EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL January 12, 2022, 8:30 A.M. CITY HALL, BOARD AND COMMISSION ROOM #1101 301 WEST SECOND STREET, AUSTIN, TEXAS AGENDA CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first five speakers who register to speak no later than noon the day before the meeting will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from November 10, 2021, meeting 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Review and discuss Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s response to the ECC memo approved at the November 10, 2021, meeting 3. NEW BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS a. Policy Work Group proposed actions- Anna Lisa Conlin i. Resolution to ask the City to acknowledge the challenges and stress of child care service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to acknowledge the impactful contribution of the child care sector to the City’s economy ii. Discuss draft proclamation and ECC letter honoring Leonor Vargas and her contribution to early childhood education, children, families, and the public school system b. Joint Inclusion Committee updates- Raul Alvarez i. Appointment of 3 ECC members to attend the Joint Inclusion Committee budget meeting on January 29, 2022 c. Community Engagement Work Group updates ECC Budget Forum on February 19, 2022 i. ii. Community Advancement Network (CAN) Expanding Opportunity Forum on “Building a Family-Friendly Workplace” on February 9, 2022 d. Discuss ways ECC members can promote the Best Place for Working Parents campaign (January 10 - February 11, 2022) – Cathy McHorse 4. STAFF UPDATES a. COVID-19 updates b. KinderCare at Bergstrom Tech opening and enrollment updates FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS a. Update about Head Start from Child Inc b. Child care staffing shortage in Austin ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Caitlin Oliver, Program Coordinator, Austin Public Health, at 512-972-6205 or email: Caitlin.Oliver@austintexas.gov, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Early Childhood Council, please contact Caitlin Oliver, Program Coordinator, Austin Public Health, at 512-972-6205 or email: Caitlin.Oliver@austintexas.gov.
BE RECOGN IZED AS A Gain a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE with this INNOVATIVE BUSINESS DESIGNATION! 2022 open enrollment begins January 10. Take the self-assessment at bit.ly/bestplaceforworkingparentsatx to be elig ibl e for a Best Place for Working Parents® designation award. 3- MINUTE SELF-ASSESSMENT FREE, CONFIDENTIAL, AND ONLINE AVAILABLE TO ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES Be recognized as a Best Place for Working Parents® Business! Qualifying businesses will receive unique branding opportunities, including: • Best Place for Working Parents® 2022 badge • Listed in a press release sent to local media outlets • Logo on Early Matters Greater Austin website, and LinkedIn and Twitter channels • Logo in bimonthly email that goes to 100+ leading Austin businesses * Businesses who participate by February 11 will be recognized in the ways listed above. Being family-friendly is business friendly The Best Place for Working Parents® self-assessment highlights ONLY the family-friendly policies that also have research-proven benefit to businesses’ bottom line. Each question in the self-assessment ties to policies that positively impact employee attraction, retention, satisfaction, and productivity. To learn more, email Cathy McHorse at Cathy.McHorse@uwatx.org or visit bit.ly/bestplaceforworkingparentsatx. Early Matters Greater Austin mobilizes and unites the business community around the goal that all children in Greater Austin enter Kindergarten prepared for school success. United Way for Greater Austin
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220112-3ai: Recommendation to acknowledge child care workers as essential workers and express gratitude for their service to the Austin community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic WHEREAS, Austin's housing and property values have increased dramatically in recent years; and WHEREAS, essential workers in the childcare industry are finding it nearly impossible to live in Austin with the rapidly increasing cost of living, especially in the housing market; and WHEREAS, the displacement of these essential workers to suburban and exurban communities will have long-term, harmful impacts on childcare options in Austin; and WHEREAS, Austin has long suffered from a severe shortage of affordable, quality childcare options; and WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted Austin’s child care industry, leading to the permanent closure of untold numbers of childcare facilities; and WHEREAS, according to a 2021 NAECY survey, in Texas, 86% of child care centers are experiencing a staffing shortage. Further, 53% of programs impacted by staffing shortages are serving fewer children; 33% have a longer waitlist; 35% are unable to open classrooms; and 20% have reduced their operating hours (https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/user- 74/naeyc_survey_statedatawithquotes_sep2021.pdf); and WHEREAS, according to the Center for Study of Child Care Employment, The poverty rate for early educators working in the childcare industry in Texas is 18.6%, nearly twice as high as for Texas workers in general (9.7%) with a median wage of $10.15 (https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index- 2020/states/texas/); and WHEREAS, a shortage of childcare options has a severe and detrimental effect on the Austin economy, with lack of access to childcare being one of the primary reasons why people delay or avoid seeking employment; and WHEREAS, a recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Texas Chamber of Business and Industry, and Early Matters indicates that poor options for childcare in the State of Texas costs our state economy an estimated $9.39 billion annually (https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/article/building-strong-foundations-future). NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council requests that the Austin City Council pass a resolution acknowledging that workers in the childcare field in Austin are essential workers who have experienced serious burdens and stress over the past few years, and are deserving of admiration and gratitude for their service to our community; and FURTHER, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to identify ways to alleviate the financial burden that is leading to the increasing displacement of these essential …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220112-3ai: Recommendation to acknowledge child care workers as essential workers and express gratitude for their service to the Austin community throughout the COVID-19 pandemic WHEREAS, Austin's housing and property values have increased dramatically in recent years; and WHEREAS, essential workers in the childcare industry are finding it nearly impossible to live in Austin with the rapidly increasing cost of living, especially in the housing market; and WHEREAS, the displacement of these essential workers to suburban and exurban communities will have long-term, harmful impacts on childcare options in Austin; and WHEREAS, Austin has long suffered from a severe shortage of affordable, quality childcare options; and WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic has COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted Austin’s child care industry, leading to the permanent closure of untold numbers of childcare facilities; and WHEREAS, according to a 2021 NAECY survey, in Texas, 86% of child care centers are experiencing a staffing shortage. Further, 53% of programs impacted by staffing shortages are serving fewer children; 33% have a longer waitlist; 35% are unable to open classrooms; and 20% have reduced their operating hours (https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/user- 74/naeyc_survey_statedatawithquotes_sep2021.pdf); and WHEREAS, according to the Center for Study of Child Care Employment, The poverty rate for early educators working in the childcare industry in Texas is 18.6%, nearly twice as high as for Texas workers in general (9.7%) with a median wage of $10.15 (https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index- 2020/states/texas/); and WHEREAS, a shortage of childcare options has a severe and detrimental effect on the Austin economy, with lack of access to childcare being one of the primary reasons why people delay or avoid seeking employment; and WHEREAS, a recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Texas Chamber of Business and Industry, and Early Matters indicates that poor options for childcare in the State of Texas
REGULAR MEETING Wednesday, January 12, 2022 EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MINUTES The Early Childhood Council (ECC) convened on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. Board Members in Attendance: Chair McHorse, Vice Chair Worthington, Council Members Alvarez, Demby, Hedrick, Huston, Paver, Schennum, and Wren Staff in attendance: Rachel Farley, Michelle Rodriguez CALL TO ORDER – Chair McHorse called the meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. Introductions of all members. CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No citizen communication. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from November 10, 2021, meeting – Member Huston moved to approve the minutes from the November 10, 2021, regular meeting. The minutes were approved by a vote of 9-0. 2. OLD BUSINESS a. Review and discuss Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s response to the ECC memo approved at the November 10, 2021, meeting Chair McHorse summarized the steps the ECC has taken to understand barriers to accessing the child care system. In May 2021, community members provided public comment on the challenges they have had with navigating the system. ECC then invited Workforce Solutions (WFS) Capital Area to present at an ECC meeting in 2021. In November 2021, the ECC responded to the WFS presentation with a memo with specific requests to WFS. WFS responded in December 2021 and the response was discussed at an ECC Policy Workgroup meeting in January 2022. Last week, the Policy Workgroup sent a letter to WFS with follow-up questions. The WFS response to the Policy Workgroup letter includes the following updates: • Data spreadsheet of customer responses to survey- 2018 to present • Launched their texting feature to communicate with families in 2021 • Training on trauma informed care, team culture, and communications are scheduled for staff • Working on training videos in English and Spanish to help parents navigate system • All flyers for special projects/funding are available in English and Spanish • Online application form is available in at least 100 languages • New workflow system launched in October 2021 • Provider payment portal being discussed to ensure there are not security vulnerabilities • Tiger Team meetings are set to resume January/February 2022 • Created and convening a workgroup under a new contract with the City Members discussed the information provided by WFS. Vice Chair Worthington would like to know more about the survey and the steps WFS takes to remedy application errors. Council Member Tovo’s office told Chair McHorse that Austin Public Health has included expectations over …
