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Marin County Child Care Commission’s 4th Annual Community Meeting on Early Care and Education

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The Marin County Child Care Commission started the Month of the Young Child by hosting the Fourth Annual Community Meeting on Early Care and Education at the Marin County Office of Education.

At the April 2 event, the Commission launched the countywide 2020-2025 Early Learning and Care Strategic Plan design process with the support of many organizations, including First 5 Marin, MarinKids, Parent Voices, Parent Services Project, Marin Child Care Council, Papermill Creek Children’s Corner, Community Action Marin and Marin Promise.

County Supervisor Damon Connolly opened the meeting with welcome remarks emphasizing the importance of early education as a key component in making Marin a more equitable county. He also highlighted it as a two-generation approach to address inequities: it keeps parents working and kids learning.

Representatives from State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Marc Levine’s offices shared updates on the Gov. Gavin Newson’s proposed state budget, including a $500 million one-time investment in the early care and education’s infrastructure and workforce. They also explained some of the bills that could promote positive changes in the field, including Skinner’s SB 234, the Keep Kids Close to Home Act, which is being proposed to equalize the permitting requirements and to strengthen tenant protections for family child care providers.

Meeting participants discussed in small groups some of the key findings from the Marin County 2018-2019 Early Learning and Care Needs Assessment Report, including the reduction in 7 percent of the overall number of child care spaces in the county in the last five years, the lack of spaces for infants and toddlers, and the staff turnover affecting the field. Other findings discussed:

• 46 percent of infants and toddlers and 63 percent of school-aged children with working parents do not have access to child care

• Over 60 percent of infants and toddlers and 54 percent of school-aged children in working families who qualify for subsidized child care (with income at/below 70 percent SMI) are not receiving care

Attendees shared potential solutions to challenges affecting the field, including tax breaks for local businesses to help offset child care costs, and the possibility of providers to join forces in order to offer health and other benefits for their staff.

Jason Lau, PhD, Commissions Chair, closed the meeting by inviting the public to participate in the process of creating the countywide 2020-2025 Early Learning and Care Master Plan: “The Plan will be a guide for our next steps as a county to improve access, quality, and coordination of our early care and education services. I am glad to be part of it and I want to thank everyone here for your commitment to participate in this process in the upcoming months.”

For more information about the Marin County Child Care Commission and to get involved, please visit www.marinchildcare.org or call (415) 499-5827.

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Bay Area

New Marin County HHS Director Brings Breadth of Bay Area Experience

On Feb. 20, Dr. Lisa Warhuus, a psychologist with over 25 years of social services experience, will take over as Marin County’s new Director of Health and Human Services. She replaces Dr. Benita McLaren, who retired in December 2023.

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(File Photo) On Feb. 20, Dr. Lisa Warhuus will take over as Marin County’s new Director of Health and Human Services.
(File Photo) On Feb. 20, Dr. Lisa Warhuus will take over as Marin County’s new Director of Health and Human Services.

By Oakland Press Staff

 

On Feb. 20, Dr. Lisa Warhuus, a psychologist with over 25 years of social services experience, will take over as Marin County’s new Director of Health and Human Services.

She replaces Dr. Benita McLaren, who retired in December 2023.

“We feel very fortunate to have someone with Dr. Warhuus’ skills and ability join our executive team,” said Marin County Executive Matthew Hymel.

“Throughout her career, Dr. Warhuus has demonstrated an ability to bring stakeholders together to effectively address our most complex community challenges,” Hymel continued.

With the County of Marin, Dr. Warhuus will lead a team of over 800 full-time equivalent staff positions and manage an annual budget of $258 million.

Her annual salary will be $288,433 with benefits consistent with those received by other department heads.

Most recently, Warhuus served as the Director of Health, Housing, and Community Services for the City of Berkeley. In that role, she oversaw a budget of more than $100 million and more than 200 employees across various divisions, including Public Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, Housing and Community Services, and Aging Services.

“It is a true honor to have been selected for this important position. I cannot wait to get to know the incredible community of Marin County and to collaborate with the dedicated team within the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Warhuus.

Before working for the City of Berkeley, Warhuus served as Director of Children and Youth Initiatives at the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. Before that, she was an Associate Director. In that role, she “managed and cultivated partnerships that helped expand mental health programs in multiple school districts. She also championed culturally responsive health and wellness services that aimed to support vulnerable populations,” according to a Marin County press release.

For Berkeley, “Warhuus was also a vital member of the Senior Executive Team providing counsel to the City Manager, Mayor, City Council, and the public on matters pertaining to health and housing,” the press release continued. “Notably, she played a key role in initiatives such as the City’s response to COVID-19, contributing to the citywide emergency efforts, and spearheading the development of a 24/7 mobile crisis response for individuals facing mental health and/or substance use crises.”

Warhuus earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UC Berkeley and master’s and doctoral degrees from Aarhus University in Denmark.

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Community

Coming Soon: MLK Jr. Day Celebration on Jan. 15

Marin City will be hosting its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Marin City will be hosting its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The theme will be “Fan the Flames of the ‘Dream’ Into Reality!”

The celebration will have music, food, spoken word, youth presentations, songs of inspiration, speakers and fellowship.

For more information, contact Florence Williams at (415) 332-1441

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Activism

Coming Soon: MLK Jr. Day Celebration on Jan. 15

The celebration will have music, food, spoken word, youth presentations, songs of inspiration, speakers and fellowship.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Marin City will be hosting its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The theme will be “Fan the Flames of the ‘Dream’ Into Reality!”

The celebration will have music, food, spoken word, youth presentations, songs of inspiration, speakers and fellowship.

For more information, contact Florence Williams at (415) 332-1441

 

 

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