City Of Santa Monica Offers Financial Assistance For Child Care To WGA Writers

Program Provides A $350 Stipend For City Youth Programs To Santa Monica Residents

By Dolores Quintana

Santa Monica City Councilmember Jesse Zwick announced, via Twitter, that the City Council has responded to the Writers Guild West strike of five weeks by reviewing their policies and determining that the strike counts as special circumstances, so striking WGA members would qualify for Financial Assistance from the Recreation and CREST Programs. You can read more about the program and apply here.

Zwick stated on Twitter, “Something cool Santa Monica is doing to support its striking WGA writers: If you need help securing care for your kids, you can qualify under the city’s special circumstances policy to receive financial assistance for our youth programs. A WGA writer approached me recently because, with school ending, she was worried she’d be unable to enroll her kids in summer camp. Her 2022 income was too high to qualify for financial aid, but the family’s current income was zero, and things were tight.”

He wanted to help, as did the other City Council members, so they took action.

So If you’re a Santa Monica resident, you can explain your loss of income, provide proof of WGA membership, and receive up to $350 per child per quarter. Zwick added, “I’m proud our city is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to supporting the working people of Hollywood.”

Here are the program details:

“The City of Santa Monica provides financial assistance for its after-school programs and recreation classes and camps. A completed application is required on an annual basis. Applications are available in May for the new fiscal year (Jul – Jun) and must be received prior to registration, as discounts cannot be applied retroactively. Not all applicants may qualify. Financial Assistance eligibility for FY 2023-24 is aligned with HUD’s 2022 HOME Income Limits. HUD updates Income Limits annually each May, which the City then uses in advance of each program year.

For swim lessons, recreation classes, recreation camps, and CREST enrichment, applicants may qualify for up to $350 in quarterly assistance (July -September, October-December, January-March, and April-June). The $350 quarterly cap is based on the enrollment date.
For essential programs such as CREST Club and CREST school-break camps, there is no cap.

For questions on how to apply, the status of your application, or your family’s eligibility, you can contact the following departments:

Applications must be submitted at least four weeks before a program/class begins and prior to registration.