Estimados Miembros del Comité de NSE:
Mi nombre es Yasmin Mata, madre de Zoé Mata, y soy cuidadora FFN (Family, Friends and Neighbors) y miembro de la comunidad en San José. Desde el año 2023 soy parte del programa FFN, lo cual ha sido una experiencia muy valiosa tanto para mí como para las familias a las que apoyo.
El programa Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) me ha ayudado a fortalecer mis conocimientos sobre el desarrollo infantil, mejorar la calidad del cuidado que ofrezco y sentirme respaldada como proveedora de cuidado en el hogar. Además, FFN me ha apoyado con recursos importantes como un iPad, un dispositivo que no hubiera podido comprar por mi cuenta y que utilizo para capacitaciones, planificación y actividades educativas con los niños.
Gracias a este apoyo, también he podido continuar mis estudios universitarios como asociada de maestra, preparándome profesionalmente para ofrecer un cuidado de mayor calidad. Asimismo, el programa nos brinda oportunidades de participar en actividades recreativas y educativas como visitas al zoológico, parques y museos, experiencias que enriquecen el aprendizaje de los niños y fortalecen la conexión entre las familias y la comunidad.
Este programa es esencial para los niños, las familias y los cuidadores de nuestra comunidad porque ofrece recursos, capacitación, experiencias educativas y acompañamiento que muchas veces no están disponibles para cuidadores informales. FFN fortalece a las familias trabajadoras y asegura que los niños reciban atención de calidad en un entorno de confianza.
Respetuosamente le pido a la Ciudad de San José que continúe financiando y apoyando los programas de cuidado infantil, especialmente FFN, porque este programa impacta directamente el bienestar, la educación y el desarrollo de nuestros niños y cuidadores, que son el futuro de nuestra comunidad.
Gracias por su tiempo y consideración.
Atentamente,
Yasmin Mata
Outlook
FFN
From Mary Carrillo
Date Wed 2/11/2026 11 :51 AM
To Tubera, Katerina < [email protected]>
[External Email. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. Learn morel You don't often get email from Learn whY. this is imP-ortant I will like to comment on the importance of the FFN program, why is it important, why is beneficial for all our communities.
In this days childcare crisis has become a major issue for working families, there is not enough childcare institutions for our San Jose kids , and the ones that we have some times are way to expensive for families to afford.
Some of this families rely on friends, family and neighbors to provide care for their children. The FFN program provided by the San Jose public library gives child care providers a way to educate and support this regular people with a lot information about how to support children which are under there care, and ensure the children of San Jose have access to the best care available. This friends, family and neighbors have the opportunity to attend different sessions with prepared representatives of child development and lear from them . It is imperative that we continue to support the program that will provide information and education to the families that are willing to help with the care of our children in San Jose .
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
February 11, 2026
San José City Council Neighborhood Services and Education Committee 200 East Santa Clara Street
San José, CA 95113
Re: CC 26-023 Family, Friends, and Neighbors Caregiver Support Network Status Report Dear Chair Ortiz and Members of the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee, As the co-chairs of the Local Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara County (LPC), we are writing to respectfully urge the City of San José to reconsider its decision to defund and close the Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Support Network Program. As the Status Report demonstrates, this program plays an essential and unique role in strengthening the city's early learning ecosystem – improving childcare quality for families who face the greatest systemic barriers to care, supporting providers on the pipeline towards establishing childcare careers and businesses, and strengthening the Early Learning and Child Care strategic priority of the City’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan.
For families, the FFN Support Network directly benefits low-income women of color, who disproportionately rely on FFN care because of cultural familiarity, language alignment, cost considerations, and the need for flexible arrangements that accommodate nontraditional work schedules. San José experiences a chronic lack of access to childcare for the youngest children and for care out of normal business hours – exactly the kinds of care that FFN providers often provide. Without reliable childcare, parents, especially mothers, are unable to maintain stable employment or advance in their careers. This causes direct harm to the local economy - lack of access to childcare is estimated to cost our county over $2 billion per year in lost productivity. The FFN Support Network helps stabilize the childcare infrastructure that supports San José’s workforce and local businesses.
For providers, the FFN Support Network provides training, support, and a peer network to improve the quality and sustainability of their services, helping them to provide better care for children. For some, it serves as a critical first step toward a career in early childhood.
Almost 100 of the program’s participants have completed the post-secondary education requirements needed to work in licensed preschools. For others, the program can provide a pathway to licensure as a family childcare small business. The Network’s workforce development outcomes compare favorably to the City’s other investments in this area, benefiting both the participants and the broader community.
Members of the LPC and local childcare providers were pleased to participate in the development of the City of San José Children and Youth Services Master Plan and are ready to support its implementation. The Master Plan identifies Early Learning and Child Care as a strategic priority, emphasizing the need for safe, inclusive environments that support children's development. The plan states that “The City intends to support existing initiatives and efforts that align with CYS Master Plan strategic priority areas” and the City Council has approved $10.5M in spending to support implementation. Maintaining the Network - with expert and experienced staff, demonstrated benefits, strong partnerships, and a clear focus on equity – not only benefits children, families and the community but also demonstrates the City’s commitment to implementing the Master Plan.
For these reasons, the LPC respectfully requests that the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee and broader City Council:
1. Reconsider the decision to close the FFN Support Network Program in the light of the significant benefits described in the Status Report;
2. Restore and protect funding for this essential early learning resource during the ongoing Budget development process; and
3. Continue its partnerships with the SCCOE and its broad coalition of community partners to maintain support for FFN caregivers and the broader ECE community to benefit the children, families, economy, and community of San José.
Thank you for everything that you do to support San José’s children, families, and caregivers.
Sincerely,
Cathy Boettcher and Melissa Roth, Co-Chairs
Local Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara County Wednesday, February 11, 2026
San José City Council
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee
200 East Santa Clara Street
San José, CA 95113
Re: CC 26-023 Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) Caregiver Support Network Status Report Dear Chair Ortiz and Members of the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee:
On behalf of FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, I write to express our strong support for the continuation of the City of San José’s Family, Friends, and Neighbors (FFN) Caregiver Support Network Program. We respectfully urge the Committee and the full City Council to reconsider the proposed closure of this program and to restore funding as part of the FY 2026–2027 budget process.
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County has been a long-standing partner in strengthening San José’s early learning infrastructure. We have supported the work of the San José Public Library’s FFN program for years and have seen firsthand its impact on children, caregivers, and families, particularly those facing the greatest systemic barriers to licensed care.
In addition, FIRST 5 played a leadership role in the development of the City of San José’s Children and Youth Services Master Plan. I had the privilege of serving as Co-Chair of the Early Learning and Child Care Workgroup, where City departments, County partners, and community stakeholders came together to develop a strategic roadmap for strengthening childcare access and workforce stability.
The adopted Strategic Priority Area for Early Learning and Child Care establishes the following goal:
Children and families can access affordable, quality early learning and care experiences that promote optimal growth and development. Within that framework, the plan explicitly calls for:
Alignment with and support of the City’s Family, Friends, and Neighbor Caregiver Support Network; Ongoing personalized support for informal caregivers offering childcare within families and communities;
Expansion of high-quality licensed and licensed-exempt childcare options, including FFN care; and Strengthening the early education workforce and career pathways across diverse settings The FFN Support Network is not ancillary to this strategy, it is a core component of it.
As outlined in Councilmember Campos’ February 9, 2026 memorandum, the City has reaffirmed its commitment to affordable childcare and strengthening childcare infrastructure as part of its economic development strategy. Maintaining the FFN Support Network directly advances those commitments.
The program:
Stabilizes childcare access for families working nontraditional hours and those seeking culturally and linguistically aligned care;
Serves as a workforce entry point for caregivers interested in licensure or early childhood careers; Expands the mixed-delivery system by strengthening licensed-exempt providers as part of the broader childcare continuum; and
Supports economic participation by enabling parents, especially mothers, to remain in and advance within the workforce.
Intentionally and measurably improves the quality of these early care sites by providing access to trainings, college credits, and quality improvement grants.
Furthermore, the FFN Support Network complements the broader early childhood ecosystem. Together, these investments create a pipeline, from informal caregiving to licensure to professional workforce development, that strengthens San José’s childcare supply and overall economic resilience.
The Children and Youth Services Master Plan identifies Early Learning and Child Care as a strategic priority area and aligns it with the City’s Children and Young Adult Bill of Rights, including access to education, safety, support, and family stability. Discontinuing the FFN Support Network would run counter to both the spirit and the explicit strategies of the Master Plan. For these reasons, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County respectfully requests that the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee and the full City Council:
1. Reconsider the decision to sunset the FFN Support Network Program;
2. Restore and protect funding for this program in the FY 2026–2027 budget and beyond; and
3. Continue strengthening cross-system partnerships that recognize FFN caregivers as essential contributors to San José’s early learning and economic infrastructure.
We remain committed to partnering with the City, SCCOE, community-based organizations, and families to ensure that San José’s childcare system reflects the equity, access, and workforce goals the City has thoughtfully articulated in its Master Plan.
Thank you for your leadership and your continued commitment to children, families, and caregivers across San José.
Sincerely,
Trena Hudson
Executive of Early Learning & Care
Interim Executive of Family & Health Strategies
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
Hace algunos años, mi hijo fue diagnosticado con autismo.
Como muchos padres, pasé por un duelo… tristeza, miedo y la sensación de perder el rumbo.
Mi vida se llenó de terapias, citas, reportes y reuniones.
Pero al mismo tiempo, yo sentía que me estaba quedando sin propósito.
Un día conocí el programa FFN.
Y no solo me ofrecieron información… me ofrecieron un camino.
Ahí descubrí que mi historia no era solo una carga, podía convertirse en una herramienta.
Aprendí, me capacité y conocí una comunidad que jamás habría imaginado conocer.
Por primera vez sentí que no solo estaba sobreviviendo, estaba creciendo.
Hoy sigo siendo madre de un niño con discapacidad.
Pero también soy una cuidadora que acompaña a otras familias, especialmente a aquellas con niños con autismo.
Estoy estudiando para ser asistente de maestra y mi sueño es convertirme en maestra de educación especial.
Un sueño que antes del FFN ni siquiera sabía que podía tener.
Gracias por ayudarme a transformar el dolor en propósito.
Maria Ines Legglew Cruz
Some years ago, my son was diagnosed with autism.
Like many parents, I went through grief, sadness, fear, and the feeling of losing direction.
My life filled with therapies, appointments, reports, and meetings.
At the same time, I felt I was losing my purpose.
One day I found the FFN program.
They didn’t only offer information, they offered a path.
There I discovered my story was not just a burden, it could become a tool.
I learned, I trained, and I met a community I never imagined I would be part of.
For the first time, I wasn’t just surviving, I was growing.
Today I am still the mother of a child with a disability.
But I am also a caregiver who supports other families, especially those with children with autism.
I am studying to become a teacher’s aide and my dream is to become a special education teacher.
A dream that before FFN I didn’t even know I could have.
Thank you for helping me transform pain into purpose.
Maria Ines Legglew Cruz