Agenda

Return

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	03/13/2017
Subject: AB 435 (Thurmond): Child Care Subsidy Plans: County of Contra Costa
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2017-09
Referral Name:	AB 435 (Thurmond): Child Care Subsidy Plans: County of Contra Costa
Presenter:	Camilla Rand, Community Services Bureau	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

Sean Casey, Executive Director of First 5 Contra Costa, and Ruth Fernandez, Manager of Education Services for the Contra Costa County Office of Education, took the lead in sponsoring this bill with Assembly Member Tony Thurmond. However, the Director of the Community Services Bureau, Camilla Rand, states that they have been wanting to pursue this as well, as it is a "significant step to aligning the State guidelines with Head Start and also streamlining so many of the processes."

There are several related policies in the Board's adopted 2017 State Platform, including:

136. SUPPORT efforts to increase the number of subsidized child care slots to address the shortage of over 20,000 slots serving children 0-12 years of age in Contra Costa County; and SUPPORT efforts to enhance the quality of early learning programs and maintain local Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) for early learning providers. Affordable child care is key to low-income workers remaining employed and there is a significant dearth of subsidized child care slots. Increasing quality of early learning is important to developing skills in the next generation.

137. SUPPORT legislation to expand early child care and education and increase funding for preschool and early learning.

AB 435 does not bring in more money directly but. rather, ensures current funds are maximized and not underutilized, while allowing more children to be served through broader eligibility guidelines, supporting policy #136 - the huge unmet need in this county.

Referral Update:

AB 435 (Thurmond): Child Care Subsidy Plans: County of Contra Costa is authored by a Contra Costa legislator, Mr. Tony Thurmond.

Disposition:	Pending
Location:	Assembly Human Services Committee

AB 435 authorizes the County of Contra Costa to develop and submit an individualized county child care subsidy plan. The Draft Fact Sheet is Attachment A. The bill text is Attachment B.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

CONSIDER recommending to the Board of Supervisors a position of "Support" on AB 435 (Thurmond): Child Care Subsidy Plans: County of Contra Costa.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

There is no change in the total dollar amount allocated to stated contracts in Contra Costa under this bill; the “rules” would allow more effective use of these funds to ensure they are spent. Last year Contra Costa contractors combined left 7% of the total allocation unspent. By pooling resources, more children will be served – no additional dollars .

Attachments
Attachment A: AB 435 Draft Fact Sheet
Attachment B: AB 435 Bill Text