Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
Quality Improvement Grants
Request for Responses (RFR)
October, 2008
RFR Number: 2008 EEC 465 QIG
PART I - OVERVIEW, ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING, SUBMISSION AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Background / The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) provides services for children in Massachusetts through a mixed delivery system which includes child care centers, out-of-school time programs, family child care homes, public preschool programs, private school preschool and kindergarten, and Head Start programs. EEC is responsible for licensing early education and care and out-of-school time programs throughout Massachusetts and for providing child care financial assistance to low-income families with children birth to 12 years of age. In addition EEC provides support for information and referral services, inclusive programming for children with special needs, parenting support, and professional development opportunities for practitioners in the early education and out of school time fields. These efforts affect thousands of early education and out of school time providers, who serve more than 275,000 children each day. In its broadest role, EEC also serves as a source of information to more than one million families in Massachusetts.This grant program is funded through the Child Care Quality Fund, established in Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 29, section 2JJ (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/29-2jj.htm). The Child Care Quality Fund was established in 1997, and is supported by revenues received from the sale of the “Invest in Children” Massachusetts license plates.
Purpose / The purpose of the Quality Improvement Grant is to promote school readiness, school success, and positive outcomes for children by supporting and enhancing the quality of services being delivered to children in early education and out of school time settings across the Commonwealth.
Specifically, the goals of this RFR are to:
1. Improve the quality of services delivered to at-risk children, including, but not limited to, those with special needs, those experiencing homelessness, children of teen parents, families experiencing domestic violence, and children involved with the Department of Children and Families and/or Department of Transitional Assistance.
2. Improve early education and out of school time program quality and child learning environments by helping programs achieve and maintain national program accreditation through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), or National After-School Association (NAA) through the Council on Accreditation (COA);
3. Enhance the skills of early education and out-of-school time practitioners through increasing access to professional development opportunities;
4. Improve outreach and communication to improve the engagement of families in programs and/or support children’s successful transition between programs and to kindergarten;
5. Improve child learning environments through developing plans to ensure that program facilities support a quality learning experience and are accessible to all children; and purchase educational curricula, instructional supports and technical assistance that enhance the quality of the program.
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Grant Eligibility: / This is a competitive grant process. The following entities are eligible to apply:Not for profit organizations, including but not limited to:
· Licensed early education and out of school time care providers;
· Licensed-exempt programs, including private schools;
· Family child care systems; and
· Community-based organizations.
For profit organizations and municipalities are not eligible to apply for this grant funding. Please note: all applicants must have documentation of their not for profit organization status (please see Part V).
Not for profit programs receiving funding through other EEC grants are eligible to apply if the services that will be provided are not a duplication of efforts through other EEC grants (e.g., Universal Pre-Kindergarten, Accreditation, Mental Health, Assessment Planning grants).
All licensed programs must have a license which is in good standing.
Funding: / EEC anticipates that approximately $200,000 will be available for Quality Improvement Grants during this grant cycle. Proposals submitted by eligible entities, requesting up to $20,000 in funding, will be considered.
In order to maximize the opportunity for members of the early education and out of school time care community to receive funding from the Quality Improvement Grant, only one grant will be awarded to an applicant within any 12 month period. For example, a program receiving a grant award on November 10, 2008 would not be eligible to apply for an additional Quality Improvement Grant until November 10, 2009.
Applicants are required to submit a detailed budget including proposed expenditures (see Part IV below).
All grant applications will be reviewed based on the strength of the proposal and the applicant’s ability to achieve the goals outlined in this RFR. EEC reserves the right to prioritize grant recipients as follows:
1. proposals that benefit the greatest number of subsidized* and/or at-risk** children;
2. proposals that can clearly demonstrate the funding will improve the quality of services for children and their families.
*For the purposes of this RFR “subsidized children” will be defined as:
· EEC subsidized children (Community Partnerships for Children (CPC), contract or voucher); and Head Start funded children.
**For the purposes of this RFR “at-risk” will be defined as:
· children or parent/guardian with a special need;
· children and families experiencing homelessness;
· children of teen parents;
· families experiencing domestic violence; and
· children/families receiving assistance from the Department of Children and Families or Department of Transitional Assistance.
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Fund Use: / Quality Improvement Grant funds may be used to:· Reimburse up to 50% of the accreditation fees associated with initial or on-going accreditation through NAEYC, NAA, or NAFCC. (Note: 50% funding is available only to programs that do not already receive 50% reimbursement of their accreditation costs through EEC grants.)
· Provide staff and/or consultants to support accreditation as well as purchasing materials needed for a program to become accredited.
· Purchase educational trainings such as workshops, for practitioners of early education and out of school time programs to enhance their ability to promote positive development and help children progress effectively in learning environments. All trainings/workshops should be aligned with the draft Core Competencies http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs/2007WorkforceReport%206.6.07.pdf). This may include trainings focused on:
§ supporting accreditation according to national quality standards (e.g. NAEYC, NAA, NAFCC, etc);
§ inclusion of children with special needs, including the provision of adaptations to curricula or learning environments in order to foster positive development;
§ improving and/or increasing the family support skills of early education and out of school time care staff;
§ improving the learning environment for children for whom English is a second language;
§ improving the quality of early education and out of school time services for at-risk children including those with special needs, those experiencing homelessness, children of teen parents, families experiencing domestic violence, and children involved with the Department of Children and Families or Department of Transitional Assistance.
· Purchase educational curricula, teaching materials, and supports that will help create effective learning environments for children, such as books, computers, educational toys, etc. Materials and equipment must be movable and not a permanent fixture to a building.
· Fund outreach and communication to improve family engagement in early education and out of school time programs and/or children’s transition to/from other programs and/or kindergarten.
· Fund the development of architectural and/or design plans related to enhancing program facilities so that they support a quality learning experience and are accessible to all children. Funds cannot be used for actual construction costs and/or the cost of any building materials.
· Fund innovative approaches that support best practices in the curriculum.
Funds may not be used for:
ü Conference fees
ü Airfare, hotels, car rentals, or taxis
ü Computers and computer hardware not used for instructional purposes.
All expenses must be of a one-time or non-recurring nature.
All grantees are required to acknowledge on brochures, flyers or on the web the source of the funding. (Quality Improvement Grant from EEC funded through “Invest in Children” license plate funding).
Fiscal Administration and Oversight
Please note: administrative expenditures cannot exceed 8.0% of the grant award, regardless of an approved indirect cost rate. These expenditures include:
· Salary of agency staff, including secretaries, bookkeeper, and staff supervisors involved with the administration of this grant;
· Cost of rent, utilities, and administrative supplies
Grant Duration: / For one year from the grant approval date.
Reporting: / All grantees will be required to submit an end-of year report on the use of grant funds and outcome(s) of grant funded activities.
Contact: / Annette Lamana
Department of Early Education and Care
(413) 788-8401 ext. 123
Timeline and Submission Date /
Proposals must be received at the Department of Early Education and Care by 4:30 p.m. on the submission due date.
Grant schedule is as follows:Submission Due Date: / November 10, 20008
Approximate Award Grant Date: / December 19, 2008
Written Questions and Answers / Written questions regarding this RFR may be submitted according to the schedule below:
Email: (please put “Quality Improvement Grant” in the subject heading of the email) OR Mail:
Department of Early Education and Care
Grants Management
Attention: Tresa Glover-Smith, Office Manager
51 Sleeper Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Re: Quality Improvement Grant
EEC will post responses to questions on its website http://www.eec.state.ma.us/kr_grant_submit.aspx.
Questions must be received by the Question Submission Date below:
Questions Submission Date: / October 17, 2008
Questions and Answers posted
on EEC website by: / October 31, 2008
Submission Instructions / Responses must be mailed or delivered in person to:
Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
EEC Grants Management51 Sleeper Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
Attention: Tresa Glover-Smith, Office Manager
RE: Quality Improvement Grant
All proposals must include all required sections and documentation. Submissions must adhere to the following criteria:
· Respondents must submit one original (including Part II which must be signed in blue) and three copies of their RFR application in a sealed envelope clearly identified with the program’s name, address, and the name of the Request for Responses: Quality Improvement Grant proposal.· Respondents must submit along with all grant documentation the narrative portions of their response on plain 8½ x 11 inch paper, double-spaced, a maximum of 4 pages (double-sided), typed pages, along with the chart completed on pg. 8 of this RFR. Respondents should not bind responses or put them in notebooks.
Please note: This Request for Response (RFR) is being distributed electronically through Comm-PASS, the Commonwealth's electronic solicitation system (http://www.comm-pass.com) and the Department’s website: www.eec.state.ma.us. Any addenda or modifications to this RFR will be posted on both Comm-PASS and the Department’s website. It shall be the responsibility of every grant applicant to check both websites for any addenda or modifications to this RFR. The Commonwealth and its subdivisions accept no liability and will provide no accommodation to grant applicants who fail to check for amended RFRs and submit inadequate or incorrect Grant Applications as a result. Potential grant applicants are advised to check the "last change" field on the summary pages of RFRs for which they intend to submit a Grant Application to ensure that they have the most recent RFR files. Questions regarding Comm-PASS should be directed to the Comm-PASS Help Desk at their toll free number 1-888-627-8283.
Required Forms to be submitted: / Part II: Program/Agency Contact Information
Part III: Program Narrative
Part IV: Quality Improvement Grant Budget Detail and Narrative
Part V: Required Fiscal Documentation
Part VI: Required Not For Profit Documentation
Please note: Part I: Standard Contract Form will be sent to you following programmatic approval of your grant. You will have to sign and return the contract form to EEC with original signatures (no copies).
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PART II – PROGAM/AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Agency/Program NameContract Manager Name
Authorized Signatory
Contract Manager E-mail Address
Authorized Signatory
Contract Manager Phone Number
Authorized Signatory
Program Address
Program Number/ School Code
Federal ID Number
Agency/Program Grant Contact Name
Agency/Program Grant Contact E-mail Address
Grant Contact Phone Number
Type of Agency (check all that apply): To be eligible for this grant, your agency must be not-for profit:
Licensed, center-based
Licensed exempt, private school
Family child care system
Head Start
Social Service Agency
Other (please specify)______
Original Signature of Authorized Signatory: (Please sign in blue)PART III – PROGRAM NARRATIVE
Please limit responses to. Submissions must be double-spaced, 4 pages (double-sided) typed pages and in no less than 12 point font. Content exceeding this limit will not be reviewed.
1. Please provide a brief description of your agency, the services you provide, the qualifications of your agency to carry out the proposed activities, and the populations you currently serve (detailed further below).
Please describe the following:
a. the geographic area in which your program operates and the geographic area(s) you are proposing to serve through this proposal including listing specific cities and towns;
b. the type (e.g. rural, suburban, urban, seasonal/resort) and size of the communities in which your program operates and the communities you are proposing to serve through this proposal;
c. the need for the services/activities your program intends to provide.
Please describe the population you intend to serve through the activities proposed in this RFR by completing the chart below as an attachment to the narrative description above (copy the chart or create your own and attach to the narrative section. The chart will not count toward the four page limit.
A: Number of children that will benefit from this proposal / # of children1 / Infants and Toddlers
2 / Preschool children
3 / School-Age children
4 / Total # of children for # 1, 2, and 3 above
5 / Of the total # of children (#4 above) indicate # of children who are at risk children (as described on page 3 of this RFR)
6 / Of the total # of children (#4 above) indicate # of subsidized children (as described on page 3)
B: Number of families that will benefit from this proposal / # of families
1 / Teen Parents
2 / Homeless Families:
3 / Families involved with the Department of Children and Families:
4 / Total number of families to benefit from the proposed activities:
C: Number of sites that will receive accreditation related support (if applicable) / # of sites
1 / NAEYC Accreditation Assistance
2 / NAFCC Accreditation Assistance
3 / NAA Accreditation Assistance
2. Please provide a description of the proposed activities and/or purchases you intend to fund with this grant and the short and long-term impact you expect the grant activities to have on the intended beneficiaries. How will the activities and/or purchases improve the quality of services for children and their families in your program?