Title:
Title
City Council COVID-19 Response: CARES Act Framework and Funding Priorities; Establish Natomas Unified School District Day Camp Program
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-01045
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution: 1) establishing the Natomas Unified School District Day Camp Program; 2) establishing a $500,000 budget from the CARES Act Program (G02610100) in the Federal CARES Act Fund (Fund 2704); 3) transferring $2.2 million budget (Fund 2704) from the Economic Relief to Small Business Recovery Program (I02003000) to the CARES Act Program (G02610100) in the City’s financial system pursuant to programming recommendations presented to City Council on August 25, 2020; 4) approving the Natomas Unified School District Day Camp Program Grant Agreements with Natomas Unified School District with a cost not-to-exceed $500,000; and 5) authorizing the City Manager, or the City Manager’s designee, to execute the grant agreement.
FileName
Contact: Monica Blanco, Interim Youth Division Manager, (916) 808-6308; Vanessa Cuevas-Romero, Program Specialist, (916) 808-6157, Maggie Le, Support Services Manager, (916) 808-1040; Mario Lara, Director, (916) 808-1041, Department of Youth, Parks, & Community Enrichment.
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Coronavirus Relief Fund Programs
3-Natomas Unified School District Agreement
4-Resolution
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: On June 30, 2020, the City Council approved establishing the Summer Learning Initiative program, which provided summer learning opportunities and intervention programs to mitigate COVID-19 learning loss and improve social emotional learning for at-risk students. This program operated from July 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020 with varying program periods based on school districts’ fall school year schedules. Under the County Public Health Officer Order, all the school districts within Sacramento County will continue distance learning through Fall 2020.
The Natomas Unified School District (NUSD) began the school year in distance learning on August 27th per California’s guidance that all schools in counties on the State’s COVID-19 Monitoring Watch List must begin the school year in distance learning. NUSD recognizes that distance learning is a challenge for many students and families and will fund, in partnership with the Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center (The Center), a Day Camp program that is designed to address equity for families who cannot afford private tutoring or daycare and provide at-risk students with the academic and social-emotional support needed to overcome the obstacles presented by the pandemic and distance learning.
The Day Camp program is being designed to support students who have and may have struggled with distance learning due to lack of needed equipment and family support during the school day. By attending an in-person, on-school site program, students will be provided the structure and guidance to remain engaged in their academic learning, thus helping to combat learning loss and even greater levels of achievement gaps for NUSD’s at-risk students. The Day Camp program is also designed to address the needs of students with social and emotional concerns triggered by distance learning due to COVID-19. The intent of the program is to address the needs of our vulnerable students by developing healthy coping skills. Enrollment is prioritized to students who are English learners, foster youth, identified as homeless, special education, free and reduced lunch recipients, and students of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers. If there are too many students within the priority areas that request enrollment, additional criteria will be followed:
• 1st priority: essential worker + 1 targeted area;
• 2nd priority: anyone with 4+ targeted areas;
• 3rd priority: 3 targeted areas;
• 4th priority: 2 targeted areas;
• 5th priority: 1 targeted area.
The program will also help ensure students are connected to other peers, reducing the isolating effects of COVID-19, and in turn better preparing this population of students to successfully reintegrate into school when allowed to return for in-person instruction.
The CARES Act Funding will be used to support the implementation and operation of nine on-site, in-person Day Camp programs hosted at the K-5/K-8 school sites in the Natomas Unified School District. Each site will have the capacity to serve 40 students, totaling 360 students across the nine school sites. The Day Camp program will begin on August 27, 2020 and operate through at least November 20, 2020 and provide both academic and social-emotional support to students five days a week from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. The nine Day Camp program sites will be overseen and run by The Center and will be operating in compliance with the California Department of Public Health Guidance for Day Camps, as well as, Sacramento County Public Health guidelines.
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NUSD Partnership with The Center |
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NUSD |
The Center |
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• NUSD will provide learning space, restrooms, lunch programs, additional cleaning above and beyond their typical cleaning, and collaboration to reach children in need • Nutrition services - Students can receive breakfast, lunch, and supper. • Health and Safety - NUSD will provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as daily cleaning/sanitizing of all facilities • Technology - NUSD will ensure each student has access to both a personal Chromebook and Wi-Fi. |
• Supervision and support during synchronous & asynchronous online instruction • Supervision of arrival, dismissal, breaks, outdoor play, and meal service (provided by NUSD Nutrition Services) • Project-based enrichment STEM, healthy choices and behaviors, visual and performing arts, virtual field trips • Homework assistance, read aloud, silent reading • Grade level read alouds led by Team Leaders & social emotional learning • Participant choice (independent homework, art, journaling) |
Policy Considerations: The City has been impacted by the global pandemic. Establishing programs and budgets that include federal CARES Act funding is consistent with City Council action relative to state and federal grant awards. The recommendation is consistent with Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)funding guidelines in response to COVID-19 related impacts with delivery of program and expenses incurred within the covered period ending December 30, 2020.
The proposed action is responsive to youth needs in the City resulting from COVID-19 social impacts. The proposed action is consistent with the Citywide Youth Development Plan. Providing a subaward of CRF funds to NUSD to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency as provided in the grant agreement is a necessary expenditure.
Economic Impacts: CARES Act funds and other eligible federal and state grants will assist the City in providing economic relief to residents and business that have been impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, CARES Act spending will support and advance inclusive economic growth, improve the health of neighborhoods and support people, places, and actions that promote overall economic recovery and impacts immediately and well beyond this pandemic.
Environmental Considerations: This report concerns administrative activities and governmental fiscal activities that do not constitute a “project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15378(b)(2) and 15378(b)(4) and are not subject to the provisions of CEQA (CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3)).
Sustainability: Not Applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: The CRF funding request for Natomas Unified School District Day Camp Program was brought to the Ad-Hoc Sacramento Youth Commission Committee on August 28, 2020 for review to assist with defining the program needs and operations.
Rationale for Recommendation: The recommended action provides programming that will assist in mitigating COVID-19 related learning loss and social emotional impacts for students. Education experts nation-wide are stating that the COVID-19 related extended departure from in-classroom learning will have an enormous negative impact on students. Natomas Unified School District Day Camp program provides programming for students to address potential academic achievement gaps, social isolation, and overall educational inequity related to impacts of COVID-19.
Financial Considerations: On April 21, 2020, the City received $89.6 million from CRF to address impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommended allocation of $500,000 from the Federal CARES Act Fund (Fund 2704) will allow for operations of the Natomas Unified School District Day Camp Program through November 20, 2020. The authority to transfer of $2.2 million from the Economic Relief to Small Business Recovery Program (I02003000) to the CARES Act Program (G02610100) in the City’s financial system is needed to implement the programmatic recommendations presented to City Council on August 25, 2020. City Council has committed to $89.6 million for CRF programs and projects to date. Details on the CRF programs and projects are included as Attachment 2.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not Applicable.