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 2020-2023
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Recommendation to:
A) Receive the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform for 2020-2023 (“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 2020-2023 for the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2023.
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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:
On November 16, 2020, the Council approved the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council Public Policy Platform 2020-2023 (the “Public Policy Platform”) attached to this memo as Exhibit A. The Public Policy Platform aligns with the Council’s 2019-2023 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 Legislative Program for 2021-2022, which is also being presented to the Board for its approval at the February 9, 2021 Board meeting.
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. K-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,
• Innovative pilots to improve outcomes for children and families.
High Quality Program Implementation
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• Developmentally appropriate curriculum based in research and evidence,
• A culturally/linguistically responsive approach,
• Inclusive environments for all children,
• Robust and authentic family engagement,
• Connections to comprehensive services & early identification and intervention,
• Effective and rigorous evaluation, monitoring and support,
• A Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) that works to support a broad representation of programs with a diversity of accessible quality improvement modalities, and also informs families about quality indicators,
• Increased funding to grow and sustain quality improvement implementation across all programs for children birth through age 13.
Availability, Accessibility, Affordability
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• Increased availability, access, and affordability for unique populations, such as infants/toddlers, dual language learners, children with special needs, children experiencing homelessness, children under supervision of child welfare, children and families experiencing domestic violence, and children of teen parents,
• Increased funding to serve all children from low-income families,
• Easy enrollment/verification for families accessing subsidized care,
• More assistance for families to help them learn about options,
• Family eligibility standards that promote continuity of care and reflect high cost of living in our county,
• Income supports or other strategies to improve stability of families and healthy outcomes for children.
Workforce
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• A diverse, qualified, well-compensated workforce inclusive of center-based, family child care, and “family, friend, and neighbor,”
• Pay commensurate with education and expertise and parity with K-12,
• Public and private efforts and systems to recruit, retain, and support the workforce,
• Improved access to ongoing education and professional development from entry-level to degree attainment,
• Coordination between providers of professional development and higher education,
• Greater awareness of child care and early learning workforce as valued professionals.
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,
• Increased and equitably distributed public and private capital resources to increase the number of facilities,
• 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 employers to create child care facilities for their employees.
Health and Safety
The Council supports policies that achieve the following:
• Safe and healthy environments,
• Sufficiently funded Licensing to provide technical assistance and annual monitoring,
• Technical assistance, training and resources to meet child and staff health and safety needs and respond to emergencies or disasters,
• Coordination between Licensing and Child Development during shift from CDE to CDSS,
• A more robust emergency response system for child care and early learning to ensure timely access to information and resources,
• Child care/early learning represented on COVID-19 taskforces,
• 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 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, 2023. 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
Attachment:
Exhibit A