Jessica Libby is working toward being a certified daycare provider, due in part to a family daycare startup grant program.

“There’s only two [others] in home daycares in Sherrill and they’re fully booked, and they have like a year or more waiting list,” Libby said.

Libby says because she could not find daycare in the City of Sherrill where she lives, she and her husband decided she should quit her job and stay home.

“So we switched gears into me becoming into the realm of being stay-at-home and being in the daycare actually,” Libby said.

Libby is not certified, so she can only provide daycare for two children, but that will change once she receives her certification through the family daycare startup grant.

“It’s going to help me be able to get the things that I need instead of having to pay out of pocket and worry about where I’m going to get the money to be able to get everything set up, and how I’m going to be able to finish getting certified,” said Libby.

In September, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente announced that $250,000 was allocated for the Family Daycare Startup Fund, which would provide people with up to $2,500 for startup costs or to expand their existing home daycare. Picente said Cornell Cooperative Extension is a partner in the initiative.

According to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), there are currently 67 licensed family daycare homes, 51 licensed group family daycare homes and 34 licensed daycare centers in Oneida County.

Picente says this funding could create up to 100 new daycares and slots for up to 1,000 additional children.

Because Libby has an area in her backyard filled with water occasionally, she is required to fence in her yard. She says the funding will be a huge help in paying for that.

“We want to make it as safe as possible for any daycare child,” said Libby.

She’s hoping the funding can also help with protection costs for her windows.

“A 4-mm film of anti-shatter proof to cover on top of it or to get shutters to go across to prevent the window from breaking if something hard were to hit the window,” said Libby.

Libby says the program will also cover the bulk of the certification classes that she has to take. She hopes to be up and running by the start of the new year.