Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Measure K: Agreement with Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County to create and operate a grant program via their Build Up initiative for child care facilities in San Mateo County
RECOMMENDATION:
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Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing:
A) The President of the Board of Supervisors to execute an agreement with Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County to create and operate a grant program via the Build Up initiative for child care facilities in San Mateo for the term of November 12, 2024 to June 30, 2027 in an amount not to exceed $750,000; and
B) An option to extend the agreement for up to two additional years, in an amount not to exceed an additional $250,000 for the first option, if exercised, and an amount not to exceed an additional $250,000 for the second option, if exercised, at the sole discretion of the County Executive or designee.
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BACKGROUND:
Measure K is the half-cent general sales tax initially approved by San Mateo County voters in November 2012 and extended in November 2016 for a total of thirty years.
In response to Board direction, County staff gathered community input regarding priorities for the allocation of Measure K funds. Staff collected feedback from Community Based Organizations, County departments and conducted a countywide survey and listening sessions to obtain resident input. At the October 3, 2023, Measure K study session, staff presented a report produced by InterEthnica, summarizing the results of the surveys and listening sessions which provided valuable input for the Board.
On October 17, 2023, after considering the County’s needs and community input, this Board finalized and approved the following priority areas for FY 2024-25 Measure K funding: Children, Families, and Seniors; Housing and Homelessness; and Emergency Preparedness. Mental Health is a component of each priority area rather than a stand-alone item. In addition to the approval of the priority areas, this Board authorized the County Executive to develop and proceed with a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process to obtain applications for funding within the approved priority areas and subcategories identified by the Board.
On March 27, 2024, and June 25, 2024, this Board approved recommended applications received pursuant to the NOFO, and authorized the County Executive to negotiate agreements with applicants to be returned to this Board for approval. By this action, the application of Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County was approved for an award of Measure K funds under the Children, Families, and Seniors Priority Area.
DISCUSSION:
Build Up is a county-wide, multi-sector, collective-impact initiative operated by the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County to preserve, expand and improve the supply of child care and preschool facilities in San Mateo County. This initiative began after the San Mateo County Human Services Agency commissioned a comprehensive needs assessment for early learning and care facilities operating in the county and its municipalities. Following this assessment, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation convened a task force to identify goals and next steps to create more early child care and education spaces throughout the county. Build Up grew out of this task force and is focused on the following four goals:
1) Reusing/repurposing existing available spaces for child care;
2) Including child care in new building developments;
3) Partnering with large employers to expand access to child care; and
4) Generating new capital funds.
Further, in 2024, the Commission on Women published a report titled “Fund the Future,” which further highlighted the shortage of child care options in San Mateo County.
Build Up will use this grant to focus on the first goal listed above: reusing/repurposing existing child care spaces. Investing in physical infrastructure continues to be especially important so providers can expand and offer developmentally appropriate environments that meet the needs of infants and toddlers. In addition, child care providers with smaller budgets and who serve higher numbers of lower-income families are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, since they may have greater infrastructure needs and fewer resources available to address such issues; accordingly, Build Up will specifically include climate resiliency grants in its program.
Build Up will use Measure K funds to create and operate a grant program for child care facilities across San Mateo County to apply for funding to complete renovations, repair, expansion, retrofit and sustainability related facility improvements. This includes developing the grant application process and evaluation criteria, raising awareness about the application in underserved communities and those who would be the most impacted by climate change events with outreach and technical assistance. Further, Build Up will use the funds to launch the nations’ first early childhood climate action plan.
Depending on the type of project applications that are received, Build Up anticipates awarding 2-12 projects for renovations/repair/expansions, 2-4 projects for disaster preparedness, and 5-10 projects for sustainability and climate resilience initiatives.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
|
Measure |
Target |
|
Disbursing funds to child care facilities and projects by the end of each fiscal year. |
100% of annual funds disbursed |
|
Ensuring that Build Up’s grant recipients utilize their funding |
Within 12 months of entity receiving funding |
|
Improving the quality of child care and children’s experience by improving the facilities’ physical space via renovation |
Complete |
|
Collecting annual testimonials from child care facilities receiving funding, including photos and feedback from parents or children (where appropriate) to capture the grant's impact. |
Complete |
Build Up will provide robust quarterly and annual reporting to provide progress on their performance measures, and share stories and photos from the daycare providers.
EQUITY IMPACT:
High-quality child care programs are an essential resource for all residents, and particularly for lower-income families where parents/caregivers are working and/or in school.
Build Up’s work is done countywide, but greatly impacts small business child care providers who are predominantly women, and more specifically women of color and immigrants. For this grant, Build Up will provide outreach about the application and provide technical assistance among all child care facilities, with a particular focus in underserved communities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The initial term of the agreement is from November 12, 2024 to June 30, 2027 for an amount not to exceed $750,000. The County will have the sole option to extend the term of the agreement for up to two (2) additional one (1) year terms: (i) from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028, and (ii) from July 1, 2028 to June 30, 2029. If both options are exercised, the total agreement not to exceed amount would be $1,250,000 in total (limited to $250,000 per fiscal year).
The agreement will be funded through Measure K funds. The Measure K funds are included in the FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget.
There is no Net County Cost associated with approving this recommendation.