Single mom in the Petersburg area? You may be eligible for a childcare scholarship.

Allie Pitchon, Petersburg Progress-Index

The cost of childcare has skyrocketed in the past few years. For families in Petersburg and surrounding areas, childcare can often be more than $1,000 per child per month. This cost is an increasingly unaffordable financial burden for many parents — and single parents in particular. Local non-profit United Way created the WomenRise program to help mitigate some of this growing financial burden for single moms in the Petersburg and Richmond area.

The WomenRise program aims to help single moms maintain financial stability by helping cover the cost of childcare while they further their education in pursuit of a reliable living-wage career. In 2023 alone, United Way raised $150,000 for WomenRise childcare scholarships.

The application for the childcare scholarship program, which can be found here, is now open and will remain open through May 31. To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must:

  • Be a single female head of household with custody of at least one child;

  • Be enrolled or have plans to enroll in an education or career training program that is at least 4 weeks and that results in a degree or credential;

  • Have an annual income of $60,000 or less;

  • Reside in the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg region (Charles City, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Petersburg, Powhatan, Richmond);

  • Use a licensed or voluntary registered child care provider.

Questions? You may find some of your answers here. You can also reach out to United Way Campaign Manager Steph Doan at doans@yourunitedway.org.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Local non-profit offers childcare scholarships to single moms.

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