Early Care, Education, and After School Care Strategic Plan

The Childhood Advisory Council of Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz County Office of Education retained BEI to update their 2018 Child care Strategic Plan. This Plan includes a needs assessment, an analysis of the current and future supply and demand for child care, and the current conditions of children in the County. The data collection includes a countywide survey of child care providers and other stakeholders including major employers and those who are directly or indirectly interested in child care. Current conditions show demand for child care spaces exceeds the supply by 49% in 2023. The cost of child care accounts for at least 26% of earned wages. Although wages in the county are higher than average in California, most child care workers do not earn a living wage relative to the high cost of living in the county. The plan states that a multi-faceted approach to child care involving the community and private sectors could have lasting benefits to creating a quality child care supply in the county. The plan also highlights that creating a unified system of public and private resources to address child care demand will further stabilize and create a sustainable workforce for the local economy and support child care for all working parents in Santa Cruz County, thereby benefiting employers and the community at large. The plan includes goals, actions, and strategies in four focus areas: Accessibility and Affordability; Quality, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Sustainability and Workforce; and Child Care Collaborations.