EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL April 12, 2022, 6:00 P.M. PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM #1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE, AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Early Childhood Council may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once, either in-person or remotely, and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, contact Caitlin Oliver, Program Coordinator, Austin Public Health, at 512-972-6205 or Caitlin.Oliver@austintexas.gov. AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first five speakers to register will be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from March 9, 2022, meeting 2. NEW BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS a. Annual ECC officer elections b. Policy Work Group updates i. Workforce Solutions Capital Area request to add appointee to the ECC ii. Recommendation to increase Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) spending on Early Head Start and child care for teen parents iii. Recommendation related to community engagement for APH social service contracts iv. Recommendation regarding affordable housing investments v. Recommendation to prioritize early childhood education workforce and families with young children in City anti-displacement planning c. Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) updates i. Update on budget actions taken up by the JIC and consider endorsement or adoption of those budget actions ii. Topics for the ECC to take to the JIC d. Community Engagement Work Group updates i. Early childhood organizations/task forces in the community that the work group e. Week of the Young Child proclamation at City Council meeting on April 21, 2022 can support 4. STAFF UPDATES a. COVID-19 updates FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 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.
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220412-2biv: Affordable Housing for Families WHEREAS, the City of Austin Strategic Plan section Economic Opportunity & Affordability contains several strategies to reduce inequities in availability of affordable housing: Strategy #5: Develop and act on recommendations to reduce the number of households and businesses displaced from Austin due to unaffordability; Strategy #7: Acknowledge Austin’s history of racial segregation and counter it by applying an equity perspective to the City’s land development code and associated programs and policies, aligning with community priorities as articulated in Imagine Austin, and ensuring affordable housing options throughout Austin; and Strategy #8: Define and enact our response to homelessness focusing on efficient and effective use of our resources to address disparities, prevent homelessness, and support housing stability WHEREAS, almost 32,000 children under 6 in Austin live in households with low incomes (less than 200% of federal poverty level, which is slightly under $53,000 per year for a family of 4); WHEREAS, families with children need housing that includes at least two bedrooms and, in many cases three or four bedrooms; for example, social services often require that children of different genders have separate bedrooms; WHEREAS: enrollments in AISD have declined over the last several years in part because families with children are moving to outlying areas in order to find affordable housing; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Austin Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to prioritize the needs of families with low incomes for affordable housing, including increasing the availability of 3 (and 4) bedroom units. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: _____________________________ Attest: _____________________________________________
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220412-2biii: Recommendation related to community engagement for APH social service contracts WHEREAS, the Strategic Direction 2023 identifies GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS FOR ALL as a strategic outcome that includes believing that city government works effectively and collaboratively for all of us— that it is equitable, ethical and innovative; and WHEREAS, in 2016 the City of Austin established an Equity Office to focus on advancing equity in all aspects of City operations; and WHEREAS, the Equity Office works across all City departments and with major institutions, non-profits, and other community organizations working in Austin to build capacity and leadership in working from a racial equity lens; and WHEREAS, a June 2018 report regarding the implementation of the Equity Assessment Tooli identified weaknesses in community engagement by City departments but also strengths within Austin Public Health which “Uses formal processes to gather community feedback, including: focus groups, client surveys, public meetings, stakeholder groups, consulting with social services contractors and quality of life”; and WHEREAS, principals of equitable public engagement (premised on the belief that everyone has the right to be involved in decisions that will affect their life) includes providing equitable financial compensation to individuals and communities with lived experience, valuing their time and expertise in planning and implementationii; and specifically, for early childhood systems, centering parent voice in developing recommendationsiii; and WHEREAS, among major U.S. metro areas, Austin saw the 12th biggest increase in the cost of living from 2010 to 2020, according to a new analysis of federal dataiv; and WHEREAS, “Care work is vital to individual, household, and economic stability. Unfortunately, this highly demanded and demanding work is deeply undervalued and undercompensated. The care workers who allow those in their care—and their families—to flourish are paid persistently low wages with few employer benefits.”v NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to consider requirements in City-funded social service contracts that: • Include opportunity for community and client voice and input by requiring community and client engagement and feedback in the development and implementation of programs and services; and • Provide a stipend to compensate for community member and client participation in planning and implementation of programs; and Include Cost of Living Increases for social service contracts for staff • Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: _____________________________ Attest: _____________________________________________ i https://www.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=300307 ii https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/community-voice-expertise iii https://earlysuccess.org/allies-convene-to-share-tips-and-best-practices-for-centering-parent-voices/ iv https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/02-01-22-austin-spike-in-cost-of-living-filterbuy-aus/ …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220412-2bii: Early Head Start and School-based Child Care WHEREAS, the City of Austin Strategic Plan, Economic Opportunity and Affordability Strategy 10 is to create equitable access to quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) by supporting families who do not qualify for existing free programs and cannot afford quality programs on their own, increasing availability of quality ECE programs, and encouraging living wages for ECE providers; WHEREAS, the City of Austin Strategic Plan, Economic Opportunity and Affordability Strategy 11 is to advance economic mobility by equipping and empowering families with wrap around services over a multi-year period so that parents can succeed in the workforce and children are prepared to succeed in adulthood; WHEREAS, almost 32,000 children under 6 in Austin live in households with low incomes (less than 200% of federal poverty level); WHEREAS, increasing access to high quality early care and education for infants and toddlers is a state and local priority for both the United Way Success By 6 Coalition and the Texas Prenatal to Age 3 Collaborative agenda; WHEREAS, a stimulating and nurturing environment during the first three years of life is centrally important for cognitive and social development of children; WHEREAS, the number of child care spaces available and affordable for parents with low incomes is very small in comparison to the need; WHEREAS, school-based child care helps parenting adolescents to stay in school and to graduate, which in turn is a benefit for their own futures and those of their children; WHEREAS, school districts attended by many students in the city other than AISD do not currently offer child care (e.g., Del Valle); NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to increase funding for child care services under the Community Development Block Grant for a) Early Head Start and b) expansion of the Teen Parent Child Care Program to provide child care for teen parents who are enrolled in districts other than Austin Independent School District (AISD). Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: _____________________________ Attest: _____________________________________________
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220412-2bv: Recommendation to prioritize early childhood education workforce and families with young children in City anti-displacement planning WHEREAS, the City of Austin Anti-Displacement Task Force was created and charged with setting metrics and goals, and giving preliminary recommendations for displacement prevention; and WHEREAS, for families in Austin, child care is the second highest cost behind housingi, and lack of access to affordable child care was one of the top barriers to workforce participation; and WHEREAS, in Austin/Travis County there are almost 32,000 children under age 6 living in households with low-income (approximately 200% of the federal poverty level), and 90% of children living in poverty are children of color –only 10% are non-Hispanic White; and WHEREAS, child care programs are experiencing an unprecedented staffing crisisii that is impacting child care access for families in Austin; including • 89% of programs surveyed have experienced difficulty hiring staff in the past six months (95% of programs that accept child care subsidies) • 75% of programs surveyed report current staff vacancies • 56% of these programs are under-enrolled due to staffing shortages and 43% are limiting hours as a result WHEREAS, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the median wage for child care programs in Texas is $10.14/houriii and the City of Austin living wage is $15; WHEREAS, in Texas, compared to all workers in all other sectors with similar demographic characteristics (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, education) child care workers earn 19.2% less than other sectors; and WHEREAS, national data indicates that the predominately female (94%) early care and education workforce is more racially and linguistically diverse than K-12 teachers. People of color comprise 40% of early care and education professionals, and 22% are foreign born;iv and WHEREAS, local child care programs cannot increase wages without increasing the cost of care for families which disproportionately impacts families with low-income who have the least ability to pay for child care; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council recommends that the City of Austin Anti-Displacement Task Force prioritize families with young children living in low-income households, and the early childhood education workforce, in anti-displacement efforts, especially in • Preserving and expanding the supply of affordable housing • Preserving and growing small businesses and cultural assets • Controlling land for community development • Income and asset creation by providing needed services - childcare, transportation, …
REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, April 12, 2022 EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MINUTES The Early Childhood Council (ECC) convened on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Board Members in Attendance: Chair McHorse, Vice Chair Worthington, Council Members Alvarez, Bliss Lima, Conlin, Demby, Gordon, Hedrick, and Huston Staff in attendance: Caitlin Oliver, Donna Sundstrom, Cindy Gamez, and Michelle Rodriguez CALL TO ORDER – Chair McHorse called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Two people provided public comment. The first speaker, Zenobia C. Joseph, requested that the ECC include access to transportation in recommendations regarding affordable housing for families with young children and that the ECC ask City Council to reconnect people who live North of Highway 183 through public transportation. Joseph also commented on City competitive bidding for social service contracts and expressed concerns about access for new providers to receive funding. The second speaker, Laura Olson– a mom, former early childhood educator, and Organizing Director of GoAustinVamasAustin!– requested that the ECC schedule evening meetings to accommodate the schedules of working families and that future meetings include multilingual interpretation and translation of agendas. Olson also asked that the ECC prioritize families with young children in anti-displacement and affordable housing strategies and that the ECC prioritize opportunities for equitable investments in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from March 9, 2022, meeting – Member Gordon moved to approve the minutes from the March 9, 2022, regular meeting. The minutes were approved by a unanimous vote of 9-0. 2. NEW BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS a. Annual ECC officer elections Member Hedrick moved to recommend re-election of Cathy McHorse and Matt Worthington for the Chair and Vice Chair positions, respectively. Chair McHorse and Vice Chair Worthington were re-elected by a unanimous vote of 9-0. b. Policy Work Group updates i. Workforce Solutions Capital Area request to add appointee to the ECC Prior to the City Council’s 10-1 decision for appointing members to boards & commissions, Workforce Solutions (WFS) Capital Area appointed someone to the ECC. After that decision, WFS no longer had an appointed person. Adding a 14th member to the ECC requires an ECC bylaw amendment and a City Code amendment. The policy work group decided that now is not the right time to pursue this request because of the community engagement with WFS already in motion. Members discussed considering equitable makeup of the ECC and the criteria for expanding appointed positions, possibly …
