Emergency Response & Recovery Plan
Our goal is to ensure that young children have quality, nurturing, and safe child care and education as physical distancing requirements continue to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Thank you to everyone who has already completed our survey! Based on the responses, we will start to meet every two weeks, on Wednesdays at 1:30pm. Our next community call will be Wednesday, June 17 at 1:30pm. You are welcome to join the Child Care Planning Council meeting next week on Wednesday, June 10 from 1:30-2:30pm to hear the latest on state funding for child care. If you have not already, please take 5-8 minutes to complete this simple survey to assess priorities.
For more information about this effort and the coalition behind it, including weekly meeting information, please visit our web hub here. You’ll find an invitation to join our bi-weekly Wednesday afternoon community calls and minutes from the last three months.
This Week’s Highlights
A few highlights from this last week are shared below. Previous Weekly Digests are available here.
By the Numbers
40 local child care centers are operating now (34% of total registered).
284 local child care homes are operating now (86% of total registered).
283 children have been served with emergency child care for essential workers.
56 children (estimated) could still be served with emergency child care for essential workers (enrollment open through the end of June).
195 early childhood education providers enrolled for supplies vouchers.
$310,802 has been disbursed for emergency supplies.
$159,719 is still available for emergency supplies (to be disbursed by end of 2020).
1,500 masks were distributed to child care centers this week, thanks to United Way, in addition to 70 classrooms and 42 child care homes that received supplies since shelter-in-place (donated by First 5 California).
106 formal and informal early childhood educators and administrators are receiving mental health supports from F5MC, MAOF, MCOE, and OES.
$700,000 in CARES Act Emergency Food & Shelter fund has been granted to 23 agencies through United Way for food, public and private shelters, and utility assistance.
729 new users visited www.MontereyCountyChildCare.org in the month of May.
5 early childhood development champions shared public comments at the Board of Supervisors Budget Hearings to support investing in young children.
1 presentation on child care and wellbeing during COVID-19 was presented at Supervisor Jane Parker’s Town Hall virtual meeting by F5MC.
Resources
- Emergency supplies vouchers for all types of child care providers (except those part of school districts) are still available and are valid through September 30. Call (831) 757-0775 to apply. More information for school districts is coming soon.
- Essential worker child care vouchers are still available. Enroll through June 30 here or call (831) 757-0775.
- COVID-19 related resources for families with young children including services, activities, and more are available at MontereyCountyChildCare.org and First 5 Monterey County.
- Resiliency supports are available through the Health Department’s Forward Together initiative. Click here for more information.
- “Find Child Care” blue badge (like the one at the top of this digest) is available here. It links to www.MontereyCountyChildCare.org with the most up-to-date information regarding child care.
- Free COVID-19 testing is now available. Child care and education providers are strongly encouraged to get tested. Appointments are required. Register by clicking here or by calling 888-634-1123. More information, including times and locations, can be found here on these posters — please post and share within your networks.
- United Way launched an early learning fund to support child care during COVID-19. Check out the video here. Please share with your networks — donations are being accepted on an ongoing basis.
It Takes a Coalition
The emergency response providing coordinated solutions for child care and education is led by a coalition of early childhood champions, united under the Bright Beginnings Strategic Framework to better support all young children and their families, to prepare every child for life and school. This coalition is ever-growing:
4th Monterey County Supervisorial District
30th California Assembly District
Building Healthy Communities
CAPSLO
Carmel Unified School District
Child Care Planning Council
Child Development Centers and Continuing Development Incorporated
Children’s Council
Early Development Services
First 5 Monterey County
Go Kids, Inc.
Health Department
MAOF Resource & Referral & Alternative Payment Program
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
Natividad Medical Center
North Monterey County Unified School District
Office of Education – Early Learning Program
Office of Education – Educational Services
Public Health Office
Quality Matters
Salinas City Elementary School District
Social Services – Child Abuse Prevention Council
United Farmworkers Foundation
United Way of Monterey County
YMCA
A special thanks to the coordinating team and major funders: Bright Beginnings Backbone, Child Care Planning Council, First 5 Monterey County, MAOF Resource & Referral, Quality Matters, and the United Way of Monterey County.
For more information, please contact sonja@brightbeginningsmc.org.