Explanation
Background:
Mayor Ginther’s vision for Columbus, America’s Opportunity City, is to create access to a high-quality early childhood 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 early childhood education 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.
Unfortunately, there are too few high-quality preschool providers in Columbus. Fewer than 20 percent of providers in the City are rated 3-5 stars in the Ohio quality rating system (1-5 stars) Step Up To Quality (SUTQ). About seventy-five percent of providers have no rating at all. This deficit is especially alarming as Ohio has a deadline that requires all providers be SUTQ rated by 2020 to be eligible to accept children funded by Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC). The community’s failure to adequately meet this deadline would displace thousands of our poorest children, put providers out of business, and cause a layoff of childcare workers.
The greatest determinant of the quality of a child’s education is the quality of that child’s classroom teacher. Increasing the quality of preschool teachers will not only better prepare our children for kindergarten but will greatly assist our community by meeting the State’s 2020 goal. The Department of Education has determined that helping existing preschool teachers receive their Child Development Associate (CDA) certification will help to close both of these gaps.
Therefore, the Department of Education requests permission to contract with Action For Children to provide an accelerated CDA program to rapidly and conveniently train 50 preschool teachers who are already serving Columbus children. This contract would also allow Action For Children to provide an intensive coaching program to 15 teacher who have previously not passed the CDA exam.
This contract is being awarded to Action For Children pursuant to Section 329.30, which allows for the City to negotiate not-for-profit service contracts.
Action For Children, Contract Compliance Number: 31-0820393
Fiscal Impact: With this ordinance, the Department of Education seeks authority to expend $111,345.00 from their 2017 general fund operating budget in order to contract with Action For Children for the implementation of a new CDA program and a CDA coaching program, providing the funding necessary to train an additional 65 local preschool teachers.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Education to enter into a contract with Action For Children to provide an accelerated Child Development Associate (CDA) program and a CDA coaching program to up to 65 preschool teachers who are already serving Columbus children; to help meet the Mayor’s goal that every 4-year-old in Columbus has access to a high-quality early childhood education; to help meet the State’s goal that all early childhood education programs be Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rated by the year 2020; and to authorize the expenditure of $111,345.00 from the General fund. ($111,345.00)
Body
WHEREAS, Mayor Ginther’s vision for Columbus, America’s Opportunity City, is to create access to a high-quality early childhood education for every 4-year-old; and
WHEREAS, high-quality preschool programs better prepare children for success in kindergarten and children who come to school ready to learn are more likely to succeed academically and in life; and
WHEREAS, the City has determined that Columbus has a shortage of high-quality preschool providers; and
WHEREAS, the State of Ohio has a 2020 deadline that all early childhood education providers must be Step Up To Quality rated to be eligible to accept children funded by Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC); and
WHEREAS, the City has determined that helping existing preschool teachers receive their Child Development Associate certification will both increase the quality of those classroom teachers and help meet the State’s 2020 deadline; and
WHEREAS, Action For Children currently provides Child Development Associate training programs community-wide and is well suited to offer an expedited program in the Department’s model; and
WHEREAS, the City lacks the knowledge and expertise to provide such educational programs; and
WHEREAS, it has become necessary in the usual daily operation of the Department of Education to authorize the Director to enter into contract with Action For Children for the public health, safety, and welfare; now, therefore:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS, OHIO:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Education is authorized to enter into a contract with Action For Children for the provision of Child Development Associate training and coaching, per Columbus City Codes 329.30, under the terms and conditions deemed necessary to advance the Mayor’s vision for early childhood education in Columbus.
SECTION 2. That for the purpose stated in Section 1, the expenditure of $111,345.00, or so much thereof as may be needed, is hereby authorized from the General Fund as follows:
Div.: 42-01 | Fund: 1000 | SubFund: 100010 | Obj. Class: 03 | Main Acct: 63050 | Program: ED001 | Amount: $111,345
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 this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.