Child Care Round 3 Click here to view the assignments

3 Big Questions

Round 3 Assignment
(This was done in the large group following the report of round 2 work)

Working in pairs, please identify and write down the 3 Big Questions that are on your mind now as a result of all the work we’ve done today.

The Early Education System

  • How do we fund the actual cost of early education?
  • Can the child care support system be rationalized?
  • How do we ensure a child / family / provider friendly, stable, funding, regulatory, and political climate that sustains a quality child care & early education system?
  • How do we adequately fund the subsidy system?
  • Is there any real hope that the state system could be streamlined?
  • How do we address the needed growth of quality workforce and facilities?

Funding for a New Organization

  • Is the model fundable?
  • Where will additional resources come from to fund the creature long term?  Members?  External partners?
  • Do systemic subsidy shortages make the creation of the “whatever” immaterial or irrelevant?
  • Where will the funding come from to support the planning & development of this approach at the “local,” “regional,” & state level?
  • In providing services is there a way to attract outside funds by selling services to other industries?

Organization & Structure

  • If we had a cooperative business model how big to bring to scale?
  • What’s the structure of the creature in terms of 1 statewide organization with local branches / regional branches / county branches?
  • How does the creature interface with the thousands of local intermediaries currently in California?
  • Which intermediaries should be used or developed to provide the services of the “creature?”

Engaging Providers

  • How do we engage child care providers to see the benefit of an economies of scale approach and move closer to a viable business model?
  • Will providers recognize value in the model?
  • How to engage child care providers as advocates for the “whatever?”  Incentives for them?