Applications for New Awards; Preschool Development Grants-Expansion Grants, 48873-48892 [2014-19427]
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Vol. 79
Monday,
No. 159
August 18, 2014
Part IV
Department of Education
Department of Health and Human Services
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Applications for New Awards; Preschool Development Grants—Expansion
Grants; Notice
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 159 / Monday, August 18, 2014 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Applications for New Awards;
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants
Department of Education and
Department of Health and Human
Services.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Overview Information: Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants
Notice inviting applications for new
awards for fiscal year (FY) 2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number: 84.419B.
Applications Available: August
18, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to
Apply: September 11, 2014.
DATES:
Note: Submission of a notice of intent to
apply is optional.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: October 14, 2014.
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Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of
the Preschool Development Grants
program, which is jointly administered
by the Departments of Education and
Health and Human Services
(Departments), is to support State and
local efforts to build, develop, and
expand High-Quality Preschool
Programs 1 so that more children from
low- and moderate-income families
enter kindergarten ready to succeed in
school and in life. All States, the District
of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are
eligible to apply for either a Preschool
Development Grants—Development
Grant or a Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant.
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants will support States
that have robust State Preschool
Programs or that have been awarded a
Race to the Top—Early Learning
Challenge grant. These grants will be
awarded to States to implement and
sustain High-Quality Preschool
Programs that reach and serve
additional Eligible Children in two or
more High-Need Communities. States
will also be able to use a portion of their
funds to make preschool program
infrastructure and quality improvements
needed to deliver High-Quality
Preschool Programs. The States eligible
to apply for a Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant are Arkansas,
1 Defined terms are used throughout the notice
and are indicated by capitalization.
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California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin.
Preschool Development Grants—
Development Grants will support States
with either small or no State Preschool
Programs. These grants will be awarded
to States to develop or enhance
preschool program infrastructure and
capacity to deliver High-Quality
Preschool Programs. These States will
be expected to implement and sustain
High-Quality Preschool Programs to
reach and serve additional Eligible
Children in one or more High-Need
Communities. The States eligible to
apply for a Preschool Development
Grants—Development Grant are
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii,
Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South
Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Background and Program Overview:
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants
Strong and consistent evidence
demonstrates that participation in highquality early learning programs can lead
to both short- and long-term positive
outcomes for all children, but especially
children from low-income families.2
Research has shown the multiple
benefits of attending preschool
programs that are of high-quality,
including increased school readiness,
lower rates of grade retention and
special education placements, improved
high school graduation rates, reduced
interaction with law enforcement, and
higher rates of college attendance and
completion.3
We also know that children from lowincome families, on average, start
kindergarten 12 to 14 months behind
2 Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J.,
Burchinal, M., Espinosa, L., Gormley, W., Ludwig,
J.O., Magnuson, K.A., Phillips, D.A., & Zaslow, M.J.
(2013). Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base
on Preschool Education. New York: Foundation for
Child Development and Ann Arbor, MI: Society for
Research in Child Development. Available at:
https://fcd-us.org/sites/default/files/Evidence
%20Base%20on%20Preschool%20Education
%20FINAL.pdf.
3 Barnett, W.S. (2008). Preschool Education and
Its Lasting Effects: Research and Policy
Implications. Boulder and Tempe: Education and
the Public Interest Center & Education Policy
Research Unit. Available at: https://nieer.org/
resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf.
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their peers in pre-reading and language
skills.4 Results from the ‘‘Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010–11,’’
indicate that children’s performance in
reading and math were lowest for
kindergartners in households with
incomes below the Federal Poverty Line
and highest for those in households
with incomes at or above 200 percent of
the Federal Poverty Line.5 Increasing
access to High-Quality Preschool
Programs, particularly for at-risk
children from low-income families, can
help close, or even prevent, these
achievement gaps prior to kindergarten
entry.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2014 (Pub. L. 113–76) provided $250
million for competitive grants to States
for improving early childhood care and
education, and help States develop,
enhance, and expand preschool
programs that are of high-quality. Of
this amount, the Departments expect to
dedicate approximately $160 million to
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants and $80 million to
Preschool Development Grants—
Development Grants. As explained more
fully elsewhere in the notice, we are
waiving notice-and-comment
rulemaking for these competitions to
ensure timely awards. However, the
Departments welcomed comments from
the public on the priorities,
requirements, definitions, and selection
criteria for this funding opportunity
through a dedicated Web site and a
public hearing. In all, the Departments
received over 600 individual comments
to consider as we drafted this notice to
be consistent with the language in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014,
and accompanying report.6
In this notice, we announce the
priorities, requirements, definitions, and
selection criteria that the Departments
will use in the FY 2014 Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants
competition. We announce the
priorities, requirements, definitions, and
selection criteria that we will use in the
4 Committee on Integrating the Science of Early
Childhood Development (2000). From Neurons to
Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood
Development. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A.
Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and
Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social
Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
5 Mulligan, G.M., Hastedt, S., and McCarroll, J.C.
(July, 2012). First-Time Kindergartners in 2010–11:
First Findings From the Kindergarten Rounds of the
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten
Class of 2010–11 (ECLS–K:2011) (NCES 2012–049).
U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC:
National Center for Education Statistics. Available
at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/.
6 https://www2.ed.gov/programs/preschool
developmentgrants/resources.html.
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FY 2014 Preschool Development
Grants—Development Grants
competition in a separate notice inviting
applications published elsewhere in this
issue of the Federal Register.
The Departments will make Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants
on a competitive basis to States to (1)
implement and sustain High-Quality
Preschool Programs that reach and serve
additional Eligible Children in two or
more High-Need Communities; and (2)
enhance preschool program
infrastructure and capacity to deliver
High-Quality Preschool Programs. For
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants, States may allocate
up to five percent of the total Federal
funds over the grant period for Statelevel infrastructure. The remainder of
the Federal funds must be subgranted to
Early Learning Providers in two or more
High-Need Communities.
We intend High-Quality Preschool
Programs to be delivered through a
mixed-delivery system of providers that
includes schools, licensed child care
centers, Head Start programs, and
community-based organizations.
Preschool programs funded by the
Preschool Development Grants program
must meet program quality standards,
including, at a minimum, the elements
outlined in the definition of a ‘‘HighQuality Preschool Program,’’ such as
high staff qualifications, low child-staff
ratios and small class sizes, a Full-Day
program, and Comprehensive Services
for children. Though encouraged, other
preschool programs within the State
will not be required to meet these same
criteria.
A State’s application must include an
ambitious and achievable plan covering
a project period of up to four years.
Depending on the availability of funds,
the Departments will make continuation
awards for years two, three, and four of
the project period. The State’s ambitious
and achievable plan must describe,
among other things, how the State will
expand access to High-Quality
Preschool Programs to children at or
below 200 percent of the Federal
Poverty Line; the applicant’s strategy for
ensuring the creation of, as appropriate,
new State Preschool Program slots and
the improvement of existing State
Preschool Program slots as described in
Selection Criterion (D)(4)(b); the reasons
for selecting each High-Need
Community; a system for monitoring
programs for continuous improvement;
how Local Educational Agencies and
other Early Learning Providers will
establish and maintain strong
partnerships; how High-Quality
Preschool Programs supported under
this grant will be aligned with programs
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and systems that serve children from
birth through third grade; and how the
State will maintain High-Quality
Preschool Programs for children after
the grant period.
Priorities: We are establishing these
priorities for the FY 2014 grant
competition and any subsequent year in
which we make awards from the list of
unfunded applicants from this
competition. These priorities are
established in accordance with section
437(d)(1) of the General Education
Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C.
1232(d)(1).
Absolute Priorities: These priorities
are absolute priorities. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(3) we consider only
applications that meet Absolute Priority
1 and either Absolute Priority 2 or
Absolute Priority 3.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1: Increasing Access
to High-Quality Preschool Programs in
High-Need Communities. To meet this
priority, the State must demonstrate in
its application how it will increase
access to High-Quality Preschool
Programs for Eligible Children by
having an ambitious and achievable
plan to—
(1) Begin serving Eligible Children no
later than in year one of the grant
period;
(2) Subgrant at least 95 percent of its
Federal grant funds received over the
grant period to one or more Subgrantees
to implement and sustain voluntary,
High-Quality Preschool Programs for
Eligible Children in two or more HighNeed Communities in the State; and
(3) Use no more than five percent of
its Federal grant funds received during
the grant period for State-level
infrastructure and quality
improvements, such as those described
in selection criterion (C)(1).
Absolute Priority 2: Race to the Top—
Early Learning Challenge States.
To meet this priority, an applicant
must have received an award under a
Race to the Top—Early Learning
Challenge competition.
Note: These States are California, Colorado,
Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and
Wisconsin.
Absolute Priority 3: Non-Race to the
Top—Early Learning Challenge States
with More Robust State Preschool
Programs.
To meet this priority, the applicant
must not have received an award under
a Race to the Top—Early Learning
Challenge competition and serve 10
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percent or more of four-year-old
children in a State Preschool Program.
Note: These States are Arkansas,
Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida,
Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska,
New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West
Virginia.7
Competitive Preference Priorities:
These priorities are competitive
preference priorities. Under 34 CFR
75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an
additional 10 points to an application
that meets Competitive Preference
Priority 1 and up to an additional 10
points for an application that meets
Competitive Preference Priority 2,
depending on how well the application
meets these competitive preference
priorities. We also award an additional
10 points for an application that meets
Competitive Preference Priority 3. An
application can receive a maximum of
30 competitive preference priority
points.
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1:
Contributing Matching Funds (up to 10
points).
Background: An applicant is not
required to contribute non-Federal
matching funds to support its ambitious
and achievable plan. However, we will
give competitive preference to
applicants who address this priority and
will award more points to applicants
that commit to a larger matching
contribution. Successful applicants that
do not obtain or expend the matching
funds they committed to in their
applications may be subject to
enforcement proceedings, including
withholding of funds or denial of a
continuation award.
Priority: To receive a competitive
preference under this priority, the State
must describe and submit appropriate
evidence of a credible plan for obtaining
and using non-Federal matching funds
to support the implementation of its
ambitious and achievable plan during
the grant period. Matching funds may be
comprised of State, local, and
philanthropic funds and may also
include increased State funding
appropriated beginning in the State
fiscal year prior to the first year of the
grant period. Points will be awarded
based on the following scale if the plan
is determined to be credible:
7 Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S.,
Carolan, M.E, Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K.
(May 2014). State of Preschool 2013: First Look
(NCES 2014–078). U.S. Department of Education.
Washington, DC: National Center for Education
Statistics. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/
pubsearch.
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place.8 Nevertheless, only about 28
percent of America’s four-year-olds
were enrolled in a State Preschool
Program in the 2012–2013 school year.9
50% or more .........................
10
The high costs of private preschool
40–49% .................................
8
30–39% .................................
6 programs and the lack of State Preschool
20–29% .................................
4 Programs narrow options for families,
10–19% .................................
2 and especially so for low-income
0–9% .....................................
0 families. In 2011, four-year-olds under
200 percent of poverty were 16
percentage-points less likely than their
Competitive Preference Priority 2:
higher-income peers (above 200 percent)
Supporting a Continuum of Early
to attend any preschool program,
Learning and Development (up to 10
whether public or private.10
points).
Priority: To receive a competitive
Background: The integration of Highpreference under this priority, the State
Quality Preschool Programs within a
must demonstrate how it will use at
broader continuum of comprehensive
least 50 percent of its Federal grant
high-quality supports and services helps award to create new State Preschool
to create smooth transitions for children Program slots that will increase the
and families to ensure continuous and
overall number of new slots in State
consistent high-quality early learning
Preschool Programs that meet the
opportunities critical to children’s
definition of High-Quality Preschool
success. Transition services play a vital
Programs.
role, particularly in the transitions from
Application Requirements: The
infant and toddler services to preschool following requirements apply to all
services, and services under part C of
applications submitted under this
the Individuals with Disabilities
competition:
Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1400 et
(a) The State’s application must be
seq.) to services under section 619 of
signed by the Governor or an authorized
part B of IDEA. States can support
representative and an authorized
children and families through crossrepresentative from the Lead Agency.
sector partnerships and by leveraging
(b) The application must include a
resources from existing State and local
letter of support from an operational
agencies that provide early childhood
State Advisory Council on Early
Childhood Education and Care that
services, including part C and section
meets the requirements described in
619 of part B of IDEA, Early Head Start
section 642B(b) of the Head Start Act
and Head Start, home visiting, child
(42 U.S.C. 9837(b)) and in paragraph (l)
care, preschool programs, family
supports (e.g., those that strengthen and of the Program Requirements. If the
State does not have an operational State
stabilize families) and engagement
resources, adult education, and housing, Advisory Council, the application must
include a letter of support from a similar
health, and mental health services.
State council on early childhood
Priority: To receive a competitive
education and care established by the
preference under this priority, the State
State’s legislature or assigned the duties
must describe an ambitious and
of the State Advisory Council on Early
achievable plan that addresses the
creation of a more seamless progression Childhood Education and Care by the
of supports and interventions from birth State’s Governor that meets the
requirements described in section
through third grade, such as high642B(b) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
quality infant and toddler care, home
9837(b)) and in paragraph (l) of the
visitation, Full-Day kindergarten, and
Program Requirements. The letter must
before- and after-care services for, at a
describe the council’s level of support
minimum, a defined cohort of Eligible
and, if applicable, participation in the
Children and their families within each
grant.
High-Need Community served by each
(c) The State must include a budget
Subgrantee.
narrative that details how it will use
Competitive Preference Priority 3:
Creating New High-Quality State
8 Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S.,
Preschool Program Slots (0 or 10
Carolan, M.E, Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K.
points).
(May 2014). State of Preschool 2013: First Look
(NCES 2014–078). U.S. Department of Education.
Background: Many States have taken
Washington, DC: National Center for Education
note of the short- and long-term benefits Statistics. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/
of early education and have launched
pubsearch.
9 Ibid.
efforts to expand the availability of State
10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Preschool Programs. As of 2013, 40
from the Current Population
States and the District of Columbia have ASPE tabulations at: https://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/14/
Survey, available
at least one State Preschool Program in
EarlyCareEducation/rb_ece.cfm#_Toc373832432.
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Percentage non-Federal
match of the State’s fouryear total award
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Competitive
reference
points
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Federal grant funds awarded under this
competition, and, if applicable, funds
from other Federal, State, private, and
local sources, to achieve—
(1) The goals outlined in its ambitious
and achievable plan; and
(2) Its ambitious and achievable
targets for increasing the number and
percentage of Eligible Children who are
enrolled in High-Quality Preschool
Programs through, as applicable, newly
created and improved State Preschool
Program slots as described in selection
criterion (D)(4)(b).
(d) The State must complete the Excel
spreadsheets that are provided on the
Preschool Development Grants Web site
at www.ed.gov/programs/
preschooldevelopmentgrants and
upload to the Other Attachments Form
in Grants.gov as explained in Part 5 of
the application.
(e) The State must provide, for each
selection criterion or priority in this
notice that solicits an ambitious and
achievable plan, a description of the
following elements, at a minimum—
(1) The key goals of the plan;
(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;
(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 and
sustainment 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; and
(8) How the State will address the
needs of Eligible Children, including
those who may be in need of additional
supports, such as children who have
disabilities or developmental delays;
who are English learners; who reside on
‘‘Indian lands’’ as that term is defined
by section 8013(7) of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
as amended (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)
(ESEA); who are migrant; who are
‘‘homeless,’’ as defined in subtitle VII–
B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 11434a(2))
(McKinney-Vento Act); whose families
are involved in the child welfare
system; who reside in rural areas; who
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are from military families; and other
children as identified by the State, if
applicable.
(f) The State must provide a letter of
support or preliminary binding
agreement, such as a preliminary
memorandum of understanding (MOU),
from each Subgrantee attesting to the
Subgrantee’s participation (a model
MOU is provided in the Appendix B of
this notice).
Program Requirements: States and
each Subgrantee that receive funds
under this grant program must meet the
following requirements for, at a
minimum, the duration of the grant
period:
(a) The State must continue to
participate in—
(1) The programs authorized by part C
and section 619 of part B of IDEA;
(2) 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.));
(3) The program authorized under
section 418 of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 618);
(4) The Maternal, Infant, and Early
Childhood Home Visiting program
(section 511 of title V of the Social
Security Act, as amended by section
2951 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010
(Pub. L. 111–148)); and
(5) Subtitle VII–B of the McKinneyVento Act.
(b) Funds made available under this
grant must be used to supplement, not
supplant, any Federal, State, or local
funds (e.g., IDEA, title I, Head Start,
CCDF, and any matching funds
included as part of Competitive
Preference Priority 2) that, in the
absence of the funds awarded under this
grant, would be available for improving
the quality of State Preschool Programs
and increasing access to High-Quality
Preschool Programs.
(c) The State must participate in
grantee technical assistance activities
facilitated by ED or HHS, individually
or in collaboration with other State
grantees, to share effective program
practices and solutions and
collaboratively solve problems, and
must set aside a minimum of $25,000
annually from its grant funds for this
purpose.
(d) The State and each Subgrantee
must participate in any evaluation of the
State’s High-Quality Preschool Program,
including any cross-State evaluation, if
funded by ED or HHS.
(e) The State and each Subgrantee
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 (20 U.S.C.
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1232g), the Health Insurance Portability
Accountability Act (Pub. L. 104–191),
and IDEA.
(f) The State and each Subgrantee
must ensure that the grant project is
implemented in accordance with all
applicable Federal, State, and local laws
and regulations, including the
provisions of Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II
and Title III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 that prohibit
discrimination on the basis of disability
and require that individuals with
disabilities be served in the most
integrated setting appropriate to their
needs.
(g) The State and each Subgrantee
must provide researchers with access,
consistent with the requirements of all
applicable Federal, State, and local
privacy laws, to available data regarding
the enrollment and school readiness of
Eligible Children in State Preschool
Programs.
(h) Unless otherwise protected as
proprietary information by Federal or
State laws or a specific written
agreement, the State and each
Subgrantee must make any work (e.g.,
materials, tools, processes, systems)
developed under its grant freely
available to the public. Any Web sites
developed under this grant must meet
government or industry-recognized
standards for accessibility.
(i) The State must have a Statewide
Longitudinal Data System that links
early childhood data with the State’s
kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12)
data system by the end of the grant
period.
(j) The State must ensure that the
State Advisory Council on Early
Childhood Education and Care must
includes, in addition to the members of
the State Advisory Council described in
section 642B(b) of the Head Start Act
(42 U.S.C. 9837(b)), the State’s CCDF
administrator, State agency coordinators
from both part C and section 619 of part
B of IDEA, the State Title I Director, the
State Coordinator of Education for
Homeless Children and Youth, State
agency representatives responsible for
health and mental health, and parent
representatives.
(k) The State must establish policies
and procedures that ensure—
(1) Collaboration between each
Subgrantee and programs authorized by
section 619 of part B of IDEA so that
Eligible Children with disabilities in the
High-Need Community are being
appropriately identified and served in
the least restrictive environment; and
(2) Ensure that the percentage of
Eligible Children with disabilities
served by the High-Quality Preschool
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Programs is not less than either the
percentage of four-year-old children
served statewide through part B, section
619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), or
the current national average,11
whichever is greater.
(l) The State and each Subgrantee are
prohibited from spending grant funds,
including any matching funds, if
applicable, on construction, renovation,
modernization, or related activities.
(m) For activities involved in
improving existing State Preschool
Program slots to meet the definition of
High-Quality Preschool Programs, the
State and each Subgrantee may only
spend grant funds, including any
matching funds, if applicable, on
activities listed in selection criterion
(D)(4)(b).
(n) Within 90 days of receipt of an
award, the State must submit to the
Departments a signed MOU (a model
MOU is provided in Appendix B of this
notice) or other binding agreement
between the State’s Lead Agency and
each Subgrantee that, at a minimum—
(1) Includes a scope of work
describing the portions of the State’s
plan that the Subgrantee will
implement;
(2) Incorporates the State’s ambitious
and achievable plan, in particular the
sections that the Subgrantee is
responsible for implementing;
(3) Is signed by an authorized
representative of the State’s Lead
Agency and the Subgrantee;
(4) Describes the roles and
responsibilities of the State’s Lead
Agency and Subgrantee in
implementing the project plan;
(5) Describes the method and process
for making different types of decisions
(e.g., policy, operational);
(6) Describes how the State and
Subgrantee will exchange data; and
(7) Describes how the MOU can be
amended.
(o) The State must submit scopes of
work for the State and each Subgrantee
within 90 days of the grant award
notification date. These scopes of work
must contain detailed work plans and
budgets that are consistent with the
State’s grant application, and must
include the State’s and each
Subgrantee’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 Subgrantee is
agreeing to implement.
Definitions: We are establishing the
following definitions in this notice for
11 Note: The current national percentage of four
year-old-children receiving services through part B,
section 619 of IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA
Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org).
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the FY 2014 grant competition and any
subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded
applications from this competition, in
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of
GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1231(d)(1).
These definitions are:
Comprehensive Early Learning
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 teachers
make informed instructional and
programmatic decisions and that
conforms with the recommendations of
the National Research Council report on
early childhood assessments 12 by
including, at a minimum:
(a) Screening Measures;
(b) Formative Assessments;
(c) Measures of Environmental
Quality;
(d) Measures of the Quality of AdultChild Interactions; and
(e) A Kindergarten Entry Assessment.
Comprehensive Services means
services that include:
(a) Screenings for hearing, vision,
dental, health (including mental health),
and development, as well as referrals
and assistance obtaining services, when
appropriate;
(b) Culturally and linguistically
responsive family engagement
opportunities (taking into account home
language), such as parent conferences
(including parent input about their
child’s development) and support
services, such as parent education, and
leadership opportunities, such as a
Parent Advisory Committee;
(c) Nutrition services, including
nutritious meals and snack options
aligned with requirements set by the
most recent Child and Adult Care Food
Program guidelines promulgated by the
Department of Agriculture, as well as
regular, age-appropriate, nutrition
education for children and their
families;
(d) Services coordinated with LEAs
and early intervention service providers
and other entities providing services
12 One example of these reports is referenced
here. 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. Available at: www.nap.edu/
catalog.php?record_id=12446.
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under part C and section 619 of part B
of IDEA;
(e) Physical activity services aligned
with evidence-based guidelines, such as
those recommended by the Institute of
Medicine,13 and which take into
account and accommodate children
with disabilities;
(f) Partnerships with and linkages to
community services to enhance family
well-being, such as income supports,
food pantries, housing, social services,
and other services relating to health/
mental health, domestic violence,
substance abuse, adult literacy,
education and training, and financial
asset building;
(g) On-site coordination of services, to
the maximum extent feasible; and
(h) Additional support services,
determined by the State, as appropriate.
Early Learning and Development
Standards means a set of expectations,
guidelines, or developmental milestones
that—
(a) Describes what all children from
birth to kindergarten entry should know
and be able to do and their disposition
toward learning;
(b) Is appropriate for each age group
(e.g., infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers); for English learners; and
for children with disabilities or
developmental delays;
(c) Covers all Essential Domains of
School Readiness; and
(d) Is 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;
the National Indian Child Care
Association; and the National Indian
Education Association.
13 www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Early-ChildhoodObesity-Prevention-Policies/
Recommendations.aspx.
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Early Learning Provider means an
entity that carries out an early
childhood education program, including
an LEA, charter school, educational
service agency, Head Start program,
licensed child care provider,
municipality or other local government
agency, tribe or Indian organization,
institution of higher education, library,
museum, or other eligible licensed
provider as defined by the State, or a
consortium thereof.
Eligible Children means four-year-old
children from families whose income is
at or below 200 percent of the Federal
Poverty Line.
Eligible Children with Disabilities
means Eligible Children who have been
determined by the local educational
agency to be eligible for special
education and related services under
section 619 of the IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400
et seq.)
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 credentials 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 (including the
utilization of the arts), physical wellbeing and motor development
(including adaptive skills), and social
and emotional development.
Federal Poverty Line means a measure
of income level issued annually by the
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Department of Health and Human
Services and used to determine
eligibility for certain programs and
benefits.14
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; and
(3) Linked directly to the curriculum;
and
(b) The results of which are used to
guide and improve instructional
practices.
Full-Day means a day that is—
(a) Equivalent to a full school day at
the public elementary schools in the
State; and
(b) Not fewer than five hours a day.
High-Need Community means a
geographically defined area, such as a
city, town, county, neighborhood,
district, rural or tribal area, or
consortium thereof, with a high level of
need as determined by the State.
High-Quality Preschool Program
means an early learning program that
includes structural elements that are
evidence-based and nationally
recognized as important for ensuring
program quality, including at a
minimum—
(a) High staff qualifications, including
a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in
early childhood education or a
bachelor’s degree in any field with a
State-approved alternate pathway,
which may include coursework, clinical
practice, and evidence of knowledge of
content and pedagogy relating to early
childhood, and teaching assistants with
appropriate credentials;
(b) High-quality professional
development for all staff;
(c) A child-to-instructional staff ratio
of no more than 10 to 1;
(d) A class size of no more than 20
with, at a minimum, one teacher with
high staff qualifications as outlined in
paragraph (a) of this definition;
(e) A Full-Day program;
(f) Inclusion of children with
disabilities to ensure access to and full
participation in all opportunities;
(g) Developmentally appropriate,
culturally and linguistically responsive
instruction and evidence-based
curricula, and learning environments
14 The 2014 Federal Poverty Line, also known as
poverty guidelines or ‘‘Federal poverty level’’ (FPL),
can be found at https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/
14poverty.cfm.
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that are aligned with the State Early
Learning and Development Standards,
for at least the year prior to kindergarten
entry;
(h) Individualized accommodations
and supports so that all children can
access and participate fully in learning
activities;
(i) Instructional staff salaries that are
comparable to the salaries of local K–12
instructional staff;
(j) Program evaluation to ensure
continuous improvement;
(k) On-site or accessible
Comprehensive Services for children
and community partnerships that
promote families’ access to services that
support their children’s learning and
development; and
(l) Evidence-based health and safety
standards.
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 reports on early
childhood; 15 and
(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, to inform instruction in the early
elementary school grades, and to inform
parents about their children’s status and
involve them in decisions about their
children’s education. This assessment
must not be used to prevent children’s
entry into kindergarten or as a single
measure for high-stakes decisions.
Lead Agency means a State-level
agency that administers public funds
related to early learning and
development and is participating in the
State’s ambitious and achievable plan;
this agency is designated by the
Governor for the administration of the
Preschool Development Grants funds
and is the fiscal agent for the grant.
Local Educational Agency (LEA) has
the meaning given the term in section
9101 of the ESEA.
15 One example of these reports is referenced
here. 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. Available at: www.nap.edu/
catalog.php?record_id=12446.
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Measures of Environmental Quality
means valid and reliable indicators of
the overall quality of the early learning
environment.
Measures of the Quality of AdultChild 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 of and areas for improvement
for early learning professionals.
Program Standards means the
standards that serve as the basis for a
TQRIS and define differentiated levels
of quality for Early Learning and
Development Programs. Program
Standards must measure, at a minimum,
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 Early Learning
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) Culturally and linguistically
responsive strategies are successfully
used to engage families, help them build
protective factors, and strengthen their
capacity to support 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, 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; the
promotion of physical activity, healthy
eating habits, oral health, and
behavioral health; and health literacy of
parents; and
(f) Data practices are effective and
include gathering Essential Data
Elements and entering them into the
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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 followup 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 Preschool Program means a
preschool program predominately
supported with State funds that
provides services to four-year-old
children, including a State Head Start
program.
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.
Subgrantee means an Early Learning
Provider serving at least one High-Need
Community that is receiving a subgrant
from the State, and is participating in
the State’s ambitious and achievable
plan.
Tiered Quality Rating and
Improvement System (TQRIS) 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 (e.g.,
through training, technical assistance,
financial support).
(d) Program quality ratings that are
publicly available and include a process
for validating the system.
Waiver of Proposed Rulemaking:
Under the Administrative Procedure
Act (5 U.S.C. 553) we generally offer
interested parties the opportunity to
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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
this program under the revised program
authority in sections 14005 and 14006
of the ARRA, as amended by the
Department of Education
Appropriations Act, 2014 (title III of
division H of Pub. L. 113–76, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014),
and therefore qualifies for this
exemption. In order to ensure timely
grant awards, the Secretaries have
decided to forgo public comment under
the waiver authority in section 437(d)(1)
of GEPA. These priorities, selection
criteria, requirements, and definitions
will apply to the FY 2014 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 of the ARRA, as amended by
section 1832(b) of division B of the
Department of Defense and Full-Year
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
(Pub. L. 112–10), the Department of
Education Appropriations Act, 2012
(title III of division F of Pub. L. 112–74,
the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2012), and the Department of Education
Appropriations Act, 2014 (title III of
division H of Pub. L. 113–76, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The
Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in
34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82,
84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education
Department debarment and suspension
regulations in 2 CFR part 3485.
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $10
million to $35 million.
Budget Requirements: To support
States in planning their budgets, the
Departments have developed the
following annual budget caps for each
State eligible for a Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant.
We will not consider for funding an
application from a State that proposes a
budget in any year that exceeds the
applicable cap set for that State. The
Departments developed the following
categories by ranking every State
eligible for a Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant according to
its relative share of Eligible Children
who could be served by Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants
and then identifying the natural breaks
in the rank order. Then, based on
population of Eligible Children,16
budget caps were developed for each
category.
Category 1—up to $35M—California;
Category 2—up to $30M—Texas;
Category 3—up to $25M—Florida,
New York;
Category 4—up to $20M—Georgia,
Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio,
and Pennsylvania;
Category 5—up to $17.5M—New
Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, and Washington;
Category 6—up to $15M—Arkansas,
Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin;
Category 7—up to $12.5M—
Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska,
New Mexico, and West Virginia;
Category 8—up to $10M—Delaware,
District of Columbia, Rhode Island, and
Vermont.
Estimated Number of Awards: 7 to 12
awards.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $160
million.
Contingent upon the availability of
funds and the quality of applications,
we may make additional awards in FY
2015 or subsequent fiscal years from the
list of unfunded applicants from this
competition.
The Departments may use any unused
FY 2014 funds from the Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants
competition in the FY 2014 Preschool
Development Grants—Development
Grants competition. Conversely, the
Departments may use any unused FY
2014 funds from the Preschool
Development Grants—Development
Grants competition in the FY 2014
Note: The Departments are not bound by
any estimates in this notice.
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Project Period: Up to 48 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: To be eligible
to compete for funding under this
program a State must—
(a) Serve 10 percent or more of fouryear-old children in a State Preschool
Program; 17 or
16 https://www2.ed.gov/programs/preschool
developmentgrants/4-year-old-poverty-status2012.pdf.
17 Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S.,
Carolan, M.E, Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K.
(May 2014). State of Preschool 2013: First Look
(NCES 2014–078). U.S. Department of Education.
Washington, DC: National Center for Education
Statistics. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/
pubsearch.
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(b) Have received an award under a
Race to the Top—Early Learning
Challenge competition.
Therefore, only the States of
Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois,
Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,
and Wisconsin are eligible to apply for
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This
program does not require cost sharing or
matching. However, applicants that
describe and submit appropriate
evidence of a credible plan for obtaining
and using non-Federal matching funds
to support the implementation of its
ambitious and achievable plan during
the grant period may be awarded
additional points on a sliding scale as
described in Competitive Preference
Priority 1.
3. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This
program involves supplement-notsupplant funding requirements, as
described in Program Requirement (b).
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IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address To Request Application
Package: You can obtain an application
package via the Internet or from the
Departments. To obtain a copy via the
Internet, use the following address:
www.ed.gov/programs/preschool
developmentgrants. To obtain a copy
from the Departments, write, fax, call, or
email: Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue
SW., Room 3E344, Washington, DC
20202–6200. Telephone: (202) 260–
0968. FAX: (202) 260–8969. Email:
PreschoolDevelopment
Grants.Competition@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS), toll free, at 1–800–877–
8339.
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 program contact
person listed under Accessible Format
in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission: Requirements concerning
the content of an application, together
with the forms you must submit, are in
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the application package for this
competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative
is where the applicant addresses the
selection criteria that reviewers will use
to evaluate applications. We
recommend that the applicant limit its
narrative responses to no more than 75
pages and limit its appendices to no
more than 125 pages. We strongly
request that applicants follow the
recommended page limits. The
following standards are recommended:
• A ‘‘page’’ is 8.5″ × 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 18,
2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent To
Apply: September 11, 2014.
We will be able to develop a more
efficient process for reviewing grant
applications if we know the
approximate number of applicants that
intend to apply for funding under this
competition. Therefore, the Departments
strongly encourage each potential
applicant to notify us of the applicant’s
intent to submit an application for
funding by emailing Rebecca Marek at
PreschoolDevelopment
Grants.Competition@ed.gov by
September 11, 2014. This short email
message should provide (1) the name of
the State applying and (2) the contact
person (name, phone number, and
email). Applicants that do not submit an
‘‘Intent to Apply’’ email may still apply
for funding.
To assist States in preparing the
application and to respond to questions,
ED and HHS intend to broadcast a
Technical Assistance Planning Webinar
live at https://edstream.ed.gov to review
the priorities, requirements, and
selection criteria for this competition.
The purpose of the Webinar will be to
allow individuals responsible for
developing applications to review with
Federal program staff the priorities,
requirements, and selection criteria for
this competition and to ask questions
about the Preschool Development
Grants—Development Grants
competition. We strongly encourage all
interested State applicants to participate
in the Webinar. For those who cannot
attend the live Webinar, a link to the
Webinar will be available on the
Preschool Development Grants Web site
at www.ed.gov/programs/
preschooldevelopmentgrants. The
Departments may host additional
conference calls, workshops, or
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Webinars to answer applicant questions
and will be posting Frequently Asked
Questions and responses on the
Preschool Development Grant Web site.
The Departments will make available all
registration information and additional
details for the Technical Assistance
Planning Webinar and any other
technical assistance events on the
Preschool Development Grants Web site
at www.ed.gov/programs/
preschooldevelopmentgrants.
Deadline for Transmittal of
Applications: October 14, 2014.
Applications for grants under this
competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov
Apply site (Grants.gov). For information
(including dates and times) about how
to submit your application by mail or
hand delivery, please refer to section IV.
7. Other Submission Requirements of
this notice.
We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements.
We will provide Congress with the
names of the States that have submitted
applications, and we will post the
names of these States on ED’s Web site.
We will also post all applications
submitted. Therefore, please ensure that
your application does not include
personally identifiable information,
proprietary information, or other nonpublic information.
Individuals with disabilities who
need an accommodation or auxiliary aid
in connection with the application
process should contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT in section VII of this notice. If
the Departments provide an
accommodation or auxiliary aid to an
individual with a disability in
connection with the application
process, the individual’s application
remains subject to all other
requirements and limitations in this
notice.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This
program is subject to Executive Order
12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR
part 79. However, under 34 CFR 79.8(a),
we waive intergovernmental review in
order to make awards by December 31,
2014.
5. Funding Restrictions: We specify
unallowable costs in paragraphs (l) and
(m) of the Program Requirements in this
notice.
We reference additional regulations
outlining funding restrictions in the
Applicable Regulations section of this
notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System
Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and System for Award
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Management: To do business with the
Department of Education, you must—
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number and a Taxpayer
Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number
and TIN with the System for Award
Management (SAM) (formerly the
Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the
Government’s primary registrant
database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and
TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active SAM
registration with current information
while your application is under review
by the Departments and, if you are
awarded a grant, during the project
period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from
Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one to two
business days.
If you are a corporate entity, agency,
institution, or organization, you can
obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue
Service. If you are an individual, you
can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security
Administration. If you need a new TIN,
please allow 2–5 weeks for your TIN to
become active.
The SAM registration process can take
approximately seven business days, but
may take upwards of several weeks,
depending on the completeness and
accuracy of the data entered into the
SAM database by an entity. Thus, if you
think you might want to apply for
Federal financial assistance under this
program administered by the
Departments, please allow sufficient
time to obtain and register your DUNS
number and TIN. We strongly
recommend that you register early.
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Note: Once your SAM registration is active,
you will need to allow 24 to 48 hours for the
information to be available in Grants.gov and
before you can submit an application through
Grants.gov.
If you are currently registered with
SAM, you may not need to make any
changes. However, please make certain
that the TIN associated with your DUNS
number is correct. Also note that you
will need to update your registration
annually. This may take three or more
business days.
Information about SAM is available at
www.SAM.gov. To further assist you
with obtaining and registering your
DUNS number and TIN in SAM or
updating your existing SAM account,
we have prepared a SAM.gov Tip Sheet,
which you can find at: https://
www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/samfaqs.html. In addition, if you are
submitting your application via
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Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated
by your organization as an Authorized
Organization Representative (AOR); and
(2) register yourself with Grants.gov as
an AOR. Details on these steps are
outlined at the following Grants.gov
Web page: www.grants.gov/applicants/
get_registered.jsp.
7. Other Submission Requirements:
Applications for grants under this
program [competition] must be
submitted electronically unless you
qualify for an exception to this
requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of
Applications.
Applications for grants under the
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants, CFDA number
84.419B, must be submitted
electronically using the Government
wide Grants.gov Apply site at
www.Grants.gov. Through this site, you
will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline,
and then upload and submit your
application. You may not email an
electronic copy of a grant application to
us.
We will reject your application if you
submit it in paper format unless, as
described elsewhere in this section, you
qualify for one of the exceptions to the
electronic submission requirement and
submit, no later than two weeks before
the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you
qualify for one of these exceptions.
Further information regarding
calculation of the date that is two weeks
before the application deadline date is
provided later in this section under
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement. You may access the
electronic grant application for
Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grants at www.Grants.gov.
You must search for the downloadable
application package for this program
[competition] by the CFDA number. Do
not include the CFDA number’s alpha
suffix in your search (e.g., search for
84.419, not 84.419B).
Please note the following:
• When you enter the Grants.gov site,
you will find information about
submitting an application electronically
through the site, as well as the hours of
operation.
• Applications received by Grants.gov
are date and time stamped. Your
application must be fully uploaded and
submitted and must be date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system no
later than 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date.
Except as otherwise noted in this
section, we will not accept your
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application if it is received—that is, date
and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system—after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
DC time, on the application deadline
date. We do not consider an application
that does not comply with the deadline
requirements. When we retrieve your
application from Grants.gov, we will
notify you if we are rejecting your
application because it was date and time
stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date.
• The amount of time it can take to
upload an application will vary
depending on a variety of factors,
including the size of the application and
the speed of your Internet connection.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that
you do not wait until the application
deadline date to begin the submission
process through Grants.gov.
• You should review and follow the
Education Submission Procedures for
submitting an application through
Grants.gov that are included in the
application package for this program
[competition] to ensure that you submit
your application in a timely manner to
the Grants.gov system. You can also find
the Education Submission Procedures
pertaining to Grants.gov under News
and Events on the Department’s G5
system home page at https://www.G5.gov.
• You will not receive additional
point value because you submit your
application in electronic format, nor
will we penalize you if you qualify for
an exception to the electronic
submission requirement, as described
elsewhere in this section, and submit
your application in paper format.
• You must submit all documents
electronically, including all information
you typically provide on the following
forms: the Application for Federal
Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for
SF 424, Budget Information—NonConstruction Programs (ED 524), and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
• You must upload any narrative
sections and all other attachments to
your application as files in a PDF
(Portable Document) read-only, nonmodifiable format. Do not upload an
interactive or fillable PDF file. If you
upload a file type other than a readonly, non-modifiable PDF or submit a
password-protected file, we will not
review that material. Additional,
detailed information on how to attach
files is in the application instructions.]
• Your electronic application must
comply with any page-limit
requirements described in this notice.
• After you electronically submit
your application, you will receive from
Grants.gov an automatic notification of
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receipt that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number. (This notification
indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not
receipt by the Department.) The
Department then will retrieve your
application from Grants.gov and send a
second notification to you by email.
This second notification indicates that
the Department has received your
application and has assigned your
application a PR/Award number (an EDspecified identifying number unique to
your application).
• We may request that you provide us
original signatures on forms at a later
date.
Application Deadline Date Extension
in Case of Technical Issues with the
Grants.gov System: If you are
experiencing problems submitting your
application through Grants.gov, please
contact the Grants.gov Support Desk,
toll free, at 1–800–518–4726. You must
obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from
electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline
date because of technical problems with
the Grants.gov system, we will grant you
an extension until 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, the following
business day to enable you to transmit
your application electronically or by
hand delivery. You also may mail your
application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this
notice.
If you submit an application after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the application deadline date, please
contact the person listed under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in
section VII of this notice and provide an
explanation of the technical problem
you experienced with Grants.gov, along
with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case
Number. We will accept your
application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the
Grants.gov system and that that problem
affected your ability to submit your
application by 4:30:00 p.m.,
Washington, DC time, on the
application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a
determination is made on whether your
application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in
this section apply only to the unavailability
of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov
system. We will not grant you an extension
if you failed to fully register to submit your
application to Grants.gov before the
application deadline date and time or if the
technical problem you experienced is
unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission
Requirement: You qualify for an
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exception to the electronic submission
requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are
unable to submit an application through
the Grants.gov system because––
• You do not have access to the
Internet; or
• You do not have the capacity to
upload large documents to the
Grants.gov system;
and
• No later than two weeks before the
application deadline date (14 calendar
days or, if the fourteenth calendar day
before the application deadline date
falls on a Federal holiday, the next
business day following the Federal
holiday), you mail or fax a written
statement to the Department, explaining
which of the two grounds for an
exception prevent you from using the
Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to
the Department, it must be postmarked
no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date. If you fax
your written statement to the
Department, we must receive the faxed
statement no later than two weeks
before the application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your
statement to: Rebecca Marek, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue SW., Room 3E344, Washington,
DC 20202–6200.
FAX: (202) 260–8969.
Your paper application must be
submitted in accordance with the mail
or hand delivery instructions described
in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications
by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
may mail (through the U.S. Postal
Service or a commercial carrier) your
application to the Department. You
must mail the original and two copies
of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the
Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
CFDA Number 84.419A, LBJ Basement
Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202–4260.
If we receive an application after the
application deadline, we will not
consider that application.
You must show proof of mailing
consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service
postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the
date of mailing stamped by the U.S.
Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or
receipt from a commercial carrier.
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(4) Any other proof of mailing
acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Education.
If you mail your application through
the U.S. Postal Service, we do not
accept either of the following as proof
of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by
the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after
the application deadline date, we will
not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not
uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before
relying on this method, you should check
with your local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications
by Hand Delivery:
If you qualify for an exception to the
electronic submission requirement, you
(or a courier service) may deliver your
paper application to the Department by
hand. You must deliver the original and
two copies of your application by hand,
on or before the application deadline
date, to the Department at the following
address: U.S. Department of Education,
Application Control Center, Attention:
CFDA Number 84.419A, 550 12th Street
SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center Plaza,
Washington, DC 20202–4260.
The Application Control Center
accepts hand deliveries daily between
8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington,
DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays,
and Federal holidays.
In accordance with EDGAR
§ 75.216(b) and (c), an application will
not be evaluated for funding if the
applicant does not comply with all of
the procedural rules that govern the
submission of the application or the
application does not contain the
information required under the
program.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of
Applications: When you mail or hand deliver
your application to the Departments—
(1) You must indicate on the envelope the
CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any,
of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will
mail to you a notification of receipt of your
grant application. If you do not receive this
notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call
the U.S. Department of Education
Application Control Center at (202) 245–
6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection
criteria for this program are set forth in
sections (A)–(G). We also identify for
each selection criterion any evidence
that applicants must submit that is not
already identified in the selection
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criterion. We will use the following
selection criteria to evaluate
applications submitted under the
Preschool Development Grants—
Development Grant competition. The
maximum score for all the selection
criteria and competitive preference
priorities is 232 points. The maximum
score for each selection criterion is
indicated in parentheses. The reviewers
will utilize the scoring rubric located in
Appendix A of this notice when
evaluating applications under the
selection criteria:
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A. Executive Summary (10 points).
The extent to which the State
includes an ambitious and achievable
plan for expanding access to HighQuality Preschool Programs that clearly
articulates how the plans proposed
under each criterion in this section,
when taken together, will—
(1) Build on the State’s progress to
date as demonstrated in selection
criterion (B);
(2) Provide voluntary, High-Quality
Preschool Programs for Eligible
Children through subgrants to each
Subgrantee in two or more High-Need
Communities;
(3) Increase the number and
percentage of Eligible Children served
in High-Quality Preschool Programs
during each year of the grant period
through the creation of new, and the
improvement of existing State Preschool
Program slots, as applicable;
(4) Have all the characteristics
specified in the definition of HighQuality Preschool Programs;
(5) Set expectations for the school
readiness of children upon kindergarten
entry;
(6) Be supported by a broad group of
stakeholders, including Early Learning
Intermediary Organizations and, if
applicable, State and local early
learning councils; and
(7) Allocate funds between—
(a) Activities to build or enhance State
Preschool Program infrastructure using
no more than five percent of its Federal
grant funds received over the grant
period on State-level infrastructure
including, but not limited to,
monitoring and evaluation and other
quality-enhancing activities that
improve the delivery of High-Quality
Preschool Programs to Eligible Children;
and
(b) Subgrants to Early Learning
Providers to implement voluntary, HighQuality Preschool Programs for Eligible
Children in one or more High-Need
Communities, including how it will—
(i) Provide High-Quality Preschool
Programs to Eligible Children no later
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than the end of year one of the grant
period;
(ii) Subgrant at least 95 percent of its
Federal grant funds to its Subgrantee or
Subgrantees over the grant period; and
(iii) Support each Subgrantee in
culturally and linguistically appropriate
outreach and communication efforts in
order to ensure that all families,
including those who are isolated or
otherwise hard to reach, are informed of
the opportunity and encouraged to
enroll their children in available
programs.
Evidence for selection criterion (A):
• (A)(3) and (A)(7) Information
contained in Table A for the number of
Eligible Children to be served each year
of the grant and the number and
percentage of State Preschool Program
slots (See Table A in the Excel
spreadsheets).
• (A)(4) Documentation of the
structural elements in the definition of
High-Quality Preschool Program.
• (A)(5) Set of expectations for school
readiness.
• (A)(6) Letters of support from
stakeholders, including Early Learning
Intermediary Organizations and, if
applicable, State and local early
learning councils.
• Any other supporting evidence the
State believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
B. Commitment to State Preschool
Programs (20 points)
The extent to which the State has
demonstrated its commitment to
develop or enhance the State Preschool
Program infrastructure and its capacity
to both deliver and increase access to
High-Quality Preschool Programs for
Eligible Children, as evidenced by—
(1) State Early Learning and
Development Standards (2 points);
(2) The State’s financial investment, if
any, and the estimated number and
percentage of children, including if
known, the estimated number and
percentage of Eligible Children, served
in State Preschool Programs over the
last four years (6 points);
(3) Enacted and pending legislation,
policies, or practices that demonstrate
the State’s current and future
commitment to increasing access to
High-Quality Preschool Programs for
Eligible Children (4 points);
(4) The quality of existing State
Preschool Programs, as evidenced by
policies and program data that
demonstrate the State’s commitment to
the components of a High-Quality
Preschool Program; compliance with
Program Standards; and support for
program monitoring and improvement,
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which may be accomplished through
the use of a TQRIS (4 points);
(5) The State’s coordination of
preschool programs and services, in
partnership with its Early Learning
Advisory Council, with other State and
Federal resources that may be used to
serve preschool-aged children,
including, if applicable, programs and
services supported by title I of the
ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B
of IDEA, subtitle VII–B of the
McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start
Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and the
Child Care and Development Block
Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et
seq.) (2 points); and
(6) The State’s role in promoting
coordination of preschool programs and
services at the State and local levels
with other sectors that support the early
learning and development of children,
including child health, mental health,
family support, nutrition, child welfare,
and adult education and training sectors
(2 points).
Evidence for selection criterion (B):
• (B)(1) Executive summary or brief
description of the State’s Early Learning
and Development Standards, including
how the definition is met.
• (B)(2) Completed Table B that
describes the State’s financial
investment and number of children
served in State Preschool Programs (See
Table B in the Excel Spreadsheets).
• (B)(3) Evidence of enacted and
pending legislation, policies, or
practices.
• Any other supporting evidence the
State believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
C. Ensuring Quality in Preschool
Programs (30 points).
The extent to which the State has an
ambitious and achievable plan to ensure
program quality, including a description
of how the State will (8 points)—
(1) Use no more than five percent of
the funds received over the grant period
for State Preschool Program
infrastructure and quality improvements
at the State level through activities such
as—
(a) Enhancing or expanding Early
Learning and Development Standards;
(b) Implementing Program Standards
consistent with a High-Quality
Preschool Program;
(c) Supporting programs in meeting
the needs of children with disabilities
and English learners, including in
workforce development;
(d) Conducting a needs assessment to
determine the current availability of
High-Quality Preschool Programs,
including private and faith-based
providers and Head Start programs;
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(e) Establishing or upgrading
preschool teacher education and
licensure requirements;
(f) Improving teacher and
administrator early education training
programs and professional
development;
(g) Implementing a Statewide
Longitudinal Data System to link
preschool and elementary and
secondary school data;
(h) Implementing a Comprehensive
Early Learning Assessment System;
(i) Building preschool programs’
capacity to engage parents in decisions
about their children’s education and
development, help families build
protective factors, and help parents
support their children’s learning at
home;
(j) Building State- and communitylevel support for High-Quality Preschool
Programs through systemic linkages to
other early learning programs and
resources to support families, such as
child health, mental health, family
support, nutrition, child welfare, and
adult education and training sectors;
and
(k) Other activities that would support
the delivery of High-Quality Preschool
Programs to Eligible Children.
(2) Implement a system for monitoring
and supporting continuous
improvement for each Subgrantee to
ensure that each Subgrantee is
providing High-Quality Preschool
Programs (which may be accomplished
through the use of leveraging a TQRIS
and other existing monitoring systems),
including the extent to which the State
(10 points)—
(a) Has the capacity to measure
preschool quality, including parent
satisfaction measures, and provide
performance feedback to inform and
drive State and local continuous
program improvement efforts;
(b) Is using a Statewide Longitudinal
Data System that is able to track student
progress from preschool through third
grade; and
(c) Clearly specifies the measureable
outcomes, including school readiness,
to be achieved by the program.
(3) Measure the outcomes of
participating children across the five
Essential Domains of School Readiness
during the first few months of their
admission into kindergarten using an
assessment or assessments, such as a
Kindergarten Entry Assessment, to
achieve the purposes for which the
assessment was developed and that
conform with the recommendations of
the National Research Council report on
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early childhood assessments (12
points).18
Evidence for selection criterion (C):
• (C)(2)(a) Evidence of a monitoring
protocol used to drive continuous
program improvement.
• (C)(2)(c) Evidence of State targets
with measurable outcomes, including
school readiness achieved by the
program.
• Any other supporting evidence the
State believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
D. Expanding High-Quality Preschool
Programs in Each High-Need
Community (60 points)
The extent to which the State
articulates an ambitious and achievable
plan for expanding High-Quality
Preschool Programs in two or more
High-Need Communities, including a
description of how—
(1) The State has selected each
Subgrantee and each High-Need
Community that will be served,
including a description of each HighNeed Community and its geographic
diversity, such as whether the
community is located in a rural or tribal
area, and whether it is located in a
federally designated Promise Zone 19 (8
or 6 points).
Note: Applicants that have federally
designated Promise Zones in their States as
of July 31, 2014 must propose to serve and
coordinate with a High-Need Community
located in that Promise Zone in order to be
eligible for up to the full 8 points under subcriterion (D)(1). If they do not propose to
serve and coordinate with a High-Need
Community in that Promise Zone, they are
eligible for up to 6 points under this subcriterion. Applicants that do not have
federally designated Promise Zones in their
State are eligible for up to the full 8 points
under this sub-criterion.
(2) Each High-Need Community is
currently underserved, including the
number and percentage of four-year-olds
in State Preschool Programs and other
18 One example of these reports is referenced
here. 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. Available at: www.nap.edu/
catalog.php?record_id=12446.
19 The first five Promise Zones are located in San
Antonio, Texas (Eastside Neighborhood);
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (West Philadelphia);
Los Angeles, California (Neighborhoods of Pico
Union, Westlake, Koreatown, Hollywood, and East
Hollywood); Southeastern Kentucky (Kentucky
Highlands); and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
For additional information on Promise Zones, see
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/08/
fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promise-zonesinitiative.
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publically funded preschool programs
(8 points).
(3) The State conducted outreach,
including consultation with tribes, if
applicable, to potential Subgrantees and
the process used in selecting each
Subgrantee (4 points).
(4) The State will subgrant at least 95
percent of its Federal grant award over
the grant period to its Subgrantee or
Subgrantees to implement and sustain
voluntary, High-Quality Preschool
Programs in two or more High-Need
Communities, and—
(a) Set ambitious and achievable
annual targets for the number and
percentage of additional Eligible
Children to be served during each year
of the grant period through, as
applicable, the (16 points); and
(b) Incorporate in their plan (12
points):
(i) Ambitious expansion of the
number of new slots in State Preschool
Programs that meet the definition of
High-Quality Preschool Program; and
(ii) Ambitious improvement of
existing State Preschool Program slots to
bring them to the level of a High-Quality
Preschool Program by extending
programs from half-day to Full-Day;
limiting class size and decreasing child
to staff ratios; employing and
compensating a teacher with a
bachelor’s degree; providing in-service,
evidence-based professional
development such as coaching; or
providing Comprehensive Services.
Note: Applicants may receive up to the full
12 points if they address only (D)(4)(b)(i) or
(D)(4)(ii) or if they address both (D)(4)(i) and
(ii);
(5) The State, in coordination with
each Subgrantee, intends to sustain
High-Quality Preschool Programs after
the grant period, including any nonFederal support that the State or each
Subgrantee commits to contribute (12
points).
Evidence for selection criterion (D):
• A letter of support or preliminary
binding agreement, such as a
preliminary MOU, from each
Subgrantee attesting to the Subgrantee’s
participation.
• Table (D)(4) and Table A (See
Tables (D)(4) and A in the Excel
spreadsheets).
• Any other supporting evidence the
State believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
E. Collaborating With Each Subgrantee
and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (50
points)
The extent to which the State has an
ambitious and achievable plan to ensure
that each Subgrantee is effectively
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implementing High-Quality Preschool
Programs, including a description of—
(1) The roles and responsibilities of
the State and Subgrantee in
implementing the project plan (2
points).
(2) How the State plans to implement
High-Quality Preschool Programs,
including the organizational capacity
and existing infrastructure of the
Subgrantee to provide High-Quality
Preschool Programs, either directly or
indirectly through an Early Learning
Provider or Providers, and coordinate
the delivery of High-Quality Preschool
Programs (6 points).
(3) How the State will ensure that
each Subgrantee minimizes local
administrative costs (2 points).
(4) How the State and Subgrantee will
monitor the Early Learning Providers to
ensure they are delivering High-Quality
Preschool Programs (4 points).
(5) How the State and the Subgrantee
will coordinate plans related to
assessments, data sharing, instructional
tools, family engagement, cross-sector
and comprehensive services efforts,
professional development, and
workforce and leadership development
(4 points).
(6) How the State and Subgrantee will
coordinate, but not supplant, the
delivery of High-Quality Preschool
Programs funded under this grant with
existing services for preschool-aged
children including, if applicable, State
Preschool Programs and programs and
services supported through title I of the
ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B
of IDEA, subtitle VII–B of the
McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start
Act, and the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act (6 points).
(7) How the Subgrantee will integrate,
to the extent practicable, High-Quality
Preschool Programs for Eligible
Children within economically diverse,
inclusive settings, including those that
serve children from families with
incomes above 200 percent of the
Federal Poverty Line (6 points).
(8) How the Subgrantee will deliver
High-Quality Preschool Programs to
Eligible Children, including Eligible
Children who may be in need of
additional supports, such as those who
have disabilities or developmental
delays; who are English learners; who
reside on ‘‘Indian lands’’ as that term is
defined by section 8013(7) of the ESEA;
who are migrant; who are ‘‘homeless,’’
as defined in subtitle VII–B of the
McKinney-Vento Act; who are in the
child welfare system; who reside in
rural or tribal areas; who are from
military families; and other children as
identified by the State (6 points).
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(9) How the State will ensure the
Subgrantee implements culturally and
linguistically responsive outreach and
communication efforts to enroll
children from families with Eligible
Children, including isolated or hard-toreach families; helps families build
protective factors; and engages parents
and families (e.g., builds capacity to
support children’s learning and
development) as decision-makers in
their children’s education (4 points).
(10) How the State will ensure strong
partnerships between each Subgrantee
and LEAs or other Early Learning
Providers, as appropriate, including a
description of how the State will ensure
that each Subgrantee (10 points)—
(a) Partners with LEAs or other Early
Learning Providers, as appropriate, to
carry out activities that provide children
and their families with successful
transitions from preschool into
kindergarten; and
(b) Coordinates and collaborates with
LEAs or other Early Learning Providers,
as appropriate, in—
(i) Providing opportunities for early
educators to participate in professional
development on early learning and
kindergarten standards, assessments,
curricula, and culturally and
linguistically responsive strategies to
help families build protective factors,
build parents’ capacity to support their
children’s learning and development,
and engage parents as decision-makers
in their children’s education;
(ii) Providing family engagement,
support, nutrition, and other
Comprehensive Services and
coordinating with other community
partners to ensure families’ access to
needed supports;
(iii) Supporting full inclusion of
Eligible Children with disabilities and
developmental delays to ensure access
to and full participation in the HighQuality Preschool Program;
(iv) Supporting the inclusion of
children who may be in need of
additional supports, such as children
who are English learners; who reside on
‘‘Indian lands’’ as that term is defined
by section 8013(7) of the ESEA; who are
migrant; who are ‘‘homeless,’’ as
defined in subtitle VII–B of the
McKinney-Vento Act; who are in the
child welfare system; who reside in
rural areas; who are from military
families; and other children as
identified by the State;
(v) Ensuring that High-Quality
Preschool Programs have ageappropriate facilities to meet the needs
of Eligible Children;
(vi) Developing and implementing a
systematic procedure for sharing data
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and other records consistent with
Federal and State law; and
(vii) Utilizing community-based
learning resources, such as libraries, arts
and arts education programs, and family
literacy programs.
Evidence for selection criterion (E):
• Any supporting evidence the State
believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
F. Alignment Within a Birth Through
Third Grade Continuum (20 points)
The extent to which the State has an
ambitious and achievable plan to align
High-Quality Preschool Programs
supported by this grant with programs
and systems that serve children from
birth through third grade to, among
other things, improve transitions for
children across this continuum.
(1) For birth through age-five
programs, these activities include—
(a) Coordinating with other early
education and care programs and child
care family service providers supported
through Federal, State, and local
resources to build a strong continuum of
learning for children from birth through
age five and their families that expands
families’ choices, facilitates or improves
their access to programs and supports in
their own communities, and engages all
families with Eligible Children,
including isolated or hard-to-reach
families that might not otherwise
participate; and
(b) Ensuring that the provision of
High-Quality Preschool Programs will
not lead to a diminution of other
services or increased cost to families for
programs serving children from birth
through age five; and
(2) For kindergarten through third
grade, these activities may include—
(a) Ensuring that Eligible Children are
well-prepared for kindergarten;
(b) Sustaining the educational and
developmental gains of Eligible
Children by—
(i) Promoting collaboration between
preschool and kindergarten teachers;
(ii) Expanding access to Full-Day
kindergarten; and
(iii) Increasing the percentage of
children who are able to read and do
math at grade level by the end of third
grade; and
(c) Sustaining a high level of parent
and family engagement as children
move from High-Quality Preschool
Programs into the early elementary
school years;
(d) Taking steps, or building upon the
steps it has taken, to align, at a
minimum—
(i) Child learning standards and
expectations;
(ii) Teacher preparation, credentials,
and workforce competencies;
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(iii) Comprehensive Early Learning
Assessment Systems;
(iv) Data systems; and
(v) Family engagement strategies.
Evidence for selection criterion (F):
• Any supporting evidence the State
believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
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G. Budget and Sustainability (10 points)
The extent to which the budget
narrative and budget tables demonstrate
that the State will—
(1) Use the funds from this grant and
any matching contributions to serve the
number of children described in its
ambitious and achievable plan for each
year, including using the funds for the
projected per child costs for new and
improved State Preschool Program slots
that are reasonable and sufficient, and
that the projected per child costs for
new and improved State Preschool
Program slots are reasonable and
sufficient to ensure High-Quality
Preschool Programs;
(2) Coordinate the use of existing
funds from Federal sources that support
early learning and development, such as
title I of the ESEA, part C and section
619 of part B of IDEA, subtitle VII–B of
the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start
Act, and the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990,
and State, private, local, foundation, or
other private funding sources for
activities and services that help expand
High-Quality Preschool Programs; and
(3) Sustain the High-Quality
Preschool Programs supported by this
grant after the grant period ends to
ensure that the number and percentage
of Eligible Children with access to HighQuality Preschool Programs in the State
will be maintained or expanded,
including to additional High-Need
Communities.
Evidence for selection criterion (G):
• Budget narrative and budget tables.
• Any other supporting evidence the
State believes will be helpful to peer
reviewers.
2. Review and Selection Process: The
Departments will screen applications
that are received by the deadline for
transmittal of applications and will
determine which States are eligible
based on whether they have met the
eligibility requirements in section III
(Eligibility Information) of this notice;
the Departments will not consider
further those applicants deemed
ineligible.
The Departments intend to use a peer
review process with panels of three
reviewers per application. Review
panels will be created based on the
number of applications received. All
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applicants will receive their reviewers’
comments and scores.
In selecting grantees, the Secretaries
may consider high-ranking applications
meeting Absolute Priority 2 and
Absolute Priority 3 separately to ensure
that a variety of States benefit from the
Preschool Development Grants program
and that States that have received Race
to the Top—Early Learning Challenge
awards are not unfairly advantaged in
this competition.
We remind potential applicants that
in reviewing applications in any
discretionary grant competition, the
Secretary of Education may consider,
under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past
performance of the applicant in carrying
out a previous reward, such as the
applicant’s use of funds, achievement of
project objectives, and compliance with
grant conditions. The Secretary of
Education may also consider whether
the applicant failed to submit a timely
performance report or submitted a
report of unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive
grant award, the Secretary of Education
also requires various assurances,
including those applicable to Federal
civil rights laws that prohibit
discrimination in programs or activities
receiving Federal financial assistance
from the Department of Education (34
CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and
110.23).
We intend to post all submitted
applications (both successful and
unsuccessful) on ED’s Web site, together
with the final scores each application
received. We will post each reviewer’s
final scores and comments on reviewed
applications, with the names of
reviewers redacted.
3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR
74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary of
Education may impose special
conditions on a grant if the applicant or
grantee is not financially stable; has a
history of unsatisfactory performance;
has a financial or other management
system that does not meet the standards
in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable;
has not fulfilled the conditions of a
prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application
is successful, we notify your U.S.
Representative and U.S. Senators and
send you a Grant Award Notification
(GAN); or we may send you an email
containing a link to access an electronic
version of your GAN. We may notify
you informally, also.
If your application is not evaluated or
not selected for funding, we notify you.
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2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy
requirements in the application package
and reference these and other
requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining
the terms and conditions of an award in
the Applicable Regulations section of
this notice and include these and other
specific conditions in the GAN. The
GAN also incorporates your approved
application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a
grant under this competition, you must
ensure that you have in place the
necessary processes and systems to
comply with the reporting requirements
in 2 CFR part 170 should you receive
funding under the competition. This
does not apply if you have an exception
under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) At the end of your project period,
you must submit a final performance
report, including financial information,
as directed by the Departments. If you
receive a multi-year award, you must
submit an annual performance report
that provides the most current
performance and financial expenditure
information as directed by the Secretary
of Education under 34 CFR 75.118. The
Secretary of Education may also require
more frequent performance reports
under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific
requirements on reporting, please go to
www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/
appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: Under the
Government Performance and Results
Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Departments
have developed the following
performance measures for measuring the
overall effectiveness of this program:
(1) The number and percentage of
Eligible Children served in High-Quality
Preschool Programs funded by the grant;
(2) The number and percentage of
children served overall in the State
Preschool Program; and
(3) The number and percentage of
children in the High-Need Communities
served by the grant that are ready for
kindergarten as determined by the
State’s Kindergarten Entry Assessment
or, if the State does not yet have a
Kindergarten Entry Assessment, other
valid and reliable means of determining
school readiness.
5. Continuation Awards: Grants
awarded under this competition may be
for a project period of up to four years.
Depending on the availability of funds,
the Departments will make continuation
awards for years two, three, and four of
the project period in accordance with
section 75.253 of EDGAR (34 CFR
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75.253). Consistent with this provision,
the Departments will determine the
extent to which a grantee has made
‘‘substantial progress toward meeting
the objectives in its approved
application,’’ which will include a
review of a grantee’s progress in meeting
the targets and projected outcomes in its
approved application, and whether the
grantee has expended funds in a manner
that is consistent with its approved
application and budget. To ensure that
continuation funds will be used only for
high-quality and effective projects, in
determining whether or not to award
continuation grants, the Departments
will also consider the extent to which
the grantee is achieving the intended
outcomes of the grant and progress in
areas demonstrates the following:
(a) The development, enhancement,
or expansion of High-Quality Preschool
Programs in each designated High-Need
Community to be served by each
Subgrantee, including in the
improvement of the State Preschool
Program’s infrastructure, and in the
development of community
partnerships, needed to ensure the
delivery of High-Quality Preschool
Programs to participating Eligible
Children and their families and the
culturally and linguistically appropriate
outreach activities and procedures
needed to encourage and maintain
enrollment of children in isolated or
otherwise hard-to-reach families in the
designated communities;
(b) Holding each Subgrantee
accountable for fully adhering to all the
program quality components that are
part of the definition of a High-Quality
Preschool Program;
(c) Coordination of Federal and State
funds and programs to support a
coherent approach to effective HighQuality Preschool Programs and
supporting and engaging parents;
(d) Providing high-quality technical
assistance to each Subgrantee and
implementing a rigorous monitoring
process to ensure the delivery of HighQuality Preschool Programs;
(e) Collecting, analyzing, and using
high-quality and timely data, especially
on Subgrantee program quality,
including data regarding program
outcomes, family engagement, school
readiness of Eligible Children in HighQuality Preschool Programs, and
student progress through third grade;
(f) Improvement on the program
performance measures, to the extent
such data are available;
(g) Holding each Subgrantee
accountable for engaging and supporting
parents, helping them build protective
factors, facilitating families’ links to
services in their community, enhancing
their capacity to support their children’s
education and development, and
involving parents in decisions about
their children’s education; and
(h) If applicable, obtaining and
expending matching contributions as
described in its application.
In making a continuation grant, the
Secretary of Education also considers
whether the grantee is operating in
compliance with the assurances in its
approved application, including those
applicable to Federal civil rights laws
that prohibit discrimination in programs
or activities receiving Federal financial
assistance from the Department of
Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4,
108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW.,
Room 3E344, Washington, DC 20202–
6200. Telephone: 202–260–0968 or by
email: PreschoolDevelopmentGrants.
Competition@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the
FRS, toll free, at 1–800–877–8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with
disabilities can obtain a copy of the
application package in an accessible
format (e.g., braille, large print,
audiotape, or compact disc) on request
to the program contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document:
The official version of this document is
the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register
and the Code of Federal Regulations is
available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you
can view this document, as well as all
other documents of this Department
published in the Federal Register, in
text or PDF. To use PDF you must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the
Department published in the Federal
Register by using the article search
feature at: www.federalregister.gov.
Specifically, through the advanced
search feature at this site, you can limit
your search to documents published by
the Department.
Dated: August 12, 2014.
Deborah S. Delisle,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education, U.S. Department of
Education.
Mark Greenberg,
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families,
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
Appendix A—Scoring Rubric
I. Introduction
To help ensure inter-reviewer reliability
and transparency for the Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant
applicants, the Departments have created and
are publishing a rubric for scoring State
applications. The pages that follow detail the
rubric and allocation of point values that
reviewers will be using. The rubric will be
used by reviewers to ensure consistency
across and within review panels.
The rubric allocates points to each
selection criterion. In all, the Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant
scoring rubric includes seven selection
criteria and three competitive preference
priorities. These collectively add up to 230
points.
Reviewers will be required to make
thoughtful judgments about the quality of a
State’s application and will be assessing,
based on the selection criteria, the
comprehensiveness, feasibility, and likely
impact of the State’s application. Reviewers
will also be asked to evaluate, for example,
the extent to which the State has set
ambitious and achievable annual targets in
its application. Reviewers will also need to
make informed judgments about the State’s
goals, the activities the State has chosen to
undertake, and the timelines and credibility
of the State’s plan.
This appendix includes information about
the point values for each selection criterion
and priority, guidance on scoring, and the
rubric that we will provide to reviewers.
II. Points Overview
The chart below shows the maximum
number of points and the percent of total
points available that are assigned to each
selection criterion.
Points
available
Preschool development grants—expansion grants: points overview
A. Executive Summary
(A)(1) The State’s progress to date.
(A)(2) Provide High-Quality Preschool Programs in two or more High-Need Communities.
(A)(3) Increase the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in High-Quality Preschool Programs.
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Points
available
Preschool development grants—expansion grants: points overview
Percent
(A)(4) Characteristics of High-Quality Preschool Programs.
(A)(5) Set expectations for school readiness.
(A)(6) Supported by a broad group of stakeholders.
(A)(7) Allocate funds between—
(a) Activities to build or enhance infrastructure using no more than 5% of funds; and
(b) Subgrants using at least 95% of funds.
Subtotal ..............................................................................................................................................
10
5
B. Commitment to State Preschool Programs
(B)(1) Early Learning and Development Standards .........................................................................................
(B)(2) State’s financial investment ...................................................................................................................
(B)(3) Enacted and pending legislation, policies, and/or practices ..................................................................
(B)(4) Quality of existing State Preschool Programs .......................................................................................
(B)(5) Coordination of preschool programs and services ................................................................................
(B)(6) Role in promoting coordination of preschool programs with other sectors ...........................................
2
6
4
4
2
2
1
3
2
2
1
1
Subtotal .....................................................................................................................................................
20
10
C. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs
(C)(1) Use no more than 5% of funds for infrastructure and quality improvements .......................................
(C)(2) Implement a system for monitoring .......................................................................................................
(C)(3) Measure the outcomes of participating children ....................................................................................
8
10
12
4
5
6
Subtotal .....................................................................................................................................................
30
15
8
4
8
4
4
2
16
8
12
6
12
6
60
30
2
6
2
4
4
1
3
1
2
2
6
3
6
2
6
3
D. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community
(D)(1) How the State has selected each Subgrantee and each High-Need Community ................................
Note: Applicants with federally designated Promise Zones must propose to serve and coordinate with a
High-Need Community in that Promise Zone in order to be eligible for up to the full 8 points. If they do
not, they are eligible for up to 6 points. Applicants that do not have federally designated Promise Zones
in their State are eligible for up to the full 8 points.
(D)(2) How each High-Need Community is currently underserved .................................................................
(D)(3) How the State will conduct outreach to potential Subgrantees ............................................................
(D)(4) How the State will subgrant at least 95% of its Federal grant award to its Subgrantee or Subgrantees to implement and sustain voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs in two or more HighNeed Communities, and—
(a) Set ambitious and achievable targets; and
(b) Incorporate in their plan—
(i) Expansion of the number of new high-quality State Preschool Program slots; and
(ii) Improvement of existing State Preschool Program slots.
Note: Applicants may receive up to the full 12 points if they address only (D)(4)(b)(i) or (b)(ii) or if they address both (D)(4)(b)(i) and (b)(ii); .................................................................................................................
(5) How the State, in coordination with the Subgrantees, plans to sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs after the grant period .........................................................................................................................
D. Subtotal .........................................................................................................................................
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E. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships
(E)(1) Roles and responsibilities of the State and Subgrantee in implementing the project plan ..................
(E)(2) How High-Quality Preschool Programs will be implemented ................................................................
(E)(3) How the Subgrantee will minimize local administrative costs ...............................................................
(E)(4) How the State and Subgrantee will monitor Early Learning Providers .................................................
(E)(5) How the State and the Subgrantee will coordinate plans .....................................................................
(E)(6) How the State and the Subgrantee will coordinate, but not supplant, the delivery of High-Quality
Preschool Programs funded under this grant with existing services for preschool-aged children ..............
(E)(7) How the Subgrantees will integrate High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children within
economically diverse, inclusive settings .......................................................................................................
(E)(8) How the Subgrantees will deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children who may be
in need of additional supports ......................................................................................................................
(E)(9) How the State will ensure outreach to enroll isolated or hard-to-reach families; help families build
protective factors; and engage parents and families ...................................................................................
(E)(10) How the State will ensure strong partnerships between each Subgrantee and LEAs or other Early
Learning Providers ........................................................................................................................................
4
2
10
5
Subtotal .....................................................................................................................................................
50
25
20
10
F. Alignment within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum
(F)(1) Birth through age-five programs.
(F)(2) Kindergarten through third grade.
Subtotal .....................................................................................................................................................
G. Budget and Sustainability
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Points
available
Preschool development grants—expansion grants: points overview
Percent
(G)(1) Use the funds from this grant and any matching contributions to serve the number of Eligible Children described in its ambitious and achievable plan each year.
(G)(2) Coordinate the uses of existing funds from Federal sources that support early learning and development.
(G)(3) Sustain the High-Quality Preschool Programs provided by this grant after the grant period ends.
Subtotal .....................................................................................................................................................
10
5
Total Points Available for Selection Criteria ......................................................................................
200
100
Competitive Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds ..............................................................................................
Competitive Priority 2: Supporting a Continuum of Early Learning and Development ...........................................
Competitive Priority 3: Creating New High-Quality State Preschool Program Slots ..............................................
10
10
0 or 10
Total for All Priorities ........................................................................................................................................
30
Grand Total ...............................................................................................................................................
230
III. About Scoring
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General Notes About Scoring
Ambitious and Achievable. In determining
whether a State has ambitious and achievable
goals or targets for a given selection criterion,
reviewers will examine the State’s goals or
targets in the context of the State’s plan and
the evidence submitted (if any) in support of
the plan. Reviewers will not be looking for
any specific targets nor will they necessarily
reward higher targets above lower ones with
higher scores. Rather, reviewers will reward
States for developing goals and targets that,
in light of each State’s plan and the current
context and status of the work in that State,
are shown to be ambitious and achievable.
Additionally, there is a term that we use
repeatedly in the notice: Ambitious and
achievable plan. This is an anchor term for
applicants to understand and reviewers to
use in guiding their scoring. In determining
the quality of a State’s plan for a given
selection criterion or competitive preference
priority, reviewers will assess the extent to
which the plan is ambitious and achievable,
including whether it is feasible and has a
high probability of successful
implementation and contains the following
components—
(1) The key goals of the plan;
(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;
(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 and
sustainment 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;
and
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(8) How the State will address the needs
of Eligible Children, including those who
may be in need of additional supports, such
as children who have disabilities or
developmental delays; who are English
learners; who reside on ‘‘Indian lands’’ as
that term is defined by section 8013(7) of the
ESEA; who are migrant; who are ‘‘homeless,’’
as defined in subtitle VII–B of the McKinneyVento Act; who are involved in the child
welfare system; who reside in rural areas;
who are from military families; and any other
children identified by the State.
Additional points will be awarded to an
application to the extent that reviewers
determine it has met a competitive
preference priority. Applicants earn points
under the competitive preference priorities in
a manner similar to how they earn points
under the selection criteria.
Æ Competitive Preference Priority 1
(Contributing Matching Funds) is worth up to
10 points.
Rubric
The following scoring rubric will be used
to guide the reviewers in scoring selection
criteria and priorities. (See ‘‘General Notes
about Scoring’’ for more information about
how reviewers will assess ambitious and
achievable plans.)
50% or more .........................
40% to 49% ..........................
30% to 39% ..........................
20% to 29% ..........................
10% to 19% ..........................
Less than 10% ......................
Percentage of
available
points
awarded
High-quality response ...........
Medium/high-quality response ...............................
Medium/low-quality response
Low-quality response ............
80–100
50–80
20–50
0–20
About Priorities
There are two types of priorities in the
Preschool Development Grants—Expansion
Grant competition: absolute and competitive.
• Applicants must address Absolute
Priority 1 the absolute priorities throughout
their applications; they do not write
separately to this priority. It will be assessed,
after the proposal has been fully reviewed
and evaluated, to ensure that the application
has met the priority. Absolute Priority 1 must
be met in order for an applicant to receive
funding. If an application has not met the
priority, it will be eliminated from the
competition. A State meets the absolute
priority if a majority of reviewers determines
that the State has met the absolute priority.
Absolute Priorities 2 and 3 are not judged by
peer reviewers.
• Applicants may choose whether to
address the competitive preference priorities.
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Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
State match of projected
four-year total award amount
Possible
points
10
8
6
4
2
0
Æ Competitive Preference Priority 2
(Supporting a Continuum of Early Learning
and Development) is worth up to 10 points.
Æ Competitive Preference Priority 3
(Creating New High-Quality State Preschool
Program Slots) is worth 0 or 10 points. If the
applicant proposes to use at least 50 percent
of its Federal grant award to create new State
Preschool Program slots, 10 points will be
awarded.
In the Event of a Tie
If two or more applications have the same
score and there is not sufficient funding to
support all of the tied applicants, the
applicants’ overall scores on Selection
Criterion (D) will be used to break the tie.
Appendix B—Subgrantee
Model Memorandum of Understanding
States do not need to submit Memoranda
of Understanding (MOU) from each
Subgrantee at the time of application, but, if
awarded funds, States that receive Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grants will
have 90 days to submit signed MOUs or other
binding agreements from each Subgrantee
(see Program Requirement (i)). However, as
stated in Application Requirement (e), States
applying for Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grants must submit a
letter of support or preliminary MOU or other
preliminary binding agreement from each
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Subgrantee identified in its application. The
following is an example of a final agreement.
Background for Memorandum of
Understanding
Within 90 days of receipt of a Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant
award, the State must submit to the
Departments a final signed MOU or other
binding agreement with each Subgrantee.
The purpose of the MOU or other binding
agreement is to define a relationship between
the State’s Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
that is specific to the Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant Competition; the
MOU or other binding agreement is not
meant to detail all typical aspects of grant
coordination or administration.
To support States in working efficiently
with their Subgrantees to affirm each
Subgrantee’s participation in the State Plan,
the Departments have produced a model
MOU, which is attached. This model MOU
may serve as a template for States; however,
States are not required to use it. States may
use a document other than the model MOU,
as long as it includes the key features noted
below and in the model MOU. States should
consult with their State attorneys on what is
most appropriate. States may allow multiple
Subgrantees to sign a single MOU or other
binding agreement, with customized exhibits
for each Subgrantee, if the State so chooses.
At a minimum, a Preschool Development
Grants–-Expansion Grant MOU or other
binding agreement should include the
following key features, each of which is
described in detail below and exemplified in
the attached model MOU: (i) Terms and
conditions; (ii) a scope of work; and (iii)
authorized signatures.
(i) Terms and conditions: Each Subgrantee
must sign a standard set of terms and
conditions that includes, at a minimum: Key
roles and responsibilities of the Lead Agency
and the Subgrantee; method and process for
making different types of decisions;
mechanism for exchanging of data; the
Subgrantee’s role in implementing the State’s
ambitious and achievable plan; State
recourse for non-performance by the
Subgrantee; and assurances that make clear
what the Subgrantee is agreeing to do.
(ii) Scope of work: Preschool Development
Grants–-Expansion Grants MOUs or other
binding agreements must include a scope of
work (included in the model MOU as Exhibit
I) that is completed by each Subgrantee. The
scope of work must be signed and dated by
an authorized Subgrantee official and an
authorized Lead Agency official. The scope
of work for the State and the Subgrantee,
which must contain detailed work plans and
budgets consistent with the State’s grant
application, must include the State’s and
each Subgrantee’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 Subgrantee is agreeing to implement.
(iii) Authorized Signatures: The signatures
on the MOU or other binding agreement
demonstrate an acknowledgement of the
relationship between the Subgrantee and the
Lead Agency. With respect to the
relationship between the Subgrantee and the
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18:19 Aug 15, 2014
Jkt 232001
Lead Agency, the Lead Agency’s countersignature on the MOU or other binding
agreement indicates that the Subgrantee’s
commitment is consistent with the
requirement that a Subgrantee implement all
applicable portions of the State Plan.
Model Subgrantee Memorandum of
Understanding
(To be submitted 90 days after State
receives award)
This Memorandum of Understanding
(‘‘MOU’’) is entered into by and between l
llll (‘‘Lead Agency’’) and lllll
(‘‘Subgrantee’’). The purpose of this
agreement is to establish a framework of
collaboration, as well as articulate specific
roles and responsibilities in support of the
State in its implementation of an approved
Preschool Development Grants–-Expansion
Grant.
I. Assurances
The Subgrantee hereby certifies and
represents that it:
(1) Agrees to implement those portions of
the State Plan indicated in Exhibit I.
(2) Has all requisite power and authority to
execute and fulfill the terms of this MOU;
(3) Is familiar with the State’s Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant
Application and is supportive of and
committed to working on all applicable
portions of the State Plan;
(4) Will implement the Scope of Work in
Exhibit I consistent with the Budget included
in section VIII of the State Plan (including
existing funds, if any, that the Subgrantee is
using for activities and services that help
achieve the outcomes of the State Plan); and
(5) Will comply with all of the terms of the
Preschool Expansion Grants–-Expansion
Grant, this agreement, and all applicable
Federal and State laws and regulations,
including laws and regulations applicable to
the Preschool Development Grants–Expansion Grant, and the applicable
provisions of EDGAR (34 CFR parts 75, 77,
79, 80, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98 and 99), and the
debarment and suspension regulations in 2
CFR part 3485.
II. Project Administration
A. Subgrantee Responsibilities
In assisting the Lead Agency in
implementing the tasks and activities
described in the State’s Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant
application, the Subgrantee will:
(1) Implement the Subgrantee Scope of
Work as identified in Exhibit I of this
agreement;
(2) Make arrangements for High-Quality
Preschool programs to be provided by Early
Learning Providers and will appropriately
monitor such entities;
(3) Abide by the State’s Budget included in
section VIII of the State Plan (including the
existing funds from Federal, State, private,
and local sources, if any, that the Subgrantee
is using to achieve the outcomes in the
Preschool Development Grants–-Expansion
Grant Plan) and with the Subgrantee’s Budget
included in Exhibit II of this agreement;
(4) Actively participate in all relevant
meetings or other events that are organized
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Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
48891
or sponsored by the State, by the U.S.
Department of Education (‘‘ED’’), or by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (‘‘HHS’’);
(5) Post to any Web site specified by the
State, ED, or HHS, in a timely manner, all
non-proprietary products and lessons learned
developed using Federal funds awarded
under the Preschool Development Grants—
Expansion Grant;
(6) Participate, as requested, in any
evaluations of this grant conducted by the
State, ED, or HHS;
(7) Be responsive to State, ED, or HHS
requests for project information including on
the status of the project, project
implementation, outcomes, and any
problems anticipated or encountered,
consistent with applicable local, State, and
Federal privacy laws;
(8) Provide researchers with access,
consistent with requirements of all
applicable Federal, State, and local privacy
laws, to available data regarding the
enrollment and school readiness of Eligible
Children in State Preschool Programs;
(9) Implement culturally and linguistically
responsive outreach and communication
efforts to enroll isolated or hard-to-reach
families; help families build protective
factors; and engage parents and families as
decision-makers in their children’s
education;
(10) Minimize local administrative costs;
and
(11) Partner with LEAs or other Early
Learning Providers, as appropriate, to carry
out activities that will provide children and
their families with successful transitions
from preschool into kindergarten.
B. Lead Agency Responsibilities
In assisting the Subgrantee in
implementing its tasks and activities
described in the Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant application, the
Lead Agency will:
(1) Work collaboratively with the
Subgrantee and support the Subgrantee in
carrying out the Subgrantee’s Scope of Work,
as identified in Exhibit I of this agreement;
(2) Award in a timely manner the portion
of Preschool Development Grants–Expansion Grant funds designated for the
Subgrantee in the Plan during the course of
the project period and in accordance with the
Subgrantee Scope of Work, as identified in
Exhibit I, and in accordance with the
Subgrantee’s Budget, as identified in Exhibit
II;
(3) Provide feedback on the Subgrantee’s
status updates, any interim reports, and
project plans and products;
(4) Keep the Subgrantee informed of the
status of the State’s Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant project and seek
input from the Subgrantee, where relevant to
the portion of the State plan that the
Subgrantee is implementing;
(5) Facilitate coordination across
Subgrantees necessary to implement the State
Plan;
(6) Identify sources of technical assistance
for the project; and
(7) Monitor Subgrantee’s Implementation
of High-Quality Preschool Programs.
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C. Joint Responsibilities
(1) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will implement the State Plan consistent
with the description of the roles and
responsibilities outlined in the State’s
application and in the Scope of Work in
Exhibit I;
(2) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will each appoint a key contact person for the
Preschool Development Grants—Expansion
Grant;
(3) These key contacts from the Lead
Agency and the Subgrantee will maintain
frequent communication to facilitate
cooperation under this MOU, consistent with
the State Plan and governance structure.
(4) Lead Agency and Subgrantee personnel
will work together to determine appropriate
timelines for project updates and status
reports throughout the grant period;
(5) Lead Agency and Subgrantee personnel
will negotiate in good faith toward achieving
the overall goals of the State’s Preschool
Development Grants—Expansion Grant,
including when the State Plan requires
modifications that affect the Subgrantee, or
when the Subgrantee’s Scope of Work
requires modifications;
(6) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will devise plans to sustain High-Quality
Preschool Programs after the grant period,
including any non-Federal support that the
State or Subgrantees plan to contribute;
(7) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will coordinate plans related to assessments,
data sharing, instructional tools, family
engagement, cross-sector and comprehensive
services efforts, professional development,
and workforce and leadership development;
and
(8) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will coordinate, but not supplant, the
delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs
funded under this grant with existing
services for preschool-aged children
including, if applicable, programs and
services supported through title I of the
ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B of
IDEA, subtitle VII–B of the McKinney-Vento
Act, the Head Start Act, and the Child Care
and Development Block Grant Act.
D. State Recourse in the Event of
Subgrantee’s Failure To Perform
If the Lead Agency determines that the
Subgrantee is not meeting its goals, timelines,
budget, or annual targets, or is in some other
way not fulfilling applicable requirements,
the Lead Agency will take appropriate
enforcement action, which could include
initiating a collaborative process by which
they attempt to resolve the disagreements
between the Lead Agency and the
Subgrantee, or initiating such enforcement
measures as are available to the Lead Agency,
under applicable State or Federal law.
III. Modifications
This Memorandum of Understanding may
be amended only by written agreement
signed by each of the parties involved, in
consultation with ED and HHS.
IV. Duration
This Memorandum of Understanding shall
be effective, beginning with the date of the
last signature hereon and ending upon the
expiration of the Preschool Development
Grants—Expansion Grant project period.
V. Signatures
Authorized Representative of Lead Agency:
lllllllllllllllllllll
Signature
Date
lllllllllllllllllllll
Print Name
Title
Authorized Representative of Subgrantee:
lllllllllllllllllllll
Signature
Date
lllllllllllllllllllll
Print Name
Title
Exhibit I—State Lead Agency and
Subgrantee Scope of Work
The State Lead Agency and Subgrantee
hereby agrees to participate in the State Plan,
as described in the State’s application, and
more specifically commits to undertake the
tasks and activities described in detail below.
In addition, the Lead Agency and Subgrantee
will collaborate to establish Performance
Measures for any aspects of the State’s plan
that the Subgrantee is implementing.
Participating party
Type of participation
Example Row—shows an example of criterion (E)(10)(b)(ii) for the Subgrantees.
• Subgrantees .......................
Example Row—shows an example of criterion (F)(2)(d)(i) for the State Lead
Agency.
(D)(4).
(D)(5).
(E)(1).
(E)(2).
(E)(3).
(E)(4).
(E)(5).
(E)(6).
(E)(7).
(E)(8).
(E)(9).
(E)(10).
(F)(1).
(F)(2).
(G)(1).
(G)(2).
(G)(3).
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Selection criterion
• State Lead Agency ............
Performance
measure
(if applicable)
Providing family engagement, support, nutrition,
and other Comprehensive Services and coordinating with other community partners to
ensure families’ access to needed supports.
Taking steps, or building upon the steps it has
taken, to align, at a minimum—
(i) Child learning standards and expectations
Exhibit II—Subgrantee Budget
The MOU must contain a Subgrantee
budget clearly explaining how each
Subgrantee will expend funds, including any
matching funds, if applicable. The State and
each Subgrantee must update the budgets
submitted in Part VII of the application and
submit them as part of the MOU.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:19 Aug 15, 2014
Jkt 232001
lllllllllllllllllllll
Signature
Date
(Authorized Representative of Lead Agency)
lllllllllllllllllllll
Signature
Date
(Authorized Representative of Subgrantee, if
applicable)
PO 00000
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Fmt 4701
Sfmt 9990
lllllllllllllllllllll
Signature
Date
(Authorized Representative of Subgrantee, if
applicable)
[FR Doc. 2014–19427 Filed 8–15–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 159 (Monday, August 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48873-48892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19427]
[[Page 48873]]
Vol. 79
Monday,
No. 159
August 18, 2014
Part IV
Department of Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Health and Human Services
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Applications for New Awards; Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grants; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 79 , No. 159 / Monday, August 18, 2014 /
Notices
[[Page 48874]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Applications for New Awards; Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grants
AGENCY: Department of Education and Department of Health and Human
Services.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Overview Information: Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grants Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)
2014.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.419B.
DATES: Applications Available: August 18, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: September 11, 2014.
Note: Submission of a notice of intent to apply is optional.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 14, 2014.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Preschool Development Grants
program, which is jointly administered by the Departments of Education
and Health and Human Services (Departments), is to support State and
local efforts to build, develop, and expand High-Quality Preschool
Programs \1\ so that more children from low- and moderate-income
families enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and in life. All
States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are eligible to apply
for either a Preschool Development Grants--Development Grant or a
Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Defined terms are used throughout the notice and are
indicated by capitalization.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants will support States
that have robust State Preschool Programs or that have been awarded a
Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge grant. These grants will be
awarded to States to implement and sustain High-Quality Preschool
Programs that reach and serve additional Eligible Children in two or
more High-Need Communities. States will also be able to use a portion
of their funds to make preschool program infrastructure and quality
improvements needed to deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs. The
States eligible to apply for a Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grant are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin.
Preschool Development Grants--Development Grants will support
States with either small or no State Preschool Programs. These grants
will be awarded to States to develop or enhance preschool program
infrastructure and capacity to deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs.
These States will be expected to implement and sustain High-Quality
Preschool Programs to reach and serve additional Eligible Children in
one or more High-Need Communities. The States eligible to apply for a
Preschool Development Grants--Development Grant are Alabama, Alaska,
Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Utah,
and Wyoming.
Background and Program Overview:
Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants
Strong and consistent evidence demonstrates that participation in
high-quality early learning programs can lead to both short- and long-
term positive outcomes for all children, but especially children from
low-income families.\2\ Research has shown the multiple benefits of
attending preschool programs that are of high-quality, including
increased school readiness, lower rates of grade retention and special
education placements, improved high school graduation rates, reduced
interaction with law enforcement, and higher rates of college
attendance and completion.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Burchinal, M.,
Espinosa, L., Gormley, W., Ludwig, J.O., Magnuson, K.A., Phillips,
D.A., & Zaslow, M.J. (2013). Investing in Our Future: The Evidence
Base on Preschool Education. New York: Foundation for Child
Development and Ann Arbor, MI: Society for Research in Child
Development. Available at: https://fcd-us.org/sites/default/files/Evidence%20Base%20on%20Preschool%20Education%20FINAL.pdf.
\3\ Barnett, W.S. (2008). Preschool Education and Its Lasting
Effects: Research and Policy Implications. Boulder and Tempe:
Education and the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research
Unit. Available at: https://nieer.org/resources/research/PreschoolLastingEffects.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We also know that children from low-income families, on average,
start kindergarten 12 to 14 months behind their peers in pre-reading
and language skills.\4\ Results from the ``Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11,'' indicate that children's
performance in reading and math were lowest for kindergartners in
households with incomes below the Federal Poverty Line and highest for
those in households with incomes at or above 200 percent of the Federal
Poverty Line.\5\ Increasing access to High-Quality Preschool Programs,
particularly for at-risk children from low-income families, can help
close, or even prevent, these achievement gaps prior to kindergarten
entry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood
Development (2000). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of
Early Childhood Development. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A.
Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on
Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC:
National Academy Press.
\5\ Mulligan, G.M., Hastedt, S., and McCarroll, J.C. (July,
2012). First-Time Kindergartners in 2010-11: First Findings From the
Kindergarten Rounds of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study,
Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) (NCES 2012-049). U.S.
Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for
Education Statistics. Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/.
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The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Pub. L. 113-76) provided
$250 million for competitive grants to States for improving early
childhood care and education, and help States develop, enhance, and
expand preschool programs that are of high-quality. Of this amount, the
Departments expect to dedicate approximately $160 million to Preschool
Development Grants--Expansion Grants and $80 million to Preschool
Development Grants--Development Grants. As explained more fully
elsewhere in the notice, we are waiving notice-and-comment rulemaking
for these competitions to ensure timely awards. However, the
Departments welcomed comments from the public on the priorities,
requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for this funding
opportunity through a dedicated Web site and a public hearing. In all,
the Departments received over 600 individual comments to consider as we
drafted this notice to be consistent with the language in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, and accompanying report.\6\
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\6\ https://www2.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants/resources.html.
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In this notice, we announce the priorities, requirements,
definitions, and selection criteria that the Departments will use in
the FY 2014 Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants competition.
We announce the priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection
criteria that we will use in the
[[Page 48875]]
FY 2014 Preschool Development Grants--Development Grants competition in
a separate notice inviting applications published elsewhere in this
issue of the Federal Register.
The Departments will make Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grants on a competitive basis to States to (1) implement and sustain
High-Quality Preschool Programs that reach and serve additional
Eligible Children in two or more High-Need Communities; and (2) enhance
preschool program infrastructure and capacity to deliver High-Quality
Preschool Programs. For Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants,
States may allocate up to five percent of the total Federal funds over
the grant period for State-level infrastructure. The remainder of the
Federal funds must be subgranted to Early Learning Providers in two or
more High-Need Communities.
We intend High-Quality Preschool Programs to be delivered through a
mixed-delivery system of providers that includes schools, licensed
child care centers, Head Start programs, and community-based
organizations. Preschool programs funded by the Preschool Development
Grants program must meet program quality standards, including, at a
minimum, the elements outlined in the definition of a ``High-Quality
Preschool Program,'' such as high staff qualifications, low child-staff
ratios and small class sizes, a Full-Day program, and Comprehensive
Services for children. Though encouraged, other preschool programs
within the State will not be required to meet these same criteria.
A State's application must include an ambitious and achievable plan
covering a project period of up to four years. Depending on the
availability of funds, the Departments will make continuation awards
for years two, three, and four of the project period. The State's
ambitious and achievable plan must describe, among other things, how
the State will expand access to High-Quality Preschool Programs to
children at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line; the
applicant's strategy for ensuring the creation of, as appropriate, new
State Preschool Program slots and the improvement of existing State
Preschool Program slots as described in Selection Criterion (D)(4)(b);
the reasons for selecting each High-Need Community; a system for
monitoring programs for continuous improvement; how Local Educational
Agencies and other Early Learning Providers will establish and maintain
strong partnerships; how High-Quality Preschool Programs supported
under this grant will be aligned with programs and systems that serve
children from birth through third grade; and how the State will
maintain High-Quality Preschool Programs for children after the grant
period.
Priorities: We are establishing these priorities for the FY 2014
grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make awards from
the list of unfunded applicants from this competition. These priorities
are established in accordance with section 437(d)(1) of the General
Education Provisions Act (GEPA), 20 U.S.C. 1232(d)(1).
Absolute Priorities: These priorities are absolute priorities.
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3) we consider only applications that meet
Absolute Priority 1 and either Absolute Priority 2 or Absolute Priority
3.
These priorities are:
Absolute Priority 1: Increasing Access to High-Quality Preschool
Programs in High-Need Communities. To meet this priority, the State
must demonstrate in its application how it will increase access to
High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children by having an
ambitious and achievable plan to--
(1) Begin serving Eligible Children no later than in year one of
the grant period;
(2) Subgrant at least 95 percent of its Federal grant funds
received over the grant period to one or more Subgrantees to implement
and sustain voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible
Children in two or more High-Need Communities in the State; and
(3) Use no more than five percent of its Federal grant funds
received during the grant period for State-level infrastructure and
quality improvements, such as those described in selection criterion
(C)(1).
Absolute Priority 2: Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge
States.
To meet this priority, an applicant must have received an award
under a Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge competition.
Note: These States are California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia,
Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Absolute Priority 3: Non-Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge
States with More Robust State Preschool Programs.
To meet this priority, the applicant must not have received an
award under a Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge competition and
serve 10 percent or more of four-year-old children in a State Preschool
Program.
Note: These States are Arkansas, Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, New
York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West
Virginia.\7\
Competitive Preference Priorities: These priorities are competitive
preference priorities. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i) we award up to an
additional 10 points to an application that meets Competitive
Preference Priority 1 and up to an additional 10 points for an
application that meets Competitive Preference Priority 2, depending on
how well the application meets these competitive preference priorities.
We also award an additional 10 points for an application that meets
Competitive Preference Priority 3. An application can receive a maximum
of 30 competitive preference priority points.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E,
Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K. (May 2014). State of Preschool
2013: First Look (NCES 2014-078). U.S. Department of Education.
Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Available
at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
These priorities are:
Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (up
to 10 points).
Background: An applicant is not required to contribute non-Federal
matching funds to support its ambitious and achievable plan. However,
we will give competitive preference to applicants who address this
priority and will award more points to applicants that commit to a
larger matching contribution. Successful applicants that do not obtain
or expend the matching funds they committed to in their applications
may be subject to enforcement proceedings, including withholding of
funds or denial of a continuation award.
Priority: To receive a competitive preference under this priority,
the State must describe and submit appropriate evidence of a credible
plan for obtaining and using non-Federal matching funds to support the
implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant
period. Matching funds may be comprised of State, local, and
philanthropic funds and may also include increased State funding
appropriated beginning in the State fiscal year prior to the first year
of the grant period. Points will be awarded based on the following
scale if the plan is determined to be credible:
[[Page 48876]]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Competitive
Percentage non-Federal match of the State's four-year preference
total award points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50% or more............................................. 10
40-49%.................................................. 8
30-39%.................................................. 6
20-29%.................................................. 4
10-19%.................................................. 2
0-9%.................................................... 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting a Continuum of Early
Learning and Development (up to 10 points).
Background: The integration of High-Quality Preschool Programs
within a broader continuum of comprehensive high-quality supports and
services helps to create smooth transitions for children and families
to ensure continuous and consistent high-quality early learning
opportunities critical to children's success. Transition services play
a vital role, particularly in the transitions from infant and toddler
services to preschool services, and services under part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. 1400 et
seq.) to services under section 619 of part B of IDEA. States can
support children and families through cross-sector partnerships and by
leveraging resources from existing State and local agencies that
provide early childhood services, including part C and section 619 of
part B of IDEA, Early Head Start and Head Start, home visiting, child
care, preschool programs, family supports (e.g., those that strengthen
and stabilize families) and engagement resources, adult education, and
housing, health, and mental health services.
Priority: To receive a competitive preference under this priority,
the State must describe an ambitious and achievable plan that addresses
the creation of a more seamless progression of supports and
interventions from birth through third grade, such as high-quality
infant and toddler care, home visitation, Full-Day kindergarten, and
before- and after-care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of
Eligible Children and their families within each High-Need Community
served by each Subgrantee.
Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High-Quality State
Preschool Program Slots (0 or 10 points).
Background: Many States have taken note of the short- and long-term
benefits of early education and have launched efforts to expand the
availability of State Preschool Programs. As of 2013, 40 States and the
District of Columbia have at least one State Preschool Program in
place.\8\ Nevertheless, only about 28 percent of America's four-year-
olds were enrolled in a State Preschool Program in the 2012-2013 school
year.\9\ The high costs of private preschool programs and the lack of
State Preschool Programs narrow options for families, and especially so
for low-income families. In 2011, four-year-olds under 200 percent of
poverty were 16 percentage-points less likely than their higher-income
peers (above 200 percent) to attend any preschool program, whether
public or private.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E,
Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K. (May 2014). State of Preschool
2013: First Look (NCES 2014-078). U.S. Department of Education.
Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Available
at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
\9\ Ibid.
\10\ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ASPE
tabulations from the Current Population Survey, available at: https://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/14/EarlyCareEducation/rb_ece.cfm#_Toc373832432.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Priority: To receive a competitive preference under this priority,
the State must demonstrate how it will use at least 50 percent of its
Federal grant award to create new State Preschool Program slots that
will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool
Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.
Application Requirements: The following requirements apply to all
applications submitted under this competition:
(a) The State's application must be signed by the Governor or an
authorized representative and an authorized representative from the
Lead Agency.
(b) The application must include a letter of support from an
operational State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and
Care that meets the requirements described in section 642B(b) of the
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837(b)) and in paragraph (l) of the Program
Requirements. If the State does not have an operational State Advisory
Council, the application must include a letter of support from a
similar State council on early childhood education and care established
by the State's legislature or assigned the duties of the State Advisory
Council on Early Childhood Education and Care by the State's Governor
that meets the requirements described in section 642B(b) of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837(b)) and in paragraph (l) of the Program
Requirements. The letter must describe the council's level of support
and, if applicable, participation in the grant.
(c) The State must include a budget narrative that details how it
will use Federal grant funds awarded under this competition, and, if
applicable, funds from other Federal, State, private, and local
sources, to achieve--
(1) The goals outlined in its ambitious and achievable plan; and
(2) Its ambitious and achievable targets for increasing the number
and percentage of Eligible Children who are enrolled in High-Quality
Preschool Programs through, as applicable, newly created and improved
State Preschool Program slots as described in selection criterion
(D)(4)(b).
(d) The State must complete the Excel spreadsheets that are
provided on the Preschool Development Grants Web site at www.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants and upload to the Other Attachments
Form in Grants.gov as explained in Part 5 of the application.
(e) The State must provide, for each selection criterion or
priority in this notice that solicits an ambitious and achievable plan,
a description of the following elements, at a minimum--
(1) The key goals of the plan;
(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;
(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 and sustainment 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; and
(8) How the State will address the needs of Eligible Children,
including those who may be in need of additional supports, such as
children who have disabilities or developmental delays; who are English
learners; who reside on ``Indian lands'' as that term is defined by
section 8013(7) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
as amended (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) (ESEA); who are migrant; who are
``homeless,'' as defined in subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11434a(2)) (McKinney-Vento
Act); whose families are involved in the child welfare system; who
reside in rural areas; who
[[Page 48877]]
are from military families; and other children as identified by the
State, if applicable.
(f) The State must provide a letter of support or preliminary
binding agreement, such as a preliminary memorandum of understanding
(MOU), from each Subgrantee attesting to the Subgrantee's participation
(a model MOU is provided in the Appendix B of this notice).
Program Requirements: States and each Subgrantee that receive funds
under this grant program must meet the following requirements for, at a
minimum, the duration of the grant period:
(a) The State must continue to participate in--
(1) The programs authorized by part C and section 619 of part B of
IDEA;
(2) 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.));
(3) The program authorized under section 418 of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 618);
(4) The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program
(section 511 of title V of the Social Security Act, as amended by
section 2951 of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148)); and
(5) Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act.
(b) Funds made available under this grant must be used to
supplement, not supplant, any Federal, State, or local funds (e.g.,
IDEA, title I, Head Start, CCDF, and any matching funds included as
part of Competitive Preference Priority 2) that, in the absence of the
funds awarded under this grant, would be available for improving the
quality of State Preschool Programs and increasing access to High-
Quality Preschool Programs.
(c) The State must participate in grantee technical assistance
activities facilitated by ED or HHS, individually or in collaboration
with other State grantees, to share effective program practices and
solutions and collaboratively solve problems, and must set aside a
minimum of $25,000 annually from its grant funds for this purpose.
(d) The State and each Subgrantee must participate in any
evaluation of the State's High-Quality Preschool Program, including any
cross-State evaluation, if funded by ED or HHS.
(e) The State and each Subgrantee 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 (20
U.S.C. 1232g), the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act
(Pub. L. 104-191), and IDEA.
(f) The State and each Subgrantee must ensure that the grant
project is implemented in accordance with all applicable Federal,
State, and local laws and regulations, including the provisions of
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II and Title
III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that prohibit
discrimination on the basis of disability and require that individuals
with disabilities be served in the most integrated setting appropriate
to their needs.
(g) The State and each Subgrantee must provide researchers with
access, consistent with the requirements of all applicable Federal,
State, and local privacy laws, to available data regarding the
enrollment and school readiness of Eligible Children in State Preschool
Programs.
(h) Unless otherwise protected as proprietary information by
Federal or State laws or a specific written agreement, the State and
each Subgrantee must make any work (e.g., materials, tools, processes,
systems) developed under its grant freely available to the public. Any
Web sites developed under this grant must meet government or industry-
recognized standards for accessibility.
(i) The State must have a Statewide Longitudinal Data System that
links early childhood data with the State's kindergarten through grade
12 (K-12) data system by the end of the grant period.
(j) The State must ensure that the State Advisory Council on Early
Childhood Education and Care must includes, in addition to the members
of the State Advisory Council described in section 642B(b) of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837(b)), the State's CCDF administrator, State
agency coordinators from both part C and section 619 of part B of IDEA,
the State Title I Director, the State Coordinator of Education for
Homeless Children and Youth, State agency representatives responsible
for health and mental health, and parent representatives.
(k) The State must establish policies and procedures that ensure--
(1) Collaboration between each Subgrantee and programs authorized
by section 619 of part B of IDEA so that Eligible Children with
disabilities in the High-Need Community are being appropriately
identified and served in the least restrictive environment; and
(2) Ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children with
disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less
than either the percentage of four-year-old children served statewide
through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), or the
current national average,\11\ whichever is greater.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-
children receiving services through part B, section 619 of IDEA is
6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(l) The State and each Subgrantee are prohibited from spending
grant funds, including any matching funds, if applicable, on
construction, renovation, modernization, or related activities.
(m) For activities involved in improving existing State Preschool
Program slots to meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool
Programs, the State and each Subgrantee may only spend grant funds,
including any matching funds, if applicable, on activities listed in
selection criterion (D)(4)(b).
(n) Within 90 days of receipt of an award, the State must submit to
the Departments a signed MOU (a model MOU is provided in Appendix B of
this notice) or other binding agreement between the State's Lead Agency
and each Subgrantee that, at a minimum--
(1) Includes a scope of work describing the portions of the State's
plan that the Subgrantee will implement;
(2) Incorporates the State's ambitious and achievable plan, in
particular the sections that the Subgrantee is responsible for
implementing;
(3) Is signed by an authorized representative of the State's Lead
Agency and the Subgrantee;
(4) Describes the roles and responsibilities of the State's Lead
Agency and Subgrantee in implementing the project plan;
(5) Describes the method and process for making different types of
decisions (e.g., policy, operational);
(6) Describes how the State and Subgrantee will exchange data; and
(7) Describes how the MOU can be amended.
(o) The State must submit scopes of work for the State and each
Subgrantee within 90 days of the grant award notification date. These
scopes of work must contain detailed work plans and budgets that are
consistent with the State's grant application, and must include the
State's and each Subgrantee'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 Subgrantee is
agreeing to implement.
Definitions: We are establishing the following definitions in this
notice for
[[Page 48878]]
the FY 2014 grant competition and any subsequent year in which we make
awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, in
accordance with section 437(d)(1) of GEPA, 20 U.S.C. 1231(d)(1).
These definitions are:
Comprehensive Early Learning 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 teachers make informed instructional and programmatic
decisions and that conforms with the recommendations of the National
Research Council report on early childhood assessments \12\ by
including, at a minimum:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ One example of these reports is referenced here. 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. Available at: www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Screening Measures;
(b) Formative Assessments;
(c) Measures of Environmental Quality;
(d) Measures of the Quality of Adult-Child Interactions; and
(e) A Kindergarten Entry Assessment.
Comprehensive Services means services that include:
(a) Screenings for hearing, vision, dental, health (including
mental health), and development, as well as referrals and assistance
obtaining services, when appropriate;
(b) Culturally and linguistically responsive family engagement
opportunities (taking into account home language), such as parent
conferences (including parent input about their child's development)
and support services, such as parent education, and leadership
opportunities, such as a Parent Advisory Committee;
(c) Nutrition services, including nutritious meals and snack
options aligned with requirements set by the most recent Child and
Adult Care Food Program guidelines promulgated by the Department of
Agriculture, as well as regular, age-appropriate, nutrition education
for children and their families;
(d) Services coordinated with LEAs and early intervention service
providers and other entities providing services under part C and
section 619 of part B of IDEA;
(e) Physical activity services aligned with evidence-based
guidelines, such as those recommended by the Institute of Medicine,\13\
and which take into account and accommodate children with disabilities;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Early-Childhood-Obesity-Prevention-Policies/Recommendations.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(f) Partnerships with and linkages to community services to enhance
family well-being, such as income supports, food pantries, housing,
social services, and other services relating to health/mental health,
domestic violence, substance abuse, adult literacy, education and
training, and financial asset building;
(g) On-site coordination of services, to the maximum extent
feasible; and
(h) Additional support services, determined by the State, as
appropriate.
Early Learning and Development Standards means a set of
expectations, guidelines, or developmental milestones that--
(a) Describes what all children from birth to kindergarten entry
should know and be able to do and their disposition toward learning;
(b) Is appropriate for each age group (e.g., infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers); for English learners; and for children with disabilities
or developmental delays;
(c) Covers all Essential Domains of School Readiness; and
(d) Is 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; the National Indian Child Care
Association; and the National Indian Education Association.
Early Learning Provider means an entity that carries out an early
childhood education program, including an LEA, charter school,
educational service agency, Head Start program, licensed child care
provider, municipality or other local government agency, tribe or
Indian organization, institution of higher education, library, museum,
or other eligible licensed provider as defined by the State, or a
consortium thereof.
Eligible Children means four-year-old children from families whose
income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.
Eligible Children with Disabilities means Eligible Children who
have been determined by the local educational agency to be eligible for
special education and related services under section 619 of the IDEA
(20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)
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 credentials 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 (including the utilization of the arts), physical well-being
and motor development (including adaptive skills), and social and
emotional development.
Federal Poverty Line means a measure of income level issued
annually by the
[[Page 48879]]
Department of Health and Human Services and used to determine
eligibility for certain programs and benefits.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\ The 2014 Federal Poverty Line, also known as poverty
guidelines or ``Federal poverty level'' (FPL), can be found at
https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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; and
(3) Linked directly to the curriculum; and
(b) The results of which are used to guide and improve
instructional practices.
Full-Day means a day that is--
(a) Equivalent to a full school day at the public elementary
schools in the State; and
(b) Not fewer than five hours a day.
High-Need Community means a geographically defined area, such as a
city, town, county, neighborhood, district, rural or tribal area, or
consortium thereof, with a high level of need as determined by the
State.
High-Quality Preschool Program means an early learning program that
includes structural elements that are evidence-based and nationally
recognized as important for ensuring program quality, including at a
minimum--
(a) High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a
bachelor's degree in early childhood education or a bachelor's degree
in any field with a State-approved alternate pathway, which may include
coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and
pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with
appropriate credentials;
(b) High-quality professional development for all staff;
(c) A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;
(d) A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher
with high staff qualifications as outlined in paragraph (a) of this
definition;
(e) A Full-Day program;
(f) Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and
full participation in all opportunities;
(g) Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically
responsive instruction and evidence-based curricula, and learning
environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and
Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten
entry;
(h) Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children
can access and participate fully in learning activities;
(i) Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the
salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;
(j) Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;
(k) On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and
community partnerships that promote families' access to services that
support their children's learning and development; and
(l) Evidence-based health and safety standards.
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 reports on early childhood; \15\ and
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\ One example of these reports is referenced here. 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. Available at: 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, to inform instruction
in the early elementary school grades, and to inform parents about
their children's status and involve them in decisions about their
children's education. This assessment must not be used to prevent
children's entry into kindergarten or as a single measure for high-
stakes decisions.
Lead Agency means a State-level agency that administers public
funds related to early learning and development and is participating in
the State's ambitious and achievable plan; this agency is designated by
the Governor for the administration of the Preschool Development Grants
funds and is the fiscal agent for the grant.
Local Educational Agency (LEA) has the meaning given the term in
section 9101 of the ESEA.
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 of and areas for improvement for early learning
professionals.
Program Standards means the standards that serve as the basis for a
TQRIS and define differentiated levels of quality for Early Learning
and Development Programs. Program Standards must measure, at a minimum,
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 Early Learning 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) Culturally and linguistically responsive strategies are
successfully used to engage families, help them build protective
factors, and strengthen their capacity to support 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, 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; the promotion of physical activity, healthy
eating habits, oral health, and behavioral health; and health literacy
of parents; and
(f) Data practices are effective and include gathering Essential
Data Elements and entering them into the
[[Page 48880]]
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 Preschool Program means a preschool program predominately
supported with State funds that provides services to four-year-old
children, including a State Head Start program.
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.
Subgrantee means an Early Learning Provider serving at least one
High-Need Community that is receiving a subgrant from the State, and is
participating in the State's ambitious and achievable plan.
Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS) 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
(e.g., through training, technical assistance, financial support).
(d) Program quality ratings that are publicly available and include
a process for validating the system.
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 this program under the revised program
authority in sections 14005 and 14006 of the ARRA, as amended by the
Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2014 (title III of division
H of Pub. L. 113-76, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014), and
therefore qualifies for this exemption. In order to ensure timely grant
awards, the Secretaries have decided to forgo public comment under the
waiver authority in section 437(d)(1) of GEPA. These priorities,
selection criteria, requirements, and definitions will apply to the FY
2014 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 of the ARRA, as amended
by section 1832(b) of division B of the Department of Defense and Full-
Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Pub. L. 112-10), the
Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2012 (title III of division
F of Pub. L. 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012), and
the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2014 (title III of
division H of Pub. L. 113-76, the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2014).
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80,
81, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Education Department debarment
and suspension regulations in 2 CFR part 3485.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
Estimated Available Funds: $160 million.
Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2015 or subsequent
fiscal years from the list of unfunded applicants from this
competition.
The Departments may use any unused FY 2014 funds from the Preschool
Development Grants--Expansion Grants competition in the FY 2014
Preschool Development Grants--Development Grants competition.
Conversely, the Departments may use any unused FY 2014 funds from the
Preschool Development Grants--Development Grants competition in the FY
2014 Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants competition.
Estimated Range of Awards: $10 million to $35 million.
Budget Requirements: To support States in planning their budgets,
the Departments have developed the following annual budget caps for
each State eligible for a Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grant. We will not consider for funding an application from a State
that proposes a budget in any year that exceeds the applicable cap set
for that State. The Departments developed the following categories by
ranking every State eligible for a Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grant according to its relative share of Eligible Children
who could be served by Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants
and then identifying the natural breaks in the rank order. Then, based
on population of Eligible Children,\16\ budget caps were developed for
each category.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\16\ https://www2.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants/4-year-old-poverty-status-2012.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Category 1--up to $35M--California;
Category 2--up to $30M--Texas;
Category 3--up to $25M--Florida, New York;
Category 4--up to $20M--Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North
Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania;
Category 5--up to $17.5M--New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, and Washington;
Category 6--up to $15M--Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and
Wisconsin;
Category 7--up to $12.5M--Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Nebraska, New
Mexico, and West Virginia;
Category 8--up to $10M--Delaware, District of Columbia, Rhode
Island, and Vermont.
Estimated Number of Awards: 7 to 12 awards.
Note: The Departments are not bound by any estimates in this
notice.
Project Period: Up to 48 months.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants: To be eligible to compete for funding under
this program a State must--
(a) Serve 10 percent or more of four-year-old children in a State
Preschool Program; \17\ or
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\17\ Based on current data from: Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E,
Squires, J.H., and Clarke-Brown, K. (May 2014). State of Preschool
2013: First Look (NCES 2014-078). U.S. Department of Education.
Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Available
at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 48881]]
(b) Have received an award under a Race to the Top--Early Learning
Challenge competition.
Therefore, only the States of Arkansas, California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are eligible to apply for
Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost
sharing or matching. However, applicants that describe and submit
appropriate evidence of a credible plan for obtaining and using non-
Federal matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious
and achievable plan during the grant period may be awarded additional
points on a sliding scale as described in Competitive Preference
Priority 1.
3. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-
supplant funding requirements, as described in Program Requirement (b).
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package: You can obtain an
application package via the Internet or from the Departments. To obtain
a copy via the Internet, use the following address: www.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants. To obtain a copy from the
Departments, write, fax, call, or email: Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department
of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E344, Washington, DC
20202-6200. Telephone: (202) 260-0968. FAX: (202) 260-8969. Email:
PreschoolDevelopmentGrants.Competition@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text
telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.
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 program contact person listed under
Accessible Format in section VIII of this notice.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
Page Limit: The application narrative is where the applicant
addresses the selection criteria that reviewers will use to evaluate
applications. We recommend that the applicant limit its narrative
responses to no more than 75 pages and limit its appendices to no more
than 125 pages. We strongly request that applicants follow the
recommended page limits. 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 18, 2014.
Deadline for Notice of Intent To Apply: September 11, 2014.
We will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing
grant applications if we know the approximate number of applicants that
intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the
Departments strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of
the applicant's intent to submit an application for funding by emailing
Rebecca Marek at PreschoolDevelopmentGrants.Competition@ed.gov by
September 11, 2014. This short email message should provide (1) the
name of the State applying and (2) the contact person (name, phone
number, and email). Applicants that do not submit an ``Intent to
Apply'' email may still apply for funding.
To assist States in preparing the application and to respond to
questions, ED and HHS intend to broadcast a Technical Assistance
Planning Webinar live at https://edstream.ed.gov to review the
priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for this competition.
The purpose of the Webinar will be to allow individuals responsible for
developing applications to review with Federal program staff the
priorities, requirements, and selection criteria for this competition
and to ask questions about the Preschool Development Grants--
Development Grants competition. We strongly encourage all interested
State applicants to participate in the Webinar. For those who cannot
attend the live Webinar, a link to the Webinar will be available on the
Preschool Development Grants Web site at www.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants. The Departments may host additional
conference calls, workshops, or Webinars to answer applicant questions
and will be posting Frequently Asked Questions and responses on the
Preschool Development Grant Web site. The Departments will make
available all registration information and additional details for the
Technical Assistance Planning Webinar and any other technical
assistance events on the Preschool Development Grants Web site at
www.ed.gov/programs/preschooldevelopmentgrants.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: October 14, 2014.
Applications for grants under this competition must be submitted
electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site (Grants.gov). For
information (including dates and times) about how to submit your
application by mail or hand delivery, please refer to section IV. 7.
Other Submission Requirements of this notice.
We do not consider an application that does not comply with the
deadline requirements.
We will provide Congress with the names of the States that have
submitted applications, and we will post the names of these States on
ED's Web site. We will also post all applications submitted. Therefore,
please ensure that your application does not include personally
identifiable information, proprietary information, or other non-public
information.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII
of this notice. If the Departments provide an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's application remains subject to
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. However, under 34
CFR 79.8(a), we waive intergovernmental review in order to make awards
by December 31, 2014.
5. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in paragraphs
(l) and (m) of the Program Requirements in this notice.
We reference additional regulations outlining funding restrictions
in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice.
6. Data Universal Numbering System Number, Taxpayer Identification
Number, and System for Award
[[Page 48882]]
Management: To do business with the Department of Education, you must--
a. Have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and a
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN);
b. Register both your DUNS number and TIN with the System for Award
Management (SAM) (formerly the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)), the
Government's primary registrant database;
c. Provide your DUNS number and TIN on your application; and
d. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information
while your application is under review by the Departments and, if you
are awarded a grant, during the project period.
You can obtain a DUNS number from Dun and Bradstreet. A DUNS number
can be created within one to two business days.
If you are a corporate entity, agency, institution, or
organization, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal Revenue Service.
If you are an individual, you can obtain a TIN from the Internal
Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration. If you need a
new TIN, please allow 2-5 weeks for your TIN to become active.
The SAM registration process can take approximately seven business
days, but may take upwards of several weeks, depending on the
completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by
an entity. Thus, if you think you might want to apply for Federal
financial assistance under this program administered by the
Departments, please allow sufficient time to obtain and register your
DUNS number and TIN. We strongly recommend that you register early.
Note: Once your SAM registration is active, you will need to
allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in
Grants.gov and before you can submit an application through
Grants.gov.
If you are currently registered with SAM, you may not need to make
any changes. However, please make certain that the TIN associated with
your DUNS number is correct. Also note that you will need to update
your registration annually. This may take three or more business days.
Information about SAM is available at www.SAM.gov. To further
assist you with obtaining and registering your DUNS number and TIN in
SAM or updating your existing SAM account, we have prepared a SAM.gov
Tip Sheet, which you can find at: https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/sam-faqs.html. In addition, if you are submitting your application via
Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an
Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (2) register yourself
with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the
following Grants.gov Web page: www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.
7. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under
this program [competition] must be submitted electronically unless you
qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the
instructions in this section.
a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
Applications for grants under the Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grants, CFDA number 84.419B, must be submitted electronically
using the Government wide Grants.gov Apply site at www.Grants.gov.
Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the
application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit
your application. You may not email an electronic copy of a grant
application to us.
We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement. You
may access the electronic grant application for Preschool Development
Grants_Expansion Grants at www.Grants.gov. You must search for the
downloadable application package for this program [competition] by the
CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your
search (e.g., search for 84.419, not 84.419B).
Please note the following:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site, as well as the hours of operation.
Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time
stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted and must
be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as
otherwise noted in this section, we will not accept your application if
it is received--that is, date and time stamped by the Grants.gov
system--after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application
deadline date. We do not consider an application that does not comply
with the deadline requirements. When we retrieve your application from
Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application
because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after
4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date.
The amount of time it can take to upload an application
will vary depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the
application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we
strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline
date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov.
You should review and follow the Education Submission
Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are
included in the application package for this program [competition] to
ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the
Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission
Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the
Department's G5 system home page at https://www.G5.gov.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your
application in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
all information you typically provide on the following forms: the
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and
certifications.
You must upload any narrative sections and all other
attachments to your application as files in a PDF (Portable Document)
read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or
fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than a read-only,
non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not
review that material. Additional, detailed information on how to attach
files is in the application instructions.]
Your electronic application must comply with any page-
limit requirements described in this notice.
After you electronically submit your application, you will
receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of
[[Page 48883]]
receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification
indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.)
The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and
send a second notification to you by email. This second notification
indicates that the Department has received your application and has
assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified
identifying number unique to your application).
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
forms at a later date.
Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues
with the Grants.gov System: If you are experiencing problems submitting
your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov
Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a
Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.
If you are prevented from electronically submitting your
application on the application deadline date because of technical
problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension
until 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to
enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand
delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing
instructions described elsewhere in this notice.
If you submit an application after 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC
time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this
notice and provide an explanation of the technical problem you
experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk
Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a
technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that
problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30:00
p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The
Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether
your application will be accepted.
Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply
only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the
Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed
to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before
the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem
you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.
Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application
through the Grants.gov system because--
You do not have access to the Internet; or
You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to
the Grants.gov system;
and
No later than two weeks before the application deadline
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception
prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be
postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline
date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must
receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
Address and mail or fax your statement to: Rebecca Marek, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E344,
Washington, DC 20202-6200.
FAX: (202) 260-8969.
Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the
mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
CFDA Number 84.419A, LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
If we receive an application after the application deadline, we
will not consider that application.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1) A private metered postmark.
(2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your application is postmarked after the application deadline
date, we will not consider your application.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery:
If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original
and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address:
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention:
CFDA Number 84.419A, 550 12th Street SW., Room 7039, Potomac Center
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.
In accordance with EDGAR Sec. 75.216(b) and (c), an application
will not be evaluated for funding if the applicant does not comply with
all of the procedural rules that govern the submission of the
application or the application does not contain the information
required under the program.
Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Applications: When you mail
or hand deliver your application to the Departments--
(1) You must indicate on the envelope the CFDA number, including
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are
submitting your application; and
(2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not
receive this notification within 15 business days from the
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.
V. Application Review Information
1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this program are
set forth in sections (A)-(G). We also identify for each selection
criterion any evidence that applicants must submit that is not already
identified in the selection
[[Page 48884]]
criterion. We will use the following selection criteria to evaluate
applications submitted under the Preschool Development Grants--
Development Grant competition. The maximum score for all the selection
criteria and competitive preference priorities is 232 points. The
maximum score for each selection criterion is indicated in parentheses.
The reviewers will utilize the scoring rubric located in Appendix A of
this notice when evaluating applications under the selection criteria:
A. Executive Summary (10 points).
The extent to which the State includes an ambitious and achievable
plan for expanding access to High-Quality Preschool Programs that
clearly articulates how the plans proposed under each criterion in this
section, when taken together, will--
(1) Build on the State's progress to date as demonstrated in
selection criterion (B);
(2) Provide voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible
Children through subgrants to each Subgrantee in two or more High-Need
Communities;
(3) Increase the number and percentage of Eligible Children served
in High-Quality Preschool Programs during each year of the grant period
through the creation of new, and the improvement of existing State
Preschool Program slots, as applicable;
(4) Have all the characteristics specified in the definition of
High-Quality Preschool Programs;
(5) Set expectations for the school readiness of children upon
kindergarten entry;
(6) Be supported by a broad group of stakeholders, including Early
Learning Intermediary Organizations and, if applicable, State and local
early learning councils; and
(7) Allocate funds between--
(a) Activities to build or enhance State Preschool Program
infrastructure using no more than five percent of its Federal grant
funds received over the grant period on State-level infrastructure
including, but not limited to, monitoring and evaluation and other
quality-enhancing activities that improve the delivery of High-Quality
Preschool Programs to Eligible Children; and
(b) Subgrants to Early Learning Providers to implement voluntary,
High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children in one or more
High-Need Communities, including how it will--
(i) Provide High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children no
later than the end of year one of the grant period;
(ii) Subgrant at least 95 percent of its Federal grant funds to its
Subgrantee or Subgrantees over the grant period; and
(iii) Support each Subgrantee in culturally and linguistically
appropriate outreach and communication efforts in order to ensure that
all families, including those who are isolated or otherwise hard to
reach, are informed of the opportunity and encouraged to enroll their
children in available programs.
Evidence for selection criterion (A):
(A)(3) and (A)(7) Information contained in Table A for the
number of Eligible Children to be served each year of the grant and the
number and percentage of State Preschool Program slots (See Table A in
the Excel spreadsheets).
(A)(4) Documentation of the structural elements in the
definition of High-Quality Preschool Program.
(A)(5) Set of expectations for school readiness.
(A)(6) Letters of support from stakeholders, including
Early Learning Intermediary Organizations and, if applicable, State and
local early learning councils.
Any other supporting evidence the State believes will be
helpful to peer reviewers.
B. Commitment to State Preschool Programs (20 points)
The extent to which the State has demonstrated its commitment to
develop or enhance the State Preschool Program infrastructure and its
capacity to both deliver and increase access to High-Quality Preschool
Programs for Eligible Children, as evidenced by--
(1) State Early Learning and Development Standards (2 points);
(2) The State's financial investment, if any, and the estimated
number and percentage of children, including if known, the estimated
number and percentage of Eligible Children, served in State Preschool
Programs over the last four years (6 points);
(3) Enacted and pending legislation, policies, or practices that
demonstrate the State's current and future commitment to increasing
access to High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children (4
points);
(4) The quality of existing State Preschool Programs, as evidenced
by policies and program data that demonstrate the State's commitment to
the components of a High-Quality Preschool Program; compliance with
Program Standards; and support for program monitoring and improvement,
which may be accomplished through the use of a TQRIS (4 points);
(5) The State's coordination of preschool programs and services, in
partnership with its Early Learning Advisory Council, with other State
and Federal resources that may be used to serve preschool-aged
children, including, if applicable, programs and services supported by
title I of the ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B of IDEA, subtitle
VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et
seq.), and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) (2 points); and
(6) The State's role in promoting coordination of preschool
programs and services at the State and local levels with other sectors
that support the early learning and development of children, including
child health, mental health, family support, nutrition, child welfare,
and adult education and training sectors (2 points).
Evidence for selection criterion (B):
(B)(1) Executive summary or brief description of the
State's Early Learning and Development Standards, including how the
definition is met.
(B)(2) Completed Table B that describes the State's
financial investment and number of children served in State Preschool
Programs (See Table B in the Excel Spreadsheets).
(B)(3) Evidence of enacted and pending legislation,
policies, or practices.
Any other supporting evidence the State believes will be
helpful to peer reviewers.
C. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (30 points).
The extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan
to ensure program quality, including a description of how the State
will (8 points)--
(1) Use no more than five percent of the funds received over the
grant period for State Preschool Program infrastructure and quality
improvements at the State level through activities such as--
(a) Enhancing or expanding Early Learning and Development
Standards;
(b) Implementing Program Standards consistent with a High-Quality
Preschool Program;
(c) Supporting programs in meeting the needs of children with
disabilities and English learners, including in workforce development;
(d) Conducting a needs assessment to determine the current
availability of High-Quality Preschool Programs, including private and
faith-based providers and Head Start programs;
[[Page 48885]]
(e) Establishing or upgrading preschool teacher education and
licensure requirements;
(f) Improving teacher and administrator early education training
programs and professional development;
(g) Implementing a Statewide Longitudinal Data System to link
preschool and elementary and secondary school data;
(h) Implementing a Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment System;
(i) Building preschool programs' capacity to engage parents in
decisions about their children's education and development, help
families build protective factors, and help parents support their
children's learning at home;
(j) Building State- and community-level support for High-Quality
Preschool Programs through systemic linkages to other early learning
programs and resources to support families, such as child health,
mental health, family support, nutrition, child welfare, and adult
education and training sectors; and
(k) Other activities that would support the delivery of High-
Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children.
(2) Implement a system for monitoring and supporting continuous
improvement for each Subgrantee to ensure that each Subgrantee is
providing High-Quality Preschool Programs (which may be accomplished
through the use of leveraging a TQRIS and other existing monitoring
systems), including the extent to which the State (10 points)--
(a) Has the capacity to measure preschool quality, including parent
satisfaction measures, and provide performance feedback to inform and
drive State and local continuous program improvement efforts;
(b) Is using a Statewide Longitudinal Data System that is able to
track student progress from preschool through third grade; and
(c) Clearly specifies the measureable outcomes, including school
readiness, to be achieved by the program.
(3) Measure the outcomes of participating children across the five
Essential Domains of School Readiness during the first few months of
their admission into kindergarten using an assessment or assessments,
such as a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, to achieve the purposes for
which the assessment was developed and that conform with the
recommendations of the National Research Council report on early
childhood assessments (12 points).\18\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\18\ One example of these reports is referenced here. 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. Available at: www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12446.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evidence for selection criterion (C):
(C)(2)(a) Evidence of a monitoring protocol used to drive
continuous program improvement.
(C)(2)(c) Evidence of State targets with measurable
outcomes, including school readiness achieved by the program.
Any other supporting evidence the State believes will be
helpful to peer reviewers.
D. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need
Community (60 points)
The extent to which the State articulates an ambitious and
achievable plan for expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in two or
more High-Need Communities, including a description of how--
(1) The State has selected each Subgrantee and each High-Need
Community that will be served, including a description of each High-
Need Community and its geographic diversity, such as whether the
community is located in a rural or tribal area, and whether it is
located in a federally designated Promise Zone \19\ (8 or 6 points).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\19\ The first five Promise Zones are located in San Antonio,
Texas (Eastside Neighborhood); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (West
Philadelphia); Los Angeles, California (Neighborhoods of Pico Union,
Westlake, Koreatown, Hollywood, and East Hollywood); Southeastern
Kentucky (Kentucky Highlands); and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
For additional information on Promise Zones, see www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/08/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promise-zones-initiative.
Note: Applicants that have federally designated Promise Zones in
their States as of July 31, 2014 must propose to serve and
coordinate with a High-Need Community located in that Promise Zone
in order to be eligible for up to the full 8 points under sub-
criterion (D)(1). If they do not propose to serve and coordinate
with a High-Need Community in that Promise Zone, they are eligible
for up to 6 points under this sub-criterion. Applicants that do not
have federally designated Promise Zones in their State are eligible
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
for up to the full 8 points under this sub-criterion.
(2) Each High-Need Community is currently underserved, including
the number and percentage of four-year-olds in State Preschool Programs
and other publically funded preschool programs (8 points).
(3) The State conducted outreach, including consultation with
tribes, if applicable, to potential Subgrantees and the process used in
selecting each Subgrantee (4 points).
(4) The State will subgrant at least 95 percent of its Federal
grant award over the grant period to its Subgrantee or Subgrantees to
implement and sustain voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs in two
or more High-Need Communities, and--
(a) Set ambitious and achievable annual targets for the number and
percentage of additional Eligible Children to be served during each
year of the grant period through, as applicable, the (16 points); and
(b) Incorporate in their plan (12 points):
(i) Ambitious expansion of the number of new slots in State
Preschool Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool
Program; and
(ii) Ambitious improvement of existing State Preschool Program
slots to bring them to the level of a High-Quality Preschool Program by
extending programs from half-day to Full-Day; limiting class size and
decreasing child to staff ratios; employing and compensating a teacher
with a bachelor's degree; providing in-service, evidence-based
professional development such as coaching; or providing Comprehensive
Services.
Note: Applicants may receive up to the full 12 points if they
address only (D)(4)(b)(i) or (D)(4)(ii) or if they address both
(D)(4)(i) and (ii);
(5) The State, in coordination with each Subgrantee, intends to
sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs after the grant period,
including any non-Federal support that the State or each Subgrantee
commits to contribute (12 points).
Evidence for selection criterion (D):
A letter of support or preliminary binding agreement, such
as a preliminary MOU, from each Subgrantee attesting to the
Subgrantee's participation.
Table (D)(4) and Table A (See Tables (D)(4) and A in the
Excel spreadsheets).
Any other supporting evidence the State believes will be
helpful to peer reviewers.
E. Collaborating With Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships
(50 points)
The extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan
to ensure that each Subgrantee is effectively
[[Page 48886]]
implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs, including a description
of--
(1) The roles and responsibilities of the State and Subgrantee in
implementing the project plan (2 points).
(2) How the State plans to implement High-Quality Preschool
Programs, including the organizational capacity and existing
infrastructure of the Subgrantee to provide High-Quality Preschool
Programs, either directly or indirectly through an Early Learning
Provider or Providers, and coordinate the delivery of High-Quality
Preschool Programs (6 points).
(3) How the State will ensure that each Subgrantee minimizes local
administrative costs (2 points).
(4) How the State and Subgrantee will monitor the Early Learning
Providers to ensure they are delivering High-Quality Preschool Programs
(4 points).
(5) How the State and the Subgrantee will coordinate plans related
to assessments, data sharing, instructional tools, family engagement,
cross-sector and comprehensive services efforts, professional
development, and workforce and leadership development (4 points).
(6) How the State and Subgrantee will coordinate, but not supplant,
the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs funded under this grant
with existing services for preschool-aged children including, if
applicable, State Preschool Programs and programs and services
supported through title I of the ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B
of IDEA, subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act,
and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (6 points).
(7) How the Subgrantee will integrate, to the extent practicable,
High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children within
economically diverse, inclusive settings, including those that serve
children from families with incomes above 200 percent of the Federal
Poverty Line (6 points).
(8) How the Subgrantee will deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs
to Eligible Children, including Eligible Children who may be in need of
additional supports, such as those who have disabilities or
developmental delays; who are English learners; who reside on ``Indian
lands'' as that term is defined by section 8013(7) of the ESEA; who are
migrant; who are ``homeless,'' as defined in subtitle VII-B of the
McKinney-Vento Act; who are in the child welfare system; who reside in
rural or tribal areas; who are from military families; and other
children as identified by the State (6 points).
(9) How the State will ensure the Subgrantee implements culturally
and linguistically responsive outreach and communication efforts to
enroll children from families with Eligible Children, including
isolated or hard-to-reach families; helps families build protective
factors; and engages parents and families (e.g., builds capacity to
support children's learning and development) as decision-makers in
their children's education (4 points).
(10) How the State will ensure strong partnerships between each
Subgrantee and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate,
including a description of how the State will ensure that each
Subgrantee (10 points)--
(a) Partners with LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as
appropriate, to carry out activities that provide children and their
families with successful transitions from preschool into kindergarten;
and
(b) Coordinates and collaborates with LEAs or other Early Learning
Providers, as appropriate, in--
(i) Providing opportunities for early educators to participate in
professional development on early learning and kindergarten standards,
assessments, curricula, and culturally and linguistically responsive
strategies to help families build protective factors, build parents'
capacity to support their children's learning and development, and
engage parents as decision-makers in their children's education;
(ii) Providing family engagement, support, nutrition, and other
Comprehensive Services and coordinating with other community partners
to ensure families' access to needed supports;
(iii) Supporting full inclusion of Eligible Children with
disabilities and developmental delays to ensure access to and full
participation in the High-Quality Preschool Program;
(iv) Supporting the inclusion of children who may be in need of
additional supports, such as children who are English learners; who
reside on ``Indian lands'' as that term is defined by section 8013(7)
of the ESEA; who are migrant; who are ``homeless,'' as defined in
subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act; who are in the child welfare
system; who reside in rural areas; who are from military families; and
other children as identified by the State;
(v) Ensuring that High-Quality Preschool Programs have age-
appropriate facilities to meet the needs of Eligible Children;
(vi) Developing and implementing a systematic procedure for sharing
data and other records consistent with Federal and State law; and
(vii) Utilizing community-based learning resources, such as
libraries, arts and arts education programs, and family literacy
programs.
Evidence for selection criterion (E):
Any supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful
to peer reviewers.
F. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (20 points)
The extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan
to align High-Quality Preschool Programs supported by this grant with
programs and systems that serve children from birth through third grade
to, among other things, improve transitions for children across this
continuum.
(1) For birth through age-five programs, these activities include--
(a) Coordinating with other early education and care programs and
child care family service providers supported through Federal, State,
and local resources to build a strong continuum of learning for
children from birth through age five and their families that expands
families' choices, facilitates or improves their access to programs and
supports in their own communities, and engages all families with
Eligible Children, including isolated or hard-to-reach families that
might not otherwise participate; and
(b) Ensuring that the provision of High-Quality Preschool Programs
will not lead to a diminution of other services or increased cost to
families for programs serving children from birth through age five; and
(2) For kindergarten through third grade, these activities may
include--
(a) Ensuring that Eligible Children are well-prepared for
kindergarten;
(b) Sustaining the educational and developmental gains of Eligible
Children by--
(i) Promoting collaboration between preschool and kindergarten
teachers;
(ii) Expanding access to Full-Day kindergarten; and
(iii) Increasing the percentage of children who are able to read
and do math at grade level by the end of third grade; and
(c) Sustaining a high level of parent and family engagement as
children move from High-Quality Preschool Programs into the early
elementary school years;
(d) Taking steps, or building upon the steps it has taken, to
align, at a minimum--
(i) Child learning standards and expectations;
(ii) Teacher preparation, credentials, and workforce competencies;
[[Page 48887]]
(iii) Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment Systems;
(iv) Data systems; and
(v) Family engagement strategies.
Evidence for selection criterion (F):
Any supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful
to peer reviewers.
G. Budget and Sustainability (10 points)
The extent to which the budget narrative and budget tables
demonstrate that the State will--
(1) Use the funds from this grant and any matching contributions to
serve the number of children described in its ambitious and achievable
plan for each year, including using the funds for the projected per
child costs for new and improved State Preschool Program slots that are
reasonable and sufficient, and that the projected per child costs for
new and improved State Preschool Program slots are reasonable and
sufficient to ensure High-Quality Preschool Programs;
(2) Coordinate the use of existing funds from Federal sources that
support early learning and development, such as title I of the ESEA,
part C and section 619 of part B of IDEA, subtitle VII-B of the
McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act, and the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and State, private, local,
foundation, or other private funding sources for activities and
services that help expand High-Quality Preschool Programs; and
(3) Sustain the High-Quality Preschool Programs supported by this
grant after the grant period ends to ensure that the number and
percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool
Programs in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to
additional High-Need Communities.
Evidence for selection criterion (G):
Budget narrative and budget tables.
Any other supporting evidence the State believes will be
helpful to peer reviewers.
2. Review and Selection Process: The Departments will screen
applications that are received by the deadline for transmittal of
applications and will determine which States are eligible based on
whether they have met the eligibility requirements in section III
(Eligibility Information) of this notice; the Departments will not
consider further those applicants deemed ineligible.
The Departments intend to use a peer review process with panels of
three reviewers per application. Review panels will be created based on
the number of applications received. All applicants will receive their
reviewers' comments and scores.
In selecting grantees, the Secretaries may consider high-ranking
applications meeting Absolute Priority 2 and Absolute Priority 3
separately to ensure that a variety of States benefit from the
Preschool Development Grants program and that States that have received
Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge awards are not unfairly
advantaged in this competition.
We remind potential applicants that in reviewing applications in
any discretionary grant competition, the Secretary of Education may
consider, under 34 CFR 75.217(d)(3), the past performance of the
applicant in carrying out a previous reward, such as the applicant's
use of funds, achievement of project objectives, and compliance with
grant conditions. The Secretary of Education may also consider whether
the applicant failed to submit a timely performance report or submitted
a report of unacceptable quality.
In addition, in making a competitive grant award, the Secretary of
Education also requires various assurances, including those applicable
to Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs
or activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the
Department of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and
110.23).
We intend to post all submitted applications (both successful and
unsuccessful) on ED's Web site, together with the final scores each
application received. We will post each reviewer's final scores and
comments on reviewed applications, with the names of reviewers
redacted.
3. Special Conditions: Under 34 CFR 74.14 and 80.12, the Secretary
of Education may impose special conditions on a grant if the applicant
or grantee is not financially stable; has a history of unsatisfactory
performance; has a financial or other management system that does not
meet the standards in 34 CFR parts 74 or 80, as applicable; has not
fulfilled the conditions of a prior grant; or is otherwise not
responsible.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award
Notification (GAN); or we may send you an email containing a link to
access an electronic version of your GAN. We may notify you informally,
also.
If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding,
we notify you.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify
administrative and national policy requirements in the application
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable
Regulations section of this notice.
We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding
commitments under the grant.
3. Reporting: (a) If you apply for a grant under this competition,
you must ensure that you have in place the necessary processes and
systems to comply with the reporting requirements in 2 CFR part 170
should you receive funding under the competition. This does not apply
if you have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b).
(b) At the end of your project period, you must submit a final
performance report, including financial information, as directed by the
Departments. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an
annual performance report that provides the most current performance
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary of
Education under 34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary of Education may also
require more frequent performance reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For
specific requirements on reporting, please go to www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
4. Performance Measures: Under the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the Departments have developed the
following performance measures for measuring the overall effectiveness
of this program:
(1) The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in High-
Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant;
(2) The number and percentage of children served overall in the
State Preschool Program; and
(3) The number and percentage of children in the High-Need
Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as
determined by the State's Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the
State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, other valid
and reliable means of determining school readiness.
5. Continuation Awards: Grants awarded under this competition may
be for a project period of up to four years. Depending on the
availability of funds, the Departments will make continuation awards
for years two, three, and four of the project period in accordance with
section 75.253 of EDGAR (34 CFR
[[Page 48888]]
75.253). Consistent with this provision, the Departments will determine
the extent to which a grantee has made ``substantial progress toward
meeting the objectives in its approved application,'' which will
include a review of a grantee's progress in meeting the targets and
projected outcomes in its approved application, and whether the grantee
has expended funds in a manner that is consistent with its approved
application and budget. To ensure that continuation funds will be used
only for high-quality and effective projects, in determining whether or
not to award continuation grants, the Departments will also consider
the extent to which the grantee is achieving the intended outcomes of
the grant and progress in areas demonstrates the following:
(a) The development, enhancement, or expansion of High-Quality
Preschool Programs in each designated High-Need Community to be served
by each Subgrantee, including in the improvement of the State Preschool
Program's infrastructure, and in the development of community
partnerships, needed to ensure the delivery of High-Quality Preschool
Programs to participating Eligible Children and their families and the
culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach activities and
procedures needed to encourage and maintain enrollment of children in
isolated or otherwise hard-to-reach families in the designated
communities;
(b) Holding each Subgrantee accountable for fully adhering to all
the program quality components that are part of the definition of a
High-Quality Preschool Program;
(c) Coordination of Federal and State funds and programs to support
a coherent approach to effective High-Quality Preschool Programs and
supporting and engaging parents;
(d) Providing high-quality technical assistance to each Subgrantee
and implementing a rigorous monitoring process to ensure the delivery
of High-Quality Preschool Programs;
(e) Collecting, analyzing, and using high-quality and timely data,
especially on Subgrantee program quality, including data regarding
program outcomes, family engagement, school readiness of Eligible
Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs, and student progress
through third grade;
(f) Improvement on the program performance measures, to the extent
such data are available;
(g) Holding each Subgrantee accountable for engaging and supporting
parents, helping them build protective factors, facilitating families'
links to services in their community, enhancing their capacity to
support their children's education and development, and involving
parents in decisions about their children's education; and
(h) If applicable, obtaining and expending matching contributions
as described in its application.
In making a continuation grant, the Secretary of Education also
considers whether the grantee is operating in compliance with the
assurances in its approved application, including those applicable to
Federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or
activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Department
of Education (34 CFR 100.4, 104.5, 106.4, 108.8, and 110.23).
VII. Agency Contact
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Marek, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW., Room 3E344, Washington, DC 20202-
6200. Telephone: 202-260-0968 or by email:
PreschoolDevelopmentGrants.Competition@ed.gov.
If you use a TDD or a TTY, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.
VIII. Other Information
Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy
of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille,
large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the program
contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, as well
as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal
Register, in text or PDF. To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat
Reader, which is available free at the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at:
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: August 12, 2014.
Deborah S. Delisle,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S.
Department of Education.
Mark Greenberg,
Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
Appendix A--Scoring Rubric
I. Introduction
To help ensure inter-reviewer reliability and transparency for
the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant applicants, the
Departments have created and are publishing a rubric for scoring
State applications. The pages that follow detail the rubric and
allocation of point values that reviewers will be using. The rubric
will be used by reviewers to ensure consistency across and within
review panels.
The rubric allocates points to each selection criterion. In all,
the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant scoring rubric
includes seven selection criteria and three competitive preference
priorities. These collectively add up to 230 points.
Reviewers will be required to make thoughtful judgments about
the quality of a State's application and will be assessing, based on
the selection criteria, the comprehensiveness, feasibility, and
likely impact of the State's application. Reviewers will also be
asked to evaluate, for example, the extent to which the State has
set ambitious and achievable annual targets in its application.
Reviewers will also need to make informed judgments about the
State's goals, the activities the State has chosen to undertake, and
the timelines and credibility of the State's plan.
This appendix includes information about the point values for
each selection criterion and priority, guidance on scoring, and the
rubric that we will provide to reviewers.
II. Points Overview
The chart below shows the maximum number of points and the
percent of total points available that are assigned to each
selection criterion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preschool development grants--expansion Points
grants: points overview available Percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Executive Summary
(A)(1) The State's progress to date.
(A)(2) Provide High-Quality
Preschool Programs in two or more
High-Need Communities.
(A)(3) Increase the number and
percentage of Eligible Children
served in High-Quality Preschool
Programs.
[[Page 48889]]
(A)(4) Characteristics of High-
Quality Preschool Programs.
(A)(5) Set expectations for school
readiness.
(A)(6) Supported by a broad group of
stakeholders.
(A)(7) Allocate funds between--
(a) Activities to build or
enhance infrastructure using no
more than 5% of funds; and
(b) Subgrants using at least 95%
of funds.
-------------------------------
Subtotal.................... 10 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Commitment to State Preschool
Programs
(B)(1) Early Learning and 2 1
Development Standards..............
(B)(2) State's financial investment. 6 3
(B)(3) Enacted and pending 4 2
legislation, policies, and/or
practices..........................
(B)(4) Quality of existing State 4 2
Preschool Programs.................
(B)(5) Coordination of preschool 2 1
programs and services..............
(B)(6) Role in promoting 2 1
coordination of preschool programs
with other sectors.................
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 20 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Ensuring Quality in Preschool
Programs
(C)(1) Use no more than 5% of funds 8 4
for infrastructure and quality
improvements.......................
(C)(2) Implement a system for 10 5
monitoring.........................
(C)(3) Measure the outcomes of 12 6
participating children.............
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 30 15
------------------------------------------------------------------------
D. Expanding High-Quality Preschool
Programs in Each High-Need Community
(D)(1) How the State has selected 8 4
each Subgrantee and each High-Need
Community..........................
Note: Applicants with federally
designated Promise Zones must
propose to serve and coordinate
with a High-Need Community in that
Promise Zone in order to be
eligible for up to the full 8
points. If they do not, they are
eligible for up to 6 points.
Applicants that do not have
federally designated Promise Zones
in their State are eligible for up
to the full 8 points...............
(D)(2) How each High-Need Community 8 4
is currently underserved...........
(D)(3) How the State will conduct 4 2
outreach to potential Subgrantees..
(D)(4) How the State will subgrant
at least 95% of its Federal grant
award to its Subgrantee or
Subgrantees to implement and
sustain voluntary, High-Quality
Preschool Programs in two or more
High-Need Communities, and--
(a) Set ambitious and achievable 16 8
targets; and
(b) Incorporate in their plan--
(i) Expansion of the number
of new high-quality State
Preschool Program slots;
and
(ii) Improvement of existing
State Preschool Program
slots......................
Note: Applicants may receive up to 12 6
the full 12 points if they address
only (D)(4)(b)(i) or (b)(ii) or if
they address both (D)(4)(b)(i) and
(b)(ii);...........................
(5) How the State, in coordination 12 6
with the Subgrantees, plans to
sustain High-Quality Preschool
Programs after the grant period....
-------------------------------
D. Subtotal................. 60 30
------------------------------------------------------------------------
E. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee
and Ensuring Strong Partnerships
(E)(1) Roles and responsibilities of 2 1
the State and Subgrantee in
implementing the project plan......
(E)(2) How High-Quality Preschool 6 3
Programs will be implemented.......
(E)(3) How the Subgrantee will 2 1
minimize local administrative costs
(E)(4) How the State and Subgrantee 4 2
will monitor Early Learning
Providers..........................
(E)(5) How the State and the 4 2
Subgrantee will coordinate plans...
(E)(6) How the State and the 6 3
Subgrantee will coordinate, but not
supplant, the delivery of High-
Quality Preschool Programs funded
under this grant with existing
services for preschool-aged
children...........................
(E)(7) How the Subgrantees will 6 2
integrate High-Quality Preschool
Programs for Eligible Children
within economically diverse,
inclusive settings.................
(E)(8) How the Subgrantees will 6 3
deliver High-Quality Preschool
Programs to Eligible Children who
may be in need of additional
supports...........................
(E)(9) How the State will ensure 4 2
outreach to enroll isolated or hard-
to-reach families; help families
build protective factors; and
engage parents and families........
(E)(10) How the State will ensure 10 5
strong partnerships between each
Subgrantee and LEAs or other Early
Learning Providers.................
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 50 25
------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. Alignment within a Birth Through
Third Grade Continuum
(F)(1) Birth through age-five
programs...........................
(F)(2) Kindergarten through third
grade..............................
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 20 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------
G. Budget and Sustainability
[[Page 48890]]
(G)(1) Use the funds from this grant
and any matching contributions to
serve the number of Eligible
Children described in its ambitious
and achievable plan each year......
(G)(2) Coordinate the uses of
existing funds from Federal sources
that support early learning and
development........................
(G)(3) Sustain the High-Quality
Preschool Programs provided by this
grant after the grant period ends..
-------------------------------
Subtotal........................ 10 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Points Available for 200 100
Selection Criteria.........
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Competitive Priority 1: Contributing 10
Matching Funds.........................
Competitive Priority 2: Supporting a 10
Continuum of Early Learning and
Development............................
Competitive Priority 3: Creating New 0 or 10
High-Quality State Preschool Program
Slots..................................
-------------------------------
Total for All Priorities............ 30
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total..................... 230
------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. About Scoring
General Notes About Scoring
Ambitious and Achievable. In determining whether a State has
ambitious and achievable goals or targets for a given selection
criterion, reviewers will examine the State's goals or targets in
the context of the State's plan and the evidence submitted (if any)
in support of the plan. Reviewers will not be looking for any
specific targets nor will they necessarily reward higher targets
above lower ones with higher scores. Rather, reviewers will reward
States for developing goals and targets that, in light of each
State's plan and the current context and status of the work in that
State, are shown to be ambitious and achievable.
Additionally, there is a term that we use repeatedly in the
notice: Ambitious and achievable plan. This is an anchor term for
applicants to understand and reviewers to use in guiding their
scoring. In determining the quality of a State's plan for a given
selection criterion or competitive preference priority, reviewers
will assess the extent to which the plan is ambitious and
achievable, including whether it is feasible and has a high
probability of successful implementation and contains the following
components--
(1) The key goals of the plan;
(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;
(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 and sustainment 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; and
(8) How the State will address the needs of Eligible Children,
including those who may be in need of additional supports, such as
children who have disabilities or developmental delays; who are
English learners; who reside on ``Indian lands'' as that term is
defined by section 8013(7) of the ESEA; who are migrant; who are
``homeless,'' as defined in subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento
Act; who are involved in the child welfare system; who reside in
rural areas; who are from military families; and any other children
identified by the State.
Rubric
The following scoring rubric will be used to guide the reviewers
in scoring selection criteria and priorities. (See ``General Notes
about Scoring'' for more information about how reviewers will assess
ambitious and achievable plans.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of
available
points
awarded
------------------------------------------------------------------------
High-quality response................................... 80-100
Medium/high-quality response............................ 50-80
Medium/low-quality response............................. 20-50
Low-quality response.................................... 0-20
------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Priorities
There are two types of priorities in the Preschool Development
Grants--Expansion Grant competition: absolute and competitive.
Applicants must address Absolute Priority 1 the
absolute priorities throughout their applications; they do not write
separately to this priority. It will be assessed, after the proposal
has been fully reviewed and evaluated, to ensure that the
application has met the priority. Absolute Priority 1 must be met in
order for an applicant to receive funding. If an application has not
met the priority, it will be eliminated from the competition. A
State meets the absolute priority if a majority of reviewers
determines that the State has met the absolute priority. Absolute
Priorities 2 and 3 are not judged by peer reviewers.
Applicants may choose whether to address the
competitive preference priorities. Additional points will be awarded
to an application to the extent that reviewers determine it has met
a competitive preference priority. Applicants earn points under the
competitive preference priorities in a manner similar to how they
earn points under the selection criteria.
[cir] Competitive Preference Priority 1 (Contributing Matching
Funds) is worth up to 10 points.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible
State match of projected four-year total award amount points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50% or more............................................. 10
40% to 49%.............................................. 8
30% to 39%.............................................. 6
20% to 29%.............................................. 4
10% to 19%.............................................. 2
Less than 10%........................................... 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[cir] Competitive Preference Priority 2 (Supporting a Continuum
of Early Learning and Development) is worth up to 10 points.
[cir] Competitive Preference Priority 3 (Creating New High-
Quality State Preschool Program Slots) is worth 0 or 10 points. If
the applicant proposes to use at least 50 percent of its Federal
grant award to create new State Preschool Program slots, 10 points
will be awarded.
In the Event of a Tie
If two or more applications have the same score and there is not
sufficient funding to support all of the tied applicants, the
applicants' overall scores on Selection Criterion (D) will be used
to break the tie.
Appendix B--Subgrantee
Model Memorandum of Understanding
States do not need to submit Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)
from each Subgrantee at the time of application, but, if awarded
funds, States that receive Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grants will have 90 days to submit signed MOUs or other binding
agreements from each Subgrantee (see Program Requirement (i)).
However, as stated in Application Requirement (e), States applying
for Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grants must submit a
letter of support or preliminary MOU or other preliminary binding
agreement from each
[[Page 48891]]
Subgrantee identified in its application. The following is an
example of a final agreement.
Background for Memorandum of Understanding
Within 90 days of receipt of a Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grant award, the State must submit to the Departments a
final signed MOU or other binding agreement with each Subgrantee.
The purpose of the MOU or other binding agreement is to define a
relationship between the State's Lead Agency and the Subgrantee that
is specific to the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant
Competition; the MOU or other binding agreement is not meant to
detail all typical aspects of grant coordination or administration.
To support States in working efficiently with their Subgrantees
to affirm each Subgrantee's participation in the State Plan, the
Departments have produced a model MOU, which is attached. This model
MOU may serve as a template for States; however, States are not
required to use it. States may use a document other than the model
MOU, as long as it includes the key features noted below and in the
model MOU. States should consult with their State attorneys on what
is most appropriate. States may allow multiple Subgrantees to sign a
single MOU or other binding agreement, with customized exhibits for
each Subgrantee, if the State so chooses.
At a minimum, a Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant
MOU or other binding agreement should include the following key
features, each of which is described in detail below and exemplified
in the attached model MOU: (i) Terms and conditions; (ii) a scope of
work; and (iii) authorized signatures.
(i) Terms and conditions: Each Subgrantee must sign a standard
set of terms and conditions that includes, at a minimum: Key roles
and responsibilities of the Lead Agency and the Subgrantee; method
and process for making different types of decisions; mechanism for
exchanging of data; the Subgrantee's role in implementing the
State's ambitious and achievable plan; State recourse for non-
performance by the Subgrantee; and assurances that make clear what
the Subgrantee is agreeing to do.
(ii) Scope of work: Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grants MOUs or other binding agreements must include a scope of work
(included in the model MOU as Exhibit I) that is completed by each
Subgrantee. The scope of work must be signed and dated by an
authorized Subgrantee official and an authorized Lead Agency
official. The scope of work for the State and the Subgrantee, which
must contain detailed work plans and budgets consistent with the
State's grant application, must include the State's and each
Subgrantee'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 Subgrantee is
agreeing to implement.
(iii) Authorized Signatures: The signatures on the MOU or other
binding agreement demonstrate an acknowledgement of the relationship
between the Subgrantee and the Lead Agency. With respect to the
relationship between the Subgrantee and the Lead Agency, the Lead
Agency's counter-signature on the MOU or other binding agreement
indicates that the Subgrantee's commitment is consistent with the
requirement that a Subgrantee implement all applicable portions of
the State Plan.
Model Subgrantee Memorandum of Understanding
(To be submitted 90 days after State receives award)
This Memorandum of Understanding (``MOU'') is entered into by
and between ---------- (``Lead Agency'') and ----------
(``Subgrantee''). The purpose of this agreement is to establish a
framework of collaboration, as well as articulate specific roles and
responsibilities in support of the State in its implementation of an
approved Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant.
I. Assurances
The Subgrantee hereby certifies and represents that it:
(1) Agrees to implement those portions of the State Plan
indicated in Exhibit I.
(2) Has all requisite power and authority to execute and fulfill
the terms of this MOU;
(3) Is familiar with the State's Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grant Application and is supportive of and committed to
working on all applicable portions of the State Plan;
(4) Will implement the Scope of Work in Exhibit I consistent
with the Budget included in section VIII of the State Plan
(including existing funds, if any, that the Subgrantee is using for
activities and services that help achieve the outcomes of the State
Plan); and
(5) Will comply with all of the terms of the Preschool Expansion
Grants--Expansion Grant, this agreement, and all applicable Federal
and State laws and regulations, including laws and regulations
applicable to the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant, and
the applicable provisions of EDGAR (34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 82,
84, 86, 97, 98 and 99), and the debarment and suspension regulations
in 2 CFR part 3485.
II. Project Administration
A. Subgrantee Responsibilities
In assisting the Lead Agency in implementing the tasks and
activities described in the State's Preschool Development Grants--
Expansion Grant application, the Subgrantee will:
(1) Implement the Subgrantee Scope of Work as identified in
Exhibit I of this agreement;
(2) Make arrangements for High-Quality Preschool programs to be
provided by Early Learning Providers and will appropriately monitor
such entities;
(3) Abide by the State's Budget included in section VIII of the
State Plan (including the existing funds from Federal, State,
private, and local sources, if any, that the Subgrantee is using to
achieve the outcomes in the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grant Plan) and with the Subgrantee's Budget included in Exhibit II
of this agreement;
(4) Actively participate in all relevant meetings or other
events that are organized or sponsored by the State, by the U.S.
Department of Education (``ED''), or by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (``HHS'');
(5) Post to any Web site specified by the State, ED, or HHS, in
a timely manner, all non-proprietary products and lessons learned
developed using Federal funds awarded under the Preschool
Development Grants--Expansion Grant;
(6) Participate, as requested, in any evaluations of this grant
conducted by the State, ED, or HHS;
(7) Be responsive to State, ED, or HHS requests for project
information including on the status of the project, project
implementation, outcomes, and any problems anticipated or
encountered, consistent with applicable local, State, and Federal
privacy laws;
(8) Provide researchers with access, consistent with
requirements of all applicable Federal, State, and local privacy
laws, to available data regarding the enrollment and school
readiness of Eligible Children in State Preschool Programs;
(9) Implement culturally and linguistically responsive outreach
and communication efforts to enroll isolated or hard-to-reach
families; help families build protective factors; and engage parents
and families as decision-makers in their children's education;
(10) Minimize local administrative costs; and
(11) Partner with LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as
appropriate, to carry out activities that will provide children and
their families with successful transitions from preschool into
kindergarten.
B. Lead Agency Responsibilities
In assisting the Subgrantee in implementing its tasks and
activities described in the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grant application, the Lead Agency will:
(1) Work collaboratively with the Subgrantee and support the
Subgrantee in carrying out the Subgrantee's Scope of Work, as
identified in Exhibit I of this agreement;
(2) Award in a timely manner the portion of Preschool
Development Grants--Expansion Grant funds designated for the
Subgrantee in the Plan during the course of the project period and
in accordance with the Subgrantee Scope of Work, as identified in
Exhibit I, and in accordance with the Subgrantee's Budget, as
identified in Exhibit II;
(3) Provide feedback on the Subgrantee's status updates, any
interim reports, and project plans and products;
(4) Keep the Subgrantee informed of the status of the State's
Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant project and seek input
from the Subgrantee, where relevant to the portion of the State plan
that the Subgrantee is implementing;
(5) Facilitate coordination across Subgrantees necessary to
implement the State Plan;
(6) Identify sources of technical assistance for the project;
and
(7) Monitor Subgrantee's Implementation of High-Quality
Preschool Programs.
[[Page 48892]]
C. Joint Responsibilities
(1) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee will implement the State
Plan consistent with the description of the roles and
responsibilities outlined in the State's application and in the
Scope of Work in Exhibit I;
(2) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee will each appoint a key
contact person for the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion
Grant;
(3) These key contacts from the Lead Agency and the Subgrantee
will maintain frequent communication to facilitate cooperation under
this MOU, consistent with the State Plan and governance structure.
(4) Lead Agency and Subgrantee personnel will work together to
determine appropriate timelines for project updates and status
reports throughout the grant period;
(5) Lead Agency and Subgrantee personnel will negotiate in good
faith toward achieving the overall goals of the State's Preschool
Development Grants--Expansion Grant, including when the State Plan
requires modifications that affect the Subgrantee, or when the
Subgrantee's Scope of Work requires modifications;
(6) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee will devise plans to
sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs after the grant period,
including any non-Federal support that the State or Subgrantees plan
to contribute;
(7) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee will coordinate plans
related to assessments, data sharing, instructional tools, family
engagement, cross-sector and comprehensive services efforts,
professional development, and workforce and leadership development;
and
(8) The Lead Agency and the Subgrantee will coordinate, but not
supplant, the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs funded
under this grant with existing services for preschool-aged children
including, if applicable, programs and services supported through
title I of the ESEA, part C and section 619 of part B of IDEA,
subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act, and
the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act.
D. State Recourse in the Event of Subgrantee's Failure To Perform
If the Lead Agency determines that the Subgrantee is not meeting
its goals, timelines, budget, or annual targets, or is in some other
way not fulfilling applicable requirements, the Lead Agency will
take appropriate enforcement action, which could include initiating
a collaborative process by which they attempt to resolve the
disagreements between the Lead Agency and the Subgrantee, or
initiating such enforcement measures as are available to the Lead
Agency, under applicable State or Federal law.
III. Modifications
This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended only by written
agreement signed by each of the parties involved, in consultation
with ED and HHS.
IV. Duration
This Memorandum of Understanding shall be effective, beginning
with the date of the last signature hereon and ending upon the
expiration of the Preschool Development Grants--Expansion Grant
project period.
V. Signatures
Authorized Representative of Lead Agency:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Signature Date
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Print Name Title
Authorized Representative of Subgrantee:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Signature Date
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Print Name Title
Exhibit I--State Lead Agency and Subgrantee Scope of Work
The State Lead Agency and Subgrantee hereby agrees to
participate in the State Plan, as described in the State's
application, and more specifically commits to undertake the tasks
and activities described in detail below. In addition, the Lead
Agency and Subgrantee will collaborate to establish Performance
Measures for any aspects of the State's plan that the Subgrantee is
implementing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performance
Selection criterion Participating party Type of participation measure (if
applicable)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Example Row--shows an example of Subgrantees..... Providing family
criterion (E)(10)(b)(ii) for the engagement, support,
Subgrantees. nutrition, and other
Comprehensive Services
and coordinating with
other community partners
to ensure families'
access to needed
supports.
Example Row--shows an example of State Lead Taking steps, or building
criterion (F)(2)(d)(i) for the State Agency. upon the steps it has
Lead Agency. taken, to align, at a
minimum--
(i) Child learning
standards and
expectations.
(D)(4).................................
(D)(5).................................
(E)(1).................................
(E)(2).................................
(E)(3).................................
(E)(4).................................
(E)(5).................................
(E)(6).................................
(E)(7).................................
(E)(8).................................
(E)(9).................................
(E)(10)................................
(F)(1).................................
(F)(2).................................
(G)(1).................................
(G)(2).................................
(G)(3).................................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exhibit II--Subgrantee Budget
The MOU must contain a Subgrantee budget clearly explaining how
each Subgrantee will expend funds, including any matching funds, if
applicable. The State and each Subgrantee must update the budgets
submitted in Part VII of the application and submit them as part of
the MOU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Signature Date
(Authorized Representative of Lead Agency)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Signature Date
(Authorized Representative of Subgrantee, if applicable)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Signature Date
(Authorized Representative of Subgrantee, if applicable)
[FR Doc. 2014-19427 Filed 8-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
