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From left: Suzanne Schneider, Assistant Director of Lincoln Littles; Alec Gorynski, President and CEO of the Lincoln Community Foundation and Board Chair of Lincoln Littles; Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird; Kelly Ross, Founder and Executive Director with ECHO Collective; Jim Blue, CEDARS Executive Director. (City of Lincoln)

City of Lincoln Directs ARPA Funds to Workforce Needs, Childcare Services

By Chase Porter Apr 25, 2024 | 3:21 PM

As time runs out to spend American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the City of Lincoln has announced the latest round of allocations from the cash surplus — totaling $600,000.

Thursday morning, representatives of four benefiting organizations appeared along side Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird to commemorate the resource redirection.

“I am so pleased to announce that we will redirect some of our unspent American Rescue Plan Act funds to meet critical workforce needs that help us grow the great life and further enhance our local economy,” said Mayor Gaylor Baird.

Redirected funds will benefit the following programs:

  • American Job Center — ($250,000) — additional dollars to support a commercial driver’s license program, providing financial assistance for training and facilitating job placements.
  • ECHO Collective — ($150,000) — funding to enable multiple cohorts of refugee and immigrant women to attend an four-month business education course.
  • Lincoln Littles — ($100,000) — funding an internship program in conjunction with the American Job Center for 30 paid internship positions, which will also have access to weekly educational opportunities in childcare.
  • CEDARS — ($100,000) — supporting childcare programs at the Northbridge Childcare Center, which provides access to affordable childcare in North Lincoln.

“We have multiple childcare centers that are not at full capacity, that have empty classrooms. All because of a lack of workforce,” said Alec Gorynski, Lincoln Littles Board Chair, who noted that 17,000, or 77% of children in Lincoln ages newborn to 5, have all or both parents working full-time and relying on childcare services.

The City of Lincoln has designated all $45.9 million in ARPA funds to qualified programs and has spent over $32 million since the funding began in 2021.  Since ARPA funds were made available, the City has allocated $13.5 million for workforce development. Federal law requires all ARPA dollars be spent by the end of 2024.

Suzanne Schneider, Lincoln Littles Assistant Director; Kate Bolz, CEDARS Senior Advisor for Policy; Kelly Ross, ECHO Collective Founder and Executive Director, and Jim Blue, CEDARS Executive Director, also joined the Mayor for the press conference.