Franklin County and the City of Columbus partnered to help families that need a boost.
The effort is funded through the American Rescue Plan, which started with $11.4 million with much of that money still available.
Funds are intended to help families face what’s known as a “benefits cliff” – making too much money to qualify for certain government benefits, but not enough to make it without assistance.
That’s where Franklin County RISE is helping families and childcare providers.
Love and marriage and the blending of their families came with a cost for the Williams family. Daycare for the youngest of eight children gets expensive.
“The program over and all has been a great experience and very helpful for me and mine because now I can work where I want to,” said mother Khristian Williams.
“Access to childcare is a key tool for families to participate in the economy, for businesses to be able to have the workers they need, and for our region, our economy to be able to thrive,” said Eric Karolak, CEO for Action for Children.
Through the efforts of Franklin County and Columbus, scholarships of up to $10,000 are available to help families offset childcare expenses, with that money being paid directly to providers.
“There’s a lot of people that are looking for a program like this that don’t know about it and there’s a lot of families out there struggling really bad,” said father James Williams.