Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/16/1999, C3 - COLLABORATION WITH SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL FOR GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTAL council LA agenda Repout Im Nm6r C I T Y O F SAN LUI S O B I S P O FROM: Paul LeSage, Director of Parks and Recreation4 Prepared By: Betsy DeJarnette SUBJECT: COLLABORATION WITH SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL FOR GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTAL CAO RECOMMENDATION Adopt a resolution granting approval for the City of San Luis Obispo to collaborate with the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council in submitting grant applications to the United Way of San Luis Obispo County for funding to provide enrichment activities for the City's Sun `N Fun and Students Taking Active Responsibility (S.T.A.R.) child care programs. DISCUSSION The City Parks and Recreation Department operates eight(8)before and after school child care programs on elementary school campuses within the City. Over 665 children between kindergarten and sixth grade participate in these programs which are available Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm. Actual use varies from child to child depending upon the needs of the family. A recent trend has evolved in the child care service industry which places an emphasis on the inclusion of enrichment activities in out-of-school programming. Enrichment programs add to the regular curriculum of arts&crafts, snack,homework club and indoor/outdoor games by providing experiences in areas not readily available to children who find themselves in child care each afternoon. While not well-defined, enrichment activities can include tutoring in reading and math, classes in computer technology or the arts,music, and dance, coaching in sports, Girl Scout/Boy Scout/Campfire programs, special interest clubs, etc. To meet the increasing demands of parents and the needs and desires of children, enrichment programs are becoming the standard of practice in quality child care settings. In September,the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education received notice of a$635,000 grant award from the Federal Safe Schools Program. While the majority of funds are earmarked for specific programs, a portion of the money is designated for after school programming. The funds will be distributed as competitive mini grants through two programs administered by the United Way of San Luis Obispo County. The first program provides funding to local Youth Task Forces and the second program funds projects which exhibit strong school/community collaboration. The Parks and Recreation Department's Children's Services Section seeks to apply for grant funding through one or both of the two programs. The intent of the funding request is to hire C3-1 Council Agenda Report—Collaboration with SLO County Arts Council for Grant Application Submittal Page 2 local artists to work with the after school child care programs to provide participants with specialized"enrichment" classes focusing on the arts; i.e. mask making, dance, drawing, mime, puppetry, etc. In light of the arts emphasis, City staff.addressed the Executive Committee of the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council to determine their level of interest in a collaborative proposal. The Council gave unanimous support for the project. Depending upon the grant program selected, collaborative.efforts with the Arts Council will vary slightly. With the Youth Task Force funding,the Arts Council will serve as administrator of the grant. City staff will prepare the proposal and follow=up reports while the.Arts Council manages the funds,pays the artists and serves as a resource for-instructors. With the second grant opportunity involving a school/community collaborative,the City will serve as administrator of the grant,.prepare the proposal and submit subsequent follow-up reports. The Arts Council will collaborate by serving as a resource for artists and providing a letter of support. Both grant programs are expected to be small,therefore it is staff's intent to request no more than $5000 from either grant. Requests for Proposals are scheduled to be released during the latter part of November, 1999 with awards tentatively set for January, 2000. If successful,the enrichment programs will begin in February and continue through the end of the school year. CONCURRENCES This action is consistent with Goal 1.40.9 of the Parks and Recreation Element/Master Plan that states "Parks & Recreation facilities and activities should be developed whenever possible as collaborative efforts with school districts, colleges, private entities, and non-profit organizations." On Tuesday, October. 19, 1999 the Executive Committee:of the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council reviewed the request from city staff for grant support and gave unanimous approval to work collaboratively with the City to obtain grant funding for artists to work in the after school programs. FISCAL I14IPACT There will be no direct fiscal impact associated with the grant. If matching funds are required, financial support will come from in-kind contributions relative to grant writing, program administration and technical follow-up. ALTERNATIVES Deny approval to apply for grant funding. Without funding, staff will move forward with an enrichment program that uses the existing talents of staff' and community volunteers, thus restricting opportunities to available and sometimes limited resources. C3-2 Council Agenda Report—Collaboration with SLO County Arts Council for Grant Application Submittal Page 3 ATTACHMENTS Resolution GACAOrptskaoartscouncilgrantl i-16-99 C3.3 RESOLUTION NO. (1999 Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO AUTHORIZING THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL TO SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE UNITED WAY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY FOR AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES WHEREAS, parents and children in the City's Sun `N Fun and S.T.A.R. child care programs have indicated an interest in the expansion of after school enrichment activities; and WHEREAS, the national child care movement encourages the inclusion of enrichment activities in after school curricula; and WHEREAS, the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council has agreed to work collaboratively with the City's Parks and Recreation Department to secure funding for enrichment activities; BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of San Luis Obispo that approval is hereby granted for the City of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Department to collaborate with the San Luis Obispo County Arts Council to submit a grant application to the United Way of San Luis Obispo County for funding to provide and expand enrichment opportunities within the City's child care programs. Upon motion of , seconded by , and on the following roll call vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: the foregoing resolution was adopted this day of 71999. Mayor Allen Settle ATTEST: Lee Price, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: e G.,dor ity Attorney C34