The Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start will solicit applications from public or private non-profit organizations, including community-based and faith-based organizations, or for-profit organizations that wish to compete for funds to provide Head Start and/or Early Head Start services to eligible children and families. Funding is available in one individually defined service area within the state of Oklahoma.
Donor Name: Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
State: Oklahoma
Counties: Lincoln County (OK), Seminole County (OK)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/02/2022
Size of the Grant: $1,626,908
Grant Duration: 60 Months
Details:
The goal of this NOFO is to ensure the distribution of resources to meet the demonstrated community needs of children from birth to compulsory school age, ensuring continuity of services and taking into account the availability of high-quality and comprehensive early childhood education opportunities (which may include public pre-kindergarten programs for 4- year-olds). Applicants proposing to serve pregnant women are expected to serve the newborn through the EHS program. Applicants should thoughtfully consider their reason for deciding to apply to conduct a program to serve the proposed population, including the particular age group of children and, if applicable, pregnant women. This decision should be based on the needs of the community. This NOFO provides applicants the opportunity to propose to reallocate funding between Head Start and EHS based on both the needs in the community and the applicant’s capacity and experience serving pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and/or preschool-age children. Applicants may explore combining Head Start and EHS funds with resources from other early childhood programs or funding streams, including state, local, and private sector funding for child care, pre-kindergarten, and special education services. Please note that applicants responding to this NOFO will be expected to begin providing Head Start and/or EHS services quickly after award, with a minimal start-up period, to support limited to no disruption in services to the currently enrolled children and families in this service area.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $1,626,908
- Award Ceiling: $1,626,908 Per Budget Period
- Award Floor: $1,626,908 Per Budget Period
- Anticipated Project Start Date: 07/01/2022
- Length of Project Periods: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods
Eligible Participants
- Head Start serves children when they are at least 3 years old by the date used to determine eligibility for public school in the community where the Head Start program is located. EHS programs enroll pregnant women and infants and toddlers from birth to age 3. Families must either have incomes below the poverty line or be eligible for public assistance in order to be income eligible for Head Start or EHS programs. In addition, homeless children and children in foster care are categorically eligible for services. Children are selected for enrollment based on age, income eligibility, and relative level of need with regard to other criteria that are identified within each community (45 CFR § 1302.12(b) and (c)).
- Head Start regulations permit up to 10 percent of enrolled participants to be from families that do not meet these low-income criteria. A provision in the Head Start Act, as discussed in 42 U.S.C. § 9840(a)(1)(B), which is applicable to both Head Start and EHS, allows recipients that can ensure that all eligible children, including homeless children, are served, to enroll up to an additional 35 percent of its participants from families with incomes greater than or equal to 100 percent, but less than 130 percent, of the poverty line. It is not expected, however, given the relatively low EHS participation rates, that the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 9840(a)(1)(B) regarding serving up to 35 percent of a program’s enrollment from families with incomes up to 130 percent of the poverty line would apply for this announcement.
- Additionally, programs must ensure that at least 10 percent of the total number of children enrolled by the Head Start or EHS agency and delegates are children with disabilities unless a waiver is granted.
- Applicants may elect to propose program models that promote socioeconomic diversity within classrooms. Federal Head Start funds must be used to serve eligible children as described in this section. Additional children who are not income-eligible for Head Start or EHS can be served so long as their participation is supported through other funding sources, including child care subsidies, public school pre-kindergarten allocations, parent-paid tuition, or other sources. Such program designs may be beneficial in promoting socioeconomic diversity within classrooms. All costs must be allocated to appropriate funding sources in compliance with federal requirements.
Eligible Applicants
It is important to note that the eligibility requirements are different for Head Start and EHS.
- Entities applying for Head Start only – OR – both Head Start and EHS:
- Eligible applicants are limited to local public or private non-profit agencies, including community-based and faith-based organizations, or local for-profit agencies, pursuant to section 641(a)(1) of the Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. 9836(a)(1) that can provide Head Start services to children and families residing in the service area(s). Applicants must demonstrate they meet the statutory requirement for designation as a Head Start and/or EHS agency as defined in the Head Start Act.
- For designation as a Head Start agency, ACF will consider all “qualified applicants in such community” as required by section 641(d) of the Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. 9836(d), where the applicant demonstrates it has an organizational base within the community to be served. This could be established by virtue of the applicant being a current provider of services in the community or having a clear relationship to the community as evidenced, for example, by board representation from the community or by evidence of the support of community leaders, including, but not limited to, elected or appointed city/county officials, school principals, county government officials, social service provider organizations, community organizations representing minority and other relevant sectors of the community to include low-income populations, and community-based child care providers.
- Entities applying for Early Head Start only:
- Eligible applicants are any public or private non-profit agencies, including community-based and faith-based organizations, or for-profit agencies pursuant to section 645A(d) of the Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. 9840A(d).
- Eligibility is limited to public or private non-profit organizations, including faith-based organizations or for-profit organizations, that can provide EHS services to children and families residing in the service area(s). Entities operating Head Start programs are eligible to operate EHS programs.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
