REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 5, 2025
FROM
ARLENE MOLINA, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Contract with the Regents of the University of California on Behalf of its Riverside Campus Extension for Student Internship Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve non-financial Contract with the Regents of the University of California on behalf of its Riverside Campus Extension, including non-standard terms, for training and field experience, to be provided by the Preschool Services Department to student interns enrolled in various programs, for the total contract period of August 6, 2025, through July 31, 2030.
(Presenter: Arlene Molina, Director, 383-2078)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Jobs and Economic Value in the County.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item is non-financial in nature and as such does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Preschool Services Department (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 zero to five years and their families. Head Start and State Preschool programs have been operating in San Bernardino County (County) since 1965. Since 1999, PSD has provided these programs through a combination of direct and contracted services. 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.
PSD employs qualified professionals who will provide the needed tutelage and guidance to student interns participating in various programs. Through this collaboration, student interns will gain valuable hands-on experience by assisting with health screenings including hearing, vision, and hemoglobin assessments for PSD enrolled children. Additionally, student interns will support PSD’s commitment to family engagement and education by assisting with parent workshops on topics such as managing chronic health conditions. PSD has a service population of approximately 2,039 children across the County, which allows PSD to provide the University of California, Riverside Campus Extension (UCR) student interns with meaningful field experience and internship hours while optimizing available public resources to support the health and development of children and families.
UCR’s performance will be monitored by review of monthly reports to ensure compliance with the administrative and programmatic requirements of the contract. UCR will cooperate with the County in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of this contract and comply with all reporting requirements. The contract may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days’ written notice.
The contract includes a term that differs from the standard County contract. The non-standard term includes:
The County is required to indemnify UCR for injury to persons and property arising out of negligent acts or omissions of the County.
• The County standard contract does not include any indemnification or defense by the County of a contractor.
• Potential Impact: By agreeing to this indemnification, the County could be contractually waiving the protection of sovereign immunity. Claims that may otherwise be barred against the County, time-limited, or expense-limited could be brought against the indemnitees without such limitations and the County could be responsible to defend and reimburse the indemnitees for costs, expenses, and damages.
PSD recommends approval of the Contract, including the non-standard term, to allow PSD to provide training and field experience to student interns in various programs offered through UCR.
PROCUREMENT
N/A.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on June 12, 2025; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 26, 2025; Risk Management (Greg Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-9008) on June 12, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Allegra Pajot, Administrative Analyst, 388-0218) on July 17, 2025.