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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 11141995 - C58 TO: ' BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 5 L Contra FROM: PHIL BATCHELOR, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR ~ ;� Costa County DATE: November 8, 1995 �sr�cdiir+� r REQUEST THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCAT10 DJUST THE SUBJECT: PRIORITIES FOR EXPENDITURE OF FEDERAL CHILD CARE BLOCK GRANT FUNDS IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to send a letter to appropriate staff in the State Department of Education requesting that the State amend the priorities previously approved for expenditure of the Federal Child Care Block Grant funds in this County beginning with the 1995-96 fiscal year in order to permit up to ten percent (10%) of the Federal funds to be used to provide child care for low income working families as well as teen parents, in view of the fact that several new resources have been made available to teen parents over the past three years, reducing their need to look to the Federal Child Care Block Grant for child care funds, whereas there remains a substantial unmet need for child care among low income working families. BACKGROUND: In 1992, the Federal Child Care Block Grant first became available to assist in meeting the child care needs of individuals and families in this County. The Child Care Task Force was asked to recommend the priorities for expenditure of the Federal dollars, a requirement of the Federal law. The Child Care Task Force recommended, based on its study of the unmet child care needs in the County, that the funds be expended on the following priorities in the percentages indicated: Infants/toddlers - West County 32% Infants/toddlers - East County 28% School aged children North-Central County 10% Special Needs Children 10% Child Protective Services Families 10% Teen Parents 10% TOTAL � 100% CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: / RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE iT APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): Li'/ "" ACTION OF BOARD ON ' APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. [' County Administrator ATTESTED Contact: Social Service Director PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: State Department of Education (Via CAO) SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Child Care Task Force (Via CAO) _ BY DEPUTY As is explained in the attached memo from staff in the Social Services Department, several additional resources have recently been made available to teen parents to assist them with their child care expenses, thereby reducing their need to look to the Child Care Block Grant for funds. At the same time, we have a growing need for child care for low income working families. The Department suggested designating 8% of the funds for low income working families and 2% for Teen Parents and made a request to the Child Care Task Force at the Task Force's meeting on October 25, 1995 to support a change in the designation of priorities so that additional Federal Child Care Block Grant funds could be made available to low income working families. However, rather than simply splitting the allocation between teen parents and low income working families, the Task Force proposed that low income working families simply be added to the teen parent category so the funds could be used flexibly for either category as need dictates. The Social Service Department staff agreed with this modification and the Task Force unanimously agreed to forward this request to the Board of Supervisors with the Task Force's recommendation that the Board of Supervisors approve the request. Therefore, the recommended allocation would be changed to read as follows: Infants/toddlers - West County 32% Infants/toddlers - East County 28% School aged children North-Central County 10% Special Needs Children 10% Child Protective Services Families 10% Teen Parents/ low income working families 10% TOTAL 100% -2- SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TO:. Child Care Task Force October 25, 1995 FROM: Elaine Grothmann cc Terry Salter Child Care Program Analyst Subject: REQUEST TO CHANGE BLOCK GRANT CHILD CARE PRIORITIES TO INCLUDE LOW INCOME WORKING PARENTS The Contra Costa County Social Service Department currently receives $565,987 in Federal Block Grant Child Care funds to serve three priority groups in its Alternative Payment (parent choice) child care program. These priority groups are: Families Receiving Child Protective Services Children with Special Needs Teen Parents These are three of the six priorities which were originally established by the Child Care Task Force after its intensive study of child care needs of low income county residents in 1992 when federal Block Grant funds first became available. At that time, the Social Service Department's AFDC- GAIN Program was being cut back and many teen parents found themselves without child care resources to enable them to return to school and complete their high school educations. Responding to this need, the Task Force designated that 10% of the Block Grant funding be targeted to teen parents. Now, 3 1/2 years later, several government programs provide child care for teen parents who are receiving AFDC. The GAIN Program started its expansion in 1993, and the Cal Learn Program came into existence in August, 1994. Currently, GAIN is serving about a hundred 19 year old AFDC parents and Cal Learn is serving 437 teen parents, aged 12 through 18. Because of these new resources, there are fewer teen parents seeking services from the Block Grant Program. Currently, only 10 teen parents are receiving Block Grant child care services ( none are AFDC recipients. ) Meanwhile, because of grant cuts and work incentives built into California's "Work Pays" Welfare Reform Program, AFDC families are entering the work force in ever greater numbers. The Social Service Department's Title IV-A "At Risk" program for low income working parents is currently overwhelmed with requests for services. For the first time, we are unable to accommodate first priority TCC "graduates" and a large waiting list is developing. At this time, 3 1/2 years after Block Grant programs were implemented, there is a much greater demand for child care Gen 9c (New 3/86) subsidies for low income working families than for teen parents. Therefore, we propose that the Child Care Task Force recommend to the Board of Supervisors the following changes in priorities for FY 1995/96: ORIGINAL PERCENTAGE NEW PRIORITIES PERCENTAGE PRIORITIES Infants 32% No Change No Change Toddlers West Co. Infants 28% Toddlers East Co. School Aged 10% North-Central Co. Special Needs 100 Children CPS Families 10% Teen Parents 10% Teen Parents 2% Low Income Working 8% Families Changing the priorities in this way will enable the Department to continue to serve its current teen parent clientele while opening services to working families, especially *TCC "graduates" who might fall back into welfare dependency if child care subsidies are not provided. We are proposing that this change be effective for the FY 1995/96 Block Grant funding period and be subject to review for the 1996/97 funding period. Welfare Reform legislation currently pending at the federal level will significantly impact the availability of child care subsidies in this County. The Child Care Task Force will certainly need to re-evaluate Block Grant priorities for 1996/97 in light of the new laws. Thank you for consideration of this request. * TCC refers to Transitional Child Care -- a 12 month child care subsidy available to former AFDC recipients who were discontinued from AFDC because of having gone to work. 1 SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TO: Child Care Task Force October 25, 1995 FROM: Elaine Grothmann cc Terry Salter Child Care Program Analyst Subject: REQUEST TO CHANGE BLOCK GRANT CHILD CARE PRIORITIES TO INCLUDE LOW INCOME WORKING PARENTS The Contra Costa County Social Service Department currently receives $565,987 in Federal Block Grant Child Care funds to serve three priority groups in its Alternative Payment (parent choice) child care program. These priority groups are: Families Receiving Child Protective Services Children with Special Needs Teen Parents These are three of the six priorities which were originally established by the Child Care Task Force after its intensive study of child care needs of low income county residents in 1992 when federal Block Grant funds first became available. At that time, the Social Service Department's AFDC- GAIN Program was being cut back and many teen parents found themselves without child care resources to enable them to return to school and complete their high school educations. Responding to this need, the Task Force designated that 100 of the Block Grant funding be targeted to teen parents. Now, 3 1/2 years later, several government programs provide child care for teen parents who are receiving AFDC. The GAIN Program started its expansion in 1993, and the Cal Learn Program came into existence in August, 1994. Currently, GAIN is serving about a hundred 19 year old AFDC parents and Cal Learn is serving 437 teen parents, aged 12 through 18.. Because of these new resources, there are fewer teen parents seeking services from the Block Grant Program. Currently, only 10 teen parents are receiving Block Grant child care services ( none are AFDC recipients. ) Meanwhile, because of grant cuts and work incentives built into California's "Work Pays" Welfare Reform Program, AFDC families are entering the work force in ever greater numbers. The Social Service Department's Title IV-A "At Risk" program for low income working parents is currently overwhelmed with requests for services. For the first time, we are unable to accommodate first priority TCC "graduates" and a large waiting list i•s developing. At this time, 3 1/2 years after Block Grant programs were implemented, there is a much greater demand for child care Gen 9c (New 3/86)