Advancing
Quality & Access
in Santa Cruz County
Childhood Advisory Council of Santa Cruz County
The Childhood Advisory Council was established by an act of the State Legislature in 1991. This Local Child Care and Development Planning Council (LPC) is a collaborative association of representatives from the early care and education field, including parents, child care providers, businesses, and government. LPC members are appointed by the County Supervisors and the County Superintendent of Schools.
The Childhood Advisory Council is located at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, and manages grants and contracts that impact young children and the teachers that teach them. The grants and contracts are as follows:
- CLPC – Federal and State
- IEEEP Round 2
- QCC Workforce Pathways Grant – Federal and State
- QCC CSPP QRIS Block Grant
- UPK MD Round 1, 2 and 3
There is an urgent need to shift to a new cultural norm of collective responsibility. This five-year strategic plan builds on previous plans and outlines the goals, objectives and action strategies focused around accessible and affordable care, quality care and sustainable systems and workforce. These strategies will generate lasting results to move us towards wellbeing for all children and a prosperous community. The Childhood Advisory Council is willing to disrupt the status quo and engage in open discourse to achieve these results.
The California Department of Education (CDE) requires that county Local Child Care and Development Planning Councils (LPCs) conduct an assessment of local child care needs no less than once every five years. This report summarizes data collected by/for Santa Cruz County in fulfillment of this requirement. The data included in this report are intended to facilitate the long-term planning and implementation of programs and initiatives designed to meet the early care and education needs of children who reside in Santa Cruz County who are eligible for infant/toddler, preschool programs.
by Catlin McLean, Lea J.E. Austin, Marcy Whitebook and Krista L. Olson. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Since 2016, the biennial Early Childhood Workforce Index has tracked the status of the early care and education workforce and related state policies in order to identify promising practices for improving early educator jobs and changes over time. This third edition includes new analyses as well as updated policy indicators and recommendations.
