incubator program for new childcare providers. Please find more information about our proposal below.
Focus area 1: wraparound inclusive care for school-aged children. CCII currently provides 185 places at 6 weeks of summer enrichment daycamps for school-aged children. Programs are provided on a sliding-scale basis, with low-income families paying $25 per week and the highest fee bracket remaining affordable at $100 per week. Were CCII to receive this funding, we would add an additional 25 summer enrichment slots for working families by supplying The Hub with the needed equipment to expand capacity. This funding would also secure long-term CCII’s already planned expansion into after-school and winter/spring vacation programming for school-aged children, including math and reading tutoring and enrichment. In addition to programming around school hours, CCII is aware that many children are in educational settings other than public school, and the families of these students also need support. Should CCII receive this grant, we would fund two additional places for ALICE families whose students need programming during the school day, to attend our Thursday STEAM daytime program.
Focus Area 2: Supporting and Building Capacity for In Home Infant Care. Plans for The Hub already include expanding CCII’s entrepreneurship support by offering office space, internet and a photocopier, coworking space, and business workshops. Should CCII receive this grant, we and our partners would create an incubator program specifically for those looking to begin in-home childcare programs. The incubator program would offer workshops on basic business practices, as well as creating a collaborative of supporting partners to guide and advise potential new infant daycare providers through the certification process. Some of the grant funds would create a microgrant program that would offer $500 refund grants to potential new providers who need to make changes to their home or purchase equipment to be in compliance with requirements for infant care. We would also fund community partner organizations that are experts in helping home daycare providers become certified, so that they could help expand infant care places.
Thank you for considering our proposal. Because CCII is already moving forward with plans for The Hub, we believe we are uniquely placed to use these funds quickly and effectively, and they would be spent directly for the benefit of the community. With this funding, The Hub could open in December of this year, with full programming underway beginning as soon as February of 2027 – just a few months away! The Hub is a multi-use space by the community and for the community, and in addition to our programs focusing on children and daycare providers, it will be open to community members of all ages and interests for other workshops and programs such as the Homer Regional Farmers Market. Funding our project has the potential to transform our community, and we are grateful for your consideration.
Cortland Collective Impact Initiatives 