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The Child Care Partnership Project Tamien Child Care Center |
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Description For many working parents, shuttling children to and from child care and school adds time, miles, and stress to the daily commute. In San Jose, California, public- and private-sector partners came together to create an alternative that is easier on parents, easier on children, and easier on the environment. The Tamien Child Care Center, located at a public transportation station, provides a hub of child care activities for parents and providers while facilitating the convenient use of public transportation by parents. It is one important component of a livable community plan that includes the clustering of housing, an elementary school, and a child care center around a major public transportation hub. Partners The Tamien Child Care Center is the result of a unique collaboration between public transportation entities, businesses, child care providers, and philanthropy. Partners include:
History and Development The Tamien Caltrain Station, a major transportation hub including bus, commuter, and light rail services, opened in 1990 in San Jose. Shortly after it opened, county officials began exploring whether a child care center built at the site would encourage parents to use public transit. In December 1990, they commissioned a feasibility study from International Child Resource Institute (ICRI), a non-profit organization that provides technical assistance to organizations establishing child care services. The study, conducted over the course of a year, examined whether the site could accommodate a child care center, the optimal size for the center, and policies to encourage transit customers to use the child care center. The study found that the site was appropriate for the development of a child care center and set a preliminary budget for construction and start-up, which was approved by the VTA Board of Directors in June 1992. During the same time period, the federal government passed The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), which created new flexibility in the use of federal transportation dollars and designated funding for projects that reduce congestion and improve air quality. The VTA applied for and obtained funding under ISTEA to support construction of the child care facility. In order to select an appropriate child care provider for the new center, VTA established a committee composed of local and state child care experts and VTA staff. The committee issued an RFP in February 1995 and, through a competitive process, selected Bright Horizons for the operation of the Tamien Child Care Center. Construction on the center began in 1994, and the 9,600-square-foot facility opened in November 1995. Current Activities The Tamien Child Care Center provides high-quality child care to 137 children from ages 6 weeks through 12 years. While Bright Horizons manages ongoing operations and programming, VTA retains ownership of the facility. Special transit incentives are offered to encourage the mutual use of public transportation and the child care center. Parents using both the Tamien Child Care Center and public transit receive discounts on monthly transit passes, priority enrollment in the child care center, discounts on tuition at the child care center, and emergency trip service. The Tamien Child Care Center also provides support services to local family child care providers. Recognizing that the Tamien Child Care Center was serving only a small percentage of the many low-income families living in the area, the director of the center conducted community outreach and found that many local parents were using family child care providers. The Tamien Child Care Center joined with a network of family child care providers and the local resource and referral agency to establish the Provider Training Resource Activity Center (P-TRAC), adjacent to the Tamien Child Care Center. VTA donated the land for the resource center, and operating costs are supported through a grant from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation. P-TRAC, established in 1998, offers provider training through workshops, college credit courses, and specialized training sessions such as: pediatric CPR and first aid; school-age child care; infant/toddler care; business skills; health and safety; media awareness; behavior management; accreditation; and child development. Providers have access to office equipment at P-TRAC, including a computer, color printer, scanner, fax, copier, laminator, and dye cutter. In addition, the resource center has a lending library of books, magazines, videos, brochures, games, and activities that child care providers can borrow. Many of the materials are available in Spanish. Resources Construction of the Tamien Child Care Center was supported by a $1.6-million grant from the Federal Highway Administration through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), over $200,000 from the State Transportation Systems Management, and $540,000 from the VTA (VTA also provided the land lease-free). Bright Horizons is responsible for supporting ongoing operation of the child care center, and most parents pay fees for child care services. Ten percent of children receive child care subsidies, and subsidy levels range from 75 percent to 100 percent of the cost of care. With support from the American Business Collaborative, Bright Horizons provides a scholarship program to cover co-payments for subsidy programs and for "emergency" tuition purposes. Results VTA and Tamien Center staff jointly conducted a parent survey one year after the Center opened. The survey measured demographic information, satisfaction with child care services, and transportation-related information. Of the 83 percent of parents responding to the survey, most were very pleased with the quality of services at the center. One hundred percent of parents ranked the quality of care at the center as good or excellent (with 77 percent rating the quality as excellent). The original goal of the Tamien Child Care Center was to encourage more parents to use public transportation by making it convenient to child care. The survey results indicated that the net effect of the Center on commute patterns has been a reduction in private car use and an increase in all forms of transit use. The total transit use increased from 11 percent prior to enrollment to 17 percent transit use reported at the time of the survey. While 3 percent of the overall Santa Clara County population uses public transportation, 25 percent of the parents who pick up or drop off children at the center use public transit. The P-TRAC Resource Center is providing training and networking opportunities for family providers where none existed before. While no formal evaluation of P-TRAC has been done, strong demand for its existing services and requests for additional training and technical assistance lead the program director to believe that its services are helpful to local family providers. Sustaining and Replicating The positive working relationship between VTA and Bright Horizons, the high satisfaction with and demand for the Center's services, and the positive impact that the Center has had on transit use are all factors that contribute to the sustainability of the Tamien Child Care Center. In addition, the project has been cited as a national model for creative use of transportation funds, and a similar project is under way in San Diego. A priority in the continuing development of services is to obtain additional funding that will enable the Center to serve more of the low-income families that live in the surrounding community (currently, only 10 percent of families using the center qualify for subsidies). The Center Director is looking to businesses and the state for additional subsidy funding. Lessons Learned Engage partners who have needed expertise. When a non-child care organization starts a center, it is important to enlist experts in the child care field early in the process. VTA credits the expertise and professionalism of International Child Resource Institute (ICRI) and Bright Horizons with facilitating the development and implementation of a high-quality child care center. In addition, both ICRI and Bright Horizons have proven track records for working effectively with corporations and other groups that do not have expertise in child care. Foster creative collaborations. Creative thinking by county and VTA officials was the impetus for a new use of transportation dollars that resulted in a win-win situation. The community gained needed quality child care spaces, while the VTA enhanced the services provided at their transit complex and increased transit use. Be flexible and responsive to community needs. While establishing a resource center for family child care providers was not initially part of the plan for the Tamien Center, it has proved to be a much-needed resource that is increasing the quality and quantity of child care in the community. Contact Information Jim Unites |
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