Explanation
Mayor Ginther’s vision for Columbus, America’s Opportunity City, is to create access to high-quality pre-kindergarten education for every 4-year-old. Addressing early childhood learning means bringing awareness and resources to a critical learning stage in childhood development. Children who come to school ready to learn are more likely to succeed academically and in life.
Children who participate in high-quality pre-kindergarten experiences significantly improve their early literacy, language, and math skills. Ample evidence shows that children who enter school unprepared fall farther and farther behind. Students who get a poor start in their earliest years are likely to struggle in high school and, subsequently, fail to graduate.
The purpose of Early Start Columbus is to expand high-quality pre-kindergarten services through partnerships with Columbus City Schools and community-based providers. The providers partnering in the Early Start Columbus Program have all demonstrated their ability to provide a high-quality pre-kindergarten education. All partnering providers are rated at least three stars in the State’s Step Up To Quality rating and improvement system. Agora Christian Services Inc is a corporate non profit and the City does not provide educational services to pre-kindergarten aged children.
State law makes allowable the braiding of Ohio Department of Education Early Childhood Expansion funds with those of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Service Publicly Funded Childcare program. The 2023-2024 Early Start Columbus Program combines the Mayor’s Office of Education funds with these funding streams to further extend the number of children served while using City funds more efficiently. This approach uses City funds as “last dollar” funding.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance will use the funding from Ordinance 1931-2023. ACPO009370.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency designation is requested to ensure the contracts are enacted to meet the operational needs of the Early Start Columbus providers for the 2023-2024 school year.
Title
To authorize and direct the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education to enter into contract with Agora Christian Services Inc dba Agora's Little Gems Learning and Childcare, which was selected via a competitive application process for educational services; to authorize the expenditure from ACPO009370 from the general fund; and to declare an emergency. ($0.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education desires to enter into contracts with two additional high-quality pre-kindergarten organizations to provide educational services and quality pre-kindergarten services to Columbus 4-year-olds to prepare them for kindergarten; and
WHEREAS, the 2023-2024 Columbus school year as already started and we do not want to delay these programs any longer; and
WHEREAS, research shows that quality pre-kindergarten instruction provides meaningful value to children’s educational performance and preparation for school; and
WHEREAS, the goal is that all children in the City of Columbus will be kindergarten ready; and
WHEREAS, Agora Christian Services Inc. was chosen via a competitive application process; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the Mayor’s Office of Education in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to enter into contracts to meet the operational needs of the Early Start Columbus providers for the 2023-2024 school year, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, peace, property, safety, and welfare; and Now Therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Education be and is hereby authorized to enter into a contract with the following quality pre-kindergarten organization nder the terms and conditions and in the amounts deemed necessary to advance the Early Start Columbus initiative. Contracts are being awarded to the below providers. The below provider was selected due to its prior experience and success in providing the same services in the 2023-2024 school year and via a competitive application process:
Agora Christian Services Inc. dba Agora's Little Gems Learning and Childcare
SECTION 2. That the expenditure shall be from ACPO009370 which was established with Ordinance 1931-2023 which passed City Council on July 31, 2023.
SECTION 3. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or 10 days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.