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PRESS RELEASE. From the San Mateo County Executive’s Office on March 25th, 2025. Consent Agenda Item #21 from San Mateo County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 25th, 2025 at 9:00am, as a hybrid meeting.
Redwood City – To address a dire shortage of credentialed early childhood educators, the County is taking an innovative approach to attract people to the field.
Up to $4.5 million in funds from the local Measure K half-cent sales tax will help pay for tuition, textbooks, internships and other supports for trainees as well as veteran educators seeking advanced credentials over the next three years. The goal is to fill a shortage of early-education teaching and assistant teaching positions at programs from Daly City to Pescadero.
“This is a win for families and this is a win for individuals who want to become early-childhood educators,” said David Canepa, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. “When quality, affordable child care is hard to find, it’s hard on families and also hard on businesses that need to recruit and retain qualified workers.”
There’s a need for nearly 3,000 early childhood educators in San Mateo County, according to a 2022 San Mateo County Childcare Needs Assessment, leaving a shortage of more than 17,000 child care spaces. The challenge was further verified and personalized by a 2024 study by the Commission on the Status of Women, which conducted interviews and focus groups with families and providers.
“We can’t fix our economy without fixing our child care crisis,” said Supervisor Jackie Speier. “The need for child care in San Mateo County is dire where over 80 percent of families in need with newborns and babies can’t access child care.
“Too many women exit the workforce because the cost of child care is higher than their salary,” Speier said. “With this innovative pilot we’ll test if we can attract more people to become early childhood educators and provide child care to the thousands of families on waiting lists.”
The need is especially acute for non-English-speaking families struggling to find affordable child care.
The shortage is exacerbated as child care providers are forced to close their doors or limit enrollment due to staffing challenges. That leads to mounting stress and the loss of opportunities: nearly 70 percent of women have delayed or forgone career opportunities due to child care challenges.
Yet candidates interested in pursuing a degree often face numerous barriers.
Providing courses in multiple languages, tuition support, academic stipends, textbooks, paid internships and covering many of the associated costs are expected to make entering the early childhood profession and pursuing a credential more feasible.
“We know that child care and early childhood education are key to women’s economic health. This funding moves us closer to improving the lives of women, especially women of color, both as educators and parents who depend on child care to thrive,” said Supervisor Noelia Corzo.
The County in October 2024 issued a request for proposals to increase the number of local credentialed early childhood educators with an emphasis on impactful, countywide services that address the range of challenges to entering and progressing in the field.
The Board of Supervisors on Feb. 25, 2025 approved funding three contractors that will provide a pipeline for new and advancing credentialed staff:
- Institute for Human and Social Development, also known as Izzy
- Upward Scholars
- San Mateo County Office of Education
Together, the three contractors will support San Mateo County residents who might not otherwise be able to obtain their credential. Over the initial term of three years, the contractors will serve 275 current and aspiring early childhood educators, recruited countywide.
Additionally, Supervisors today (March 25) voted 5-0 to provide funding for at-home child care providers. Under a $753,000 agreement with the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County, qualifying at-home providers could receive support and grants to open new centers or grow existing centers.
Funded by Measure K, the agreement calls for the Council, in collaboration with the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, to provide a range of support services to family child care home providers and actively reach out to those in high-need and underserved communities.
Measure K is a voter-approved sales tax that adds a dime to a taxable purchase of $20, raising local funds for local needs.
Author: mdrag
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