HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04221997 - P3 e' `r
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THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
DATE: April 22, 1997 MATTER OF RECORD
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SUBJECT: Presentation- Impact of Welfare Reform
On this date the Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by the Executive Director of
the Contra Costa Child Care Council on the impact of welfare reform on child care programs.
THIS IS A MATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY
NO BOARD ACTION TAKEN
07-ISIDER WR
TALKING POINTS
RECEIVED
APR 2 2 wr
NEW RESEARCH FINDINGS
CLERK BOARD OF
• Good child care is good for kids CONTRA
• The years 0 to 3 are the most critical for a child's brain development. During these critical first
years, the foundation is laid for all social,emotional, physical and psychological development to
come.
CHILD CARE IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
• Lack of infant/toddler,school age and alternative schedule care
• Impact of class size reduction on child care
• Welfare reform may mean a growing use of publicly subsidized, unregulated child care
• Adequate access to child care includes referrals and parent education so parents may make
informed choices
• Quality child care requires intentionality on the part of the caregiver.
• Child care as a possible employment opportunity for TANF recipients
• Health and safety of the children must be the first priority regardless of caregiver
• Current resources may be inadequate to address child care needs.
• County government currently controls 60% of total child care subsidy funding($25.5 million)
coming to Contra Costa County. 40%goes to 5 local education agencies and 10 community
based non-profit agencies.
• . 30% of the county's subsidy dollars ($7.8 million) are supporting part day, part year programs
serving poor families.
These programs offer the least support for welfare recipients as they transition from welfare to
work
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Contact our state legislators and urge them to take the federal option to waive work
participation requirements for mothers of children under 12 months of age.
2. Pay providers directly under the parent choice subsidy programs administered by the
Department of Social Services.
3. Support Senator Rainey's bill SB 158 which will make funding available for facilities.
4. Ask the Youth Commission to convene an information sharing meeting of all parties
concerned about the 10 to 13 year old population.
5. Insure that all TANF recipients receive the counseling they need to make informed child
care choices by making sure that child care experts are available at all DSS offices.
6. Keep separate the child care needs of welfare recipients and the employment opportunities
that child care as a profession may offer.
7. Explore the feasibility of child care training programs with the community colleges.
8. Make sure that all welfare recipients have access to adequate child care consumer
education.
9. Support Senator Watson's bill, SB 309, which would require a minimum level of training
for all exempt (unregulated) care givers paid with public subsidy money.
10. Support requiring all exempt (unregulated) care givers paid with public subsidy money to
be Trustlined to insure they have never been convicted of a violent crime, such as child
abuse.
11. Move immediately to transition the Head Start Program from a part day, part year
program to a full day, full year program which can meet the needs of welfare recipients
transitioning to work.
12. Support federal legislation which would expand funding available for child care:
Representative Woolsey's bill - HR 899
Senator Dodd's bill - S 19
Ensure plenty of affordable,high-quality places for babies to be cared for.
Possible strategies to ensure more funding to help parents afford care include:
L Invest a greater percentage of local general fund money in child care services.
2. Increase existing funding levels for State Department of Education's early child
development programs.
3. Support federal legislative efforts to expand child care funding for low income working
parents.
4. Increase infant care reimbursement rates — the State Department of Education helps
cover the additional provider costs of caring for babies.
5. Municipalities should set aside a percentage of property taxes for child care/children's
services (e.g., Prop. J in San Francisco, Measure K in Oakland).
6. The state should be sure to fully use all available federal dollars.
7. Establish more collaboratives to fully tap existing funding sources (e.g., Head Start, State
pre-school); expand Early Head Start and link to full-day programs.
8. Use developers' fees to establish child care services in growing residential areas.
9. Develop more local child care pools — public/private partnerships with funds from state,
local and corporate sources to help subsidize child care costs.
Possible strategies to ensure adequate supply of care for all babies who need care include:
1. Local governments can ease restrictions on facilities (e.g., zoning barriers).
2. Governments can mandate child care facilities be included as part of planning for new
residential and commercial districts.
3. Increase funds for family day care providers (loans, incentives or other funds) to
stimulate creation of additional slots.
4. Support the creation and expansion of child care availability for non-traditional hours
and situations: night time, weekends, sick baby care, etc.
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` a ' , :Yo " R P,5 REGIONAL CHILD CARE CAMPAIGN
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Bay Area Regional Child Care Campaign
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C H. f< `> ' D Policy Statement
Action Alliance for Children
San Francisco Unified School District Preamble
Child Development Prognro
B'"'°"Inc. California:
Parr!
Bear Hugs Family Day Care I am your child. You can take good care of me by providing:
Growth and Opportunity,Inc.
Cont costs Child Cars Council a Training and support for my caregivers, whether they are parents, other
Child care Law Center family members or professional child care providers;
Gardner Children*Center.Ioc.
Fest PaloNeighborhood
Comhood Develop ent >- Child care information, so my parents and others can make informed
and Neighborhood Development
Starting Points at SF Mayor's office of choices about quality care for me and all other babies and children;
Children,Youth and their Families
Bono Francisco,soca opportunity Council of sac
FD Support for my family to do the best possible job nurturing me; and
Ysitscion Valley Family School
Children's Commission,County of D Plenty of affordable, high-quality places for babies and children to be
Sants Cruz cared for.
Children's Council of San Francisco
California Family Child Cate Training Invest in me and you are investing in your own future. Take good care of
Cdlabtxntive
me now so I can take good care of you later.
IGds in Com moo;A Children and
Families Collaborative
Santa Cruz County Child Development
Resource Center
Policies
Children's Services International
Child Development and Family Studies
Department,City College of San Francisco Improve Training and Support for Caregivers
Fairfax/San Anselmo Children's Center
Fairfax/San A°selmoParent Services Project 1. Develop a progressive "career ladder" development structure for family
Child Care Coordinating Council of san Mateo child care providers (including non-licensed providers such as nannies, au
California Child Care Resource and Referral pairs, family members, etc.) which includes training, on-site technical
Network
assistance, and observable quality indicators. This would result in specific
Children and Youth Services.City of San Jose
developmental levels and defined job descriptions for positions such as
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Nchild care aide, child care teacher, etc.
National Economic Development Law Center,
Child Care Project
Infant Toddler Consortium 2. Mandate the lowest ratio of babies to providers (3:1) and the highest
National center for the Early Childhood qualification for providers of infant care. (This could be done by
work E««
supporting the effort to merge Title 22 and Title 5 in child care codes.)
Organisations from these cmmndest
Alameda county
Contra Costs County 3. Strengthen the links between resource and referral organizations,
%o�urer County community colleges and other community-based training programs to
San San Magor Countsco y
enable providers to learn and earn academic units outside the classroom,
Santa uz C in on-site, ongoing training programs.
This campaign is sponsored by generous grants from the Miriam and Peter Haas Fund,
David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Peninsula Community Foundation.
4. Improve outreach and support to non-professional caregivers (i.e., family members,
friends). The "Warm Line" is a model of a successful outreach and support program that
could be expanded.
5. Explore an educational credit program, similar to the G.I. Bill, for child care providers -
they earn scholarship support for higher education with every year of service as a
provider.
6. Provide trainings in languages other than English.
7. Ensure adequate compensation (salaries and benefits) for caregivers so that they can
continue to provide quality care. Adequate compensation will also encourage high quality
individuals to enter the field.
Provide improved information on child care availability and quality, so parents and others
can make informed choices about care for their babies.
1. Provide child care information in a parent's primary language wherever child care
choices are made. Information about child care should be available to parents in many
formats, including in-person consultation with child care counselors, in print, and on
videos.
2. Increase funding to publicize the 1-800 number that currently helps parents find the
resource and referral agency serving their county.
3. Increase funding to expand resource and referral outreach so that all parents have access
to information about quality child care. Counselors should have the ability to travel to
places such as laundromats, welfare offices and health clinics in order to reach more
parents.
4. Ensure that child care information ig designed to reach specific segments of the child care
market (e.g., grandparents and foster parents).
Provide families with support to do the best possible job nurturing their babies.
1. Expand child care programs' ability to provide parent support services.
2. Support community organizing efforts to empower parents and ensure they have a
voice in making decisions that affect their children and families.
3. Provide parents with opportunities to access information about child growth and
development, early education and parenting.
4. Offer all parents the opportunity to access job training and employment to ensure
economic self-sufficiency.
5. Ensure that all parents and guardians are entitled to up to 40 hours per year of unpaid
leave to spend with their child in his or her child care setting.
:•h
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CIALIFORNIA CHILD DEVELOFMENI ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION
RECOMM NDATIONS FOR CHILD CARE a EDUCATION AND WELFARE REFORM POLICY
POSITIONS
March. 1997
t: Governance
A. The California Department of Education should continue to bo the lead state agency for all
child care and development programs.
B. The County Board of Supervisors and County.Superinteind6ht should continue to jointly
appoint a Child Planning Council. Local Child Care Planning Councils would continue to determine
county needs child amore and set priorities far sell h*w Mdei na funding. The Child Caro Planning Councils
shalt be instruct to use shMardIzed data such as a ipecitic census deter Deparmwit of Finance
jmjedfons as o a carta in date,and Resource&Reta'mli pro9mm data as of s certain date.Additlonat
shalt be o aimed tram the chIM care held and aooitiufriers, atirtd other dam may also be used as it
pettalns to each county or region.
C. Fun ding, monitoring and quality assurance should be performed by the COE
It. Program Design and Funding
A. Thelchild care and development delivery system should retain its diversity, consisting of-
I-- Child developmemcohiiicts. including General Child Care Centers(including Family
Child Care Homes Systems, Campus Child Care,School age Child Care).Migrant;
SAPID, and State Preschool.
2 Alternative Payment Program models.
3. Resource and Referral programs
B. Car tiacidrs may Include private non-profit egenc es, private for-profit, school districts,
colleges, cou offices of education and public soot is, including CWOs.
1, All contractors should be required to meet certain quality standards-to be
established by 111196.
Z Providers rocelvIng payment under the Alternative Payment model should receive a'
rate incentive if they meet certain quality standards=to be established by 1/1/99.
3. Cut*stand6ft;should be divlloprid by the COP.In conjunction with
repruw t dvm It nj the field
4. Oual'dy improvemartt activities should be provided to all exempt providers.
5. Tralaing grants should be provided to contractors who shalt develop a training plan
basad on local need.
C. Rei bursemertt rates for child devilopment contracts should be negotiated based on a market
rate for the courky or region. This rate should not eieeed 1.5 standard deviations from the mean market
rate, plus an adllltionai amount for the cost of dofng.tiu hese with the state, including the cost of meeting
established quality standards. Full cost children cin be aeried it the contractor's rate, minus the cost of
doing business With the sttate. Prelnlum rates Mould bf established for serving special needs children
based on the additional cost of service. In no instarici shalt the negotiated rate decrease ebsting
Programs'current funding levels nor prevent them from receiving future COLA's. growth or arpansion to..
which they are otherwise entitled.
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D. Rei oursement rates for AltamitivO Payment providers must be consistent with the market
rate, up to '..5 standard deviations from the moon market rate. In order to Insure parental choice.
E, All sLibsidired child We and development programs will be included in initiatives to provide
integrated family services at the county level.
Ill. Eligibility
A, All Ii rw Income families,working, looking for work or In training to prepare them for work, will
be guaranteed 6 tild care. Children may remain In care until their family Income reaches 100%of the State
Median Income.
8. Chit Iron recolving Child Protedfys S&VIC411!hall haw priority enrollment-not subject to
Income 411glbll requirement.
IV. Consumer ducatlon.Aces"and Supply guildhtg
A. R urce 3 Referhl programa will perform a variety of additional functions,with adequate
funding for earn .
1. Provide c a tlumet aducatidh by pr&Ading Oduestion and outreach to parents In the
communities wherd they work find tivo. Consumer education must be provided In a
variety of lan"ges and we".including talevislon, radio, and printed matter, as well by
person to person counseling.
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2. Increase the supply of child tri through r6aultment.
3. Train child eery providers, includin4 exempt providers, in areas to include child
development, CPR/Rr%t Aid. nutrition, health and safety.
i4. Perform local date eollactlon Ittnctions.
5. Participate at the local!evil In children's eoliaboratives.
Including lite local Child Cara Of nAing Council.
B. Fa ties may apply tdt the wilting W it A vArlety of cCnveniknt locations, including Individual
child pre center I. county welfat!department,sd►ool6, and other suitable locations.
V. Paretts e"
CCDAA has several pdr veA Ori this IfiiU4 at pentrnt teal.
A. Fe nill-W ft Or belay A#A el+A Std M*ftn WcW64(appthe federal poverty
km )we strugp q to O*vK* to W*O t dbllitra le help time famines most their basic
tfulai uN thwN iKfi!tt illIN I t O M0thea!"rb to repay a pardon of the money
rrtceltr!
"atw tM df buff r+>!ttburci�e.
i. W e rieedfilftfrt� ! ►�irikit t bctlributtn to thli L oat of Child care,Are fully aware of
In ing paying eh lffibtl�I}bi'iYtbl'�thin bite dtild in care,we
the bt adflilMt�tb Mp b� runt Iris t tMdcflon proctdtxi with these frommes, especially
th a whosi ifttxrtflr!s1 M In!glMMII Ot till beonomic!►c>rNi.
C. Th4 colt of ildminititifl O 6 Alia oSUAM 11�s40h A considar*bly higher than what is usually ,
pro eded. When ... fsi0 to W think gill on tlm#, a i/r*of lbgslly required steps are
in' ted. Requiring parentis t6 pby duo W tb providers would also be inadvisable. When
per don't pay their fait on anti, (lr641dbrs simply refuse to serve subsldized families.
At a time when we need every availAbI*chlld cera space,lt,doesn't make sense to alienate
eny provider.
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0. If ui iivorsal parent fees are to be instituted, the fee should be based on the family's Income
and a model should be piloted In several diverse counties to determine if it is truly cost
off e.
VI. Oat=Calloci Ion
A. CD with the ass(stance of C088, "L4kIstiv*AntilysYs once,the Department of Finance
and repreesertUImm the Meld shMild d#Map!16"statdlocel plan to Implement automated data
coflectlon and I for dW eats and davYopmtattt MMMft
�,.. B. au f lent funding should M 0r6W4d kw 60 COE find ledl centrbclors to Implement the
:,fele eol`14 oh repore"plan, ktchrdlrtd ftmd Q Mr detnpubvi which can be seeessed by modem, and
softw*re whidt f capable of data orgrr,t>dtbn And inilystti.
Vll. Addlflonal onsldetstlani
A. R" ffl
ni3dng the extreme Importance of Inncy, the high cost and the scarcity of infant care.
we recommend that single parents 61 Infants under one year of ago be given the choice of being exempt
from work requirements.
B. Sinjo parents of chiidrin under twMv*lhduld not be mandated to take Jobs that require night
shift, retognlzl that this is not In the best lnNfast of the chHdran.
C. Tom I parents and other h1Qh-+fall p4rMft lhoufd hive a parent support program similar to
Hswalrs Healthy Start pra ram and CARM I 6 P&**SOVIM Pmts
O. Ltv effort, Including ilei pravl!!on of d4M bier, must be m*di to encoumpe parents to
obtain edditlonsl aducWon and/or b01-1htg M Ordef tb I"d true lslt suffldertcy.
E Suff CWd SMN Mff+6trWhrra,Maki ilfld 060 AM MrrtputMf=ation fbr COE and COSS, must
be developed in er to support Me,mt4m t at fttttiCbei who will be implementing Caftmla's Child
Care Plan.
I
March, 97