Kings Early Education Planning Council (KEEP)

Vision

Our vision is that every child in Kings County has access to quality and affordable early care and education.

Mission

The Local Childcare Planning Council of Kings County is dedicated to promoting and supporting a community-wide effort which results in a high quality early and education system that meets the needs of all the Kings County families.

Purpose and Goals

• Develop a comprehensive county-wide child care plan which includes a needs assessment, and identification of priorities
• Foster partnerships and collaborations to enhance access and availability to high quality child care within Kings County;
• Build child care capacity by developing and implementing training programs.

Tasks

• Conduct a child care needs assessment at least once every five years and review annually.
• Document information gathered during needs assessment, which shall include, but not be limited to, data on supply, demand, cost and market rates for each category of child care in the County.
• Encourage public input in the development of priorities. Opportunities for public input shall include at least one public hearing during which members of the public can comment on proposed priorities.
• Prepare a comprehensive county-wide child care plan designed to mobilize public and private resources to address identified needs.
• Conduct a periodic review of child care programs funded by the California Department of Education and California Department of Social Services to determine if identified priorities are being met.
• Collaborate with subsidized and unsubsidized child care providers, Kings County Human Services Agency, job training programs, employers, integrated child care and family service councils, parent organizations, and other interested parties to foster partnerships designed to meet local child care needs.
• Develop and monitor a MOU between the LPC and KCAO to coordinate network services and share information with the Resource and Referral agency.
• Coordinate part-day programs, including State Preschool and Head Start, with other child care to provide full day child care.
• Submit the results of the needs assessment and the local priorities identified by the Council to the Kings County Board of Supervisors and Kings County Superintendent of Schools for approval before submitting them to the California Department of Education.
• Review and comment on proposals submitted to the California Department of Education that concern child care to be provided within the geographic area covered by the Council.
• Identify at least one, but no more than two members, of the Council to serve as part of the California Department of Education team that reviews proposals for child care service funded through the California Department of Education. The Council representative(s) shall not review and score proposals from the geographic area covered by this Council.
• Develop and implement a training plan to provide increased efficiency, productivity, and facilitation of Council meetings.
• Provide consultation to California Department of Education and California Department of Social Services regarding the development of a single application and intake form for all federal and state subsidized child care and development programs.

KEEP Membership

The Council shall be composed of 15 members who shall be appointed jointly by the Kings County Board of Supervisors and the Kings County Superintendent of Schools. The objective is to achieve membership that is a reflection of the ethnic, racial and geographic distribution makeup of Kings County, with representation as follows:

• Three child care consumers – persons who use, or have used, child care services within the past 36 months.
• Three child care providers – persons who currently provide child care services.
• Three public agency representatives – persons who represent a city, county or educational agency.
• Three community representatives – person who represent an agency or business that provides funding for child care services or is a child care advocate through participation in a civic or community based organization
• Three at-large representatives – persons with an interest in child care.

If you are interested in becoming a member of KEEP, contact ECE Secretary for more information at (559) 589-7071 or by email at mayra.chavez@kingscoe.org .

The Kings Early Education Planning Council Local Planning Council is open to the community and welcomes everyone. Click on the following link for a a schedule of meetings for our 2018/2019 Meeting Dates.

Reports and Resources

Annual Report

KEEP By-Laws

Kings County Needs Assessment

Kings Early Education Planning Council Strategic Plan 2015-2020

Kings Local Priorities

Meeting Schedule