Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Iliana Rodriguez, Deputy County Executive
Subject: Amendment to the Agreement with the San Mateo County Office of Education
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the execution of an amendment to the agreement with the San Mateo County Office of Education for The Big Lift, increasing the amount by $150,000 to a new not-to-exceed amount of $2,797,285 with no change to the term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.
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BACKGROUND:
On October 19, 2021, the County entered into an agreement with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) for The Big Lift in an amount not to exceed $2,647,285 for the term July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023.
The Big Lift focuses on seven San Mateo County communities where third grade reading proficiency scores are close to or below the County average. Communities are defined by school district boundaries and include the following school districts: Cabrillo Unified, Jefferson Elementary, South San Francisco Unified, San Bruno Park Elementary, La Honda-Pescadero Unified, Redwood City, and Ravenswood City.
The Big Lift is based on evidence-based interventions including:
1. A comprehensive school readiness strategy focused on high-quality preschool for 3 and 4-year olds that leads to an aligned and sequenced set of high-quality learning experiences in kindergarten through third grade; and
2. A focus on reducing chronic absence in the early grades; and
3. Developing inspiring summer learning opportunities that enable children to maintain their academic and developmental gains; and
Supporting parents and caregivers as children’s first and most influential teachers to provide rich learning environments in the home.
DISCUSSION:
In school year 2022-23, The Big Lift will expand its program supports for evidence-based language and literacy approaches in Big Lift preschool programs with its two partners FluentSeeds and Reading Corps. 2021-22 represented the first pilot year for The Big Lift’s work with FluentSeeds and Reading Corps. These two partners were brought on board in order to scale up language and literacy practices that local data revealed were producing especially dramatic increases in children’s kindergarten readiness. In the 2022-23 school year, SMCOE will expand the number of programs working with FluentSeeds and Reading Corps to bring evidence-based language and literacy strategies to more classrooms. Reading Corps places AmeriCorps members in Big Lift preschool classrooms to work fulltime to create literacy rich environments and to ensure that the core pillars of early literacy instruction are happening consistently, with dosage and intentionality. Through a combination of whole group, small group and one-on-one support, the following core pillars of early literacy development - as established by the National Early Literacy Panel -- are addressed: 1) Oral language, conversation and comprehension, 2) Vocabulary and meaning, 3) Book and print concepts, 4) Phonological memory and awareness, and 5) Alphabetic principle and knowledge.
FluentSeeds is a nonprofit that supports the same language and literacy practices as Reading Corps by working directly with existing staff instead of through AmeriCorps members. In fact, SEEDS is the base curriculum for Reading Corps. FluentSeeds provides monthly professional development and coaching cycles to classrooms to help them infuse, consistent, research-based language and literacy practices. Together, expansion of these supports in school year 2022-23 will result in an increase of approximately 27 classrooms implementing evidence-based literacy, for a total of approximately 55 classrooms participating in 2022-23 (approximately half of Big Lift preschool classrooms countywide).
This expansion of services will be funded through a State grant.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved this amendment and resolution as to form.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2021-22 Target |
FY 2022-23 Target |
|
Percent increase in kindergarten readiness among low-income children in The Big Lift school districts |
2% |
2% |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The additional $150,000 will be paid for through grant funding from the State. The total County funding, via Measure K, of $2,647,285 will remain the same for the term of the agreement. The Measure K funding is included in the County Executive’s Office FY 2021-22 Adopted and FY 2022-23 Approved Recommended Budgets. The additional $150,000 in State grant funding will be added to the County Executive’s Office FY 2022-23 Recommended Budget through a revision to the budget in September 2023