Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Dave Pine, District 1
Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Early Childhood Education Career Pathways Pilot Program and Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds (Supervisorial District 1)
RECOMMENDATION:
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Measure K: Recommendation to:
A) Adopt a resolution:
1. Authorizing and directing the County Executive, or designee, acting in consultation with the County Attorney’s Office, to negotiate and enter into a grant agreement with the San Mateo County Office of Education to support the two-year Early Childhood Education Career Pathways Pilot Project for the term of March 28, 2023, through June 30, 2024 and a total amount not to exceed $200,000; and
2. Authorizing a one-time contribution of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $100,000, to pay for a portion of the cost of the agreement with the County Office of Education.
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BACKGROUND:
According to the 2022 San Mateo County Childcare Needs Assessment (Assessment) prepared by the Child Care Partnership Council of San Mateo County (CCPC), only 34% of the demand for infant and toddler care, which includes children up to two years of age, is currently being met. Infant and toddler care allows parents to return to work after they welcome a child or start a job to help provide for their family. Over the past five years, the Assessment found there has been a reduction of 897 spaces in family childcare homes (FCCH), which are the primary providers of infant and toddler out-of-home care.
For pre-school aged children, there are enough licensed spaces in the County to meet 94% of the demand. But, not all of those spaces are available. A recent survey by the San Mateo CCPC found that 31% of the surveyed providers are serving fewer children than their licensed capacity due to staffing shortages. Of the 1,490 spaces licensed to survey respondents, 400 spaces were not filled due to staffing shortages.
Lack of childcare providers, especially FCCH providers and staff for preschool programs, is the biggest barrier to meeting the childcare needs in San Mateo County today. Going forward, the childcare workforce challenge is only going to increase. A recent workforce survey found that 47% of the childcare workforce is over the age of 50. To meet current and future demand, new people need to enter the field and younger, current Early Childhood Education workers need to be retained.
PROJECT SUMMARY
The CCPC has worked in collaboration with the San Mateo County Office of Education to develop an ECE Careers Pathways Pilot project (Pilot) that will both encourage individuals to enter the ECE workforce and encourage current providers to remain and advance their careers. A new position in the County Office of Education will be created to lead the pilot project. Pilot work will include outreach and coordination with local ECE training programs including high school and community college programs, provision of specialized wrap-around services to support educators in training, promoting ECE careers in the community and working with entrepreneurship support programs to help ECE educators build business skills. The Pilot will support current childcare workforce members who return to school to advance their career and/or get degrees by connecting them with wrap-around services and business and other community resources.
The expected Pilot outcomes include increases in both the total number of credentialed ECE teachers and childcare providers, and an increase in the number of current ECE educators that advance their training and increase their skills. The specific performance measures for this two-year Pilot include:
• Increase the ECE educator pipeline
o 60 individuals per year (120 total) will enter the ECE career pipeline
o 20 new staff per year (40 total) will be employed as teachers
o 15 new family day cares will be established per year (30 total)
• Retain and support current ECE educators
o 20 current teachers and providers will earn a degree and/or advance their state credentialing on the six levels of childcare provider permits that start with Assistant and rise to Program Director
o 60 current providers engaged in professional development will be supported with technical assistance, coaching or other support
o 60 current providers will be connected to needed resources such as housing, business support, health, mental health, and wellness programs.
County staff will meet quarterly with the Pilot manager for updates on the performance measures, lessons learned from the pilot and to discuss any recommended program changes or modifications.
County funding for the Pilot includes $100,000 in Measure K reserves and $100,000 in district-discretionary Measure K funding (Supervisorial District 1). The item is consistent with the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form. Staff is requesting that the Board authorize the County Executive, or designee, acting in consultation with the County Attorney’s Office, to negotiate and enter into a grant agreement with the County Office of Education for a term ending June 30, 2024, and in an amount not to exceed $200,000 to support the Pilot.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2023 and 24 Target |
|
Number of individuals who enter ECE pipeline |
120 |
|
Number of new staff employed as teachers |
40 |
|
Number of new family day care centers |
30 |
|
Number of current teachers/providers to earn higher levels of certification |
20 |
|
Number of current providers engaged in professional development supported with technical assistance, coaching, other support |
60 |
|
Number of current providers to be connected to resources such as housing, business support, etc. |
60 |
EQUITY IMPACT:
This initiative will positively impact low-wage workers across San Mateo County by expanding recruitment, workforce opportunities, and credentialling within the childcare field. It will be particularly beneficial for women of color because they are 65% of San Mateo County’s childcare workforce. Maintaining and expanding childcare options, including affordable options, will allow parents to stay or enter the workforce and improve the economic stability of their households.
Staff does not anticipate negative impacts from this initiative.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total cost of the two-year pilot project is $588,470. Funding will come from multiple sources including $288,470 from several universal pre-kindergarten grants received by the San Mateo County Office of Education from the California Department of Education, $50,000 from First Five, and $50,000 from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The County contribution includes $100,000 in Measure K reserves and $100,000 in district-discretionary Measure K funds. There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific FY 2022-23 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget.