DPH | Childcare Management and Operation Services

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is requesting proposals to manage and operate a new childcare center near Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital with proposals due August 24, 2026, and a pre-proposal conference scheduled for July 9, 2026.

The center will serve at least 50 children across infant, toddler, and preschool age groups, occupying 8,000 to 9,000 square feet of licensable program area with 3,500 to 4,500 square feet of outdoor play space (one infant classroom, two toddler classrooms, one preschool room). DPH will provide the building space at $1.00 per year and fund tenant improvements, fixed furnishings, HVAC systems, phone and data infrastructure, and maintenance of building systems. The contractor bears all operational costs—utilities, janitorial services, security, staffing, supplies, equipment maintenance—through tuition revenue, subsidies, grants, and external funding.

The center must maintain a minimum 20 percent low/moderate income enrollment (families at or below 200 percent of Area Median Income), comply with California Community Care Licensing Division requirements, maintain Early Learning for All (ELFA) qualification, demonstrate at least two years of consecutive ELFA center-based program experience with infants and toddlers, and have no outstanding Type A citations. Tuition rates must align with ELFA rates published by the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood and provide a uniform flat-percentage discount for City employees.

The contract term is three years with seven optional one-year extensions at the City's sole discretion. The contractor receives no compensation from DPH; the facility is operationally self-sustaining.

Evaluation criteria are firm qualifications and experience (15 points), staff qualifications (20 points), understanding of scope of work (35 points), and tuition rates and fees proposal (30 points), with interviews providing an additional 25 points. No Local Business Enterprise subcontracting participation requirement exists, though certified LBEs must complete CMD LBE forms. Proposers must comply with San Francisco's Minimum Compensation Ordinance (minimum wage $21.54–$23.00 per hour by January 1, 2026 depending on entity type), Health Care Accountability Ordinance (health benefits for employees working 20+ hours weekly), and First Source Workforce Projection Form submission (Attachment H). Questions are due July 20, 2026. Short-listing notifications are estimated September 21, 2026, with interviews September 24 through October 9, 2026. Award announcement is estimated October 19, 2026, with service start February 1, 2027.