Stanislaus 2030 project receives $1.3M increase for childcare system, financial improvement
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at its Tuesday meeting to allocate $1.three million for the subsequent phase of the Stanislaus 2030 project.
The county will negotiate a 3-year term with the Stanislaus Neighborhood Foundation to serve as the lead agency for the 2030 project, which appears to bolster financial improvement in the area.
Of the $1.three million, $700,000 will establish the initial system help and the remaining $600,000 will fund the formation and operations of the Stanislaus Intermediary Organization.
“We spent the improved element of a year analyzing our neighborhood economy and attempting to brainstorm with the finest minds we could, inside the neighborhood as nicely as outdoors, to position ourselves for a additional robust and equitable economy for future generations,” mentioned Stanislaus County CEO Jody Hayes. “These are extended-term considerations. They might have some brief-term wins, but we’re pretty, pretty focused on extended-term investment and extended-term strategic financial influence right here in Stanislaus County.”
Amanda Hughes, the chief method officer at the Stanislaus Neighborhood Foundation, will be the point particular person for foundation’s efforts.
“We are truly encouraged by the Board of Supervisors’ help, in partnership with the Stanislaus Neighborhood Foundation, to truly generate the circumstances important for collaboration at the population level,” mentioned Marian Kaanan, CEO of the Stanislaus Neighborhood Foundation. “To do that, we have to have a quarterback and (Amanda) is uniquely certified to do this variety of operate.”
In May perhaps of 2021, the Board authorized a prioritized list of spending approaches for the $107 million it received in American Rescue Strategy Act (ARPA) funds. Of that $107 million, $30 million was earmarked for financial improvement and job creation.
According to the Stanislaus 2030 Investment Blueprint, a 55-web page deep dive into county economics prepared by diverse neighborhood workgroups with advisors from the Brookings Institution, additional than half of the county’s population — about 214,000 persons — struggle to make ends meet.
Only about 13 % of jobs in the Stanislaus can be classified as “good” jobs, though one more 22 % are deemed “promising.” The remaining 65 % — almost two of every single 3 jobs — fail to meet the requirements for guaranteeing self-sufficiency, the report states.
And this straight impacts young children in the county.
“We have about 145,000 young children in Stanislaus County and 90,000 are increasing up in struggling households,” Hayes mentioned for the duration of Tuesday’s meeting. “But the quantity that truly popped out for us was 85 % of these young children have at least 1 adult functioning in the household. So, we’re not speaking about struggling households exactly where persons are not functioning, we’re speaking about functioning households and the struggles they’re facing in today’s economy.”
To halve the quantity of young children in struggling situations, the area will have to have to generate 40,000 additional “good” jobs than at present exist.
Up to $200,000 of the funds authorized Tuesday will be utilised for kid-care applications, permitting adults who seek additional job coaching the capability to afford kid-care solutions.
“In addition to workforce coaching, we ought to spend particular consideration to non-coaching barriers to enter the workforce and coaching applications,” Hughes told the board Tuesday. “Through our operate with Stanislaus 2030, and this is not a significant shocker, kid care is a key barrier for us. Youngster care is so fundamentally significant for financial prosperity.”
Hughes pointed out that in order to meet present workforce demands, the county requirements 36,000 additional kid care slots than at present exist — pre-COVID numbers that are probably greater now, some 3 years soon after the start out of the pandemic.
