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Report regarding a resolution authorizing the acceptance of $120,000 in grant funding from the County of San Mateo for the Big Lift Little Steps Preschool at the Gene Mullin Community Learning Center. (Angela Duldulao, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the acceptance of $120,000 in grant funding from the County of San Mateo for the Big Lift Little Steps Preschool at the Gene Mullin Community Learning Center.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Big Lift is a collective impact collaborative launched in 2012 by three agencies, the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The goal of the initiative is to help San Mateo County students achieve reading proficiency by the end of third grade. The City of South San Francisco has been the recipient of Big Lift grant funds since Fiscal Year 2014-15, using these funds to open and operate the Little Steps Preschool at the Gene Mullin Community Learning Center in April 2016. Little Steps Preschool is administered by the Parks and Recreation Department (Department) and has a licensed capacity of 20 students. Families eligible for this subsidized program must qualify as low-income households pursuant to California Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income ceilings and are assessed tuition on a sliding scale, not to exceed the City's adopted preschool fee based on family size and household income. The program operates Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
While Big Lift grant funds have fluctuated over the years, the grant amount remained steady at $220,000 per year from Fiscal Years 2019-20 through 2023-24. This amount was sufficient to cover roughly 80% of program costs largely attributed to staffing, and the City's General Fund subsidized the remaining program expenses. In October 2023, staff met wi...
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