Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 16, 2025 EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025 The Early Childhood Council convened in a regular meeting on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at Carver Branch Library, Meeting Room #2, 1161 Angelina Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Hamilton called the Early Childhood Council Meeting to order at 10:33 a.m. Board Members in Attendance: Chair Hamilton, Vice Chair Menard, and Members Freeland, Gordon, Latham-Sikes, McCollum, McHorse, McIllwain, McNary, Navarro, and Rivas PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first five speakers to register prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three- minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. There was no public comment. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Early Childhood Council Regular Meeting on June 11, 2025 The minutes from the meeting on 6/11/2025 were approved unanimously on Member Menard’s motion and Member McNary’s second, on a 9-0 vote. Members McCollum and Rivas were off the dias. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. 3. Discuss the Early Childhood Council’s 2024-2025 Annual Internal Review and the mission of the ECC Members discussed their reactions to the internal review and the focus of the ECC in the new calendar year. Updates from the ECC Quality of Life Study Workgroup regarding study and final report timeline EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 16, 2025 4. 5. 6. Caitlin Oliver, staff liaison, shared updates on the QoL study and the researcher’s plan to present the study findings at the September 10th ECC meeting. Members discussed alignment of the ECC study with the QoL studies being done by the Commission on Aging and the Commission for Women. Updates from the June & July Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) meetings Members McIllwain and Navarro shared updates from the Joint Inclusion Committee meetings and encouraged the ECC to appoint two members to the JIC when their terms end. Discuss early childhood-related funding and the fiscal year 2026 City of Austin budget Member McHorse summarized the City of Austin budget that was passed earlier in the week and the items in the budget related to the ECC’s budget recommendations, such as social service contracts and staffing. Members discussed the Pre-K classroom startup funds and the Family Stabilization Grant funding. Updates regarding the implementation of the Travis County voter-approved Child Care and Out- of-School Time (CCOST) initiative Member Rivas, the Travis County ECC appointee, shared a high-level overview of the current CCOST activities, including hiring of new staff, the transition community member task force, development of the advisory board, plans for quarterly virtual town halls, and progress toward short-term investments with Workforce Solutions and interlocal agreements with Austin ISD and the City of Austin. Madison Mattise, Workforce Solutions Capital Area, gave public comment regarding the timeline for direct child care scholarships that would be funded by CCOST, once the contract is approved by Travis County Commissioners. STAFF BRIEFINGS 7. Briefing from Caitlin Oliver, Austin Public Health (APH), about the Austin-Travis County Family Child Care Educator Network and regarding updates from related local early childhood groups such as Austin Chapter of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Austin ISD, Success By 6 Coalition, Child Care Regulation, and Workforce Solutions Capital Area Caitlin Oliver, staff liaison, shared updates about ongoing recruitment to the Austin-Travis County Family Child Care Educator Network and program services. Ann Eaton, City of Austin Economic Development Department, shared information about the department’s small business services that can support home-based child care providers. Additional updates included: • A tour of the YMCA’s child care center at the new Dove Springs public health facility that ECC members are invited to attend EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 16, 2025 • Status of the Jeanette Watson awards and statistics from the inaugural year of Workforce Solutions Capital Area’s Capital Area Retention and Elevation (CARE) Program • A child care survey that the Success By 6 Coalition is supporting that will be shared with Travis County to inform CCOST implementation • Recent communications from Texas Health and Human Services’ Child Care Regulation to child care programs about fingerprint criminal history checks and violation reporting • Austin ISD’s Apple Blossom Pre-K 3 initiative FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Members listed the following future agenda items: • Presentation of the ECC’s quality-of-life study findings from Decision Information Resources (DIR) • Presentation from the Children’s Defense Fund Texas on how local children in immigrant households in Austin have been impacted by immigration enforcement • Presentation from United Way for Greater Austin about Pre-K partnerships • Briefing from the City of Austin’s Office of Budget and Organizational Excellence regarding the November city tax rate election • Updates on the Austin Infrastructure Academy • Updates on the implementation of Travis County’s Child Care and Out-of-School Time funds Chair Hamilton adjourned the meeting at 11:57 a.m. without objection. The minutes were approved unanimously at the September 10, 2025, meeting on Member Navarro’s motion and Member McIllwain’s second, on a 9-0 vote.