Item:
Title
Approval of a $7,373,029 Contract with Child Care Services Association to Continue to Administer Durham PreK, Durham County’s Universal Pre-K Initiative.
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: July 8, 2024
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the attached contract with Child Care Services Association in the amount of $7,373,029 to continue to administer Durham PreK, Durham County’s universal Pre-K initiative.
Durham PreK is a major Durham County investment in supporting healthy child development and early education for young children in Durham. The work to study and establish a universal pre-k initiative in Durham began in 2015 with joint Board of County Commissioners, City Council, and Board of Education resolution in support of a planning process toward universal, high-quality pre-k. Since that time, Durham County has contributed increasing amounts of targeted to make this goal a reality.
Durham County’s investment in pre-k began with a decision to provide sales tax funds to support Durham Public Schools Pre-K. The County’s investment in universal Pre-K began in FY 2018 with funding for the Whitted School and a pre-k supply and demand study to inform additional investment and expansion. Beginning in FY 2019, a contract was established with Child Care Services Association (CCSA) and multiple subcontracted partners to administer the expansion of Durham PreK. From that time, Durham County funding has increased almost every year, growing Durham’s locally supported Pre-K seats from close to zero to 652 total seats in FY 2024.
In FY 2024 the increase of $1,277,864 ($1,152,000 in a budget increase and $125,864 from Article 46 tax support) allowed for the addition of up to 100 more locally supported seats and increased teacher compensation and support among other benefits. The budgeted County allocation in FY 24 was $6,857,581.
The FY 2025 increase of $515,448 is a part of a multi-year phase-in of additional funds to move closer to the goal set by our community and supported by the Board to create a universal pre-k program accessible to all 4-year-olds in Durham County. This increase further expands and strengthens the Durham PreK system by:
• Funding increased reimbursement rates projecting 12% teacher salary increases.
• Adding 36 seats to increase access for 4-year- olds in private and public preschool programs (45 new seats are funded to DPS for Murray-Massenburg outside of the DPK budget).
• Continuing to fund components of the Durham PreK Equity Plan by enrolling a new cohort of 20 new apprentices.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: A robust ecosystem of early childhood programs, including universal Pre-K, has great potential to improve outcomes across all outward-facing goals in the Durham County Strategic Plan.
Resource Persons: Meytal Barak, Early Childhood Coordinator; Donna Rewalt, County Extension Director; Tammie Hall, Assistant County Manager
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board to approve the contract with Child Care Services Association in the amount of $7,373,029 to continue to administer Durham PreK, Durham County’s universal Pre-K initiative.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________