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Board hearing highlights Infant & Toddler Scholarship Fund pilot and workforce focus
Summary
A Rules Committee hearing reviewed San Francisco’s new Infant and Toddler Early Learning Scholarship Fund pilot. The Office of Early Care and Education described eligibility (up to 110% AMI), increased reimbursement rates to support provider wages, oversight via a nine-member citizens advisory committee, and capitalization of a category‑4 fund at $5.75 million; Supervisor Yee moved to file the hearing.
The Rules Committee held a hearing on the Infant and Toddler Early Learning Scholarship Fund, an initiative aimed at expanding affordable, quality care for children under age 3. The Office of Early Care and Education (OECE) presented the pilot’s eligibility, program rules and monitoring structure and described steps the city has taken to increase provider reimbursement and support workforce stability.
September Jarrett, director of OECE, told the committee the city has nearly 45,000 children under the age of 5 and that many households — including working families — face affordability barriers to infant and toddler care. Jarrett said the pilot fund provides financial assistance to eligible households that live in San Francisco and work or attend school part‑ or full time; the program’s income cutoff extends to 110% of area median income, an example figure given in testimony was about $116,000 for a family of three.
Jarrett described program design elements intended to raise quality and stabilize staffing: OECE is using established preschool quality standards across 0–5 programs, offering professional development, reimbursing tuition monthly to programs and setting reimbursement rates with the explicit goal of reflecting personnel costs. The director said reimbursements that took effect July 1 are higher than prior rates (transcript contains garbled percentage phrasing; OECE described the change as a meaningful increase to better support compensation).
Jarrett also said the pilot fund is set up as a category‑4 fund to invite public–private partnerships; she cited approximately $18 million in various local resources supporting infant‑and‑toddler access overall, and stated that the new category‑4 fund was capitalized at $5,750,000 in the current budget year. OECE plans to report annually to the Board of Supervisors by September 30 on fund impact and program outcomes.
Public commenters including planning commissioners, provider associations, family‑service organizations and parent advocates urged continued funding, emphasized workforce and space constraints, and praised the city for prioritizing 0–3 care. Several speakers highlighted the need to ensure reimbursement rates cover actual provider costs and administrative burdens for small family‑childcare providers.
Supervisor Yee moved to file the hearing (archive the matter for now); the Chair accepted the motion without objection. OECE said it will return with further reporting on the pilot’s implementation.
