COVID-19 Relief Fund

For the past 30 years, Educational First Steps has worked diligently to help make high-quality education available to all children in North Texas, especially those that are the most vulnerable. EFS partners with daycares, preschools, and home base providers to ensure that these different learning environments are properly resourced and early educators are sufficiently supported to help children reach their full potential. Educational First Steps currently partners with over 100 early learning centers and 60 home based providers to serve more than 8,600 children locally. Many of these early educators and children now find themselves strained by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although schools and many businesses have temporarily closed by Governor Greg Abbot’s executive order issued on March 19, 2020, childcare centers have been asked to remain open as vital havens for working parents and essential functions.  The majority of our partner childcare centers are individually owned and operated small businesses.  They are facing an increase in barriers as they navigate with limited resources while making sure the needs of their students and staff are being met.  To address this growing economic crisis, Educational First Steps has partnered with the Rainwater Charitable Foundation of Fort Worth to introduce the EFS Dallas/Fort Worth COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund.

The purpose of the EFS Dallas/Fort Worth COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund is to provide immediate relief and gap funding to high-quality early childcare centers and educators that are experiencing economic hardship and have been negatively impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.  The fund will also support women owned early childhood education providers that operate centers in high-poverty communities.

To make an immediate charitable contribution in support of the EFS Dallas/Fort Worth COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund, please visit the Online Gift Form.  In addition to donating directly, you can also help one of EFS’ partner centers by sponsoring a staff meal or donating cleaning and/or paper supplies. To learn more and get involved today during this time of increased need, please visit the Contact Form. If you are an early childcare provider in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area and would like to apply for an EFS relief award, then please complete the COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund Application Form.