REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
ARLENE MOLINA, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Teaching Strategies, LLC to Provide the Early Childhood Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood Education
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Teaching Strategies, LLC to provide the course materials and training for the Early Childhood Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood Education in a contract amount of $267,480 for the period of January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028.
(Presenter: Arlene Molina, Director, 383-2078)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
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 of $267,480 for the Early Childhood Creative Curriculum (Creative Curriculum) program is 90% ($240,732) federally funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and 10% ($26,748) state funded through the California Department of Education. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Preschool Services Department (PSD) 2025-26 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
PSD operates the Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) programs, serving approximately 2,000 children 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 zero to five years with the overall goal of increasing family engagement and the school readiness of young children in economically disadvantaged families.
Teaching Strategies has served as the provider of materials for the Creative Curriculum used by PSD’s EHS program for the past 10 years. PSD is seeking to expand access to include the HS program. In the past, PSD was able to purchase material kits and related supplies directly from Teaching Strategies. However, the company has transitioned to an online platform that requires licensing to access the Creative Curriculum cloud. Access to this cloud-based system will enable PSD to order materials and supplies relevant to the Creative Curriculum.
Approval of this item will allow for PSD’s continued use of the Creative Curriculum in its EHS program, while adding this curriculum to its HS program, therefore maintaining the continuity of educational instruction, and eliminating the possibility of disruption to the children enrolled in these programs from having teachers removed from classes to obtain training on the new curriculum.
PROCUREMENT
The Purchasing Department supports the non-competitive procurement of Teaching Strategies, LLC, based on proprietary materials. Teaching Strategies, LLC has trademarked and copyrighted materials to meet the specific needs of the EHS and HS programs.
This procurement will allow PSD to continue utilizing the Creative Curriculum, ensuring consistency and compliance with program requirements.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on October 24, 2025; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 7, 2025; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) on November 12, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on November 10, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Allegra Pajot, Administrative Analyst, 388-0218) on November 24, 2025.