Childcare Navigation Technology Platform

The County of San Mateo, County Executive's Office, is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to procure a technology solution as part of a comprehensive, countywide childcare navigation system. The technology should provide a user-friendly interface that is accessible for families, childcare providers and other stakeholders representing the diversity of San Mateo County's population. It is anticipated that the technology solution will be integrated with existing childcare resource and referral supports and be accompanied by robust community outreach and engagement, as well as marketing and branding. The resulting system should improve the ability of all families to identify appropriate childcare opportunities for their children and reduce the number of vacancies being held by providers. Ideally, the solution also will be flexible enough to add supplemental features, should the County choose to do so, to support expanded access to childcare for San Mateo County families.

Myriad research shows that access to high quality early education and care can have critical impacts on children’s brain development and thus on later life success. Concurrently, the ability to enroll children in trusted programs often determines employment and career choices for parents, notably for mothers, which in turn impacts the local economy.

Like elsewhere in California and across the country, San Mateo County faces a childcare “crisis,” where many families struggle to find and afford childcare that meets their individual needs. Although there are many contributing factors (cost of care, especially infant care; access to subsidies; supply of seats; location; hours; etc), the navigation of the local childcare industry has been identified as a particularly unique challenge for San Mateo County, where many families say they cannot find care, while many providers have open slots that go unfilled. Creating efficiencies in the navigation system is anticipated to help close this unique supply-and-demand gap.

In addition to navigation, the County may wish to employ the technology solution to address additional goals, such as, but not limited to, the following:

• Support for low-income families whose experience with navigation may be complicated further by differing eligibility requirements for financial subsidies;
• The potential for the development of new local subsidies or programs, should additional funding become available;
• A method for tracking educator credentials and/or a substitute pool; and
• Support for childcare providers, especially family home care providers, to maintain sustainable businesses.

The technology solution being sought through this RFP would be accompanied by a robust outreach and engagement program for both families and providers and would be integrated with existing resource and referral supports.