DATE: March 7, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kelley Worman-Landano, Interim County Librarian
SUBJECT: School Readiness Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively authorize the County Librarian’s previous submittal of a participant application to the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity for the School Readiness Program ($1,000);
2. Approve and authorize the Fresno County Public Library to participate in the School Readiness Program administered by the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity, effective upon approval through August 31, 2017 ($1,000); and
3. Adopt Resolution increasing the FY 2016-17 appropriations and estimated revenues in the Library Grants Organization 7517 in the amount of $1,000 (4/5 vote).
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the recommended actions will allow the Library to participate in the School Readiness Program grant, which supplements early literacy programs currently provided by the Library. The participant application was submitted contingent upon your Board’s approval. Grant funds in the amount of $1,000 will be provided by the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity. The funding will allow the Library to purchase children’s books, workbooks, book bags, and arts and crafts workshop materials. The funds will be distributed by the Califa Group, a nonprofit library membership consortium, on behalf of the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity. The Fowler Library Branch was selected for this program.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose to not participate in the School Readiness Program, which will result in the Library not collaborating with the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity to supplement early literacy programming at the library.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The funding amount of $1,000 will allow for the purchase of school materials to support Library early literacy programs in current and future fiscal years. The Library will provide facilitators for the School Readiness Program with an in-kind contribution of $1,239 for the period of April 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017, and an in-kind contribution of $826 for the period of July 1, 2017 to August 31, 2017. The in-kind contribution covers a percentage of salaries and benefits for one Librarian II and one Senior Library Assistant with indirect costs calculated at 10%. The Library’s salary, benefits, and overhead costs are part of the Library’s FY 2016-17 Org 7511 Adopted Budget. In-kind services provided by the Library will be absorbed as programming charges and will be funded with Measure B revenue. The third recommended action will increase appropriations and estimated revenues in the amount of $1,000 in the Library Grants Org 7517 for FY 2016-17 using grant funds provided by the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity and administered by the Califa Group for the School Readiness Program. This grant will span two fiscal years and will disburse funding of $1,000 in FY 2016-17. In-kind costs associated with the program will be included in subsequent budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
There is no agreement associated with this grant program. Upon approval by your Board, the Library will partner with the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity, which is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that provides tools and training for teachers, schools and libraries for the development of programs that nurture creativity among children. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is a children's museum located in Sausalito, California. The museum's mission is to advance creative thinking so that children gain skills to become the innovative problem solvers of tomorrow. The Bay Area Discovery Museum launched the Center for Childhood Creativity in 2011 to pioneer new research, thought-leadership, and teacher training programs that advance creative thinking in children. By partnering with academic institutions such as UC Berkeley and Stanford University, the Center for Childhood Creativity is able to apply the latest childhood development research for a wide audience, including parents who are interested in instilling creative practices in their young children.
The Fresno County Public Library was one of six libraries in California that were awarded a $1,000 grant to participate in the pilot phase of the School Readiness Program administered by the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity with funding provided by the California State Library. The School Readiness Program supports early literacy and creative problem solving among children by providing funding and an educational toolkit which includes developmentally appropriate activities and practical guides to promote the skills and knowledge required for young children to successfully learn in school. The toolkit includes activities that nurture the development of creativity among children.
The funding awarded to the Library will be administered by the Califa Group on behalf of the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity. The Califa Group is a nonprofit library membership consortium of more than 220 libraries and is the largest library network in California. The Califa Group works closely with the California State Library in administering a number of statewide projects supported by grant funds.
Upon approval by your Board, the Library will use the $1,000 grant to purchase picture books, book bags, story time activities, workbooks, puppets and crafts for children’s learning and creativity programs. The School Readiness Program will be offered at the Fowler Library Branch during the period of April 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017. The Fowler Library Branch was selected by the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity due to its rural location and identified need for educational programming. One Librarian II and one Senior Library Assistant will facilitate the School Readiness Program. In August 2017, the Library will provide feedback to the Bay Area Discovery Museum’s Center for Childhood Creativity, which will be used to further develop the School Readiness Program for statewide implementation.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Resolution (Org 7517)
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck