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Grant Application - FY2026 Alliance for Children-Smart Start Child Care Health Consultant Program
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Traci Colley, Human Services Agency - Public Health, Director, 704-296-4801; Janet Payne, Human Services Agency, Director, 704-296-4348
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Approve submission of the Alliance for Children-Smart Start Grant Application to support the Public Health Child Care Heath Consultant Program, 2) upon award, authorize the County Manager to negotiate and execute an agreement substantially consistent with this agenda item, and 3) upon receipt of award, recognize, receive, and appropriate the awarded amount to the Public Health budget.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
Requests and appropriation of received funding from the Alliance for Children-Smart Start for this program have been approved annually by the Union County Board of County Commissioners for the past seven years.
BACKGROUND:
Child Care Health Consultant’s (CCHC’s) are health care professionals with specialized training, education and experience in both child and community health and early care and education issues who can provide expert guidance and technical assistance on a wide range of health and safety topics. CCHC’s work with early care and education programs to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate strategies to achieve high quality, safe and healthy childcare environments. The program’s services are available to parents and childcare centers throughout Union County. The Alliance for Children-Smart Start CCHC program, currently in its eighth year, has positively impacted children and families in Union County, including those with special health care needs and/or behavioral needs, by assisting care providers with implementation of health care plans, and training and technical assistance on child health, safety, nutrition and child development nutritional guidance and other training and services. In FY2025, the Human Services Agency’s Public Health Department received $85,500 in grant funding from the Alliance for Children-Smart Start for the Child Care Health Consultant Program. The FY2026 amount is anticipated to remain approximately the same, however the eligible grant amount for FY2026 will not be released until January 2025. The grant currently requires a 19% in-kind contribution.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The FY2026 Alliance for Children-Smart Start, Child Care Health Consultant Program Grant requires an in-kind contribution of 19% of the grant amount from the Union County Human Services Agency, Public Health Department. The exact funding amount will be available in January 2025.