Item 2: Draft recommendation regarding social service contracts — original pdf

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RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Early Childhood Council 20260513-002: Recommendation to Maintain Critical Services in the FY27 Budget WHEREAS, in the City of Austin, 23% or 23,238 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, only 42% of children under six from low income households in Travis County receive learning services at all; WHEREAS, the City’s Quality of Life Study for Austin's Families with Young Children study found that 78% of caregivers surveyed experienced some difficulty paying for child care in the last 12 months; 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; WHEREAS, existing social service contracts bridge health, early learning, housing, and workforce systems, ensuring that the City’s investments function as a coordinated prevention strategy because an early childhood investment is not a discretionary expense, it is a proven strategy for reducing long-term public cost; WHEREAS, social service contracts are designed for joint partnerships to enhance coordination, improve wraparound support, save public dollars and interventions over the long term, and increase access to funding and resources that may not be available to individuals; WHEREAS, City of Austin funding serves as a required local match to draw down Medicaid, philanthropic, or federal funds; gap funding for families excluded from categorical eligibility; and flexible funding that allows coordination across fragmented systems; WHEREAS, the City of Austin issued budget cuts of 10% across-the-board to social service agreements for FY 2026; additionally, federal, state, and local economic recovery funds invested in early childhood programs have concluded. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council recommends that the youngest children and their families are prioritized in the proposed rubric and assessment tool for evaluating and making recommendations on early childhood-focused social service contracts. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to: • Maintain funding for contracts related to services for families and children within Austin Public Health and Austin Economic Development. These contracted services provide targeted, proven preventive measures for families with young children, reducing the need for more costly interventions later. • 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 support for families with young children. Seconded By: Date of Approval: Motioned By: Vote: For: Against: Abstain: Off the dais: Absent: Attest: _____________________________________________