Minutes 05-25-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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responds quickly and competently to emergencies and folks have access to primary care, dental care and health promotion programs such as our home visiting programs for at-risk families. We partner with many entities in the community to assure access to these services. As a board member....tasked with providing guidance to health department staff...it has been very difficult to accept the enormous cuts made in our programs over the past couple of years. I recognize....that in a time of economic downturn...everyone has to tighten our belts. However, we also need to consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs....with food, shelter, and health care being the most basic. It is demoralizing to see budget cuts that affect the health of vulnerable people in our community when other county departments see no cuts or even receive increases. Unfortunately Orange County is one of the most divisive in NC in terms of socio-economic disparities. None of us can enjoy a healthy and productive life unless all in our community do. Please uphold the values of a just society with health for all when making the hard decisions about budget cuts." Vivian Eto is the Director of Family Support at Child Care Services Association (CCSA). She distributed a handout. She said that the Manager has recommended eliminating funding to CCSA through the non-profit grant process. She said that last year they received a large cut and this year funding has been eliminated. She said that each year CCSA has been successful in meeting the required outcomes. She said that this program informs families about high- quality child care and facilitates selection of high-quality programs that meet the family's needs. She said that these services are available to all families, regardless of income level or type of need, are free of charge, and available in English and Spanish. She said that the cut in funding severely restricts the ability to provide this service to all families in Orange County. Erin Reiter is an advocate of the Early Care and Education Bill. She is also a working mother of toddlers. She spoke about the recommendations to eliminate funding for Child Care Services Association. She said that the life experiences of most young children are taking place in the context of child care. In Orange County, an estimated 61% of children under the age of six live in homes where all parents are employed. This translates to over 4,000 children that are in need of some type of child care arrangement. She said that parents continually report that finding child care is a struggle. She asked the County Commissioners to fund CCSA. Linda Chappel was representing CCSA and she said that they were told that the denial of funding for them was because this was a duplication of services provided by the Orange County Department of Social Services. She read from budget document: "DSS provides child care information and referral services to parents on availability, quality, and subsidy for child care; and provides supportive casework services to 575 families." She said that they do not duplicate services of DSS because CCSA is a nationally accredited regional lead child care resource and referral agency. She said that CCSA is an expert on early childhood education and their work is to assure that every child has the benefit of a high quality early education. She said that their services are used by many families that would not feel comfortable receiving support from a government agency. She said that last year 111 families served by CCSA said that they were referred to CCSA by the Department of Social Services. This demonstrates the power of collaboration to serve the families. She said that CCSA contacted the Manager's Office and Gwen Harvey stated that CCSA receives local Smart Start administrative funding that should cover most of the actions previously funded through the County's appropriation. She said that they wish they had other funding options for this service. Kris Bergstrand and Jean Austin spoke together. They are members of the Animal Services Board of Orange County. Kris Bergstrand said that they are committed to be cost effective and they have coordinated with staff on budget constraints. They appreciated the support of the Board of County Commissioners and have reduced their meetings to every other month in order to reduce operating costs. She said that they are working constantly to reduce operating costs.