REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 19, 2023
FROM
JACQUELYN GREENE, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Contracts with Agencies to Provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 6 to the following contracts to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services, increasing the total aggregate contract amount by $108,391, from $8,127,940 to $8,236,331, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024:
1. Colton Joint Unified School District, Contract No. 20-494, increasing the contract amount by $62,406, from $4,737,370 to $4,799,776.
2. Fontana Unified School District, Contract No. 20-496, increasing the contract amount by $22,109, from $1,603,664 to $1,625,773.
3. Needles Unified School District, Contract No. 20-497, increasing the contract amount by $23,876, from $1,786,906 to $1,810,782.
(Presenter: Jacquelyn Greene, Director, 383-2005)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The recommended amendments will not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The increase of $108,391 is 100% funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and provides for a waiver of the 25% non-Federal match. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Preschool Services Department (PSD) 2023-24 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PSD operates the Early Head Start, Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership, Head Start, State General Child Care and Development and State Preschool programs serving approximately 3,095 children in locations throughout the San Bernardino County (County). Head Start and State Preschool programs have been operating in the County since 1965. In 1999, PSD began providing these programs through a combination of direct and contracted services.
The recommended contract amendments will enable the delegate agencies to provide a 5.6% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for personnel providing services to PSD. These amendments also increase funding to provide additional training, technical assistance, and resources to help personnel provide higher-quality services to PSD students and their families.
There are currently four contract delegate agencies in the County providing Early Head Start and Head Start Program services to approximately 640 eligible children and their families: Easter Seals Southern California, Inc. (Easter Seals), Colton Joint Unified School District (CJUSD), Fontana Unified School District (FUSD), and Needles Unified School District (NUSD). PSD serves all areas not covered by the agencies. The Ontario-Montclair School District (OMSD), which had provided services to 32 children, did not renew its contract for 2023-24; as a result, amendments discussed below subsequent to July 1, 2023 omit OMSD values. Although no longer contracted with PSD, OMSD has continued providing services to the children previously receiving services under the contract.
On June 23, 2020 (Item No. 56), as the result of a competitive procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494) in the amount of $3,229,260, Easter Seals (Contract No. 20-495) in the amount of $13,730,472, FUSD (Contract No. 20-496) in the amount of $1,121,607, NUSD (Contract No. 20-497) in the amount of $1,243,224, and OMSD (Contract No. 20-498) in the amount of $590,877, to provide Head Start, Early Head Start, and State Preschool Program services, in the aggregate total of $19,915,440, for the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
On October 6, 2020 (Item No. 23), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals to provide Head Start and Early Head Start Program services. This amendment increased the total contract amount by $619,813, from $13,730,472 to $14,350,285, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. This amendment provided for a 2% COLA and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for COVID-19 related costs.
On October 27, 2020 (Item No. 56), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494) increasing the contract amount by $119,725, FUSD (Contract No. 20-496) increasing the contract amount by $23,803, NUSD (Contract No. 20-497) increasing the contract amount by $35,373, and OMSD (Contract No. 20-498) increasing the contract by $21,768, for an overall increase of $200,669, from $6,184,968 to $6,385,637, with no change to the total contract period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. These amendments provided for a 2% COLA and CARES Act funding for COVID-19 related costs.
On June 22, 2021 (Item No. 52), the Board approved Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals, to provide Head Start and Early Head Start Program services, increasing the amount by $70,000, from $14,350,285 to $14,420,285, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. This amendment provided for CARES Act funding for COVID-19 related costs.
On September 14, 2021 (Item No. 27), the Board approved Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals, increasing the contract by $1,136,154. The Board also approved Amendment No. 2 to contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494) increasing the contract amount by $249,149, FUSD (Contract No. 20-496) increasing the contract by $54,653, NUSD (Contract No. 20-497) increasing the contract amount by $74,122, and OMSD (Contract No. 20-498) increasing the contract amount by $45,330, to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services, increasing the total aggregate contract amounts by $1,559,408, from $20,805,922 to $22,365,330, with no change to the total contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. These amendments provided for a 1.22% COLA, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act funding, and American Rescue Plan Act funding.
On May 24, 2022 (Item No. 63), the Board approved Amendment No. 4 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals, revising the budget to carryover the unexpended funds in the amount of $99,414 from 2020-21 to 2021-22, with no change to the total contract amount of $15,556,439, or the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
On January 24, 2023 (Item No. 23), the Board approved Amendment No. 5 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals increasing the contract amount by $107,465, and Amendment No. 3 to Contract No. 20-498 with OMSD increasing the contract amount by $4,545, to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services, increasing the total contract amount of these contracts by $112,010, from $16,214,414 to $16,326,424, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. These amendments provided for a 2.28% COLA.
On February 28, 2023 (Item No. 36), the Board approved Amendment No. 3 to contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494) increasing the contract amount by $24,842, FUSD (Contract No. 20-496) increasing the contract amount by $8,801, and NUSD (Contract No. 20-497) increasing the contract amount by $7,822, to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services, increasing the total aggregate contract amount by $41,465, from $6,150,916 to $6,192,381, with no change to the contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023. These amendments provided for a 2.28% COLA.
On June 27, 2023 (Item No. 76), the Board approved Amendment No. 6 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals, and Amendment No. 4 to contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494), FUSD (Contract No. 20-496), and NUSD (Contract No. 20-497), to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services, updating Easter Seals education curriculum requirements and updating County budget status notification period for all the contracts, and extending the contracts one additional year, for a total contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024, with no change to the total aggregate contract amount of $21,856,485.
On September 26, 2023 (Item No. 41), the Board approved Amendment No. 7 to Contract No. 20-495 with Easter Seals increasing the contract by $4,873,171, and Amendment No. 5 to contracts with CJUSD (Contract No. 20-494) increasing the contract by $1,114,394, FUSD (Contract No. 20-496) increasing the contract by $394,800, and NUSD (Contract No. 20-497) increasing the contract by $426,365, to provide Early Head Start and Head Start Program services for a total contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2024, increasing the total aggregate contract amount by $6,808,730, from $21,856,485 to $28,665,215.
The recommended amendments will increase the contract amounts to provide supplies and services for 2023-24. An amendment is not presented for Easter Seals at this time as during 2023-24 monitoring, it was determined that Easter Seals is out of compliance and will not receive an increase until corrective action is completed. The recommended amendments are being presented to the Board at this time as PSD received the funding notices from ACF on July 1, 2023. Upon receipt of the ACF funding notice, PSD requested the contractors’ budgets and began negotiations. PSD reviewed all budgets to ensure accurate funding amounts are presented to the Board for approval once verified. Upon approval of the budgets, the contractors presented the amendment to their respective boards and were approved at the next or earliest meeting. Due to the various meeting dates of the contractors’ boards, approval and signatures were obtained from the contractors in November and early December. This is the first date available for presentation of these amendments following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews. Approval by the Board at this time will have no impact on PSD’s Head Start and Early Head Start Programs services and activities.
The contractors’ performance will continue to be monitored by review of monthly reports to ensure compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program requirements of the contracts. The contracts may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days written notice.
PROCUREMENT
The contracts with the agencies were the result of a competitive procurement and approved by the Board on June 23, 2020 (Item No. 56).
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on November 9, 2023; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 9, 2023; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on November 29, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on December 4, 2023.