Applications for New Awards; Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge, 53564-53594 [2011-21756]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53564-53594]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21756]



[[Page 53563]]

Vol. 76

Friday,

No. 166

August 26, 2011

Part III





Department of Education





Department of Health and Human Services





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 Applications for New Awards; Race to the Top--Early Learning 
Challenge; Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 76 , No. 166 / Friday, August 26, 2011 / 
Notices

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Applications for New Awards; Race to the Top--Early Learning 
Challenge

AGENCIES: Department of Education and Department of Health and Human 
Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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Overview Information

    Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge Notice inviting 
applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2011.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.412.

    Dates: Applications Available: August 26, 2011.
    Date of Meetings for Potential Applicants: To assist States in 
preparing the application and to respond to questions, the Department 
of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
(collectively, the Departments) intend to host a Webinar with potential 
applicants on September 1, 2011, to review the requirements, selection 
criteria, and priorities for this competition. The Departments also 
plan to host a Technical Assistance Planning Workshop for potential 
applicants on September 13, 2011, in Washington, DC. Registration 
information and additional details for the September 1, 2011, Webinar; 
the September 13, 2011, workshop; and any other technical assistance 
events are on the Race to the Top-Early Learning (RTT-ELC) Web site at 
https://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 19, 2011.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: December 19, 2011.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the RTT-ELC program is to 
improve the quality of early learning and development and close the 
achievement gap for children with high needs. The RTT-ELC grant 
competition focuses on improving early learning and development for 
young children by supporting States' efforts to increase the number and 
percentage of low-income and disadvantaged children in each age group 
of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers enrolled in high-quality early 
learning and development programs; and designing and implementing an 
integrated system of high-quality early learning and development 
programs and services.
    Background: A critical focus of the Obama Administration is 
supporting America's youngest learners and helping ensure that 
children, especially young children with high needs, such as those who 
are low-income, English learners, and children with disabilities or 
developmental delays, enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and 
in life. A robust body of research demonstrates that high-quality early 
learning and development programs and services can improve young 
children's health, social emotional and cognitive outcomes, enhance 
school readiness, and help close the wide school readiness gap 
1 2 that exists between children with high needs and their 
peers at the time they enter kindergarten.3 4
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    \1\ Camilli, G., Vargas, S., Ryan, S., & Barnett, W. S. (2010). 
Meta-analysis of the effects of early education interventions on 
cognitive and social development. Teachers College Record, 112(3), 
579-620.
    \2\ Reynolds, A.J., Temple, J.A., Ou, S., Arteaga, I.A., & 
White, B.A.B. (2011). School-based early childhood education and 
age-28 well-being: effects by timing, dosage, and subgroups. 
Science, Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/06/08/science.1203618.abstract_doi:_10.1126/science.1203618.
    \3\ Princiotta, D., Flanagan, K. D., and Germino Hausken, E. 
(2006). Fifth Grade: Findings From The Fifth-Grade Follow-up of the 
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 
(ECLS-K). (NCES 2006-038) U.S. Department of Education.
    \4\ Halle, T., Forry, N., Hair, E., Perper, K., Wandner, L., 
Wessel, J., & Vick, J. (2009). Disparities in Early Learning and 
Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study--
Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Washington, DC: Child Trends.
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    To address this school readiness gap, the Administration has 
identified, as high priorities, strengthening the quality of early 
learning and development programs and increasing access to high-quality 
early learning programs for all children, including those with high 
needs. This commitment to early education is reflected in the RTT-ELC 
competition that we are announcing in this notice.
    On May 25, 2011, Secretaries Duncan and Sebelius announced the RTT-
ELC, a new $500 million State-level grant competition to be held in 
2011 and authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 
2009 (ARRA), as amended by section 1832(b) of the Department of Defense 
and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. The Departments are 
administering this competition jointly. At its core, RTT-ELC 
demonstrates a strong commitment by the Administration to stimulate a 
national effort to make sure all children enter kindergarten ready to 
succeed. Through the RTT-ELC, the Administration seeks to help close 
the achievement gap between children with high needs and their peers by 
supporting State efforts to build strong systems of early learning and 
development that provide increased access to high-quality programs for 
the children who need it most. This competition represents an 
unprecedented opportunity for States to focus deeply on their early 
learning and development systems for children from birth through age 
five. It is an opportunity to build a more unified approach to 
supporting young children and their families--an approach that 
increases access to high-quality early learning and development 
programs and services, and helps ensure that children enter 
kindergarten with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions toward 
learning they need to be successful.
    The RTT-ELC competition does not create new early learning and 
development programs, nor is it a vehicle for maintenance of the status 
quo. Rather, the RTT-ELC program will support States that demonstrate 
their commitment to integrating and aligning resources and policies 
across all of the State agencies that administer public funds related 
to early learning and development. It will further provide incentives 
to the States that commit to and implement high-quality early learning 
and development programs statewide.
    As explained more fully elsewhere in this notice, given the tight 
timeline for obligating funds and in order to provide States maximum 
time to prepare their applications for this competition, notice-and-
comment rulemaking is being waived for this competition. Specifically, 
we are waiving rulemaking for the priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria for this new competition under 
section 437(d)(1) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA). 
However, we have solicited public participation in two important ways 
as we developed an approach to conducting and implementing this 
competition. First, we invited the public to provide general input on 
the program from May 25 through June 30 on the ED.gov Blog. In response 
to this invitation, we received a total of 199 responses, which we 
considered in our development of this notice. From July 1 to July 11, 
we posted on ED's Web site a draft Executive Summary of the 
competition, which included draft competition priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria, and we invited public input on 
each of these elements of the competition. During this period, we 
received 349 responses reflecting the

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viewpoints of a variety of individuals and early childhood, health, and 
education organizations. These we also considered in our development of 
this notice.

Current State Early Learning and Development Systems

    Many early learning and development programs and services co-exist 
within States, including Head Start/Early Head Start programs, the 
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program (pursuant to the Child 
Care and Development Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.)), State-
funded preschool, programs authorized under section 619 of part B of 
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and part C of 
IDEA, and other State and locally supported programs. Each of these 
programs has its own funding stream and accompanying requirements, 
standards, expectations, policies, and procedures. Each also has its 
own unique strengths and makes unique contributions to young children 
and their families. For States, the challenges to be addressed by RTT-
ELC are to sustain and build on the strengths of these programs, 
acknowledge and appreciate their differences, reduce inefficiency, 
improve quality, and ultimately deliver a coordinated set of services 
and experiences that support young children's success in school and 
beyond.

The RTT-ELC Vision for State Early Learning and Development Systems

    Through the RTT-ELC competition, we intend to fund applications 
that demonstrate a State's commitment and capacity to building a 
statewide system that raises the quality of early learning and 
development programs so that all children receive the support they need 
to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. Just as career and college 
readiness were at the heart of ED's Race to the Top Phase 1 and Phase 2 
competitions, a commitment to building school readiness for children 
entering kindergarten is at the heart of this competition.
    As was the case with Race to the Top Phase 1 and Phase 2, the bar 
to receive an RTT-ELC grant will be high. And just as those first two 
phases of Race to the Top were organized around State commitments to 
four specific reform assurances articulated in the ARRA, RTT-ELC is 
organized around five key areas of reform. These five key areas 
represent the foundation of an effective early learning and development 
reform agenda that is focused on school readiness and ongoing academic 
success. They are central to this competition's priorities, 
requirements, and selection criteria, and are as follows:
    (A) Successful State Systems;
    (B) High-Quality, Accountable Programs;
    (C) Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children;
    (D) A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce; and
    (E) Measuring Outcomes and Progress.
    The first two of these, (A) and (B), are core areas of focus for 
this competition. As such, they are referred to throughout this notice 
as ``Core Areas,'' and applicants are required to respond to all 
selection criteria under these Core Areas. The reform areas in (C), 
(D), and (E) are areas where applicants will direct targeted attention 
to specific activities that are relevant to their State's context. In 
this notice, we refer to these areas as ``Focused Investment Areas,'' 
and applicants are required to address each Focused Investment Area but 
not all of the selection criteria under them. A discussion of the five 
key areas of reform follows.
A. Successful State Systems
    Successful State early learning and development systems are built 
on broad-based stakeholder participation and effective governance 
structures. They are guided by clearly articulated goals and strategies 
designed to deliver a coordinated set of programs, policies, and 
services that are responsive to the needs of children and families and 
effectively prepare young children for school success. The RTT-ELC 
competition will support States that demonstrate a commitment to 
creating and implementing a successful statewide early learning and 
development system and that effectively organize and align that system 
to provide the diversity of services and supports needed by children 
and families. Such a system can provide continuity and consistent 
levels of quality across delivery mechanisms and levels of care and 
education. Thus, under the priorities established for this competition, 
States must propose and implement ambitious plans for successful State 
systems of early learning and development that will have broad impact 
and can--
     Improve program quality and outcomes for young children;
     Increase the number of children with high needs attending 
high-quality early learning and development programs; and
     Help close the achievement gap between children with high 
needs and their peers by supporting efforts to increase kindergarten 
readiness.
B. High-Quality, Accountable Programs
    The RTT-ELC competition will support States that develop a common 
set of program standards used statewide. This will help align programs 
such as Head Start, CCDF, IDEA, and Title I of the Elementary and 
Secondary Act (ESEA), and State-funded preschool to create a more 
unified statewide system of early learning and development. In 
addition, each State grantee must design and implement a tiered quality 
rating and improvement system that is based on consistent and demanding 
statewide program standards and that establishes meaningful program 
ratings. RTT-ELC promotes broad participation in the State's tiered 
quality rating and improvement system across a range of programs, 
active program improvement, and the publication of program ratings so 
that families can make informed decisions about which programs can best 
serve the needs of their children.
C. Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children
    The RTT-ELC competition is based on the premise that effective 
programs and services for young children must be built on a set of 
early learning and development standards that define what children 
should know and be able to do at different stages of development. These 
standards provide guidelines, articulate developmental milestones, and 
set expectations for the healthy growth and development of young 
children. This competition rewards States that will implement high-
quality early learning and development standards and comprehensive 
systems of assessments aligned with these standards. The implementation 
of these standards and assessments will ensure that early childhood 
educators have the information they need to understand and support 
young children's growth and development across a broad range of domains 
so that significantly more young children enter kindergarten ready to 
succeed.
    Improving early learning and development outcomes also requires 
that children are healthy and supported by their families. Services 
that address health and family supports are thus critical, and health 
and family engagement are key elements in high-quality early learning 
and development programs. RTT-ELC is designed to support States that 
focus on increasing access to quality programs and services that 
promote health and engage families in the care and education of their 
young children.

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D. A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce
    In early learning and development settings, nothing matters more to 
children's success than the adults caring for and teaching them, and 
the RTT-ELC competition acknowledges the importance of a strong early 
childhood workforce. Ensuring that children are ready for success in 
kindergarten depends on well-trained adults who have acquired the 
necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively support the 
learning and development of every child. Thus, the competition will 
reward States that work closely with postsecondary institutions and 
other parties to define a set of workforce competencies that are tied 
to the State's early learning and development standards. Further, the 
competition encourages States to increase retention and improve 
educator quality by supporting their workforce with professional 
development, career advancement opportunities, differentiated 
compensation, and incentives to improve their knowledge, skills, and 
abilities.
E. Measuring Outcomes and Progress
    Collecting, organizing, and understanding evidence of young 
children's progress across a range of domains is essential to ensuring 
that early learning and development programs are of high quality and 
that they meet the needs of every child. States are therefore 
encouraged to implement comprehensive data systems and to use the data 
to improve instruction, practices, services, and policies. In addition, 
through both a selection criterion and a competitive preference 
priority, States will be rewarded for implementing kindergarten entry 
assessments statewide that provide information across all domains of 
early learning and development, inform efforts to close the school-
readiness gap, and inform instruction in the early elementary school 
grades.
    By organizing this program around the five key reform areas 
described in this section, the RTT-ELC competition will help lead the 
way for States to challenge and rethink the status quo. Not every State 
will receive an RTT-ELC award through this competition, but every State 
can use this competition as an opportunity to commit to comprehensively 
strengthening its early learning and development system and ensuring 
that more children, including those with high needs, have access to 
high-quality early learning and development programs and services.
    Priorities: This notice contains five (5) priorities: One (1) 
absolute priority, two (2) competitive preference priorities, and two 
(2) invitational priorities. These priorities are being established for 
the FY 2011 grant competition in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of 
GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
    Absolute Priority: For FY 2011, this priority is an absolute 
priority. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that 
meet this priority. Applicants do not write a separate response to this 
priority. Rather, they will address this priority throughout their 
responses to the selection criteria as indicated below. A State meets 
the absolute priority if a majority of reviewers determines that the 
State has met the absolute priority.
    Priority 1: Absolute Priority--Promoting School Readiness for 
Children with High Needs.
    To meet this priority, the State's application must comprehensively 
and coherently address how the State will build a system that increases 
the quality of Early Learning and Development Programs \5\ for Children 
with High Needs so that they enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
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    \5\ Defined terms are used throughout the notice and are 
indicated by capitalization.
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    The State's application must demonstrate how it will improve the 
quality of Early Learning and Development Programs by integrating and 
aligning resources and policies across Participating State Agencies and 
by designing and implementing a common, statewide Tiered Quality Rating 
and Improvement System. In addition, to achieve the necessary reforms, 
the State must make strategic improvements in those specific reform 
areas that will most significantly improve program quality and outcomes 
for Children with High Needs. Therefore, the State must address those 
criteria from within each of the Focused Investment Areas (sections (C) 
Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children, (D) A 
Great Early Childhood Education Workforce, and (E) Measuring Outcomes 
and Progress) that it believes will best prepare its Children with High 
Needs for kindergarten success.
    Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2011, these priorities 
are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), up 
to ten (10) additional points will be awarded to an application 
depending on the extent to which the application meets Competitive 
Preference Priority 2, and ten (10) additional points (all or nothing) 
to an application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 3. 
Applicants that choose to address Competitive Preference Priority 2 
must provide a narrative in the space provided in the application, and 
applicants that choose to address Competitive Preference Priority 3 
must do so in Table \6\ (A)(1)-12, or by writing to selection criterion 
(E)(1).
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    \6\ Tables referenced in this notice are included in the 
application package.
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    These priorities are:
    Priority 2: Competitive Preference Priority--Including all Early 
Learning and Development Programs in the Tiered Quality Rating and 
Improvement System.
    Competitive Preference Priority 2 is designed to increase the 
number of children from birth to kindergarten entry who are 
participating in programs that are governed by the State's licensing 
system and quality standards, with the goal that all licensed or State-
regulated programs will participate. The State will receive points for 
this priority based on the extent to which the State has in place, or 
has a High-Quality Plan to implement no later than June 30, 2015--
    (a) A licensing and inspection system that covers all programs that 
are not otherwise regulated by the State and that regularly care for 
two or more unrelated children for a fee in a provider setting; 
provided that if the State exempts programs for reasons other than the 
number of children cared for, the State may exclude those entities and 
reviewers will score this priority only on the basis of non-excluded 
entities; and
    (b) A Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System in which all 
licensed or State-regulated Early Learning and Development Programs 
participate.
    Priority 3: Competitive Preference Priority--Understanding the 
Status of Children's Learning and Development at Kindergarten Entry.
    To meet this priority, the State must, in its application--
    (a) Demonstrate that it has already implemented a Kindergarten 
Entry Assessment that meets selection criterion (E)(1) by indicating 
that all elements in Table (A)(1)-12 are met; or
    (b) Address selection criterion (E)(1) and earn a score of at least 
70 percent of the maximum points available for that criterion.

    Note: A State will earn all ten (10) competitive preference 
priority points if a majority of reviewers determines that the State 
has met the competitive preference priority. A State earns zero 
points if a majority of reviewers determines that the

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applicant has not met the competitive preference priority. Under 
option (a) above, an applicant does not earn competitive preference 
points if the reviewers determine that the State has not implemented 
a Kindergarten Entry Assessment that meets selection criterion 
(E)(1). Under option (b) above, an applicant does not earn 
competitive preference points if the State earns a score of less 
than 70 percent of the maximum points available for selection 
criterion (E)(1).

    Invitational Priorities: For FY 2011, these priorities are 
invitational priorities. With an invitational priority, we signal our 
interest in receiving applications that meet the priority but, under 34 
CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets an 
invitational priority preference over other applications.
    Priority 4: Invitational Priority--Sustaining Program Effects in 
the Early Elementary Grades.
    The Departments are particularly interested in applications that 
describe the State's High-Quality Plan to sustain and build upon 
improved early learning outcomes throughout the early elementary school 
years, including by--
    (a) Enhancing the State's current standards for kindergarten 
through grade 3 to align them with the Early Learning and Development 
Standards across all Essential Domains of School Readiness;
    (b) Ensuring that transition planning occurs for children moving 
from Early Learning and Development Programs to elementary schools;
    (c) Promoting health and family engagement, including in the early 
grades;
    (d) Increasing the percentage of children who are able to read and 
do mathematics at grade level by the end of the third grade; and
    (e) Leveraging existing Federal, State, and local resources, 
including but not limited to funds received under Title I and Title II 
of ESEA, as amended, and IDEA.
    Priority 5: Invitational Priority--Encouraging Private-Sector 
Support.
    The Departments are particularly interested in applications that 
describe how the private sector will provide financial and other 
resources to support the State and its Participating State Agencies or 
Participating Programs in the implementation of the State Plan.
    Application Requirements:
    Each applicant must meet the following application requirements:
    (a) The State's application must be signed by the Governor or an 
authorized representative; an authorized representative from the Lead 
Agency; and an authorized representative from each Participating State 
Agency. The State must provide the required signatures in section IV, 
Application Assurances and Certifications of the application.
    (b) The State must submit a certification from the State Attorney 
General or an authorized representative that the State's description 
of, and statements and conclusions in its application concerning, State 
law, statute, and regulation are complete and accurate and constitute a 
reasonable interpretation of State law, statute, and regulation. The 
State must provide this certification in section IV, Application 
Assurances and Certifications of the application.
    (c) The State must complete the budget spreadsheets that are 
provided in the application package and submit the completed 
spreadsheet as part of its application. These spreadsheets should be 
included on the CD or DVD that the State submits as its application.

    Note:  The budget spreadsheets will be used by the Departments 
for budget reviews. However, the reviewers will not judge or score 
these budget spreadsheets. Reviewers will limit their evaluation of 
the State's response to (A)(4)(b) to the information provided by the 
State in the budget section of the application (see section VIII, 
Budget).

    (d) The State must submit preliminary scopes of work for each 
Participating State Agency as part of the executed Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) or other binding agreement. (See Appendix C in this 
notice). Each preliminary scope of work must describe the portions of 
the State's proposed plans that the Participating State Agency is 
agreeing to implement. If a State is awarded an RTT-ELC grant, the 
State will have up to 90 days to complete final scopes of work for each 
Participating State Agency. (See section (k) of the Program 
Requirements in this notice.)
    (e) The State must include a budget that details how it will use 
grant funds awarded under this competition, and funds from other 
Federal, State, private, and local sources to achieve the outcomes of 
the State Plan (as described in selection criterion (A)(4)(a)), and how 
the State will use funds awarded under this program to--
    (1) Achieve its targets for increasing the number and percentage of 
Early Learning and Development Programs that are participating in the 
State's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (as described in 
selection criterion (B)(2)(c)); and
    (2) Achieve its targets for increasing the number and percentage of 
Children with High Needs who are enrolled in Early Learning and 
Development Programs that are in the top tiers of the State's Tiered 
Quality Rating and Improvement System (as described in selection 
criterion (B)(4)(c)).
    (f) The State must provide an overall summary for the State Plan 
and a rationale for why it has chosen to address the selected criteria 
in each Focused Investment Area, including--
     How the State's choices build on its progress to date in 
each Focused Investment Area (as outlined in Tables (A)(1)6-13 and the 
narrative under (A)(1)); and
     Why these selected criteria will best achieve the State's 
ambitious yet achievable goals for improving program quality, improving 
outcomes for Children with High Needs statewide, and closing the 
readiness gap between Children with High Needs and their peers.
    (g) The State, within each Focused Investment Area, must select and 
address--
     Two or more selection criteria within Focused Investment 
Area (C) Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for 
Children; and
     One or more selection criteria within Focused Investment 
Areas (D) A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce and (E) Measuring 
Outcomes and Progress.
    (h) Where the State is submitting a High-Quality Plan, the State 
must include in its application a detailed plan that is feasible and 
has a high probability of successful implementation and includes, but 
need not be limited to--
    (1) The key goals;
    (2) The key activities to be undertaken; the rationale for the 
activities; and, if applicable, where in the State the activities will 
be initially implemented, and where and how they will be scaled up over 
time to eventually achieve statewide implementation;
    (3) A realistic timeline, including key milestones, for 
implementing each key activity;
    (4) The party or parties responsible for implementing each activity 
and other key personnel assigned to each activity;
    (5) Appropriate financial resources to support successful 
implementation of the plan;
    (6) The information requested as supporting evidence, if any, 
together with any additional information the State believes will be 
helpful to peer reviewers in judging the credibility of the plan;
    (7) The information requested in the performance measures, where 
applicable;

[[Page 53568]]

    (8) How the State will address the needs of the different types of 
Early Learning and Development Programs, if applicable; and
    (9) How the State will meet the needs of Children with High Needs, 
as well as the unique needs of special populations of Children with 
High Needs.
    Program Requirements: If a State is awarded an RTT-ELC grant, it 
must meet the following requirements:
    (a) The State must continue to participate in the programs 
authorized under section 619 of part B of IDEA and part C of IDEA; in 
the CCDF program; and in the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home 
Visiting (MIECHV) program (pursuant to section 511 of Title V of the 
Social Security Act, as added by Section 2951 of the Affordable Care 
Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148)) for the duration of the grant.
    (b) The State is prohibited from spending funds from the grant on 
the direct delivery of health services.
    (c) The State must participate in RTT-ELC grantee technical 
assistance activities facilitated by ED or HHS, individually or in 
collaboration with other State grantees in order to share effective 
program practices and solutions and collaboratively solve problems, and 
must set aside $400,000 from its grant funds for this purpose.
    (d) The State must--
    (1) Comply with the requirements of any evaluation sponsored by ED 
or HHS of any of the State's activities carried out with the grant;
    (2) Comply with the requirements of any cross-State evaluation--as 
part of a consortium of States--of any of the State's proposed reforms, 
if that evaluation is coordinated or funded by ED or HHS, including by 
using common measures and data collection instruments and collecting 
data necessary to the evaluation;
    (3) Together with its independent evaluator, if any, cooperate with 
any technical assistance regarding evaluations provided by ED or HHS. 
The purpose of this technical assistance will be to ensure that the 
validation of the State's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System 
and any other evaluations conducted by States or their independent 
evaluators, if any, are of the highest quality and to encourage 
commonality in approaches where such commonality is feasible and 
useful;
    (4) Submit to ED and HHS for review and comment its design for the 
validation of its Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (as 
described in selection criteria (B)(5)) and any other evaluations of 
activities included in the State Plan, including any activities that 
are part of the State's Focused Investment Areas, as applicable; and
    (5) Make widely available through formal (e.g., peer-reviewed 
journals) or informal (e.g., newsletters) mechanisms, and in print or 
electronically, the results of any evaluations it conducts of its 
funded activities.
    (e) The State must have a longitudinal data system that includes 
the 12 elements described in section 6401(e)(2)(D) of the America 
COMPETES Act by the date required under the State Fiscal Stabilization 
Fund (SFSF) grant and in accordance with Indicator (b)(1) of its 
approved SFSF plan.
    (f) The State must comply with the requirements of all applicable 
Federal, State, and local privacy laws, including the requirements of 
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Health Insurance 
Portability Accountability Act, and the privacy requirements in IDEA, 
and their applicable regulations.
    (g) The State must ensure that the grant activities are implemented 
in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws.
    (h) The State must provide researchers with access, consistent with 
the requirements of all applicable Federal State, and local privacy 
laws, to data from its Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System and 
from the Statewide Longitudinal Data System and the State's coordinated 
early learning data system (if applicable) so that they can analyze the 
State's quality improvement efforts and answer key policy and practice 
questions.
    (i) Unless otherwise protected as proprietary information by 
Federal or State law or a specific written agreement, the State must 
make any work (e.g., materials, tools, processes, systems) developed 
under its grant freely available to the public, including by posting 
the work on a Web site identified or sponsored by ED or HHS. Any Web 
sites developed under this grant must meet government or industry-
recognized standards for accessibility.
    (j) Funds made available under an RTT-ELC grant must be used to 
supplement, not supplant, any Federal, State, or local funds that, in 
the absence of the funds awarded under this grant, would be available 
for increasing access to and improving the quality of Early Learning 
and Development Programs.
    (k) For a State that is awarded an RTT-ELC grant, the State will 
have up to 90 days from the grant award notification date to complete 
final scopes of work for each Participating State Agency. These final 
scopes of work must contain detailed work plans that are consistent 
with their corresponding preliminary scopes of work and with the 
State's grant application, and must include the Participating State 
Agency's specific goals, activities, timelines, budgets, key personnel, 
and annual targets for key performance measures for the portions of the 
State's proposed plans that the Participating State Agency is agreeing 
to implement.
    Program Definitions:
    Children with High Needs means children from birth through 
kindergarten entry who are from Low-Income families or otherwise in 
need of special assistance and support, including children who have 
disabilities or developmental delays; who are English learners; who 
reside on ``Indian lands'' as that term is defined by section 8013(6) 
of the ESEA; who are migrant, homeless, or in foster care; and other 
children as identified by the State.
    Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) means voluntary, common 
standards for a key set of education data elements (e.g., demographics, 
program participation, transition, course information) at the early 
learning, K-12, and postsecondary levels developed through a national 
collaborative effort being led by the National Center for Education 
Statistics. CEDS focus on standard definitions, code sets, and 
technical specifications of a subset of key data elements and are 
designed to increase data interoperability, portability, and 
comparability across Early Learning and Development Programs and 
agencies, States, local educational agencies, and postsecondary 
institutions.
    Comprehensive Assessment System means a coordinated and 
comprehensive system of multiple assessments, each of which is valid 
and reliable for its specified purpose and for the population with 
which it will be used, that organizes information about the process and 
context of young children's learning and development in order to help 
Early Childhood Educators make informed instructional and programmatic 
decisions and that conforms to the recommendations of the National 
Research Council reports on early childhood.
    A Comprehensive Assessment System includes, at a minimum--
    (a) Screening Measures;
    (b) Formative Assessments;
    (c) Measures of Environmental Quality; and
    (d) Measures of the Quality of Adult-Child Interactions.
    Data System Oversight Requirements means policies for ensuring the 
quality,

[[Page 53569]]

privacy, and integrity of data contained in a data system, including--
    (a) A data governance policy that identifies the elements that are 
collected and maintained; provides for training on internal controls to 
system users; establishes who will have access to the data in the 
system and how the data may be used; sets appropriate internal controls 
to restrict access to only authorized users; sets criteria for 
determining the legitimacy of data requests; establishes processes that 
verify the accuracy, completeness, and age of the data elements 
maintained in the system; sets procedures for determining the 
sensitivity of each inventoried element and the risk of harm if those 
data were improperly disclosed; and establishes procedures for 
disclosure review and auditing; and
    (b) A transparency policy that informs the public, including 
families, Early Childhood Educators, and programs, of the existence of 
data systems that house personally identifiable information, explains 
what data elements are included in such a system, enables parental 
consent to disclose personally identifiable information as appropriate, 
and describes allowable and potential uses of the data.
    Early Childhood Educator means any professional working in an Early 
Learning and Development Program, including but not limited to center-
based and family child care providers; infant and toddler specialists; 
early intervention specialists and early childhood special educators; 
home visitors; related services providers; administrators such as 
directors, supervisors, and other early learning and development 
leaders; Head Start teachers; Early Head Start teachers; preschool and 
other teachers; teacher assistants; family service staff; and health 
coordinators.
    Early Learning and Development Program means any (a) State-licensed 
or State-regulated program or provider, regardless of setting or 
funding source, that provides early care and education for children 
from birth to kindergarten entry, including, but not limited to, any 
program operated by a child care center or in a family child care home; 
(b) preschool program funded by the Federal Government or State or 
local educational agencies (including any IDEA-funded program); (c) 
Early Head Start and Head Start program; and (d) a non-relative child 
care provider who is not otherwise regulated by the State and who 
regularly cares for two or more unrelated children for a fee in a 
provider setting. A State should include in this definition other 
programs that may deliver early learning and development services in a 
child's home, such as the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home 
Visiting; Early Head Start; and part C of IDEA.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Note: Such home-based programs and services will most likely 
not participate in the State's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement 
System unless the State has developed a set of Tiered Program 
Standards specifically for home-based programs and services.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Early Learning and Development Standards means a set of 
expectations, guidelines, or developmental milestones that--
    (a) Describe what all children from birth to kindergarten entry 
should know and be able to do and their disposition toward learning;
    (b) Are appropriate for each age group (e.g., infants, toddlers, 
and preschoolers); for English learners; and for children with 
disabilities or developmental delays;
    (c) Cover all Essential Domains of School Readiness; and
    (d) Are universally designed and developmentally, culturally, and 
linguistically appropriate.
    Early Learning Intermediary Organization means a national, 
statewide, regional, or community-based organization that represents 
one or more networks of Early Learning and Development Programs in the 
State and that has influence or authority over them. Such Early 
Learning Intermediary Organizations include, but are not limited to, 
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies; State Head Start 
Associations; Family Child Care Associations; State affiliates of the 
National Association for the Education of Young Children; State 
affiliates of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division of Early 
Childhood; statewide or regional union affiliates that represent Early 
Childhood Educators; affiliates of the National Migrant and Seasonal 
Head Start Association; the National Tribal, American Indian, and 
Alaskan Native Head Start Association; and the National Indian Child 
Care Association.
    Essential Data Elements means the critical child, program, and 
workforce data elements of a coordinated early learning data system, 
including--
    (a) A unique statewide child identifier or another highly accurate, 
proven method to link data on that child, including Kindergarten Entry 
Assessment data, to and from the Statewide Longitudinal Data System and 
the coordinated early learning data system (if applicable);
    (b) A unique statewide Early Childhood Educator identifier;
    (c) A unique program site identifier;
    (d) Child and family demographic information;
    (e) Early Childhood Educator demographic information, including 
data on educational attainment and State credential or licenses held, 
as well as professional development information;
    (f) Program-level data on the program's structure, quality, child 
suspension and expulsion rates, staff retention, staff compensation, 
work environment, and all applicable data reported as part of the 
State's Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System; and
    (g) Child-level program participation and attendance data.
    Essential Domains of School Readiness means the domains of language 
and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge (including 
early mathematics and early scientific development), approaches toward 
learning, physical well-being and motor development (including adaptive 
skills), and social and emotional development.
    Formative Assessment (also known as a classroom-based or ongoing 
assessment) means assessment questions, tools, and processes--
    (a) That are--
    (1) Specifically designed to monitor children's progress in meeting 
the Early Learning and Development Standards;
    (2) Valid and reliable for their intended purposes and their target 
populations;
    (3) Linked directly to the curriculum; and
    (b) The results of which are used to guide and improve 
instructional practices.
    High-Quality Plan means any plan developed by the State to address 
a selection criterion or priority in this notice that is feasible and 
has a high probability of successful implementation and at a minimum 
includes--
    (a) The key goals;
    (b) The key activities to be undertaken; the rationale for the 
activities; and, if applicable, where in the State the activities will 
be initially implemented, and where and how they will be scaled up over 
time to eventually achieve statewide implementation;
    (c) A realistic timeline, including key milestones, for 
implementing each key activity;
    (d) The party or parties responsible for implementing each activity 
and other key personnel assigned to each activity;
    (e) Appropriate financial resources to support successful 
implementation of the plan;

[[Page 53570]]

    (f) The information requested as supporting evidence, if any, 
together with any additional information the State believes will be 
helpful to peer reviewers in judging the credibility of the plan;
    (g) The information requested in the performance measures, where 
applicable;
    (h) How the State will address the needs of the different types of 
Early Learning and Development Programs, if applicable; and
    (i) How the State will meet the needs of Children with High Needs, 
as well as the unique needs of special populations of Children with 
High Needs.
    Kindergarten Entry Assessment means an assessment that--
    (a) Is administered to children during the first few months of 
their admission into kindergarten;
    (b) Covers all Essential Domains of School Readiness;
    (c) Is used in conformance with the recommendations of the National 
Research Council \8\ reports on early childhood; and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ National Research Council. (2008). Early Childhood 
Assessment: Why, What, and How. Committee on Developmental Outcomes 
and Assessments for Young Children, C.E. Snow and S.B. Van Hemel, 
Editors. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Board on Testing 
and Assessment, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and 
Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (d) Is valid and reliable for its intended purposes and for the 
target populations and aligned to the Early Learning and Development 
Standards.
    Results of the assessment should be used to inform efforts to close 
the school readiness gap at kindergarten entry and to inform 
instruction in the early elementary school grades. This assessment 
should not be used to prevent children's entry into kindergarten.
    Lead Agency means the State-level agency designated by the Governor 
for the administration of the RTT-ELC grant; this agency is the fiscal 
agent for the grant. The Lead Agency must be one of the Participating 
State Agencies.
    Low-Income means having an income of up to 200 percent of the 
Federal poverty rate.
    Measures of Environmental Quality means valid and reliable 
indicators of the overall quality of the early learning environment.
    Measures of the Quality of Adult-Child Interactions means the 
measures obtained through valid and reliable processes for observing 
how teachers and caregivers interact with children, where such 
processes are designed to promote child learning and to identify 
strengths and areas for improvement for early learning professionals.
    Participating State Agency means a State agency that administers 
public funds related to early learning and development and is 
participating in the State Plan. The following State agencies are 
required Participating State Agencies: The agencies that administer or 
supervise the administration of CCDF, the section 619 of part B of IDEA 
and part C of IDEA programs, State-funded preschool, home visiting, 
Title I of ESEA, the Head Start State Collaboration Grant, and the 
Title V Maternal and Child Care Block Grant, as well as the State 
Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, the State's 
Child Care Licensing Agency, and the State Education Agency. Other 
State agencies, such as the agencies that administer or supervise the 
administration of Child Welfare, Mental Health, Temporary Assistance 
for Needy Families (TANF), Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, the 
Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Adult Education and Family 
Literacy Act (AEFLA) may be Participating State Agencies if they elect 
to participate in the State Plan.
    Participating Program means an Early Learning and Development 
Program that elects to carry out activities described in the State 
Plan.
    Program Standards means the standards that serve as the basis for a 
Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System and define differentiated 
levels of quality for Early Learning and Development Programs. Program 
Standards are expressed, at a minimum, by the extent to which--
    (a) Early Learning and Development Standards are implemented 
through evidence-based activities, interventions, or curricula that are 
appropriate for each age group of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers;
    (b) Comprehensive Assessment Systems are used routinely and 
appropriately to improve instruction and enhance program quality by 
providing robust and coherent evidence of--
    (1) Children's learning and development outcomes; and
    (2) Program performance;
    (c) A qualified workforce improves young children's health, social, 
emotional, and educational outcomes;
    (d) Strategies are successfully used to engage families in 
supporting their children's development and learning. These strategies 
may include, but are not limited to, parent access to the program, 
ongoing two-way communication with families, parent education in child 
development, outreach to fathers and other family members, training and 
support for families as children move to preschool and kindergarten, 
social networks of support, intergenerational activities, linkages with 
community supports and adult and family literacy programs, parent 
involvement in decision making, and parent leadership development;
    (e) Health promotion practices include health and safety 
requirements; developmental, behavioral, and sensory screening, 
referral, and follow up; and the promotion of physical activity, 
healthy eating habits, oral health and behavioral health, and health 
literacy among parents; and
    (f) Effective data practices include gathering Essential Data 
Elements and entering them into the State's Statewide Longitudinal Data 
System or other early learning data system, using these data to guide 
instruction and program improvement, and making this information 
readily available to families.
    Screening Measures means age and developmentally appropriate, 
valid, and reliable instruments that are used to identify children who 
may need follow-up services to address developmental, learning, or 
health needs in, at a minimum, the areas of physical health, behavioral 
health, oral health, child development, vision, and hearing.
    State means any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 
Puerto Rico.
    State Plan means the plan submitted as part of the State's RTT-ELC 
application.
    Statewide Longitudinal Data System means the State's longitudinal 
education data system that collects and maintains detailed, high-
quality, student- and staff-level data that are linked across entities 
and that over time provide a complete academic and performance history 
for each student. The Statewide Longitudinal Data System is typically 
housed within the State educational agency but includes or can be 
connected to early childhood, postsecondary, and labor data.
    Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System means the system 
through which the State uses a set of progressively higher Program 
Standards to evaluate the quality of an Early Learning and Development 
Program and to support program improvement. A Tiered Quality Rating and 
Improvement System consists of four components: (a) Tiered Program 
Standards with multiple rating categories that clearly and meaningfully 
differentiate program quality levels; (b) monitoring to evaluate 
program quality based on the Program Standards; (c) supports to help 
programs meet progressively higher standards

[[Page 53571]]

(e.g., through training, technical assistance, financial support); and 
(d) program quality ratings that are publically available; and includes 
a process for validating the system.
    Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework means a set of 
expectations that describes what Early Childhood Educators (including 
those working with children with disabilities and English learners) 
should know and be able to do. The Workforce Knowledge and Competency 
Framework, at a minimum, (a) is evidence-based; (b) incorporates 
knowledge and application of the State's Early Learning and Development 
Standards, the Comprehensive Assessment Systems, child development, 
health, and culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for 
working with families; (c) includes knowledge of early mathematics and 
literacy development and effective instructional practices to support 
mathematics and literacy development in young children; (d) 
incorporates effective use of data to guide instruction and program 
improvement; (e) includes effective behavior management strategies that 
promote positive social emotional development and reduce challenging 
behaviors; and (f) incorporates feedback from experts at the State's 
postsecondary institutions and other early learning and development 
experts and Early Childhood Educators.
    Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking: Under the Administrative Procedure 
Act, 5 U.S.C. 553, we generally offer interested parties the 
opportunity to comment on proposed priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria. Section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 
however, allows the Secretary of Education to exempt from rulemaking 
requirements governing the first grant competition under a new or 
substantially revised program authority. This is the first grant 
competition for the RTT-ELC grant program under the revised program 
authority in section 14006 of the ARRA, as amended by section 1832(b) 
of Division B of Public Law 112-10, the Department of Defense and Full-
Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. The Secretaries have decided 
to forgo public comment under the waiver authority in section 437(d)(1) 
of GEPA in order to ensure timely grant awards.
    However, we have solicited public participation in two important 
ways as we developed an approach to conducting and implementing this 
competition. First, we invited the public to provide general input on 
the program from May 25 through June 30 on the ED.gov Blog. In response 
to this invitation, we received a total of 199 responses which we 
considered in our development of this notice. From July 1 to July 11, 
we posted on ED's Web site a draft Executive Summary of the 
competition, which included draft competition priorities, requirements, 
definitions, and selection criteria, and we invited public input on 
each of these elements of the competition. In response to this 
invitation, we received 349 responses that reflected the viewpoints of 
a variety of individuals, and early childhood, health, and education 
organizations. Members of the public provided input on all sections of 
the draft selection criteria, priorities, requirements, and definitions 
sections of the draft executive summary.
    These priorities, selection criteria, requirements, and definitions 
will apply to the FY 2011 grant competition and any subsequent year in 
which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from this 
competition.
    Program Authority: Sections 14005 and 14006, Division A, of the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as amended by section 
1832(b) of Division B of Public Law 112-10, the Department of Defense 
and Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 82, 
84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $500 million. Contingent upon the 
availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make 
additional awards in FY 2012 from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $50 million-$100 million.

    Note: The Departments are not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.
    Budget Requirements: To support States in planning their budgets, 
the Departments have developed the following budget caps for each 
State. The Secretaries will not consider for funding an application 
from a State that proposes a budget that exceeds the applicable cap set 
for that State. The Departments developed the following categories by 
ranking every State according to its share of the national population 
of children ages birth through five years old from Low-Income families 
and identifying the natural breaks in the rank order. Then, based on 
population, budget caps were developed for each category.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2009. 
American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample 
(PUMS) data.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Category 1--Up to $100 million--California, Florida, New York, 
Texas.
    Category 2--Up to $70 million--Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, 
Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
    Category 3--Up to $60 million--Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, 
Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South 
Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.
    Category 4--Up to $50 million--Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, 
Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, 
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New 
Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, 
South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.
    In addition to considering other relevant factors (see 34 CFR 
75.217(d)(3)), the selection of grantees may consider the need to 
ensure that early learning and development systems are developed in 
States with large, high-poverty, rural communities (including States 
with high percentages of high-poverty populations in rural areas and 
States with high absolute numbers of high-poverty individuals in rural 
areas). Awards may be granted to high-quality applications out of rank 
order to meet this need. ED may use any unused funds designated for 
this competition to make awards in Phase 3 of the Race to the Top 
Program.
    The State must include in its budget the amount of funds it intends 
to distribute through Memoranda Of Understanding (MOUs), interagency 
agreements, contracts, or other mechanisms authorized by State 
procurement laws, to localities, Early Learning Intermediary 
Organizations, Participating Programs, or other partners.
    The State must set aside $400,000 from its grant funds for the 
purpose of participating in RTT-ELC grantee technical assistance 
activities facilitated by ED or HHS.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: States that meet the following 
requirements:
    (a) The Lead Agency must have executed with each Participating 
State Agency an MOU or other binding agreement that the State must 
attach to its application, describing the Participating State Agency's 
level of

[[Page 53572]]

participation in the grant. (See Appendix C of this notice.) At a 
minimum, the MOU or other binding agreement must include an assurance 
that the Participating State Agency agrees to use, to the extent 
applicable--
    (1) A set of statewide Early Learning and Development Standards;
    (2) A set of statewide Program Standards;
    (3) A statewide Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System; and
    (4) A statewide Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework and 
progression of credentials.
    (b) The State must have an operational State Advisory Council on 
Early Care and Education that meets the requirements described in 
section 642B(b) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b).
    (c) The State must have submitted in FY 2010 an updated MIECHV 
State plan and FY 2011 Application for formula funding under the 
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (see 
section 511 of Title V of the Social Security Act, as added by section 
2951 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148)).
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost 
sharing or matching.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package:
    You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the 
Education Publications Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the 
Internet, use the following address: https://www.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop-earlylearningchallenge. To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, 
write, fax, or call the following: Education Publications Center, P.O. 
Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone, toll free: 1-877-433-7827. 
FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1-877-576-7734.
    You can also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: https://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov.
    If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify 
this program or competition as follows: CFDA 84.412.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or compact disc) by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of the application, together with the forms a 
State must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative (section VI of the 
application) is where the applicant addresses the selection criteria 
that reviewers will use to evaluate applications. We recommend that the 
applicant limit its narrative responses in section VI of the 
application to no more than 150 pages and limit its appendices to no 
more than 150 pages. The Secretaries strongly requests that applicants 
follow the recommended page limits, although the Secretaries will 
consider applications of greater length.
    The following standards are recommended:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Each page is numbered.
     Line spacing is set to 1.5 spacing, and the font used is 
12 point Times New Roman.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: August 26, 2011.
    Dates of Meetings for Potential Applicants: September 1, 2011; 
September 13, 2011. To assist States in preparing the application and 
to respond to questions, ED and HHS intend to host a Webinar with 
potential applicants on September 1, 2011, to review the requirements, 
selection criteria, and priorities for this competition. The 
Departments also plan to host a Technical Assistance Planning Workshop 
for potential applicants on September 13, 2011, in Washington, DC. To 
minimize travel burdens associated with this workshop and to maximize 
the number of potential applicants who can participate, the Departments 
will also broadcast this workshop live at several other regional 
offices of the Departments across the country. The purpose of the 
workshop will be to allow teams of participants responsible for 
developing the State's application to review with Federal program staff 
the priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for this 
competition and to ask questi