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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 5/10/2022 - Memorandum From Adam Molzer Re: Childcare Priority Update: Affordable, Quality And Accessible Childcare InfrastructureSocial Sustainability 222 Laporte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6757 MEMORANDUM DATE: May 5, 2022 TO: Mayor Arndt and City Councilmembers THRU: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer FROM: Adam Molzer, City Grants and Community Partnerships Coordinator CC: Beth Yonce, Social Sustainability Department Director Teresa Roche, Chief Human Resources Officer Caryn Champine, Director of Planning, Development and Transportation Seve Ghose, Community Services Director Josh Birks, Economic Health Office Director LeAnn Williams, Director of Recreation Sarah Gagne, Recreation Department Senior Supervisor Rebecca Everette, Planning Manager – CDNS RE: Childcare Priority Update: Affordable, Quality and Accessible Childcare Infrastructure The purpose of this memo is informational and provides a check-in on the status of the childcare sector in Fort Collins and an update on the City’s role and scope in supporting Council’s priority on childcare – “Affordable, Quality, and Accessible Childcare Infrastructure”. This memo reflects efforts occurring thus far in 2022. Bottom Line: The childcare sector in Fort Collins continues to rebound from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the larger systemic impediments affecting access, affordability and workforce stability persist. The City continues to address the stabilization of childcare as a priority. Noteworthy Highlights - Community The Larimer Child Care Fund was launched in April by United Way of Larimer County. The Fund offers scholarships to income qualified families receiving childcare services at providers of their choice. The application process is integrated into the Larimer Child Care Connect online platform, which also serves as the primary search engine for families looking for childcare, preschool and school-age programs (www.larimerchildcare.org). The City is currently contributing $20,000 in human services grant funding towards this scholarship fund. In late April, Governor Polis signed HB22-1295 into law, which will provide access to all 4-year-olds in Colorado to 10-hours a week of tuition-free preschool. When implemented in fall 2023, families will be able to submit a single application, which will also determine whether they are eligible for other early childhood services. The State of Colorado opened multiple grant programs in late 2021 and early 2022 to award $275M in pandemic recovery funding to support licensed childcare providers and families with tuition assistance, quality improvements, workforce wages and other innovative community programs. These funds and related programming are being deployed in 2022, including meaningful resources reaching the Fort Collins community. 2 City Role & Scope: The City’s role is to help reduce barriers, increase capacity, leverage City assets, identify and respond to childcare needs, and lead by example as an employer. This response is achieved through partnerships, funding, programs, technical assistance, policy, and legislative action. Attached is an updated matrix that profiles the engagement levels of activity in the City. City Support: The City continues to support a variety of activities to help stabilize childcare needs for the larger community and employees, including: Community $170,000 of ARPA funds were approved by Council in the FY22 budget and will be deployed through a grant process in June by the Social Sustainability Department to local organizations leading efforts to impact the local childcare system. $350,000 of ARPA funds will be deployed through a grant process in May by the Social Sustainability Department to local organization leading programming that mitigates pandemic- related learning loss for school-age students in Fort Collins and addresses their social, mental and behavioral needs. Programs selected may be school-based and/or services provided in non- school, caregiving environments. Human Service Program contracts for the 2021-22 grant term are now active, with $265,000 (General Fund) awarded towards early childhood education and childcare services. The City’s Human Services & Housing Funding Board also recently completed their grant funding deliberations and will recommend $219,500 be awarded to similar programming for the 2022-2023 Human Services Program grant term. Council will consider the full slate of funding recommendations on June 21. The Social Sustainability Department awarded $20,000 of reappropriated funds in 2021 to the Early Childhood Council for Larimer County. These funds have largely been expended in 2022 to provide scholarships to early childhood education teachers completing coursework and other professional development activities directly related to furthering their qualifications, credentials and skills towards service in the childcare industry. Childcare continues to be included as a policy statement category in the City’s 2022 Legislative Policy Agenda. In February, the CEO of the Early Childhood Council for Larimer County, Christina Taylor, gave a presentation to the City’s Human Services & Housing Funding (HSHF) Board and offered insight into childcare issues in the region and the impact on our community. The HSHF Board regularly receives presentations during the year from local topical experts as they work to build their shared knowledge of social issues. The City’s Recreation Department has created a new contractual position for the remainder of 2022 that will integrate into their childcare services and provide mental/social/behavioral supports and recreational therapy to the children and families served, as well as coaching to other childcare staff. The position is funded with ARPA dollars supplied through the 2022 budget process for childcare system support. Over 500 children will be served by Recreation’s childcare programs this year. 3 The City’s Economic Health Office continues to engage with regional partners and the Talent 2.0 initiative to address barriers to workforce recruitment and retention, with childcare recognized as a priority. The City’s FC Moves program is identifying childcare facilities in its mapping and prioritization of key destinations in its pedestrian and bicycle improvement efforts. Through the 2022 budget process, City Council funded a new technical assistance program to support small businesses in the building and development review process. This program will launch in the summer and can support childcare providers who want to expand their facility, relocate, or adapt their business model. In the past, the City has worked to intentionally remove regulatory barriers for in-home childcare providers. As such, in-home providers are not required to receive development approval or building permits in order to operate. Over time, the City has approved a number of “pad sites” for new childcare facilities as part of larger development projects. Many of these sites remain vacant and are available for new construction, without significant infrastructure burdens or regulatory hurdles. City Employees A comprehensive Child Care Benefit Exploration Report was completed in winter 2022 by Human Resources, in partnership with consulting firm Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC). This report identifies childcare strategies for the City to consider related to Council’s priority of addressing caregiving needs for City employees. The Executive Summary and full report were shared with City Council in March 2022, and work continues to advance the report’s findings. The Caregivers’ Alliance, an internal City employee resource group, continues to host monthly meetings to provide practical tools and space for City staff who serve as caregivers to children, youth or older adults to share mental and emotional load together. Recent topics include young children, understanding Alzheimers/dementia, and resources for older kids and teens. This group continues to engage employees on caregiver issues that are relevant to City employees. The City’s Human Resource Benefits and Recreation teams are offering benefit-eligible City employees 50% off enrollment fees for the Funtime Preschool Program and Camp FunQuest Summer Camp, up to $500 per child or $750 per household. This benefit allows employees access to affordable, licensed childcare options for their families as part of their employment with the City. Next Steps: Maintain regular correspondence and check-ins with childcare partners to understand emerging service gaps and respond appropriately. Administer funding programs that deploy ARPA dollars towards local childcare needs. Continue to evaluate regulatory barriers within the building and development processes that uniquely affect childcare providers. Submit FY23-24 budget offers that focus on advancing Council’s childcare priorities for the community and City employees. 4 Updated May 2022 Childcare Affordability * Accessibility * Workforce Stability Role of the City: * Reduce Barriers * Increase Capacity * Leverage City Assets * Identify & Respond to Needs * Lead by Example as an Employer Scope of the City’s Influence Examples & Ideas Resourcing ** Green = Occurring Purple = Concept ** Considerations & Variables Age Infant & Toddler Preschool & Pre-K Ages 6-12 Family & Workforce Needs Income Levels: Low – Medium – High Shift, Weekend & Odd-Hour Employment Children with Special Needs Business Structure Center-based In-Home Provider Drop-in Family-Friend- Neighbor Nonprofit For-Profit Local or National Industry Regulation primarily from State of CO Limited earning potential for teachers Teacher/Child ratios & regulations disable the childcare business model Partnership Engagement, leadership and cooperation with sector and system collaborators Larimer County Chamber of Commerce Poudre School District Early Childhood Council Childcare Providers 0.35 FTE Funding Direct funding via grants and special contracts to community partners Competitive Grant Process ARPA Funding $265,000 FY21 budget $170,000 FY22 budget Programs City-managed services that facilitate the provision of childcare City Employee Care Options Camps & Licensed Care Small Business Grants for building/development help $75,000 - $100,000 FY22 Recreation Dept., Fee-based Childcare providers eligible Technical Assistance Specialized expertise, tools and resources within the City organization that can be shared with partners Mapping FC Moves key destinations Safety / FCPD Not practiced at this time Trainings Consultation Policy Levers of direct City influence around regulation, code and planning Building & Zoning In-home providers exempt Pad sites identified Fee Incentives & Rebates Flexible Development Standards Not practiced at this time Legislative Recommendations and support to LRC to influence State policy Examples: CCAP Funding Teacher Qualification Site Requirements Childcare included in 2022 Legislative Policy Agenda