Increase the Number of Licensed Family Child Care Home Providers in San Mateo County

San Mateo County needs more licensed Family Child Care Home Providers to care for infants and toddlers.

The Board of Supervisors is interested in supporting programs that will help current and new Family Child Care Home Providers offer quality childcare throughout the County and has allocated $400,000 a year for three years to support capacity building and technical assistance for existing Family Child Care Home Providers and those interested in becoming a Family Child Care Home Provider. Depending on outcomes from the first three years of funding, there is the possibility of two more years of funding. The e xpected contract award date is January/February 2025.

The Board is looking for proposals that have a countywide scope, have a mechanism to evaluate program outcomes, and support the diversity of languages and cultural backgrounds of San Mateo County residents.

During the pandemic, many Family Child Care Homes in San Mateo County closed and some continue to close due to lack of enrollment. There are not enough Family Child Care Homes opening to replace those that have closed due to the challenges of opening a Family Child Care Home. Those challenges include, but are not limited to, developing a business and marketing plan, start-up costs averaging about $5,000, obtaining homeowner’s insurance for the business, complying with fire regulations and obtaining a Family Child Care Home license. These challenges can be especially hard for people whose first language is not English.

The successful Bidder will propose a program that assists both current Family Child Care Home Providers and people interested in starting a Licensed Family Child Care Home by helping them navigate the challenges of starting up and maintaining a Family Child Care Home. While programs that have countywide reach are preferred, proposals to serve specific geographic/demographic/high need communities may also be considered at appropriate funding levels.