REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
ARLENE MOLINA, Director, Preschool Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Mendes Training and Consulting, Inc., for Training and Consulting Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No 24-684 with Mendes Training and Consulting, Inc., to provide training and consulting services, updating standard contract terms, increasing the contract amount by $270,000, from $420,000 to a total contract amount of $690,000, and extending the contract by one year, for a total contract period of August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027.
(Presenter: Arlene Molina, Director, 945-6478)
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 amendment amount of $270,000 is 86% ($232,200) federally funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and 14% ($37,800) funded by the California Department of Education. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Preschool Services Department (PSD) 2026-27 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Federal Office of Head Start places a strong focus on staff health and wellness, including training and development on self-care, crisis response, and disaster preparedness. Mendes Training and Consulting, Inc. (Mendes) provides training on resilience during crisis and emotional intelligence in early education settings using self-care approaches and coaching strategies. The recommended contract will allow Mendes to provide training to PSD management and teach staff resiliency and emotional intelligence to improve problem solving skills and crisis response techniques and to increase job satisfaction. PSD has contracted with Mendes to provide training for its staff since 2022.
PSD operates Head Start, Early Head Start, and State Preschool programs that provide comprehensive child development and family services that include education, health, nutrition, parent involvement, and psychological services for children ages zero to five years 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.
On July 23, 2024 (Item No. 40), the Board of Supervisors approved the non-competitive Contract No. 24-684 with Mendes to provide training and consulting services, in the amount of $420,000, for the period of August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2026.
Approval of this item will allow PSD staff to continue to use Mendes to provide training and consulting services. Mendes supports PSD’s ongoing commitment to continuous quality improvement, staff capacity building, and compliance with Head Start Performance Standards and other applicable program requirements. The Mendes’ training approach is specifically tailored to early childhood education staff and is designed to enhance classroom quality, strengthen instructional practices, improve child outcomes, and support the social-emotional development of children served through PSD programs.
Mendes’ performance will continue to be monitored by review of monthly reports to ensure compliance with the administrative, fiscal, and program requirements of the contract. Mendes will continue to cooperate with the County in the monitoring and evaluation of this contract and comply with all established reporting requirements. PSD will review invoices and all requested supporting documentation remitted by Mendes prior to payment. The contract may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on May 27, 2026; County Counsel (Adam Ebright, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 4, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Allegra Pajot, Administrative Analyst, 388-0218) on June 4, 2026.