Item:
Title
Approve the Contract for Creation of a Durham County Early Childhood Action Plan
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: January 13, 2020
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the attached contract proposal.
The Board discussed the prospect of creating a Durham County Early Childhood Action Plan (ECAP) and the steps that would be necessary to make that happen at their October and December Work Sessions. Since the October discussion, County staff have been engaged in further discussions with the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI), Child Care Services Association (CCSA), Durham’s Partnership for Children (DPfC), and others about the most appropriate and effective shape for this early childhood action planning process to take. At the December Work Session Commissioners directed staff to bring back a contract and scope of work reflecting the necessary tasks, processes, and funding for EDCI to assist the County by being our lead partner in the creation of the Durham County ECAP over the next 12-18 months. EDCI, anticipating the necessary hire of a full-time project manager, expressed a strong desire for a process that could extend through the next 18 months (through the end of FY20-21).
Staff continue to believe that the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) should play a leading role in this effort. EDCI has been working for the better part of a decade to create a high-functioning pipeline of community partners serving young children in East Durham. In recent years they have repeatedly expressed interest in, and energy for, the idea of leading community-wide efforts to deepen and improve our early childhood service continuum and are also in the process in dropping the “E” from their name and becoming the Durham Children’s Initiative. EDCI’s experience leading collective action and in private fundraising will be critical for this effort.
The October discussion centered around a proposal for EDCI to receive significant funding over 2.5 years to complete and begin implementation of this plan. Staff now believe that a shorter, one-year process is both advisable and feasible. Staff also believe that some funding for other partners would be appropriate given the level of effort several of them are likely to put into this effort.
Finally, staff continue to believe that the timing is right to launch this effort. The County will soon have more bandwidth through the hiring of an early childhood systems coordinator. The recently announced $4 million SAMHSA grant which funds the Center for Child and Family Health and numerous other agencies to improve social and emotional wellness of Durham children ages 0-8. The County has now been invited to apply for a Pritzker Foundation grant later this fall which would help fund better coordinated strategies for children 0-3. The County’s Pre-K investments continue to grow. Boston Basics may be launched this coming year as a community-wide early childhood communication platform. The opportunity and need to understand and coordinate all these related efforts as much as possible is critical. Staff do not believe the County has the internal capacity to do that; but believes that (E)DCI and other local partners have both the energy and capacity to do it for us.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: A comprehensive Durham County Early Childhood Action Plan will provide a roadmap for funding and action strategies for improving outcomes in goal areas 1-3 of the Durham County Strategic Plan. A clear, specific early childhood action plan mirroring the State of North Carolina’s plan will also help coordinate Durham’s future steps in this arena, help align them with the state’s, and will make Durham County’s early childhood activities more attractive for private and philanthropic funding.
Resource Persons: Drew Cummings, Chief of Staff
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board approves the attached contract proposal.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________