Title
Supplemental Contract with Los Rios Community College District - Early Childhood Education (ECE) Apprenticeship Cohort 2
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FileID
File ID: 2025-00913
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion authorizing the Interim City Manager or designee to execute Supplemental Contract No. 1 to the City Professional Services Agreement No. PRC003156 with Los Rios Community College to: 1) extend the term of the Contract to May 31, 2027 and 2) increase the budget for the Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program in an amount not to exceed $222,239 bringing the total not-to-exceed amount for the Contract to $438,239.
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Contact
Contact: Janine Cooper, Child Care Project Manager, (916) 808-5449, jcooper1@cityofsacramento.org; Denise Malvetti, Deputy Director, (916) 808-7064, dmalvetti@cityofsacramento.org; City Manager’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Exhibit A- Supplemental Contract
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: The City’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Apprenticeship Program was approved as part of the City Council’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Childcare Framework and Spending Plan on August 16, 2022. On October 10, 2023, the City of Sacramento approved an agreement with Los Rios Community College to facilitate an ECE Apprenticeship Program. As part of the program, funds are given to participants who are simultaneously receiving ECE credits while working at local childcare centers and receiving wraparound services (including needs assessments, career coaching and tutoring) from the City’s partner, Pivot Sacramento.
Since that time, the ECE apprenticeship program has graduated one cohort of 9 participants and launched a second cohort of 16 participants in August 2024 with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). On July 1, 2024, the City of Sacramento received $850,000 in grant funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for Infant and Toddler Expansion and Capacity Building Technical Assistance. The following activities were designated in the SBA funding application:
• Family Childcare Home Infant and Toddler Expansion
• Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship Program and Wrap Around Services
• Equity-based Childcare Business Development Training
• Family Childcare Home Startup Technical Assistance and Stipend Program
The supplemental contract with Los Rios Community College will allow for implementation of a third ECE apprenticeship cohort of up to 30 participants commencing in Fall 2025.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Continuing to invest in the ECE Apprenticeship Program aligns with the Council-approved ARPA Childcare Framework and Spending Plan. Implementation of the ECE Apprenticeship Program has helped develop a pipeline of childcare workers to address the workforce shortage in Sacramento’s childcare industry. Nine apprentices have graduated and 16 more are in cohort 2 supporting capacity building at childcare centers throughout the City of Sacramento.
In accordance with AP 4102, the City entered into a sole source contract with Los Rios Community College District because they are the only reasonable and practicable source for the required professional services.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: The ECE Apprenticeship Program work specified in this supplemental contract with Los Rios Community College will be funded through a grant from the U.S. SBA that is being used to support the childcare industry in Sacramento and help strengthen the childcare industry by increasing the number of family childcare home (FCCH) providers, support the retention of current FCCH providers, train, and recruit childcare workers, and increase the number of available infant and toddler slots for families to support getting Sacramentans back to work.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The proposed actions are not a project under CEQA because they relate to government fiscal activities that do not involve any commitment to a specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines, §§15060(c)(3), 15378(b)(4)). Further, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed actions may have a significant effect on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines, §15061(b)(3)).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The childcare industry is still recovering from the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Sacramento has seen approximately 250 childcare facilities close, and in 2021 in Sacramento County, the childcare workforce was reportedly down by 13.3% from pre-pandemic levels. Although we have seen some improvement in the workforce, the childcare industry continues to struggle to return to its pre-pandemic levels. To assist with addressing the childcare crisis, the City Council allocated $1.5 million for childcare services in the ARPA Framework and Funding priorities.
A key component of the Framework is an ECE apprenticeship program. Approval of the supplemental contract will allow the City to continue its support of the childcare industry that has been negatively affected by COVID-19 pandemic. The ECE Apprenticeship Program has proven to help increase the number of childcare workers, therefore, increasing childcare center capacity and moving children off waitlists.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: In 2023, The City entered into a $216,000 contract with Los Rios Community College District and this staff report recommends increasing that contract by $229,239 for a new not to exceed of $438,239. This supplemental contract will be funded by a U.S. Small Business Administration grant (G02180360 ECE Workforce Training Program - SBA, Fund 2702) for infant and toddler care expansion, technical assistance and capacity building. Sufficient funding from the $850,000 grant remains to cover the full cost of the supplemental contract.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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