The Inland Empire-based organization focuses on supporting childcare professionals while strengthening the communities they serve. A recent grant awarded through the Inland Empire Community Foundation’s CIELO Fund is helping expand those efforts by increasing access to quality childcare services in underserved and minority communities throughout the region.

    “Considering the decrease in funding to nonprofits over the last year, this grant is a miracle, and we are more than grateful,” said Yvonne Choyce, founder and CEO of Providers Need Care.

    According to Choyce, the funding has allowed the nonprofit to reach more participants and broaden opportunities for childcare providers, particularly within Latino communities.

    “This funding represents an opportunity to continue investing in our children, families and communities,” she said. “The support has allowed us to grow participation in our programs over the last year, leading to a successful increase in Latino providers and business owners.”

    She said the impact extends beyond the providers themselves. As childcare businesses become more sustainable and successful, they are better positioned to serve families and meet growing childcare needs within their neighborhoods.

    “That, in turn, strengthens their sustainability and ability to expand access to much-needed childcare services within their own communities,” Choyce said. “That’s an important impact, especially right now.”

    The grant arrives at a critical time for many Spanish-speaking families and childcare providers who continue to face financial and structural barriers. Choyce believes investments like this can create lasting change.

    “This is a major investment in childcare, and it changes lives,” she said.

    Reliable childcare plays a vital role in helping parents remain in the workforce while ensuring children receive quality care and early learning opportunities. Programs supported through grants such as those distributed by the Inland Empire Community Foundation also help address ongoing childcare shortages across the region.

    Providers Need Care was founded three years ago, but the inspiration behind the organization began much earlier.

    Before launching the nonprofit, Choyce operated a home-based childcare business for more than two decades. Several years ago, she was recruited by a Women’s Business Center to train aspiring childcare providers who were looking to start their own businesses.

    As she worked with those entrepreneurs, she began noticing something troubling.

    “They asked me to train providers based on a grant they had, and these were startups,” Choyce recalled. “In the middle of that second cohort, I started hearing a lot and seeing a lot of red flags.”

    Many of the women she encountered were struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic, including job losses, family hardships and financial instability.

    “A lot of them were starting a business because they needed a fresh start,” Choyce said. “I didn’t feel right training them to take care of children when they themselves were carrying so much.”

    She said that realization sparked an idea that eventually became the organization’s name and mission.

    “I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to do more than just train them on how to get licensed,” she said. “It just came to me that providers need care.”

    Soon afterward, Providers Need Care was established and has continued to expand its reach across the Inland Empire.

    One of the organization’s strongest areas of focus is self-care. Choyce believes childcare providers often spend so much time caring for others that they neglect their own well-being.

    “We do a lot of self-care training because of all the challenges providers face,” she said. “Every year we hold a retreat where they can take a step back and allow us to care for them for a day. That’s really important to me.”

    Choyce credits much of the nonprofit’s success to the professionals who believed in the mission from the beginning. In the early days, financial resources were limited, but many facilitators agreed to participate because they believed in the organization’s purpose.

    “I started recruiting facilitators from within the industry,” she said. “I told them there wasn’t going to be much money, but I needed them to believe in the dream. They did.”

    Looking ahead, Providers Need Care plans to continue expanding its services, including business counseling, professional development training, compliance support, resource sharing and wellness programs designed specifically for childcare professionals.

    “We want to equip providers with all the right tools and knowledge they need for success,” Choyce said.

    More information about the organization can be found at providersneedcare.org.

    The Inland Empire Community Foundation works to strengthen communities throughout Inland Southern California through philanthropic partnerships and community investment. Its CIELO Fund, established in 2022, supports initiatives that empower Latino communities through education, leadership development, capacity building and community-based programs. Additional information is available at iegives.org.

Source: Information provided by Providers Need Care and the Inland Empire Community Foundation.

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Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but the sweet sentiments shared in those cute little cards we give and receive each year linger on.  Sometimes those Valentines come with tiny candy hearts that say “Be Mine” or “Crazy 4 U” or other sappy sentiments, but for three local teachers, Valentine’s Day brought them much more than a box of candy.  Kate Paragone and Ginamarie Richards, both of Menifee, and Wendy Lizardi of Romoland, each received notice that their names were randomly selected by Division 33 to receive a $100 Teacher Grant.  And, in a separate drawing, Tahquitz High School teacher, Cheryl Miller, was announced as a recipient of one of the 35 State CalRTA $100 Teacher Grants awarded in February.

Kate Paragone teaches 4th and 5th grade RSP/SDC at Evans Ranch Elementary School in Menifee. Paragone works with RSP (Resource Specialist Program) students, quite a number of whom struggle with math concepts.  “So I turned my attention to that area and bought play money and play cash register and some other supports and work with the students on adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing as well as adding purchases and computing the tax to arrive at a total,” Paragone explained.  “I’m trying to make real life application for the students to understand the concepts of managing finances.”

Ginamarie Richards, who teaches 5th grade at Quail Valley Elementary School in Menifee, says, “We usually extend our learning through STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and integrated hand-on activities so this will help tremendously. Our next project is to build/replicate a constellation for our space culminating project. We will be needing beads, metallic sharpies, glue for our student safe glue guns, and pipe cleaners” to complete the project, Richards added. “Now we will be able to have each student make a constellation.”

Wendy Lizardi teaches kindergarten at Harvest Valley Elementary School in Romoland.  When she received notice that she had receive one of Division 33’s grants she was thrilled. “Thank you!! I’m so excited! With the $100 grant, I will purchase math and ELA manipulatives for my students to use for centers and small groups. I enjoy giving my students hands on experiences in order to promote multi- sensory learning.”

When Tahquitz High School biology and botany teacher Cheryl Miller received word that she had been selected to receive one of CalRTA’s state teacher grants, she responded, “I am so excited to get the $100.00!  It will sure help with the purchase of some good topsoil for the garden beds” that her science students have created to carry out their experiments.  “Since COVID, the gardens need a little help and this is a perfect start.”  CalRTA Division 33 Vice President Sue Breyer presented the $100 Teacher Grant check to Tahquitz High School Principal Dr. Kari McGowan at a recent staff meeting, then matched that $100 check with a crisp $100 from Division 33, for a total of $200 to be used in Ms. Miller’s classroom.  Unfortunately, Ms. Miller was unable to attend the meeting to receive the funds in person.

California Retired Teachers Association Division 33 supports public education by offering 11 $1000 scholarships each year to qualifying seniors in Hemet and San Jacinto, and 15 $100 “no strings attached” teacher grants for classroom use.  For more information about CalRTA Division 33, you can access their website at div33.calrta.org then click on Scholarships & Grants to access application forms and information about recent grant and scholarship recipients.

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