REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 18, 2021
FROM
PHALOS HAIRE, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Purchase Order with Chalk Spinner LLC, DBA Kodo Kids for Head Start Education Equipment
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Authorize the Purchasing Department to issue a Purchase Order to Chalk Spinner LLC, DBA Kodo Kids, in an amount not to exceed $800,000, to purchase science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educational equipment for Preschool Services Department’s Head Start classrooms.
(Presenter: Phalos Haire, 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 $800,000 to purchase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational equipment is funded by Head Start grant funds from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Preschool Services Department’s (PSD) 2020-21 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PSD engages in a system of continuous quality improvement that includes assessment of classroom environments to ensure the highest quality programs are provided to our community, which includes strengthening STEM learning and activities for Head Start children. The recommended purchase of STEM educational equipment provided by Chalk Spinner LLC, DBA Kodo Kids (Kodo Kids) will include, but is not limited to, engineering walls, attribute sorters, wind tunnels, and other STEM materials for each of PSD’s 41 Head Start sites. Kodo Kids provides STEM products for school 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.
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 Kodo Kids orders for each of its Head Start sites 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.
PSD provides Head Start, Early Head Start, and State Preschool programs that include comprehensive child development and family services comprised of education, health, nutrition, parent involvement, and psychological services for children ages 0 to 5 and their families. The overall goal of these programs is to increase the health and school readiness of disadvantaged children and increase the self-sufficiency of low-income families. Head Start and State Preschool programs have been operating in San Bernardino County since 1965. Since 1999, PSD has provided these programs through a combination of direct and contracted services.
PROCUREMENT
PSD contacted the following vendors to provide the age-appropriate STEM education materials needed by PSD for its Head Start classrooms: Kodo Kids, Children’s Factory, School Outfitters, Brentpoint, LLC, and CM School Supply. Only Kodo Kids could provide the PSD list of age-appropriate STEM educational equipment and the ability to meet the time constraints associated with the spending of these Head Start funds, which must be obligated by June 30, 2021.
PSD is recommending a Purchase Order with Kodo Kids to purchase the STEM educational equipment for its Head Start classrooms. In accordance with County Policy 11-04, competitive and non-competitive purchases in excess of $200,000 must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. The Purchasing Department concurs with this informal procurement based on the justification of fully utilizing available program funding.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Purchasing (Bruce Cole, Supervising Buyer, 387-2148) on April 26, 2021; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on April 29, 2021; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on April 29, 2021; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on April 29, 2021.