REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF THE COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 27, 2020
FROM
PHALOS HAIRE, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendments to Contracts with Agencies to Provide Head Start, Early Head Start and State Preschool Programs
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1, effective July 1, 2020, to contracts with the following agencies to provide Head Start, Early Head Start, and State Preschool programs, increasing the total combined contract amounts by $200,669, from $6,184,968 to $6,385,637, with no change to the total contract period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023:
1. Colton Joint Unified School District, Contract No. 20-494, increasing the total contract amount by $119,725, from $3,229,260 to $3,348,985.
2. Fontana Unified School District, Contract No. 20-496, increasing the total contract amount by $23,803, from $1,121,607 to $1,145,410.
3. Needles Unified School District, Contract No. 20-497, increasing the total contract amount by $35,373, from $1,243,224 to $1,278,597.
4. Ontario-Montclair School District, Contract No. 20-498, increasing the total contract amount by $21,768, from $590,877 to $612,645.
(Presenter: Phalos Haire, 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 $200,669 for these services includes a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that is 100% federally funded through the Administration for Children and Families, and CARES Act funding for COVID-19 related expenses. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Preschool Services Department (PSD) 2020-21 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the terms of the recommended amendments, PSD will continue to provide services in part through contract agencies for Head Start, Early Head Start, and State Preschool programs. The amendment provides for a 2% COLA, as well as CARES Act funding for COVID-19 related costs, such as distance learning equipment and safety supplies, that must be expended by December 31, 2020. PSD will use a portion of the Head Start (HS) Program supplemental funding and the entire Early Head Start (EHS) Program and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) Program supplemental funding to provide a 2.0% salary scale COLA for HS and EHS program contract staff, a 2.0% increase to the contractors currently providing developmental HS and EHS services, and to pay additional operating costs, such as those that have resulted from an increase in retirement costs for contract staff. The overall goal of HS, EHS, and EHS-CCP programs is to increase the health and school readiness of disadvantaged children and increase the self-sufficiency of low-income families.
HS, EHS, and EHS-CCP programs provide comprehensive child development and family services that include education, health, nutrition, parent involvement, and psychological services for children age 0 to 5 and their families. HS, EHS, and EHS-CCP 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. PSD currently contracts with six agencies to serve approximately 856 eligible children and their families annually. PSD provides direct services to approximately 4,200 eligible children and their families in areas not served by contracted agencies.
Contractor performance will continue to be measured by reviewing the required monthly reports and annual visits by County staff to monitor compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program requirements of the contracts. These contracts may be terminated without cause by the County with a 30-day written notice.
The recommended amendments are being presented at this time as PSD received supplemental funding awards in September 2020 for a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment, as well as CARES Act funding to contracted agencies providing HS, EHS, and EHS-CCP programs. The supplemental funding is effective July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, however, the funding increases need to be made available to the agencies right away as the CARES Act funds must be used by the end of December 2020. This is the first date available for presentation of these amendments following the required operational, fiscal, and legal reviews. Approval by the Board of Supervisors (Board) at this time will have no impact on PSD’s Head Start and Early Head Start Programs services and activities.
PROCUREMENT
On June 23, 2020 (Item No. 56), as the result of a competitive procurement, the Board approved contracts with Colton Joint Unified School District, Fontana Unified School District, Needles Unified School District, and Ontario-Montclair School District to provide Head Start and Early Head Start programs, in the total amount of $6,184,968 for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2023.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on September 30, 2020; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on October 1, 2020; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on October 8, 2020; and County Finance and Administration (Tanya Bratton, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on October 8, 2020.