The city of Los Angeles says it will no longer have the money to run most childcare centers launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the city allocated federal relief dollars to renovate and reopen 10 licensed childcare centers for young kids in economically disadvantaged areas. Eight of those centers are open and running, including in Pacoima, Echo Park, Boyle Heights and Crenshaw. Two more have not yet opened, according to city officials.
It was a small but significant expansion aimed at a big problem: Los Angeles doesn’t have enough affordable childcare options . Before the cash infusion, childcare centers run by the Department of Recreation and Parks had dwindled to two, from 26. But the change, like pandemic funds, was short-term. City officials say that the $20 million of American Rescue Plan Act money the city approved for those childcare programs is drying up…