HARTFORD (AP) — Full-time Connecticut child care workers will soon receive one-time bonuses of $1,000 under an initiative created to show the state's appreciation for an industry that's struggling to fill open jobs

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont announced that $70 million included in the latest state budget has been released and will now be available to providers. The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood on Thursday began contacting eligible child care operators and instructing them on how to apply for the money.

“We need to support this important industry that is vital to families, the workplace, and society,” Lamont said in a statement.

Full-time individuals who work in licensed centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes, as well as other programs that receive child day care contract funds, will be eligible for $1,000. Part-time workers will receive $400. Child care operators also will receive additional money to help cover supplemental staff benefits and administrative processing costs. The program is funded entirely with state money.

The Connecticut Association for Human Services reported in July that a quarter of the state's child care capacity was not available to families because of staffing shortages, driven in part by low wages, lack of benefits and historically high staff turnover rates.