RFP Review/Informational Webinar April 28, 2016

Background • Participation in high-quality preschool programs can effectively support the school readiness of

at-risk children. Yet for several reasons, Virginia’s Preschool Initiative (VPI) has not enrolled or served all four-year-olds who are eligible based on family income and other risk factors.

• Barriers to the success of full, effective deployment of VPI are structural and include financial challenges and limited partnerships between public and private preschool and child care programs.

• In order to overcome these barriers and explore the benefits from community-driven,

public/private preschool system strategies, VECF will administer this competitive RFP process.

• Successful grant recipients will field test replicable innovative strategies that support a public/private system of preschool delivery with a focus on expanding the numbers of children served in private settings and opportunities for private providers to participate.

• Funding for this pilot was included in Governor McAuliffe’s introduced FY17-18 biennial budget

and approved by the 2016 General Assembly.

• In addition, the General Assembly passed legislation creating the Mixed-Delivery Preschool Fund and Grant Program which outlines details of the pilot program (House Bill 47, Patron: Greason).

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Priorities 1. Commit to pursuing models of local governance that promote the successful mixed delivery of preschool services;

2.* Compare classroom and child outcomes among teachers with different credentials and qualifications;

3. Utilize incentives to encourage participation; and

4.* Utilize strategic assessment to discern student outcomes.

* Please note that the responsibilities listed as legislative priorities 2 and 4, above, will not be the responsibility of the applicant, but of the external evaluators, contracted by VECF.

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Objectives Applicants must address the following when developing proposals: • Plans to increase the number of at-risk children receiving high-

quality preschool services in private settings;

• Public/private models for delivering high-quality preschool services for at-risk children in their communities;

• Demonstration of the capacity to engage and coordinate various stakeholders, including providers, funders, and community leaders;

• Inclusive and collaborative decision-making structures with representation from key stakeholders;

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Objectives Applicants must address the following when developing proposals: • Stable and sustainable cost models that draw on a variety of sources

that support mixed delivery of preschool services;

• Innovative, replicable strategies in the areas of 1) financing models; 2) policy (which may include waivers to existing regulations and requirements); 3) evaluation and/or data collection and analysis; and/or 4) partnership models, decision-making practices and incentives;

• Effective professional development plans that will support a highly

competent early care and education workforce across settings; and

• Development of a budget which includes grant funds and leveraged resources adequate to support the proposed project.

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Available Funding • Up to six grants of approximately $250,000 each for a

July 2016-June 2018 project period will be awarded to local communities.

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Eligible Applicants • Applicants will represent collaborations of community entities from public

and private sectors, committed to the success of the pilots and with proven experience and capacity to administer grants of this nature.

• It is anticipated that potential applicants and partners in collaboration may

include, for example, school divisions, local governments, human service agencies, child care providers and preschools, United Way agencies, Smart Beginnings initiatives, faith-based organizations, chambers of commerce, institutions of higher education, and/or other community-based organizations.

• Jurisdictions that have been funded through VPI+ but have not been able to fill all of their slots through this program are not eligible to apply.

• Only one application per service area will be funded.

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Review Process • Grant applications will be reviewed by a representative

panel which will make recommendations to VECF.

• VECF, in consultation with the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Health and Human Resources, will make determinations about grant awards.

• Site visits or interviews may be conducted with finalists.

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Scoring • VECF is interested in funding applications of the

highest quality that propose innovative, systemic approaches to serving a greater proportion of children in private settings through a public/private mixed-delivery model.

• Points will be awarded based on the quality of responses to application requirements rather than the number of children served, partners engaged, barriers addressed, or innovative approaches proposed.

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Scoring With a total of 100 points possible, VECF will use the following criteria to score applications: 1. Community landscape and need 15 points maximum i. Establishment of need 4 ii. VPI slots 2 iii. Target population 2 iv. Supplement not supplant 2 v. Identification and description of relevance of indicated barriers 5 2. Project description 58 points maximum i. Partners and resources 18 ii. Innovative strategies 20 iii. Decision-making structure 10 iv. Quality assurance 10 3. Project staffing 5 points maximum 4. Project timeline 5 points maximum 5. Applicant and collaboration capacity 10 points maximum 6. Commitment to external evaluation 0 points (Y/N) 7. Project budget and budget justification 7 points maximum Total Points 100 points maximum

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Application Notes • Online application process • Registration required to complete online application • Character Limits • Completed applications due by 5PM on June 30,

2016

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Application Components

• Community Landscape & Need • Project Description • Project Staffing • Project Timeline • Applicant & Collaboration Capacity • Commitment to External Evaluation • Project Budget & Budget Justification

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Community Landscape and Need i. Describe the need for the project you are proposing. Which jurisdiction(s) do you propose to

serve through this project? How have you determined that there are preschoolers living in the proposed jurisdiction(s) who are in need of services?

ii. How many VPI slots were allotted to the jurisdiction(s) you are proposing to serve with this

project? How many of those allotted VPI slots did your jurisdiction(s) use in 2015-16? Did your jurisdiction(s) apply for VPI expansion slots in 2015-16? If so, how many children did you serve through expansion? Is your community one of the eleven divisions participating in the VPI+ program? If the jurisdiction(s) you propose to serve by this project has operated VPI, VPI expansion and/or VPI+, briefly describe how your community is serving children through these programs.

iii. What is your target population? How many at-risk children do you propose to serve in private settings through this project?

iv. How will you make sure that you are not supplanting other funding sources for high-quality preschool available to your community (such as VPI, VPI+, Head Start, etc.)?

v. What barriers to the development of a robust system of mixed-delivery preschool exist in the jurisdiction(s) you propose to serve? Which of these barriers do you propose to address with your project?

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Project Description

i. Partners and Resources ii. Innovative Strategies iii. Decision-Making Structure iv. Quality Assurance

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Project Description i. Partners and Resources Program design must ensure that a greater proportion of at-risk children whose preschool is fully or partially publicly funded are served in high-quality private settings. a. Describe your plan to increase the percentage or proportion of children served in private settings.

b. What funding sources does your community intend to use to ensure a robust and sustainable mixed-delivery

preschool project? Provide a detailed description of your capacity to leverage multiple funding sources, including federal, state, local, private, and philanthropic as applicable.

c. Attach letters of commitment from all funding sources - including Head Start, local Department(s) of Social Services, Title I, and VPI, etc. as applicable - to support your plan for funding.

d. Projects must increase the numbers of children served in a public/private mixed-delivery model. In which public and private setting(s) do you propose to serve at-risk children through your mixed-delivery project?

e. Who are the partners in your mixed-delivery project? How were they involved in the development of the proposed project before and during the application period?

f. How are private preschool and/or child care partners (or groups who represent them) involved in the planning and design of your project?

g. Articulate a plan to provide services in high-risk communities, especially those with challenged elementary schools.

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Project Description ii. Project Description: Innovative Strategies VECF will fund successful applicants who propose field-testing of innovative strategies and evidence-based practices that support a robust mixed delivery system of preschool services, including those in the areas of financing models; policy (which may include waivers to existing regulations and requirements); evaluation and/or data collection and analysis; and/or partnership models, decision-making practices and incentives. Please note that VECF is interested in funding projects which focus on developing systems that support high-quality public/private service delivery. Successful applicants will be those who propose innovative solutions that are likely to be effective in helping to address barriers. The number of barriers addressed or innovations proposed will not affect scoring; rather, the quality of the projects’ proposed strategies to address their identified barriers will be given the greatest weight. a. What innovative practice(s) will your community field test? How did you determine these practice(s)?

Which barrier is each intended to address?

b. How will you measure the success of these innovations?

c. Which partners will be involved in the development and implementation of these innovations in your community?

d. What, if any, waivers will your community seek in order to address barriers to the development of a robust and effective mixed-delivery system of preschool delivery?

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Project Description iii. Project Description: Decision-Making Structure Describe your project’s inclusive and collaborative decision-making structure. Which partners make up your leadership team? How will decisions about design, enrollment practices, selection of participating providers, etc. be made? Describe how the leadership team will: • serve as the coordinating, planning, and decision-making entity;

• assess and leverage all relevant funding streams;

• make determinations regarding eligible service providers for preschool services;

and

• have the capacity to engage and coordinate relevant partners including parents, school superintendent(s), city or county manager(s), the local school board and department of social services, business entities, philanthropy, preschool and child care providers, and Head Start.

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Project Description iv. Project Description: Quality Assurance a. Describe how you will measure and ensure the quality of the providers you will partner with in

your mixed-delivery system. Which program-level assessments (QRIS, CLASS, or others) and/or indicators of quality will you consider?

b. How will you provide support to and monitor the effectiveness of partnering private providers?

c. Describe an effective professional development plan that will support a highly competent early care and education workforce across settings.

d. Funded projects will be expected to collect and report data, including: • demographic data, including that which helped determine eligibility; • fall and spring PALS-PreK scores; • data related to program-level assessments and/or other indicators of quality; • teacher qualifications.

What additional child-, classroom-, site-, and/or community-level data will your project collect and analyze, if any?

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Project Staffing Designing, coordinating, and managing projects of this size and complexity require qualified staff dedicated to its success. • How will your project be staffed?

• Which partner organization(s) will hire and supervise

staff person(s)?

• If staff persons work less than full-time on this project, how will you ensure that enough time is dedicated to the project’s successful implementation?

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Project Timeline Describe your project timeline. • What activities will take place during the planning phase?

• What activities will take place during the implementation

phase?

• At what point during the 2016-17 program year do you expect to begin serving children through this project?

Include specific timeframes, expected outcomes, organizations and staff responsible, and how you will measure success.

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Applicant and Collaboration Capacity Describe the capacity of the applicant organization to coordinate the design and implementation of a project of this type. • What experience has the applicant had with projects of this size and/or

complexity?

• Describe the commitments and roles of partnership organizations, including child care partners.

• Attach letters of commitment that specify the roles that organizations expect to play in the project. Letters that imply mere approval of the project are not required.

Please note that applicants selected for awards will be expected to develop formal MOUs with partner organizations soon after award.

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Commitment to External Evaluation

• All awardees will be required to participate in program evaluation by outside evaluators, to be selected through a competitive process conducted by VECF.

• Please note that the costs for evaluation services will

not be incurred by applicants. Please indicate your community’s willingness to participate in evaluation activities.

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Project Budget and Justification While no cash match is required, VECF expects that successful applicants will need to leverage significant cash and/or in-kind support to meet project goals. Budget justification must show how indicated costs support the development and provision of a system of mixed-delivery preschool. Grant funds are not intended to be used to supplant existing available funds nor to fully cover the costs of additional slots. Allowable costs include but are not limited to: • accessing expertise and technical assistance in financing and quality improvement; • professional development – targeted skill-building for the EC workforce; • providing incentives to private providers (including guaranteed child placements; cost coverage

for professional development and assessments); • covering expanded/enhanced service costs related to quality improvement; • staffing and coordination of the project; • documentation of the model for replication; • assessment of child outcomes; • data collection and analysis; • curriculum and classroom materials; • costs related to transporting children to preschool provided in private settings; • outreach and communication, parent engagement; and • assistance with match strategies.

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Project Budget and Justification • Amount Requested • Total Project Budget

• Project Budget Develop a budget which includes grant funds and leveraged resources adequate to support the proposed Project. i. Revenue side 1. Please list the sources of revenue for this program and, when possible, the amounts of funding per source. Include grant funds requested under this opportunity as well as public and private federal, state, and local funds leveraged for the project. 2. Explain possible and restricted uses for each resource in the budget justification. ii. Expense side 1. Please list the expenses related to building, coordinating, and operating this project. For expenses which may be shared by other programs within the organization (e.g. telephone, building/equipment maintenance, occupancy, etc.), put this program's portion of that expenditure. 2. List expenses by object categories (i.e. salaries, travel, supplies, etc.). 3. Explain uses for each budget category in the budget justification.

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Project Budget and Justification • Budget Justification • Describe resources your project will leverage as part of your mixed-delivery

preschool grant. These resources can be: – public (local government or school funding, Title I, VPI, CCDBG child care

subsidy, Head Start, CACFP, Parts B and C of IDEA, etc.) or – private (family tuition/copays, philanthropic funding such as through United

Way, foundations, civic associations, private donations, etc.)

• How will you plan for your system’s sustainability beyond the two-year grant period?

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Important Dates and Reminders

• Request for Proposals (RFP) released: April 28, 2016

• Pre-proposal informational call for prospective applicants: April 28, 2016, 12:00 noon

• Information and technical assistance sessions for applicants: May 10-13

• Call-in Q&A session: Mid-June, 2016, TBA • Completed applications due to VECF: 5 pm on June 30, 2016 • Notification of awarded grants: July 15, 2016 (tentative)

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Technical Assistance Sessions

May 10, 2016, 1:30 p.m. - James City County Recreation Center, Williamsburg May 11, 2016, 1:30 p.m. - Rappahannock Area Regional Library, Fredericksburg May 12, 2016, 2:00 p.m. - Conference Call (for those unable to attend in person) May 13, 2016, 9:30 a.m. - South County Library, Roanoke, VA

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On-line Application Register https://www.grantinterface.com/Common/LogOn.aspx?urlkey=vecf

– Lead Organization; Primary Contact for the Grant; Executive Officer – Important Tip: Using the browser back button will delete your registration. Use “next step”

to navigate through the registration pages. – Mark the site as a favorite for easy return

Log on – Enter email address of primary contact provided at registration – Password that was created during registration

Apply – Click “Apply” at the left of the page – Review grant summary and guidelines – Click “Apply” at the bottom of the summary to access application form – Application will auto save each time a field is completed; also click “save application” when

exiting a draft. Log on again to continue. – Questions with * are required; the system won’t allow submission if a required field is left

blank – Click “Application Packet” at the top of the page to review, print or save your grant

application documents as a pdf – When ready- click “submit application”

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Applicant Tutorials Tutorials are available to walk you through the applicant registration and workflow when completing an application.

• Applicant Tutorial – printable Word document https://app.box.com/s/luks6ckh1pydgbrnjze9

• Applicant Registration – 5 minute Video Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etScRJXC2bE

• Applicant Workflow Video Tutorial – 8 minute Video Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYIBIKyW83Y

Contact Dora Butler at dora@vecf.org or Angela Rice at angela@vecf.org for assistance with the on-line system.

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Questions? Comments? • mixeddelivery@vecf.org • Watch Facebook and Twitter • Visit http:/vecf.org/home/about/new-

initiatives.aspx

Good luck!

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