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A Multi -Sector Approach to Closing the Facility Shortage Gap lic, t LLS.CHGMBEfl C MERCE FOUNDATION n 2015, California's San Mateo County identified a tremendous shortage of high-quality early learning facilities, which Impacted children of all ages and income levels. This facility shortage led to the region's inability to expand access to early childhood education programs. As a result, San Mateo County started to work towards a solution. Using lessons learned, Build Up for San Mateo -County's Children (Build Up SMC) was established to improve the supply of childcare facilities that include high-quality infant and toddler care and increase the overall availability of childcare for children birth to five in San Mateo County. Build Up SMC knew that awareness was low around the economic implications of a childcare shortage outside of the early childhood education community. From the beginning, building allies and champions from outside the field of early childhood education (i.e. city staff, elected officials, and business leaders) was critical to making positive change. Build Up SMC's network of staff, volunteers, and strategic partners works with city planners, developers, employers, school districts, and other community organizations to identify opportunities for the inclusion of childcare in ongoing county economic development activities, including the reuse of existing available space, inclusion of childcare in new developments, partnerships with large employers, and generating new capital funds. THE RESULTS More than 1,500 childcare spaces have either been completed or are inW1:01 1,478 the development pipeline, moving the needle towards Build Up SMC's 2020 goal of developing 3,000 new spaces to support San MateoPLETED County families.LINE FIRMED AINING - THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE There is no question that today's parents struggle to find safe, affordable and nurturing places for children to spend their days while parents pursue employment or education. For example, 51 percent of Americans live in "childcare deserts" where licensed programs can accommodate fewer than a third of the children in the community. The 2017 SMC Child Care Needs Assessment cites that the region's childcare centers could only support 60 percent of the region's infants, leaving a gap of 2,527 spaces. For low-income families, only 13 percent of the need for affordable infant and toddler care is being met. According to a Center for American Progress report, across the U.S., nearly one in five infants and toddlers live in poverty, leaving millions of children at risk of falling behind before they can even walk. It is no surprise that gaps in children's cognitive abilities by income are evident as early as nine months old and significantly widen by the age of two. The Bipartisan Policy Center's Framework on Early Childhood Education cites that nearly 129,000 center -based programs are serving seven million children nationwide, and another one million in-home providers serve more than 2.7 million children. The Urban Institute reports that 50 percent of those children are in full-time care, which means they spend 35 hours or more each week at the facility at a time when 75 percent of their brain is developing. Children begin learning at birth. Every interaction that young children have with a caregiver adds to their experiences, which in turn influences the rapid brain development that occurs in the first few years of life and lays the framework for success throughout life. After families do secure a spot, paying for it is another challenge. Though costs vary widely, the average annual cost is around $11,000. In 2018, Congress approved historic increases in federal aid for early childhood education. As states determined the priority of need for that funding, often those investments are spent on the most critical need, such as raising reimbursements for providers, helping parents afford care, or supporting the professional development of teachers. The physical infrastructure of early learning environments is overlooked.