In 2014, the United Way and its partners conducted a County-wide needs assessment to determine the key issues that prevent residents from achieving prosperity. One of these barriers was access to quality and affordable child care. In Monterey County, there are 10,352 licensed child care slots for the 32,410 children 0-5 of working families. Recent national and local research has shown that Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) child care providers - particularly in low-income communities - care for nearly 70 percent of children with working parents. The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment determined that only 25% of children County wide are kindergarten-ready. We know that 89% of children who ranked at the bottom 5% of the kindergarten readiness assessment are Hispanic/Latino. 70% of these children live below the Federal Poverty Level.
In a recent survey of Monterey County child care providers, 100% of respondents indicated that they were operating at full capacity and had waiting lists. Reasons cited included lack available of classrooms and lack of available workforce.
Our Early Care and Education Vision
Our goal is to double the percentage of children that are fully prepared for kindergarten from just 25% today to 50% by 2025.
Our Early Care and Education Strategies
Monterey County Preschool Service Corps
In partnership with local preschools, Monterey County Preschool Service Corps is offering tutoring activities to preschool children. The program's mission is to support kindergarten readiness by offering individualized opportunities for preschool children to develop language and literacy skills during their regular preschool day.
Friends, Family, and Neighbors Child Care Providers (FFN)
FFNs are informal child care providers who have not had the opportunity or need to become licensed. They provide valuable services but do not have access to funding and technical assistance provided by the formal child care system. In Monterey County, there are over 10,000 licensed child care openings for more than 38,000 children aged birth through five-years-old. Because of this gap, it is estimated that most child care is provided by FFN caregivers. UWMC is partnering with the City of Gonzales to inform FFN policies, strategies, and services. Our Gonzales partners are developing an FFN support network of licensed providers and early learning professionals to build the capacity of FFNs.
Play is essential to the healthy development of children and adolescents. Play influences the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, socialization, personal awareness, emotional well-being, creativity, problem solving and learning ability. The goal of Spring Spruce Up is to ensure early learning environments are well equipped to stimulate the social, emotional and academic development of our youngest children. Learn More.