COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Human Resources Department

DATE:

May 8, 2007

BOARD MEETING DATE:

June 5, 2007

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Donna Vaillancourt, HR Director

Paul Hackleman, Benefits Manager

SUBJECT:

Approval of Administrative Agreement with Marin Day Schools / Bright Horizons

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution 1) waiving the Request for Proposal process, and 2) authorizing the President of the Board to execute an agreement with Marin Day Schools / Bright Horizons to manage the County’s Day Care Center (Our Place) for the period from September 1, 2007 through August 31, 2012 for a maximum annual obligation of $115,000 with the option by the County to continue the contract for an additional five year period.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Responsive, effective and collaborative government.

Goals 20 and 21: Government decisions are based on careful consideration of future impact rather than temporary relief of immediate gain; and County employees understand, support and integrate the County vision and goals into their delivery of services.

Performance Measure(s):

Measure

FY 2004-05
Actual

FY 2005-06
Projected

Maintain accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children

100% Continual Accreditation

100%

Serve 89 children full or part time

100%

100%

BACKGROUND:

Marin Day Schools was initially selected to manage the County’s Child Care Center when it first opened in 1993. The center provides care to 89 children in an educational program that is approved by (NAEYC) National Association for the Education of Young Children.

In 2002, the County conducted a competitive Request for Proposal process to solicit proposals on managing the County’s Child Care Center. The RFP was sent to seven companies. Only Marin Day Schools responded. Other companies either declined to submit a proposal or felt they were not competitive with the Marin Day Schools program.

DISCUSSION:

Since the last contract, Marin Day Schools has been acquired by Bright Horizons, the leading child care center provider in the nation. Although the Marin Day Schools Directors are still responsible for the operational management of the County’s Center, the acquisition provided significant additional resources to Marin Day.

We recommend waiving the Request for Proposal and renewing the contract with Marin Day Schools / Bright Horizons because:

• The County conducted a formal review of fees in 2005 and found that Marin Day’s / Bright Horizon’s fees to be competitive with other child care centers in the Bay Area (even for centers that were not offering educational programs approved by NAEYC) and

• Marin Day Schools / Bright Horizon’s management of the program has been excellent.

The contract specifies that of the $115,000 that is provided to the Center from PalCARE’s lease of the County’s Burlingame property, $65,000 will be available for scholarships and $50,000 will be available for operating expenses. Since the amount of scholarships fluctuates from year to year, any annual amount less than $65,000 is held in reserves. Any amount above $65,000 will be paid from reserves and then from the County’s Care$hares Trust Fund. In 2004, at the Board’s direction, the County implemented a special outreach program to lower salaried employees. The result has been a steady increase in awarded scholarships.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The cost of the Child Care Center is primarily paid by tuition of parents with children at the center. The County provides $115,000 annually which are funds received from PalCARE for the lease of its County owned property in Burlingame.