One Feb. 23, AEDC, California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) and North Coast Opportunities (NCO) hosted their launch meeting for Redwood Region RISE, the regional planning initiative made possible through a grant from the State of California  Community Economic Resiliency Funds. Over 80 people attended the meeting which helped to set the stage for developing a plan to identify regional economic development initiatives or projects that will support and promote a sustainable and equitable recovery from the economic distress of COVID-19.  

To help move the collaborative forward, a task force will be formed to determine the ultimate governance structure.

The team at CCRP will: 

• help guide community input into research and deliverables 
• continue to refine the model for representative and inclusive governance structure
• build organizational capacity
• shepherd an inclusive and participatory process for identifying priority projects and investments for implementation funding 

To help build the task force, CCRP will be distributing a survey to figure out how people would like to participate in the process. If you are interested in this regional planning and you are not on the mailing list, please email ccrp@humboldt.edu to be added and to receive the survey.  

If you missed the event and you would like to watch a recording, you can find it here.

In the spring of 2022, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $4.86 million of State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) funding to support our child care industry. The Accountability Team, comprised of local child care experts and community leaders has developed several programs to distribute these funds in ways that will make a lasting impact on our child care industry, the essential people who work in that industry, and our local economy.  

The first program, the Business Retention Program, just completed its first round of grants. The first round closed on Feb. 28. In that time, we provided 381 grants to child care owners and employees for a total of $565,000. The second round of bonuses for those continuing to work in the child care industry will be open on July 1, 2023, for those who worked between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. 

We will also be opening a loan forgiveness program for child care and home child care facilities. Funding, up to $10,000, can be used for improvements and equipment that improves the child care environment. The program will require applying for a loan to cover initial costs that will be forgiven when the improvements are made. The North Coast Small Business Development Center and Changing Tides will host a workshop to help providers understand and complete the loan paperwork on March 16th.

Learn how to apply for a forgivable loan for facilities improvement! Our panelists are excited to share this opportunity with you and ready to help you apply. 

Thursday, March 16, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Humboldt Child Care Facilities Improvement Forgivable Loan: Info Session

Click here to register for the event.

Workshops and applications are available in English and Spanish. If you're interested in learning more, click here to register for the workshop.

Do you love caring for children? Are you interested in learning how to be your own boss and start your own child care business? Families need flexible and dependable care. You can change lives from inside your own home! 

Join this workshop to receive resources and information from local support that can help you reach your goals by providing: funding, one-on-one technical assistance and coaching, virtual meetings, and professional development opportunities.

Thursday, March 9, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Hoopa Fire Station, 11860 State Hwy 96, Hoopa,CA 95546

To learn more call 530-625-5565 x. 115 or send an email to lesly@hoopadevelopmentfund.com.