REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 14, 2023
FROM
JACQUELYN GREENE, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Purchase Orders for Head Start Educational Equipment
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Authorize the Purchasing Agent to issue Purchase Orders to the following vendors, in a total combined amount of $750,000 to purchase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educational equipment for Preschool Services Department’s Head Start outdoor classrooms:
1. Community Products LLC, in an amount not to exceed $400,000 to purchase educational equipment.
2. Chalk Spinner LLC, DBA Kodo Kid, in an amount not to exceed $350,000 to purchase educational equipment.
(Presenter: Jacquelyn Greene, Director, 383-2005)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The amount not to exceed $750,000 to purchase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational equipment is funded by Head Start one-time COVID-19 grant funds from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in Preschool Services Department’s (PSD) 2022-23 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PSD operates the Early Head Start, Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership, Head Start, and State Preschool programs and serves more than 3,800 children under these programs through direct services in San Bernardino County. These programs provide education, health, cognitive, social/emotional, physical growth and development, and parent involvement services for children ages 0 to 5 with the overall goal of increasing family engagement and the school readiness of young children in economically disadvantaged families.
PSD engages in a system of continuous quality improvement that includes assessment of classroom environments to ensure the highest quality programs are provided to the community, which includes strengthening STEM learning and activities for Early Head Start, Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership, Head Start, and State Preschool children. The recommended purchase of STEM educational equipment provided by Community Products LLC (Community Products), and Chalk Spinner LLC, dba Kodo Kids (Kodo Kids) will include, but not be limited to, engineering walls, attribute sorters, wind tunnels, sensory support equipment, and other STEM materials for each of PSD’s 41 sites. Kodo Kids provides STEM products for preschool aged children, specifically for children 18 months to 5 years of age, with built-in safety considerations for this age group, such as component size, material, and complexity of equipment. Community Products manufactures products specifically designed for outdoor science exploration for children 18 months to 5 years of age using a proprietary process that allows materials to be permanently placed outdoors.
The STEM educational equipment will allow PSD to provide a comprehensive STEM program in response to internal quality improvement goals and recent research which has identified that children with strong STEM exposure experience higher incidence of school readiness and better long-term academic outcomes. PSD will be able to customize orders from these vendors for each PSD site to ensure all STEM educational equipment and materials are developmentally suited for each age group and that each site has ample equipment and materials to provide adequate STEM learning for outdoor classes. The purchase of outdoor STEM educational materials is also part of the COVID-19 mitigation plan, which includes the placement of separate outdoor learning spaces so as not to overcrowd indoor spaces.
Approval of the recommended non-competitive Purchase Orders, to obligate an aggregate total amount not to exceed $750,000, will enable PSD to create a safer and healthier environment, allowing for provision of educational services outdoors suitable to children with disabilities. Approval at this time will allow PSD to obligate funds, therefore not return the unused funds of $750,000, to the ACF.
On April 22, 2021, PSD received the grant award (Award No. 09HE000668-01-00) from ACF in COVID-19 funding for the Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, in the amount of $1,300,187, for the period of April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2023.
On June 22, 2021 (Item No. 51), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved County Contract No. 21-476 (Award No. 09HE000668-01-00) from ACF for costs incurred from December 27, 2020, in the prevention, preparation, and response to COVID-19, in the amount of $1,300,187, for the period of April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2023.
PROCUREMENT
PSD contacted the following vendors to provide the age-appropriate STEM education materials needed by PSD for its classrooms: Kodo Kids, Children’s Factory, School Outfitters, Brentpoint, LLC, and CM School Supply. Only Kodo Kids and Community Products could provide PSD a list of age-appropriate STEM educational equipment and have the ability to meet the time constraints associated with spending these Head Start funds, which must be obligated by March 31, 2023.
This educational equipment and materials require a large space for storage, and some of the expansion school facilities did not have the space available until recently. Therefore, PSD is requesting to purchase the equipment and materials at this time before the end of the funding period to maximize the funds and benefits for children and families.
In accordance with County Policy 11-04, competitive and non-competitive purchases in excess of $200,000 must be approved by the Board. The Purchasing Department concurs with this informal procurement based on the time constraints and functional justifications.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on February 10, 2023; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 13, 2023; Finance (Christopher Lange, Administrative Analyst, 386-8393) on February 17, 2023; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on February 27, 2023.