Explanation
Mayor Ginther’s vision for Columbus, America’s Opportunity City, is to create access to a high-quality prekindergarten 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 prekindergarten 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.
Through Early Start Columbus, the Office of Education provides high-quality prekindergarten services to children throughout the City. However, data provided by Future Ready Columbus, an education-focused public-private partnership, shows that Kindergarten readiness scores in the Linden and Whitehall communities are lower than scores county-wide. Therefore the Office of Education plans to focus summer programming on those areas.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes an expenditure of $140,000.00 from the 2022 Office of Education’s General Fund operating budget.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency designation is requested so programming may begin as soon as possible.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Office of Education to enter into a contract with Family, Adolescent and Child Community Engagement Services (FACCES), a non-profit organization that specializes in family engagement with a focus on academic navigation through their K-Ready Ohio program; to focus specifically in preparing children in Linden and Whitehall for Kindergarten; to authorize the expenditure of $140,000.00 from the General Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($140,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, kindergarten readiness is essential for the success of children in school, and in life; and
WHEREAS, data shows that the kindergarten readiness scores of children in the Linden and Whitehall communities are the lowest, county-wide; and
WHEREAS, the Director of Education desires to enter into a contract with Family, Adolescent and Child Community Engagement Services (FACCES) to provide a parent curriculum that supports the family and early learning childcare centers in collecting data and KRA scores; and
WHEREAS, the goal is that all children in the City of Columbus will be kindergarten ready; and
WHEREAS, funding was budgeted in the general fund within the Office of Education’s operating budget for this purpose; 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 a contract with FACCES so programming may begin as soon as possible, all for the preservation of public health, peace, property, and safety; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Office of Education be and is hereby authorized to enter into an educational service contract with FACCES, a non-profit organization that provides families academic navigation resources and online learning to families in the Linden and Whitehall communities:
Family Adolescent and Child Community Engagement Services (FACCES): 2515 Lockbourne Road
Columbus, OH 43207- Contract Compliance # TBD
SECTION 2. That the expenditure of $140,000.00 be and is hereby authorized as follows (see attachment Ordinance 1323-2022):
Dept/Div: 40-06 | Obj Class: 03 | Main Account: 63050 | Fund: 1000 | Sub-fund: 100010 | Program: ED001 | Amount: $140,000.00
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.