California Department of Education American Indian Early Childhood Education Program

Early Education and Support Division

Fiscal Year 2017–18

American Indian Early Childhood Education Program

Request for Applications

Program Overview and Requirements

California Department of Education

May2017

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California Department of Education American Indian Early Childhood Education Program

Early Education and Support Division

Table of Contents

Program Overview…………...….……………………….2

Overview

Program Criteria and Description

Purpose

Program Funding…………...….…………………………2–3

Eligibility Requirements

Grant Funding

Application Requirements…………...….………………3–4

Application Preparation

Application Package Preparation

Format

Presentation of Application

Cost of Preparing the Application

Submission Requirements…………...….……………..4

Submission Date(s)

Number of Copies Required

Address to Submit the Application

Application Review Process…………...….……………4–6

Preliminary Screening Process

Review Process

Application Result Notification

Appeals

Administration…………...….……………………….……6–7

Administration Process

End of Performance Period

Retention of Records

Local Administration

Application Timeline…………...….…………………….7

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Overview

The California Department of Education (CDE), Early Education and Support Division (EESD) announces the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017–18,American Indian Early Childhood Education (AIECE) Program Request for Applications (RFA). The AIECE Program is designed to develop and test educational models thatincrease the competence of American Indian children in prekindergarten through grade four in reading/language arts, and mathematics.

Program Criteria and Description

The CDE considers the AIECE Program to be a vehicle for strengthening the instructional program in the public schools. The program designed should be a comprehensive one that employs strategies for raising the academic achievement at each grade level served and encourages the participation of American Indian parents, families, and the community in all stages of program development and implementation.

The program must address American Indian students from prekindergarten through grade four and include suggestions from a district-established American IndianEducation Parent Committee and an American Indian Advisory Councilat each participating school. These groups should provide suggestions for planning, implementing, and evaluating the program to increase communication and understanding among parents, family, community members, and school personnel.

Purpose

The purpose of the program is to strengthen the district’s instructional program and improve the academic achievement and self-concept of American Indian students in California’s schools.

PROGRAM FUNDING

Eligibility Requirements

Any local educational agency (LEA) servinga minimum of 10 percent American Indian students at a school site that serves prekindergarten or kindergarten through fourth grade may apply for a grant to develop and test an educational project designed to increase American Indian students’ competence in reading and mathematics. To be eligible for this program, applicant districts must clearly identify and describe the unique features of the proposed project, including the instructional strategies that render it effective in teaching reading/language arts and mathematics to American Indian students. Applicants must also clearly describe the assessment and evaluation procedures for testing the proposed project.

Applicants previously funded under this program are eligible to reapply, contingent upon having submitted all deliverables for the previous grant and meeting the school enrollment requirement.

Grant Funding

The program runs in a three-year funding cycle from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2020. The grant funding period shall be July 1 through June 30 for each year.

The CDE will fund successful grant applications at a maximum of $80,000 per fiscal year. Funding is contingent upon budget appropriations and is subject to the availability and approval of the California Budget Act. The CDE reserves the right to negotiate the proposed budget and the allocation amount of any application awardedfor funding and, if necessary, unilaterally revisethe amount of funding.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application Preparation

The CDE requires that all applications for funding be completed in accordance with the following instructions.

Application Package Preparation

Applicants must submit all required information and forms requested in the RFA. Applications that are incomplete or not in conformance with the application instructions may be disqualified. Written notification will be provided to applicants whose application is disqualified for not meeting submission requirements. It is solely the applicant’s responsibility to carefully review the RFA information and requirements before submitting an application for funding. While the CDE has the right to waive minor discrepancies in application requirements that do not impact the integrity of the application, it is not required to do so.

Format

Applications must conform to the format requirements regarding paper sizes, margins, and fonts.

Presentation of Application

Each application must include the Application Cover Sheet as the first page for the entire application. Do not attach additional covers or place applications in binders. Please ensure that each application is adequately secured with a staple in the upper left-hand corner.

Cost of Preparing the Application

The applicant accepts sole responsibility for all costs incurred in the development of its application. These costs are not reimbursable even if the contractor is awarded funds through this RFA.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applications must be received as set forth below. Failure to submit the application on a timely basis may result in the disqualification of the application.

Submission date(s)

Electronic submission of the FY 2017–18 AIECE application may be submitted to the email box by Wednesday, June 7, 2017.

Number of Copies Required:Within 10 business days of submitting the electronic copy, the applicant must then submit one (1) original application (containing appropriate signatures in blue ink) plus three (3) hard copies of each signed application.

Address to Submit the Application:The application package must be received on or before 5:00 p.m. onTuesday, June 20, 2017at the following address:

California Department of Education

Early Education and Support Division

Attention: Funding and Agency Support Unit

1430 N Street, Suite 3410

Sacramento, CA 95814-5901

APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS

Preliminary Screening Process

Applications will be screened to determine whether the applicant is eligible for funding, as described in the Eligibility Requirements section on page 2. Disqualified applicants will be informed of the reasons for the disqualification in writing.

Applications will also be screened to determine if the application is complete and/or completed in accordance with the instructions and timelines. Incomplete applications and/or applications not completed in accordance with the instructions and timelines may be disqualified from eligibility. It is solely the applicant’s responsibility to carefully review the RFA information and requirements before submitting an application for funding. While the CDE has the right to exercise reasonable discretion and waive minor discrepancies in application and submission requirements that do not impact the integrity of the submission, it is not required to do so. Applicants will be informed of the reasons for the disqualification in writing.

Review Process

All applications will be read by a review committee knowledgeable in issues relating to American Indian education services and early childhood education, and experienced in the application review process.Members of the review committee will read and score each application. Recommendations for funding will be made on the basis of several criteria, including the quality of the proposal, need for the project, and the potential impact of the work.

Application Result Notification

The CDE will notify all eligible applicants in writing of their score.

Appeals

After receiving the written notification of their score, applicants may review their application, the criteria used to score the application, and any reader comments on their application. Applicants may appeal only their score. Applicants wishing to contest their score must submit a written notice of appeal to the CDE within ten (10) business days of receiving their score notification. The notice of appeal must contain the following information:

  1. The appellant’s name, mailing address, and telephone number
  1. The name(s) of the person(s) who will represent the appellant at the appeal hearing
  1. Whether the representative(s) will attend the appeal hearing in person or communicate through a telephone conference call
  1. Written materials that explain why the specific narrative component(s) should have received a higher score.

Send notice of appeal to:

California Department of Education

Early Education and Support Division

Attention: RFA Appeals

1430 N Street, Suite 3410

Sacramento, CA 95814-5901

The CDE will notify the appellant in writing of the results of the appeal within ten (10) business days of the appeal hearing. The appeal will be limited to the application submitted in response to the RFA. The CDE’s decision is the final administrative action afforded the appeal.

ADMINISTRATION

Administration Process

The CDE is responsible for the administration of the AIECE Program. These responsibilities include oversight of the selection process and monitoring of the program. Two proposed visits may accomplish the following purposes:

  • To assess program implementation and provide technical assistance regarding effective management practices and budgeting items
  • To examine the degree to which the program has been implemented and how the program has achieved the purpose of the AIECE Program

End of Performance Period

The required deliverables include a final program report and a fiscal report. The program report is due 60 days after the end of the fiscal year (August 31). The following topics must be addressed:

  • The degree to which all program objectives were achieved
  • A report of the successes and strategies for program remedies
  • Statistics on all participants served by the AIECE Program during the fiscal year
  • An inventory of materials and equipment purchased under this grant
  • The Fiscal Report form that includes all expenditures for the funding year
  • If there is any significant deviation from the program application,a change request must be submitted.

Retention of Records

Each applicant agency receiving funds for an AIECE Program must keep intact and accessible records relating to the receipt and expenditure of state funds under the AIECE Program. These records must also contain the expenditures of the agency’s contribution to the project, if any.

The records of an agency’s contribution include all accounting records and related original and supporting documents, including direct and indirect costs charged to the grant or indirect costs charged to the agency as its contribution to the program.

Each applicant agency receiving funds for an AIECE Program must also retain project records for three years after the end of the school year in which they originated; maintain a current inventory of materials and equipment purchased with funds from this

source for the duration of the project; and give the CDE or its duly authorized representatives access to all records and to any other pertinent books, documents, and materials of the agency funded by this source.

Local Administration

Each school district receiving these funds shall establish anAmerican IndianEducation Parent Committee for the AIECE Program. An American Indian Advisory Councilmust be established at each participating school to increase communication, promote understanding among members of the American Indian community and the school officials, and provide suggestions on all aspects of the program, such as program planning, implementation of activities, evaluation criteria, and review of results.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Item / Date
Request for Applications Released / May 9, 2017
Electronic Submission (10 business days prior to due date)
Applications Due to the EESD / June7, 2017
June 20, 2017
Score Notification to Applicants / July 7, 2017
Appeals Due to EESD / July 26, 2017
Awards Announced / September 13, 2017

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