In a brand-new program being launched by the Arcata Economic Development Center and First 5 Humboldt, local child care providers will be given an opportunity to improve the learning and care environment for their children. Called Child Care I.Q. (I.Q. stands for “invest in quality”), the program provides resources and loan reimbursement for current family child care providers and child care centers that are interested in taking steps to “enhance their environment.”

“The interesting thing about this is that improving their business is really improving the quality of care for their kids,” Susan Seaman of AEDC explained. “The focus is to provide better care, not make more money.”

The program is stated simply in a company press release: Child care providers can qualify for a loan from AEDC for up to $5,000 for equipment, materials or professional development, and have that loan repaid by First 5 when program enhancement goals are met.

First 5’s Child Care Program Coordinator Helen Love said the idea was born from barriers that owners and operators of child care centers sometimes face when trying to secure a business loan. “Child care is very tricky as to how much can be charged and how much parents can bear. It’s not up to the market; it’s up to the parents.”

The program’s process begins with First 5. “The first step is to invite us out to do a rating of your program and request written materials from me,” Love said. Then, after the business has written an improvement plan, First 5 reviews it to determine whether or not “it’s a safe guess that it will result in the improvement they are talking about.”

“Once we have a sense that it is viable, we let AEDC know,” and the business applies for a loan of anywhere from $500 to $5,000, Love explained. “At that point, the clock is ticking because they’re paying interest, so they’re making their purchases in a timely way, hopefully, getting their new equipment, and when they are ready, they call us back.”

After review, if the improvements went according to plan, “then we repay the loan,” Love said.

The Children’s Cottage in Eureka, described by Love as “pioneers” for being the first to take advantage of this program, has found it to be useful, Children’s Cottage Director Sarah Sullens said. “(First 5 employees) came in and did an environment rating scale on our school. They came and observed, looked at all the different areas — how kids interact with each other, how we interact with the children, what materials we have available and how we have our day set up.”

After putting the findings on a rating scale, Love then discussed them with the school’s staff and pointed out suggested room for improvement. “It has definitely been helpful,” Sullens said of the process.

Love said that the rating process is free for anyone. Once the child care program has a chance to go over the findings, it is up to them whether or not to apply for the loan and adopt the suggested improvements.

There is a conference being planned for April 19, Love said, that will provide different workshops, including presentations on how to utilize the program.

Sullen said she would definitely encourage her fellow child care providers to check it out. “I think it’s been really nice to have somebody come into the environment and have a fresh perspective on it. I love getting feedback on areas we can improve and getting new ideas on how to improve the program.”

For applications or more information on the Child Care I.Q. program, phone Love at 707-445-7385.