Community Bridges has been awarded $3 million from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s (Cal Fire) Urban and Community Forestry Grants program, enabling the transformation of its Early Education Division childcare outdoor spaces into vibrant, nature-based learning sites that will provide significant benefits for staff, children and the environment.
This is the largest individual grant awarded to the Early Education Division in over five decades of operating childcare services on the Central Coast.
Through the “Blacktop to Bloom” project, Community Bridges aims to increase tree canopy cover and tree canopy equity, directly shading and protecting children from extreme heat and rising temperatures due to climate change.
The project will incorporate diverse natural elements and engaging educational activities, enhancing the outdoor classroom environment. These improvements will encourage access to shade during outdoor learning, physical activities and free playtime for children, while promoting healthy eating habits and fostering environmental stewardship.
This project also benefits the environment by combating heat islands, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, alleviating extreme heat, increasing carbon sequestration and creating natural environments.
Over the next two years, 3,500 to 10,000 square feet of concrete—equivalent to about two basketball courts—will be removed from Community Bridges’ licensed childcare centers in Watsonville, Freedom, Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo Valley and replaced with trees, gardens and eco-friendly play structures.
“We are incredibly grateful to Cal Fire for this generous grant and opportunity to create enriching, nature-based learning environments that benefit our children, community and the environment,” said Community Bridges CEO Raymon Cancino. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact this project will have on our community for decades to come.”
Cancino added, “We also like to thank our partners at the City of Santa Cruz, City of Watsonville, County of Santa Cruz, MidPen Housing, Pajaro Valley Housing Corp, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, Mercy Housing California, County Parks and Recreation and the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District for their continued partnership with our early education programs and their belief in this project’s transformative potential.”
Cal Fire’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program aims to enhance the long-term benefits provided by trees, improve public understanding and appreciation of urban trees, and advance urban forest management and tree care. Special consideration is given to projects serving disadvantaged and low-income communities.
In 2023, the USDA awarded $1.5 billion to initiatives supporting urban communities in ensuring equitable access to trees and their benefits, as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) under President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order 13985.
California received a state allocation of IRA funds, with $30.8 million available for grant projects at the community, regional or statewide level in this funding opportunity.
Community Bridges received funding through the Urban and Community Forestry Program’s Green Schoolyards grants. It was the only organization on the Central Coast awarded funding this year.
Community Bridges’ Early Education Division annually serves 125 children, including low-income children, those with disabilities and dual language learners, ranging from 18 months to 5-1/2 years old. The program, which runs daily from 8am-4pm, has centers throughout the county spanning from the San Lorenzo Valley to the farmlands in Watsonville.
“This incredible opportunity provided by Cal Fire will make a huge difference in our program,” said Early Education Division Program Director Lisa Hindman Holbert. “It will impact the way children play, learn and experience nature through discovery while cultivating kindness towards one another and a love of nature, plants and our planet. We are so grateful and excited to share our progress.”
