Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Ken Cole, Director, Human Services Agency
Subject: Agreement with the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo for Stage 2 Child Care and Development Services
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing a waiver of the Request for Proposals process and approving execution of an agreement with the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo for Stage 2 child care and child development services for the term of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, for a not exceed amount of $239,198.
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BACKGROUND:
Recipients of the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) grant program are required to engage in work or work preparation activities. CalWORKs programs provide an array of welfare-to-work services including child care. The availability of quality child care is essential to the success of CalWORKs recipients. The program helps a family access immediate, short-term child care as the parent works or performs their welfare-to-work activities. The purpose of this program is to support parents as they transition to the stable, long-term child care necessary for the family to become self-sufficient and remain off aid. Child care is provided with state and federal funds in three stages Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3.
Stage 1 is administered by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) through the Human Services Agency (HSA). This begins when a participant enters the CalWORKs grant program and engages in activities pursuant to a welfare-to-work plan developed by HSA. HSA then refers families to the County’s designated Resource and Referral (R&R) agency to assist them in finding child care providers.
Stage 2 is administered by (CDSS) through the designated Alternative Payment Providers (APPs). CalWORKs families are transferred into Stage 2 when HSA deems the family to be stable. Stage 2 child care is provided to clients who are employed and whose incomes are below 80% of the State Median Income cap.
Participation in Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 child care is limited to two years after the family stops receiving a CalWORKs grant. Stage 3 is also administered by CDSS through its APPs. A family can move to this stage when it has exhausted its two-year limit in Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 (referred to as timing out), and for as long as the family remains otherwise eligible for child care programs.
Each year San Mateo County receives funding from CDSS to administer Stage 2 child care and child development services through the designated APP. The designated R&R and APP agency for San Mateo County is the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo (4Cs).
DISCUSSION:
HSA is requesting to subcontract with 4Cs to provide Stage 2 child care and child development services. The 4Cs will be responsible for enrolling Stage 2 eligible families, in collaboration with HSA, through a seamless transfer process and providing the necessary case management services to secure and/or maintain child care. The CDSS has allocated $239,198 in funding for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
HSA requests that the Board of Supervisors waive the Request for Proposals process for this agreement because 4Cs is the State designated APP and R&R provider and should therefore be considered a sole source.
The agreement and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Attorney as to form.
The resolution contains the County’s standard provisions allowing amendment of the County’s fiscal obligations by a maximum of $25,000 (in aggregate).
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2023-24 Anticipated |
|
Percentage of families referred for child care services contacted within 5 business days by 4Cs. |
95% |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of this agreement is July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The agreement is an amount not to exceed $239,198. Budgetary appropriation for this agreement is included in the FY 2023-24 Recommended Budget. This agreement is funded with Stage 2 State and Federal Child Care support funding. There is no Net County Cost associated with this agreement.