Santa Clara County Board President Susan Ellenberg, Partners Advocate for $20M Childcare Investment With Ameri

Santa Clara County, Calif. – Santa Clara Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg and partners including District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, County of Santa Clara Chief Children’s Officer Sarah Duffy, SCC Superintendent of Schools Dr. MaryAnn Dewan, and Veronica Goei, Executive Director of Grail Family Services to advocate for $20 million in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to be invested into Santa Clara County childcare infrastructure. 

During the pandemic, over 300 childcare providers shut down in Santa Clara County and a lack of available workers is challenging plans to reopen. $5M of the $20M in ARPA funds will go toward expanding the early childhood education workforce programming through First 5’s Apprenticeship Initiative and Shared Service Alliance Initiatives, and $15M will be allotted towards Childcare and Early Education Infrastructure Grant Program to Rebuild the Economy. The intent is to assist early learning and childcare providers to reopen or expand their services in Santa Clara County.  

“Childcare is not simply an individual parent’s challenge,” said Supervisor and Board President Susan Ellenberg. “It is a community-wide concern and funding it as such will serve the public good. Early investments in childhood are anti-poverty, pro-employment, and transform the economic, social and communal wellbeing landscape. When affordable, high-quality childcare is unavailable, local economies are suppressed, there is less consumer spending, lower professional productivity, and greater poverty.”  

“These investments are critical to ensuring that children in Santa Clara have access to high-quality, inclusive early learning and care opportunities as families seek to recover lost social emotional and learning opportunities experienced during COVID-19," said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. "These grants will help create infrastructure and stabilize the workforce as our county seeks to rebuild childcare capacity."  

“The San Jose Chamber of Commerce recognizes the critical role that high quality childcare and early education options provide to a robust, inclusive, and dynamic economy,” said Derrick Seaver, President and CEO of the San Jose Chamber. “We believe that for San Jose and our region to maintain its competitive advantage, we must activate all sectors of our economy, and foster entrepreneurship in all its innovative forms. We should work together towards ending barriers to entry for aspiring business leaders, and this proposal by County Administration goes a long way towards that goal by providing more options for desperately needed high-quality childcare options here in Santa Clara County.  

The livestream to the 2/27 press conference can be watched here. The initiative is before the Board of Supervisors during the Tuesday meeting and needs 4/5 vote to be adopted. 

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District 4 includes the cities of Campbell and Santa Clara, the unincorporated pocket of Burbank, and West San Jose. For more information about Supervisor Ellenberg’s office, visit supervisorellenberg.com.       

Additional Endorsements: 

SCC SUPERVISOR SYLVIA ARENAS, DISTRICT 1 REPRESENTING SAN JOSE EVERGREEN AND SOUTH COUNTY  

“Santa Clara County families are in a childcare crisis. Thousands of families cannot find childcare – preventing them from working or leading them to potentially dangerous make-shift solutions. This issue is particularly acute in East San Jose and South County. More than 1 in 20 young kids in Gilroy qualifies for fully subsidized care but can’t use this state aid because they’re waiting for a seat. Tomorrow’s vote is a vital step to getting kids off wait lists and into childcare.” 

COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA CHIEF CHILDREN’S OFFICER, SARAH DUFFY  

“Santa Clara County, like much of the State and nation, is experiencing a critical need for childcare and early education. The number of licensed center-based and family childcare home providers in Santa Clara County has been decreasing at a staggering rate. During the past 10 years, over 700 licensed childcare facilities in Santa Clara County have closed, and over 150 licensed childcare providers have shut down during the pandemic. Further, in December 2022, over 1,000 families were on waitlists for subsidized childcare. Not only does quality early childcare and education support a child’s positive brain development during a period of rapid growth, but childcare is an essential resource for families while parents and caregivers are working and/or in school, in particular for low-income families. In response to the high level of need for quality childcare, the County is dedicating $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to create additional childcare slots through an infrastructure grant program and childcare and early education workforce development programs. These investments are intended to very positively impact the well-being of families and children, and the Office of Children & Families Policy is proud to support these two important initiatives.”  

WORKING PARTNERSHIPS USA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARIA NOEL FERNANDEZ 

"When all our children have what they need to feel safe, nourished and rooted, the entire community thrives. But Silicon Valley has a deeply divided and inequitable economy in which a large number of children live in households that do not make enough money for the most basic necessities. This is about having the backs of the thousands of parents who depend on the County for childcare and other essential services so they can continue to work and provide for their children’s future — many of them work essential jobs that are critical to our economic recovery. We need an inclusive recovery agenda that provides for working families and cares for the health and well-being of our future generations."  

FIRST 5 SANTA CLARA COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JENNIFER KELLEHER CLOYD  

“The County of Santa Clara’s bold recommendation to spend Covid recovery dollars to support the expansion of early learning programs and investment in workforce development of our childcare system is historic. Without these types of efforts, our economy will continue to struggle if parents cannot find care or providers they trust. This proposal can propel us forward into recovery across our community.”  

FIRST 5 SANTA CLARA COUNTY EXECUTIVE OF COMMUNITY IMPACT HEIDI EMBERLING  

“The County of Santa Clara is showing exceptional leadership in addressing families' deep concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on affordable, accessible, quality childcare. The County understands that its overall economic recovery is dependent on a robust childcare infrastructure that supports working families. We stand united with the County in these efforts.”  

EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE ADVOCATE, SJUSD BOARD VICE PRESIDENT, CHAIR OF LIBRARY COMMISSION, WENDI MAHANEY-GURAHOO  

“What is not lost on me is how this opportunity shows our community that childcare IS infrastructure. Our economy cannot function without a workforce and ensuring that childcare facilities are open/ reopened for business helps our workforce return to work. This is exactly the kind of investments the American Rescue Plan Act funds are intended for to aid in our collective recovery from the pandemic. “  

VERONICA GOEI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GRAIL FAMILY SERVICES  

“Lack of childcare is a consequential economic barrier, as is it prevents families from pursuing employment opportunities. This suppresses families' incomes and hurts employers from accessing a vibrant labor force. In East San Jose, there has been a shrinking number of childcare spots available to meet the need. This was magnified during the pandemic since numerous childcare centers were forced to shut down and some will not be able to reopen. Childcare should not be a privilege for a few but rather accessible for all families and children.”  

CONTACT     
Michael Norris, [email protected]     
Cell: 669-250-8572