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HomeMy WebLinkAboutagenda.council.worksession.20190115 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 4:00 PM I. Council Meeting with Kids First Advisory Board CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION January 15, 2019 4:00 PM, City Council Chambers MEETING AGENDA Council Meeting with Kids First Advisory Board P1 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Shirley Ritter, Director Kids First THROUGH Sara Ott, Assistant City Manager MEETING DATE: January 15, 2019 RE: Kids First Advisory Board work session with City Council REQUEST OF COUNCIL: This memo is to provide information about Kids First Advisory Board purpose and function; and seek direction from council for next steps in addressing the community need for high quality childcare. SUMMARY: Kids First Advisory Board (KFAB) will provide updates on the current state of programming, funding, community needs, and future planning. KFAB is appointed by Aspen City Council and may have no fewer than 3 and no more than 12 members. Actions require a concurring vote of a simple majority of members present. Members are recommended by the Kids First Advisory Board and submitted to City Council for formal approval. Members serve a 3-year term, with the option to serve additional terms or rotate off. Kids First Advisory Board members are: Beth Cashdan, Linda Consuegra, Margaret Clement, Rebecca Paschal, Chad Schmit, Kristin Tullar, Matt Zubrod; and Sue Way & Stefan Reveal are Co-Chairs. Kids First Advisory Board has guidelines that define their role and responsibility: · To be an advocate of Kids First and its’ programs. · To develop annual and long-term goals which further the mission of Kids First. · To develop and implement projects, programs, and funding to further the mission of Kids First. · To attend monthly scheduled meetings and assist in the collaborative efforts of these meetings which promote the goals of Kids First. · To assist in the process of obtaining new board members. Kids First Mission: Promote the availability of quality, affordable early childhood care & education; Provide access to early childhood information and resources. Kids First Community Goals: 1. Increase the quality of early childhood education and care. 2. Maintain affordability of programs and provide information regarding the true cost of childcare. P2 I. 3. Increase and maintain the availability of childcare programs. 4. Increase public education and awareness about the importance of early childhood education. 5. Increase knowledge of early childhood development and parenting for families with young children. BACKGROUND: Kids First was originally established in 1990 as a result of Ordinance 81 series of 1989, imposing a sales tax of .45% for affordable housing and childcare for 10 years. The sales tax was renewed in 1998 for 10 more years, and again in 2008 for 30 years. Aspen City Council, and voters understood the direct connection between the need for workforce housing and the need for childcare in our community. Early childhood concerns and intentional solutions tend to be grouped in 3 overall buckets – Capacity, Quality, and Affordability. Kids First budget and programming reflect this, with public awareness and parent education goals included to broaden our ability to engage a broader base of the community in these 3 areas. Our community continues to grow and change; we are fortunate to have dedicated funding that can be used to address current issues and anticipate future needs. Over 60% of the Kids First expenditures annually are direct contributions in the form of grants and incentives; direct services - nurse consulting, resource teacher, quality improvement coaching; and financial aid on behalf of qualifying families. The Yellow Brick Building accounts for 9% of Revenue and about 11% of expenditures for the Kids First fund. Affordability is addressed primarily by our childcare financial aid program. The cost of childcare for one child provided year-round averages about $68 a day or $17,000 a year; many families have two children in care at one time, so that cost can be as high as $34,000. Kids First works closely with other funding sources like Colorado Childcare Assistance Program (CCCAP) administered through Pitkin County, and Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) administered through the Aspen School District. Kids First financial aid bridges the gap between the maximum income for families to qualify for CCCAP and the income that is self-sufficient. This is a standard set by the Colorado Center on law and Policy, as well as the Economic Policy Institute. Kids First uses a calculator that considers household income, number in the family, number of children in care, number of days children are cared for, and the cost of that care. Much like the FAFSA form used to determine need for college financial aid, we identify the amount a family can afford to pay and the amount that is needed. This allows families to choose childcare based on their needs and program quality, not only based on cost. This also supports childcare programs by allowing them to charge tuition closer to the amount that allows them to pay early childhood staff a livable wage. Kids First Advisory Board works with staff annually to make any needed adjustments to guidelines and to stay within budget. We typically serve 40 to 50 families, and 55 to 65 children, at any time. P3 I. Kids First financial aid is based on family need and paid to the childcare program, to be used as a credit against their tuition cost. Awards are reviewed and paid quarterly; new families may apply every quarter and all families must re-apply annually with new financial and tax information. Applications are reviewed by a community based, Kids First financial aid committee. Financial aid for childcare is budgeted for $379,750 to be awarded in scholarships in 2019. This is one part of the budget that is considered direct contributions. Outcomes: Kids First Financial aid for childcare serves an average of 50 families and over 60 children, at any given time; and has since 2001. By working closely with CPP and CCCAP, Kids First has ensured that working families can access high quality childcare. This supports the current workforce as well as preparing nearly 100% of children in our community for success in school. Quality is a goal that we address in a variety of ways. There is a wealth of research, most notably from the Heckman Equation, and other long-term studies, that shows high quality childcare produces long-lasting social, economic, education and health outcomes for children. Our approach has been to use funding to incentivize specific, positive outcomes. All our quality improvement funding has eligibility requirements and is voluntary. ⇒ Quality improvement grants to childcare programs that participate in Colorado Shines, the state quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). Our funding aligns with the areas linked to increased quality: the classroom environment, staff-child interaction, staff qualifications, family engagement, management and leadership, and child health for example. ⇒ Staff incentives for increasing their skills by taking on-going college level education. We have aligned our individual incentives with the state’s professional development and information system (PDIS). This provides a credential level and shows a clear path to improve educational understanding of early childhood. ⇒ Kids First also offers an incentive to childcare staff for successfully completing quality improvement goals in their classroom. They choose goals, receive coaching and training, and annually can earn an individual incentive, much like the city’s goals and outcomes, for improving quality in specific ways. ⇒ Assessment and coaching is provided to childcare programs using valid and reliable assessment tools including Environmental Rating Scales, Program Administration Scales, Pyramid Plus Model, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), and the Devereaux Early Learning Assessment (DECA). Kids First two quality improvement coaches are certified in these tools, so they can provide continuous support for classrooms making improvements. Coaches outline how they will work with each program and classroom by using an agreement that meets the program’s needs and quantitatively improves quality. ⇒ Professional development funding is available through a grants process for childcare staff to gain early childhood teacher and director qualifications, access early childhood conferences, or work toward a college degree. Additionally, Kids First provides an annual in-service training to all 100+ Pitkin County early P4 I. childhood staff and offers many early childhood trainings to increase knowledge and skills for teachers, directors and board members. ⇒ The Kids First resource teacher is available as a highly qualified substitute teacher for the childcare centers. This assures correct ratios are maintained and offers an opportunity to model best practice in the classroom. Childcare programs pay a subsidized rate for this person; and she is nearly always booked well in advance. ⇒ Nurse Consulting is offered to childcare programs to help them meet the state rules concerning child health. The Kids First nurse offers training in 1st Aid, CPR, Standard Precautions, and Medication Administration. She also provides regular consulting to meet state requirements for childcare centers, and delivers hearing, vision, and dental screenings to all the children in the programs. This is a community collaboration with the Lion’s Club, the Dental Alliance, and the Aspen School District. Kids First nurse maintains records to track immunizations as required by the state and offers trainings to staff and families on many health- related topics. Engaging families and incorporating health in early childhood is recognized as an important element that produces quality outcomes for children. ⇒ Kids First contracts with a licensed mental health counselor to provide consulting and training to childcare staff and to families to support social and emotional development in young children. Intervention by a mental health specialist increases teacher’s skills and reduces the likelihood that inappropriate behavior would result in a child being expelled from childcare. In the US, it’s 3 times more likely that you will be expelled from school at age 4 than at any other age. Outcomes: With Kids First support over 60% of childcare programs in Pitkin County participate in Colorado Shines; the state’s voluntary quality improvement system. Programs receive outside evaluation every 3 years and are rated in 5 areas: workforce qualifications, family partnerships, leadership and administration, learning environment, and child health. Programs receive Kids First coaching, training, and support in these areas to reinforce the continuous quality improvement. Kids First staff offers over 150 training opportunities each year for childcare staff; as well as providing scholarships and incentives to over 40 early childhood educators. Capacity and Availability is our third primary community goal. Availability of childcare for our workforce has always played an important role. In recent years, with Kids First support, we have seen programs add classrooms, move into new and bigger spaces, and change their use of space to accommodate changing community needs. We are however, still seeing more need than current programs can accommodate. ⇒ Kids First has provided funding to equip new classrooms; staff provides technical assistance to programs and their governing boards to plan for expansion, as well as planning for ensuring their current capacity is not reduced. ⇒ Infant toddler operational funding directly addresses the need for care of these ages, in classrooms that are extremely costly to provide. Required ratios in these rooms is about half of what is allowed in preschool rooms, for example 4 babies for each teacher, compared to 8 4-year-olds for each teacher. This and the increased qualifications required for infant/toddler rooms, makes it much costlier P5 I. to provide this much needed care. This is the second largest single cost in the Kids First contribution budget. ⇒ Kids First convened a community group to begin to work on the solution to the larger capacity need. As housing is developed and businesses grow, more families need childcare to be a productive part of our community. This groups includes representation from the City, County, AVH, ASC, ASD, ACRA, CMC and the Kids First Advisory Board. We plan to find partnerships that benefit children, families and the larger community. Outcomes: In 2017 Kids First and others, supported 3 new classrooms (including 2 infant rooms) at Growing Years, the re-opening of Woody Creek Kids at the Community School location, and a new classroom at the Aspen School District. Kids First funding supports 3 programs that offer infant care and 7 programs that offer toddler care. This helps provide care for over 110 babies every day! Challenges to increasing capacity to meet the current and anticipated need include: ⇒ The financial limitations of the Kids First fund to provide operational support at the current levels to an additional 8 or so classrooms. The Kids First Advisory Board is developing a plan to accommodate these changes to avoid a structural deficit in out years in the fund. ⇒ Limited available space or land to use for childcare. The Kids First Advisory Board will return later in 2019 with a recommendation to city council about possible use of city-owned land. ⇒ The need for partnerships and capital funding. The Kids First fund is not able to provide capital funding and maintain operational supports to childcare programs and to families, so additional funding would be required. DISCUSSION: Regionally, Kids First staff have played an active role in the Rocky Mountain Early Childhood Council, attacking state and federal funding to support childcare quality improvement efforts. This has also been an effective avenue to communicate with state elected officials about the various needs in early childhood. Kids First staff also participates in the Basalt Early Childhood Coalition. This group was awarded $90,000 from the Town of Basalt, and about $220,000 from Eagle County for early childhood work in the mid-valley area. As part of this partnership, the Town of Basalt has conceptual plans for additional childcare space in the Willets Town Center. Development in this area, and data from childcare providers and businesses, show an even greater need for childcare spaces in this area. Snowmass Village and Little Red Schoolhouse also have conceptual plans to increase capacity for childcare in Snowmass Village. Kids First Advisory Board discussion points for City Council to consider: ⇒ Determining the correct level of capacity needed for the working families in Aspen. We plan to get updated survey information from employees and P6 I. community members about the current and expected need for childcare; we also plan to hold community meetings with stakeholders. ⇒ Kids First will continue to work with the finance department and the manager’s office to plan for fiscal feasibility. ⇒ Kids First will continue to work with the asset department and the manager’s office to begin to analyze building sites and costs. ⇒ Kids First will re-convene the business/employer capacity committee to explore capital funding opportunities and public-private partnerships. ⇒ Kids First Advisory Board will return in 2019 with recommendations to Aspen City Council to address childcare capacity. FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPACTS: Any expansion of childcare capacity would impact the Kids First fund. Kids First Advisory Board has begun to consider what changes could be made in several areas, balancing funding that is effective at reaching our goals with ways to include additional classrooms and families. The first programs to be looked at are the financial aid and infant/toddler operational support expenditures, since they account for the largest sums of funding. Kids First has reviewed data trends and will hold stakeholder meetings to generate ways to use existing funding and still achieve intended results. Kids First will also do a detailed analysis of the cost to run a quality infant classroom to determine appropriate levels of funding, and to see if efficiencies may exist in the current system. This information will be included in our report back to council later in 2019. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: We recognize that any future increase in capacity carries an impact, and this has been a part of the conversation with the larger community group as they have considered locations that are in Aspen, or out of town (but in the urban growth boundary); whether there is access to public transportation, even conceptually about building planning to minimize environmental impacts. This will continue to be an integral part of the discussion. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Direction for the Kids First Advisory Board to use existing data, gather additional data, and work collaboratively to plan for expansion of childcare spaces, especially for infant care, to meet current and anticipated community need. ALTERNATIVES: Kids First staff is already working across the region because we know it is a bigger issue and cannot be solved by City of Aspen alone. Kids First Advisory Board could do nothing to expand capacity; this would have an enormous negative impact on our community, employers, and families. Kids First Advisory Board could consider other options for additional childcare space CITY MANAGER COMMENTS: ATTACHMENTS: A. Current capacity and birthrate data P7 I. B. Summary of Colorado Childcare licensing space requirements P8 I. Attachment A: Current Capacity and Birthrate Data For the last 4 years licensed childcare programs have reported enrollment rates for infants averaging 94%, toddler averaging 97%, and preschoolers averaging 92%. Programs budget typically for 80% and consider anything over 90% to be filled. Spaces are often one-off days that cannot be booked, or the gap between when one child leaves and another starts. Childcare programs are not really allowed to “overbook”. Childcare Capacity Average Rates of Enrollment Number of Births in Pitkin County *Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Birth Rate 123 129 136 169 134 Infant Spaces 34 30 22 22 30 Birth projections from Department of Local Affairs: 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 161 163 165 168 170 172 175 178 Birth Rate 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 Infant Spaces 85 90 95 100 105 2015 2016 2017 2018 infants toddlers preschool 0 50 100 150 200 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Capacity: Need compared to available space Birth Rate Infant Spaces 0 50 100 150 200 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Capacity Need compared to available space P9 I. What we know about the gap – These are births to people who live in Pitkin County. 2017 as an example, we know that 134 babies were born. Using state data, we can assume that at least 62% of those babies have all parents working, that would give us 83 babies needing care. We currently have 30 licensed spaces per day for infants; that leaves 53 babies not in licensed care, every year. Parents may work part-time, they may find friends or neighbors to use for childcare, or they may leave their jobs, possibly even leaving the community. These figures lead us to believe that the need is for 7 to 8 additional classrooms. *This does not account for families that work in Aspen and use childcare in Aspen, but the children are not born to Pitkin residents. Currently, we estimate about 18-20% of children served are part of a family that lives outside Pitkin County. **There are external factors that could change this – new facilities could be built in neighboring communities, existing programs could reduce spaces or change the use of their space, an economic downturn could impact the need for workers and childcare. P10 I. P11I. P12I. P13I. P14I. P15I. P16I. P17I.