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Commission delays vote on Chemeketa childcare workforce amendment and $110,000 FTE request
Summary
Commissioners deferred action on Amendment No. 2 to a Chemeketa Community College early-childhood educator program grant after a detailed hearing on program design, recruitment challenges and a proposed $110,000 coordinator position; board asked Chemeketa for commitments on sustainability and value before Dec. 4.
The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners heard a multi-part presentation from Carla Hale of Chemeketa Community College and debated whether to approve Amendment No. 2 to grant agreement GR2507GA to continue and refine the early-childhood educator development program through Dec. 31, 2026.
Hale described changes based on two cohort pilots: a three-term design (remote spring courses, an eight-week intensive summer session and fall practicum) to allow working students to remain employed, plus a proposed coordinator/grant‑support FTE to handle recruiting, onboarding, advising, stipend processing and childcare stipends.
Budget and enrollment: the college reported $318,618.34 spent to date and a remaining grant balance of roughly $760,386 (as presented); it seeks $110,000 for an FTE (salary and benefits) to recruit and support a target cohort of about 30 students. Commissioners asked for detail on per-student ROI and whether existing college student-support resources or leftover marketing funds could cover recruitment and navigation tasks.
Board decision: commissioners agreed more information is needed about program value beyond the grant term, sustainability, per-student cost (the county referenced ~ $29,000 per student in earlier cohorts) and commitments from Chemeketa about continuing support after grant funds are exhausted. The board moved the item to Old Business for the December 4 meeting so staff and Chemeketa can provide further cost/benefit detail and possible alternatives to a full $110,000 FTE.
Next steps: staff will work with Chemeketa to enumerate what the FTE will accomplish, whether partial staffing is possible, what existing college capacity remains, and to model enrollment, projected completions and the program’s sustained value to Yamhill County after the grant ends.
