Santa Barbara County

Minutes of October 10, 2012

Buellton Recreation Center, Buellton, CA

II.Approval of the Minutes of September 12, 2012

Michelle Robertson moved to approve the minutes of September 12, 2012as presented. Georgene Lowe seconded the motion. MSC.

III.General Public Comment

IV.Presentation on Ballot Propositions with Linda Phillips

Linda Phillips, from the League of Women Voters, provided an overview of the state propositions that will be on the November ballot. She also provided a handout on the League’s recommendations, which include support for Prop. 30; the League is neutral on Prop. 38. Linda recommended two websites for more information: smartvoter.org and cavotes.org, both of which are supported by the League.
Trudy Adair-Verbais mentioned the hearings on child care; one was October 9 and the second is November 9, and the need to contact Assemblymember Bonilla’s office to provide input.

V.Review of Evaluations from Strategic Planning Retreat

Jennifer Bergquist offered a verbal summary of the evaluations, which were very positive. Members seemed to enjoy the Sedgwich Ranch venue, in spite of issues with the gate and the travel time to get there. Joyce Stone will email the written evaluation summary.

VI. Action Item: VOTE to Approve Internal Plan for 2012-13

Committee and Action Team members provided brief overviews of the Action Plans:
Georgene Lowe reported that the Inclusive Child Care Action Team (ICCAT) would continue to meet monthly; plans include outreach to new members and possible training on Project Exceptional.
Quality Ad Hoc Committee: Maggie Espinoza said that the Committee would be working on distributing the Quality materials and video, and would develop talking points.
Advocacy/Public Policy: Trudy Adair-Verbais requested success stories from members for the newsletter that is being developed; Trudy has had four articles published in the press on the upcoming ballot propositions.
LuAnn Miller moved to approve Internal Plan for 2012-13 as presented.Michelle Graham seconded the motion. MSC.

VII. Convening Ad Hoc Committee

The Steering Committee recommended convening an ad hoc committee to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the Child Abuse Prevention Council and the Family Resource Center Network. LuAnn agreed to lead the committee; other volunteers were Jennifer Bergquist and Michelle Robertson.
The Committee will need to look at the Council Bylaws and Standing Rules for guidance in developing the MOU.

VIII. Member Commitment Letters and In-Kind Letters

Chair Flo Furuike requested that those who did not complete Commitment Letters or In-Kind Letters at the September Retreat to please do so and give them to Joyce Stone. The In-Kind Letters are critical to demonstrating the Maintenance of Effort for the CDE contract.

IX.Coordinator’s Report

Joyce Stone presented a written report of her activities since the last Council meeting.

X.ECED Updates

In the absence of First 5 staff, Joyce Stone and Michelle Graham gave a brief update on the development of the Quality Rating Improvement System. The tiers have been revised and will now be a hybrid model that incorporates both the block and the point system. Orientations for family child care provider participants are set to start in November.

XI.Program Coordination Updates

LuAnn Miller reported that state preschool programs are losing families since the imposition of family fees this year. The Isla Vista Youth Project has been forced to close a Kindergarten classroom, which means that there is a resulting lack of continuity of care for children.
Trudy Adair-Verbais suggested that the Council write a letter of concern to public officials about the difficulty of programs to earn their contracts in the face of the loss of families: If children are not attending preschool they will not be prepared for school; administering the family fees results in an unfunded mandate; more administration takes staff time away from working with children; the fees create a revolving door for families, which also requires more administration time for recruiting and enrolling children.
Michelle Robertson has added preschool and after school spaces in Carpinteria.

XII.Other Business/Announcements

Dan Fontaine announced a new program at the Wildnerness Youth Project for parents on how to be with your kids in the natural world.
Karin Dominguez distributed flyers in English and Spanish for a “Dia de los Muertos” event in Santa Maria October 28.
Maggie Espinoza announced a series of trainings on emergency preparation for Listos in Santa Maria.
LuAnn Miller invited members to attend the CCDAA Section Meeting at SBCEO on November 9, which will include a session on the CA Comprehensive Early Learning Plan (CCELP).
Joyce Stone reminded everyone that the ECE Leadership meeting on October 30 at the Hotel Corque in Solvang will also be an opportunity to work on the CCELP.
Georgene Lowe distributed a schedule for Health Linkages health fairs and dental screening events, and a flyer on free Promotores training.
Susan Walsh announced that Vol. 3 of the Preschool Foundations will not be released in time for the CPIN Administrators training in March.
Michelle Graham announced a fundraising event, “A Starry, Starry Night for Our Children: on Friday November 16 at the Radisson in Santa Maria; this will help fund a new program, “Fund a Star,” for low-income families.

XIII.Adjournment