Resources to help you establish and grow your child care business or find professional early childhood education development services and programs.
The Starting Strong Toolkit
Step-by-step guides for opening and expanding child care programs in the City of LA:
English Spanish Korean Armenian Chinese Simplified One Page Overviews
Accessible Loans for Family Child Care Programs
The Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) has partnered with nonprofit lenders Ascendus and Working Solutions to provide accessible loans up to $100,000 to Family Child Care providers looking to:
- Renovate or improve their child care space
- Add furniture, toys, or equipment
- Expand their program with advertising, educational materials, or new staff
- Strengthen their program by offering professional learning opportunities
To learn more, visit LIIF’s website or email ChildCareCapital@liifund.org with any questions.
Know Your Rights as a Child Care Business
Public Counsel, a nonprofit law firm that supports Early Care and Education and other community interests, has developed a new resource for child care providers who may be experiencing or feeling anxious about harassment due to federal immigration efforts or unwarranted claims of fraud. The short brochure explains the legal right to enter and actions you can take to enforce those rights. It also documents additional legal actions that protect yourself, your staff, and the children and families you care for.
Please review the resource brochure and contact Public Counsel’s Early Care and Education Law Unit if you need legal assistance. Fill out an intake form or call 213-385-2977, extension 300.
Apply for a Paid Child Care Internship
Applications are open for the City Pathways to Childcare Internship, a paid childcare internship opportunity with the Department of Recreation and Parks. Interns will work with children aged 2-5 while learning about developmentally appropriate practices, early care and education topics, and classroom management. Interns may be eligible to apply for a part-time position upon program completion.
For details, including eligibility criteria and wage, view the Parks Department informational flyer. Sign up for the Intern Virtual Orientation now. Spots are limited!
Begin Your Child Care Career through Ready2Teach
Are you interested in becoming a childcare professional? The Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) offers cohorts for the Ready2Teach program, which provides the coursework and training to help jumpstart your career. Ready2Teach is a 12-month program that offers paid internships, free college coursework, and professional development training. Apprenticeship sites are based in Hawthorne, Inglewood, and South Los Angeles.
Participants will earn a California Child Development Associate Teacher permit. Visit the Ready2Teach website to learn more, submit an interest form, or apply to the 2026-2027 cohort. Interested individuals may also contact Laura Ramirez at 213-582-8963 or lramirez@laep.org for more information.
Get Informed About Child Care Programs’ Rights
Early childhood programs are considered “protected areas” under U.S. federal policy, which restricts immigration agents from enforcement actions. However, related policies have not always been consistently followed or enforced. Creating “safe space” policies for your program can help to safeguard the children and families in your care. Explore the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)’s resource to develop a “safe space” policy today.
Public Counsel, a nonprofit law firm, is training nonprofit and business owners on their rights when interacting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, which can help programs get prepared. The training recordings and slides are available online: English recording, English slides, Spanish recording, Spanish slides. Public Counsel also has an FAQ document that includes sample policies.
Explore the links below for more helpful resources.
- Guide for Employers
- Red Card Examples – free constitutional rights in multiple languages and portable formats
- National Immigration Help Search
Access Capital through the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund
The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund (EOCF) helps small business owners who may not qualify for traditional capital to access capital through local community lenders. EOCF supports small business owners of color and small business owners serving communities of color through small business loans and technical support. EOCF’s small business loans range from microloans to commercial real estate acquisition loans and can be used for expenses such as hiring staff, renovations, and acquiring a location.
Visit the EOCF website and read more about getting matched with lenders.
Find Professional Development on Caring for Infants and Toddlers
In partnership with the Los Angeles Education Partnership, the Office for the Advancement for Early Care and Education (OAECE) has released the Caring for Los Angeles County’s Youngest Learners: Infant and Toddler Professional Development Catalog. The Catalog contains professional development resources for infant and toddler child care educators in LA County, including information on training, educational units, and services and incentives available at resource and referral agencies.
Find the catalog in English, Armenian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish on the OAECE website.
Support Dual Language Learners in Your Program
First 5 LA and Quality Start Los Angeles (QSLA) have launched “Two Languages, Twice The Opportunities,” a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of multilingualism for children. Helping children learn their home language supports greater cultural awareness, fosters more meaningful connections with friends and family, and helps them enter kindergarten ready to succeed. Being multilingual can lead to improved academic, social, financial, and career outcomes.
Learn how to create impactful learning opportunities for dual language learners in your early learning program.
You can also point families with dual language learners to resources available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Armenian, Khmer, and Korean.
LA County's Infant and Toddler Toolkit for Child Care Providers
The LA County Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education (OAECE), in collaboration with Public Counsel, has released Child Care for All: Information for Child Care Providers on Expanding Infant and Toddler Care in Los Angeles County. The free toolkit guides family child care homes and community-based child care centers in serving more infants and toddlers. The online resource reviews topics such as staffing ratios, changes to physical space and business model considerations.
The toolkit is also available in Armenian, Chinese, Korean, Russian and Spanish. A recorded webinar on expanding child care programs to serve more infants and toddlers is also available online in English and Spanish. These resources, as well as upcoming trainings and free professional development opportunities, can also be found on the OAECE website.
Health Care and Training Benefits for Providers
Child Care Providers United (CCPU) is a union of over 40,000 home-based (family child care and family, friend, and neighbor care) child care providers in California working in partnership with parents, early childhood education advocates and state legislators to fix the state’s child care crisis and improve the profession and the quality of care. Their 2023 contract with the State includes a first-in-the-nation retirement fund, health care reimbursement fund and professional development opportunities for providers.
Health Care Reimbursement
CCPU’s Health Care Reimbursement Fund has $100 million to help home-based child care providers pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses, including prescription drugs, co-pays, deductibles and monthly premiums. Eligible providers must be enrolled in a qualifying health insurance plan and be serving at least one child receiving child care subsidies. Visit the CCPU website to apply or review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to learn more.
Development Opportunities
CCPU’s Training Fund provides tuition assistance (up to $5,000 each year) and high-quality workshops that support home-based child care providers in pursuing ongoing education and professional development. Opportunities also include a paid peer-to-peer mentorship program. Eligible providers must serve at least one child receiving child care subsidies. Learn more about the Training Fund and register for learning opportunities.
Become an Associate Teacher through UCLAExtension
Earn an Early Childhood Education-Associate Teacher Certificate at low or no cost through the UCLAxCareerBridge Initiative! The ECE Associate Teacher Program prepares individuals to become Associate Teachers in preschool or child care settings for children ages 0–5. After completing this 12-month, part-time program, participants will be eligible to apply for an Associate Teacher Child Development Permit through the State of CA. The first cohort will be offered fully in Spanish for Spanish-speaking students.
To qualify for the program, you must:
- Be a resident of the State of California
- Meet the minimum qualifications: High school diploma/GED, eligibility to work in the U.S., and comfort with basic computer functions
- Attend an information session and the student orientation
- Complete the prerequisite course
Those with financial need will be given priority. For more information, visit the UCLAxCareerBridge website. You can also email careerbridge@uclaextension.eduor call 310-206-2560. To learn about other state and local stipends for ECE courses, visit the Early Care and Education Workforce Registry website.
Free Virtual Behavioral Health Services
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has launched the Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platform, which offers free web- and app-based behavioral health services, including care navigation, moderated peer communities, and crisis and safety resources. The platform has two web- and app-based applications: Brightlife Kids, for parents or caregivers of children ages 0-12, and Soluna, for teens and young adults ages 13-25.
Brightlife Kids offers behavioral health coaching for parents, caregivers, and kids. Learn how to build non-verbal communication skills, navigate milestones, teach toddlers how to share, manage separation anxiety, and more.
Services are cost-free and do not require insurance or referrals. To learn more and download the app, visit CalHOPE.