Some low-income households in Arlington will now be able to afford child care, thanks to Nestle.
Nestle's headquarters in Rosslyn
The food and pet care company, which recently announced an expansion of its U.S. headquarters in Rosslyn, is donating $200,000 to the Arlington Community Foundation’s child care scholarship program.
The foundation hopes the donation will seed a scholarship pool of up to $2.7million to help 200 kids in the county over the next 5 years.
In a press release, the foundation noted that child care costs in Arlington were the highest in the region.
“A family of four with one infant and one four-year-old can spend more than $42,000 per year on child care. Yet, nearly 2,600 Arlington children under age 6 live in families whose household income is $36,000 or below.” AFC said. "The average annual scholarship per child will be $13,700."
Arlington County has also started its initiative to support more child care options locally, including making key zoning and regulatory changes. Last month, County Board member Katie Cristol wrote that there's a shortage of childcare options in Arlington which is driving up costs.
“Supply shortages were worse than we thought: Known capacity is sufficient to serve only 54% of Arlington’s children under five, despite data indicating that most Arlington children live in families where all parents work,” Cristol wrote.
Charity W. is a professional and skilled writer with a diploma in Mass Communication. When she is not glued to her computer screen, Charity spends her time reading, traveling, and watching movies. She is an expert on Arlington Virginia and keeps current with local events and occurrences.
