Item 4- FY27 ECC Budget Workgroup draft budget recommendations — original pdf
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MEMORANDUM To: City of Austin Early Childhood Council From: City of Austin Early Childhood Council Budget Workgroup Date: February 11, 2026 Re: Fiscal Year 2027 Draft Budget Recommendations for Current Early Childhood Investments WHEREAS, in the City of Austin, 30% of children under age 6 live in households with low income; and WHEREAS, 94% of the children in households with low income under age 6 are children of color; and WHEREAS, decades of research prove that disadvantages begin the moment children come into the world because children born into poverty and children of color are disproportionately born early, at low weight, or with chronic illnesses, and are less likely than their peers to be ready for, or successful at school; and WHEREAS, current City investments in early childhood programs align with the goals and strategies of the GenATX initiative from the Office of the Mayor; the recently launched Infrastructure Academy; Raising Travis County, the voter-approved fund to support increase access early care and education and to afterschool programming; and the Austin/Travis County Success By 6 Strategic Plan, a data-driven community strategic plan designed to build more efficient and coordinated systems for quality childcare and childhood experiences; and WHEREAS, these existing commitments rely on sustained partnerships through social service agreements with Austin area providers, experts, and educators that provide preventative support, saving public dollars and interventions over the long term; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin issued budget cuts of 10% across-the-board to social service agreements for FY 2026; and there is another $16 million in projected cuts to social service programs in FY 2027; additionally, federal, state, and local economic recovery funds invested in early childhood programs have concluded; and WHEREAS, there are over 6,500 children on the Child Care Scholarship Waitlist administered through Workforce Solutions Capital Area; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council recommends that the City of Austin maintain all current investments, contracts, and maintenance agreements in early childhood programs and infrastructure, including but not limited to: ● Maintain funding for contracts related to services for families and children within Austin Public Health and Austin Economic Development, as detailed below. These contracted services provide targeted, proven preventive measures for families with young children, reducing the need for more costly interventions later. (List #1-10) ● Maintain funding for public service child care service contracts funded through Federal HUD- CDBG funds that support parenting teens and Early Head Start (List #11-12) ● Maintain funding for current city programs related to childcare and children’s services, which have a proven track record of strengthening child care programs and providing preventative supports for families with young children. (List #13-16) ● Maintain the APH and AED staffing budget for critical staff who oversee early childhood ● programs and services If the City Manager creates a comprehensive rubric tool to assess future funding for the City’s existing social service contracts, the rubric should consider the following: ○ Child care, early childhood development, and early intervention supports. ○ Conduct regular community engagement and public feedback sessions with social service providers, child care providers, social service program participants, and community stakeholders to understand and identify community priorities and develop the comprehensive rubric and social service contract restructuring plan to maximize service impact. Maintain Funding Levels for the Following: Contracts Related to Service for Families and Children through Austin Public Health (APH) Organization/Agency Program Name Description List # 1 Any Baby Can Ready Families Collaborative FY 2027 Funding Request Departmen t $1,547,641 APH $575,264 APH $86,640 APH $131,632 APH $115,200 APH A comprehensive pipeline of services for children ages 0-5 and their families, which allows for early and progressive intervention in support of healthy child development The initiative, Mi Familia & Me, integrates the early care and education program to provide parenting classes to build a parent's capacity to support healthy brain development, peer-to-peer support, and access to critical resources, and nurturing parent/child bonds. Provides extremely low-income single mothers and their children who have experienced homelessness access to direct care, parenting education, and wraparound support services. ICE promotes school readiness and improves the social and emotional health of at-risk lower-income children while reducing the rate of suspensions and expulsions of children ages zero to five years old. Start-up costs for area school districts to purchase furniture and materials to open an additional Pre-K3 classroom. 2 Todos Juntos Early Childhood Education Program 3 VinCare Services of Austin 4 Austin Child Guidance Center 5 Local Area School Districts Quality Care for Children Overcoming Homelessness Infant & Early Childhood Services (IEC) Pre-K Classroom Startup Costs Contracts Related to Service for Families and Children through Austin Economic Development (AED) Organization/Agency Program Name Description List # 6 Workforce Solutions Capital Area Workforce Board Quality Childcare Collaborative (QC3) 7 KinderCare 8 RISE Child Development Center 9 Mainspring Schools Maintenance and Operations Agreement for KinderCare at Bergstrom Tech Childcare for Black Mothers Mainspring Magic Quality Improvement Project FY 2027 Funding Request $1,006,389 $290,968 $122,514 $61,200 Programming to increase childcare quality, including Director Mentoring, CLASS Training, and the Jeannette Watson Wage Supplement Program; Temporary “bridge” funding for children in subsidized childcare who would otherwise be terminated or not enrolled due to federal funding rules. Rent and operating expenses (OpEx) for childcare program on City-leased property at Bergstrom Technology Center RISE will provide free or low-cost, short-term, culturally congruent, high-quality drop-in childcare, for Black mothers who are a part of the Black Mama’s Village in Central Texas for children 6 weeks through age 5. Drop-in care is a back-up childcare option for parents when they need temporary, short-term care This program expands the training and professional development opportunities offered to teachers to enable them to build skills and expertise in areas aligned with the three pillars of Mainspring's successful model - Innovative Learning, Health & Wellness, and the Whole Family Approach 10 Ginsberg Kershner & Associates Early Childhood Consulting Childcare consulting services $75,000 Public Service Childcare Services Contracts with Federal HUD-CDBG Funds through APH List # Organization/Agency Program Name Description 11 Child Inc. Early Head Start Early Head Start child care for children of families with low- income FY 2027 Funding Request Department $414,830 APH 12 Austin Independent School District Teen Parent Childcare Child care services for children on teen parents with low-income $343,478 APH Current City Programs Related to Child Care and Children’s Services Program Name Description List # 13 Year two implementation comprehensive support network and resource hub for home-based childcare providers 14 High-quality child care fee waivers The network aims for equitable access to information and resources focused on: Childcare Quality, Business & Sustainability, Comprehensive Services, and Provider Well- Being. The City's match will cover a portion of the costs of a new financial relief grant program for qualifying home-based childcare providers Funding to waive fees for qualifying high quality childcare programs to: (1) obtain a conditional use permit to open a childcare facility; (2) construct an expansion of an existing high quality childcare facility; and (3) obtain an annual inspection by the Austin Fire Department for a high quality childcare facility. All to reduce cost burden on essential child care providers FY 2027 Funding Request Department $75,000 AED $250,000 AED 15 Maternal Infant Outreach Program Services for African American women with low income during pregnancy and throughout the first year postpartum, including health education, resource navigation assistance, one-on- one home visits, birth education, and labor and delivery support $567,428 APH 16 Family Connects Universal Home Visiting Program $1,081,800 APH