Primary Department: Purchasing
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Kimberly J. Williams, JD
Secondary Department: Economic Equity and Opportunity
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Tiko Reynolds-Hausman
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Amendment
Project ID (if applicable): 230450
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): University of Texas Science Center at Houston
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 9%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): 55.28%
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal is not 0% and is listed above
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable):
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Choose an item.
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the Office of the Purchasing Agent that the County Judge execute an amendment to an agreement with the University of Texas Science Center at Houston to decrease funds in the amount of $1,468,000 to update the budget Exhibit B and update the federal award identification table Exhibit E for accessible child care training and supports for the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity (230450), MWBE Contracted Goal: 9%, MWBE Current Participation: 55.28%.
end
Background and Discussion:
Harris County Accessible Child Care Training & Supports (ACCTS) is an ARPA-funded program within the Early Childhood Initiatives portfolio. This program seeks to strengthen the Harris County child care workforce by promoting career advancement and upskilling. It invests in upskilling through training and credentialing for about 1,200 current and future providers, including directors, staff, teachers, and home-based providers. To boost retention and participation, opportunities like professional credentialing, high-quality training, and scholarships will be combined with fair pay and funds to remove barriers.
The amendment concerns three primary issues:
I. the $1,468,000.00 reduction to the ACCTS program budget, mandated by the Commissioners Court vote of September 24, 2025;
II. the request by UT Health to lower the Key Performance Indicator for Service Line 3 from 200 to 150 qualifying beneficiaries enrolling and progressing toward specialized certifications and trainings;
III. and the necessity for enhanced operational flexibility. This budget amendment is cost-neutral, designed to fund additional contracted personnel, cover increased service fees, and eliminate spending line-item barriers essential for successful program completion. Furthermore, the revised budget consolidates the proposed budgets and subcategories into a single total cost structure to facilitate implementation timelines.
Expected Impact:
The vendor's capacity and operational efficiency are expected to improve. This amendment incorporates the budget and KPI reductions, along with reallocated funds, to meet implementation timelines and ensures UTHealth has the necessary resources in the appropriate expense categories for high-quality program execution.
Alternative Options:
Commissioners Court could decline approval of the budget amendment. This could jeopardize program implementation due to under allocation of funds needed for staff and subcontracts.
County Strategic Plan Goal: Choose an item.
County Strategic Plan Objective: Choose an item.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): Choose an item.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): K1: Advance child care quality and accessibility through workforce development programming and child care slots.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
The Accessible Child Care Training Supports (ACCTS) Program, an ARPA-funded program, aims to upskill approximately 1,200 child care workers and help them complete professional development, including credentialization.
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
8/6/2024 |
18 |
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Children's Learning Institute, was awarded the contract to implement and administer the ACCTS program. |
Location: N/A
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Choose an item.
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
|
|
|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
Existing Budget |
|
|
|
|
|
2651 - American Rescue Plan 2021 |
$ |
($1,468,000) |
($1,468,000) |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$ |
($1,468,000) |
($1,468,000) |
$ |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$ |
($1,468,000) |
($1,468,000) |
$ |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
|
|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
|
Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
|
CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 1/29/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Tiko Reynolds-Hausman, Executive Director, Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity; Santrice Jones, Director, Early Childhood Initiatives, Lakisha Ray, Manager, Early Childhood Initiatives, Nancy Garcia, HC Purchasing
Attachments (if applicable): Letter, amendment