TO: NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND FROM: Angel Rios, Jr.
EDUCATION COMMITTEE Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: September 26, 2022
Approved Date
10/5/22
SUBJECT: CITY INITIATIVES ROADMAP: CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES
MASTER PLAN STATUS REPORT
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report.
OUTCOME
This status report provides the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee an update on the City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan.
BACKGROUND
In the Mayor’s June 2021 Budget Message, the City Manager’s Office was directed to develop a comprehensive "Cradle to Career" Youth Development Master Plan, now referred to as the Children and Youth Services Master Plan.
1 The City Council recognized that children and
youth/young people, especially from specific zip codes who were already experiencing socioeconomic challenges, were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, compounding their situation. Consequently, they are facing unsurmountable difficulties and barriers to economic recovery and improvements in their health, physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being.
These community conditions further compelled the City Council to request the development of a Children and Youth Services Master Plan (CYS Master Plan) to ensure that the City leads the way, as well as partners with all sectors of the community, to “uproot” the root causes of socioeconomic disparities as a result of the systemic racism, structural barriers, persistent inequities, and generational trauma. It is critically important for the future of San José to collectively change the narrative for low-income, underserved, and marginalized children and youth by improving their quality of life and developmental trajectory. We want to ensure that a person’s racial, ethnic, or socio-economic background, family history, or zip code of residence is not a 1 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showdocument?id=74429&t=637587454786824477 NSE AGENDA: 10/13/22
ITEM: (d) 2
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
determining factor in their access to resources and supports and/or opportunities to succeed in their home, school, and community.
The overarching goal of the CYS Master Plan is to create and expand pathways and supports from cradle to career for all San José children and youth/young adults (birth through age 24). It is the vision that all children and youth/young adults, particularly those most vulnerable, have increased opportunities to gain 21st century skills that lead to better health outcomes, sustainable employment, and a competitive living wage so that they can live and thrive in this community.
Therefore, the CYS Master Plan will include a citywide strategy with recommendations and guidance on policy priorities, investments, and alignment of programs to create an integrated and coordinated continuum service delivery model. The City Manager’s Office (CMO) has taken steps to develop the CYS Master Plan utilizing a racial equity lens in partnership with City departments, as well as with community stakeholders, families, children, and youth/young people. This collaborative approach ensures that the CYS Master Plan is reflective and responsive to the lived experience and emerging needs of families and their children, particularly those most impacted by socio-economic, educational, and health disparities that lead to poor outcomes.
While the CYS Master Plan is still in development, significant milestones have been accomplished to date with the onboarding of an Assistant to the City Manager in January 2022 to support with and lead the necessary work. The City Manager’s Office is working closely with City staff such as but not limited to, the San José Public Library (Library), Office of Economic Development (OED), Office of Racial Equity (ORE), and Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) to serve as thought partners and to assist in engaging all sectors of the community in the development of the CYS Master Plan. Furthermore, City staff have identified and reviewed the following documents to ensure alignment with the strategic direction of the CYS Master Plan;
• Education and Digital Literacy Strategy2
• San José Education Initiative (Education Policy 0-30)3 • City of San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth, 4 and the recent Audit Report from
the City Auditor’s Office.
5 Additionally, staff have referred to the two Joint Special Meetings on Child Well-Being, with the City of San José Neighborhood Services and Education Committee and Committee of the Whole and the County of Santa Clara Children, Seniors, and Families Committee, held on September 9, 2021,
6 and March 25, 2022,7 respectively. Also, guiding the development of the CYS Master Plan, is the City Council’s approval on April 26, 2022, of the spending plan for $10.5M of ARP (American Rescue Plan) Funds for children and youth services. The intent of the spending plan is 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://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=9312318&GUID=2F3DB531-0B48-41E9-84B1-6669DCA4805C 5 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/88407 6 https://sanjose.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=885035&GUID=A31F1080-4951-4B39-B043-EB9589A7A1B2&Search= 7 https://sanjose.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=951751&GUID=50DD4BE2-041B-4B6A-9706-8F53787BA467&Search= Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
to support low-income, vulnerable families who were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Collectively, PRNS, the Library, and the CMO identified priority areas for the spending plan based on numerous conversations and listening sessions with families, grassroots and community-based organizations, and community stakeholders such as Santa Clara County Office of Education, County of Santa Clara departments (e.g., County Executive, Behavioral Health, Social Services Agency, etc.), and FIRST 5 Santa Clara County. The ARP Funds provide City departments with additional funding to increase scholarship amounts to subsidize the cost of fee-based programs and to expand the offering of afterschool and summer childcare, recreation, aquatics, and enrichment programs and activities particularly in low-income, underserved communities that do not traditionally have access. A status report on the $10.5M in ARP Funds will be presented to the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee on November 10, 2022. There is currently $719,000 of the $10.5M of ARP Funds available to support the recommendations and outcomes for the completed Children and Youth Services Master Plan.
Education and Digital Literacy Strategy
The City Council has long understood the value of educational attainment and the role that the City plays in influencing improvements in learning and academic achievement. There are considerable studies that demonstrate a quality educational experience and higher levels of academic attainment have cross-sector impacts in cities and communities across the United States. Higher levels of educational attainment are key indicators in critical areas such as per capita income, public safety, home values, economic development, employment and earning, and overall health and wellness. Thus, in June 2016, the Library was designated to develop a citywide strategy for supporting education and digital literacy programming. In May 2018, the City Council unanimously approved the Education and Digital Literacy (EDL) Strategy that included the development and implementation of evidence-based quality standards, program assessment and alignment, 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 • Policy and Governance – Ensuring Evaluation and Accountability for Program Quality and the Expenditure of Resources
The EDL Strategy provides City departments the opportunity to maximize and leverage their strengths and resources as a whole community, as well as use data to regularly assess progress, identify gaps, realign assets, and develop quality improvement plans, as appropriate. As a result, the EDL Strategy includes the following values when investing, developing, planning, and implementing children and youth programs and services:
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
• Equity of access to quality educational experiences for all San José children 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. • Accountability to our youth and their families is the primary consideration when assessing any programmatic or resource investment in learning and education.
In addition to the EDL Quality Standards for Early Education, Expanded Learning, College and Career Readiness, and Digital Literacy, in February 2020 City Council adopted the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Quality Standards. The EDI Quality Standards ensure the principles of EDI in all aspects of program development, implementation, and assessment.
San José Education Initiative (Education Policy 0-30)
In addition to the Education and Digital Literacy Strategy, on February 11, 2020, City Council approved the Education Policy 0-30, establishing 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 to serve the whole community, particularly those most vulnerable, and historically marginalized and underserved that continue to fall behind in educational achievement and attainment.
San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth
In April 2021, City Council approved a revised San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth (Bill of Rights), led by the Youth Commission, which has served as aspirational guidelines for departments and community stakeholders over the years since its original adoption in May 2020.8 The adoption of the Bill of Rights is to foster “the needs and healthy development of all children, youth, and families in the City.” City staff have 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 City Auditor’s Office, in their most recent audit of the Bill of Rights has identified recommendations to ensure that all of the articles are adopted and adhered to citywide.9 Staff recognize the importance of operationalizing all of the Bill of Rights articles directly through City services or in partnership with County 8 https://records.sanjoseca.gov/Resolutions/RES75374.PDF 9 https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=11108427&GUID=752B320F-D04D-43C7-8C1F-B1A69FD0BDA9 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
departments, community-based organizations, school districts, and others. Therefore, through a collective process, City staff will identify strategies in the CYS Master Plan to address many of the gaps in programs and services, formalize internal coordination across departments, and strengthen partnerships with diverse community stakeholders.
ANALYSIS
Through a racial equity lens and collective impact, the City Manager’s Office in partnership with the Library, PRNS, Office of Economic Development, Office of Racial Equity, and other departments, will create the City of San Jose’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan (CYS Master Plan). The overarching goal of the CYS Master Plan is to provide a strategic framework and approach to disrupting the systemic racism, structural barriers, persistent inequities, and generational trauma that continues to widen the socio-economic, educational, health, and housing gap. Thus, through the CYS Master Plan, the City will take a leadership role in creating pathways and supports from cradle to career for all children and youth, particularly for those most vulnerable. City staff recognize the importance of a whole child approach, 10 supporting a
child’s development from birth to adulthood, across systems, and in partnership with all those that touch a child and youth and their families. To achieve this, the CYS Master Plan will include the following key elements:
• Guidance on policy priorities, investments, and alignment of programs. • Operationalize the San José Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. • A strategic, coordinated, and responsive approach to ensure a safety-net for children and youth, and their families.
• A continuum of support for children and youth from cradle to career. • Long-term and sustainable impact and measurable outcomes.
Key Highlights/Milestones
While the City Manager’s Office and department staff are currently in the process of developing the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, significant milestones have been accomplished over the course of the fiscal year:
• Developed a process and timeline
• Established committees and advisories
• Identified consultants
• Identified community engagement strategies.
The City Manager’s Office onboarded an Assistant to the City Manager (limit-dated position) in January 2022 to support and lead the development of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. In collaboration with City departments, the City Manager’s Office (CMO) designed a 10 https://www.ascd.org/whole-child
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
process and timeline to develop the CYS Master Plan. Thus, CYS Master Plan will be informed through the following:
• Bill of Rights – Frame and integrate the Bill of Rights throughout the CYS Master Plan document, including recommendations from Auditor’s Office report. • Primary Data – Collect data through focus groups, interviews, youth town halls, and citywide survey with diverse City staff, service providers, educational leaders, families, and youth.
• Secondary Data – Collect, review, and analyze national, county, city and other local initiatives, research, and reports (e.g., Kids in Common Data Book, Joint Venture Silicon Valley-Silicon Valley Index, Santa Clara County-School Linked Services Report, etc.). • Literature Review – Review and survey of literature and other published materials related to topic (e.g., youth development, evidence-based practices, family support, etc.). • Santa Clara County CAST (Cross-Agency Services Team) – Leverage and integrate a countywide effort, with a City of San José focused single-system of support to ensure a “no-wrong door” entry.
• Other City Initiatives/Efforts – Leverage the work of other City led initiatives and efforts by integrating the data and community engagement input and feedback collected (e.g., PRNS/Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, Youth Commission citywide survey, etc.).
In addition, CMO staff have created a team structure of committees and advisories to provide input, recommendations, guidance, and support in the design and development of the CYS Master Plan. The team structure includes the following (see Attachment A for more information):
• Executive Committee – Comprised of City department directors and leads. • Community Advisory – Comprised of County departments, City staff, community-based organizations, educational leaders, parents/caregivers, and youth/young people. • Technical/Operations Committee – Comprised of Santa Clara County departments, CAST (Cross-Agency Services Team) partners and City staff. • Parent/Caregiver Advisory – Comprised of diverse parents/caregivers. • Youth Commission – Comprised of Youth Commission members. • Youth Advisory – Comprised of diverse youth/young people from underserved communities.
• Consultants – To leverage the work that has been undertaken by PRNS/Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force and Santa Clara County, Social Services Agency, the CMO is partnering with their consultants RDA (Research Development Associates) and Collective Impact Solutions, respectively. Both consultants are providing guidance, evaluation support, and expertise to inform, design, and develop the CYS Master Plan.
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
As a result, the CMO staff have scheduled and convened with the CYS Master Plan committees and advisories, and to date the following gatherings have been hosted:
• Committee and Advisory Meetings: The purpose of these meetings is to actively engage committee and advisory members in advising, guiding, and supporting the CMO in the design and development of the CYS Master Plan. Between the two kick-off meetings 68 individuals attended. (see Attachment B for more information) Executive Committee meetings
o Kick-off Meeting: 8/31/22
o Meeting: 9/28/22
o Meeting: 10/26/22
o Meeting: 12/22 TBD
Community Advisory meetings
o Kick-off Meeting: 9/2/22
o Meeting: 10/12/22
o Meeting: 11/4/22
o Meeting: 12/22 TBD
• Brainstorming Sessions: The purpose of these sessions is to provide committee and advisory members an opportunity to inform and shape the vision and identify priority areas and questions for the focus groups, interviews, and the citywide survey. Members had an opportunity to attend one of three scheduled sessions. Due to the timing of when the NSE memo was due, information is not available on the outcomes of the three brainstorming sessions. The three sessions were scheduled for:
o Monday, September 26, 2022
o Tuesday, September 27, 2022
o Thursday, September 29, 2022
• Community Engagement Activities and Listening Sessions: These community engagement activities and listening sessions aim to gather primary data on the dreams, needs, and overall lived experiences of families, children, youth, and young people. In addition, it will be an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the system and structural barriers that create obstacles to accessing resources and supports. o Youth Town Hall – CMO in partnership with the Youth Commission, City departments, and Community Advisory members will co-host three Youth Town Halls; two of the Youth Town Halls will be in-person, and one will be virtual. o Parent/Caregiver Town Hall – CMO in partnership with City departments will host two Parent/Caregiver Town Halls.
o Citywide Survey – Develop and distribute a citywide survey for children/youth, parents/caregivers, and community stakeholders. The survey will be available in multiple languages and will be disseminated citywide with the support of City departments, advisory members, Youth Commissioners, and others.
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
o Focus Groups – Conduct focus groups with families, youth/young adults, service providers, City department directors/program staff, educational leaders, and County partners.
o Empathy Interviews – Conduct interviews with families, youth/young adults, service providers, City department directors/program staff, educational leaders, and County partners.
o Technical/Operations Committee – Convene Santa Clara County department representatives, CAST (Cross-Agency Services Team) partners, and staff from across City Departments to develop a coordinated and integrated single-system of support to ensure a “no-wrong door” entry to critical services. o Parent/Caregiver Advisory – Convene parents/caregivers, particularly from lowincome, underserved, and marginalized communities to co-design the CYS Master Plan.
The community engagement activities and listening sessions will take place between midOctober and mid-November 2022. The consultants and City staff will summarize and analyze the findings from focus groups, interviews, and citywide survey to inform and shape the goals, priority areas, metrics, and recommendations of the CYS Master Plan. Since April 2022, staff have met and will continue to collaborate with Santa Clara County department staff and other partners to dismantle system barriers and silos across City departments. The CAST service delivery model and integrated and coordinate systems approach will be reflected in the CYS Master Plan.
In addition, the CMO is also collaborating with PRNS and the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force (MGPTF) and Youth Intervention Services’ staff and consultant to leverage the work they have done in gathering data and community input over the nearly three years as part of their strategic work plan development process and interim evaluation. More recently, PRNS staff and consultants have engaged community partners in several listening sessions to guide the development of the MGPTF Strategic Plan, which will be presented to NSE on November 10, 2022. PRNS staff focus on serving justice and gang-involved youth and developing sustainable, organized groups of community leaders, promoting a cleaner and safer environment, enabling residents to access City services, and developing community partnerships that support ongoing efforts. The breadth of primary and secondary data gathered will inform the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. The MGPTF has engaged the community through the following:
• Project Hope Neighborhood – As part of an interim evaluation, between January 2020 and September 2021, PRNS staff conducted a neighborhood survey and focus groups in the Project Hope communities. PRNS staff obtained 1,831 survey responses from community residents, in which several topics were raised regarding quality of life concerns. PRNS will be conducting a follow-up survey in the Fall. • Community Listening Sessions
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
○ Hosted 31 community listening sessions across City and County departments, community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, families, and youth. ○ Analyzed the listening session data to identify the top issues and proposed solutions raised by community members. Many of the identified issues impact families and their children of all ages.
• Steering Committee Engagement
○ Planning efforts were guided by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from various City and County departments and community partners.
○ Committee helped process the listening session input and provided guidance on the revised and new strategic goals and objectives.
Furthermore, staff are also leveraging, the work led by the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force (Task Force) and its consultants under the City Initiatives Roadmap, Enterprise Priority, COVID19 Pandemic: Community and Economic Recovery.11 Through a collective process with the community, the City is addressing one of the biggest challenges, but also the biggest opportunity, to foster an equitable recovery to “build back better.” In September 2021, the San José City Council approved 55 organizations for the Task Force to work with the community to “think about the future” as it relates to strengthening and stabilizing families, workers, and small businesses. Over the past year, City staff and the Task Force have reviewed the City's Recovery Initiatives, gathered data, and created strategies. They also planned and led several engagement activities, both in-person and virtually, to connect with and hear the needs of those most impacted by the pandemic. Activities included a survey (gathering 771 responses), focus groups, community forums, pop-up events, a Lived Experience Group, and a Community Resource Fair.
These activities engaged more than 1,500 people from low-income, underserved, and socioeconomically impacted communities. A comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from the Task Force will be instrumental in informing the development of the CYS Master Plan.
In a recent review of the draft findings there are many topics and priority areas raised that concern families with children and youth, ranging from health and well-being to childcare.
CONCLUSION
As directed by City Council, the City Manager’s Office in collaboration with the Library, PRNS, OED, ORE, and with parents/caregivers, youth/young adults, educational leaders, communitybased organizations, County of Santa Clara departments, and community stakeholders has begun developing the Children and Youth Services Master Plan. The CMO will finalize the Children and Youth Services Master Plan and present to City Council in April 2023.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
11 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/office-of-the-city-manager/community-and-economic-recovery-task-force Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
The City Manager’s Office will provide a status update on the Children and Youth Services Master Plan to the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee on December 8, 2022.
CLIMATE SMART SAN JOSE
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 website for the October 13, 2022, Neighborhood Services and Education Committee meeting. In addition, to inform and shape the development of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan, the CMO in partnership with City staff have scheduled several community engagement activities and listening sessions from August through December 2022.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the Library and Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION/INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
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/
Angel Rios, Jr.
Deputy City Manager
For questions, please contact Laura Buzo, Assistant to the City Manager, at the City Manager’s Office, or (408) 592-0372.
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
September 26, 2022
Subject: City Initiatives Roadmap: Children and Youth Services Master Plan Status Report
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Children and Youth Services Master Plan, Team Structure Attachment B: Children and Youth Services Master Plan, Community Advisory Members