San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has launched a new online portal for childcare and preschool access, designed to bring free and low-cost options to families.
The Early Learning for All Parent Portal, or ELFA, will be a website where parents can apply to preschools, identify financial assistance, and find childcare programs based on location or language.
In a statement, Lurie said: "Making childcare affordable lifts a huge burden for parents and strengthens the future of our entire city.”
According to the mayor’s office, providers have been, and are in the process of, joining the city's ELFA network, bringing at least 30 new childcare providers onto the portal. Currently, the website contains more than 550, which is nearly 70% of the city's licensed infant and toddler care programs.
Earlier this year, families earning up to 150% of area median income, which is about $243,000 for a family of four, could receive free care for an ELFA network program.
