Monday, March 23, 2020 Update: The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the DC Early Head Start Home-Based Program Grant on Friday, March 6, 2020. Effective immediately, the Request for Application (RFA) release date of March 23, 2020 has been cancelled for the time being. OSSE will provide more updates as they become available.
Pursuant to Section 107(a) of the Birth to Three for All DC Act of 2018 (DC Law 22-179; DC Code § 4-651.07(a)) the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is soliciting applications from organizations interested in providing an Early Head Start (EHS) home-based program to families with an infants and toddlers experiencing homelessness residing in DC General Family Shelter replacement units. This grant aims to deliver a research-based curriculum that delivers developmentally, linguistically and culturally appropriate home visits and group socialization activities that support children’s cognitive, social and emotional growth ensuring families have access to programs that meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) see: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii.
Services are meant to support the full range of health, nutrition and family engagement services a child and their family needs from birth through the age of 36 months, or for a limited number of additional months following the child’s third birthday.
Services will be delivered through a District wide entity. The recipient of funds will oversee the EHS home-based program for the entire city and deliver comprehensive services as outlined in the HSPPS see: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/45-cfr-chap-xiii.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria: OSSE’s Division of Early Learning will accept applications from eligible non-profit organizations that are licensed as a child development facility within the District of Columbia. Applicants are encouraged to propose bold and innovate strategies to achieve the objectives of the RFA. Additional eligibility requirements will be specified in the RFA.
Applications will be scored on the following selection criteria: applicant mission, history, and strategic logic; organizational knowledge; process to provide and monitor adherence to HSPPS; and financial management and proposed budget
Length of Award: The period for this grant will end Sept. 30, 2020.
Available Funding for Awards: The total funding available for implementing the EHS home-based program is approximately $1,000,000 in local funds.
OSSE/DEL anticipates issuing one award from this funding opportunity. OSSE maintains the right to adjust the grant award and amount based on funding availability. Successful applicants may be awarded amounts less than requested. Grant funds shall only be used to support activities authorized by the relevant statues and included in the applicant’s submission.
Application Process: OSSE will make the funds available through a competitive process to identify eligible organizations interested in implementing the EHS home-based program. Applications that meet all eligibility and application requirements will be evaluated, scored and rated by an OSSE/DEL designated review panel.
OSSE will use external peer reviewers to review and score the applications received for this RFA. External peer reviewers may include employees of the District of Columbia government who are not employed by OSSE. An external peer reviewer is an expert in the field or the subject matter. The final decision to fund applicants rests solely with OSSE. After reviewing the recommendations of the review panel and any other relevant information, OSSE shall decide which applicant to fund.
Applications must be submitted by Monday, May 4, 2020 at 3 p.m. OSSE anticipates that awards will be announced by June 30, 2020.
For additional information regarding this competition, applicants are advised that the authorized contact persons for matters concerning this RFA are:
Tara Dewan-Czarnecki
Program Manager
Division of Early Learning
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Phone: (202) 741-7637
[email protected]
Rebecca Shaw
Director of Operations and Management
Division of Early Learning
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Phone: (202) 727-5045
[email protected]
The RFA will be available on OSSE’s website. All applications will be submitted through the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS). OSSE will conduct both a pre-application meeting and make a recorded EGMS training available. Please see the RFA for more details.
Related Content: Early Learning - Grants and Funding
