DHCD Memorandum of Understanding with Reynolds Community College for a Child Care Facility (November 1, 2024)

Summary

Report dated November 1, 2024, from Bryan Horn, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), to the Governor, described as the first annual report under Item 103.U.1-4 of the 2024 Appropriations Act. The item directs DHCD to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Reynolds Community College to establish a child care facility, with $1,000,000 the first year from the general fund. The report states that DHCD has had three meetings with stakeholders, and that DHCD anticipates executing an MOU between DHCD, VDOE, and Reynolds by December 31, 2024, subject to the identification of available space that may be renovated or retrofitted.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

November 1, 2024

To:   The Honorable Glenn Youngkin
      Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia

From: Bryan Horn
      Director, Department of Housing and Community Development

Item 103.U.1-4 of the 2024 Appropriations Act directs the Department of Housing and
Community Development (DHCD) to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
Reynolds Community College to establish a child care facility. The language states:

      U.1. Out of this appropriation, $1,000,000 the first year from the general fund is
      provided for the department to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
      Reynolds Community College to establish a child care facility for the benefit of state
      employees near the seat of state government in Richmond, Virginia.

      2. The funds provided in this paragraph shall be used to retrofit space on the campus for
      the child care facility. At a minimum, the department, in negotiating the MOU with
      Reynolds Community College, shall: (i) establish market rates by child care age groups to
      support center operations; (ii) develop a detailed operations plan to include class size
      and appropriate staff ratios; (iii) provide training opportunities for community college
      students; (iv) set a timeline for the development of the center and its opening; (v) accept
      the child care subsidy as defined § 22.1-289.02, Code of Virginia; and (vi) provide
      frequent reporting and updates on center operations.

      3. The department shall provide annual reports on or before November 1, 2024, and
      thereafter on the status of this center including operations, development timeline, and
      state employees served or expected to be served. The department shall also provide
      recommendations on utilizing additional state resources for retrofitting space on
      community college campuses for child care across the Commonwealth to serve
      community college students and the broader public in its 2025 annual report.

      4. The funding provided in this paragraph shall be used for no other purpose than those
      outlined above.

                   Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development | Partners for Better Communities
                   Main Street Centre | 600 East Main Street, Suite 300 Richmond, VA 23219
                   www.dhcd.virginia.gov | Phone (804) 371-7000 | Fax (804) 371-7090 | Virginia Relay 7-1-1
This is the first annual report pursuant to the budget language.

Given that the focus of the directive is child care, which is outside DHCD’s expertise, DHCD staff
has collaborated with representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Education and the
Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for assistance in determining the required data points
for the MOU. This collaboration has included meetings to identify the appropriate resources to
aid DHCD in determining the most efficient and effective way to carry out the provisions of the
budget language.

Since the 2024 Appropriations Act became effective, DHCD has had three meetings with the
applicable stakeholders to begin developing a plan to execute the bill's provisions. In addition,
representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Education and VDOE have had preliminary
discussions with Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) regarding this initiative.

DHCD anticipates executing an MOU between DHCD, VDOE, and Reynolds by December 31,
2024, subject to the identification of available space that may be renovated or retrofitted to
serve as a child care facility. It is anticipated that the MOU will contain elements that provide
for a competitive procurement with a performance-based contract for the provision of child
care services in the retrofitted space provided by Reynolds or other eligible space. The Request
for Proposals (RFP) for child care services would also cover the key operational elements
required by the budget language, including but not limited to: timeline, capacity, number of
children to be served (which is based on teacher:child ratios and group sizes), market rates, and
training opportunities for Reynolds’ students. The RFP and any accompanying contracts will
establish the requirement that state employees are to be given priority, and the operator has a
plan for conducting outreach to state employees with young children. Procuring these services
competitively will enable the Commonwealth to select an operator who best meets these
expectations with the most cost-effective and sustainable approach. In the interim, DHCD
welcomes the opportunity to provide additional updates and information as needed.

Cc:    The Honorable Caren Merrick
       Secretary of Commerce and Trade

       The Honorable Aimee Rogstad Guidera
       Secretary of Education

       Dr. Paula Pando, President
       Reynolds Community College

       Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS)
       Reports to the General Assembly
       Via email



                   Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development | Partners for Better Communities
                   Main Street Centre | 600 East Main Street, Suite 300 Richmond, VA 23219
                   www.dhcd.virginia.gov | Phone (804) 371-7000 | Fax (804) 371-7090 | Virginia Relay 7-1-1


File and source

File

2024-RD703.pdf

Size

244,804 bytes

SHA-256

cd1cf879a78309cb4f68e1563901b5e38ca585807b78a87e36a5e81eb2a78d25

Our copy

2024-RD703.pdf

Original

No public link identified.