Item:
Title
Approval of Contract with Child Care Services Association for Pre-K Expansion Management Contract (60mins)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: June 11, 2018
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to approve the proposed contract with Child Care Services Association for pre-K expansion management and authorize the County Manager to execute it.
Durham County has been working towards the expansion of high quality pre-K for a long time. Eight new, County-funded pre-K classrooms were opened in the fall of 2017. It is with the bringing on of expert assistance to help the County manage this expansion, however, that the County expects to reap the full benefits of those classrooms as well as additional new and converted classrooms. Converted classrooms are existing classrooms at public or private facilities that receive NCPK, County, and/or other public subsidies and agree to be a part of our Durham Pre-K expansion. The proposed expansion covers 13 new Pre-K classrooms and 25 conversion classrooms (including Whitted's 8 classrooms) over the next two fiscal years.
The total costs of Durham Pre-K expansion in FY18-19 is estimated to be $2.15 million and $3.75 million in FY19-20. The costs of expansion management and system building in those two years are approximately $770,000 and $815,000, respectively.
Increased reimbursements to providers are a central, procedural component of the Durham Pre-K expansion. These increases will provide for many of the quality improvements we hope to see in Durham Pre-K, including teacher experience and quality (attracted through higher pay and improved benefits), teacher training / professional development, supplemental staff (e.g. ESL-certified staff), site modifications, and improved instructional materials. The reimbursements also cover the cost of additional reporting requirements, as all participating providers will be required to participate in intensive evaluation of this program.
The a...
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