Approve the Agreement for a Grant Between The City of Tampa and the School Board of Hillsborough County, FL for the Conduct and Administration of an Early Childhood School Readiness Program Under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (Student Services and Federal Programs Division)

The funds provided by the City of Tampa are a portion of the 6% local match required to utilize federal Child Care and Development Block Grant dollars. The city match funds of $ 33,700 draw down approximately $938,053 of federal funding. The total funding will provide child care and early education services for children of income-eligible families residing within the city limits. The term of this contract is October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Early Childhood and School Readiness Programs, the contract was received in its office on August 26, 2009. The timeline regarding this issue did not coincide with the School Board meeting schedule, which results in requesting Board approval after the fact.

* Align financial resources to support the district’s strategic goals

The match funds of $33,700 coupled with the federal draw down of $938,053, totaling $971,753, are used to provide part-time early education and child care services at the annual rate of $2,000 per child for approximately 485 children of income-eligible families residing within the Tampa city limits.

Each year the financial statements are audited by Hillsborough County School Readiness Coalition as prescribed by law. The funding for Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County is provided through federal dollars. The flow-through dollars are channeled by Agency for Workforce Innovations. School Readiness Program uses these funds to purchase child care in Hillsborough County. There is no district-generated revenue used for this purchase.