San Jose City Council
October 4, 2022

TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND

CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW
FROM: Toni J. Taber, CMC
City Clerk
DATE: October 4, 2022
SUBJECT: City Initiatives Roadmap: Bill of Rights for Children and Youth Audit Report
Recommendation
As recommended by the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee on September 8, 2022, accept a report on the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth Audit as part of the approved City Initiatives Roadmap for 2022-2023.

CEQA: Not a Project, File No. PP17-009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and Informational Memos that involve no approvals of any City action. (City Auditor) [Neighborhood Services and Education Committee referral 9/8/2022 - Item (d)1] [Deferred from 9/27/2022 - Item 3.4 (22-1417)]
COUNCIL AGENDA: 10/4/2022
ITEM: 3.4
FILE NO: 22-1454

Office of the City Auditor

Report to the City Council
City of San José

BILL OF RIGHTS FOR
CHILDREN AND YOUTH:

INCORPORATING THE

BILL OF RIGHTS INTO

PLANNING CAN

ENHANCE SERVICES

Report 22-05
August 2022

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200 E. Santa Clara Street, San José, CA 95113
Telephone: (408) 535-1250 Email: [email protected] Website: www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor/ Office of the City Auditor
Joe Rois, City Auditor

August 4, 2022

Honorable Mayor and Members
Of the City Council
200 East Santa Clara Street
San José, CA 95113

Bill of Rights for Children and Youth: Incorpor ating the Bill of Rights into Planning Can Enhance Services

In April 2021, the City of San José adopted a revise d Bill of Rights for Children and Youth (Bill of Rights, or Bill). The Bill of Rights serves as aspirational gu idelines to further the interests of children and youth in San José and ensure they receive essential servic es. With its adoption, the City Council encouraged the City and local agencies to use the Bill of Rights as guidance “when considering and developing their programs and activities for the benefit of our youth.”
Following acceptance of the revised Bill of Rights an d at the Mayor’s direction in his June 2021 Budget Message, the Administration began developing a Childr en and Youth Services Mast er Plan. The goal of this plan is to develop a Citywide strategy to serv e children and youth in San José. The Master Plan is intended to provide guidance on policy priorities, in vestment, and alignment of programs to create an integrated “Cradle to Career” continuum of services.

The objective of this audit was to review the adhere nce to and implementation of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. This audit was requested by a Councilmember.

Finding I: Current City Programs Address Many Elements of the Bill of Rights. The City has many programs for San José’s children and youth that address articles in the Bill of Rights. This includes recreation and literacy programs, workforce development opportunities, and others. We found:
 The City spent at least $36 million on programs directly focused on children and youth in FY 2020-21. The City also supports children and yout h indirectly through other services such as housing support for families, public safety services, and others.  However, the City provides fewer programs to address some articles than others. In some instances, an outside partner or agency provides services, such as the Santa Clara County Office of Education. In other cases, the City has relied on COVID-19 relief funding, which is time-limited and could result in a future gap in services.

4 Finding 2: The Bill of Rights Framework Should be Used to Inform the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. The Bill of Rights provides a framework for how the City and its partners can serve children and youth. Although the Bill of Rights has not specifically been used to make programming decisions in the past, there is now an opportunity to incorporate it into City planning efforts through the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. We found:

 The City does not currently have a centralized
inventory of City-provided children and youth
programs.
 Other agencies provide or coordinate with
the City on some services for children and
youth.
 The Bill of Rights can help the City assess
where there are potential gaps in services, or
where coordination wi th outside agencies
may be necessary.
 The Bill of Rights can also help identify desired
outcomes in the Children and Youth Services
Master Plan. The City has different tools and
guidance for staff to measure program
progress toward these outcomes.

This report has two recommendations to enhance the City’s service delivery to children and youth. We plan to present this report at the August 11, 2022, Neighborhood Services and Education Committee.

We would like to thank the San José Public Libr ary; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services; the City Manager’s Office; and the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs for their time, insight, and cooperation during the audit process. The Administration has reviewed the information in this report, and their response is shown on the yellow pages.

Respectfully submitted,

Joe Rois
City Auditor
Audit Staff: Brittney Harvey
Marisa Lin

cc: Jennifer Maguire Angel Rios Jon Cicirelli Michelle Ornat Nora Frimann Laura Buzo Neil Rufino Vidya Kilambi
Lee Wilcox Jim Shannon Maria De Leon Monique Melchor
Kevin Fisher James Gold Nick Georgoff
Aaron Yu Tresha Grant Jill Bourne

This report is also available online at www.sanjoseca.gov/audits.

Recommendations: In developing the
Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the
City Administration should:
→ Identify a process and resources to
develop and maintain an inventory of
children and youth programs. This can
help document gaps in services and
enhance equity and accessibility in
services across San José.
→ Define and report on metrics to assess
overall progress toward outcomes
identified in the Bill of Rights.

These may require coordination with outside
partners such as the local school districts and
the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

T able of Contents
Cover Letter ........................................................................................................... 3 Background ............................................................................................................. 7 Finding I
Current City Programs Address Many Elements of the Bill of Rights ........... 13 There Is Variation in How City Programs Address the Articles in the Bill of Rights ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Finding 2
The Bill of Rights Framework Should be Used to Inform the Children and Youth Services Master Plan ......................................................................... 17 The Bill of Rights Provides a Framework for Assessing the City’s Scope of Services ................................................................................................................................. 17 The Bill of Rights Can Help Identify Desired Outcomes in the Children and Youth Services Master Plan .............................................................................................. 22 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 27 Appendix A
Audit Objective, Scope, and Methodology ...................................................... A-1 Appendix B
The Council Resolution for the 2021 Bill of Rights for Children and Youth of the City of San José…………………………………………………B-1 Appendix C
Oakland Ties City Outcomes with Population Indicators…………………….C-1 Appendix D
Santa Clara County’s Children’s Data Book Reports on Indicator Trends, Comparisons, and Racial/Ethnic Gaps………..………………………..D-1 Administration’s Response ................................................................. yellow pages

T able of Exhibits
Exhibit 1: Summary of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth ................................................. 8 Exhibit 2: PRNS and the Library Hosted Programs at Many Locations Throughout San José in 2021 ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Exhibit 3: City Programs Provide Service Coverage to Some Articles of the Bill of Rights, While Other Articles Have Less City Coverage .................................................. 15 Exhibit 4: Not all Community Center Hubs Had the Same Number or Type of Programs Offered in 2021 ................................................................................................................... 19 Exhibit 5: Examples of Different Ways City Programs Measure Performance ....................... 23 Exhibit 6: SJ Learns Logic Model Defines Outcomes for Different Levels ............................... 24

7 Background
The City of San José’s Bill of Rights for Children and Youth (Bill of Rights or Bill) serves as aspirational guidelines for the City and other stakeholders to foster “the needs and healthy development of all children, youth, and families in the City.” Originally adopted by the San José City Council in 2010, the Bill of Rights outlines specific rights for children and youth in th e areas of health, safety, education, fair employment, and others. In adopting the Bill of Rights, the City Council expressed the importance of using the Bill as guid ance “when considering and developing their programs and activities for the benefit of our youth.” The Bill was revised in early 2021 by the San José Youth Commission (Youth Commission) to be more relevant to the current needs of children and youth in the city.
1 The City Council approved the revisions in April 2021.

The Bill is modeled after similar guidelines adopted by the State of California,2 and the counties of San Mateo and Santa Clara. 3 Multnomah County and the City of Portland, both in Oregon, became the first U.S. jurisdictions to pass such bills in 2006. Other jurisdictions have also establis hed bills for specific activities. Santa Clara County, for example, has a Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.

Exhibit 1 summarizes the articles represented in the Bill of Rights.

1 The Youth Commission is established under Muni Code §2.08.4800 and serves as an advisory body to the City Council.

Its members are youth between the ages of 14 and 20, with one member to represent each of the ten Council Districts along with one citywide representative. According to the City’s website, “Youth Commissioners develop policy recommendations concerning youth and support youth wh o serve their community through civic engagement and participation.”
2 The Bill of Rights for the Children and Youth of California was first passed as an Assembly Concurrent Resolution (number 80) https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100ACR80. 3 The San Mateo County Bill of Rights for Children and Youth: https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/children-youth-and-family- budget; and the Santa Clara County Bill of Rights for Children and Youth:
https://www.sccoe.org/supoffice/Documents/Childrens-Data-Book-2021.pdf.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
8 Exhibit 1: Summary of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth All children and youth have a right to be safe, healthy, successful in learning, and successful in life regardless of their language, culture, race, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic status, citizenship, or developmental abilities. San José is enriched by the diversity of its children and youth. To benefit from this diversity, we must ensure all children and youth realize the same rights.

Article 1
They have a healthy mind, body, and soul
that enables them to maximize their
potential.

Article 6 They are safe from mistreatment, abuse,
and neglect.

Article 2
They have training in life skills that will
prepare them to live independently, be
self-sufficient, and contribute to their
community.

Article 7
Their essential needs are met including
access to basic amenities—nutritious food,
housing, clothing, health care, technology,
and transportation accessibility.

Article 3
They have access to up-to-date
educational resources that promote
success in life, in future careers, and a
love of life-long learning.

Article 8
They have a safe and healthy environment,
including homes, schools, neighborhoods,
and communities.

Article 4
They have employment opportunities
with protections from unfair labor
practices with guides on how to find jobs
that will be beneficial to them.

Article 9 They develop ongoing relationships with
caring, trusting, and supportive adults.

Article 5
They have a voice in their local
government to advocate for the issues
that matter to them.

Article 10
They have knowledge of, are educated
about, and actively include people of
diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, socio-
economic, and religious backgrounds as
well as all genders/gender identities, sexual
orientations, citizenship, and
developmental abilities, and are aware of
the importance of inclusivity and identity.

Source: Auditor summary of the 2021 San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

The 2021 update to the Bill included th e addition of 65 sub-bullets under the articles to show what fulfillment of each article looks like in practice. For example:

Article 2: They have training in life skills that will prepare them to live independently, be self-sufficient, and contribute to their community.

A. Offer and promote classes, workshops, community events, and/or programs that will prepare youth to be self-sufficient.

B. Make literacy a community priority by providing classes or programs to increase youth’s level of literacy.

C. Provide resources on financial management.

D. Provide easy-access vocational training and life skills development workshops.

E. Provide and incentivize time managem ent classes and/or programs that promote life skills for youth.

F. Increase awareness of and particip ation in youth volunteering and community involvement opportunities.

Background
9 See Appendix B for the Council resolution and the complete Bill of Rights.

The City Has Many Programs Which Provide Services to Children and Youth
The City provides services to children and youth through many of its programs.

While these programs may not have been cr eated to specifically address the Bill of Rights, they provide critical services to meet the needs of children and youth in San José. Some examples of programs held in 2021 include:
 Recreation programs such as San José Recreation Pre-School, Camp San Jose, and Fundamentals in Training (F.I.T.) Camp provided by Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS).
 Education programs such as SJ Learns, SJ Aspires, and Teens Reach provided by the San José Public Library (Library), as well as the Recreation of City Kids (R.O.C.K.) program and After School Education and Safety (A.S.E.S.) programs provided by PRNS.
 Career development programs such as San José Works which is managed by the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA).

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
10 Exhibit 2: PRNS and the Library Hosted Programs at Many Locations Throughout San José in 2021

 Library Locations.
 PRNS centers and parks, circle size represents the number of activities at that location.
 2021 Council District boundaries
Source: Auditor summary of current library locations and 2021 PRNS program locations (obtained from the PRNS reservation system).

Through the City’s Education and Digital Literacy Strategy and other efforts, the City has also sought to bring greater cohesion to services for children and youth.

Through this Strategy, the Library partners with school districts, the Santa Clara County Office of Education, and others to support education and digital literacy in the community.

Additionally, the City Council adopted the San José Education Initiative (Council Policy 0-30) in 2020. The Education Initiative serves as:
policy guidance for the three major function s of the City’s support of education:
programming, alignment with other City policies, and the operational functions that support this work.

Background
11 Moreover, it provides guidance for coor dination Citywide and with Santa Clara County and school districts through the Schools-City Collaborative.4 Children and Youth Services Master Plan
In his June 2021 Budget Message, the Mayor directed the City Manager’s Office to create a comprehensive “Cradle to Career” Youth Development Master Plan. The work was to be coordinated with the Library, PRNS, and other children and youth- serving departments. Additional dire ction included identifying performance metrics and opportunities for consolidation of multi-departmental services, as well as aligning with the San José Education Initiative (Council 0-30).

The City Administration has begun work on the Master Plan, also referred to as the City of San José Children and Youth Se rvices Master Plan. Through the Plan, the Administration plans to provide a Ci tywide strategy to serve children and youth. The document is intended to:

Guide the City’s investments, policy priorities, programmatic alignment, and continuum of support for children and youth from cradle to career.

Ensure a citywide strategic, coordi nated, and responsive approach to serving children and youth, particularly those most vulnerable, in partnership with City departments and community partners.

The Administration has identified staff to begin work on the Master Plan and are in process of identifying a consultant to assi st with this process. Staff report that development of this plan will last several months.

4 According to the Education Initiative (Council Policy 0-30), the Schools-City Collaborative consists of the Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, school district superintendents and trustees, City of San José elected officials, and City of San José Department heads. They meet regularly to discuss matters related to early education, expanded learning, college & career readiness, digital literacy, and data and assessment.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
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13 Finding I Current City Programs Address
Many Elements of the Bill of Rights
Summary
The City has many programs that serve San José’s children and youth that address articles in the Bill of Rights. In FY 2020-21, the City spent at least $36 million on programs directly focused on children and youth. The City also supports children and youth indirectly through other services such as housing support for families, public safety services, and infrastructure su ch as streetlights. However, there is variability in how fully the City’s programs and services address articles in the Bill of Rights. In some instances, the City may not provide a service itself, instead an outside partner or agency, such as the Santa Clara County Office of Education, provides the service. In other instances, the City has relied on COVID-19 relief funding, which is time-limited and could result in a future gap in services.

There Is Variation in How City Programs Address the Articles in the Bill of Rights The City has many programs that address articles in the Bill of Rights and its sub- bullets. However, there is variability in the extent to which the City is currently addressing each article of the Bill of Rights.

In FY 2020-21, the City spent at leas t $36 million in programs which serve children and youth. This included $15. 8 million in programs under the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and related programs, and $4.4 m illion in literacy, education, and family learning. Addition ally, the City invests in services that indirectly support children, youth, an d families. Examples include housing services, infrastructure improvements, public safety programs, parks, general library expenditures, among others.

City Programs Provide Greater Coverage of Some Articles of the Bill of Rights
Many City programs or services address certain articles of the Bill of Rights.

Article 3, for example, reads “[Children and youth] have access to up-to date educational resources that promote success in life, in future careers, and a love of life-long learning.”5 Areas in which the City meets this article include:

5 Among Article 3’s sub-bullets are “Create, maintain, and improve libraries in every district”, “Create and expand a teen area within each library and community center”, “Create and promote after-school programs that expose youth to hands-on learning”, and “Make scholarships and funding opportunities readily available for schools to have funding to purchase up-to-date technology and high-speed internet.” Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
14  The City has 25 libraries and multiple community centers across San José.

There are also teen centers and sp aces including TeenHQ at the Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Library.6
 The City offers several programs for out-of-school-time learning, including the Library’s Kinder Readiness and STEM programs.  As of May 2022, the Library maintained 6,350 hotspots (both unrestricted and restricted access) and 750 laptops and tablets for people of all ages to access.

Other Articles in the Bill of Rights Have Fewer Related City Services Some articles have fewer related City programs. An example is Article 5, which revolves around youth having a voice in local government. While the City has certain initiatives in place, such as th e Youth Commission, it is unclear how the City meets the other elements in the arti cle. Examples, as shown in Exhibit 3, include (1) creating space for youth to provide input on boards, commissions, and committees and (2) doing more to inform youth about laws that impact them.

Both are included in the sub-bullets for Article 5 of the Bill of Rights.

Some gaps may be due to reliance on another public agency that provides a particular service. For example, behavi oral health, public transportation, and school education are overseen by th e Santa Clara County Department of Behavioral Health Services, the Valley Tr ansportation Authority, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

Other gaps may arise in the future because of limited funding. The City has used COVID-19 related relief funds to expand scholarship opportunities that have allowed youth to access recreation programs. Covid-19 funding has also funded food distribution, childcare, housing, and other programs. If the City intends to continue the same levels of service, the City may have to find other resources as this funding expires.

Exhibit 3 shows examples of the various ways the City is addressing each article.

The table also indicates areas with fewe r identified City programs, as well as where another agency may be providing services and where limit-dated COVID- 19 related funds may provide funding.

6 The City maintains 11 hub community centers. Addition al sites are run through the City’s Neighborhood Center Partnership Program.

F i n d i n g 1
15 Exhibit 3: City Programs Provide Service Coverage to Some Articles of the Bill of Rights, While Other Articles Have Less City Coverage*

A u d i t o f B i l l o f R i g h t s f o r C h i l d r e n a n d Y o u t h 16 Source: Auditor summary of children and youth programing identified through surveys, memos, interviews, budget documents, and the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

Note: The pink section provides examples of City programs which address aspects of the respective articles. *Note: information presented is meant for illustrative purposes. Not all City programs are included in this exhibit.

17 Finding 2 The Bill of Rights Framework
Should be Used to Inform the
Children and Y outh Services
Master Plan
Summary
The City currently does not have a complete inventory of all programs that serve children and youth across departments. Assembling an inventory using the Bill of Rights framework can help the City assess where there may be potential gaps in services and where it can coordinate with outside agencies to address those gaps.

Identifying service gaps, particularly in und erserved areas, can also help the City enhance equity in its service delivery.

The Bill of Rights can also assist the City in identifying desired outcomes for the Children and Youth Services Master Plan . The City has existing tools and guidance that can help assess progress toward these outcomes, such as the City’s program quality standards. We recommend that the City build on these efforts by defining and reporting on metrics to assess overall progress against the Bill of Rights defined outcomes.

The Bill of Rights Provides a Framework for Assessing the City’s Scope of Services The articles in the Council-adopted Bill of Rights provide a framework for how the City, its partners, and other agencies can serve children and youth. The 2021 Council resolution adopting the Bill of Rights encourages the City and other local agencies to use the Bill as guidance “w hen considering and developing their programs and activities for the benefit of our youth.”
To date, neither the original Bill of Righ ts nor the 2021 versio n has specifically been used to make programming decisions. In discussions with staff across City departments, many were unaware of it. With the development of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, there is an opportunity to incorporate the Bill of Rights into City planning efforts around children and youth services.

A Citywide Inventory of Children and Youth Programs Can Help the City Address Service Gaps
The City does not have a centralized Citywide inventory of children and youth programs. As described in Finding 1, th e City offers a variety of children and youth-related services in many different areas, from early education to workforce development. Compiling and maintaining an inventory using the Bill of Rights Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
18 framework can help staff and resident s better understand where there may be service gaps.

It can also be a useful ongoing resource for staff to be aware of other City offerings outside of their departments. While City staff may make informal referrals for youth to other City progr ams, there is no formal mechanism or resource to provide help. In an example of where this does appear to occur, Library staff have described how SJ Learns, a City-sponsored education program, has served as an entry point to other serv ices and resources. Staff have used SJ Learns to help distribute student libra ry cards and information about PRNS programs and Wi-Fi hotspots.

Following the SJ Learns example, youth participating in City programs could learn about other services with better coordina tion and integration of programming.

For instance, a youth participating in a workforce development program could also learn about other resources available through the Library or PRNS programs.

An Inventory Can Help Inform the City’s Current Equity Initiatives Around Children and Youth Services
The City is currently working on internal initiatives to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in operations and service deliv ery. With the help of the Office of Racial Equity, departments have begun deve loping equity plans and strategies to help inform budgetary and programmatic decisions. Some departments, including the Library and PRNS, are also hiring equity managers. Among other responsibilities, these staff will assist de partment leadership with equity-focused strategic planning and developing indicators of racial equity.

Article 10 of the Bill of Rights also prom otes diversity and equity for the city’s children and youth, stating:
[Children and youth] have knowledge of, are educated about, and actively include people of diverse cultural, racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds as well as all genders/gender identities, sexual orientations, citizenship, and develo pmental abilities, and are aware of the importance of inclusivity and identity.”
A. Develop festivities and programs to promote cultural, religious, identity, sexuality, and diversity awareness in communities and eliminate stereotypes.

B. Advocate for, support, and create programs that promote equity and understanding amongst identities.

C. Encourage participation from communities of various groups.

Finding 2
19 D. Provide translation resources to eliminate language barriers in public places to create a more friendly environment for non-native English speakers.

E. Ensure that community and educat ional facilities have materials that reflect and celebrate the diversity of San José.

One identified responsibility for the Library’s new equity, diversity, and inclusion staff is to identify service gaps in under served communities. Coordinating this work through the master planning process can help identify service gaps across programs and services.

Exhibit 4 shows the number and type of programs offered at the City’s hub community centers across San José in 2021. As shown, there was disparity in City programming across the different cent ers. Some of this may be due to the size and available amenities (e.g., gym, pool). Though community benefit organizations providing programs at PRNS’ Neighborhood Center Partner Programs may augment services provided at these hub centers, this sort of analysis can help staff understand where there may be service gaps.

Exhibit 4: Not all Community Center Hubs Had the Same Number or Type of Programs Offered in 2021

Source: Auditor analysis of PRNS program in 2021 (obtained from the PRNS reservation system).

Note: Cypress Community and Senior Center is also a PRNS-run hub. It was not included in this chart due to its focus on senior programs and nominal children and youth programing.

0 25 50 75 100 125
Mayfair
Evergreen
Bascom
Southside
Berryessa
Seven Trees
Roosevelt
Camden
Almaden
Willow Glen
Sports (Drop-In and Leagues)
Camps
Dance, Music, Arts, & Theater
Education & Enrichment
Teen Program
Therapeutic Recreation
Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
20 Funding for Scholarships Are Set to Decrease
The City provides scholarships that subsidize program fees, providing low-income children and youth the chance to take part in programs such as R.O.C.K. and Camp San Jose. These scholarships incr ease accessibility for children and youth who may not otherwise have an opportunity to take part in such programs.

With COVID-19 relief funding, the City expanded scholarships in FY 2020-21 to allow more youth to take part at free and reduced rates. 7 Once this funding is s p e n t , t h e C i t y m a y n o l o n g e r b e a b l e to offer the same level of scholarship support.

External Partnerships Can Enhance the City’s Ability to Provide Children and Youth Services
The Mayor’s June 2021 Budget Message described how allowing other agencies with the expertise and budget to take the lead in areas such as mental health, education, and transportation can help the City better direct its resources. As it develops the Master Plan, the City can us e the Bill of Rights to identify areas where it can coordinate with other agencies that provide services outside of the City’s areas of responsibility.

The City currently partners with other agencies, such as the school districts, the County, and community-based organizations . Examples of efforts the City can potentially leverage for further coordination include:
 The Schools-City Collaborative coordinates with school districts to further educational advancement of students in San José.  The City partners with the Santa Cl ara County Office of Education to administer the San José Digital In clusion Fund, which helped support distance learning during COVID-19.
 Santa Clara County’s Cross Agency Service Team (CAST), with whom the City plans to partner to leverage their existing coordinated system of support for children, youth, and families.8

7 According to a March 2022 report by PRNS, the City distributed $2.9 million in scholarship funding in FY 2020-21, all from COVID-19 funding sources. This is up from $566,800 in the prior fiscal year (which came only from internal funding sources).
8 CAST consists of County departments, school districts, and community-based organizations. As part of its American Rescue Plan Act spending plan, the City has allocated $300,000 to partner with CAST in FY 2022-23.

Finding 2
21 Future Considerations for the Master Plan for Children and Youth In his June 2021 Budget Message, the Mayor directed resources to align current City programs to better provide a cont inuum of support for youth, including development of a Youth Development Master Plan. 9 As part of the direction, $575,000 was allocated for this work. He described these resources as “seed funding” to potentially develop an office focused on youth development and programs. This office would ensure that Master Plan efforts, including developing an inventory to identify service gaps or where partnerships with outside agencies are necessary, continues over time.

In addition, the office could increase consideration of children and youth Citywide, even in departments that do not have dedicated services for children and youth. This aligns with the San José Education Initiative, which describes how the City should consider the impact of its general and specific area plans, land use, and technology or telecommunications infrastructure plans on children and families. The Education Initiative also recommends that the City consider the impact of its decisions on children, youth, and families regarding land use, technology infrastructure, and general and specific area plans.

Recommendation:
1: To enhance the impact of children and youth programing, as part of the City’s Children a nd Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Identify a process and resources to develop and maintain an inventory of the City’s children and youth programs and use the inventory to document gaps in services as it relates to the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

B. Continue to enhance equity in service delivery by
developing Citywide procedures and monitoring
mechanisms to increase accessibility to children and youth programs in underserved areas.

C. Implement a process for children and youth to access the spectrum of City programs and services, regardless of their entry point.

9 The name of this plan was later changed to the Children and Youth Services Master Plan.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
22 The Bill of Rights Can Help Identify Desired Outcomes in the Children and Youth Services Master Plan
As the City develops the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the Council- adopted Bill of Rights can be a reference to identify the City’s goals for children and youth. In adopting the Bill, the City Council expressed its desire “that the children of San José have the opportunitie s set forth in the Bill of Rights […]”.

Each of the articles in the Bill of Rights is framed as an intended outcome. For example, Article 2 reads “[Children and Youth] have training in life skills that will prepare them to live independently, be self-sufficient, and contribute to their community.”
Defining and monitoring progress against defined outcomes can help the City understand the extent to which it is achieving these goals. In his June 2021 Budget Message, the Mayor highlighted defining appropriate performance metrics as part his direction to develop the Children and Youth Services Master Plan.

Defining and Measuring Program Effectiveness Varies Across City Programs
The City has guidance and tools to assist staff in defining program outcomes and measuring progress, such as quality standa rds and logic models. These can be a starting point to develop measurement tools for the desired outcomes in the Bill of Rights and the future Children and Youth Services Master Plan.

The City’s five adopted quality standard s highlight the importance of having defined, measurable outcomes paired with regular assessment. 10 For example:
 The City’s Expanded Learning Quality Standards recommends having “a clearly defined vision, mission, goals, and measurable outcomes” towards which a program can track its progress.
 The City’s Early Education Quality Standards recommends “regularly [assessing an] individual child’s learning and development by use of an assessment.”
Program Activities and Progress are Measured Through Different Means City departments collect different types of data and report on program activities in different ways. For example, PRNS st aff evaluate after-school recreation programs through a site visit assessment tool. This tool grades sites by safety, healthy activities, academic support, en richment, customer service, program

10 The City has adopted quality standards in the areas of Early Education, Expanded Learning, College and Career Readiness, Digital Literacy, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. These standards are intended to “serve as a guide and a continuous quality improvement tool by defining standards and identifying st rategies to improve the quality of [… City] programs.”
Finding 2
23 information, and human interactions. By reviewing results across multiple sites, management staff can identify common areas for training. In addition, PRNS staff managing Recreation Preschool Programs report they began conducting pre- and post-assessments on participants in FY 2019-20.

In another example, staff overseeing SJ Works collects anonymized enrollment data to ensure the program is serving its intended target populations. SJ Works also reports on how many participants received their first job or internship through the program as well as the percent of positive ratings from students.

Exhibit 5: Examples of Different Ways City Programs Measure Performance Program Description and
Department
Program Evaluation
Tools
SJ Learns
Expanded learning program focused
on kindergarten through third
grade students of low-income
backgrounds (Library)
Logic models, pre- and post-
assessments, interviews with
stakeholders, Communities of
Practice
R.O.C.K. and
A.S.E.S. After School
Programs
Afterschool recreation programs
(PRNS) Site assessments11
San José Recreation
Preschool
Recreational preschool programs
for kids ages 3 to 5 (PRNS) Pre- and post-assessments
SJ Works
Workforce development program
that provides training and job
opportunities for at-risk youth
between ages 14-29, particularly
those in gang-impacted
neighborhoods (OEDCA)
Participant and employer
surveys
Source: Auditor summary of City documents and staff interviews.

Logic Models Provide a Framework to Evaluate Programs
Some programs have developed logic models to describe their primary activities, inputs, outputs, and outcomes. Logic mo dels provide a framework to help staff evaluate whether the program is performi ng the way an organization intends.

This framework also helps to report on the program’s success.

SJ Learns, overseen by the Library and Library Foundation, uses a logic model to describe how the program aims to enhance academic achievement of low-income students in kindergarten through third grad e. This logic model specifies inputs,

11 This assessment reviews sites in the areas of safety, healthy activities, academic support, enrichment, customer service, program information, and human interactions.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
24 outputs, activities, and outcomes. Progress toward these outcomes are reported in the SJ Learns Annual Report.

Exhibit 6: SJ Learns Logic Model Defines Outcomes for Different Levels

Source: Screenshot of the San José Learns 2020-21 Annual Report.

While the new remote learning environment made it difficult for staff to fully evaluate effectiveness, the Final Annu al Report provides some preliminary assessment results (e.g., 69 percent of those who attended in-person learning pods and completed baseline and final a ssessments demonstrated growth). In addition, the Report provided attendance and demographic data of participants to show the scope of the program. Th e Report also included survey results, 12 student stories, and staff interviews to illustrate the impact of the program.

To help assess SJ Learns’ impact, the Library has established an agreement with the Santa Clara County Office of Education to access student information through its internal data system (DataZone). This tool allows multiple agencies, such as the Library and school districts, to coordinate student support and measure progress on key outcomes. Developing mo re relationships like this could help the City measure its progress on outcomes in other programs.

Other Jurisdictions Monitor Population Data To Help Understand Their Impact
In addition to reporting on program-level outcomes, San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Clara County track population indicators to judge the overall impact of their programs.

12 For example, the Final Annual Report states that 94 percent of families agreed that the expanded learning program helped their child get along better with other children.

Finding 2
25 San Francisco selected 17 key population-le vel indicators that it believed “were strong markers of progress” and offer “a high level view of how the city is faring in each result area over time.” These indicators include:
 The percent of all San Francisco yout h involved in the juvenile justice system,
 The percent of families reporting feeling engaged with their communities, and
 The percent of public students who are physically fit, among others.

Similarly, the City of Oakland’s Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) uses school district data to understand how well it is achieving citywide goals. It pairs data points with program-level impact. For instance, OFCY’s FY 2020-21 Final Evaluation Report reports percent of students at or above grade level on academic assessment scores alongside th e percent of students in afterschool programs who agreed that they learned skills to help them with their schoolwork.

See Appendix C for more examples.

Santa Clara County, in partnership with Kids In Common, 13 publishes a Children’s
Annual Data Book that reports on 14 different indicators. Analyzing data on housing, food security, safety, educatio n, and health, the Data Book describes whether indicators are improving, how the County compares to national or state standards, and racial/ethnic gaps for each indicator. See Appendix D for an example of their reporting.

With the development of the Master Plan, the City can bring further accountability to the City’s work around children and youth by measuring progress toward defined outcomes. Using the Bill of Rights framework as well as the City’s current measurement tools and population data can help in this effort.

13 Kids in Common is a child advocacy organization in Santa Clara County focused on children’s issues and policies.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
26 Recommendation:
2: To promote continuous improvement of City’s children and youth programs and services, as part of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Define metrics to assess overall progress towards
desired outcomes identified in the Bill of Rights for
Children and Youth.

B. Develop a reporting schedule to the appropriate City Council committee on these metrics.

This may require establishing data sharing agreements with partners, potentially including school districts and the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

27 Conclusion
The Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in San José (Bill of Rights) provides aspirational guidelines for the City and other stakeholders within the community to create an environment in which children and youth in San José can thrive. The City has many programs and services that fu lfill some of the Bill of Rights articles.

Articles with fewer related efforts may be opportunities for the City to expand its current work or partner with other agencies and organizations.

As the Administration develops its Children and Youth Services Master Plan, it can use the Bill of Rights framework to crea te an inventory of City programs for children and youth. This will help iden tify potential service gaps and areas for further coordination with outside agencies. Using the Bill of Rights, along with the inventory of programs and services, can al so help the City enhance equity in its service delivery and provide an opportunity for greater integration across programs. Finally, the City can build upon current efforts across department programs to define metrics and monitor progress against the Bill of Rights defined outcomes.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Finding 1: Current City Programs Address Many Elements of the Bill of Rights.

No recommendations.

Finding 2: The Bill of Rights Framework Should be Used to Inform the Children and Youth Services Master Plan.

Recommendation #1 To enhance the impact of children and youth programing, as part of the City’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Identify a process and resources to develo p and maintain an inventory of the City’s children and youth programs and use the inve ntory to document gaps in services as it relates to the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

B. Continue to enhance equity in service de livery by developing Citywide procedures and monitoring mechanisms to increase accessibility to children and youth programs in underserved areas.

C. Implement a process for children and youth to access the spectrum of City programs and services, regardless of their entry point.

Recommendation #2 To promote continuous improvement of City’s children and youth programs and services, and as part of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Define metrics to assess overall progress towards desired outcomes identified in the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

Audit of Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
28 B. Develop a reporting schedule to the a ppropriate City Council committee on these metrics.

This may require establishing data sharing agreemen ts with partners, potentially including school districts and the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

APPENDIX A

Audit Objective, Scope, and Methodology

A-1
The mission of the City Auditor’s Office is to inde pendently assess and report on City operations and services. The audit function is an essential elem ent of San José’s public accountability and our audits provide the City Council, City management, and the general public with independent and objective information regarding the economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity of City operations and services.

In accordance with the City Auditor’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-23 Work Plan, we have completed an audit of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. The au dit was conducted in response to a request from a councilmember.

We conducted this performance audit in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan an d perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findin gs and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

The objective of our audit was to review the adherenc e to and implementation of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. We sought to understand the relevant management controls over the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth, and have performed the following to achieve the audit objective:
 Reviewed the history of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in San José, including council memos, meetings, and resolutions of when it originally passed in 2010 and revised in April 2021.
 To understand how well the City’s current programs address the various articles in the Bill of Rights, created a listing of the City’s prog rams, services, and initiatives for children and youth, by:
o Surveying City departments, including the Sa n José Public Library (Library); Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (P RNS); Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA); Police De partment; Fire Department; Environmental Services Department; Department of Transportation; Human Resources Department; the Department of Pla nning, Building and Code Enforcement; Department of Public Works; the Office of Racial Equity; and the Office of the Independent Police Auditor.
o Analyzing the City’s report on community-based organizations to their corresponding grant information in the City’s grant port al (WebGrants) to identify services for children and youth.
o Reviewing relevant department memos and presentations to the City Council. o Reviewing the City’s FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 Adopted Operating Budgets and the FY 2022-23 Proposed Operating Budget.
 To understand how the City assesses performance and progress toward program goals for existing City programs or initiatives, docume nted the progress of a sample of programs in implementing the City’s quality standards and measuring performance, by:

A-2

o Reviewing program documents, including logic models, outcomes, and evaluations. o Interviewing department staff in PRNS, Library, and OEDCA. o Interviewing Kids in Common, a child advo cacy organization in Santa Clara County, to understand the process of assembling the Children’s Data Book. o Documenting Citywide guidance including, the Mayor’s budget messages, San José Education Initiative (Council Policy 0-30), the Education and Digital Literacy strategy, and the City’s five quality standards.
 Benchmarked similar efforts in other jurisdictions, including Santa Clara County, the City and County of San Francisco, the City of Oaklan d, Multnomah County (OR), San Mateo County, the City of Portland (OR), and the State of California. o Reviewed documents from other jurisdic tions including their children and youth budgets, the Santa Clara County Children’s Data Book, among other key documents.  Reviewed City Council actions, memos, an d Municipal Code section §2.08.4800 on the San José Youth Commission.

The Office of the City Auditor than ks the San José Public Library; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services; the City Manager’s Offi ce; and the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs for their time, information, insight, and cooperation during the audit process.

APPENDIX B

The Council Resolution for the 2021 Bill of Rights for Children and Youth of the City of San José

B-1

B-2

B-3

B-4

B-5

B-6

B-7

B-8

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APPENDIX C

Oakland Ties City Outcomes with Population Indicators
C-1

Citywide Goal City Outcome/Impact Population Indicator and Source
Children are ready for
kindergarten
Percent of parents who agreed that
the city’s programs taught them how
to help their child be ready for school
Percent of students ready for
kindergarten in Oakland Unified
School District
Source: Oakland 2015 and 2017
SRA District Reports
3rd grade students read at
grade level
Percent of 3rd to 5th graders in
afterschool programs who agreed that
they learned how to do things at their
program that help with their
schoolwork
Percent of students at or above
grade level on academic
assessment scores
Source: Oakland Unified School
District and California Assessment
of Student Performance and
Progress
Students graduate high
school
Percent of High School and
Postsecondary Success participants
who agreed that their program
increased their desire to stay in school
Oakland Unified School District
graduation rate
Source: Oakland Unified School
District and California Dept. of
Education, California Longitudinal
Pupil Achievement Data System
(CALPADS)
Older youth are
connected to school or
work
Percent of participants in youth
development programs who worked in
an internship or job placement during
their program and agreed that their
program helped them feel more
confident going to college
Percent of Oakland youth 16-19
not in school and not working
Source: American Community
Survey data (Dec 2016), U.S.

Census Bureau, as cited on
Kidsdata.org
Youth are not caught in
the justice system
Percent of youth participants who
agreed that they were better at saying
“no” to things they know are wrong
since coming to their program
Average daily population of
incarcerated youth
Source: Alameda County
Probation Department
Source: Auditor summary of information presented in Oakland Fund for Children and Youth Final Evaluation Report FY 2020-21.

C-2

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APPENDIX D
Santa Clara County’s Children’s Data Book Reports on Indicator Trends, Comparisons, and Racial/Ethnic Gaps
D-1
Source: 2021 Santa Clara County Children’s Data Book
Note: The Data Book uses data presented through the American Community Survey, California Healthy Kids Survey, Project Cornerstone Development Asset Survey,1 Santa Clara County Public Health Profiles, and Kidsdata.org. 1 In 2016, YMCA’s Project Cornerstone conducted a survey among youth in Santa Clara County to measure development assets that help youth thrive. See: https://www.ymcasv.org/ymca-project-cornerstone/developmental-assets/developmental-asset- surveys

D-2
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TO: Joe Rois FROM: Jill Bourne
City Auditor Jon Cicirelli
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: August 1, 2022
A p p r o v e d D a t e A u g u s t 1 , 2 0 2 2
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO AUDIT - CITY OF SAN JOSÉ BILL OF RIGHTS FOR

CHILDREN AND YOUTH, INCORPORATING THE BILL OF RIGHTS INTO

PLANNING CAN ENHANCE SERVICES
The Administration has reviewed the Audit of the City of San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth: Incorporating the Bill of Rights into Planning Can Enhance Services and, agrees with all of the recommendations identified in the report. The Administration’s responses to each of the City Auditor’s recommendations are provided in this report. Consistent with other priority- setting processes, the City Council adopted a new framework for the Administration’s response to Audit recommendations in May 2015. As with other priority processes, the green, yellow, and red, light system is utilized to convey the Administration’s operational readiness to undertake workload demands. Green administration responses represent items that are either in existing work plans or are part of work already underway. Yellow administration responses represent items that would take more than 40 hours including research and policy/ordinance development.

Red administration responses indicate that the item is not feasible. The Administration’s response to each of the City Auditor’s recommendations is presented below employing the green, yellow, and red, light system.

BACKGROUND
The City of San José’s offers a myriad of programs and services for children and youth. The Administration has long
recognized the importance of children and youth programming in the community. There is considerable research that indicates that young people who have access to a variety of recreation and enrichment opportunities engage in less risky behavior and ultimately show evidence of higher rates of successful transitions into adulthood.1 Thus, programs are critical in providing children and youth the opportunity to learn, explore, and gain new skills as well as foster their social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. To ensure quality programs and services, and to improve outcomes for all San José children and youth, the Administration, with City Council support and approval, has spearheaded the development and 1 Alberts, et al.2006; Bandy & Moore, 2009; Eccles & Gootman, 2002; Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2000; Pittman, Irby, & Ferber, 2001; Pittman, 1999; Lerner, 2004; Lerner et al., 2012; Lerner & Lerner, 2013; Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczack, & Hawkins, 2004 NSE AGENDA: 8/11/22
ITEM: (d) 2
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

adoption of the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy2 and the San José Education Initiative (Education Policy 0-30) 3 which complement and align with the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. Most recently, in the June 2021 Mayor’s Budget Message4, the Administration was directed to develop a Children and Youth Services Master Plan.

Education and Digital Literacy Strategy

In June 2016, City Council directed the Administration, with the San José Public Library (SJPL, “Library”) as the lead, to establish evidence-based quality standards for all programs that are City-funded, sponsored, or endorsed; and align program standards with existing standards and program assessments whenever possible. In addition, staff was directed to develop a policy to guide the City’s investments, expected service delivery, and reporting requirements. On May 7, 2018, City Council unanimously approved the Education and Digital Literacy (EDL) Strategy that included the development and implementation of a comprehensive educational policy and workplan for the following areas:
 Early Education – Entering School Ready to Learn and Succeed;  Learning by Grade Level Proficiency – Expanding Education Beyond the School Day;  Pathways to Post-Academic Success – Graduating Ready for College and Career;  Digital Literacy – Ensuring Access, Affordability, and Adoption; and  Policy and Governance – Ensuring Evaluation and Accountability for Program Quality and the expenditure of resources.

The EDL Strategy provides the Administration the opportunity to maximize and leverage the City’s strengths and resources as a whole community, as well as use data to assess progress, identify gaps, and realign assets where needed. It is with this understanding, that the Administration has adopted the following values when investing, developing, planning, and implementing children and youth programs and services:
 Equity of access to quality educational experiences for all children of San José is essential and must be cultivated by actively removing barriers;  Opportunity to experience a wide variety of educational options should be extended to all learners, connecting students to skills-based learning, mentors, and potential career pathways;
 Quality of program offerings must be illustrated through the establishment of standards for student learning and assessment of program efficacy; and  Accountability to our youth and their families is the primary consideration when assessing any programmatic or resource investment in learning and education.

San José Education Initiative (Education Policy)

The academic success of San José’s youth is a significant indicator of the future prosperity of our communities, and therefore, the City invests resources into programs and services that are

2 https://sanjose.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=604595&GUID=A678879F-AAB0-411B-AACC-7448FBA01821&Options=&Search= 3 https://records.sanjoseca.gov/Resolutions/RES79400.pdf 4 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/74429/637587454786830000 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

intended to support their educational attainment and development. On February 11, 2020, City Council approved the Education Policy 0-30 which is intended to establish the City’s core values and perspective on education as a significant indicator of quality of life. The policy guidance for the three major functions of the City’s support of education: programming, alignment with other City policies, and the operational functions that support this work. Furthermore, this policy provides guidance for the citywide governance and administration of this cross departmental work, a framework for an annual review of outcomes, and the structure of the Schools-City Collaborative. Recognizing the value of partnerships with schools, school districts, and educational service providers throughout the region, the City is well poised to leverage its assets, resources, and capacity in serving the whole community, particularly those most vulnerable, and historically marginalized, and underserved due to systemic and structural racism.

Children and Youth Services Master Plan

The intent of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan is to develop a citywide strategy to more effectively serve children and youth in San José by providing guidance on policy priorities, investment, and alignment of programs to create an integrated “Cradle to Career” continuum of services. While the master plan is in the early stage of development, it will be finalized and presented to Council for approval in fiscal year 2022-2023. The Bill of Rights audit has taken place at a critical time as the information, findings, and recommendations presented by the Auditor’s Office will be instrumental in shaping and informing the development of the master plan. The Administration, through a collective process with City staff, school districts, services providers, parents/caregivers, and youth will identify strategies and steps to address many of the identified gaps in programs and services, formalize internal coordination across departments, strengthen partnerships with diverse community stakeholders, and develop performance measures to ensure adherence to and implementation of the Bill of the Rights. The strategies and approach to this will be reflected in the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, as well as in the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy annual report.

Bill of Rights for Children and Youth

As mentioned, the Bill of Rights serve as aspirational guidelines for the Administration and community stakeholders to foster “the needs and healthy development of all children, youth, and families in the City.” The Administration has adopted many of the articles of the Bill of Rights when investing, designing, implementing, and evaluating City-sponsored, funded, and endorsed children and youth programs and services. However, the Administration recognizes there are gaps, and will therefore, utilize the audit report recommendations to effectively address those areas that need improved coordination and additional resources and supports either directly through City departments or in partnership with community stakeholders such as, as but not limited to, County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency, Santa Clara County Office of Education, F
IRST 5 Santa Clara County, school districts, businesses, etc.

Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESPONSE

Recommendation #1:    To enhance the impact of children and youth programing, as part of the City’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Identify a process and resources to develop and maintain an inventory of the City’s children and youth programs and use the inventory to document gaps in se rvices as it relates to the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

B. Continue to enhance equity in se rvice delivery by developing Citywide procedures and monitoring mechanisms to increase accessibility to children and y o u t h p r o g r a m s i n underserved areas.

C. Implement a process for children and youth to access the spectr um of City programs and services, regardless of their entry point.

Administration Response:

The Administration agrees with this recommendation.

Green-The Administration is already partially implementing this recommendation and can implement it fully by fiscal year 2023-2024 under its workplan.

A. Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) currently tracks an inventory of most of its youth programs in the Recreation Services Division including, Out of School Time (OOST)/expanded learning programs, recreation, sports, aquatics, and recreation pre-school programs. Additionally, PRNS prepares and distributes a seasonal activity guide four times a year which lists its recreation offerings by community center. These programs and activities are entered in ActiveNet, a registration and membership management software. However, PRNS does not maintain a centralized inventory of all children and youth programs across its divisions (Recreation, Parks, and Community Services). Although this is possible, it will require a concerted effort across all divisions to develop a master inventory list. The challenge would be including youth serving programs that are not reflected in ActiveNet, for example: Youth Intervention Services, Project Hope, the Mayors Gang Prevention Task Force, BeautifySJ, Safe School Campus Initiative, Parks Division, Neighborhood Center Partner Program, facility rentals and volunteer efforts. SJPL currently tracks all programs for children and youth for alignment with program quality standards. SJPL does not currently maintain a centralized inventory of programs for children and youth. Given the complexity of developing a centralized system and process to manage, track, and report on the inventory of all citywide children and youth services provided, directly by City staff and through vendors and grantees, will require a collective strategy. In a parallel process, while developing the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the Administration will work collaboratively across departments to develop a process to create and maintain an inventory of all City children and youth programs and services. This includes researching various online options and Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

platforms such as InPlay.5 In June 2018, SJPL and the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) partnered to bring the pilot technology platform InPlay to San José to coordinate and increase access to quality expanded learning opportunities for youth and their families across the city. InPlay is a nonprofit organization founded to help all children participate in out-of-school programs to ignite their interests and talents. The Administration can explore the feasibility of including all City programs for children and youth in the InPlay database to make it easy for the community to discover and access these programs. The Administration estimates it can have a centralized system and process in place by fiscal year 2023-2024.

B. PRNS is utilizing multiple approaches to increase accessibility to children and youth programs in underserved areas. More recently, it has expanded its scholarship fund to provide increased financial support to low-income, eligible families to cover program registration fees, which are often barriers to participation. The PRNS scholarship support allows children and youth the opportunity to participate in recreation, childcare/after school care, aquatic, and sports programs. With City Council direction and with federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act and ARP (American Rescue Program) funding, low-income, marginalized, and underserved families are receiving 100% scholarship support to fully subsidize registration fees for all City recreation programs. In addition, PRNS offers many free programs through its nine teen centers, located mostly in low-income communities. Staff lead fund-raising activities to off-set any program activity and fieldtrip costs to ensure all youth have an opportunity to participate. Furthermore, this past Spring 2022, PRNS piloted several mobile registration events in low-income neighborhoods to ensure that families could access available scholarships and register their children in summer programs thereby eliminating access barriers. PRNS will continue to identify various strategies to ensure that families facing barriers such as technology, transportation, and language can access the myriad of children and youth programs available throughout the City.

SJPL led the completion of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Quality Standards, adopted by Council on February 8, 20226, making these the City’s first quality requirements for citywide offered programs to prioritize and assess efforts based on impact in achieving the principles of equity, inclusion, diversity, and anti-racism. In fiscal year 2022-2023, SJPL will complete a list of trainings, materials, and resources recommended by local stakeholders. It will also finalize a Quality Assessment and Quality Improvement Plan and build the capacity of City teams around each of the Quality Standards and monitor progress towards strengthening EDI program implementation and delivery. The Quality Standards will guide staff and ensure the City’s educational programming results in positive outcomes for communities of color and other historically underserved and underrepresented populations. In addition, all programs offered by SJPL are free and accessible to all families and their children/youth in the community. Through the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the

5 Kids Activities Classes and Camps | InPlay.org
6 https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10423862&GUID=D57293C1-2B79-467E-B6B7-2E7CE258DDFC Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

Administration will prov
ide recommendations on how best the City can prioritize investments, align resources, and leverage partnerships to have a greater impact in providing program and services to more children and youth, particularly those most underserved and marginalized.

C. Currently, PRNS oversees and operates twelve hub community centers and over 200 parks throughout the City of San José. These facilities are not concentrated in one specific area or region and offer a variety of recreation programs, classes, activities, and special events. SJPL has 25 locations throughout the City and offers many programs and activities for children and youth of all ages. City staff recognize that there is currently no formal process or centralized location for families to access the menu of programs and services available without having to contact each department directly. PRNS, SJPL, and other departments offering children and youth programming will streamline the registration and enrollment process as well as develop a citywide strategy to ensure the public can easily access the menu of offerings, regardless of their entry point. The Administration is in the early stage of developing a Children and Youth Services homepage on the City’s website that will allow the public to easily locate any number of programs and services, ranging from preschool to youth/young adults. Understanding that some of the most vulnerable and underserved community members have limited to no access to technology and/or have limited digital literacy skills, the Administration, through a collective process, will continue to pilot some strategies and activities in fiscal year 2022-2023 to increase access to underserved children and youth. The pilot will serve as an opportunity to identify and address any challenges, before expanding citywide in fiscal year 2023-2024. The Administration will provide updates on the completion of Recommendation #1 through the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy annual report, as well through the Children and Youth Services Master Plan annual report.

Target Date for Completion of Recommendation #1: Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

Recommendation #2 : To promote continuous improveme nt of City’s children and yout h programs and services, and as part of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan development process, the City Administration should:

A. Define metrics to assess overall progress towards desired outcomes identified in the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

B. Develop a reporting schedule to the appropriate City Council committee on these metrics.

This may require establishing data sharing agreements with part ners, potentially including school districts and Santa Clara County.

Administration Response:

Administration agrees with this recommendation.

Green-The Administration is already partially implementing this recommendation and can implement it fully by fiscal year 2023-2024 under its workplan.

A. In support of the City’s Education Policy 0-30 and Education and Digital Literacy Strategy, SJPL and PRNS provide several programs designed to meet the needs of children 0-5 and their caregivers. Upon approval of the Early Education Quality Standards
(EEQS) on March 26, 20197 City departments initiated and continued efforts to ensure that City-sponsored programs for children, ages 0-5, aligned with the adopted quality standards. The EEQS were developed through a collaborative process with City staff and community stakeholders with considerable early education knowledge. In addition, the development of the EEQS were informed by research and evidence-based and best practices in the early education and childhood development fields. To initiate this work, each department identified City programs and Quality Standard Areas in which to develop targeted assessment and quality improvement plans. Upon the completion of the Year 1 assessments and quality improvement plans, SJPL and PRNS were able to use the information gathered throughout the year to inform Year 2 priorities and areas of focus based on a combination of community needs, department resources, and identified areas for growth and development.

The Administration, primarily led by PRNS and SJPL, conducted an analysis and research of existing standards and determined the California Expanded Learning Quality Standards (ELQS) created by the California Afterschool Network and the California Department of Education could be used for all City-funded, sponsored, or endorsed after school programs. Upon approval by City Council on May 7, 20198 the Administration adopted the ELQS and City departments began assessing after school programs and

7 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3889789&GUID=382A556D-0A2B-4E8C-9BF8-EBE38D23637C&Options=&Search= 8 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3927374&GUID=4059FDA9-EF42-4745-B78D-6F4A4B0EB63F&Options=&Search= Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

developing quality improvement plans to demonstrate progress in meeting the standards, and thereby providing a quality program with measurable outcomes.

As with the EEQS, the Administration engaged City staff and community partners that are key providers in the college, career, and workforce development field to assist in the development of the College and Career Readiness Quality Standards (CCRQS). The CCRQS were approved by City Council on December 1, 20209 and SJPL piloted the implementation of these standards through the San José Aspires (SJ Aspires) program in fiscal year 2021-2022 with a larger application to other college and career readiness programs after the initial implementation.

In accordance with the City’s commitment to ensuring quality educational programming for its residents, the Digital Literacy Quality Standards (DLQS) were approved by City Council on May 19, 2020.10 The DLQS were developed by an Ad Hoc Committee, led by SJPL, and were designed to establish a baseline of data among participating City digital literacy programs, and to better track the progress of these programs towards an Advanced DLQS rating. SJPL prioritized the creation of an assessment tool based on the DLQS. In June 2021, SJPL began to roll out the training and implementation to a cohort of SJPL and PRNS staff engaged in hosting digital literacy related programming. In January 2022, an expanded cohort with additional SJPL and PRNS staff met to assess digital literacy programs and create a quality improvement plan.

The Administration piloted the Early Education, Expanded Learning, and Digital Literacy Quality Standards within City departments, primarily through PRNS and SJPL to finalize the quality standards and corresponding assessment tools and to identify any staff training and capacity-building needs. City staff are currently developing strategies to support other departments as well as grantees that are providing children and youth programs and services to adopt the quality standards that are appropriate to their program. The Administration recognizes there is additional work ahead to ensure full implementation and adherence to the quality standards so that there is overall progress towards desired outcomes identified in the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. The Administration will also work with City departments, County of Santa Clara, Santa Clara County Office of Education, and community stakeholders to establish data sharing agreements that can further inform the City’s progress in meeting desired outcomes. SJPL currently has a data sharing agreement with the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), on its DataZone
11 platform which provides affordable student data warehousing and analytic tools. It is a centralized mechanism that helps counties and districts integrate multiple data sources and data sets, improving the speed and efficiency of accessing data from a variety of sources like the student information system, state testing files, and even community-based organizations and county agencies. SJPL currently uses DataZone for its SJ Aspire program. The Administration will explore with SCCOE on expanding this

9 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4697815&GUID=92D8B4FC-1BE0-49E8-8C5D-9E92B4BE60A9&Options=&Search= 10 https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4452422&GUID=7224EEA3-4F63-48E1-B497-2D5CFA5C9DAF&Options=&Search= 11 https://www.datazone.org/
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

agreement across City departments, as well as engage additional community partners to consider other possible data sharing opportunities.

Furthermore, through the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the Administration, will engage schools, community stakeholders, City staff, parents/caregivers, and youth to identify performance measures that demonstrate progress towards desired outcomes identified in the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth.

B. SJPL and PRNS, have conducted regularly scheduled annual EDL Strategy presentations to City Council and the community through the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee. PRNS and the SJPL also provide frequent updates on summer and academic year programs that include information on, but not limited to, the implementation of the quality standards, scholarship awards, and number of children and youth served.

Furthermore, with the development of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan and corresponding metrics, the Administration in partnership with Council and department staff will determine the most appropriate reporting schedule before the end of fiscal year 2022-2023

Target Date for Completion of Recommendation #2: Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

CONCLUSION

The audit report provides important recommendations to ensure adherence to and implementation of the Bill of Rights for Children and Youth that serve as aspirational guidelines for the Administration to consider when investing, developing, implementing, and assessing programs and services to support and guide children and youth into adulthood. The Administration would like to extend its gratitude to the City Auditor’s Office who dedicated their time to the completion of this audit. It has been a positive experience that yielded opportunities to move the Administration closer to adhering and implementing the Bill of Rights throughout the City’s endorsed, funded, and sponsored programs, as well as ensuring improved outcomes for all San José children and youth.

EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP

The Administration will work with the SJPL, PRNS, and other City departments to track the implementation of the Auditor’s Office recommendations and will report back to the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee on a regular basis. The Administration will report on the progress made by staff in fully adhering and implementing the Bill of Rights citywide.

Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
August 1, 2022
Subject: Response to the Audit

CLIMAT
E SMART SAN JOSÉ
The recommendation
in this memo has no effect on Climate Smart San José energy, water, or mobility goals.

PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City's w
ebsite for the August 11, 2022, NSE meeting.

COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the City Manager’s Office.

COMMISSION RECO

MMENDATION/INPUT
Not Applica
ble
CEQA
Not a Project, File No.: PP17-
009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and
Informational Memos that involve no approvals of any City action. /s/ Jill Bourne /s/ Jon Cicirelli
Jill Bourne Jon Cicirelli
Director, Director,
San José Public Library Department, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services
For questions, please contact Michelle Ornat, Deputy Director at the San José Public Library,
(408) 808-2112 or Maria De Leon, Deputy Director at Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, (408) 795-3116, or Laura Buzo, Assistant to the City Manager at the City Manager’s Office, (408) 592-0372.