ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: June 18, 1999
Author/Local: Penny Coates/6042
RTS No. 804

CC File No. 2401

Council: July 6, 1999

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director of Community Services, Social Planning
SUBJECT:	1999 Childcare Grants Allocation - Report 1 of 3

RECOMMENDATION

A. THAT Council approve 10 City-wide Childcare Support Service grants totalling $248,825 as listed in this report. Source of funds: 1999 Childcare Grants Funds, 1999 Operating Budget.

B. THAT Council approve one Administration of City-owned Childcare Facilities grant of $64,100 to the Vancouver Society of Children's Centres. Source of funds: 1999 Childcare Grants Funds, 1999 Operating Budget.

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services submits A and B for CONSIDERATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

On February 25, 1999, Council approved the 1999 allocation of $672,600 for the Childcare Grants Program.

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to recommend approval of:

10 City-wide Childcare Support Services grants;
1 Administration of City-owned Childcare Facilities grant;

as part of the first of three reports to Council on the 1999 Childcare Grants Program.

BACKGROUND

The February 25, 1999 Childcare Grants Ceiling Report identified the priorities and granting process for the two childcare grant categories described in this report.

DISCUSSION

1. City-wide Childcare Support Program

This grant category was established in 1992 to fund the basic support infrastructure that is integral to developing a viable, effective, high quality childcare system in Vancouver, e.g. information and referral services for parents, financial and administrative consultation services for childcare boards, training and networking opportunities for childcare staff and information and resource materials for those wishing to design, build and open new childcare services.

For 1999, the funding guideline was established at $248,850. In the 1999 Childcare Grant Ceiling report, it was also identified that some of the monies allocated for this category should be used to support the development of childcare leadership and communication mechanisms in each of the six MCF/Health Board network areas so that childcare issues are adequately represented across the Vancouver region in Ministry discussions.

Four applications for city-wide support services have been received for 1999 and six network based agencies have agreed to undertake the preliminary development of childcare co-ordination and collaboration within their network areas (see Appendix I).
The Childcare Co-ordinator reviewed the four city-wide applications and engaged in in-depth discussions with representatives from each of the four services and the overall sponsoring organization, Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. The applicants were asked to:

- highlight the key outcomes achieved during the past year;
- report on how they had evaluated their service during the past year;
- identify any barriers or challenges which had limited their ability to implement all aspects of their 1998 action plans;
- identify emerging and new needs of families and childcare providers;
- indicate how their service goals and action plans for 1999 would address these needs, and complement city-wide initiatives such as the Windows of Opportunity project.

Discussions identified that given the large number of collaborative projects in which all the city-wide childcare support services are involved, it would be valuable at this time for Westcoast to undertake an evaluation of their external relationships with key community partners. Therefore the recommended grant allocations for 1999 reflect no increase for operating expenses and a one time amount of $3,500 towards the evaluation.

The four City-wide Support Service grant allocations are recommended for approval as follows:

	Initial Request	One Time	Recommende d
Multicultural & Diversity Services	$43,712	$0	$43,710
Information Daycare	$33,550	$0	$33,550
Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre (core admin., resource and referral)	$90,667	$3,500	$94,165
Child Care Financial & Admin. Services	$64,500	$0	$64,500
TOTAL			$235,925

The applicants for the network funds designated under this category, were solicited through discussions with those large childcare operators who have demonstrated a willingness and administrative capacity to play a community development role in the childcare community and already have some strong connections. In some networks, several agencies will be sharing the leadership and co-ordination role, but for the purposes of the granting process, one agency per network has agreed to request and administer the funds. In future years, given that Council approves funds for this purpose, the childcare operators within each network will be involved in selecting the agency to apply to the City under this category. The agreement is that the "lead" network based agencies will organize 2-3 meetings a year for group and family childcare operators in their network, will take childcare issues forward to network based community, MCF and Health Board related meetings, and will work closely with the City Childcare Co-ordinator to ensure that civic childcare objectives are being met. Over the next year, Social Planning will assess if this new direction is effectively enhancing the presence of childcare within broader network planning for children and families and strengthening the co-ordination of childcare at the neighbourhood level.

It is recommended that the following agencies be provided with $2,150 each, to assist with administrative and meeting costs associated with this network based initiative.

Network 1 Vancouver YWCA

2 Britannia Community Centre Association

3 Collingwood Neighbourhood House

4 Jericho Kids Club
5 Little Mountain Neighbourhood House
6 South Vancouver Neighbourhood House

The city-wide and network allocations being recommended under the City-wide support Services grant category total $248,825 which is within the funding guideline approved by Council in the 1999 ceiling report.

2. Administration of City-owned Facilities Grant

The Civic Childcare Strategy called for development of a single-purpose, non-profit childcare organization to manage those new City-owned/leased facilities in the Downtown area resulting from rezoning negotiations or City projects. This grant category was established to fund the administrative costs of this society.

In December 1994, the Vancouver Society of Children's Centres (VSOCC) was incorporated, and in September 1995 its first childcare service, the Library Square Children's Centre, was opened. VSOCC now also operates the Dorothy Lam Children's Centre, the first City childcare and family place built by Concord Pacific and is preparing to open the second Concord facility in September 1999 as part of a social housing complex. The overall VSOCC operating budget now exceeds $1.6 million.

VSOCC's Year 5 workplan includes:

- ongoing management of the existing two facilities which currently serve over 150 children and their families;
- start-up and ongoing management of the new Quayside children's centre which is expected to serve over 60 children and families;
- planning for the Beach Neighbourhood childcare facility and new school-aged childcare programs;
- finalizing collective bargaining with the BCGEU;
- implementation of the new on-site financial systems;
- development of new parent involvement mechanisms;
- resource development planning to diversify funding base;

-participation in the Windows of Opportunity project and Vancouver Supported Childcare services;
- joint development with Roundhouse Community Centre, of a False Creek/Yaletown Interagency network;
- ongoing connections with the corporate and community sectors in the Downtown Peninsula;
- exploration of additional services required by children and families in Network 1.

This work fits with the expectations under this grant category. It is therefore recommended that VSOCC's request for $64,100 be approved by Council. This is the same as the 1998 grant (see Appendix II).

CONCLUSION

This report recommends approval of:

- 10 City-wide Support Services grants totalling $248,825
- 1 Administration of City-owned Facilities grant of $64,100

This leaves $359,675 still remaining in the 1999 Childcare Grants budget for allocation to grant categories which are reported in July and/or November (see Appendix III).

- - - - -

APPENDIX II

VANCOUVER SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S CENTRES
Administration budget for City-owned Childcare facilities 1999/2000

Revenues

Contribution from Parent Fees for VSOCC admin costs $ 81,890
(internal transfer from program budget of each childcare centre)
Vancouver Supported Child Care 6,000
United Way 3,000
Fundraising and Grants 15,000
Contribution from Quayside Start-up for admin costs 10,000
1999City Childcare Grant Request 64,100

_______
$179,990

Expenditures

Personnel (Executive Director, Office and Accounting) $149,605
Office Expenses 14,850
Professional Services 5,000
Board development 3,000
Meeting expenses 3,050
Telephone 2,685
Insurance 1,800

________
$179,990

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Total VSOCC Budget for Programs and Administration $ 1,626,522
for: 9 childcare programs located in the 3 facilities

1 family place program

APPENDIX III

Grant Category	Date of Report to Council	Proposed 1999 Funding	Recommended to Date
City-Wide Support Services	June	$248,850	$248,825
Administration of City-owned Facilities	May	64,750	64,100
Research, Policy Dev. and Innovations	May/July/ December	20,000	0
Program Development	May/July/ December	0	0
Inner-City	July	214,000	0
Program Enhancement	July	120,000	0
Program Stabilization	As required	5,000	0
TOTAL:		$672,600	$312,925
BALANCE:			$359,675

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver