Thanks to two grants from the Montana Coronavirus Relief Fund, Parks and Recreation is now able to offer low-cost child care for school-aged children.
The grants will allow families to receive discounts of up to 95 percent off regular program fees, depending on income.
The grants, totaling $960,000, are designed to fund programs to meet the needs of working parents and children through December.
Parks officials will ask the Missoula City Council to approve the two State of Montana School-Aged Child Care Grants at an upcoming City Council meeting on Monday.
The funding is based on a sliding scale of $5, $10, or $20 per day for full-day care, depending on income, and no family will be turned away due to the inability to pay.
Recreation Program Supervisor Meg Whicher says that this grant is helpful for the community, parents, and the kids.
"Our goal is to keep our community, going keep parents working, but most importantly keep kids super engaged around positive peers, help with remote learning and just continue to help supplement what's going on," said Whicher.
The registration to receive the grant opens Sept. 30.
All children in the programs and program supervisors will be adhering to Missoula City-County guidelines by wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
