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Consider adopting a resolution designating the Solano County Office of Education as the legal entity for the Solano County Local Child Care Planning and Development Council
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No __X_
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No __X_
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office recommends the Board consider adopting a resolution designating the Solano County Office of Education as the legal entity for the Solano County Local Child Care Planning and Development Council.
SUMMARY:
In 2008, your Board designated The Children’s Network of Solano County to be the “legal entity” administering the Solano County Local Child Care Planning Council (SCLPC). At that time, the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) had little programming in the early childhood education realm, choosing to focus on K-12 education. Over the last 12 years, SCOE has developed a strong early childhood education program and has both additional resources as well as a large infrastructure and network to leverage and maximize efforts in this arena. With limited resources from the California Department of Education for LPCs and SCOE’s increased efforts and resources in this arena, the First 5 Solano Commission has recommended that the Board of Supervisors consider transitioning the administration of the SCLPC to SCOE for ongoing operations.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The costs associated with preparing the agenda item are nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2020/21 Preliminary Budget. Should this item be approved, the $12,500 Maintenance of Effort cost paid annually by Solano County out of General Fund will be assumed by SCOE. Additionally, SCOE has committed to increasing resources to convert the SCLPC Coordinator position to full-time and expand the reach of the SCLPC.
DISCUSSION:
The SCLPC is one of 58 Local Child Care and Development Planning Councils (LPCs) across the state, with 1 in every county. The primary mission of the SCLPC is to plan for child care and development services based on the needs of families in the local community. LPCs are intended to serve as a forum to address the child care needs of all families in the community for all types of child care, both subsidized and non-subsidized (a complete list of LPC responsibilities is included in Attachment A). Across the state, 50 of the 58 LPCs are housed within their County Office of Education.
To support the work of the LPCs, the California Department of Education (CDE) provides some funding to each County's Local Child Care Planning Council (LPC) specifically for coordination of child care services. After the Great Recession, there was reduced funding from CDE for LPCs across the state, also reducing the required and supplemental deliverables of LPCs (see Attachment A). In addition to the funding from CDE, this Board provides $12,500 annually as a required maintenance of effort amount to sustain this coordinating function.
Previous to 2008, funding for the SCLPC was received by the County and passed through to The Children’s Network of Solano County. In 2008, your Board formalized Children’s Network of Solano County as the “legal entity” administering the SCLPC. The funding from CDE transitioned directly to the Children’s Network with an annual allocation of $12,500 from the General Fund also going to the Children’s Network. The 2008 staff report also suggested that your Board revisit this decision after 10 years. The Children’s Network currently staffs this coordinating function with a part-time SCLPC Coordinator.
In a December 2019, a study was conducted for the First 5 Solano Commission called Expanding Early Learning Opportunities Solano County to identify areas of improvement in Solano’s early childhood education (ECE) community. In this report, the administering agency for the LPC was identified an area to address. Specifically, the report found, “Following the Great Recession, state funding for LPCs was cut drastically and remains too low for many of them to effectively carry out their mission. Without more investment from the state, key informants suggested it may benefit Solano County to align its LPC with an entity receiving other types of state early childhood education funding to leverage and coordinate resources. To take full advantage of new dollars coming from the state for ECE and improve the capacity and sustainability of the LPC, Solano County may want to reevaluate the structure of its convening bodies.”
Over the last 12 years, the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) has developed a strong early childhood education focus and presence. SCOE has been the lead agency of Solano’s Quality Rating and Improvement System known as Quality Counts Solano, which increases quality in ECE settings across the county utilizing multiple state funding streams. Quality Counts Solano includes recruiting local ECE providers to participate in coaching, professional development, and meeting quality improvement goals, as well as regularly convening local stakeholders to provide input on the work. The success of Quality Counts Solano has positioned SCOE to take on other ECE initiatives, including additional state funding:
• The Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program: $1.9 million to increase access for young children birth to five years old into inclusive early learning and care programs.
• ECE Workforce Pathways: a stipend and support program for early childhood educators. LPCs had first right of refusal to apply for the state funded program. The current SPLPC did not have capacity to apply for and implement the program, so SCOE stepped in to apply.
• Leadership of a robust early learning professional development system, including an annual ECE conference.
• Child care support during COVID-19: When First 5 Solano was called upon by the Office of Emergency Services to initiate a popup child care in response to essential workers needing child care during the Stay-at-Home orders, Solano County Office of Education played a key role with First 5 Solano in coordinating partners, including the Vallejo City Unified School District, Solano Family and Children’s Services, and Child Start, Inc.
Building upon the findings in the report, further supported by COVID-19 learning, as well as considering state and federal expectations which require more complexity for the same amount or fewer resources, on August 11, 2020, the First 5 Solano Commission voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider transitioning the SCLPC support function to SCOE. In addition, the Commission recommended that SCOE engage stakeholders in a community planning process to re-envision the goals and objectives of the body.
The County Administrator is in concurrence that SCOE has both additional resources as well as a large infrastructure and network to leverage and maximize efforts in this arena. SCOE is well-positioned to take a leadership role in coordinating multi-agency applications for additional child care funding, thereby increasing the local resources available to support child care expansion in Solano County, and shore up what was an already fragile child care system, pre-COVID-19.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to designate SCOE as the legal entity of the SCLPC. This is not recommended as this transfer of the support function provides an opportunity to significantly increase the resources and reach of the SCLPC.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed the resolution for legal sufficiency and concurs that SCOE is eligible to be designated as the legal entity for the SCLPC. The SCOE Superintendent has agreed to the designation.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION