Health Resources and Services Administration September 17, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), announces the funding opportunity for the Bridging the Word Gap Incentive Prize Challenge. MCHB is sponsoring the Word Gap Challenge (Challenge) to spur innovative solutions to promote the early language environment and address the ``word gap,'' the large difference in exposure to language for children from low-income families as compared to children from higher-income families. This Challenge will reward the development and testing of scalable innovations that drive behavior change among parents and caregivers. The goal of the Challenge is to develop a low-cost, scalable technologically-based intervention that drives parents and caregivers to talk and engage in more back-and-forth interactions with their young children (ages 0-4). This Challenge, structured in three phases, with a narrowing of applicants through each phase to result in one final winner, will reach a diverse population of innovators and solvers, including coders, public health experts, individuals affiliated with academic institutions, research and development communities in the private sector, and others. All submissions will be evaluated; separate prizes will be awarded for each of the three phases below. Phase 1: Design Phase 2: Development and Small Scale Testing Phase 3: Scaling The statutory authority for this challenge competition is Section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (COMPETES Act, Pub. L. 111-358). Estimated dates for each phase are as follows: Phase 1: Effective on September 30, 2015 Phase 1 Submission ends: December 31, 2015, 11:59 p.m. ET Phase 1 Judging Period: January 1-January 31, 2016 Phase 1 Winners Announced: February 10, 2016 Phase 2 Begins: February 11, 2016 Phase 2 Submission Period Ends: July 11, 2016 Phase 2 Judging Period: July 12-August 12, 2016 Phase 2 Winners Announced: August 20, 2016 Phase 3 Begins: August 21, 2016 Phase 3 Submission Period Ends: February 21, 2017 Phase 3 Winner Announced: March 1, 2017

HRSA announces the award of a program expansion supplement in the amount of $40,000 for the Centers of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) in Education, Science, and Practice grant. The purpose of the Centers of Excellence in MCH program is for the training of graduate and post-graduate public health professionals in an interdisciplinary MCH setting. The purpose of this notice is to award supplemental funds to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the Pediatric Obesity Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) to spread evidence-based practices, and to translate knowledge into practice by the University of Washington, the awardee who serves as the Centers of Excellence in MCH, during the budget period of June 1, 2015, through May 31, 2016.