SONOMA COUNTY CHILD CARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT UPDATE 2014

November 2014 Prepared by Nilsson Consulting Prepared for Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County Sonoma County Office of Education

Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County Mission The mission of the Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County is to convene and inspire the community through collaboration, leadership and advocacy to promote and plan for quality child care and development for the benefit of all children (birth to 18), their families and Sonoma County.

Purpose of Needs Assessment The Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County (CCPC) is responsible for providing a forum to identify the child care priorities of families in Sonoma County and to develop policies to meet those needs. To accomplish this, the CCPC is responsible for a number of tasks, one of which is to conduct a county-wide assessment of child care needs, called the “Needs Assessment,” at least once every five years. The term “child care” includes a range of early care and education settings, including half-day and full-day preschools, licensed family child care homes, afterschool programs, etc. The Needs Assessment shall meet the requirements as specified in Education Code, Section 8499.5(b). This study represents the Needs Assessment in Sonoma County for 2014, and it is an update from the 2009 study. A Data Committee, composed of Council staff and members, was assigned by the CCPC to oversee this study preparation. This committee has provided tremendous input and oversight into the preparation of this study, the data collection, and analysis process. The information in this study is used to: • Identify gaps and opportunities • Guide strategies and investments • Inform the development of the 2015-2020 comprehensive county-wide Child Care Plan

Approach and Methodology This 2014 study presents an update of the 2009 Sonoma County Needs Assessment at the county level only. The update incorporates a new template developed by the Child Care Coordinators Association (CCCA) to assist local planning councils in preparing needs assessments. The template suggested by the association is provided in Attachment A. The underlying data and a summary description of that data including sources are provided in Attachment B. This report uses data and information that is readily available from various public agencies (as provided) and on the internet. No primary data was collected for this effort, such as surveys. Data is presented is generally “point in time” data for the most current year or time frame available, which ranges from 2012 to 2014. Since this report uses data and information that is readily available from various public agencies (as provided) and on the internet, we are aware that the many undocumented children in the Prepared by Nilsson Consulting

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

County are not included. Therefore, please note that population and child care demand data in this report are significantly underestimated.

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

Key Findings 1. Since 2009, the population of children ages 0 to 12 in Sonoma County has decreased by 12.3% from approximately 84,500 to 74,200 (see Table 1). There are currently 74,172 children ages 0 to 12 which make up 15.0% of the total population of Sonoma County. This is 10,374 less children ages 0 to 12 than were in the County in 2009 at the time of the last Child Care Needs Assessment. Total population in Sonoma County has also decreased, but at a much lower rate of 1.9%. 2. There is currently a shortage of almost 8,000 child care spaces across all age groups in the County, although there is a surplus of over 600 preschool spaces (see Table 17). Overall, the County is meeting 69% of the overall demand for child care for children ages 0 to 12. There is demand for almost 25,459 spaces and there are 17,536 available. For the County as a whole, there is a shortage of 7,923 spaces across all ages, 0 to 12 years. There are significant shortages for infant and school age care, while there is a surplus of 641 preschool spaces.

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

3. The greatest shortages in care are for infants, ages 0 to 2 years. Currently there is a shortage of approximately 2,600 spaces (see Table 17). For infants, ages 0 to 2, only 34% of total demand is currently met. There is a need for 3,845 infant spaces and only 1,289 are available in the County. This leaves a shortage of 2,556 infant spaces. 4. There is a surplus in supply for preschool spaces for children ages 3 to 5 by approximately 600 spaces (see Table 17). There is currently a surplus of 641 preschool spaces in Sonoma County. Overall, there is a demand for 7,942 preschool spaces and there are 8,583 spaces available (108% of demand). However some facilities still have openings, as available spaces may not meet families’ need for geographic location, affordability, child’s age, quality, hours, etc. 5. With Transitional Kindergarten affecting the demand for preschool, 25% of all 5 year olds in Sonoma County are being counted in the 6 to 12 year old school age group, decreasing the demand for preschool and increasing the demand for school age care (see Table 17). With Transitional Kindergarten (TK) providing programs at elementary schools for 5 year olds born between September 2 and December 2, there is a smaller demand for preschool. We have taken 25% of the 5 year old population and added it to the 6 to 12 year old or school age category to account for this. This means that 1,388 children who are 5 years old are now included in the school age group, since they are creating a demand for school age care and not preschool care. 6. For school age children, ages 6 to 12, there is a shortage of approximately 6,000 child care spaces and only 56% of total demand is met (see Table 17). There is a demand for 13,672 school age spaces. Currently there are only 7,664 available in the County, with a shortfall of 6,008. While there are additional licenseexempt programs for school age kids, they are not counted in the supply data because they have not chosen to be listed in the county’s Resource and Referral agencies’ data bases. Also, license-exempt programs may not meet families’ needs for full-year care. 7. There is a significant shortage of subsidized care for children in the County, with only 16% of the demand met for children 0 to 12 (see Tables 15 and 17). There are approximately 22,000 children ages 0 to 12 in Sonoma County who live in households that earn equal to or less than 70% of the State Median Income (SMI) and qualify for subsidized child care. Almost 4,400 infants qualify for subsidized child care but only 484 slots are available and only 11% of demand is met. For preschool age Prepared by Nilsson Consulting

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

children, 51% of demand for subsidized care is currently met, with a shortage of 2,100 slots. For school age children, only 6% of demand for subsidized care is met, with a shortage of over 12,000 slots. Currently, only 16% of overall demand for subsidized care is being met. Additionally, not all subsidized slots meet families’ needs for geographic location, child’s age, quality, hours, etc. Also, there are low income families who fall just above the income threshold and don’t qualify for subsidies but cannot afford market rate care. In 2009, 33% of demand for subsidized care was met as more funding was available for subsidized care programs.

8. Almost 19% of children under the age of 6 and 13% of children ages 6 to 12 in Sonoma County live below the Federal Poverty Level (see Table 11 and 12). Almost 11,300 children in Sonoma County live in families that earn less than the Federal Poverty Level, which was $23,050 for a household of four in 2012, when this data was collected. And 42% of infants, 46% of preschoolers, and 44% of school age children live Prepared by Nilsson Consulting

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in families earning less than 70% of SMI, or $77,167 (for 2012). That is a total of 32,562 children ages 0 to 12 in families learning less than 70% SMI (43.9% of all children). In 2009, 22% of children lived below the Federal Poverty Level. 9. The number of children ages 0 to 12 years old speaking languages other than English and the ethnic diversity of Sonoma County has increased since 2009 and is expected to continue to increase (see Tables 2 and 3). In 2009, 77% of children ages 0 to 12 years old spoke English as their primary language. This percentage is now 65%. Of the other 35%, 33.2% are Spanish speakers. Other languages include Vietnamese, Filipino, Khmer, Mandarin and others. White children make up 46.4% of the population and Hispanic children make up 42.8%. Multiracial is the next largest group with 5.3%.

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

Summary of Children and Child Care Data as of 2014 The following is a summary snapshot of the data from Attachment B. ♦ Total Children 0 to 12: 74,172 or 15.0% of total population in 2014. o 16,680 children 0 to 2 years old or 22.5% of total 0 to 12 children o 14,998 children 3 to 5 years old or 22.1% of total 0 to 12 children 1 o 42,493 children 6 to 12 years old or 55.4% of total 0 to 12 children ♦ Ethnicity: 46% Caucasian, 43% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 1% African American, 1% American Indian/Alaska Native, 5% multi-racial. ♦ Labor Force Participation Rate of Working Parents: children under 6 years old: 62%; and children over 6 years old: 72%. ♦ Non-English Language Spoken: 33.2% Spanish and 9 other languages spoken with less than one percent each; in total 35.0% of children in grades K-12 speak a foreign language. ♦ Child Care Facilities or Providers: 636 total o o o o

308 licensed small family child care homes 93 licensed large family child care homes 171 licensed child care centers 64 license-exempt centers

♦ Estimated Supply: 17,536 total child care spaces o 1,289 infant spaces (7% of total supply) o 8,583 preschool spaces (49% of total supply) o 7,664 school age spaces (44% of total supply) ♦ Estimated Demand: 25,459 total child care spaces o 3,845 infant spaces needed (15% of total demand) o 7,942 preschool spaces needed (31% of total demand) o 13,672 school age spaces needed (54% of total demand) ♦ Child Care Gap: Shortfall of 7,923 spaces o Overall, 69% of demand is being met o Infant: 2,556 spaces Shortfall 1

The number of 3 to 5 year olds, or preschoolers, includes all 3 and 4 year olds and 75% of 5 year olds. The other 25% of 5 year olds is included in the 6 to 12 year old, or school age category, because of Transitional Kindergarten programs.

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

o Preschool: 641 spaces Surplus o School Age: 6,008 spaces Shortfall o Infant care shows significant shortfalls, with about 34% of demand not met. ♦ Subsidized Child Care Slots: 3,522 slots for children 0 to 12 years o Center-based (General) Program (CCTR): 219 children served 0 to 12 years o California State Preschool: 1,013 children served, 3 to 5 years old o Family Child Care Home Education Network: 132 children being served, ages 0 to 12 o CalWORKS Stage 1, 2 and 3: 1,294 children being served, ages 0 to 12 o Alternative Payment: 312 children served o Head Start: 520 children enrolled in the Head Start program countywide, or 3% of total children ages 3-5, countywide o Early Head Start: 32 children participating in the Early Head Start program, or 0.2% of total children, ages 0-2, countywide ♦ Children Eligible for Subsidized Care: 22,001 children ages 0-12 years are eligible for subsidized are and only 3,522 spaces are available, with only 16% of demand being met. ♦ Children with Special Needs: 6,543 children have identified special needs. This is 8.8% of all children 0 to 12 years old. o 5,830 are children 0 to 12 with IFSPs or IEPs o 713 children 0 to 12 served by Regional Centers or 1.0% of all children 0 to 12 years old. ♦ CalWORKS: 5,107 children ages 0 to 17 receive public assistance (cash grants) through CalWORKs, countywide. o 3,632 children 0 to 12 years old receive CalWORKs or 5% of all children 0 to 12, countywide ♦ Child Protective Services: 604 children active with Child Protective Services (June 2014), or about 0.8% of total children countywide.

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Final Report Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment 2014 Update November 2014

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following organizations and public agencies for providing data and information for this study: American Institutes for Research (AIR) - Early Learning Needs Assessment Tool Butte County Office of Education California Department of Education California Department of Social Services California Department of Finance Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County (4Cs) County of Sonoma - Human Services Department North Bay Regional Center River to Coast Children’s Services (RCCS) o Sonoma County Office of Education o Sonoma County LEA Special Day Class Preschool Operators o Sonoma County SELPA o U.S. Census Bureau o o o o o o o o o o o

Study Authors ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Michelle Nilsson, Nilsson Consulting, Project Manager and Consultant Joanne Brion, Brion & Associates Carol Simmons, Coordinator, Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County - Data Committee

For more information please visit our Web site www.scoe.org/ccpc

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Attachment A: Sonoma County Child Care Needs Assessment Form

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Version 12, January 2013

LOCAL PLANNING COUNCIL COUNTY CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT County: Sonoma

Number: 49

Date Submitted:

Contact: Carol Simmons

Phone: 707-524-2792

E-mail: [email protected]

DEMOGRAPHICS Section 1: Number of Children in the County by Age Cohorts Ages

1a. Number

Section 2: Percent of Child Population by Race/Ethnicity

Age Totals