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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07252000 - C72 +fi �w� _ CONTRA , FHS#34 COSTA Y „� TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY r: 3irrr, FROM: Family& Human Services Committee +r DATE: July 25, 2000 SUBJECT: Employee Child Care Center Status Report , SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S)& BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS): 1. ACCEPT the attached report from the Task Fords on Employee Child Care Centers. 2. DIRECT staff of the task force to continue to pursue sites in Martinez and East County for employee child care osnters, focusing on sites appropriate for centers that can accommodate 20 to 30 children and operate on a parent cooperative basis. 3. REQUEST members of the task force to encourage the formation of employee committees In Central, East and West County, which can focus on organizing, and eventually operating, employee child care centers. 4. REQUEST the Director, Capital Facilities and Debt Management, to examine the feasibility of adding a child care center at the Delta Fair site to the transitional shelter construction project. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: ZyZ8 SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR In OMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE —APPROVE —OTHER t SIGNATURE( JO, CANCIAMILLA JOHN M.GIOIA ACTIOWOF BOARD ON JuTv 29. 2MY APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED,„,_,OTHER t VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A XX UNANIMOUS ABSENT – – ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES:_ _ _. _ NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact Sara Hoffman,335-1090 ATTESTED July 25, 2000 PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR cc: CAO Lava Lockwood,CAO ` Davld Amartta,CAO BY DEPUTY BC S1 FOR RC M EDA On July 10, 2000, the Family and Human Services Committee heard a report on the status of developing ,additional employee child care centers. Laura Lockwood, Director of Capital Facilities and debt Management, introduced the report. David Amenta, Capital Facilities Administrator, reviewed the report. In response to a question by Supervisor John Gioia, Ms. Lockwood explained that operation of a smaller site by a community based organization is not feasible from an economic perspective and that, while there is an employee demand for a larger facility that could accommodate 70-100 children, site acquisition costs have been found to be prohibitive, absent a County subsidy. Supervisor Gloia further asked If there were not enough existing slats within the child care community. Jill Ray of Supervisor Gayle Ullkema"s office stated that there was a desperate need for infant and toddler care. Ms. Lockwood confirmed this, stating that her previous survey showed the need was for infant/toddler care near work whereas parents preferred to have after school care for school-aged children near their homes. At this time, the concept is to combine infanthoddler and preschool care at one center. Supervisor Joe Canciamilla asked if it was possible to develop a Delta Fair child care center available for both employees and transitional center residents. Ms. Lockwood stated that they were examining the option, which was constrained by the need for parking. With Los Medanos, it would be possible to co-locate if the County bought the land next to the facility. Supervisor Gioia asked why there was no discussion of a West County child care center. Ms. Lockwood replied that employees didn't show sufficient interest in the survey, however, there was available room at the Hercules facility for a center. The question is whether or not it would meet the needs of Richmond employees. Ms. Lockwood stated that it would be possible to update the survey for West County. Both Supervisors Joe Canciamilla and John Gloia agreed to examine the feasibility of adding funds to the transitional shelter construction project for a child care center at the Delta Fair site. Since there is a time urgency on the transitional shelter construction project, staff was requested to respond within a month. OFFICE OF THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY Administration Building 651 Pine Street, 61h Floor Martinez, CA 64553 DATE: July 5, 2000 TO: Family and Human Services Committee Supervisor Joe Canciamilla Supervisor John Gioia FROM: Laura Lockwood, Director, Capital Facilities & Debt Managem t By: Davida Amenta, Capital Facilities & Debt Management SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON EMPLOYEE CHILD CARE CENTER RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. ACCEPT the report of the Task Force on Employee Child Care.. 2. DIRECT Staff to continue to pursue sites in Martinez and in East County for employee child care centers. 3. FURTHER DIRECT the members of the Task Force to encourage the formation of employee committees in Central, East and West County which will focus on organizing and eventually operating employee child care centers. BACKGROUND: During the May 12, 1998 hearing on the proposed purchase of the Summit Centre, the Board of Supervisors requested that the County Administrator's Office explore the establishment of additional child care facilities for County employees. Subsequently on June 9, 1998, the Board authorized the Family and Human Services Committee to designate departmental representatives to an Employee Child Care Task Force. The Employee Child Care Task Force has met on numerous occasions since 1998, most recently on June 28, 2000. The Task Force returned to the Family and Human Services Committee to report on its progress in April, September and November of 1999. c� Status Report on Employee Child Care Center July 5, 2000 Page 2 In 1999, the Task Force hired a consulting firm, International Child Research Institute (ICRI), to determine the need for employee child care and the financial feasibility of an additional child care center. ICRI's study concluded that: ➢ the demand/need for employee child care is highest in central county, ➢ Central County employees could support 100 child care slots, and ➢ in order for parent fees to stay at or below market levels, the operating budget of a new child care center can absorb only a minimal facility cost. ICRI also advised the Task Force that outside operators of child care centers, either for- profit or non-profit, will typically show interest only in larger centers of between 60 to 100 children. Kids at Work follows an alternative model. It accommodates only 25 to 30 children and is incorporated as a non-profit organization: Parents (along with management of the Public Works Department) serve on its Board of Directors. Parents also volunteer time and resources towards operation of the center. Based on the ICRI study, Staff searched for a site in Central County throughout 1999 and 2000 to accommodate a medium sized (70 to 100 slot) child care center. A number of privately owned parcels were considered, however the cost of acquiring land was prohibitive. Staff also approached the City of Martinez and the Martinez Unified School District in an attempt to locate a site or develop a joint child care center. Other options that were considered were locating a child care facility on land purchased adjacent to Summit Centre and exploring the possibility of expanding the Kids at Work program. In May, 2000, Jill Ray of Supervisor Uilkema's office and Davida Amenta of the CAD's Office met with the Kids at Work Board to discuss expanding that program rather than starting a second center. While the Board was open to a limited increase in enrollment, Board members stressed that the success of their program was due to its smaller size. The difficulty in locating a site for a larger child care center, coupled with the input from the Kids at Work Board, prompted a re-evaluation of the direction taken by the Task Force. At the latest meeting of the Task Force, it was proposed that staff pursue a site for a smaller center of 20 to 30 children. Under this approach, the new center would need to be cooperatively managed by County employees or contracted out to a provider willing to manage smaller scale facilities at multiple sites. The support of Department Heads, the CAO, and the Board of Supervisors will also be important to its success. The Task Force agreed to return on July 26th with feedback on the level of interest in participating in a cooperative child care center. Questions were also raised at the Status Report on Employee Child Care Center July 5, 2000 Page 3 meeting regarding the level of commitment, in particular a commitment of funding, from the Board of Supervisors and the CAO. CURRENT STATUS: The resources required to establish a smaller, cooperative child care center are slightly different than those needed for a larger center. We will still need to locate a site, however smaller sites are more abundant than larger parcels of land. Similarly, facility costs for a smaller center are more manageable. Because an outside operator is not an option with a smaller facility, the other important resource is a group of employees that are willing to organize, incorporate as a non-profit, and eventually serve as a Board of Directors of a new child care center. Based on the Task Force meeting of June 28 ', some of these resources are already in place in Central County and in East County. Additional outreach is needed to involve West County staff, assuming that there is an interest in child care among West County employees. In Central County: ➢ Based on discussions with City Staff, we are investigating a possible site for a child care center at the Martinez Marina. The estimated cost of a modular building, play area, all site work, and utilities is $180,000. The City of Martinez has accumulated developer impact fees that may be used to fund child care facilities. In East County: ➢ We have asked GSD Architectural Division to determine whether any potential land is available at 4545 Delta Fair for a child care facility once the new Adult and Family Services building is constructed next door. Other possible locations include the property owned by the Fire District across the street from 4545 Delta Fair and land adjacent to the Los Medanos Health Center. ➢ There is interest among a group of employees of the Employment and Human Services Department in Antioch in establishing and operating a child care center. A Task Force representative has begun the process of forming an East County child care committee.