Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Ken Cole, Director, Human Services Agency
Subject: Agreement with Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County, Inc., for the Foster Care Bridge Program
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution waiving the Request for Proposals (RFP) process and authorizing an agreement with the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County, Inc., to operate the Foster Care Bridge Program in San Mateo County for the term of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023 for a total obligation amount not to exceed $518,000.
body
BACKGROUND:
The lack of access to child care for potentially eligible families seeking to take in a foster child is one of the top barriers to placing young children with families. To address this issue, the Legislature enacted Senate Bill (“SB”) 89, which established the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program (“Bridge Program”).
The Bridge Program provides a payment, or voucher, for child care and assistance from a child care navigator to eligible relative caregivers, eligible families, or parenting youth in foster care. Trauma-informed care training and coaching are also provided to child care providers who care for children in foster care. SB 89 requires participating counties to enter into an agreement with their designated Child Care Resource and Referral (“R&R”) Program agency/agencies to provide the trauma-informed care and navigator services.
SB 89 also authorizes counties to enter into an agreement with their respective designated Alternative Payment Program (“APP”) provider. The Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County, Inc. (“4Cs”), is a California Department of Education designated APP provider and is San Mateo County’s designated R&R Program agency.
DISCUSSION:
4Cs will operate the Bridge Program in San Mateo County. Program services include providing emergency child care vouchers, child care navigator services, and trauma informed care training. Specifically, 4Cs will provide time-limited child care vouchers to help pay for child care costs for foster children birth through age 12, and for youth with exceptional needs up to age 21. A voucher may be issued for up to six-months until the child is successfully transitioned into long-term, subsidized child care or extended up to one year at the County’s discretion. Navigator services assist eligible families with finding a child care provider, securing subsidized child care placement, completing child care program applications, and developing a plan for long-term child care appropriate to the child’s age and needs. In addition, 4Cs will provide its providers with access to trauma-informed care training that includes strategies for working with children in foster care and trauma informed care best practices.
San Mateo County’s designated R&R Program agency is 4Cs. The Human Services Agency is requesting that the Board waive the Request for Proposals process because San Mateo County has only one designated R&R Program agency, and it should therefore be considered a sole source.
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the agreement and resolution as to form.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County’s fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 in aggregate.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2021-22 Anticipated |
FY 2022-23 Anticipated |
|
Percent of children receiving emergency child care services that will be placed in long-term child care within 6 months of receipt of referral. |
80% |
82% |
|
Percentage of child care providers who receive trauma informed care training show an increase in their understanding of how to apply trauma informed care strategies (based on a pre and post training survey). |
76% |
80% |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total obligation of the agreement is $518,000. Of this amount, it is estimated that $288,500 is federally funded, $229,500 is funded through the State Emergency Child Care Bridge Allocation, and $0 is Net County Cost. Appropriation was included in the FY 2021-22 Recommended Budget.