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Childcare Grant Opportunity Through Care Constellation Open CallCity of Dubuque City Council Meeting Consent Items # 7. Copyrighted July 6, 2021 ITEM TITLE: Childcare Grant Opportunity Through Care Constellation Open Call SUMMARY: City Manager recommending support of a grant application to the Care Constellation on the issue of childcare submitted on behalf of a local childcare coalition. SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve DISPOSITION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Childcare Grant Opportunity-MVM Memo Staff Memo Online Submission Grant Narrative Type City Manager Memo Staff Memo Supporting Documentation Supporting Documentation THE C Dubuque DUUB-.-*.-TE *Awiu Ciq ' iece on the Mississippi Masterpiece PP zoo�•zoi 2-2013 zoi7*2019oi9 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Childcare Grant Opportunity Through Care Constellation Open Call DATE: June 23, 2021 Economic Development Director Jill Connors is transmitting information on an open call for grant applications by the Care Constellation on the issue of childcare and a Vision/Idea submitted on behalf of a local childcare coalition. For several years, a local coalition of stakeholders has been meeting and strategizing on how to provide access to more quality, affordable childcare in Dubuque. This coalition includes City staff, Childcare Resource & Referral, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Dubuque County Early Childhood, Greater Dubuque Development Corp., and Northeast Iowa Community College. The Iowa Women's Foundation has also served in a convening and legislative advocacy capacity. The coalition was recently made aware of a grant opportunity provided by Care Constellation. This grant would provide $50,000 - $100,000 in grant funding and access to thought partnership and support from other Care Constellation grantees, advisors we select, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program Officers, and designers at IDEO.org. The basic tenet of the grant is to reimagine the childcare system from the ground up. The local coalition is responding to the open call with a proposal to study and develop a solution to the transportation barrier as it relates to quality childcare/early education for children and as a barrier to quality employment for parents.\\ As a member of the coalition Economic Development Director Jill Connors is recommending City support of the grant application. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval." v Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Jill M. Connors, Economic Development Director THE CITY OF E Masterpiece on the Mississippi Dubuque AII•Amerin City NniK���i rnz: u;v�ur 2007-2012.2013 2017*2019 TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Jill M. Connors, Economic Development Director Economic Development Department 1300 Main Street Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4763 Office (563) 589-4393 TTY (563) 690-6678 http://www.cityofdubuque.org SUBJECT: Childcare Grant Opportunity through Care Constellation Open Call DATE: June 21, 2021 INTRODUCTION This memorandum provides information on an open call for grant applications by the Care Constellation on the issue of childcare and a Vision/Idea submitted on behalf of a local childcare coalition and requests City support of the grant application. BACKGROUND For several years, a local coalition of stakeholders has been meeting and strategizing on how to provide access to more quality, affordable childcare in Dubuque. This coalition includes City Economic Development staff, Childcare Resource & Referral, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Dubuque County Early Childhood, Greater Dubuque Development Corp., and Northeast Iowa Community College. The Iowa Women's Foundation has also served in a convening and legislative advocacy capacity. DISCUSSION Our coalition was recently made aware of a grant opportunity provided by Care Constellation. This grant would provide $50,000 - $100,000 in grant funding and access to thought partnership and support from other Care Constellation grantees, advisors we select, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Program Officers, and designers at IDEO.org. The basic tenet of the grant is to reimagine the childcare system from the ground up. IDEO.org and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have joined together to form the Care Constellation. Over the next year they will support a small -but -mighty set of collaborators to develop, advance, and amplify alternative visions for our childcare system. This Open Call is an invitation — to individuals, teams, organizations, companies, cooperatives, communities, governments and more across the United States —to develop visions of a childcare system in the United States that are anchored in amplifying what is working for families, childcare providers, and children. They encourage applicants to look beyond the challenges and constraints of today's childcare system and dream up what should be. To come up with a picture of what universal childcare in the United States would look like if we cared for every child, family, and childcare provider in the way they deserve —and then to share how a one-time grant will help play a role in developing, advancing, and amplifying our vision. Our local coalition is responding to the open call with a proposal to study and develop a solution to the transportation barrier as it relates to quality childcare/early education for children and as a barrier to quality employment for parents. A copy of our online submission and the grant narrative are attached. Expected timeline in the process is submission of Vision/Idea by June 21, 2021; evaluation of ideas by the Care Constellation team beginning June 23rd, Invitational begins July 121" (preliminary conversations between Care Constellation team and interesting proposals); Final Evaluation by August 7t', and winning Visions/Ideas to be announced August 28t" RECOMMENDATION/ ACTION STEP I respectfully request Mayor and City Council support of this grant application. We look forward to reporting back in the near future on the results of this application. CC: Abigail Degenhardt — Executive Director, Dubuque County Early Childhood Paul Duster — Director of Community Initiatives, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque David Lyons — Director of Sustainable Innovation, Greater Dubuque Development Corp. Tara Roddick — Childcare Consultant Supervisor, Child Care Resource & Referral Northeast Iowa Erin Powers -Daley — Director of Recruitment, Northeast Iowa Community College 2 THE CARE CONSTELLATION OPEN CALL Let's re -imagine a childcare system that sustains and provides for all and offer up visions and ideas to make that reality come true. Poverty Reduction and Better Childcare/Education through Flexible, Equitable Transportation FOLLOW IDEA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR CITY OF DUBUQUE SUBMISSION DATE June 18, 2021 OVERVIEW QUESTIONS Hello! Welcome to the Open Call. Who are you? And if you have a team, who's on it? Hi! Jill Connors here. I'm the Economic Development Director for the City of Dubuque, IOWA. Our coalition of partners includes: • Jill Connors - Economic Development Director, City of Dubuque • Abigail Degenhardt - Executive Director, Dubuque County Early Childhood • Paul Duster - Director of Community Initiatives, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque • David Lyons - Director of Sustainable Innovation, Greater Dubuque Development Corp. • Tara Roddick - Child Care Consultant Supervisor, Child Care Resource & Referral of Northeast Iowa • Erin Powers -Daley - Director of Recruitment, Northeast Iowa Community College What role(s) do you (as an individual or team) play in the childcare system? • advocate • organizer • service provider • policymaker • other If you selected 'Other', can you tell us more about how you see your role? We also represent the community college which has begun to address the barrier of childcare for their students, allowing parents an equal opportunity to upskill. It's 2030—and every child, family, and care provider has something that works for them. What is your Vision of this future? Every parent is able to get their child(ren) to quality childcare, regardless of their income, residential location, work location, or childcare center location. Providers are able to serve children with their own resources, and when ready, the children can be transported to other educational opportunities (preschool, activities). Whose experiences inspire your Vision? Our partners at Childcare Resource & Referral work every day with parents who cannot find childcare to fit their families' needs. Much of it stems from a lack of transportation options. These parents will be better able to provide for their families if they can hold down good -paying job, which can only happen if their child is in quality care. How does your Vision center children and families experiencing structural discrimination? The transportation issue particularly discriminates against our low-income and racial minority residents (who live in a much higher rate of poverty in Dubuque). It is these very families who need the networks and support of the community in order to help their children succeed at the same level as our wealthier, more socially -networked residents. Which of these common childcare system goals and/or pain points does your Vision address forever for everyone? • Care availability at days, times, and locations that work for families and care providers • Other (we'll ask you to tell us more elsewhere!) If you selected 'Other', can you tell us more about which other pain points your Vision addresses? We will address access to care through a flexible transportation model. What is your Idea? In other words, if you are selected as a winner, what do you want to do over the next year with up to $100k in funding to bring your Vision for universal childcare closer to being real in the United States? Activities will include (1) a comprehensive feasibility study on the impact of transit/transportation on childcare availability in the Dubuque region; (2) a community - wide industry forum on public/private collaboration opportunities on childcare transportation; and (3) a public/private demonstration project on innovative transit/transportation capacity for children at risk of not receiving quality childcare (low- income families, single -parent families, new -to -workforce families and children from families with no active/authorized drivers.) Phases (1) and (2) will be completed within the year and phase (3) will be in implementation stage by year end. The demonstration project will test financial, human and physical infrastructure needs for a "best -interests -of - the -child" centered transportation/transit system. What mode are you (or you and your team) in with this Idea? I'm (or we are) researching and developing Where is your idea on a continuum of dreaming, researching, building, strengthening, amplifying? We've begun developing a list of other potential partners - some that are already in the transportation space. Some that are providers/schools. Some that are employers looking for a reliable workforce. We plan to start convening these stakeholders to flesh out what's possible. How will you center children and families moving forward? The leading question in all of this is "what's best for the child". We know that whatever solution is developed has to work for the children and families - not JUST providers and employers. We have to "start at the beginning" - which is the child. What are some of the strengths, assets, and conditions you're counting on to be successful with this idea? What barriers have you encountered or do you anticipate? How have you or will you overcome them? On the plus side, we've been working as a coalition on the general issue of childcare for several years already - so we know how to work together. We have already had success at the state and local levels of government where childcare has now been prioritized and policies have been put in place to address the cost of childcare. We represent a wide spectrum of stakeholders, and our community has a great track record when it comes to public/private partnerships and resident engagement. We have also been successful at developing a pilot program that provides free childcare to parents who attend the community college, incentivizing them to upskill for higher -wage jobs. We have already begun to discuss the barrier of a sustainable business model for our vision of flexible transportation. We believe that if this were easy, someone would have already implemented a working model that equitably serves everyone in their community - not just those who can afford multiple transportation options through their financial and social capital. We're hoping to lead the way on tackling this issue! Anything else to share? Screenshots, videos, audio - upload away! Name Creation Time E, Grant narrative - Dubuque IOWA.docx Jun 18 -2 JUNE 18, 2021 O S VIEWS � 0 LIKES O 0 FOLLOWERS < THE CARE CONSTELLATION OPEN CALL The Care Constellation Open Call — Grant Narrative — Dubuque, IOWA Hello, and thank you for the opportunity to apply for the Care Constellation grant to find innovative ways to rethink our childcare system. We are a coalition of public, private, and non-profit organizations that has been coordinating for several years to find new approaches to supporting families, childcare providers, and employers in our community through pilot programs that address childcare issues. We are now looking to find a more sustainable solution. Our focus will be transportation. Recognizing that transportation can be a barrier to parents being fully employed and to children getting high -quality childcare, our coalition of partners is proposing to solve for the issue of transportation to and from home/childcare centers/early education facilities. Dubuque, Iowa, is a community of about 60,000 residents. We are located along the Mississippi River at the intersection of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Like many river towns, we have a large manufacturing base. Our economy has diversified over the decades, but many of the higher -wage jobs that are available to residents of a variety of educational levels remain in the industrial sector. In the 1980s, Dubuque began to develop an industrial park on the west end of town and technology park on the south end. These areas now boast over 55 employers and over 6,000 jobs, providing livable wages for two working adults with children. The challenge for our residents is that many of our low-income residents live on the far east end of town. This area includes a greater number of households per capita without a personal vehicle. We have a public transit system, but the routes do not extend to the west end in a timely fashion. Nor does public transit provide parents the flexibility to transport their children to childcare or early education centers and then immediately proceed to their work locations. This keeps our low-income residents from moving up the economic ladder. Regardless of income level or residential location in town, we hear from all stakeholders that transportation is a universal issue: we hear this from schools, parents, employers, providers, early childhood educators, preschools, etc. A lack of flexible transportation options can keep parents from accepting desirable jobs and prevents children from accessing a variety of educational offerings. One illustration of how transportation is negatively affecting parents and children is that despite currently having 400 openings across our childcare system, parents call our Childcare Resource & Referral office saying they cannot find quality childcare. The reason for this is that the available openings are not in a location (in relation to their residence) where the parent can drop off/pick up their child(ren) in a way that would allow them to get to work on time and stay their entire shift. In addition to the issue of transportation getting in the way of parents holding a steady, good -paying job, it also prevents children from accessing a quality early childhood experience. If parents need to choose childcare solely based on proximity to their residence, they may not have the luxury of placing their child in a registered/certified home or center that has openings and is across town. Once the child is in a childcare facility, transportation can impede the child's ability to attend preschool. (Our local public schools do not provide wrap around care, so children must be transported between school programming and childcare.) This is a barrier to a quality education for the children, creating a situation where the children may not be fully prepared to be successful in kindergarten - which, as we know, is a predictor for future academic success. Dubuque is committed to being an equitable community of choice. To achieve our equity goal, we need to ensure all our children have access to quality, affordable childcare and other learning opportunities. We know that the first 2,000 days of life are critical for setting up our children to succeed in the future. We have more questions than answers at this point in our discussion on how to solve this issue in our community: Is there a way for our public transit system to be part of the answer for this issue? Could a for -profit entity afford to take this on? Would a non-profit organization be needed? Would parents entrust their children to other adults to drive them to childcare/early childhood centers? How would the eventual solution be affordable to parents? As a coalition of partners that has already spent several years working with the National League of Cities and other consultants to create a community -wide approach to solving for quality, affordable childcare for all, we look forward to extending our work to solving this transportation piece of the puzzle. We look forward to moving this work forward with the assistance of the Care Constellation grant. Sincerely, _4&C0TW1&rS-- Economic Development Director, City of Dubuque Alr%c�De ,e�dt— Executive Director, Dubuque County Early Childhood PauilDwote l - Director of Community Initiatives, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque Davt i LyOilLk- Director of Sustainable Innovation, Greater Dubuque Development Corp. Ta -a/ Z0dd Ck Child Care Consultant Supervisor, Child Care Resource & Referral of Northeast Iowa ErbrilPowe4,k-DGaey- Director of Recruitment, Northeast Iowa Community College