TORRINGTON BOARD OF EDUCATION REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Transcription

1 TORRINGTON BOARD OF EDUCATION REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The Torrington Board of Education hereby invites the submission of Statements of Qualifications for the Board to determine eligibility for: GRANT FUNDS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SLOTS which slots must be made available no later than September 7, The Statements of Qualifications will be received at the offices of the Torrington Board of Education, Central Office Building, 355 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, Connecticut until 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3, The Request for Qualifications and other information may be obtained from the Board s website or from the Business Services Office at the Torrington Board of Education, Central Office Building, 355 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, Connecticut between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Hugh Potter, Director of Business Services Torrington Board of Education

2 TORRINGTON BOARD OF EDUCATION REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS JANUARY 30, 2015 I. Definitions A. "Addendum" means written documents issued by the Board prior to the date and time in Article IIE which modify these Request for Qualifications by additions, deletions, clarifications or corrections. B. "Board" means the Torrington Board of Education. C. "City" means the City of Torrington, Connecticut. D. Grant has the meaning described in Article IV. E. "Interested Party" means the person or entity who submits a Statement of Qualifications to the Board. F. Slots has the meaning described in Article IV. G. "Statement of Qualifications" means a submission responsive to this Request for Qualifications. II. Instructions for Interested Parties A. Statements of Qualifications shall be received from Interested Parties to determine parties that may be eligible to receive funds related to a State grant that the Board may receive from the State of Connecticut Office of Early Childhood for early childhood education Slots, as described in more detail in Article IV. B. Statements of Qualifications must be mailed or delivered to Hugh Potter, Director of Business Services, Torrington Board of Education in an envelope clearly marked "Statement of Qualifications for Grant Funds for Early Childhood Education Slots. C. The Interested Party must submit its Statement of Qualifications in a sealed envelope marked with the Interested Party's name and address in the upper left hand corner. D. The Statements of Qualifications shall be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 to Hugh Potter, Director of Business Services, at the Torrington Board of Education, Central Office Building, 355 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, Connecticut Statements of -1-

3 Qualifications received later than that date and time will not be considered and will be returned unopened. Amendments to or withdrawals of Statements of Qualifications received later than that date and time will not be considered. E. The Interested Party shall submit three (3) copies of the Statement of Qualifications. F. The Board may, in its sole discretion: select one or more Interested Parties to enter into an agreement with the Board and/or the City relating to the Grant directly from this Request for Qualifications; request additional information or clarifications from Interested Parties; conduct discussions with Interested Parties; request proposals relating to the Grant from Interested Parties; issue a request for proposals relating to the Grant; negotiate with Interested Parties; and/or reject any and all submissions. The Board reserves the right to extend, reopen, revise, cancel or reissue this Request for Qualifications. The Board reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to determine if a party is eligible to receive funds from the Grant, including using criteria not specifically set forth in this Request for Qualifications. G. The Board reserves the right to waive technical defects in Statements of Qualifications, to reject any and all Statements of Qualifications, in whole or in part, and to make such awards, in whole or in part, that in its judgment will be in the best interest of the Board and/or the City. H. Each Interested Party is responsible for making sure it gets the information it needs to provide a responsive Statement of Qualifications. Information requests are to be made in writing to Donna Labbe at dlabbe@torrington.org or at Torrington Board of Education, Central Office Building, 355 Migeon Avenue, Torrington, Connecticut prior to the end of business on Monday, February 2, A written request does not in any way diminish an Interested Party s responsibility to get the information it needs to provide a responsive Statement of Qualifications. I. Any modification to the Request for Qualifications documents by the Board will be made by Addendum. Any Addendum will be posted on the Board's website. Each Interested Party shall confirm prior to submitting its Statement of Qualifications that it has received all Addenda. III. Statement of Qualifications Requirements A. The Statement of Qualifications shall be submitted with all of the information described in this Article III. -2-

4 B. Each Interested Party should submit a narrative describing the Interested Party. C. Each Interested Party should submit a completed Response Form, in the form attached as Exhibit A, and should either indicate a response for each item or attach and clearly label information responsive to the item. D. Each Interested Party must fill out the Certification in the form attached to this Request for Qualifications. E. Any Interested Party will be required to comply with the State s nondiscrimination provisions. The Interested Party should include a statement that it will comply with the State s non-discrimination provisions. F. After review of the submitted Statements of Qualifications, the Board may request that the Interested Parties provide data to indicate financial condition, including audited financial statements for the last year presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. G. The criteria and qualifications listed on the Response Form are the minimum eligibility requirements for a party to be eligible to receive Grant funds. Interested Parties are encouraged to provide additional information on the Interested Party and its programs for the Board to consider. H. Failure to address all items listed in this Request for Qualifications may result in rejection at the Board s sole discretion. I. All forms shall be typed or clearly hand-written. J. The Board shall have the right to take such steps as it deems necessary to determine the qualifications of Interested Parties. IV. Background Information and Information on Agreement A. The Torrington Board of Education has received notice that it may obtain a State grant from the State of Connecticut Office of Early Childhood for early childhood education slots (the Grant ). These slots must be for 4- year olds in family households residing in the City of Torrington which are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level in a full-year/full-day program (the Slots ). B. The Board has issued this Request for Qualifications to identify parties that may be eligible to receive funds from the Grant. -3-

5 C. The Slots must be made available no later than September 7, The Grant funds shall be available from July 1, 2015 to June 30, If selected by the Board to receive the Grant funds, the Interested Party would be required to provide the Slots during the entire time period that Grant funds are provided. D. All Grant awards are subject to the availability of State and/or federal funds made available to the Board and/or the City. E. The solicitation of Statements of Qualifications does not commit the Board to award any agreement. Any agreement entered into by it and/or the City will be in writing and executed by all parties. F. The Board and/or the City may enter into agreements with one or more Interested Parties. G. No party shall receive any Grant funds until it enters into a written agreement with the Board and/or City relating to such Grant funds. H. Reporting, fiscal controls and accounting procedures will be used to ensure proper disbursement of funds awarded by the Board, including the annual completion of audited financial statements. I. Any Interested Party selected by the Board to receive Grant funds will need to certify in any agreements with the Board and/or the City that it shall comply with the laws, rules, regulations and policies of federal, state, and local governments. It shall be the responsibility of the Interested Party to ensure that all personnel employed are familiar with all of the aforesaid laws, rules, regulations and policies. -4-

6 CERTIFICATION: The Interested Party has read and understood the Request for Qualifications documents, INCLUDING ALL EXHIBITS AND ATTACHMENTS, which are Exhibit A and Attachment A and Attachment B, all attached hereto and made a part hereof, and the following addendum: (if any. If none, state None ). I hereby certify, as an authorized signatory for, that, as the Interested Party, all of the information and materials supplied to the Board as required by the Request for Qualifications are complete and true. I, as an authorized signatory for, understand that all of the criteria and qualifications will be included in any agreements executed with the Board and/or the City, if awarded any agreement. I, as an authorized signatory for, further understand that any information that is found to be incomplete or false or, any attempt to mislead the Board is discovered, either during the evaluation or subsequent to any award may result in the disqualification of the party for eligibility for Grant funds or the immediate termination of any agreements with the Board and/or the City. Signature Name Date Title Interested Party Information Contact Person: Company: Address: City State Zip Telephone: Fax: -5-

7 EXHIBIT A Criteria & Qualifications 1.Provide the address in the City of Torrington of the location of the Slots Response or Indicate if Information is Attached (Yes/No) 2.Attach a copy of the Interested Party s State of Connecticut Department of Public Health license to operate a child care center 3.Complete and attach Attachment A - Current Student Enrollment 4. Complete and attach Attachment A - Facility Capacity 5. Complete and attach Attachment A as to eligible additional spaces. How many spaces are currently available for Slots* at the location listed in Item #1? How many spaces can be made available for Slots* at the location listed in Item #1 by September 7, 2015? Please attach narrative describing the plan to secure additional Slots if Slots not currently available. *these must be NEW Slots added to the Interested Party s program numbers, not current slots (no supplanting) 6. Provide the name of the Designated Program Administrator and attach evidence that such person meets NAEYC Criteria 10.A Complete and attach Attachment B - Staff Registry with CT Charts a Course/Teacher Credentials 8. Attach the Interested Party s Staff Professional Development Plan 9. Is the location listed in Item #1 at a NAEYC or Head Start Certified Center? 10. Can the Interested Party provide up to a 10-Hour Day/Full Year Program? 11. Attach information relating to curriculum and child assessment alignment with the CT Early Learning Development Standards and or Connecticut Early Childhood Frameworks 12. Attach Sample Learning Plans 13. Can the Interested Party provide and serve meals?

8 14. Attach information relating to the Interested Party s ability to coordinate with health providers, social service providers, and the Board for wrap around services which include health screenings, special education needs, dental, hearing, vision and mental health supports. 15. Is the Interested Party a party to any Interagency Collaboration Agreements? If so, please provide a list of Interagency Collaboration Agreements and a copy of each agreement. If not, please attach a narrative describing the Interested Party s plan to enter into such agreements. 16. Attach information relating to the Interested Party s ability to meet the CT School Readiness General Policies. These policies can be found at the following website: Attach an affirmative statement that the Interested Party will not charge a fee to participants for tuition for the Slots. 18. Attach a copy of the current operating budget for the location listed in Item # Attach information on the Interested Party s governance structure, and, as applicable, a list of the Board of Directors, a list of the members of any other type of governing board or body and/or the name or names of the person or persons that control the Interested Party.

9 Attachment A Site Data Site : Site Capacity Current Student Enrollment Eligible Additional Spaces

10 Attachment B PROGRAM / SITE DATA Staffing All staff working with children in School Readiness classrooms and managing a School Readiness site must be registered in the Early Childhood Professional Development Registry (Please refer to GP 09-09). The State Department of Education uses the Registry system to verify staff qualifications in association with meeting the requirements of the RFP and annual program evaluation. Complete the staffing grid first listing the personnel who provide classroom coverage (i.e. those who meet SR qualifications), Directors, and all other staff working in SR classrooms. Site Name: (please complete per site) Staff Name Staff Registry ID# Ladder Level Class Name / Number # of SR Children / Total # (i.e., 5/18) Role: (Teacher, Assistant, Aide, Director, other) Daily Hours in Classroom: From: To:(i.e. 8:30-12:30, 2:30-4:30) Total Daily Hours in Classroom: (i.e. 6) Total Daily Hours on site (i.e. 8)