San Mateo County officials will meet for a film screening and discussion about a problem plaguing local families – a shortfall of early childhood education options – on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park.

The Menlo Park City School District, Community Equity Collaborative, All Five, the Primary School, and Good2Know Network are partnering to host a screening of "No Small Matter," a documentary about the impact of early childhood experiences, according to a school district press release.

The film also highlights how millions of American children are not getting the care they need to succeed and examines "the complicated science, history and sociology that has brought the early care and education system to where it is today," according to a school district press release.

"While it's the poorest children who are most vulnerable, middle class families are increasingly feeling the squeeze, as the cost of quality child care soars," according to the film's website.

"The research is clear and compelling: Young children benefit immensely from participating in high quality early care and education; it's now up to courageous community leaders and policy makers to take action and ensure every child has the opportunity for lifetime success," said San Mateo County Office of Education Superintendent Nancy Magee in a prepared statement. Magee will moderate the event's panel discussion.

San Mateo County families are facing a shortage of child care services. The county will need to fill about 2,500 teaching spots by 2025 to keep pace with the growing need for early childhood education programs, according to a 2016 early learning facilities needs assessment for the county. There is a projected shortage of about 14,000 slots for children in early education classrooms by 2025, according to the assessment.

The panel discussion will include San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine, Menlo Park City School District Superintendent Erik Burmeister, Menlo Park Mayor Ceclia Taylor and early learning educators. The panelists will focus on how the local community can become educated about the challenges and opportunities for high-quality early learning options and how people can help improve the early learning landscape, according to the press release.

"Quality child care and preschool are pivotal to the development of our kids, yet are woefully underfunded," said Pine, who co-chairs the Childcare Partnership Council, a county group that identifies local priorities for child care and early learning services, in a prepared statement. "I encourage all community members to attend this film screening and panel discussion to better understand the lifelong benefits of quality early learning programs and the urgent need to make sure that such programs are available to all children regardless of family income."

The event takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Hillview Middle School, 1100 Elder Ave. in Menlo Park. For more information and free tickets, go here.

For more details about the film, go here.

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