United Way Works with County of Santa Barbara and Partners to Invest $2M in Childcare Solutions

United Way’s Brighter Futures Childcare Initiative surpassed original targets, creating 272 new licensed childcare spaces, new countywide parent and provider data, an emergency childcare action plan, $100K+ in family childcare scholarships, and ongoing childcare provider business training and support.

United Way of Santa Barbara County has successfully completed its work as part of a $2 million contract, in partnership with First 5 Santa Barbara County and local community partners, to strengthen the county’s childcare sector.  

“The ARPA funding allocated by the County of Santa Barbara’s Board of Supervisors laid the  foundation for a broader countywide movement and elevated recognition of the childcare  industry as an essential pillar of our workforce and local economy,” said Michelle Robertson,  Deputy Director, First 5 Santa Barbara County. “First 5 Santa Barbara County appreciates United  Way’s longstanding commitment to advancing childcare affordability and expanding access for  families. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on systems change and improvement in  the future.”  

Targeted work began at United Way in January of 2023, at the request of the cities of Santa  Barbara and Goleta, where United Way facilitated local need assessments for each city to  gather current community data about the needs in the local childcare sector. Parents, providers,  and employers reported significant challenges, including affordability and availability of care, as  well as the pipeline of qualified staff, retention, and training/development. Some parents in the  region reported spending up to 37% of their annual income on childcare costs alone.  

Later that year, United Way and the Santa Barbara Foundation were awarded $2M in reallocated dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the struggling childcare sector in  Santa Barbara County, intended as a launchpad for sustainable, long-term growth for childcare. In the first quarter of 2026, United Way’s key deliverables were completed, including:  

• over 272 in new childcare spaces 
• $100K+ in direct family scholarships 
• $430K+ invested in eight new or expanded childcare facilities 
• new provider training and development programs 
• and a formalized emergency childcare action plan for essential workers in times of  crisis. 

“We’ve been a part of our community’s network of care for children since our start in 1923, said  Steve Ortiz, President & CEO of United Way of Santa Barbara County. “To strengthen our focus  on these early developmental years through this project has been an exciting reminder of our strength as an organization in building innovative solutions for some of our community’s  toughest challenges.”  

According to additional United Way assessments later facilitated countywide, the broader  economic impact of the sector’s financial impact was estimated at $200 million to $300 million  annually. United Way will continue this work through the next phase, focused on scholarships  for “missing middle” families, childcare facility grants, coalition leadership, employer  engagement, provider capacity building, emergency preparedness, and childcare workforce  advocacy. 

The Work Ahead 
With the foundation built during the ARPA achievements, United Way seeks to continue its work  in the sector to sustain its accomplishments in closing the gaps for families and providers.  United Way plans to continue its efforts in four key areas: 

Childcare Scholarships: The Brighter Futures Childcare Fund will include support for childcare  scholarships to reduce the financial burden on families. Paid directly to providers, the grants  target families making too much to qualify for public assistance programs but too little to reliably  sustain the high cost of care in their household budget.  

The scholarship application portal reopened on Friday, May 8th for the 2026-2027 program  year; qualifying families must submit applications by May 29th, 2026. The application link can be  found on the United Way of Santa Barbara County website (www.unitedwaysb.org). 

Facility Grant Program: and the Brighter Futures Childcare Fund will also include support  facility grants that provide start-up and expansion capital to increase the availability of care for  children ages zero to five. Past recipients of the fund have included the LEAP Lompoc  Children’s Center, Hope 4 Kids, UC Santa Barbara’s Early Childhood Care & Education  Services, and the new Guadalupe Early Learning Center.  

Employer Engagement: United Way will also continue to leverage its partnerships with local  businesses and workforce organizations to better position childcare as a workforce priority and  build momentum around employer-supported childcare solutions and family-friendly workplace  policies. 

Brighter Futures Childcare Coalition: this cross-sector collaborative will continue to provide  targeted working groups, provider training and technical assistance, emergency preparedness  support, and advocacy efforts aimed at stabilizing and elevating the childcare workforce. 

United Way recently hosted members of the coalition on Tuesday, April 28th at the Goleta  Community Center to hear from Anna Brouillette, Policy & Program Director of Building Bright  Futures, and Erin Roche, Vermont Director of First Children’s Finance. Both representatives  were engaged in Vermont’s Act 76, a 2023 law that established a long-term, sustainable  approach to funding childcare as essential economic infrastructure. The speakers follow many  that have been invited to address the Coalition, sharing lessons learned and success routes  from other communities that have seen progress in childcare efforts. 

“Accessible and affordable childcare is a critical infrastructure for our county,” said Rose Levy,  Director of Strategic Partnerships & Advancement at United Way. “We created significant  positive impact for local families, and childcare providers through the ARPA project, I look  forward to building upon this work and focusing on lasting systems level change, benefiting  children, parents, businesses, and childcare workers.” 

Parents, providers, and employers looking for more information on the Brighter Futures  Childcare Initiative are invited to connect with United Way’s Brighter Futures Childcare Manager  Lisa Nelley at lnelley@unitedwaysb.org, 805-965-8591 or visit the initiative website at www.unitedwaysb.org/Childcare.