Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: 4/5ths
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Peggy Jensen, Assistant County Executive
Subject: Evaluation of the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program
RECOMMENDATION:
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Recommendation to:
A) Adopt a resolution:
1. Accepting a donation from Silicon Valley Community Foundation in the amount of $50,000 to supplement funding for an external evaluation of the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program; and
2. Authorizing the County Executive, or designee, to negotiate and enter into an agreement with Harder & Company Community Research for an evaluation of the 2022-23 Out-of-School Care Grant Program in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for a term of February 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023.
B) Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) recognizing unanticipated revenue from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in the amount of $50,000 to supplement funding for the evaluation of the 2022-23 Out-of-School Care Grant Program.
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BACKGROUND:
On July 26, 2022, the Board approved an allocation of $2,562,500 in American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) funds for $2,500,000 in grants to increase the availability of before and after school and school vacation programs for socioeconomically disadvantaged (“SED”) students in San Mateo County (“2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program” or “Program”). On September 13, 2022, the Board amended the Program to authorize grants to otherwise qualifying local nonprofit and for-profit small business organizations operating out-of-school programs in San Mateo County that have also been directly and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By early October 2022, the entire $2,500,000 allocated for grants was successfully disbursed to qualifying organizations. Grants were either $50,000 (for programs serving or having the capacity to serve 100 students or less) or $75,000 (for programs serving or having the capacity to serve 101 students or more), and were distributed across four geographic areas of San Mateo County-North, Central, South, and Coastside-based on a weighted point system, including, but not limited to, the following criteria:
• 75% or more of the students served in the program were SED students;
• The program served English-language learners, students with special needs, students in the foster care system, and/or students experiencing homelessness;
• The program provided participating students with meals and/or other supports (such as mental health services);
• The program provided services during school vacations; and
• The program had access to the staffing and facilities required to expand out-of-school care slots for SED students.
In total, the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program provided 41 grants to qualifying organizations-28 nonprofit programs, nine school district programs, three city programs, and one small business program. With the funds received, the successful grantees plan to serve 1,430 new students, provide 491 students with scholarships, and create 131 new jobs serving local children and youth.
DISCUSSION:
Now that all grant funds have been disbursed, staff recommends conducting an external evaluation of the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program. The County has benefited greatly from past external evaluations of its pandemic-based grant programs, in particular those focused on children and families. Such evaluations have provided detailed insight on how the grantees benefited from the funding, how youth and families were impacted, and how the application process and grant criteria could be improved in the future. Under ARPA, program evaluations are eligible expenses to support effective implementation of ARPA-funded programs and programs that respond to the public health emergency and its negative economic impacts that are funded by other sources.
In December 2022, to identify qualified providers to conduct the external evaluation, the County released a Request for Proposals (RFP) and, after assessing the two proposals received, selected Harder & Company Community Research. Pursuant to Administrative Memorandum B-4, a copy of the RFP matrix is included as an exhibit to this memorandum.
The external evaluation of the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program would include:
• Working with the County and key partners to identify evaluation criteria for grantee performance and achievement of equity, expanded access, and comprehensive programming goals.
• Developing an evaluation plan that reports out on each of these areas.
• Documenting and reporting on grantee achievement of goals (equity, access, and programming) through analysis of data collected via grantee surveys, client/family surveys, student data, and collective data through point of service observations.
Intended outcomes from the evaluation would include:
• Understanding the success of the equity-focused County investment in out-of-school programs.
• Supporting efforts to raise additional funds (public, philanthropic, or private) for out-of-school programs in the future.
• Measuring the ability of programs selected to meet identified equity markers, expanded access, and programming goals.
• Informing providers and other interested parties of what was successful.
The proposed agreement with Harder & Company Community Research would provide for evaluation of the 2022-2023 Out-of-School Care Grant Program based on the above criteria in an amount not to exceed $100,000 for a term of February 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023 (“Agreement”).
To assist with funding the Agreement, Silicon Valley Community Foundation has donated $50,000 to the County. Pursuant to County Administrative Memorandum B-3, “[r]eceipt of each gift or bequest having a value of more than $2,500 or with significant conditions or stipulations shall be acknowledged in writing by the [County] department head and referred to the Board of Supervisors for acceptance or rejection.” Staff recommends that the Board accept the donation from Silicon Valley Community Founding in the amount of $50,000.
Staff further recommends that the Board approve an ATR recognizing unanticipated revenue from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in the amount of $50,000 to supplement funding for the evaluation of the 2022-23 Out-of-School Care Grant Program to the General Fund. The County Executive and the County Controller, or their designees, have approved the ATR presented to the Board.
The County Attorney has reviewed and approved as to form the ATR and resolution.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the approval of the ATR and the acceptance of the $50,000 in unanticipated revenue from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to fund this agreement. The Net County Cost for the Agreement is $50,000, which will be provided through ARPA to the extent available and eligible or the General Fund. 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.