Mayor Malik Meets with Home-Based Child Care Providers

Last week, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik visited with over a dozen home-based child care providers in the city to discuss their struggles, needs, and opportunities in the City of Akron. During the meeting, Mayor Malik announced the city is providing these business owners with mini-grants to use for curriculum, professional development, or equipment and materials to enhance their learning environments. Each of the 15 business owners, all women of color, are receiving $2,000 from the city. 

“Home-based child care is a crucial part of a successful community-wide system, especially for families who need flexible hours, smaller settings, or culturally relevant care,” said Mayor Malik. “We know that providing quality care takes resources, and we want to help. That’s why we are providing some mini-grants for these particular home-based child cares participating in an initiative in partnership with the Early Childhood Resource Center to support these providers in making quality improvements. A strong child care system means a stronger workforce, a more stable economy, and a better future for our city.”

In 2024, the City of Akron provided a letter of support for the Early Childhood Resource Center’s (ECRC) grant proposal to The National Fund (in collaboration with The Fund for Economic Future) to support family child care businesses in the city.

The grant was awarded and is now benefiting 15 women of color who provide child care in Akron. This funding is supporting these child care providers with:

• Leadership development through a partnership with Heart to Heart,

• Business coaching from the Akron Urban League,

• Advocacy training by Fund NEO, including a day on the hill alongside Groundwork Ohio, and

• Quality improvement coaching from ECRC.

These business owners care for a significant number of Akron’s children, with some even offering 24-hour care to accommodate workforce needs in the community.

“Quality child care plays a significant role in the economy of our city,” said Director of Economic Development Suzie Graham Moore. “Nothing is more important than the care and education of our future. Child care supports a talented workforce who rely on that dependable care to be able to participate fully at work. The child care ecosystem supports the growth and social/ educational readiness of future generations and contributes to our economy through the industry itself. Specifically, as an industry of opportunity for entrepreneurship and business ownership by women and minority residents of Akron, this is a particularly exciting and thoughtful investment in growth.” 

“As we work with community leaders and early childhood experts around the city to build a system to expand quality early childhood experiences, we firmly believe families must have choices when it comes to early learning. That means doing what we can to support home-based child care settings in addition to center-based care,” said Richelle Wardell, City of Akron’s Education and Health Strategist.

Angela Moses, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Resource Center added, “In recent years, business groups, economic development agencies and local governments have leaned into child care as an economic development driver, using grants, business coaching, and regulatory changes to expand child care access. We are thrilled to partner with the City of Akron as they move in this direction to help our local child care entrepreneurs.”