[00:00:08]
[Approval of Minutes ]
>> PELAEZ: SO FIRST THING WE DO IS WE ARE GOING TO NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR MEETINGS FROM OUR NOVEMBER 5TH, 2024 MEETING.
COUNCILMAN WHYTE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OUR MINUTES.
>> WHYTE: I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
>> PELAEZ: ALL RIGHT. WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING? (AYE).
>> PELAEZ: THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU.
COUNCILWOMAN AN ROACH ROCHA GARCIA GARCIA HAS WALKED AWAY IN HER
[Briefing and Possible Action on the following items ]
PHONE. WE'VE GOT NO CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS OUR SAEDC GUIDELINES,
WHO'S DOING THAT ONE? >> THOMAS DAVIS. >> PELAEZ: , HEY,
THOMAS. >> MY NAME'S THOMAS DAVIS, I'M AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ON THE COMMUNITY VITALITY TEAM IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM. I'M HERE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE INVESTMENT GUIDELINES AND WORK PLAN. SO BEFORE I DO, A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE -- I'M GOING TO REFER TO IT AS THE EDC, TO SPEED THINGS UP A LITTLE BIT. THE EDC IS A NONPROFIT TYPE B CORPORATION CREATED BY THE CITY IN 2010. IT AS PART OF ITS GOVERNANCE, THERE ARE SEVEN MEMBERS, THE MAYOR SERVES AS THE PRESIDENT, CITY MANAGER SERVES A AS THE SECRETARY AND THEN -- OF THE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ARE ALL MEMBERS, AND FINALLY THERE ARE THREE AT LARGE MEMBERS. THE CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IS OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER ALEX LOPEZ, AND CITY COUNCIL LARGELY OVERSEES AND PROVIDES THE KOORPTION OVERSIGHT. SO SINCE INCEPTION -- THE EDC HAS MADE 12 INVESTMENTS IN TOTAL AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR ACTIVE AGREEMENTS. ALONG WITH THOSE INVESTMENTS, ONE OF THE KEY PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES HAS BEEN THE SAN ANTONIO MILITARY MEDICAL INNOVATION INITIATIVE. THAT STARTED OUT OF A WORKING GROUP OF MILITARY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND THEN THE EDC REALLY TOOK THAT INITIATIVE ON TO FURTHER ITS GOALS AFTER IT WAS FINALIZED. IN 2023, WE ACTUALLY ENTERED INTO A CONTRACT WITH VELOCITY TEXAS TO MANAGE THAT INITIATIVE AND RELATIONSHIP, AND ONE OF THE BIG PROJECTS OR FEATURES OF THAT INITIATIVE IS THE MILITARY MEDICAL INNOVATION DAY, WHICH WE'VE SEEN SIGNIFICANT GROWTH AND INTEREST IN OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS, POSTPANDEMIC, AS WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE COME BACK, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN IT. AND FINALLY THE EDC ALSO HELPS ADMINISTER AND MANAGE THE CAPACITY BUILDING AND BONDING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THAT'S THE PROGRAM AND MANAGEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO HELP COMPANIES EXPAND THEIR BONDING CAPACITY, TO HOPEFULLY SEEK AND GET CITY CONTRACTS, OTHER PUBLIC ENTITY CONTRACTS AND ALSO GET ADDITIONAL WORK WITHIN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. SO A LITTLE ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND, BEFORE YOU MOVE INTO THE ACTUAL INVESTMENT GUIDELINE
PIECE, IN OCTOBER OF 2022 -- >>
>> PELAEZ: YES, COUNCILWOMAN, WE DID ROLL CALL.
YOU TOTALLY MISSED IT. BUT WE SEE YOU NOW ON CAMERA, AND YOU'RE MARKED
>> PELAEZ: YOU'RE MARKED PRE PRESENT. >>
>> GARCIA: I'M MAYBE 20 MINUTES AWAY FROM CITY HALL.
>> CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW BY CHANCE? >> GARCIA: YES, NOW I
SO I'M JUST GOING TO -- [INDISCERNIBLE] IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
IN OBLGHT OF 2022, COUNCIL ACCEPTED THE ECONOMIC STRATEGIC
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FRAMEWORK, AND IN THAT FRAMEWORK THERE ARE A SET OF FOUR GOAL, AND UNDER THAT, A SET OF PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS. A COUPLE OF THOSE ARE RELATED TO THE EDC. UNDER GOAL TWO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S ONE THAT RECOMMEND THAT'S THE CITY USE THE EDC AS A HUB TO DRIVE PLACE-BASED INITIATIVES AND STIMULATE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, PLACE MAKING, REDEVELOPMENT AND REVITALIZATION. AND RELATED TO GOAL 4, REALLY TO LOOK TO REPURPOSE THE EDC TO LEAD ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROJECTS AND PLACE-BASE DEVELOPMENT WHILE RETAINING THE ORIGINAL CAPACITY TO INVEST IN PREVIOUSLY INDUSTRY CLUSTER PRIORITIES.AND SO THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE GOALS THEY'RE ASSOCIATED WITH HAVE REALLY BEEN FOUNDATIONAL GUIDANCE IN THE AMENDMENTS TO THE EDC'S BYLAWS AND THE UPDATED INVESTMENT GUIDELINES.
SO WHY EXACTLY THE EDC? WE SORT OF SIMPLIFIED IT HERE TO REVOLVE AROUND FLEXIBILITY, INNOVATIVE FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES AND THEN GENERAL PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. SO FLEXIBILITY-WISE, THE EDC HAS MORE LIMITED, PUBLIC NOTICE AND BIDDING REQUIREMENTS WHEN SELLING OR LEASING PROPERTY, AND THEN ALSO AS PART OF, LIKE, DEVELOPMENT DEALS, THE EDC AS A TYPE B CORPORATION MAINTAINS ITS TAX EXEMPT STATUS FOR LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES, SO THAT CAN HELP ASSIST IN DEVELOPING DEALS AND CAPITAL STACKS RELATED TO THOSE. THAT LEADS ME INTO THE INNOVATIVE FINANCING SIDE OF THING, THE EDC IS ABLE TO PURSUE ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES. IT CAN BE A HUB FOR FUNDING, WHICH IS ALSO ONE OF THE THINGS RECOMMENDED BY THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK -- PRETTY INTERESTING WAYS. FINALLY, ON PARTNERSHIPS, IT CAN PURSUE THOSE PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. YOU KNOW, THE EDC HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN A TRUSTED CONVENER OF STAKEHOLDERS AND RESOURCES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND AS PART OF THESE UPDATES TO THE BYLAWS AND INVESTMENT GUIDELINES, REALLY ADVANCE PLACE-MAKING INITIATIVES AND EMPHASIZE THE EDC'S ROLE IN THAT EFFORT.
FIRST SET OF INVESTMENT GUIDELINES WERE APPROVED IN 2012, WITH AN UPDATE IN 2017. IN 2023, THE EDC AMENDED ITS BYLAWS AND COUNCIL APPROVED THOSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH REAL ESTATE PROJECTS AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL SORT OF EMPHASIS ON EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS, AND EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE BOARD RECEIVED THE BRIEFING AND RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF ON THE INVESTMENT GUIDELINES UPDATES AND APPROVED THOSE.
SORRY. SO THE INVESTMENT GUIDELINES ARE REALLY THERE TO ESTABLISH THOSE INVESTMENT PRIORITIES, OFFER THAT SUFFICIENT FLEXIBILITY TO MEECH THE COMMUNITY NEEDS, SOME OF WHICH WE KNOW, SOME OF WHICH MAY CHANGE NEXT WEEK AND NEXT MONTH AND NEXT YEARS, BUT REALLY IT'S TO LEAD THE EDC IN THE DIRECTION ON WHICH IT MAKES ITS INVESTMENTS.
THE PREVIOUS GUIDELINES SPECIFICALLY SUPPORTED THOSE BIOTECH AND TECH EARLY-STAGE STARTUPS. THE DUE DILIGENCE, WE CHANGED THE DUE DILIGENCE PORTIONS OF THE GUIDELINES AS WELL AS THE MONITORING ONES, SO PREVIOUSLY THERE WAS NOT REALLY A SPECIFIC DUE DILIGENCE REQUIREMENT.
IT WAS JUST SPECIFIC TO THE PROJECT OR THE STARTUP COMPANY WITH WHICH WE WERE ENGAGING WITH AND THEIR FUNDING ROUND AND THE MONITORING WAS ALSO REALLY PROJECT-SPECIFIC. THERE WAS NO REAL CRITERIA AND IT WAS UP TO THE PROJECT CONTRACT TO INCLUDE THOSE IN THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY WANTED TO INCLUDE THOSE. FOR THE UPDATED GUIDELINES, YOU'LL SEE HERE WE ADDED SOME GUIDELINES FOR REAL ESTATE RELATED PROJECTS, WE KEPT THOSE GUIDELINES FOR THE STARTUP INVESTMENTS, SO WE CAN STILL PURSUE THOSE IF OPPORTUNITIES PRESENT THEMSELVES, BUT REALLY LOOKING INTO THAT PLACE-BASED REVITALIZATION EFFORTS ON THE REAL ESTATE SIDE. WE ALSO FORMALIZED THE DUE DILIGENCE CRITERIA AND -- TO REVIEW COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR THE EDC AND OTHER CITY-RELATED ENTITIES WITH WHICH WE MIGHT ENGAGE AND FINALLY WE ADDED MINIMUM MONITORING FINANCE CRITERIA WHILE STILL MAINTAINING SOME OF THAT PROJECT FLEXIBILITY.
SO THE UPDATES, THE BYLAWS, THE INVESTMENT GUIDELINES LEAD US TO THE WORK PLAN, WHICH ALSO WAS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD HERE EARLIER IN JANUARY, AND THE WORK PLAN REALLY FOCUSES THE EDC'S EFFORTS MOVING FORWARD TO UTILIZE IT AS A REVITALIZATION HUB FOR EQUITABLE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS THE CITY. SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING AN INITIATIVE ALIGNMENTS WITH CITY-OWNED PROPERTY, WITHIN THE REVITALIZE SA PROGRAM CORRIDORS FOR THOSE CORRIDORS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND WHERE WE MIGHT WANT TO ENGAGE WITH THEM.
CORRIDORS WITHIN APPROVED SUBAREA PLANS AS PART OF THE SA TOMORROW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, HIGH VISIBILITY CORRIDORS OR CORRIDORS THAT MIGHT SHOW UP AS A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS, AND WHERE WE MIGHT WANT TO ENGAGE.
AND THEN FINALLY, MYSELF AND MY COLLEAGUE, ALONDRO RAMIREZ HAVE BEEN MAKING SURE WE'RE LEVERAGING THE EDC AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO PRESENT THOSE EFFORTS
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WITHIN THE TOD DISTRICTS. AND FINALLY THE TARGETED TIMELINE, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND THE BOARD HAS APPROVED THE WORK PLAN AND THOSE UPDATES TO THE GUIDELINES, AND WE'RE -- OUR TEAM IS REALLY WORKING THROUGH THE PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION AND DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS RIGHT NOW TO SORT OF SAY, WHERE DO WE WANT TO MAYBE EMPHASIZE, PRIORITIZE AND BRING FORWARD TO THE BOARD SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH WE HOPE TO DO IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF THIS FISCAL YEAR. THAT PROPERTY SELECTION, PROPERTY ACQUISITION WORK, AND AS WE CLOSE OUT THE FISCAL YEAR, REALLY MOVE INTO STAKEHOLDER AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, FORMAL PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT, AND THEN LOOK TOWARDS UNDERGOING AN RFEI, WHICH STANDS FOR OF ISSUE, ISSUE THAT, CONDUCT SOME DUE DILIGENCE ON MAYBE SOME OF THE PROPOSALS THERE AND INTO NEXT FISCAL YEAR, IDENTIFY DEVELOPERS, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WORK ON THE CONTRACT CONSIDERATIONS THEMSELVES AND THEN FORMAL PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION.SO WITH THAT, I'LL CONCLUDE MY PRESENTATION AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY
QUESTIONS. >> PELAEZ: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO, ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING SAEDC?
>> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, THOMAS, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO TO ATTEND A WORKSHOP OVER AT VELOCITY, TEXAS, AND I UNDERSTAND AS MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT WAS FACILITATED THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE. IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE BENCHING, IS EVERYTHING UP TO COMPLIANCE AND ARE THEY MEETING THE STANDARDS AND HAVING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WAS INTENDED?
>> I WILL SAY YES. WE RECENTLY -- WE JUST GOT AN UPDATED REPORT FROM THEM, WHICH WE'RE STILL PROCESSING AS STAFF, BUT THEY'VE BEEN IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT CONTRACT RELATED TO THE MILL MAYOR MEDICAL INNOVATION -- MILITARY MEDICAL INNOVATION, SO
YES. >> CASTILLO: WONDERFUL. WHEN CONSIDERING THAT AS A METRIC, THAT'S A TOP PRIORITY. I JUST HAD A CONVERSATION WITH SOME FOLKS OFF OF CASTROVILLE ROAD, WHICH IS ON THE TAIL END OF WHAT WOULD BE THE SILVER LINE, AND IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING CONVERSATION BECAUSE IT KIND OF OVERLAPS WITH THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
IT'S THE MADONNA CENTER, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW SOME OF THESE CHILDCARE JOBS, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT CREATING A SENIOR CENTER TO OPEN UP MORE SPACE FOR THE CHILDCARE FACILITY. AND THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW -- PARTICULARLY WITH THE CITY, THEY FEEL SOMEWHAT LIMITED, AND THAT IF THEY'RE A NONPROFIT, OFTENTIMES THEY GET TOLD THEY DON'T QUALIFY, BUT THEY MADE A REALLY GOOD ARGUMENT IN TERMS OF PROVIDING CHILDCARE IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IN WHICH IF MOM OR DAD CAN'T GO TO WORK, IT IMPACTS AN ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD AND COMMUNITY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE COMMITTEE'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED THEIR PRIORITIES, BUT, FOR EXAMPLE, WITH THE MADONNA CENTER, IF THEY WERE INTERESTED IN SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS PROGRAM, WOULD THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE OR IS IT LIMITED TO FOLKS LIKE, WITHIN, THE BIO INDUSTRY
AND THOSE FEW THAT WERE LAID OUT? >> I WOULD SORT OF REFER TO THE PROJECT ELEMENT, HOW IT MIGHT LOOK. YOU KNOW, THE REAL ESTATE COMPONENT OF THIS, IS THERE A REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITY WHERE THE EDC MIGHT ENGAGE. I KNOW TOD, LARGELY WE'RE LOOKING AT THE GREEN LINE PART OF THINGS, SO COUNCILWOMAN, I'M SORRY, WE HAVEN'T REALLY FOCUSED ON THE SILVER LINE AS MUCH. WE'RE FOCUSING ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE GREEN LINE, INTERESTED IN HOW TO MEET THE GOALS OF THE EDC AND ACHIEVE THIS DIRECTIVE AS WE'VE BEEN GIVEN. AS A DAD WITH A KID IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, IT'S FOR SURE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SO HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THAT. E I WOULD CERTAINLY BE OPEN TO IT, BUT I WOULD SORT OF HOLD ON SAYING YES OR NO UNTIL WE
CAN REVIEW THEM A LITTLE BIT MORE. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU.
I TREESHT THAT. IN TERMS OF INITIATES ONE THING THAT I FIND INTERESTING IS OPPORTUNITY FOR MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
I'M HEARING A LOT FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHERE THERE'S OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS SMARTUPS ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND HOUSING ABOVE -- STARTUPS ON THE FIRST FLOOR AND HOUSING ABOVE. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE INITIATIVES THAT ARE GOING TO COME FORWARD AND JUST WOULD LIKE US TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT JUST THE TYPE OF BUSINESSES, RIGHT? I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE MINDFUL OF WHAT WE'RE BRINGING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS, RIGHT? AND I KNOW THIS -- HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE, BUT I JUST WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT BRINGING IN INDUSTRIES THAT ARE GOING TO CAUSE AIR POLLUTION, SOUND POLLUTION AND JUST BE A DISRUPTION TO THE NEARBY NEIGHBORHOODS. BUT I APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND THANK
YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> PELAEZ: COUNCILMAN.
>> WHYTE: GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU.
WE NEED ALL THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT HELP WE CAN GET IN THE CITY, SO I'M HAPPY WE'RE CONTINUING TO PUSH FORWARD HERE.
ON SLIDE 8, YOU TALK ABOUT EQUITABLE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, WHAT
DOES THAT MEAN? >> GOT SOME BACKUP SLIDES FOR A LITTLE MORE OF THE
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INVOLVED -- OKAY. THERE WE GO. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE EQUITABLE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, WE WANTED TO -- AS PART OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK, THERE WAS AN EMPHASIS ON REINVESTING SOME OF THOSE THAT HAD BEEN TRADITIONALLY UNDERINVESTED IN IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED SOME OF THIS EMPHASIS IN THE PAST AND HOW DO WE RE ENGAGE -- LOOK AT COMMUNITY-OWNED PROPERTY WHERE WE CAN -- AUDIO] -- MAYBE AS WE LOOK TO PRIORITIZE, LOOK IN SOME OF THOSE IDEASTHAT MAY HAVE LACKED IN INVESTMENT IN THE PAST. >> WHYTE: LOOKING AT
AREAS THAT HAVE LACKED INVESTMENT IN THE PAST. >> YES.
>> WHYTE: OKAY. AND SO YOU'RE LOOKING IN ALL FOUR CORNERS OF THE
CITY FOR THIS? >> ALL FOUR CORNERS. YOU KNOW, ALL FOUR CORNERS, ALL 10 DISTRICTS, ALL AREAS. BUT IF -- YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOKED AT THEM, JUST TO KIND OF CREATE AN INITIAL FILTER, YOU KNOW, AS WE DO THAT, NOT TO SAY THAT SOMETHING IN DISTRICT 10 OR, YOU KNOW, THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR COULDN'T BE PART OF THAT, BUT -- AND IT WOULD BE, BECAUSE WE PARTNER WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ON THAT PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY, BUT HOW DO WE -- HOW DO WE LEAN INTO SOME OF THAT WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH COUNCIL IN THE PAST.
>> WHYTE: OKAY. HOW DO WE LOOK AT RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE
PROJECTS THAT WE SUPPORT? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE HAVE NOT DONE -- I'M GOING TO LOOK TO ALEX JUST QUICKLY. WE HAVE NOT DONE AN ACTUAL SORT OF EQUITY INVESTMENT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. WE HAD A CONSULTANT WHO WOULD HELP US IN THE PAST REVIEW THOSE, REVIEW -- YOU KNOW, REVIEW BALANCE SHEETS, PROFIT AND LOSS, HOW THEY WERE LOOKING IN THEIR INDUSTRY, WHAT THE OPPORTUNITY WAS AND WHAT WE MIGHT SEEK TO GET FROM THAT, BUT MAXIMIZING THOSE AS ANY INVESTOR WOULD WAS SORT OF THE INITIATIVE, WHILE KEEPING THAT EMPHASIS ON THE DESIRED INDUSTRY, SO BIOTECH AND TECH IN
PARTICULAR. >> WHYTE: WHAT WAS THE LAST INVESTMENT WE DID?
>> LET ME LOOK. IT WAS ONE OF THE -- SO WE ALSO -- WE HAVE --
>> SO WE'LL PULL UP THE SPECIFICS. WELL HAVE THAT REPORT.
IT WAS IN 2021. [INDISCERNIBLE] AND THEN BIONICS, 50,040,000 IN
THOSE TWO. >> WHYTE: CAN YOU SAY THE NAMES AGAIN.
>> ELOSENSE WAS IN MARCH OF 2021, AND THEN OLD BUY ON KNICKS WAS 45,000 IN JULY. I ALSO WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THAT AS A DEPARTMENT IN A PERFORMANCE METRICS, WE DO HAVE A 10 TO 1 RATIO FOR EVERY DOLLAR THAT THE CITY INVESTS, WE WOULD -- WE'RE TARGETING AT LEAST A 10-DOLLAR MATCH IN INVESTMENT. SO THAT'S AGAINST ALL OF OUR PROGRAM, SO LIKE LAST YEAR FOR FISCAL YEAR '24, IT WAS A 24 TO 1 MATCH.
RECOGNIZING THAT SOME PROGRAMS LIKE THE FACADE GRANTS, FOR EXAMPLE, MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SO THAN, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS. SO -- BUT AS A DEPARTMENT, THAT'S A 10 TO 1. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S KIND OF OUR BAR
THAT WE TRY TO TARGET, IF YOU WILL. >> WHYTE: OKAY.
DO WE WORK WITH THE COUNTY AND ALIGN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS AT ALL? >> YES. THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THE EDC WORK, BUT, YOU KNOW, ALONDRA RAMIREZ AND I ARE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY ON OUR PACE PROGRAM CURRENTLY, WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEALS, WE VERY CLOSELY PARTNER WITH OUR COLLEAGUES OVER THERE TO ALIGN THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, SO, YES, THE EDC HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT -- YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH THE COUNTY, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS THAT SORT OF TRUSTED CONVENER, I THINK WE'D LIKE TO REENGAGE WITH THEM ON HOW WE MIGHT DO THIS TOGETHER, BUT, YES, WE WORK CLOSELY WITH
THEM AND ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEM. >> WHYTE: WHO WOULD BE
YOUR COUNTERPOINT OVER AT THE COUNTY. >> I THINK JORDANA MATTHEWS WOULD BE OUR COUNTERPART THERE, DAVID MARQUEZ OBVIOUSLY IS BRENDA'S COUNTERPART AND MARSHAL. MARSHAL HOAK IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WE WORK WITH. THEY'RE BASICALLY THE TEAM THAT WE WORK WITH
OVER THERE. >> WHYTE: OKAY. LAST QUESTION IS, WE'VE GOT MULTIPLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE CITY, GREATER SA TX, VELOCITY AND OTHERS, THE SAEDC'S ROLE WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS IS WHAT? AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT ALL THESE EFFORTS ARE
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COMPLEMENTING EACH OTHER RATHER THAN BEING REDUNDANT?>> I WOULD JUST -- I WOULD SAY THAT WE -- YOU KNOW, I'VE WORKED FOR THE DEPARTMENT FOR 13 YEARS. YOU KNOW, FAMILIARITY WITH WHO THE PLAYERS ARE, KNOWING SORT OF WHAT WE DO FROM THE DEPARTMENT SIDE, WHAT THE EDC MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO FROM THE INVESTMENT, REAL ESTATE, TRADITIONAL INVESTMENT SIDE OF THINGS, PLUS, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GET A BIG PROJECT, YOU KNOW, WHO DO WE PARTNER WITH, HOW DO WE WORK WITH THEM? IT'S JUST SORT OF MAKING SURE WE'RE CONNECTING, COLLABORATING, HAVING THOSE, YOU KNOW, CONNECTIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
AND THEN BEING AWARE OF THAT WHEN WE'RE BRINGING SOME PROJECTS FORWARD, HOW MIGHT WE THINK THROUGH THOSE CREATIVELY TO FIND THOSE PARTNERS WHO MIGHT NOT TRADITIONALLY BE AT THE TABLE, BUT WHO MIGHT, YOU KNOW, BE -- WANT OR NEED TO BE PART OF THAT AS PART OF THE CONVENER ROLE
OF THE EDC. >> COUNCILMEMBER, WHAT I WOULD ADD IS THAT THE PARTNERS THAT YOU MENTIONED, THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU MENTIONED AND A NUMBER OF OTHERS IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE. SO WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY OR A PROJECT ARISES, WE -- WE TEND TO RALLY TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS IT THAT EACH OF US CAN BRING OR CAN OFFER TO TRY TO WIN THE PROJECT, OR TO SUPPORT THE INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. THE EDC IS UNIQUELY POSITIONED BECAUSE OF THE AUTHORITIES THAT IT HAS, BECAUSE OF THE FLEXIBILITY THAT IT HAS; THAT BRENDA, JUST AS PART OF HER DEPARTMENT, DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE, AS PART OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUT THE EDC CAN DO SOME THINGS A LITTLE BIT MORE CREATIVELY, A LITTLE BIT MORE STRATEGIC AND FOCUSED. SO THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THE PAST, WE USED IT JUST FOR STARTUP INVESTMENT. BUT WE'VE HAD ALL THESE OTHER TOOLS AVAILABLE THAT WE JUST HADN'T BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT USING, AND BRENDA AND THE TEAM HAVE REALLY TAKEN THE TIME OVER THE PAST YEAR, PROBABLY TWO YEARS, TO SEE HOW WE CAN USE THIS MORE SPECIFICALLY.
>> WHYTE: OKAY. THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANKS, CHAIR.
>> VIAGRAN: WHO CURRENTLY SITS ON THE BOARD OF SAEDC?
>> THE CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS ARE THE MAYOR, CITY MANAGER, COUNCILMEMBER PELAEZ, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE AND THEN THREE AT LARGE MEMBERS FROM THE COMMUNITY. I'M SORRY, I CAN'T --
>> VIAGRAN: SO NO ONE FROM THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO? DO WE KNOW IF THE AT LARGE PEOPLE ARE FROM THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF
SAN ANTONIO? >> I DON'T BELIEVE THEY ARE.
THEY'RE AT LARGE MEMBERS THAT THIS COMMITTEE INTERVIEWS AND RECOMMENDS
TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL. >> VIAGRAN: YEAH.
YEAH, NO, I'M NOT OKAY WITH THIS, AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY.
ONE IS THIS -- THE SA CORRIDORS, PROBABLY SIT -- IF WE WERE REALLY LOOKING AT ALL THE CORRIDORS IN SAN ANTONIO THAT NEED TO BE REVITALIZED, THEY SIT PRIMARILY ON THE SOUTHERN SECTOR OF SAN ANTONIO, AND THAT INCLUDES FROM SOUTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AND PARTS OF DOWNTOWN.
AND I DON'T HAVE REPRESENTATION ON THERE. AND IF WE TALK ABOUT CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES, I WOULD NEED TO SEE A MAP OF WHERE THESE CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES ARE, BECAUSE I KNOW GEOGRAPHICALLY, DISTRICT THREE, THE LARGEST DISTRICT, THERE'S PROBABLY A TON THERE. AND THEN I NEED TO SEE WHERE THE CORRIDORS WITH APPROVED SUBAREA PLANS ARE, TOO.
I -- I -- WE DO SIMILAR THINGS LIKE THIS WITHIN THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST WHERE OUR COUNCILMEMBERS SIT ON THAT COUNCIL, AND COUNCILMEMBERS WHERE THIS DIRECTLY IMPACTS THEM. IF YOU CAN SHOW ME THAT IT PRIMARILY IMPACTS 8 AND 9, I COULD SEE THAT, BUT MY CONCERN WITH THIS IS THAT THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD IS MADE UP OF AT LARGE POSITIONS AND IT IS MADE UP OF COUNCILMEMBERS THAT ARE COMMITTEE CHAIRS.
SO I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH PUTTING THAT INTO THE HANDS OF SAEDC.
IF WE -- YEAH, IT'S JUST -- YOU WOULD HAVE TO SHOW ME A MAP OF WHAT CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WHAT REVITALIZED SA CORRIDORS ARE YOU FOCUSING ON, BECAUSE, AGAIN, AND THIS WAS THE REASON FOR MY CCR, WHICH WENT TO PLANNING, IS WE DO NOT HAVE THE REPRESENTATION THAT WE NEED OR PEOPLE WITH THE FAMILIARITY OF THE SOUTHERN SECTOR FROM SOUTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST, FROM WEST TO EAST, TO BE
[00:25:05]
MAKING THESE DECISIONS. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, I HAVE -- I HAVE DEEP CONCERNS ABOUT THIS FOCUS AND INITIATIVE. IT'S NOT THAT I WOULDN'T, BUT THE BOARD MAKEUP WOULD NEED TO CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY.THANK YOU. >> PELAEZ: JUMP IN AGAIN.
GO AHEAD. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
ON THE POINT OF THE CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES, DO WE KNOW IF THERE'S CLAWBACK ON THOSET GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS FOR CONSIDERATION? AND I ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE IN DISTRICT FIVE ON NOTHING LEE TOES, WE HAVE A FIRE STATION THAT WAS OFFLOADED, AND IT'S BEEN VACANT SINCE IT WAS OFF THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE IS A PROJECT THAT DOESN'T FALL THROUGH OR THEY'RE NOT IN COMPLIANT, HOW DOES THE CITY HOLD THAT PROPERTY OWNER WITHIN ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS ACCOUNTABLE TO ENSURE THAT THE PROPERTY DOESN'T SIT VACANT AND BECOME A NUISANCE? I JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE AVOID WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT FIRE STATION, BECAUSE IT'S JUST GRAFFITI AND JUST -- IT'S BEEN LIKE THAT FOR -- SINCE, I BELIEVE, SOMEONE PURCHASED IT FROM
THE CITY, OR HOWEVER THAT TRANSACTION WORKED. >> I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT THE UPDATED GUIDELINES DO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL LIKE MINIMUM MONITORING COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS, WHICH WAS PART OF THE REASON WE WANTED TO UPDATE THEM TO PUT THAT IN THERE, AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE EDC AND THE STAFF THAT ARE HELPING TO SUPPORT THE EDC WOULD HELP NEGOTIATE THOSE AGREEMENTS. KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW FROM OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY'S IN A GOOD POSITION THAT WE CAN HAVE A WAY TO RECTIFY THAT.
>> PELAEZ: OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THIS.
JUST TO PUT IT IN CONTEXT, SAEDC IS ONE -- ONE OF MANY TOOLS THAT WE HAVE IN THE TOOLBOX TO HELP US ADVANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY.
IT'S NOT A VERY BIG TOOL, THOUGH, YOU KNOW. IT'S -- WHAT IS THE
BUDGET WE HAVE TO WORK WITH AT SAEDC? >> THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR
THIS WORK IS ABOUT $870,000. >> PELAEZ: RIGHT.
SO IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, IT IS -- IT IS -- IT'S A LITTLE KRO BAR TO HELP LIFT, YOU KNOW, A BIG BOLDER, BUT IT HELPS.
AND THANKS FOR TAKING IT SERIOUSLY AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THIS IS A NEW THING ALSO THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE SAEDC, AND SO WE'RE EXPERIMENTING WITH THE NEW CONCEPT AND I'M OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ITS RESULTS. AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO CONTINUE BRINGING THIS BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE FOR INPUT AND TO TEST WHETHER IT'S WORKING OR NOT. SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> PELAEZ: WE HAVE OUR NEXT PRESENTATION IS OUR CHILDCARE STUDY RESULTS CONDUCTED BY TEXAS A&M.
ALLEY HAN DRA LOPEZ. >> DR. BARAY IS GOING TO KICK US OFF FIRST.
>> PELAEZ: THERE SHE IS. HEY, DOC. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMITTEE MEMBER. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE HERE ON BEHALF OF THE FOUR DEPARTMENTS THAT SPONSORED THIS STUDY; THAT IS HUMAN SERVICES, READY TO WORK AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THREE OF THOSE COLLEAGUES ARE HERE -- THOSE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS ARE HERE, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE THE RESULTS OF THIS REALLY IMPORTANT STUDY THAT HELPS US KNOW THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF CHILDCARE IN SAN ANTONIO, WHICH IN, AS THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION YOU MENTIONED, IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONCERN, AND OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN FOR OUR FUTURE, BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN GET THEIR START. SO I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY COLLEAGUE ON THIS PROJECT. I'VE JUST BEEN AN ADVISER TO THE CITY. SHE'S THE ACTUAL RESEARCHER, THIS IS
DR. MELISSA JAZWIAC FROM UTSA. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I'M GOING TO DO AN ADDITIONAL INTRODUCTION.
MY COLLEAGUE DR. T.J.INAN IS HERE AS WELL. HER AREA WAS REALLY SPENDING TIME HAVING IN-DEPTH COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AS YOU LOOK AT THE QUALITATIVE DATA OF THE STORY, THE STORIES, THAT IS DR. INAN. I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU THROUGH MOST OF THE DATA BECAUSE I GOT THE NUMBERS, AND SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SUPPORTING THIS, BECAUSE IT TRULY IS IMPORTANT FOR US AS A CITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN CHILDCARE, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY OF THE CARE THAT'S OUT THERE, THE AFFORDABILITY OF THE CARE, BUT WHAT IS HOLDING FAMILIES BACK FROM GETTING CARE AND WHAT IS HOLDING CARE PROVIDERS BACK FROM PROVIDING EVEN MORE IN
[00:30:03]
THE COMMUNITY. SO IF WE LOOK AT CENSUS DATA AND WE EXPECT THAT WE HAVE JUST ABOUT 132,000 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE IN BEXAR COUNTY, AND THIS IS FROM '23, WHEN WE THEN TURN TO LOOKING AT ALL OF THE AGENCIES THAT OVERSEE PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE, IF WE LOOK AT THEIR MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE CAPACITY.AND THAT IS WHEN CHILDCARE LICENSING GOES INTO A CENTER, THEY MEASURE THE SQUARE FOOT ANALYSIS OF A CLASSROOM, THEY LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS AVAILABLE, AND THEY SAY THIS SPACE CAN HOLD X NUMBER OF CHILDREN. NOW, I WORK AT TEXAS A&M-SAN ANTONIO, I OVERSEE OUR YOUNG J JAGUAR'S LAB SCHOOL. WHEN WE WERE LICENSED, WE WERE LICENSED TO HAVE 65 CHILDREN IN OUR PLACE. WE WILL NEVER PUT MORE THAN 50 CHILDREN IN THAT SPACE BECAUSE WE WOULD NEVER WANT A CLASSROOM OF 25 CHILDREN IN ONE CLASSROOM. OF SCHOOL AGED.
IF THEY WERE YOUNGER, THOSE NUMBERS WOULD DROP EXPONENTIALLY.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY HAD TO UNDERSTAND IS ARE PROVIDERS OPERATING AT THE RATES WE'VE BEEN GETTING REPORTS ON, BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY BEEN GETTING REPORTS ON THAT MAXIMUM NUMBER.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE NUMBER IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN WE THOUGHT IT WAS. NOW, EVEN IF WE WENT WITH THAT MAXIMUM NUMBER, THAT NUMBER OF SEATS ONLY PROVIDES FOR 66% OF THE CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. SO IT GETS MUCH, MUCH WORSE ONCE WE START TO LOOK AT WHAT THE DECREASES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
NOW, WE LOOK AT ALL THOSE PROVIDERS THAT WERE COUNTED INTO THAT 80,000 PLUS. THEY INCLUDE AGENCIES LIKE HEAD START, EARLY HEAD START, EARLY HEAD START CHILDCARE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE EITHER HOUSED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS OR WORKING WITH CENTERS AND LICENSED UNDER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CHILDCARE LISTENING.
WE HAVE OUR PRE-K FOUR SA, WE ALSO HAVE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OUR CHARTER SCHOOLS AND OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT ARE OPERATING PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE, AND ALL OF THOSE WERE COUNTED INTO THAT 80,000 NUMBER. WE CAN SEE THAT OUR LICENSED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS WORKING THROUGH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES ACCOUNT FOR THE LARGEST NUMBER OF THOSE SEATS. SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE THINK ABOUT STRATEGIES, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WHERE WE CAN HAVE AN IMPACT, AND THOSE NUMBERS HELP US TO UNDERSTAND THAT. IF WE DIG INTO THAT LARGE PERCENT THAT ARE, IN FACT, OUR LICENSED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, WE CAN SEE THAT THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS IS PRIMARILY LICENSED CENTERS, BUT WE HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE THAT ARE OUR REGISTERED HOMES, THERE ARE LICENSED HOMES AND THERE ARE LISTED HOMES. SO OUR HOME PROVIDERS DO MAKE UP A GOOD DHUNG OF THE NUMBER OF PROVIDERS; HOWEVER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW MANY CHILDREN EACH OF THEM SERVE, THEN WE SEE THAT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF CHILDREN ARE ACTUALLY BEING SERVED IN CENTERS.
BECAUSE A HOME PROVIDER CAN ONLY CARE FOR 12 CHILDREN.
AND WE MAY HAVE A CENTER THAT'S LICENSED TO CARE FOR 400 CHILDREN.
SO THESE ARE ALL JUST POINTS OF DATA THAT CAN REALLY HELP US THINK ABOUT WHAT THE RIGHT STRATEGY WOULD BE. NOW, I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE -- AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY, WE'RE ONLY SERVE 66% OF THE CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHEN WE SURVEYED PROVIDERS, WE ASKED THEM, WHAT HAVE YOUR MAXIMUM LICENSE CAPACITY? WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY YOU WILL ACTUALLY SERVE CHILDREN AT? WHAT'S YOUR ENROLLMENT, AND WHAT ARE YOUR OPENINGS? THOSE WERE ALL DATA POINTS THAT WE PULLED BACK FROM THEM, AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT OUR CENTERS ARE ONLY OPERATING AT 70% OF THE CAPACITY THAT THEY ARE -- THEIR LICENSING AGENCY REPORTS THEM AT.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER. AND WHEN WE APPLY THAT TO OUR CITY, WE HAVE LESS THAN HALF OF OUR CHILDREN HAVING ACCESS TO CHILDCARE. AND THE MAJORITY OF OUR FAMILIES, NOT HAVING ACCESS. IF OUR FAMILIES FALL INTO CONTACT WHERE THEY WORK EVENINGS OR THEY WORK WEEKENDS, THEY HAVE A NIGHT SHIFT, THERE IS REALLY NOT CARE AVAILABLE TO THEM UNLESS THEY WORK BETWEEN 6:00 A.M. AND 7:00 P.M., BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF PROVIDERS ARE OPERATING DURING THOSE TIMES. IF YOU NEED CARE ON THE WEEKEND, WE ONLY HAVE 30 PROVIDERS PROVIDING CARE ON WEEKEND HOURS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT PIE CHART, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT PRIOR SLIDE WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT LICENSED CENTERS CARE FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF CHILDREN, YET THEY'RE THE SMALLEST PIECE OF THIS PIE.
AND THE LARGEST PROVIDERS, THANKFULLY WE HAVE HOME PROVIDERS THAT ARE WILLING TO PROVIDE CARE ON WEEKEND HOURS, IF WE DIDN'T, WE WOULD HAVE VIRTUALLY NO SEATS AVAILABLE. BUT CITYWIDE, YOU ONLY HAVE ABOUT 400 POSSIBLE OPENINGS ON A WEEKEND. AND THAT'S ASSUMING THAT
[00:35:04]
THOSE PROVIDERS ARE OPERATING AT FULL CAPACITY.AND CHANCES ARE, THEY AREN'T, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE THEIR CENTER, SOME OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA THAT DR. IAN WAS ABLE TO BRING BACK WERE THE CHALLENGES WITH THOSE WEEKEND HOURS.
SO WE WANTED YOU TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE PROFILE OF ALL THE PRESENTERS -- AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND DATA AND DIFFERENT FRAMING, WHETHER THEY WERE PROFIT, NONPROFIT, HIGH QUALITY, WHETHER THEY WERE STILL DEVELOPING THEIR QUALITY, WHETHER THEY ACCEPTED MILITARY FAMILIES.
ALL OF THESE ARE DEMOGRAPHIC CATEGORIES THAT WE USE TO UNDERSTAND THE DATA, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE OUR SITES FELL INTO THAT.
NOW, BETWEEN CITY AND COUNTSY, WHEN WE COMPARED THE TWO, IT'S PRETTY SIMILAR. THERE WAS ONLY ONE AREA WHERE THERE WAS ANY DIFFERENCE, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE COUNTYWIDE PROFILE AND THE CITY PROFILE, BUT IT DIDN'T AFFECT QUALITY. THAT NUMBER DIDN'T CHANGE WHEN WE GOT DOWN TO QUALITY, SO THAT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE ENCOURAGING. QUALITY IS CRITICAL. WE CAN'T SIMPLY PUT CHILDREN IN CARE SPOTS WHERE THEY'RE NOT THRIVING BECAUSE IF THEY ARE NOT IN HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE, SUPPORTIVE, EDUCATIONAL SPACES, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE READY FOR SCHOOL AND LONG-TERM, WE'RE SETTING UP THE CITY'S WORKFORCE FOR FAILURE BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE WELL PREPARED INDIVIDUALS. ALSO, THEIR FAMILIES, WHILE THEY'RE YOUNG NOW, THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN, KNOW THAT YOU CAN'T FUNCTION AT A HIGH LEVEL AT YOUR JOB IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT YOUR CHILDREN ARE SAFE AND WELL CARED FOR. AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE TEXAS RISING STAR PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR STATE'S QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM, IT'S THE SYSTEM BY WE WHICH WE CAN RATE CENTERS BASED ON THE DEGREE OF QUALITY THEY'RE DEMONSTRATING, WE CAN SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF CENTERS THAT COME INTO OUR TEXAS RISING STAR PROGRAM IN BEXAR COUNTY ARE ACTUALLY -- I APOLOGIZE -- THE SLIDE SAID QUALITY AT THE TOP. AND SO THAT'S WHY I WAS THINKING THAT BEWERE GETTING INTO -- WHICH MEANT WE WERE IN OUR TEXAS RISING STAR. IF WE TAKE THOSE CENTERS THAT ARE DESIGNATED AS QUALITY, AND WE LOOK AT THEM, WHICH PERCENTAGE OF OUR CENTERS ARE EITHER IN A HIGH QUALITY SETTING, WHICH MEANS TEXAS RISING STAR 4, VERSUS THE 57% THAT ARE IN DEVELOPING QUALITY OR NONDETERMINED QUALITY, THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE IN GOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROGRAMS. OUR NONGOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROGRAMS ARE A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE HIGH-QUALITY -- QUALIFY FOR HEAD START, EARLY HEAD START OR A PRE-K FOUR SA SLOT, YOU DON'T HAVE AS MUCH ACCESS TO QUALITY. REALLY AS YOU PLAY OUT THESE SCENARIOS, YOU BEGIN TO SEE THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS.
NOW, THOSE QUALITY SITES WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, THOSE -- WE HAVE 250 SITES IN BEXAR COUNTY THAT ARE WORKING WITH TEXAS RISING STAR.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE FOUR STAR. AND SO THIS IS SORT OF THE SILVER LINING IN ALL OF THIS, I FEEL LIKE, IS THAT MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PRIVATE PROVIDERS THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN TEXAS RISING STAR RIGHT NOW, OR AT THAT HIGH QUALITY LEVEL, BUT THOSE WHO ARE, WE CAN SEE THAT IT'S GETTING THEM TO THAT HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY. WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CENTERS SITTING AT THE TWO-STAR NUMBER. THERE MAJORITY ARE IN THAT FOUR-STAR NUMBER.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE -- AND WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PROGRAM THAT'S WORKING, WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IT.
NOW, AGAIN, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE SEATS AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES, AND THIS GRAPHIC IS BASED ON THAT MAXIMUM NUMBER.
IT IS NOT ADJUSTED DOWN FOR US OPERATING AT 70% OF THE CAPACITY WE THOUGHT WE WERE. IF YOU TAKE ALL OF THE SEATS, WE ONLY HAVE 15% OF ALL POSSIBLE SEATS REPORTED BY PROVIDERS AS OPEN RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT SEEMS LIKE A LARGE PERCENTAGE, BUT WHEN YOU MOVE INTO QUALITY, THERE ARE VERY FEW OPENINGS AVAILABLE. OKAY? AND ALMOST NO OPENINGS AVAILABLE TO INFANT AND TODDLER FAMILIES, ALMOST ALL -- MORE THAN HALF OF THE OPENINGS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE TO PRESCHOOL AGED FAMILIES. AND SO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT BASED ON YOUR CHILD'S AGE, YOU MAY HAVE UNEVEN ACCESS TO QUALITY, BUT ALSO BASED ON WHERE YOU'RE LOCATED GEOGRAPHICALLY, YOU HAVE DIFFERENT ACCESS TO QUALITY. NOW, I WANT US TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHY, BECAUSE A LOT OF THIS DATA, YOU MAY BE THINKING, WELL, I KNEW WE HAD A QUALITY DESERT, OKAY. YOU MAY NOT HAVE UNDERSTOOD HOW SIGNIFICANT IT WAS, BUT ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS STUDY IS FOR US TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP RAISE THE QUALITY, IMPROVE THE ACCESS AND MAKE CHILDCARE MORE AFFORDABLE FOR FAMILIES. AND REGARDLESS OF THE WAY WE LOOKED AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES, WHETHER YOU WERE A HOME PROVIDER, WHETHER YOU WERE A LICENSED CENTER, WHETHER YOU WERE PROFIT
[00:40:02]
OR NONPROFIT, THE TOP THREE CHALLENGES EVERY ONE OF THEM LISTED INCLUDED HIRING STAFF WITH AT LEAST A CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CREDENTIAL. IN THAT TOP THREE, ALONGSIDE OF THAT WAS TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. SO TWO OF THE THREE CHALLENGES THEY'RE FACING AND THAT THEY'RE RATING AT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT LEVELS RELATE TO STAFFING AND STAFF QUALIFICATIONS.THERE WERE SOME AREAS THAT WERE EASIER, BUT I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT EVEN THESE THREE THINGS THAT THEY RATED AS THE THREE EASIEST WERE ONLY RATED AT A NEUTRAL LEVEL AS NEITHER CHALLENGING NOR EASY.
THEY WOULDN'T EVEN SAY THAT THINGS LIKE CONDUCTING SELF-EVALUATIONS, NONE OF THE CRITERIA THEY ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED AS BEING EASY. SO WE HAVE QUALITY GAPS, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CARE. IF YOU ARE A SPECIALIZED FAMILY TYPE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE A MILITARY FAMILY OR IF YOU ARE A FAMILY WHO HAS A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS OR IF YOU ARE A MILITARY FAMILY WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS, YOUR ACCESS TO CARE IS SIGNIFICANTLY LIMITED COMPARED TO A FAMILY THAT IS NOT FALLING INTO ONE OF THOSE GROUPS.
NOW, THE REASON -- ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE SO LIMITED ON CARE CENTERS SAID THEY COULDN'T EXPAND AND THEY COULDN'T IMPROVE QUA QUALITY BECAUSE OF STAFFING ISSUES. IF WE TURN NOW AND KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT STAFFING ISSUES, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE STAFF PROFILES IS THAT WE HAVE VERY DIFFERENT PROFILES BASED ON THE AGE INDIVIDUALS ARE WORKING WITH THE CHILDREN AT. SO OUR PRESCHOOL AGE STAFF ARE TYPICALLY OUR STAFF THAT HAVE ASSOCIATE'S AND BACHELOR'S DEGREES, THEY HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF GRADUATE DEGREES THAN OUR INFANT AND TODDLER STAFF. OUR INFANT AND TODDLER STAFF ARE LARGELY IN THE CLASSROOM WORKING WITH CHILDREN WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND CLOCK HOURS OF TRAINING, MEANING THAT THEIR LICENSING REQUIREMENT SAYS EACH YEAR THEY HAVE TO GO DO 30 HOURS OF TRAINING. BUT THERE IS NO CLEAR -- THERE ARE OBJECTIVES THAT THAT TRAINING SHOULD MEET, BUT THERE IS NOT AN OVERARCHING REGULATORY AGENCY THAT INSISTS THAT QUALITY MEETS CERTAIN STANDARDS OR THAT THAT TRAINING ARTICULATES INTO A DEGREE. SO WHAT WE HAVE HAPPENING IS THAT OUR CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, ESPECIALLY INFANT/TODDLER TEACHERS ARE GOING OUT, THEY'RE GOING TO THESE TRAININGS, AND THESE TRAININGS ARE SITTING THERE AND THEY'RE NOT LEADING THEM TO A HIGHER DEGREE THAT WOULD THEN ALLOW THEM TO GET INTO A HIGHER PAYING POSITION.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROFILES OF OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOMS THEMSELVES LOOK VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. AND THAT'S -- NOW, THESE AVERAGE WAGES ARE ASSUMING BOTH GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED AND NONGOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED LICENSED CHILDCARE CENTERS. THEY DON'T INCLUDE THE TEACHERS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT VERY DIFFERENTLY. THAT'S A VERY SMALL SUBSECRSUBSECT OF INDIVIDUALS CARRYING FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.
IF WE TOOK OUT THE GOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROGRAM, THE SALARY DROPS BY ALMOST $2 AN HOUR, LOWER ON AVERAGE IF YOU'RE WORKING ON A NONGOVERNMENTLY FUNDED PROGRAM. SO HOW ARE THOSE NONGOVERNMENTLY FUNDED SITES AND GOVERNMENTALLY FUNDED SITES ACTUALLY BRINGING IN REVENUE. THE MAJORITY ARE BRINGING IN FAMILY TUITION.
A FEW OFFER FAMILIES A SLIDING SCALE, BUT MOST HAVE A SET CHARGE THAT THEY APPLY TO ALL FAMILIES REGARDLESS OF THE INCOME.
WE DO HAVE NONPROFITS THAT ARE GETTING DONATIONS FROM -- OF MAYBE SPACE FROM A PARENT COMPANY, WE HAVE MATERIAL DONATIONS COMING IN TO MANY OF OUR AGENCIES, PARTICIPATION IN CHILDCARE SCHOLARSHIPS, LOANS FROM A BANK, LOANS FROM PRIVATE ENTITIES. SOME CHILDCARE PROVIDERS ARE TURNING TO FAMILY MEMBERS TO GET ENOUGH MONEY TO BE ABLE TO RUN THEIR BUSINESSES, AND WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT.& AND AS WE LOOK AT STRATEGY, THERE MAY BE SOME WAYS TO SUPPORT THEM THROUGH CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE PRACTICES AROUND THAT.
SO NEARING SORT OF THE END OF ALL OF THESE NUMBERS, THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS FOR FAMILIES. THIS IS THE AVERAGE TUITION FOR FAMILIES.
FAMILIES REPORT PAYING AS MUCH AS $2,200 A MONTH FOR INFANT CARE, BASED ON THE CENTERS SURVEYED, THEY CHARGE THEIR FAMILIES THAT MUCH.
THIS IS ON AVERAGE THAT A FAMILY TRYING TO PUT THEIR INFANT IN A HIGH QUALITY CENTER WOULD BE PAYING 11, $1,200 A MONTH FOR THAT CHILD'S CARE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT WAGES THAT FAMILIES HAVE, IT'S NOT A SUSTAINABLE EXPECTATION THAT FAMILIES CAN AFFORD TO PAY THIS MUCH FOR CARE.
AND SO WE'VE CENTERED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ALMOST THREE PAGES OF POSSIBLE POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR YOU ALL, BUT IT BOILS
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DOWN TO THREE MAIN AREAS. FOCUSING ON QUALITY AND CAPACITY. AND REALLY BOTH OF THOSE AREAS DEPEND ON THE STAFF AND THE INITIATIVES THAT WE CAN DO TO SUPPORT THE STAFF IN HAVING HIGHER EDUCATION, BETTER TRAINING. PARENTS DO NEED CHOICES.THERE ARE PARENTS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR PARTICULAR CONTEXT, THEY WANT A SMALL FAMILY HOME, THEY WANT A CENTER THAT OFFERS LANGUAGE SERVICES TO THEIR CHILD. SO MAKING SURE THAT WE THINK ABOUT A ROBUST SYSTEM VERSUS A SINGLE MODEL SOLUTION WILL REALLY SUPPORT FAMILIES IN HAVING THE TYPES OF CARE THAT THEY NEED, SO THAT WHILE THEY'RE WORKING, THEY ARE PRODUCTIVE. AND THEN LASTLY, THINKING ABOUT REALLY HOW CAN WE GET AND MAKE SURE THAT INFANT SERVICES ARE BEING PRIORITIZED. BECAUSE OUR INFANTS, ACROSS THE BOARD, WE'RE SEEING THEY HAVE THE LEAST ACCESS TO QUALITY. THEIR TEACHERS ARE -- THAT'S AN AREA THAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO REALLY FOCUS ON.
IN THE QUALITATIVE DATA WE HEARD OVER AND OVER ABOUT CENTERS SAYING WE AREN'T HAVING TROUBLE -- YOU KNOW, PRESCHOOLERS ARE GOING TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THEY'RE GOING TO PRE-K FOUR SA, THEY'RE GOING TO HEAD START, WE HAVE WAITLISTS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS, AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR MAJOR SORT OF TAKEAWAYS FOR YOU. AND WE HAVE THE FULL REPORT THAT IS AVAILABLE THROUGH DR. BARAY WHEN YOU NEED THAT.
SO QUESTIONS? >> PELAEZ: SO THANK YOU FOR THIS.
FROM THE OUTSIDE, MAKE SURE WE SET THE TONE, I -- I'D ASKED ALEX AND THE TEAM TO BRING THIS TO OUR COMMITTEE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EFFORTS IN CHILDCARE. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DOESN'T WORK UNLESS WE INVEST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OUR RESOURCES IN CHILDCARE.
I KNOW THAT MIKE RAMSEY'S BEHIND YOU -- WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, OF THEIR -- OUT OF THEIR BUDGET, MORE THAN 70% OF THAT GOES TO CHILDCARE, WHICH EXCEEDS $100 MILLION IN, YOU KNOW -- IT'S A SPEND OF MORE THAN $100 MILLION JUST ON CHILDCARE ALONE, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WE'RE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE COMPANIES TO SET UP, WE'RE TRYING TO DO JOB TRAINING, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T HIRE SOMEBODY IF THEY'VE GOT A CHILDCARE CRISIS. AND YOU CAN'T TRAIN SOMEBODY IF THEY'VE GOT NOBODY TO WATCH THEIR KIDS WHILE THEY'RE TRAINING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, LIKE IT OR NOT, THE CITY IS IN THE BUSINESS OF CHILDCARE, RIGHT? AND IF WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, PRE-K FOUR SA OUT THERE SETTING A VERY, VERY HIGH STANDARD, BUT YOU'RE JUST ONE ORGANIZATION, RIGHT? AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE GOT AN ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM OF CHILDCARE FACILITIES THAT ARE UNDERFUNDED, THAT -- AND, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEM ARE HIGH QUALITY, ACCORDING TO RISING STARS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE UNIVERSE OF CHILDCARE FACILITIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, IT'S TINY COMPARED TO WHAT -- YOU KNOW, WHAT WE NEED. AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU TRIED TO TELL US, BUT HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS, RIGHT, OF THE SMALL NUMBER THAT WE'VE GOT, HERE'S THE NUMBER THAT ARE EXCELLENT. AND THAT'S KIND OF LIKE SAYING, YOU KNOW, MIKE RAMSEY IS BALD, BUT THE FEW HAIRS HE HAS ARE VERY IMPRESSIVE, RIGHT? AND SO -- AND I UNDERSTAND.
I UNDERSTAND THE DILEMMA, AND SO THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU DID.
CAN I IMPOSE UPON YOU TO SEND TO THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE THE FULL REPORT? IF YOU'VE GOT THREE PAGES OF RECOMMENDATIONS, I'D LIKE TO SEE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MAY ASK US ABOUT METHODOLOGY AND ALL THE FINDING, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR US TO DELVE INTO MORE THAN A POWERPOINT PERMITS.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> PELAEZ: I KNOW WE'RE LIMITED ON TIME, BUT, COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA READS EVERYTHING, AND MAYBE WE'LL HAVE HER REPORT BACK TO THE COMMITTEE AFTER SHE'S READ IT.
>> I WILL FIND IF YOU FIND YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO EITHER OF US. WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE
AVAILABLE TO YOU AS WE HAVE THOSE. >> WE DID E-MAIL IT OUT TO THIS COMMITTEE. IT MAY BE REMATED REFORMATTED BECAUSE IT'S A TEXT VERSION RIGHT NOW, THEY MAY REFORM MAT AND TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK DIFFERENTLY, ALL OF THE CONTENT IS THERE IN THE VERSION YOU RECEIVED
MAYBE TWO DAYS AGO. >> PELAEZ: GOT IT. EASIER FOR ME, AND THIS IS SELFISH ON MY PART, BUT IF I CAN IMPOSE UPON YOU TO SEND IT AS A PDF, BECAUSE I CAN READ THAT ON MY PHONE AND MY IPAD AS OPPOSED TO OTHER THINGS. COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU
WANT TO JUMP IN. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED AND I'VE ATTENDED SOME OF YOUR EVENTS WITH THE LITTLE JAG JAGUARS AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. I DO HAVE A QUESTION, AND IN PARTICULAR IT IS REGARDING THE EDUCATIONAL QUALITY. AND SO WE INVESTED IN
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EDUCARE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AS A COUNCIL, ALL OF US HERE ON THE COUNCIL VOTED IN FAVOR. BY THE WAY, YOU ALL HAVE A GROUND BREAKING -- OR THE OPENING ON A THURSDAY, AND WE ALL HAVE COUNCIL, SO WE CAN'T MAKE IT. AND I DON'T KNOW WHO'S NOT CHECKING THOSE THINGS, BUT WE WOULD HAVE LOVED TO BE THERE. YOU HAVE TWO COUNCILMEMBERS THAT SHARE THE UNIVERSITY, SO JUST FY I FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. BUT IT'S HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES.IT'S NOT Y'ALL'S DEPARTMENT ALWAYS. >> I WILL TAKE THAT
MESSAGE BACK. >> GARCIA: YES, IT'S PUBLICLY RECORDED NOW.
I FEEL LIKE WHEN THE PARENTS NEED SOME DIFFERENT CARE FORMATS, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING -- OR WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CARE FORMATS THAT YOU ARE LOOKING TO PRIORITIZE? I KNOW YOU HAD THE RECOMMENDATIONS TO LOOK AT THE PROVIDER TYPE AND SO HOW DO YOU BUILD THAT PRIORITIZATION? LIKE WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE QUALITATIVE ASPECT OF IT, BECAUSE FILE THAT'S WHERE WE GET A LOT OF IT, BUT -- SO HOW DO YOU ULTIMATELY MAKE THE DECISION TO BE ABLE TO
HOST CERTAIN FORMATS FOR PARENTS. >> I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WITHIN EDUCARE AND HOW IT
RELATES TO THIS DATA? >> GARCIA: YES. I' I'M SO SORRY.
I SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED. >> THE IDEA WEED DUE WITH EDUCARE, IDEALLY WE WILL BE ESTABLISHING PROGRAMS WITH MENTORS THAT CAN WORK WITHIN THE COMMUNITY WITH PRE-K FOUR SA, THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THAT TYPE OF WORK. SO WHAT WE SEE EDUCARE AS BEING AN EXTENSION OF THAT. IF YOU HAVE A MENTOR WORKING WITH A HOME CARE PROVIDER AND THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH A PARTICULAR BEHAVIOR, THEY CAN COME TO OUR SITE AND SEE HOW WE'RE DOING IT. THAT'S UNREALIST LICK, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THEY'RE WITH CHILDREN. WE CAN DO VIDEOS, SEE THEM IN THE EVENING. EDUCARE EVEN THOUGH IT'S EXCEPT UP AS A SENATOR, IT WILL PROVIDE -- SETS UP AS A PROVIDER, IT WILL SUPPORT FAMILY CARRY CENTERS. WE ABSOLUTELY ARE WORKING WITH ALL TYPES OF CENTERS. I THINK THAT AS WORKFORCE MOVES FORWARD, THERE IS THIS DILEMMA BETWEEN DO WE WANT TO HAVE THE BIGGEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK, SO DO WE GO AFTER THE CENTERS THAT SERVE A LOT OF CHILDREN, BUT THE FACT IS, WHEN WE LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE CRITICAL SERVICES WE'VE NEEDED MOST IN THE CITY, WEEKEND HOURS, OVERNIGHT HOURS, IT'S OUR FAMILY CENTERS THAT HAVE BEEN DOING THAT. THAT'S WHY WE'RE CAREFUL WE DON'T HAVE A SINGLE MODEL. I DO HOPE THAT FOLKS WILL JOIN US WHO ARE NOT STUCK IN COUNCIL ON THE 27TH FOR THAT GROUND BREAKING.
WE'RE EXCITED WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT INFANT/TODDLER MODEL
BEING BUILT AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY. >> THANK YOU.
THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAVE, CAN YOU REMIND ME WHAT THE DIFFERENCE OR WHAT YOU SEE -- AND MAYBE IT'S QUALITATIVE, RIGHT, BETWEEN HIGH QUALITY AND JUST REGULAR, SO I'M LOOKING IN PARTICULAR AT THE MONTHLY TUITION AVERAGE AND THAT CHANGE, THAT DRASTIC JUMP, RIGHT, IN MY OPINION.
AND SO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE FOR THOSE 300 PLUS DOLLARS.
>> WELL, WHEN A CENTER IS BEING RATED EITHER ON THE TEXAS RISING STAR OR NATIONAL ACCREDITATION, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE ONE OF THE MOST OFTEN ONES THAT HAPPENS ARE YOUR -- OBVIOUS ONES ARE YOUR CHILD TO TEACHER RATIOS AND YOUR MAXIMUM GROUP SIZES. AND SO HIGH QUALITY REQUIRES SMALLER GROUPS AND MORE TEACHER TO CHILD RATIOS.
THAT'S MORE EXPENSIVE, BECAUSE YOU'RE PUTTING ANOTHER TEACHER IN A CLASSROOM OR YOU'RE BRINGING IN LESS TUITION DOLLARS SO, THEREFORE, THE FEW THAT YOU DO HAVE -- STRUCTURE ITSELF IS NOT THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF IT, AND THAT IS THE DILEMMA, BECAUSE IT'S MUCH EASY TORE DO GRANTS TO GIVE PEOPLE EQUIPMENT AND MATERIALS, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT CENTERS ARE TELLING US THEY REALLY NEED. I WILL SAY THAT WAS AN INTERESTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOME CARE PROVIDERS AND OUR CENTER-BASED PROVIDERS.
OUR HOME CARE PROVIDERS DID IDENTIFY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN TERMS OF MATERIAL SUPPORTS. AND SO, AGAIN, AS WE BEGIN TO LOOK AT TARGETED, THERE MAY BE A BALANCED APPROACH WITH THE MAJORITY ARE GETTING STAFFING SUPPORT, THE OTHERS WHO ARE TRYING TO MOVE INTO THAT REALM, WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT GRANTS AROUND EQUIPMENT TO HELP THEM GET TO QUALITY, BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT COMES DOWN TO PEOPLE AND THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN YOU CAN PUT IN THE
CLASSROOM. >> GARCIA: GOT IT. AND SO JUST LIKE LOOKING AT THIS, I'M GLAD MY KID IS 26. I'M LIKE, OH, MY GOSH.
BUT THEN THERE'S ELDER CARE THAT I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, AND ELDER CARE IS, LIKE, DOUBLE THIS. I FEEL LIKE OUR COMMUNITY'S GOING TO GO THERE ONE DAY, SO JUST FY I, COUNCILMAN, WE MAY HAVE TO BRING UP ELDER CARE AS WELL, RIGHT? BUT THEN ALSO ON THE ITEM WHERE YOU HAVE THE SPACE
[00:55:01]
FROM PARENT COMPANY, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT AGAIN? >> WE WERE LOOKING AT WAS SPACE FROM A PARENT COMPANY WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE A LOCAL CHURCH GIVING THAT PHYSICAL SPACE TO THE CHILDCARE PROVIDER FREE
OF RENT. >> GARCIA: OKAY. OKAY.
>> AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT SPACE. >> GARCIA: WONDERFUL.
THOSE ARE MY ONLY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, THANK
YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> ANYTHING ELSE?
>> VIAGRAN: I AM COMPLETELY SUPPORTIVE. I THINK INFANT AND TODDLER EDUCATION IS KEY; HOWEVER, I THINK -- FROM THE -- AND I THINK -- SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB, BUT THE ASK YOU HAVE FROM GOVERNMENT ENTITY REGARDING THIS IS -- I NEED THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEN THE GOVERNMENT ENTITY, WHETHER IT'S THE CITY OR THE COUNTY, COMBINATION, NEEDS A KIND OF A SAY IN THAT, AND VERY SIMILAR TO THE WORKFORCE FUNDING AND THE FAMILIES THAT WE'RE HELPING OUT WITH THIS, WHETHER IT BE EDUCARE, WHETHER IT BE ANOTHER CARE, IS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT GOES TO THOSE THAT ARE -- TO EVERYONE.
WE WANT IT AVAILABLE FOR ALL PARENTS, BUT ESPECIALLY THOSE PARENTS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY -- SINGLE MOTHERS, YOU KNOW, WORKING FAMILIES THAT ARE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH THE AFFORDABILITY.
SO I THINK THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO GO BACK TO AND SAY, JUST REALLY HOW MUCH OF THE CITY AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES SAY DO YOU WANT? BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO WANT MORE OF -- I DON'T WANT TO SAY AN OVERSIGHT, BUT MORE OF A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO SAY THIS IS MY COMMUNITY AND I'M TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT DISTRICT THREE, AND THIS IS THE NEEDS WE HAVE IN SPECIFICALLY DISTRICT THREE. SO IF IT IS GOING TO BE FROM THE CITY AND COUNTY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK YOU NEED TO TAKE THEM INTO CONSIDERATION, AND I DON'T -- I DON'T SEE THAT FROM THIS PRESENTATION.
AND I KNOW THIS WAS JUST A STUDY, BUT I DON'T SEE FROM THE PRESENTATION THAT OTHER THAN OUR DOLLARS, YOU WANT ANYTHING ELSE FROM THAT.
AND I'VE BEEN PART OF LITTLE JAGUARS AND I'VE BEEN PART OF THAT, AND I'M A FORMER EDUCATOR, BUT IT IS -- IT'S 10 DISTRICTS WITH A MAJOR AND I EVEN KNOW THAT THERE ARE POOR ZIP CODES IN EVERY DISTRICT THAT NEED HELP AND NEED THIS IN THEIR LIVES, BUT WE -- I NEED TO SEE THAT THERE'S SPACE FOR US TO KIND OF USE OUR VOICE THERE.
AND FROM THIS PRESENTATION, I DON'T. BUT I WILL TAKE A LOOK AT
THE BIGGER STUDY. THANK YOU. >> COUNCILWOMAN, IF I COULD RESPOND, JUST TO LET DR. JAZWIAK OFF THE HOOK A LITTLE BIT, WE ASKED HER TO DO THE STUDY SO WE COULD UNDERSTAND IT.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ACTUALLY FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE IN THE COMMUNITY DOING THIS WORK, INCLUDING PRE-K FOUR SA AND SOME OF TO OTHER PROVIDERS. TO YOUR POINT -- SO TAKING WHAT THE STUDY TELLS US AND THEN FIGURING OUT, OKAY, WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES AND HOW DO WE FOCUS THOSE AND WHAT IS THE ASK OF VARIOUS ENTITIES.
I DON'T WANT TO -- THAT WAS A REQUEST OF HER, SO THEY'VE DONE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL OF US TO CONSIDER AND I WILL SHARE THAT THERE AREN'T REALLY ANY SURPRISES IN THIS STUDY. ONE OF THE REASONS WE ASKED FOR THE STUDY WAS WE HAD A SENSE FROM WORKING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS WAS THE SITUATION. BUT WE WANTED TO KNOW THE EXTENT OF IT, THE DEPTH, WHERE IS IT SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO FOCUS RESOURCES. AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, PRE-K FOUR SA THREE YEARS AGO DID A SHIFT TO SAY, OKAY, WE'VE BUILT OUT, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY HAS REALLY FOCUSED ON PRE-K FOUR SA FOR FOUR-YEAR-OLDS, WITH EVE GOT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING BEFORE THE AGE OF FOUR.
SO THIS HELPS US TO KNOW HOW TO DO THAT. >> VIAGRAN: NO.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT I WANT TO COMMUNICATE -- AND NOT JUST FOR YOU GUYS, BUT FOR ALL THE NONPROFITS THERE THAT MIGHT BE WONDERING OR ASKING, WHERE WE ARE AT NOW BUDGETARY-WISE WITH THE CITY IS YOU HAVE TO BE READY TO HAVE THE PEOPLE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU TO TAKE ACTION. AND IF YOU'RE NOT, THERE'S GOING TO BE A
GROUP THAT COMES AFTER YOU THAT IS. >> YEP.
>> VIAGRAN: SO I'M GLAD THAT THE STUDY WAS DONE. AND WHEN THE STUDY WAS STARTED, WE WERE IN A DIFFERENT FINANCIAL POSITION THAN WE ARE NOW, BUT WHERE WE ARE AT NOW IS REALLY -- IT'S REALLY A PACKED KIND OF AGENDA FOR EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL THAT'S LOCAL. SO THAT'S COUNTY, THAT'S CITY, THAT'S SCHOOL BOARDS, AND, YES, I FIRMLY BELIEVE -- I KNOW
[01:00:03]
WHAT Y'ALL ARE SEEING, IN INFANT AND TODDLER -- IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE WHAT OUR INFANT AND TODDLERS ARE -- AND THEIR EDUCATION, WE WILL BE BEHIND, SO, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.AND I THINK EDUCARE CAME WITH A SOLUTION, BUT NOW WE'RE LOOKING FOR LOTS OF
SOLUTIONS, SO THANK YOU. >> AND I HOPE THAT AS YOU LOOK AT THE MULTIPLE -- I DON'T WANT TO CALL IT A MENU OF POSSIBLE PATHWAYS, THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL INITIATIVES THAT COULD BE TAKEN ON, AND THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE TAKEN ON BY CITY COUNCIL.
THEY'RE THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS MAYBE ALREADY HAVE AN ACTION, BUT INTERESTINGLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT OF DR. INANA'S DATA WAS THE ROLE SEPTIC CENTERS PLAYED IN SEVERAL CENTERS AND SCHOOLS ABILITY TO EXPAND CAPACITY. DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
SOME OF THE CENTERS SHARED WITH YOU? >> YES.
ACTUALLY, PRIVATE SCHOOL AND A HOME SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, FAMILY HOME SCHOOL OWNERS, THEY WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT SEPTIC TANK BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT MORE KIDS. SO THAT'S -- YEAH.
>> THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN THEY'RE ALLOWED TO SERVE IS BASED ON SEPTIC TANK RATINGS. AND THEY MAY BE SPACE CONSTRAINT, BUT SOME OF THEM ARE LOOKING AT, AS THE CITY EXPANDS PUBLIC WORK OR THE COUNTY EXPANDS THE PUBLIC WORKS, BEING ABLE TO TAP INTO THAT.
SO EVEN OTHER SYSTEMS LIKE THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO LEARN THROUGH THIS RESEARCH, WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT AS IT AFFECTS OUR CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. IN MULTIPLE INSTANCES, AND WE TALKED TO A SMALL SAMPLING, WE HAD THREE DIFFERENT PROVIDERS IDENTIFY SEPTICS AS SOMETHING HOLDING THEM BACK FROM SERVING MORE CHILDREN.
IT WAS SURPRISING, BUT I THINK THAT IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF LOOKING AT THIS DATA. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SAYING, OKAY, WE NEED TO PUT MORE MONEY INTO STAFF SALARY. LET'S MAKE WISE DECISIONS AS WE'RE PLANNING CITY-WIDE INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> JUST A COUPLE QUICK THINGS. WHEN WE'VE LOOKED AT OTHER CITIES, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN NOTABLE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY'VE DONE TO INCREASE OPERATING CAPACITY?
>> SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF CITIES HAVE UNFORTUNATELY TRIED TO TACKLE IT BASED ON PUTTING IN MORE CITY-OPERATED PROGRAMS. BUT THAT UNFORTUNATELY THEN RUNS OUT THE LOCAL PROVIDERS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE DID HEAR IN THE DATA REPEATEDLY AT THE PRESCHOOL LEVEL, THAT'S WHY 55% OF THE OPENINGS AT THE PRESCHOOL LEVEL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MORE AND MORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE GETTING INTO THE GAME. SO ADDING ANOTHER LAYER DOESN'T WORK.
THE SYSTEMS THAT HAVE WORKED ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE BEGUN TO BUILD WITH THE EXISTING PROVIDERS THAT WE HAVE. AND I THINK WE HAVE THAT DATA IN THERE, THE TEXAS RISING STAR, IT'S WORKING.
WE HAVE GREAT COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER.
UNITED WAY, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, PRE-K FOUR SA, MANY GROUPS INVOLVED IN TRYING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILDCARE HAVE ALREADY SHOWN US THAT, LET'S TAKE THOSE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS, LET'S PROVIDE THE MENTORING LEVELS THAT THEY NEED AND WORK WITH THE EXISTING PROVIDERS RATHER THAN COMING IN AND PUTTING A LAYER ON TOP. SO THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OTHER CITIES IS REALLY WORK WITH THE PROVIDERS THAT YOU HAVE, BUILD UP THEIR CAPACITY RATHER THAN BRING IN
ANOTHER SYSTEM ON TOP. OR AN ADDITIVE. >> WHYTE: YEAH.
THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME. WHAT ABOUT POLICY CHANGES NEEDED TO IMPROVE PRE-K FOUR SA'S EFFECTIVENESS IN EXPANDING ACCESS TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION? ANYTHING THAT COMES TO MIND OR THAT Y'ALL HAVE
COME UP WITH? >> WELL, I THINK THAT IN TERMS OF PRE-K FOUR SA, ONE OF THE ROLES THAT WE SEE THEM PLAYING IN THE COMMUNITY AND THAT WE HEARD THROUGH THE DATA WAS THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST OPERATING FOUR SITES IN THE CITY, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY DOING TEACHER DEVELOPMENT AND THEY'RE PROVIDING COACHING AND MENTORING TO COMMUNITY PROVIDERS THROUGH THEIR SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE. ONE THING WE HEARD PROVIDERS ASKING FOR WERE THINGS LIKE THE SHARED SERVICE ALLIANCE. THEY JUST DON'T KNOW THAT IT EXISTS. THEY'RE ASKING FOR COACHES TO COME WORK WITH THEM BEFORE THEY GET INTO THE TEXAS RISING STAR SYSTEM.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I THINK SARA'S PROBABLY ALREADY HAD HER FINGER ON THE PULSE AND HAS SEEN, BUT WE SAW THAT IN THE DATA.
THAT'S WHAT THE PROVIDERS WERE TELLING US THAT THEY WANTED.
SO TO ME, WHAT IT MEANS IS WE JUST NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE MORE.
WE NEED TO GET THAT MESSAGE TO THEM. AND THAT'S THE CASE ACROSS THE BOARD. THINGS LIKE PROVIDERS IN SAN ANTONIO WHO ARE AT A
[01:05:05]
HIGH QUALITY LEVEL ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENROLL FAMILIES WHO ARE MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND WHO RECEIVE THE MY CHILDCARE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD FUNDING. PEOPLE WE TALKED TO DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT, PROVIDERS DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW, WELL, GOSH, IF I GET INVOLVED WITH TEXAS RISING STAR, HERE'S THE BENEFIT. THEY MAY THINK TEXAS RISING STAR IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN CHILDCARE SUBSIDIES OR CHILDCARE SCHOLARSHIPS. SO I THINK THERE'S AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THAT PRE-K FOUR SA CAN PLAY A PART IN AS WELL AS BEEFING UP SOME OF THEOTHER AREAS THEY'VE BEGUN TO WORK IN. >> WHYTE: THANKS, CHAIR.
THAT'S IT. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR AND THANK YOU TO THE PRESENTATION, OF COURSE DR. BARAY AND THE PRE-K FOUR SA TEAM.
ONE OF THE TOP CHALLENGES IS ACCESS TO STAFFING AND OFFERING HIGHER LEVELS OF TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. AND I'M THINKING ABOUT THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, AND I'M CURIOUS TO WHAT PARTICIPATION IN READY TO WORK LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF FOLKS WANTING TO GET CERTIFICATIONS THAT COULD SUPPORT THIS WORK? AND IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION FOR MIKE. CAN -- DO WE KNOW, HAVE A GENERAL BALLPARK OF WHAT PARTICIPATION LOOKS LIKE IN READY TO WORK? AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THERE IS COORDINATION IN UPSCALING -- SCALING RATHER THE EMPLOYEES
INTERESTED? >> YES, CURRENTLY IN READY TO WORK TEACHER ASSISTANCE OR EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKERS PRIMARILY IS NOT AN OCCUPATION PRIMARILY DO TO THE WAGES. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN THE CHILDCARE, YES THESE CENTERS NEED MORE WORKERS, BUT THE MISSION OF READY TO WORK SOMETIMES RUNS COUNTER TO WHAT THE EXISTING ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ARE FOR THE WAGES OF THOSE PEOPLE.
JUST ANOTHER ELEMENT THAT MAKES THE ISSUE MORE COMPLICATED.
WE HAVE RUN A PILOT IN THE PAST FOR CDA, THAT CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, AND THERE'S CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING NOW WITH FAMILY SERVICES ABOUT DOING ANOTHER PILOT.
THEY'RE RECRUITING SOME EMPLOYERS, LIKE PRE-K FOUR SA, AND SOME OF THE OTHER PREK PROVIDERS IN THE -- HEAD START COMMUNITY PROVIDERS PAYING THAT WAGE, SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO SELECT INDIVIDUALS TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT PILOT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE ARE THE EMPLOYERS THAT PAY THE WAGE THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO HIT WITH READY TO WORK, AND SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME BETTER RESULTS THAT WAY.
>> CASTILLO: YEAH, I'M THINKING OF THE INCUMBENT ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, RIGHT, AND IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S CURRENTLY OFFERED TO PRE-K FOUR SA AND WHAT DOES PARTICIPATION LIKE THAT.
I HEAR YOU, ON OUR TEAM, I'M GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE A FORMER PREK BILINGUAL TEACHER, AND THAT'S PART OF THE COMPONENT IS COMPETITIVE WAGES AND THEN OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE INCREASE PAY AS WELL.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS TO -- FOLKS ON THE TEAM THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PROGRAM, IS IT SOMETHING THAT WORKS WITH THE --
>> PRE-K FOUR SA DOES OFFER THE CDA COURSE FREE OF CHARGE TO ANY -- IT'S BOTH PRESCHOOL AND INFANT/TODDLER, AND WE HAVE LITERALLY PROVIDED THOSE CREDENTIALS TO OVER 300 OF THE EARLY CARE PROVIDERS, BUT THEN WHAT DR. JAZWIAK WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT CREDENTIAL IS ONLY GOOD FOR TWO YEARS UNLESS YOU CAN TRANSLATE INTO AN ASSOCIATE DEGREES AND THEN MOVE THAT INTO A BACHELOR'S OR EVEN A MASTER'S IF YOU WANT TO. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE ALIGNMENT PIECES WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. WE HAVE A COHORT OF ASSIST TANTD TEACHERS AND AIDES VERY INTERESTED IN GETTING CERTIFICATION, SO WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE THE FUNDING FOR THAT. HOW TO PROVIDE THAT COURSEWORK TO BRING THEM INTO THAT. JUST EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE COMBINATION OF THIS KIND OF POWER OF THIS WORK TO
BE ABLE TO ALIGN THOSE. >> CASTILLO: AND IN THE SUMMARY, LANDSCAPE OF THE STUDY, IT SHOWS THAT ALL GROUPS IDENTIFY STAFF EARNING A CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CERTIFICATE AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AS ONE OF THE TOP CHALLENGES, SO THESE ARE FOLKS ALREADY DOING THE WORK, DID THEY SHARE ANY CONTEXT, IS IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY ALSO HAVE A CHILD THAT THEY HAVE TO CARE FOR, SO MAYBE GOING TO SCHOOL AFTER WORK IS A BARRIER? WHAT WAS THE TREND THAT YOU SAW?
>> AND I'M GOING TO INVITE DR. INAN, IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT SHE RECALLS. IN LOOKING AT THE QUALITATIVE DATA, WE DID SEE PROVIDERS SAYING, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT TO JUGGLE, WORKING AN EIGHT-HOUR DAY AND SCHOOL ON TOP OF THAT, PLUS I'M A MOM. THAT'S OVERWHELMING. AND SO I SO I THINK STRATEGIES THAT ALLOW TO BUILD IN BREAKS AND FLEXIBLE LUNCH HOUR, TIMING, WE'VE WORKED WITH GROUPS BEFORE WHERE WE HAVE PROVIDED THE TRAINING ON-SITE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME TO A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. THAT A LOT OF TIMES CAN HELP OUT WITH ALLEVIATING THAT BURDEN, BUT IT IS VERY MUCH -- WHEN I CAME TO SAN ANTONIO 12 YEARS AGO WE RAN SATURDAY MORNING CLASSES AND IT WAS PRIMARILY FOR
[01:10:01]
CHILDCARE PROVIDERS BECAUSE THEY WORKED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.THEY WOULD COME, WE WOULD BLOCK THEIR CLASSES ON A SATURDAY MORNING.
SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF INNOVATIVE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BEGIN TO WORK WITH. BUT DR. INAN, WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE IN THE VIEW INTERVIEWS THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT SPECIFICALLY IN REGARD TO THE CHALLENGE OF GOODING
THAT CREDENTIAL. >> YEAH. THE TRAINING, EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET TRAINING, BUT SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LIKE WE DON'T REALLY JUST NEED TRAINING, BUT WE ARE KIND OF BURNT OUT BECAUSE OF THE HOURS WE ARE WORKING, LIKE LONG HOURS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AND ALSO WE HAVE A KID, WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE KID, SO WE ARE KIND OF THINKING ABOUT MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST STAY AT HOMESTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR OUR KIDS.
AND ONE MORE THING, ACTUALLY, SOME OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LIKE WE WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME MORE HELP IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE WE ARE HAVING A LOT OF KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AND THEN WE NEED SOMEONE TO TAKE THEM OUT, YOU KNOW, FROM THE CLASSROOM OR BE IN THE CLASSROOM TO HELP US BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING -- THE TEACHERS ARE HAVING KIND OF MENTAL ISSUES. ACTUALLY, ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LIKE -- LIKE QUIT YEARS AGO BECAUSE OF THAT, BECAUSE I HAD MENTAL ISSUES I WAS NOT ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I'M AT WORK WITH ALL THE KIDS I'M HAVING IN THE CLASSROOM -- I MEAN, THE KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
SO THE PROBLEM IS REALLY COMPLICATED. >> AND I THINK THAT THAT IDEA OF HOW DO WE BUILD EDUCATION THAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING IN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR EVERYDAY WORK. I MEAN, THERE'S NO BETTER SITUATION THAN A MENTOR OR COACH COMING INTO YOUR CLASSROOM AND HELPING YOU. SO ONE OF THE THINGS AT THE STATE LEVEL THERE'S CURRENTLY WORKFORCE FUNDING FOR UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES TO BUILD THAT ARTICULATION AND ALIGNMENT SO THAT IF SOMEONE HAS THE CDA CREDENTIAL THEY CAN TURN THAT INTO COLLEGE COURSE HOURS AND THOSE COLLEGE COURSE HOURS CAN TURN INTO DEGREES. THE PIECE THAT I THINK THE CITY COULD THINK ABOUT DOING IS WE HAVE SO MANY CARE PROVIDERS, ESPECIALLY THAT EDUCATION SLIDE WHERE THE INFANT/TODDLER TEACHERS, EVERY SINGLE YEAR THEY'RE GETTING 30 HOURS OF TRAINING THAT LEADS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF A DEGREE BECAUSE THOSE CLOCK HOURS ARE NOT ARTICULATED INTO COURSE WORK OR NECESSARILY BEING BUILT INTO A CDA. EVERY ONE OF THOSE HOURS CAN COUNT TOWARDS A CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE. THAT CHILD DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE CAN COUNT TOWARDS COLLEGE CREDIT HOURS. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS HAVE THAT MATRICULATION BETWEEN THEM AND THEN GET PROVIDERS TO UNDERSTAND FROM THE BEGINNING WHAT OPTIONS THERE ARE BECAUSE IF THEY'RE FACED WITH TWO CHOICES THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE THE GOOD CHOICE. I'M GOING TO GO TO THE TRAINING THAT WILL COUNT TOWARDS A CDA KNOWING THAT LONG-TERM THAT COULD LEAD THEM TO AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE OR BACHELOR'S DEGREE. BUT I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT I HAVE TO MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS SO I'M JUST GOING TO GO TO THESE TRAINING NOT THINKING LONG-TERM WILL THAT TRAINING HELP ME ACHIEVE A DEGREE? SO I THINK THAT'S ALSO A WORKFORCE PIECE EDUCATING THE FIELD TO UNDERSTAND HOW
THAT WOULD COME TOGETHER. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> PELÁEZ: JUST TO WRAP THAT UP, I AM VERY GRATEFUL THAT WE RECRUITED PROFESSIONALS FROM TEXAS A&M TO DO THIS STUDY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ALWAYS WORRIED ME IS THAT WE'VE RELIED ON ONE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM TO THE LIKE OF A LOT OF OTHERS FOR SOME OF THIS IMPORTANT RESEARCH, AND UTSA IS IN MY DISTRICT AND I LOVE THEM. I THINK THEY'RE FANTASTIC AND THEY'RE A TIER 1 RESEARCH ORGANIZATION, BUT SO IS TEXAS A&M, RIGHT? AND YOU GUYS HAVE SOME BIG, POWERFUL FRONTAL LOBES WORKING OVER AT A&M.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS DIVING INTO THIS AND TREATING IT WITH THE RESPECT AND THE IMPORTANCE THAT IT MERITS. SO THE SECOND THING IS IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE GOT A MAJOR POLICY OPPORTUNITY WITH WITH REGARDS TO, WHAT IS IT, SEPTIC TANKS. [LAUGHTER].
SO COUNCILMAN WHYTE WILL BE HANDLING THAT AND A CIRCULATING A CCR.
AND THEN THE THIRD THING IS I THINK THIS COMMITTEE WOULD PROBABLY BENEFIT FROM AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT WE, WE AT COSA, AND OUR FRIENDS AT THE COUNTY ARE DOING AS FAR AS SPENDING. WE TALKED ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDED AND THAT'S WITHIN OUR CONTROL, BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OF THE -- OF THE FUNDING THAT GOVERNMENT PUTS IN HERE LOCALLY BECAUSE WE MAY BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT A WAY TO ALOT MORE RESOURCES ON -- ALLOT OR RESOURCES OR UNDERSTAND OUR
[01:15:01]
ROLE IN THIS, SO CAN I IMPOSE UPON YOU TO BRING THAT TOPIC BACK? UNDERSTANDING QUITE LUCIDLY THAT WE ARE CREEPING INTO COMMUNITY HEALTH AND EQUITY TOPICS, BUT AGAIN, I THINK THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RELATIONSHIP AND IT'S REALLY HELPFUL THAT THE CHAIR OF THAT IS ON THIS BOARD.THAT'S WHAT I MEANT. [LAUGHTER] I'M WEARING NEW GLASSES THAT MAKES ME CROSS-EYED. I'LL STOP THERE. DR. BARAY, CLOSING ARTS?
>> NO, JUST TO ADD THAT EARLY MATTERS IS ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW THEY'RE GATHERING DATA ABOUT WHERE IS THE FUNDING FOR EARLY LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE'LL CERTAINLY COORDINATE WITH THEM TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING ABOUT.
AND MOST OF IT OR MUCH OF IT IS GOVERNMENT FUNDED BECAUSE IT EITHER COMES FROM THE STATE THROUGH WORKFORCE OR THROUGH HEAD START, WHICH IS FEDERAL, THAT COMES THROUGH THE CITY. SO I THINK THAT'S ALREADY IN THE WORKS SO WE'LL BE ABLE
TO COME BACK AND SHARE THAT WITH YOU. >> PELÁEZ: AND TO THE REPORT THEY BRING BACK HERE IS AN ANALYSIS ALSO TO INCLUDE WSA, WCOG --
>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GOVERNMENT FUNDING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OR FROM THE STATE.
>> PELÁEZ: COUNCIL MEMBER WHYTE, ANY QUESTIONS? NO.
THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF THE MEETING.
SO WE DON'T FORGET, ALICE, Y'ALL HAVE SOME HOMEWORK. COUNCILWOMAN VIAGRAN MADE SOME VERY SPECIFIC THINGS, SO DON'T DELAY SETTING UP A MEETING WITH HER.
THANKS, EVERY
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.