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REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br /> <br />June 12, 2017 <br /> <br />SUBJECT <br />Child Care Supply Gap Study and Facilities Shortage <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Receive presentation by consultant Joanne Brion, of Brion Economics Inc., regarding <br />the Redwood City Child Care Supply and Demand Analysis (Oct. 2016) and provide <br />input on next steps to address child care and early learning needs of Redwood City <br />community residents and employees <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />Redwood City has been proactive in supporting existing and new early education and <br />child care programs since the 1980’s as population and employment have increased. <br />Our part-time Child Care Coordinator is the only such position in the county, and our <br />General Plan includes several supportive policies. Over the last decade, the lack of <br />facilities to house new programs has been a significant barrier, resulting in lost <br />opportunities to capture new local, state and federal operational funding, and preventing <br />even private, fee-based programs from serving our community. Consequently, some <br />parents are unable to enter the workforce, children enter kindergarten not ready for <br />school success, older children are unsupervised after school, and/or families use <br />unlicensed, patchwork or inadequate care arrangements. <br /> <br />As this facilities shortage became more apparent countywide, San Mateo County’s <br />Human Services Agency contracted with Brion Economics to prepare a countywide <br />Early Learning Facilities Needs Assessment. All reports from this multi-phase study are <br />available at www.smcoe.org/elfnar. In order to capitalize on that work, particularly the <br />identification of potential sites, cost estimates and potential financing strategies, the City <br />contracted with Brion for additional work. The attached Final Redwood City Child Care <br />Needs Assessment memo is the first deliverable. <br /> <br />The Planning Commission received the presentation at their meeting on April 18, 2017. <br /> <br /> <br />ANALYSIS <br />The Redwood City Child Care Needs Assessment memo provides the child care/early <br />learning supply gap data (estimates) for 2015 and 2025. It includes data for three age <br />groups: birth-2 years (Infant-Toddler), 3-4 years (Preschool), and 5-12 years (School <br />8.C. - Page 1