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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01252000 - C17-C18 T]: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FRDM:. Costs. PHIL BATCHELOR, COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR o .r County DATE: January 20, 2000 co SUBJECT: LEGISLATION - SB 1352 (ALPERT) SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: AGREE to CO-SPONSOR with the San Diego County Board of Supervisors SB 1352, which extends the life of the Youth Pilot Program (AB 1741 Program) until July 1, 2004. BACKGROUND In 1993, the Governor signed AB 1741 (Bates), the California Youth Pilot Program (YPP). The YPP is a five year program authorizing six counties-Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Marin, Placer and San Diego,to blend various categorical funds and implement new approaches to provide integrated, comprehensive services to low income, high-risk, multi-problem youth and their families. The pilot counties act in partnership with local community-based agencies and multiple state departments. The Secretary of Health and Human Services is authorized to waive statutes and regulations that serve to be a barrier to implementing the counties' strategic plans. The five year period is scheduled to end December 31, 2000. Because of multiple factors, including the implementation of welfare reform and inflexibility at the Federal level, the counties experienced delays in getting the project implemented. As a result, if the projects are allowed to sunset on December 31, 2000, there will be insufficient data to determine whether the integrated services strategies being tested lead to improved outcomes for children and families. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: �9� / ., � tRECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON , 2008 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. ATTESTED Jgj11= 25, =_ -- Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: See Page 2 SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR gy ,DEPUTY In addition, a newly implemented Federal initiative, Better Opportunities and Outcomes Starting Today (known as BOOST FOR KIDS), creates the opportunity to add a Federal technical assistance component to this pilot program by providing a Federal team to work with State and local partners for better results for children and families. Contra Costa, Placer and San Diego counties have been designated as BOOST FOR KIDS pilot counties. San Diego County is sponsoring legislation to extend the December 31, 2000 sunset date for the Youth Pilot Program for an additional three years, until July 1, 2004. The Board's 2000 Legislative Program includes the following item: "5. CO-SPONSOR with the San Diego County Board of Supervisors legislation which would extend the provisions of AB 1741 to the three Boost4Kids counties which will otherwise expire December 31, 2000." In view of the fact that Senator Alpert has introduced SB 1352 to extend the sunset date for the AB 1741 Program, and in view of the fact that this legislation is consistent with the Board's adopted 2000 Legislative Program, it is appropriate for the Board of Supervisors to agree to cosponsor this legislation with San Diego County. cc: County Administrator Sara Hoffman, Senior Deputy County Administrator Director, Employment and Human Services Health Services Director County Probation Officer Les Spahnn; Heim, Noack, Kelly & Spahnn 1121 L Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95814 Senator Deirdre Alpert Room 5114, State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 -2- SENATE BILI, No. 1352 Introduced by Senator Alpert January 13, 2000 An act to amend Sections 18987, 18987.15, 18987.16, 18987.17, 18987.2, 18987.3, 18987.36, 18987.4 and 18987.5 of, and to repeal Section 18987.45 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to children, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL:S DIGEST SB 1352, as introduced, Alpert. Children: youth pilot program. Existing law authorizes designated participating counties to establish a child and family interagency coordinating council to implement various aspects of a pilot program. Under the pilot program, various children's services funds may be transferred to a designated county fund for specified services for children and families. Existing law requires the programs to be implemented on January 1, 1395, July 1, 1995, or January 1, 1936, and terminates the programs on July 1, 2002. This bill would extend the duration of the programs until July 1, 2004. The bill would require counties participating in the extended pilot program to submit updated strategic plans not later than March 31, 2001. Existing law requires the Governor to be responsible for certain duties with respect to the administration, implementation, and evaluation of the pilot program. This bill would transfer these responsibilities for the pilot program to the California Health and Human Services Agency and would add to those responsibilities. 9 SB 1352 —2— Existing 2Existing law requires that an evaluation of the pilot programs be conducted by an independent organization, only if nonstate funds are made available for this purpose. This bill would require the evaluation to consist of a specified baseline and a final report and delete the condition that nonstate funds be made available for this purpose. This bill would appropriate $300,000 from the General Fund to the California Health and Human Services Agency, in augmentation of Item 0530-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 2000 to conduct the evaluations required by the bill. Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. The people of the State of California do enact as follows: 1 SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares the 2 following: 3 (a) The Youth Pilot Program, implemented under the 4 authority of Chapter 951 of the Statutes of 1993, has shown 5 promise as a method of increasing state support for local 6 integration of services to high-risk, multineed children 7 and families. 8 (b) A number of factors, including a lack of flexibility 9 in federal programs and funding, delays in state approvals 10 for local strategies, and the impact of welfare reform and 11 reorganization efforts at the county level have precluded 12 adequate evaluation of the outcomes of the program 13 within the five-year timeframe called for in the initial 14 legislation. 15 (c) Several changes have occurred that would allow 16 this evaluation to take place if the program were to be 17 extended beyond the initial five years. 18 (d) A newly implemented federal initiative, Better 19 Opportunities and Outcomes Starting Today (known as 20 BOOST FOR KIDS), creates the opportunity to add a 21 federal technical assistance component to this pilot 22 program by providing a federal team to work with state 23 and local partners for better results for children and 24 families. 99 -3— SB 1352 1 (e) State processes are in place to provide technical 2 assistance and flexibility to counties in removing barriers 3 to the implementation of their strategic plans. 4 (f) The impacts of welfare reform and county 5 reorganizations have diminished allowing counties to 6 focus on full implementation and evaluation of their 7 strategic plans. 8 (g) Strategic plan revisions resulting from early 9 barriers are in place in most counties and counties have 10 revised performance indicators and outcome measures to 11 better reflect and achieve each county's goals, objectives, 12 and outcomes. 13 (h) An extension of the pilot program would provide 14 the time necessary to fully test and evaluate the 15 innovative strategies that have been implemented, and 16 that are scheduled to be implemented in the last year of 17 the initial pilot program. 18 SEC. 2. Section 18987 of the Welfare and Institutions 19 Code is amended to read: 20 18987. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of 21 law related to the funding and delivery of state programs 22 and services specified in this section, designated counties, 23 if they comply with the provisions of this chapter, shall be 24 authorized to transfer, to the extent possible, into a 25 county child and family services fund, for five yearg the 26 duration of the pilot program established by this chapter, 27 some or all funds for at least f.• the following services 28 for children and families: 29 (1) Adoption services. 30 (2) Child abuse prevention services. 31 (3) Child welfare services. 32 (4) Delinquency prevention services. 33 (5) Drug and alcohol services. 34 (6) Eligibility determination. 35 (7) Employment and training services. 36 (8) Foster care services. 37 (9) Health services. 38 (10) Juvenile facilities. 39 (11) Mental health services. 40 (12) Probation services. 99 SB 1352 —4- 1 4-1 (13) Housing. 2 (14) 'Youth development services. 3 (15) All other appropriately identified and targeted 4 services for children and families. 5 (b) Local education agencies, cities, or private, 6 nonprofit agencies may also allocate funds to the county 7 child and family services fund for recreation, juvenile 8 justice, or other services provided to children and 9 families. 10 (c) The county child and family services fund shall be 11 used to fund comprehensive, integrated services for 12 high-risk, children and 13 families with multiple needs in alternative and innovative 14 ways, as detailed in county strategic plans. The fund may 15 be used to provide services in a designated geographical 16 area within the county or to a targeted population. 17 SEC. 3. Section 18987.15 of the Welfare and 18 Institutions Code is amended to read: 19 18987.15. The Geyemer or the Geyerner's 20 California Health and Human Services Agency shall be 21 responsible for all of the following: 22 (a) Facilitating any state interagency 23 coordination necessary for the implementation of a 24 participating county's plan. 25 (b) Geordittatieft e Coordinating technical assistance 26 to the counties participating in the pilot program. 27 (c) Applying to the federal government, where 28 appropriate and feasible, for federal waivers necessary to 29 carry out or enhance projects under the pilot program. 30 (d) Monitoring county compliance with the 31 requirements of this chapter. 32 (e) Seeking nonstate resources to conduct county 33 evaluations pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 34 18987.3. 35 (f) Establishing performance outcomes for measuring 36 the success of the state level implementation of the pilot 37 program. 38 SEC. 4. Section 18987.16 of the Welfare and 39 Institutions Code is amended to read: 99 —5-- SB 1352 1 18987.16. (a) The Legislature finds that an 2 evaluation is both desirable and necessary to assess the 3 effectiveness of the pilot program provided for in this 4 chapter. 5 (b) Therefore, the Gewmer's designee California 6 Health and Human Services Agency shall cause an 7 evaluation of the pilot program to be conducted by an 8 independent organization. This evaluation shall be 9 sobwAtted te the Gevertter and the 1=egislatwe, no la*r 10 then 12 mew:hs after the eempietien of the sixth year e 11 12 designee consist of a baseline and a final report. The 13 independent evaluator shall review the updated strategic 14 plans submitted by the counties pursuant to subdivision 15 (f) of Section 18987.2 and, on or before June 30, 2001, shall 16 compile a baseline report summarizing the performance 17 outcomes and indicators chosen by each of the six 18 participating counties. This report shall also list the 19 performance outcomes against which state performance 20 in the pilot program shall be evaluated. A final evaluation 21 of the pilot program shall be submitted to the Governor 22 and the Legislature on June 30, 2003. This evaluation shall 23 include an analysis of state performance in implementing 24 the pilot program and a discussion of whether these state 25 actions were associated with improved outcomes at the 26 local level as reported in the county evaluations 27 submitted pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 18987.36. 28 The California Health and Human Services Agency shall 29 seek the advice and input of the Legislature on the 30 framework of the evaluation. 31 (e) The eyeAwAeit required by sebdMsiett (b) 9 32 33Go-verfter'q designee hits eeffified 34 35 SEC. 5. Section 18987.17 of the Welfare and 36 Institutions Code is amended to read: 37 18987.17. (a) pursuant to this chapter, the Seeretery 38 of Ilealth &td--We! California Health and Human 39 Services Agency or the Secretary of the Youth and Adult 40 Correctional Agency, as appropriate, may approve a 99 I • f-mss S$ 1352 —6- 1 6--- 1 request submitted by a county selected pursuant to 2 Section 18987.05, to implement an alternative method for 3 meeting specific state statutory requirements in the 4 county's strategic plan. The secretary of the approving 5 agency shall only approve a request when the 6 coordinating council of the requesting county has 7 certified, and the secretary has determined, that all of the 8 following criteria have been met: 9 (1) The council has developed a specific alternative 10 method for achieving the intent of the statute in question. 11 (2) The council's proposed alternative is consistent 12 with this chapter and the intent of the statutory 13 requirements governing the programs proposed for 14 .integration in the county's strategic plan. 15 (3) Approval of the request is essential to achieve one 16 or more objectives of the strategic plan. 17 (4) The objective of the strategic plan cannot be 18 achieved solely through waiver of regulation. 19 (b) A request subject to this section may not be 20 approved for a period that exceeds the length of the pilot 21 program authorized under this chapter, but may be 22 approved for a shorter period as determined by the 23 approving secretary. 24 (c) prior to approving any request by a county under 25 this section, the approving secretary shall provide written 26 notification to the chairperson of the appropriate policy 27 committee in each house of the Legislature. Final 28 approval shall not occur until 30 days after this written 29 notification is provided. 30 SEC. 6. Section 18987.2 of the Welfare and Institutions 31 Code is amended to read: 32 18987.2. (a) (1) In order to participate in the pilot 33 program authorized by this chapter, a county board of 34 supervisors shall establish a child and family interagency 35 coordinating council. 36 (2) A council established pursuant to this subdivision 37 shall plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the pilot 38 program. 39 (b) A county board of supervisors may designate an 40 existing interagency coordination council to perform the 99 -7— 8B 1352 1 functions specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) if 2 the existing interagency coordination council meets the 3 representation requirements of Section 18987.25. 4 (c) City and local education agency representatives 5 shall be appointed by the appropriate governing bodies. 6 (d) The board of supervisors shall undertake 7 reasonable measures to ensure that membership of the 8 interagency coordinating council reflects the cultures 9 and ethnicities of the pilot program area. 10 (e) The board of supervisors of a county, as a condition 11 of participation in the pilot program, shall approve both 12 the strategic plan developed pursuant to Section 18987.3 13 and the county's participation in the pilot program 14 authorized by this chapter. If city or school services or 15 funds are included in the pilot program, the strategic plan 16 shall also be approved by the governing bodies of any city 17 or local education agency whose services or funds will be 18 involved in the pilot program. 19 (f) ApMved Counties desiring to participate in the 20 extended pilot program shall submit to the California 21 Health and Human Services Agency updated strategic 22 plans 23 desee, including, but not limited to, updated 24 performance outcomes and indicators, not later than 25 Geteber-4, i March 31, 2001. 26 SEC. 7. Section 18987.3 of the Welfare and Institutions 27 Code is amended to read: 28 18987.3. Each child and family interagency 29 coordinating council shall develop a strategic plan torso 30 bleftded—ming for implementation of the pilot 31 program. The plan shall contain all of the following: 32 (a) A list of the members of the county child and 33 family interagency coordinating council, and a 34 description of project responsibilities for each member. 35 (b) identification of the county or the area within the 36 county to be served by blended funds. 37 (c) A description of the population to be served, the 38 amount and types of current services available from 39 public, private nein-for-profit, and community-based 40 services agencies, the needs of that population, and the 99 f SB 1352 -- 1 goals, objectives, and outcomes of the services to be 2 provided. 3 (d) A timeline showing how the county proposes to 4 implement the pilot project. 5 (e) A description of existing collaborative, integrated 6 services efforts and how '�--fttng the strategies 7 proposed for the pilot program will be used in 8 conjunction with these efforts. 9 (f) A description of the services to be funded by the 10 county child and family services fund. 11 (g) An identification of the state and local funds to be 12 consolidated and how those blended funds shall be used. 13 (h) (1) A description of an evaluation plan that meets 14 all of the following requirements: 15 (A) It is based on community needs and service plans. 16 (B) It includes baseline data and performance 17 indicators and outcomes relevant to services funded by 18 the county child and family services fund. 19 (C) it measures outcomes for children, families, and 20 communities targeted by the pilot project. 21 (D) It utilizes, where applicable, state-adopted 22 performance and outcome measures developed for 23 specific populations included in the county plan. 24 (2) The evaluation shall also identify obstacles 25 encountered in implementation of the pilot program. 26 SEC. 8. Section 18987.36 of the Welfare and 27 Institutions Code is amended to read: 28 18987.36. The board of supervisors of each 29 participating county shall submit, to the Governor or the 30 ' and to the ageftey responsible _fftr T 31 eyeleating the 9tteeesq of the Vilef preje California 32 Health and Human Services Agency, all of the following: 33 (a) An annual report showing which funds were 34 transferred into the county child and family services fund 35 and an annual status update indicating the extent to 36 which the plan has been implemented. 37 (b) Interim evaluation reports on the implementation 38 and measurements of progress toward performance 39 outcomes of the pilot program, to be submitted following 40 the second and fourth year, and not later than six months F ". f7 —9— SB 1352 1 after the sixth year of the implementation of the pilot 2 program. 3 (c) A final evaluation of the pilot program, to be 4 submitted not later than six months after prior to the 5 completion of the fiM year of the ia*emema6en of 6 pilot program. 7 SBC. 9. Section 18987.4 of the Welfare and Institutions 8 Code is amended to read: 9 18987.4. (a) (1) There is hereby created in the State 10 Treasury the Youth Pilot Program Fund. State and 11 federal moneys that, if distributed to a designated county, 12 could be transferred to a county child and family services 13 fund, may be transferred, at the direction of the 14 designated county, to the Youth Pilot Program Fund for 15 the purposes specified in subdivision (c) of Section 18987. 16 Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, 17 moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated, 18 without regard to fiscal years, to the State Department of 19 Social Services to be allocated to and expended by 20 counties in accordance with county strategic plans 21 developed pursuant to Section 18987.3. 22 (2) The Director of Finance may authorize the 23 transfer of funds appropriated pursuant to the following 24 items of the Budget Act of 1996 and budget acts thereafter 25 to implement this section. 26 (A) State Department of Health Services, Item 27 4260-101-0001 or Item 4260-111-0001, or any combination 28 thereof. 29 (B) State Department of Mental Health, Item 30 4440-101-0001(c) (Program 10.47, Children's Mental 31 Health Services) or Item 4440-131-0001 (Program 10.80, 32 Special Education Pupils Program), or any combination 33 thereof. 34 (C) State Department of Social Services, Item 35 5180-101-0001, Item 5180-141-0001, or Item 5180-151-0001 36 or any combination thereof. 37 (3) Amounts transferred pursuant to paragraph (2) 38 shall be limited to those amounts that would otherwise be 39 allocated to those designated counties. 99 S$ 1352 — 10- 1 14—•1 (b) The Director of Finance shall provide written 2 notification to the chairperson of the appropriate budget 3 and policy committees in each house of the legislature 4 upon transfer of any funds into the Youth Pilot Program 5 Fund. 6 (c) Moneys in the fund shall be available for 7 encumbrance until July 1,-2994 2006, at which time all 8 unencumbered moneys in the fund shall revert to the 9 General Fund. 10 (d) It is the intent of the Legislature to continue the 11 commitment to maximize federal matching funds for 12 state and county programs. 13 (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Youth 14 Pilot Program Fund shall be continuously appropriated 15 only for the purpose of implementing the Youth Pilot 16 Program pursuant to this chapter, and a continuously 17 appropriated fund shall not be used to implement the 18 provisions of this chapter, should they be extended 19 beyond the pilot program. 20 (f) This section shall remain in e&et operative only 21 until July 1, 2004, shall remain in effect only until January 22 1, 2005, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later 23 enacted statute, that is enacted before 4-1, 2894 January 24 1, 2005, deletes or extends that date. 25 SEC. 10. Section 18987.45 of the Welfare and 26 Institutions Code is repealed. 27 1898;.45. The pilot pmgrm autherized by thLs 28 e6pter shaR be deemed sueeegAA in HAY if-, 29 eA a minimum, 30 31 . 32 SEC. 11. Section 18987.5 of the 'Welfare and 33 Institutions Code is amended to read: 34 18987.5. This chapter shall remain operative only 35 until July 1, 2882 2004, shall remain in effect only until 36 January 1, 2884 2005, and as of that date is repealed, unless 37 a later enacted statute, which is enacted before January 38 1,2893 2005, deletes or extends that date. 39 SEC. 12. There is hereby appropriated the sum of 40 three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) from the 99 -- 11 — SB 1352 1 General Fund to the California Health and Human 2 Services Agency, in augmentation of Item 0530-001-0001 3 of the Budget Act of 2000 to conduct the evaluation 4 required by subdivision (b) of Section 18987.16 of the 5 Welfare and Institutions Code. a 99 C. 18 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this order on January 25,2000,by the following vote: AYES: SUPERVISORS GIOIA, UILKEMA, DeSAULNIER, CANCIAMILLA and GERBER NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE Resolution No. 2000/4 4 SUBJECT: Opposition to Proposition 28 EAS, the voters of Contra Costa County and the state of California approved Proposition 10 in the general election in November 1998 and thereby provided for the establishment of the Contra Costa Children and Families Commission to implement Proposition 10; WHEREAS, Proposition 10 provides much needed resources specifically targeted to enhance and strengthen services for young children and their families; WHEREAS, there is a growing public awareness of the scientific evidence of the importance of the first five years of life for a child's brain development and future ability to thrive and contribute to society; WHEREAS, Proposition 28 would repeal Proposition 10 and result in the loss of approximately $13 million annually for critical early childhood development services in Contra Costa County; WHEREAS, the Proposition 10 taxes have reduced substantially tobacco consumption, especially among youth, which will have long term positive health impacts on California population; NOW THEREFORE, this Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County hereby arms its commitment to supporting families and promoting the healthy development of young children. In doing so, this Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa. County declares its unanimous opposition to Proposition 28. 1 hereby certify that this Is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: T�....._nagy-25,, 2g o 0 PHIL BATCHELOR,Clerk of the t3oard of Supervisors and County Administrator BY Aj, ,Deputy Resolution No. 2000/ 44 r$/j� REQUEST EST TO SPEAK FC?ItM k (THREE(3)MINUTE LIMIT} Complete this form and place it in the box near the speakers'rostrum before addressing the Board. Name: phone:,C z ` Address:.! City: , // J 1' Y ' I am speaking for myself or organization: l� a� �, v t Ttt ( of of m) CHECK ONE: I wish to speak on Agenda Item# Date: My comments will be: general for agar�st I wish to speak on the subject of I do not wish to speak but leave these comments for the Board to Consider: /4� SPE'AIDERS 1. Deposit the"Request to Speak"form(on the reverse side) in the box next to the speaker's microphone before your agenda item is to be considered 2. You will be called on to make your presentation. Please speak into the microphone at the podium. 3. Begin by stating your name, address and whether you are speaking for yourself or as the representative of an organization. 4. Give the Clerk a copy of your presentation or support documentation if available before speaking. 5. Limit your presentation to three minutes. Avoid repeating comments made by previous speakers. 6. The Chair may limit the length of presentations so all persons may be hear. aux � a ht F CyRNP "1 "S Fc gip 51251 9 d eis zr 5 5 , Sr 45M Q o cr lw O O � k C t tD O .R WW Cp OCDZJ C CD CD CL tD C i -417 b `1►' W Y Y y5� n +G rxe ro o x O O _ LL tD tb O O O 00 N ' O o 'C'L � d ' CL CD ro G C 2 CL gL 00 do EL V b � o m Children Cl1IEh��ii� Carey C4llI C Helping parents put the pieces together Famili* es First Vol. 1 No. 3 A newsletter to keep the child care community apprised of Prop.10 Children's Programs Threatened By Repeal The Tobacco Industry has succeeded in putting an Recent scientific research on the development of the Initiative on the March Ballot which would repeal human brain indicates that the brain develops Prop. 10 and wipe out millions of dollars intended to primarily in the first three years of life. It is 80 -90%n fund programs and services for very young children. developed by age three. Thus the foundation for social, emotional and cognitive learning is set at this VOTE NO ON PROP 28 very young age. Children's ability to succeed in school and life is greatly determined by their early In 1998, California voters passed Prop. 10- The experiences at home and in care outside the home. California Children and Families Initiative - which The Children and Families Initiative was created in raised the tobacco tax to support a wide range of recognition of the importance of these first few years programs to protect children's health and help young and the fact that very few public resources are children enter school ready to learn. The tobacco directed to this age group-children, prenatal to five companies spent $30 million to defeat Proposition 10, years of age. but failed. Now they are trying to thwart the will of the voters and repeal Proposition 10 by passing VOTE NO ON PROP 28 Proposition 28. The Children and Families Initiative is unique in that VOTE NO ON PROP 28 it is intended to provide services to all families with children 0 to 5 regardless of income, family Prop 28 would slash millions from critical programs circum stance or geography. that benefit babies and young children, including: In each county, local Commissions comprised of o Health care for children including immunizations community volunteers are assessing needs, meeting o Quality preschool education and child care which with parents and service providers, and making decisions about how prop 10 funding can best be used prepares children for school success in their communities. o Smoking prevention aimed at pregnant women and parents of young children If Prop 28 passes and the Children and Families Initiative is repealed, the children will be the big o Services for children at risk losers. Don't let this happen. o Parent education and support VOTE NO ON PROP 28 dze State Commission Considers Alameda County Commission Child Care Proposals Adopts Strategic Plan At its December 16, 1999 meeting, the State Children On Dec. 7, 1999, the Alameda County Children and and Families Commission began considering Families First Commission became-the first local proposals for the portion of Prop lb funds it has the Commission to adopt its Strategic Plan-Every Child authority to allocate. While decisions will not be Counts. The plan focuses on three areas of service made until the Commission's January meeting, child delivery- family support, child care and early care proposals under consideration include: education, and parenting programs. o Training for child care and development The Child Care and Early Education strategies providers propose to improve children's physical,emotional and o A loan pool to enable providers to access low educational outcomes and families' economic interest loans to make improvements to their development and self-sufficiency by improving the facilities quality and capacity of early childhood education. o Health and family support consultants in child The plan calls for: care systems to coordinate family access to child health and other support services 1)Creating a sustainable structure and funding o Addressing the child care staffing crisis mechanism to promote a knowledgeable, stable and (This was perhaps the most controversial proposal. adequately compensated child care workforce.(Finan- Child Care Advocates were quite vocal about the cial incentives for child care staff) need to do something and not just research the problem further as reflected in the original proposal.) 2) Strengthening cross-discipline work between early childhood education and other service providers. Cather proposal of particular interest to Contra Costa County include: 3) Promoting comprehensive program improve- ments. o Establishing pilots in three counties to test a system.of care approach for the mental health 4) Expanding opportunities for provider, staff needs for children 0-3 and their families and Parent training in early childhood education. o Funding the Poison Control Centers around the state 5)Improving access to, and the affordability of, o An Asthma Control Initiative for children ages 0-5 quality early childhood education for all families. o Expansion of state Literacy initiatives 6)Creating training and service delivery that A number of other proposals are also under review. promotes sensiti=vity to language differences, variations in cultural values, and in parenting styles Audience members were adamant that whatever the and philosophies. .Commission decides to do it should build upon and not duplicate existing local efforts and that the focus Exploring extension of part-day programs to should be on the community level, not statewide full-day y services. efforts that never reach the local level The Alameda Plan offers a model for improving and To learn more about the work of the State Commission, expanding child care that the Contra Costa Children check out their Website at www.children98.org or call and Families First Commission should review care- (916)323-0056. fully.