Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Dave Pine, District 1
Subject: San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform for 2020-2025
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation to:
A) Receive the updated San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform for 2020-2025 (“Public Policy Platform’’); and
B) Authorize the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, including the member of the Board of Supervisors serving as a Co-Chair of the Council, to engage in direct legislative and policy advocacy in alignment with the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform 2020-2025 for the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
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BACKGROUND:
In 1991 local Child Care Planning Councils were established by the California State Legislature in every county in California. San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council (“Council’) is the local Child Care Planning Council in San Mateo County. The Council is a publicly funded and appointed body under joint auspices of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, which is mandated to:
• identify priorities for the local distribution of state funding for child care and early learning services for low income children, from birth to age thirteen, and families;
• conduct a child care and early learning needs assessment;
• create a county-wide child care and early learning strategic plan every five years;
• develop policies, strategies, and resources to promote the goals of the strategic plan; and
• advise San Mateo County on the potential local impact of state and national policies and legislation related to child care and early learning.
The Council is co-chaired by a member of the Board of Supervisors (currently Supervisor Dave Pine) and the County Superintendent of Schools (currently Nancy Magee). Twenty additional members are appointed, with equal representation from parent consumers of child care, child care and early learning providers, public agencies, and community agency representatives.
DISCUSSION:
The Board of Supervisors previously approved the Council’s Public Policy Platform on February 23, 2021, authorizing the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, including the member of the Board serving as a co-chair of the Council, to engage in direct legislative and policy advocacy in alignment with its Public Policy Platform. On March 18, 2024, the Council approved updates to the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform 2020-2025 (the “Public Policy Platform”), attached to this memo as Exhibit A. The Public Policy Platform aligns with the Council’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan and serves as the Council’s recommendations to San Mateo County on state and national policy and legislation.
The purpose of the Public Policy Platform is to secure legislation that benefits the County and its residents that expands access to high quality child care and early learning; oppose/amend legislation that might adversely impact the delivery of child care and early learning services; help shape public policy related to child care and early learning; and secure state and federal funding to increase the number of child care and early learning spaces, make care more affordable for families, and raise program quality and workforce compensation through the grant and/or appropriations process. The Public Policy Platform captures long-standing priorities and positions of the Council, as well as emerging concerns.
As set forth below, the Public Policy Platform addresses the following areas of highest priority in San Mateo County. The priority areas of the Council’s Platform have been incorporated into the County’s 2023 Legislative Program.
Systems, Financing, and Administration
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• A comprehensive, high-quality child care and early learning system serving children birth to age 13,
• A more streamlined, efficient, coordinated system that is connected to other systems (i.e., TK-12, health, and social services),
• Better data to measure impacts of services,
• Increased, protected, and stable funding especially for programs for infants/toddlers & other high need populations, and that funds the actual cost of care that includes adequate workforce compensation and facilities maintenance and construction,
• A streamlined, single subsidy reimbursement system that reflects the actual, current cost of high-quality care.
High Quality Program Implementation
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
● Inclusion of a broad representation of centers, family child care homes, and alternate settings in Quality Counts San Mateo’s and other quality improvement efforts that encompass a diversity of modalities (i.e. coaching, mentoring, trainings, etc.),
● Inclusive environments for all children within a mixed delivery system,
● The use of valid and reliable assessments, including direct assessment of early literacy and math skills, to guide instruction,
● Rigorous program evaluation to determine which quality improvement strategies result in improved outcomes for our most vulnerable children,
● Supports for programs that serve school age children, including TK, to improve the quality of their services.
Availability, Accessibility, Affordability
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• Easy enrollment/verification for families accessing subsidized care,
• More assistance for families to help them learn about options,
• Family eligibility criteria and duration that promote continuity of care and reflect high cost of living in our county,
• A higher income eligibility threshold for subsidized child care and early learning services due to the high cost of living in San Mateo County,
• A community-informed approach to Universal PreKindergarten planning and implementation that leverages the strengths of the current mixed-delivery system of PreK providers,
• Income supports or other strategies to improve stability of families and healthy outcomes for children.
Workforce
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
● Adequate compensation for the workforce to achieve salary parity with the TK-12 system;
● Improved access to high-quality, coordinated educational, professional development, and credentialing systems that address financial, cultural, linguistic, and literacy needs on a continuum from entry-level through degree attainment;
● Policies that create greater alignment and inclusion between systems of professional development and higher education;
● Professional development opportunities that help the workforce develop expertise to support vulnerable and unique populations of children and families.
Facilities
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• An adequate supply of high-quality, inclusive child care and early learning facilities,
• Reduced complexity and fewer barriers to developing new spaces,
• Technical expertise available to develop, finance, and maintain facilities,
• Planning and land use policies that promote the inclusion and expansion of child care and early learning facilities,
• Policies that encourage businesses to support the expansion of child care facilities in their communities.
Health and Safety
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
● Capacity-building within the child care and early learning system/workforce to meet all of children’s health and safety needs including mental, physical, and developmental; responding to medical or situational crises; and ensuring safe routes to schools;
● A more robust emergency response system for child care and early learning providers to ensure timely access to information and resources in the event of climate and other disasters or emergencies; and
● Streamlined, clear and consistent regulations across license types.
Recognizing the need to quickly respond to emerging legislation and public policy issues, staff is requesting that the Board (A) receive the Council’s updated Public Policy Platform attached hereto as Exhibit A; and (B) authorize the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, including the member of the Board serving as a co-chair of the Council, to engage in direct legislative and policy advocacy in alignment with its Public Policy Platform for the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025. Such legislative and policy advocacy will include the submission of letters of support or opposition, signed by the Council’s co-chairs and/or staff on behalf of the Council, regarding specific legislation or policy matters covered under the Council’s Public Policy Platform.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Not Applicable