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Council questions COA resource website request, seeks interoperability with county portal
Summary
Councilmembers questioned a $30,000 startup request from the Children’s Opportunity Alliance for an informational early care resource website, urging the COA and DHHS to coordinate with the county’s Community Connect portal and existing county sites to avoid duplication and minimize ongoing costs.
Councilmembers on April 22 pressed the Children’s Opportunity Alliance and county staff to explain a proposed centralized early care and education resource website and how it would work with the county’s Community Connect portal.
Kimberly Rusnick, executive director of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, said the website would aggregate resources for families with children 0–5 (county and non‑county programs), include links to the portal for eligibility and applications, provide multilingual access, and support outreach tools such as QR codes for postcards and community distribution. She estimated startup costs between $30,000 and $50,000 depending on scope and phased development; maintenance costs were not finalized.
Several councilmembers urged COA and DHHS to avoid duplicating existing county resources. Mark Hodge, chief operating officer for HHS, explained the distinction: the COA site would be informational only and would link to the Community Connect portal, while the portal performs eligibility determinations and interacts with case management systems. Councilmembers asked whether the county’s existing websites or a landing page could host the external resources rather than funding a separate standalone site.
Why it matters: Committee members emphasized interoperability and user experience. Councilmembers noted the portal has usability issues and that residents need seamless handoffs between agency sites; others suggested exploring low‑cost options such as a county landing page, interns, or shared communications staff for updates.
Next steps: Committee directed COA and DHHS to continue coordination, clarify long‑term maintenance plans, and return with more concrete interoperability and cost estimates as reconciliation discussions proceed.
