Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Dave Pine, District 1
Supervisor Carole Groom, District 2
Subject: Establish a grant program to support out-of-school programs during the 2022-2023 school year
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution:
A) Approving an allocation of $2,562,500 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program to increase the availability of before and after school and school vacation programs for socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the County; and
B) Authorizing the County Executive, or designee(s), to enter into an agreement with SMCU Community Fund to administer the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program for an amount not to exceed $62,500, with a term ending November 30, 2022.
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BACKGROUND:
During and as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges accessing or affording out-of-school care have been widespread, with disruptions to early care and learning services similarly having negative impacts. Indeed, educators, after-school care providers and child development experts agree that children need out-of-school programs - prior to school, after school and during school vacations - that support both academic progress and social and emotional development. This need is particularly acute for socio-economically disadvantaged (“SED”) students and families living in communities severely impacted by the pandemic.
SED students frequently had less access and support during distance learning because parents were unable to work from home, had less reliable internet access, had to share computers with other family members, and often did not have quiet places to study. Many SED students lacked access to opportunities for social and emotional growth provided through camps, tutoring, and other private programs that middle and upper-income families provided their children over the past two years.
Increasing access to such childcare services for school age children is responsive to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Further, providing increased access to out-of-school programs can also help address lost instructional time and educational disparities for SED students that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
To help mitigate the challenges SED students faced during the pandemic, the Board allocated $1,506,000 to expand local learning hub programs during the 2020-2021 school year (“Learning Hub Grant Program”). The Learning Hub Grant Program in San Mateo County was created by a collaborative team, known as the Advisory Committee, that included representatives of the Board of Supervisors, County Executive’s Office, First 5 of San Mateo County, San Mateo County Office of Education, Child Care Partnership Council, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 4Cs of San Mateo County, and Build Up for San Mateo County’s Children. The Children’s Equity Collaborative administered the Learning Hub Grant Program, and the Advisory Committee evaluated the applications and recommended grant awards. The Learning Hub Grant Program awarded grants to 59 local learning hubs that provided 730 students with safe, supportive locations to pursue distance learning.
Further, to continue supporting SED students this summer, the Board approved a Summer Enrichment grant program that has awarded $3,219,500 in ARPA-funded grants to 42 organizations that are currently running summer programs at 66 locations throughout San Mateo County (“Summer Enrichment Grant Program”).
DISCUSSION:
While children have been back in school this past year and many are making progress, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on SED students and their families persist. That is why providing quality out-of-school care that supports students’ academic progress and social and emotional development, particularly for SED students, this upcoming school year is so important. Both the students and their families will benefit from providing the students a safe and welcoming place to spend supervised time before and after school, which will allow parents and caretakers to be in the workforce.
To support out-of-school programs during the 2022-2023 school year, a grant program funded with $2,562,500 in ARPA funds is proposed, with $2,500,000 allocated to grants and $62,500 to administrative fees. The grant program, known as the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program, will be modeled on the Learning Hub Grant Program, include eligibility and allocation criteria, and convene advisors to review the applications and select the grantees.
The proposed 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program will be open to non-profit and for-profit providers, and public entities (such as cities and school districts) that commit to using grant funds to expand the number of available out-of-school program slots for SED students and that meet the following threshold requirements:
• The provider is physically located in San Mateo County and serves TK through 12th Grade students;
• The provider will be in operation for the school year 2022-2023, and operate at least five days per week;
• The provider offers academic and learning support along with activities and programs that promote the development of social and emotional learning; and
• The provider primarily serves, or has the potential to serve, at least 50% or more SED students, defined as students whose annual household income is less than 65% of the Area Median Income <https://housing.smcgov.org/sites/housing.smcgov.org/files/2020x%20Income%20Limits%20revised%2004272020.pdf> and are agreeable to using grant funds to expand the number of available out-of-school program slots for SED students.
The proposed 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program would distribute grant funding proportionally based on the percentage of SED students in four geographic areas of the County-north, central, south, and Coastside. A weighted point system would be used to prioritize programs in each geographic area, including, but not limited to, the following criteria:
• 75% or more of the students served in the program are SED students, as defined above;
• The program serves English-language learners, students with special needs, students in the foster care system, and/or students experiencing homelessness;
• The program provides participating students with meals and/or other supports (such as mental health services);
• The program provides services during school vacations; and
• The program currently has access to the staffing and facilities required to expand out-of-school care slots for SED students.
Grant amounts for the 2022-23 Out-of-School Care Grant Program will be $50,000 for programs serving or having the capacity to serve 100 students or less and $75,000 for programs serving or having the capacity to serve 101 students or more.
If the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program is approved, outreach and publicity would be provided by community partners including THRIVE, the Office of Education, and City Park and Recreation Directors. Prior grantees under the Learning Hub Grant Program and Summer Enrichment Grant Program would be notified about the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program, with such outreach to begin shortly after approval by the Board.
Applications for the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program would be accepted online between August 11 and August 22, 2022. At the close of the application period, County staff would review all applications for eligibility and score the applications based on a modified version of the Learning Hub ranking criteria, updated for out-of-care programs. The Advisory Committee would then be convened to review the eligible applications and select grantees. Based on this proposed timeline, grantees would receive checks starting the week of September 5th, 2022. The Board will receive a summary report, broken-down by the four geographic areas described above, including the number of grants distributed and, the names of the grantees when all the grants have been distributed.
At the end of the grant period, all grant recipients will be required to submit a written report detailing the number of SED children served and other performance metrics to be developed by the Advisory Committee.
In accordance with applicable procurement requirements under ARPA, County staff employed informal procurement methods to solicit a number of potential providers to assist with administration of the program and selected SMCU Community Fund as the responsible provider available to meet the County’s requirements. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Board authorize the County Executive, or designee(s), to enter into an agreement with SMCU Community Fund to administer the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program, with a term ending November 30, 2022 and authorizing the payment of administrative fees in an amount not to exceed $62,500.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The 2022-2023 Out-of-school Care Grant Program, including $2,500,000 for grants and $62,500 for administration fees, will be funded exclusively with ARPA funds to the extent available and eligible. However, to the extent appropriate, these costs may ultimately be covered by reimbursement from funds provided through other state and/or federal funds that may be made available in connection with the County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.