Section 2050.50 Proposal Review and Approval for New or Expanding Programs

TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

SUBTITLE A: EDUCATION

CHAPTER XI: DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

PART 2050 EARLY CHILDHOOD BLOCK GRANT

SECTION 2050.50 PROPOSAL REVIEW AND APPROVAL FOR NEW OR EXPANDING PROGRAMS

Section 2050.50  Proposal

Review and Approval for New or Expanding Programs

a)         Proposals

submitted for funding to establish a new program or expand an existing program

shall be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria.

1)         Population

to be Served (30 points)

A)        The

proposal clearly indicates that the area to be served has a high number of

children and families determined to be the most in need of the services

provided by the Early Childhood Block Grant program, as indicated by high

levels of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, limited-English proficiency or

other need-related indicators, such as the school district's rate of dropouts,

retention, truancy, teenage pregnancies and homeless students, high rates of

infant mortality, birth trauma, low birth weight or prematurity, and high rates

of child abuse and neglect, and that there exists in the area to be served an

insufficient number of other programs and services to fully serve all children

and families who potentially could be at risk.

B)        Criteria

and indicators for identifying children and families who are eligible for the

program are clearly established and likely to target those children and

families most in need of services.

C)        Effective

recruitment strategies are proposed that are likely to ensure that the maximum

number of eligible children and families are enrolled in the program.

2)         Quality

of Proposed Program (40 points)

A)        The

proposed program and activities will sufficiently meet the identified needs of

the population to be served and include child and parent activities designed to

enhance child development and parent effectiveness and, ultimately, school

readiness

hat the maximum

number of eligible children and families are enrolled in the program.

2)         Quality

of Proposed Program (40 points)

A)        The

proposed program and activities will sufficiently meet the identified needs of

the population to be served and include child and parent activities designed to

enhance child development and parent effectiveness and, ultimately, school

readiness.

B)        The

program proposal provides for effective linkages among parents, education,

health and social service agencies, and child care providers and includes a

plan for coordination of services with other educational programs serving young

children and their families.

C)        The

proposed program is built upon effective research about early childhood

education and aligned to the applicable Illinois early learning standards (see Appendix

A or C).

D)        The

evaluation strategies include measurable outcomes for children and families

that are designed to effectively gauge the success of the program and yield

sufficient data that can be used to improve the program.

3)         Experience

and Qualifications (20 points)

A)        Proposed

staff hold the appropriate educator and/or professional licenses for their

positions and have the qualifications and experience necessary to successfully

implement a high-quality early childhood program.

B)        The

staff development plan adequately addresses the needs of the project staff,

offers a varied and full range of staff development experiences and provides

sufficient opportunities for learning so as to allow staff to incorporate the

training into program delivery activities

he qualifications and experience necessary to successfully

implement a high-quality early childhood program.

B)        The

staff development plan adequately addresses the needs of the project staff,

offers a varied and full range of staff development experiences and provides

sufficient opportunities for learning so as to allow staff to incorporate the

training into program delivery activities.

C)        In

addition, an eligible applicant other than a school district has presented

evidence that it:

i)          holds

the appropriate licensure to operate as a day care facility;

ii)         holds

early childhood accreditations or has other relevant experience that

demonstrates success in implementing and administering programs similar to the

ones funded under the Early Childhood Block Grant Program; and

iii)        has

a successful track record with similar grants or contracts.

4)         The

program is cost-effective as evidenced by the cost of proposed services in

relation to the numbers to be served and the services to be provided.  (10

points)

b)         The

selection of proposals for funding may be based in part on geographic

distribution and/or the need to provide resources to school districts and

communities with varying demographic characteristics.

c)         Priority

consideration may be given to proposals with specific areas of emphasis, as

identified by the

Secretary of Early Childhood

in a particular RFP.

d)         For a

previously funded applicant, progress toward correcting any deficiencies

contained in an unfavorable monitoring report issued under Section 2050.67

shall be considered in the review process.

e)         The

Secretary of Early Childhood

shall

determine the amount of individual grant awards.  The final award amounts shall

be based upon:

1)         the

total amount of funds available for the Early Childhood Block Grant; and

2)         the

resources requested in the top-ranked proposals, as identified pursuant to

subsections (a) through (d).