March 2020 was a precarious time for childcare businesses in Pennsylvania and across the US. In response to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, Governor Wolf mandated the closure of non-essential businesses, including most childcare programs. With the sudden loss of parent tuition, many programs were at risk of permanent closure.
To help childcare businesses weather this uncertain time, two of the city’s largest philanthropies partnered with Reinvestment Fund, a Philadelphia-based CDFI, to launch the Philadelphia Emergency Fund for the Stabilization of Early Education (PEFSEE) in April 2020.
This report provides an overview of the PEFSEE program and its accomplishments to-date. The report highlights how emergency resources administered through PEFSEE helped stabilize providers, leading to fewer closures, greater staff retention, and less harmful borrowing from credit cards and family savings.
Jacob Rosch conducts quantitative and qualitative research at Reinvestment Fund. He leads projects to help philanthropic, government, and private investors design strategies to support the expansion of high-quality child care, build healthy and thriving communities, and improve the lives of residents and families in disadvantaged communities.
Karen Bustard is a Director, working within the Early Childhood Education team in the Programs department. She specializes in guiding grantees and borrowers through program activity and assisting with the design, implementation, evaluation, and refinement of operating programs. She offers project oversight for organizations seeking grants or loans through a variety of programs, including Fund for Quality, the Philadelphia ECE Loan Fund, the Philadelphia and NJ Child Nutrition Funds, Philadelphia Emergency Fund for Stabilization of Early Childhood Education, and others. Ms. Bustard holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the Fox School at Temple University.
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