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Supervisors approve first reading to create infant and toddler early learning scholarship fund
Summary
An ordinance introduced by Supervisor Yee would create an infant and toddler early-learning scholarship fund and direct the Office of Early Care and Education to design program parameters; the ordinance passed unanimously on first reading.
Supervisor Yee introduced an ordinance on Nov. 1 to establish the Infant and Toddler Early Learning Scholarship Fund and asked the Board to send it forward for further development.
The measure would create a dedicated “bucket” for identified funding to support infant/toddler care (ages 0–3) and direct the Office of Early Care and Education to develop program parameters modeled in part on the city’s Preschool for All framework. "Family‑friendly policies and early care and education will always be one of my highest priorities," Yee said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Supervisor Yee said infant care options are scarce and costly; she noted an example that infant care can cost about $2,400 a month ("roughly $29,000 every year"), which she used to illustrate the program’s potential need. The ordinance is intended to ensure that if funding is identified during the budget process, there will be an established fund and an administrative structure to allocate it.
Support and next steps: Yee said she had letters of support from the Department on the Status of Women and more than 22 care providers, the Child Care Planning and Advisory Committee, Family Child Care Association of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Child Care Providers Association. The item passed unanimously on first reading; the Office of Early Care and Education will be asked to return with program parameters when funding is identified.
Attribution: All direct quotes are from Supervisor Yee, as recorded in the meeting transcript.
