Department of Early Education and Care. Renewal Application

Transcription

1 Department of Early Education and Care Renewal Application Community Partnerships for Children: Preschool Direct Services Grant Fund Code 391 and Local Planning and Coordination Grant Fund Code 392 CPC Renewal Application - 1 -

2 OVERVIEW, ELIGIBILITY, FUNDING, SUBMISSION AND CONTACT INFORMATION Background: The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) provides services for children in Massachusetts through a mixed delivery system which includes child care centers, out-of-school time programs, family child care homes, public preschool programs, private school preschool and kindergarten, and Head Start programs. EEC is responsible for licensing early education and care and out-of-school time programs throughout Massachusetts and for providing child care financial assistance to low-income families with children birth to 13 years of age. In addition EEC provides support for information and referral services, inclusive programming for children with special needs, parenting and family support, and professional development opportunities for educators in the early education and out of school time fields. These efforts affect thousands of early education and out of school time providers, who serve more than 275,000 children each day. In its broadest role, EEC also serves as a source of information to more than one million families in Massachusetts. In the years preceding Fiscal Year 2007, Community Partnerships for Children (CPC) program components were funded through a single line-item structure. In FY 2007, major CPC program components previously captured under the FY 2006 single budget line item were moved to distinct line items for the purposes of Local Planning and Coordination and Preschool Direct Services. Funding for the direct service delivery of program accreditation, professional development, and early childhood mental health services were no longer included in CPC specific line item funding. Through this RFR, EEC seeks to provide renewal funding for: Preschool Direct Services in the form of financial assistance for income eligible children and/or teacher salaries; and Planning and Coordination to support community-wide efforts to coordinate EEC programs and services and facilitate access to high quality services. Purpose: Preschool Direct Service Grant The purpose of the Preschool Direct Service grant is to provide financial assistance opportunities for preschool children from low-income, working families, children deemed at-risk, and children with special needs to participate in high quality early education and care programs that promote their healthy development and school success in inclusive learning environments. Local Planning and Coordination Grant The purpose of the CPC program Local Planning and Coordination grant is to support children s school readiness by planning for and coordinating a broad CPC Renewal Application - 2 -

3 range of services at the community level for children and families. The Local Planning and Coordination grant is also intended to ensure equitable access to EEC financial assistance and information on high quality early education and care options for families; facilitate access to resources for providers to increase program quality (including professional development); facilitate access to comprehensive services for children; and coordinate family support and education activities. Local planning and coordination grants support community collaboration maximizing resources for children and families at the local level. Goals and Priorities: The FY 2009 goals and priorities for the CPC Program, which are listed below, reflect the mission of the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) to improve the affordability, accessibility, and quality of early education and care in the Commonwealth and are organized by funding source: Preschool Direct Services and Local Planning and Coordination.. Preschool Direct Services The goals and FY 2009 priorities for the Preschool Direct Services grant are to: 1. Provide access to an array of child care and preschool settings based on parent choice. 2. Implement more consistent provider payments. 3. Support participation of peer models in inclusive preschool settings. 4. EEC is seeking several communities to volunteer for a Subsidy Management Transition Pilot this year in which participants will agree to shift their subsidy management over into one of the existing EEC online child care information management systems (eccims and CCIMS) during FY Participation in the Pilot will inform the transition of all subsidy management activities to a more consolidated online method of billing by FY This Pilot will help EEC determine ways to minimize the affects this transition will have on Local Planning and Coordination funding thus allowing Local Councils the ability to reinvest in expanded local planning efforts. Local Planning and Coordination EEC has the following goals and priorities for Local Planning and Coordination funding in FY 2009: 1. Maximize Community Coordination, Collaboration and Outreach A. Plan coordinated services, supports, and care that promote family engagement, school readiness and high quality early education and care. B. Existing councils are encouraged to expand their planning efforts to include programs, services, and providers serving families birth through kindergarten and including school age children if practical. CPC Renewal Application - 3 -

4 Goals and Priorities: (Continued) 2. Family Access and Affordability A. Act as a local point of entry, to support families in accessing high quality programs, financial assistance, and other resources in the community. B. Ensure that priority children and families and children of families who may be difficult to reach by traditional methods, are located and offered an opportunity to participate in a program that meets their needs. 3. Provider Quality Improvement A. Increase the quality of programs by facilitating access to professional development opportunities for providers. B. Strengthen programs in your community by encouraging and coordinating activities that enhance quality. 4. Facilitate Access to Comprehensive Services, Family Education, and Support A. Promote school readiness, healthy development, and emotional wellbeing of children age birth to five through access to comprehensive services and programs such as parent and child activities, family education and support, transition to kindergarten, enhanced referral for children with special needs and family literacy activities. Applicant Eligibility: This is an application for renewal of FY 2008 grant funding. Existing CPC programs are eligible to apply for renewal of grant funds, either individually or jointly. Lead agencies that currently administer Community Partnerships for Children programs are to be the lead agency for these renewal funds, unless they choose to consolidate with another lead agency (see below). In order to be eligible for renewal grant funds, each CPC must continue to convene a Local Council. Consolidated Renewal Applications CPC lead agencies may choose to consolidate their grants in the following circumstances: They administer more than one CPC program; and/or They have grant awards of less than $150,000; and/or They serve contiguous communities; and/or They employ a part time CPC Coordinator; and/or They are no longer interested in maintaining lead agency status. CPC programs are strongly encouraged to combine with contiguous CPC communities and/or unfunded communities to form one inclusive CPC Council, CPC Renewal Application - 4 -

5 and, accordingly, designate one CPC lead agency to administer program funds and complete one consolidated CPC renewal application for submission to EEC. All CPC programs interested in submitting consolidated applications must be willing to combine and have the support of all Councils involved. If you choose to consolidate your CPC programs, please include a letter detailing who is acting as the lead agency, what communities are joining together, and the new total combined amount of funding. Please note: The lead agency, CPC Council, and all subcontracted providers must comply with all applicable statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures, inclusive of any changes made to the CPC Program as a result of enacted legislation, duly promulgated regulations, or policies implemented by the Board and/or Department of Early Education and Care. Funding: This is an application for renewal of FY 2008 grant funding. CPC lead agencies may apply for the same level of funding allocated in FY 2008 for Preschool Direct Services and Local Planning and Coordination (please see Appendix F for funding amounts). Continuation funding for the CPC program is subject to the FY2009 state budget appropriations and budget language. The approval of your FY 2009 CPC renewal application and request for funds is contingent upon completion of all required FY 2008 and/or 2009 data reports. Fund Use: Preschool Direct Services 1. Direct service funds may be used to serve families who meet EEC financial assistance income and activity requirements (as delineated in the EEC Financial Assistance Policy Guide available at with preschool-age children in Head Start, public school programs, private preschools, child care centers, independent family child care programs, or family child care systems who meet CPC provider quality criteria set forth in Appendix C through scholarships/subsidies paid via per child rates only. Preschool aged children are defined as: age 2 years 9 months to 5 years, but not yet kindergarten eligible. A kindergarten eligible child is defined as a child who is five years old by the kindergarten entry date in the city or town in which they reside. The CPC program may fund services for a child until a child is kindergarten eligible. Once kindergarten eligible, the child shall have continuity of care through an income eligible voucher or contracted slot, provided the child s family remains eligible for EEC Financial Assistance. Direct services may be provided by the lead agency and/or through subcontracts (subject to EEC approval) with other providers (public preschools, private preschool/child care, Head Start, independent family child care providers, and CPC Renewal Application - 5 -

6 family child care systems). A lead agency or subcontracted provider subject to EEC licensure shall be awarded funds only if it is in substantial compliance with applicable EEC regulations. 2. Inclusive Learning Environment funding must be used to enhance a program s capacity to serve children with and without disabilities in an integrated model. Inclusive Learning Environments shall meet the following standards: Services in such programs may be provided in the public school, Head Start, or a licensed child care setting in the form of teacher salaries, paraprofessional salaries, and fringe benefits. Class size shall not exceed 20 with one teacher and one aide and no more than five students with disabilities.* If the number of students with disabilities* is six or seven then the class size may not exceed 15 students with one teacher and one aide. At a minimum, classrooms composition must reflect 15% children with documented disabilities to be considered an inclusive learning environment. Classrooms where children with documented special needs and/or disabilities comprise over 50% of classroom enrollment are considered substantially separate learning environments and do not qualify for these funds. * Special needs or disability must be documented with a copy of the child s IEP. Please note: Rural communities whose population does not reflect the minimum requirements detailed above, must attach a detailed narrative to the CPC Renewal Application describing the population of the community and how these funds will still meet the general objective of providing opportunities for inclusion. Additional Services that can be provided with Preschool Direct Service funding: A. Transportation, with the exclusion of transportation required on a child s IEP; or B. Supplemental services for inclusion: CPC costs associated with supplemental services provided to children with IEPs to enhance his or her full participation in a program beyond the services required on his or her IEP. Qualified special education, behavioral, and/or medical consultants may be hired in settings to support successful inclusion of all children with special needs by providing technical assistance to staff and parents on topics relative to the child s disability, including,but not limited to: helping to identify children who may have special needs; disability awareness, environmental and curricula adaptations and modifications; and creating, monitoring, and implementing behavior plans when the CPC Renewal Application - 6 -

7 behavior is not manifested by the child s disability and/or addressed in the child s IEP. Resources funded through this line should be available community wide. This funding may not be used to fund one-on-one aides, as those services should be delivered through a child s IEP. Allocation Amounts for Inclusive Learning Environments Funding for Inclusive Learning Environments can not exceed the original amount of funding allocated to the Preschool Teacher Salary, Paraprofessional Salary and Preschool Direct Services Staff Fringe Benefits lines in the FY 2008 the CPC renewal application. The Inclusive Learning Environment amounts are reported in Appendix F. Programs that funded teacher salaries and fringe in FY2008 should continue to use these funds in those settings provided they meet the definition of Inclusive Learning Environments above. In the event that funding is not going to be used in those programs according to the definition, that funding may be redistributed to other programs that meet this definition. Funding can also be redistributed to support additional services in the form of transportation or supplemental services to children with IEPs, or financial assistance via subsidies (meeting EEC eligibility and activity requirements). Teacher and paraprofessional salaries may be funded with Inclusive Learning Environment funding in a program which is not administered by the Lead Agency, provided that the classroom in which they are working meets the definition of an Inclusive Learning Environment, as detailed above. Local Planning and Coordination Local Planning and Coordination funding may be used for the following purposes: Staff salaries*; Staff Fringe costs*; Supplies and materials*; Printing and reproduction*; Travel*; Rent and/or utility costs associated with CPC program coordination or preschool direct service space*. *Specific parameters relative to the expenditures listed under Preschool Direct Services and Local Planning and Coordination are delineated in the Expenditure Parameters tab in the Part II: Budget Detail and Narrative section of this application. CPC Renewal Application - 7 -

8 Subcontracting for Local Planning and Coordination Services: Subcontracts for local planning and coordination functions of the CPC grant, including subsidy management services such as intake, eligibility determination, waiting list management, and information and referral services may only be awarded to the following entities: Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (see Appendix D for rate requirements); Public School Districts; Entities which hold current contracts directly with the Commonwealth for contracted income eligible care. These functions may not be subcontracted to independent contractors. For more detail regarding subcontracting rules and requirements see Appendix A. CPCs who subcontract with CCR&Rs for subsidy management are encouraged to participate in the Subsidy Management Transition Pilot. Required Services: Preschool Direct Service Funding Grant recipients must deliver the following required services and/or activities with preschool direct service funds: 1. Provide financial assistance to families with preschool-aged children who meet statewide EEC eligibility requirements. Fund children outside of your current CPC catchment area and include communities and programs not served by a CPC (Ashby, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Hopedale, Lincoln, Longmeadow, Lunenburg, Nahant, Pepperell, Richmond, Somerset, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Weston, West Townsend) in order to maximize fund use and children served. 2. Use the centralized waiting list for all new placements (with the exception of children served through Inclusive Learning Environment funds) and keep waiting list data accurate and up to date. 3. Ensure that scholarships/financial assistance paid via per child rates adhere to rate cap requirements set forth in Appendix D. 4. If your CPC has an Inclusive Learning Environment Allocation (See Appendix F), enhance a program s capacity to serve children with and without disabilities in an integrated model by funding teacher/paraprofessional salaries and fringe costs with Inclusive Learning Environment funds. 5. Recruit a mixed system of providers who meet CPC program quality requirements set forth in Appendix C in order to maximize parent choice. CPC Renewal Application - 8 -

9 Local Planning and Coordination Funding Grant recipients must deliver the following required services and/or activities with local planning and coordination funds: Maximize Community Coordination, Collaboration and Outreach 1. Facilitate collaboration through your Local Council to strengthen existing connections as well as develop new relationships between local programs, initiatives, and Local Councils (for further detail regarding roles and responsibilities of the Local Council please see Appendix B); 2. Reduce duplication of services and efforts by connecting resources and coordinating grant funding with other programs (i.e. Accreditation, Professional Development, Building Careers, UPK, Mental Health grantees, Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, Massachusetts Family Network Programs, Parent-Child Home Programs, and Public Schools) and initiatives while promoting equitable access among families. Family Access and Affordability 1. Place all eligible families seeking financial assistance on the centralized waiting list. 2. Educate and provide consistent information and referral services connecting families to high quality preschool programs and resources. 3. Support children with and without disabilities by providing enhanced referrals where necessary and conduct follow-up regarding placement and services provided. Provider Quality Improvement 1. Assess the needs of providers in your community and coordinate access to supports for achievement of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation, Child Development Associate (CDA), or National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation for providers in your community. 2. Implement the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences in all participating CPC programs. 3. Assess the needs in your community and in coordination with Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCR&Rs), facilitate access to professional development opportunities, including but not limited to: career counseling, mentoring, academic advising, ESOL, ABE, and GED supports, and training providing Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or college credits, and the Early Childhood Scholarships program. Collaborate with local colleges receiving Building Careers grant funds to further facilitate access to professional development opportunities. 4. Work with current and hopeful Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) grantees to identify needed resources to meet and maintain UPK standards. CPC Renewal Application - 9 -

10 Facilitate Access to Comprehensive Services, Family Education, and Support 1. Connect families to comprehensive services and programs, such as parent and child activities, family education and support, enhanced referrals for children with special needs, and family literacy activities through collaboration with programs including, but not limited to: Massachusetts Family Network, Parent Child Home Program, and Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. Facilitate and provide access to services that support children s healthy behavior. 2. Collaborate with the provider community, including Early Intervention, and Public Schools, to support appropriate transitions to preschool programs and kindergarten, and work towards ensuring that information and activities are available to children birth through age five and their families. * CPC programs are encouraged to include communities that are currently not funded by CPC (Ashby, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Hopedale, Lincoln, Longmeadow, Lunenburg, Nahant, Pepperell, Richmond, Somerset, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Weston, West Townsend) in all of their grant program activities. In order to recognize accomplishments, identify challenges and inform future funding decisions, mid and end-of-year progress reports are required of all FY09 EEC grant recipients. These reports will provide EEC with information regarding the successes and challenges in meeting grant goals and objectives. A template for reporting this information will be forthcoming. The mid year report is due by 4:00pm Friday, January 16th 2009 and receipt of the end-of-year report will be required for approval of final grant payments. These narrative reports are in addition to the existing reporting requirements below. EEC reserves the right to review and monitor the performance of lead agencies and Local Councils in implementing the Community Partnerships for Children grant. EEC reserves the right to take corrective action in instances where the Lead Agency fails to meet stated requirements. Grant Term: Contact: Timeline and Submission Date: This is a one year grant for the period of 7/1/2008 6/30/2009 (provided applicants meet all grant requirements). Florence Semb CPC Statewide Grant Coordinator (413) ext 126 Florence.semb@massmail.state.ma.us CPC Direct Services and Local Planning and Coordination continuation grant proposals must be submitted by Wednesday, June 11, 2008 and must be received by EEC s Central office by 3:00 pm. CPC Renewal Application

11 Required Forms to be Submitted: Please only send in the following forms in the order below (do not attach appendices): 1. Part II- Budget Detail and Narrative 2. Part III: Subcontractor Budget Detail and Narrative 3. Part IV- FY 2009 Program Contact Information 4. Part V- Local Council Sign-Off Sheet (original signatures) 5. PART VI: Local Council Expanded Role: Questionnaire 6. PART VII: Subsidy Management Transition Pilot 7. Letter of Consolidation (if applicable) Required at a later date if applicable to your CPC: 8. Rate Waiver Request (to be developed ) Please note: Part I: Standard Contract Form will be sent to you following programmatic approval of your grant. You will receive two Standard Contract forms. Once for your Preschool Direct Services funding, and one for your Local Planning and Coordination funding. You will have to sign and return both contract forms to EEC with original signatures (no copies). Submission Instructions: Applicants must mail one original (sign in blue ink) and one copy: TO: Tresa Glover-Smith Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care 51 Sleeper Street 4 th floor Boston, MA ATTN: Fund Code 391 & 392 Please do not include any of the appendices in your mailing. The appendices contain additional program information and requirements for your reference. Please make sure to put the ATTN: line on the envelope as we have several grant applications due to us at the same time. Additional Information for the Applicant: Appendix A: Lead Agency Roles and Responsibilities Appendix B: Local Council Roles and Responsibilities Appendix C: CPC Provider Quality Requirements Appendix D: CPC Rate Reimbursement Requirements and Definitions Appendix E: Grant Negotiation, Payment Terms, Grant Expenditures, Termination, Recoupment of Funds, and Relevant Laws Appendix F: CPC Eligibility Amounts and Assigned Regions CPC Renewal Application

12 Reporting: In order to recognize accomplishments, identify challenges and inform future funding decisions, mid and end-of-year progress reports are required of all FY09 EEC grant recipients. These reports will provide EEC with information regarding the successes and challenges in meeting grant goals and objectives. A template for reporting this information will be forthcoming. The mid year report is due by 4:00pm Friday, January 16th 2009 and receipt of the end-of-year report will be required for approval of final grant payments. These narrative reports are in addition to the existing reporting requirements below. CPC Renewal Application

13 PART IV: FY 2009 Program Contact Information 1. CPC SUMMER CONTACT - Must be available to the Department from June 10, 2008 through September 1, Name: Name of Lead Agency: Mailing Address: Phone: Fax: * 2. CPC COORDINATOR (this is the person who will receive an EEC approved copy of the grant) Name: Name of Lead Agency: Mailing Address: Phone: Fax: * 3. CPC LEAD AGENCY CONTACT Name: Name of Lead Agency: Mailing Address: Phone: Fax: * CPC Renewal Application

14 PART V: FY2009 Local Council Sign-off Sheet Lead Agency: In signing this grant application as a Council member, I agree with the following statements: 1. I am aware of the FY2009 goals and priorities of this grant application and intend to work towards implementing them. 2. I am willing to plan for expanding the Local Council role to include children birth through kindergarten, and school age where appropriate. I will identify steps necessary to accomplish these goals. 3. I am aware of the policies and procedures of this grant renewal application and will continue to be an informed grant recipient regarding any changes or requirements throughout FY2009. Any community member that would like to participate on the CPC Council should be permitted to do so. IF A REQUIRED MEMBER DOES NOT SIGN, PLEASE SUBMIT A WRITTEN EXPLANATION. IF A REQUIRED MEMBER IS NOT REPRESENTED ON THE COUNCIL, SUBMIT AN ACTION PLAN FOR FY2008 RECRUITMENT. Multi-town CPCs must have representation from each town in service area. Name and Agency (print) Role/Position Address and Phone Number Signature If Chair/ Co-Chair Parent of young child* Parent of young child* Parent of young child* Public School Principal* Rep. of Lead Agency* Local CCR&R* Head Start* Representative of Private Providers of Early Care and Education* Provider of Early Care and Education* Provider of Early Care and Education* Provider of Early Care and Education* Family Child Care Provider* (independent) Family Child Care Provider* (system, if CPC Renewal Application

15 applicable) Name and Agency (print) Role/Position Address and Phone Number Signature If Chair/ Co-Chair Representative of Early Intervention* Representative of Massachusetts Family Network (if applicable)* Representative of Public School Early Childhood Department* Representative of Parent - Child Home Program (if applicable)* Representative of Joint Family Support Program (if applicable)* Representative of Quality Full-day Kindergarten/School Readiness committee (if applicable)* Representative of Mental Health Consultation Grant Program (if applicable)* Representative of Children with Disabilities* Representative of Higher Education Children s Librarian Kindergarten Teacher Representative of Social Service Agency Representative of Business Community Representative from Faith- Based Organization Representative of Medical Community Superintendent and/or Assistant Superintendent and/or SPED Director CPC Renewal Application

16 City/Town Official Other (describe) Required Members. Council members should be representative of the racial, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity of the community. Provider of early care and education can be a preschool teacher, Early Childhood Coordinator, or family child care provider. A Parent should NOT be a teacher, director, family child care provider, etc. in a CPC-associated program. An individual paid by the grant should NOT be the sole Chair of the Council. CPC Renewal Application

17 PART VI: Local Council Expanded Role: Questionnaire Lead Agency: EEC is interested in working with communities and programs toward developing more unified local planning and coordination councils. We want to identify best practices and potential barriers to the success of these efforts. Your responses to the following questions will inform the Department in fully developing this vision. Does your council or program currently plan for the coordination of services for children outside of your specified age range? Does your council currently work with other local councils and early childhood programs (i.e. PCHP, MFN, United Way, Success by Six, UPK, School Age, etc.)? If yes, please briefly describe this collaboration and any specific activities you are planning for FY What are the most successful or positive aspects of working in this way? What are the barriers, concerns, or drawbacks? If your program does not currently have an expanded coordination and planning function serving children birth through five, what supports or information would you need to do this? CPC Renewal Application

18 PART VII: Subsidy Management Transition Pilot Lead Agency: EEC is excited to solicit volunteers for a Subsidy Management Transition Pilot in FY Your role in this Pilot will be critical to informing us on how to transition subsidies managed at the local level into a centralized online financial assistance and billing system. Currently this online system consists of two components - eccims which is used by EEC contracted providers and CCIMS which is used by the CCR&Rs to administer income eligible vouchers. Our goal is to develop one unified online system for the administration of EEC financial assistance. Volunteers will work with us to determine how we can make this a smooth and effective transition while supporting Local Councils in expanding their roles. Eligible pilot candidates are: Currently subcontracting with a CCR&R for subsidy management services; and/or Currently contracting with providers who also have EEC contracted slots and are reimbursed by the CPC at the EEC state rate (see Appendix D for state rates). If you are a CPC that does not meet the criteria above, but are willing to volunteer for the Subsidy Management Transition Pilot please indicate so below. 1. Are you willing to volunteer for the Pilot at this time? Yes or No 2. If yes, please detail your current subsidy management structure by completing the table below. Subsidy Management Model CPC Lead Agency Management (parent choice voucher model) Number of Providers Number of Children Served: FY 08 Amount of Subsidy Funds Allocated R&R Management (parent choice voucher model) *Provider has CPC Contracted Slots and Performs Subsidy Management for its program Providers with CPC Contracted slots are those providers whom the Local Council allocates funds to fill slots at a particular program that are predetermined at the beginning of the fiscal year. Please note: Subsidy Management Transition Pilot Volunteers must be prepared to continue to administer subsidies in FY 2009 until further guidance regarding the transition of such services has been provided by EEC. CPC Renewal Application

19 APPENDIX A Lead Agency Roles and Responsibilities The lead agency in its fiscal capacity must meet the following requirements: Ensure that the FY2009 goals and priorities are implemented and that funding is expended in accordance to the parameters of this renewal application and EEC policies; The lead agency must designate a CPC Coordinator as the main point of contact between the Local Council, Lead Agency, and EEC. The CPC coordinator is responsible for disseminating all relevant information to the proper agents including Council members, the CPC Lead Agency staff, and participating programs. They must attend all relevant EEC trainings and meetings and act as the point person to EEC for all CPC-funded activities. If the CPC Coordinator is not available year round, a designee must be identified by the Lead Agency to carry out program activities in the CPC Coordinator s absence; Prepare budget updates regularly for the Local Council, including preparation of amendments as needed for approval by the Local Council. Amendment requests should be submitted directly to EEC by April 30 th for EEC approval so that goods and services are received by June 30 th ; Provide Lead Agency fiscal representation on the Local Council and work with the Council to develop proposals and continuation applications; Manage and monitor all subcontracts, and provide reimbursements in a timely fashion (preferably on a monthly basis); Adhere to Subcontract Requirements below. Comply with EEC monitoring requests; Implement EEC required data collection and policy initiatives; Submit all EEC required data reports by defined due dates; and Return any unspent funds to the Commonwealth on or before August 30th. If Lead Agency provides subsidy management, in addition to the above bullets, you must: Verify that programs meet the required quality standards and licensed programs are in good standing with EEC before placing children; Ensure that all providers maintain attendance records, and that verification and documentation of CPC eligibility, including but not limited to income, activity status, family size are accurate and maintained in a way that can be reported and monitored; Subcontract Requirements: Use of Funds: Subcontracts cannot provide funds to underwrite operating costs for programs/agencies. Funds received must be directly pertinent to the delivery of CPC direct services (e.g. subsidies for eligible children) or program coordination and support (e.g., staff salaries to meet goals of CPC program, etc). Funds for materials and supplies, whether children are served or not, should be based on demonstrated need tied to CPC objectives. All materials and supplies purchased with grant funds are the property of the grant, not the individual program. Furniture and durable materials should be labeled with the fiscal year and CPC. Developing Subcontracts: After selection processes are completed, the Lead Agency will develop subcontracts with individuals or providers. All subcontracts funded by the grant must be in writing and be functionally identical to, consistent with, and subject to the provisions that are required by the Commonwealth Terms and Conditions for contracts. The Department of Early Education and Care requires Lead Agencies to include in all subcontracts: subcontract budget; CPC Renewal Application

20 subcontract maximum budgetary obligation;* reimbursement rates for services rendered and description of how rates were determined (i.e. reimbursement rates for preschool direct service must be in compliance with rate policies set forth by EEC); scope of services to be provided; data reporting requirements of the subcontractor; payment schedule; letter of assurance that the subcontractor will abide by all relevant EEC policies and procedures; Lead Agency subcontract monitoring procedures; where applicable, a subcontracted provider should include a copy of the EEC license, NAEYC accreditation, NAFCC accreditation, CDA certificate or early childhood (or related field) degree along with his/her signed contract. * The subcontractor is reimbursed for services rendered. The subcontractor agrees to provide the services stated in the scope of service; however, in the event all services cannot be provided, the subcontractor is not entitled to the maximum budgetary obligation. Any obligated but unused funds revert to the Lead Agency to be reallocated by the Local Early Education and Care Council or returned to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Lead Agency must inform all subcontractors of its internal controls, procedures, and timelines related to fiscal and accountability protocols including, but not limited to: submitting invoices; issuing purchase orders; soliciting bids; documenting of expenses; documenting of services; All products, advertising, and materials should contain a clause stating the funds were provided through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care s Community Partnerships for Children program. Only the Lead Agency should enter into subcontract agreements funded by CPC. The Commonwealth Terms and Conditions from the Commonwealth state: Subcontractors may not sub-contract with other agencies for services. Indirect rates: Indirect rates may not be charged to this grant. Required Verification for Payment: The Lead Agency is responsible for collecting verification to support each reimbursement/disbursement of funds issued through subcontracts. At any given time, the lead agency should be able to support each expenditure as follows: the request for purchase, authorized by the lead agency, or its designee (i.e., purchase order; work described in the scope of service in a subcontract); the deliverable (e.g., vendor packing slips for supplies received, attendance sheets and evaluation from a workshop, or classroom attendance records); and a bill to pay for services rendered (i.e., invoices from providers, utility bill, or vendor invoice). CPC Renewal Application

21 In addition, all expenditures should align with an activity or budget line item in the approved Community Partnerships for Children grant application. Lead agencies must keep a record of expenditures consistent with grant budget line items. Monitoring, Amending, and Evaluating Subcontracts Lead agencies must monitor all CPC subcontracts on a quarterly basis to ensure that services are being provided. If circumstances change and the scope of services is altered or not implemented, lead agencies are advised to amend subcontracts to accurately reflect services (e.g., actual vs. estimated number of children being served, etc.). At the end of each grant cycle, Lead agencies and the Local Early Education and Care Council, should evaluate subcontractor performance. CPC Renewal Application

22 APPENDIX B Local Council Roles and Responsibilities Overview The Local Council must be active and ongoing throughout FY The Council must include all required members (as delineated in Part V: Local Council Sign-Off) and represent all communities within the grant s service area. The Council must be open to participation by all interested and eligible early care and education programs, but lack of participation or council membership shall not prevent any qualified provider from receiving funding through this grant. Purpose The purpose of the Local Council is to further the goals and objectives of the Direct Services and Local Coordination and Planning grants. The Council shall work to ensure local coordination and maximize local participation in early education and care services and programs, to best serve children and their families in their communities by building upon the array of existing services in their community, identifying local gaps in services, and assessing the accessibility and affordability of local early education and care services. EEC is encouraging councils to work towards expanding their coordination and planning functions to benefit children ages birth through five, and work with other service providers that address the needs of this age group. EEC also intends to support the efforts of councils who choose to expand their councils to include planning and coordination services for school aged children and their families. Responsibilities The following are required responsibilities of the Local Councils: Ensure that Council functioning reflects the purpose, as stated above; Ensure that fiscal and programmatic elements of the CPC Program reflect the goals and priorities delineated in the FY 2009 CPC Renewal Application and funds are used appropriately; Implement EEC policies in collaboration with the Lead Agency; Develop, review, and approve proposals, budgets, amendments and other relevant information pertaining to the grant; Adhere to local rate reimbursement requirements according to the parameters defined in Appendix D. Review and evaluate progress toward achieving the Council s mission and goals regularly. Establish bylaws that govern voting members and the roles, responsibilities and procedures of the Local Council. Bylaws should specify and identify a required quorum for any Council or subcommittee vote. Plan and coordinate resources at the community level to support healthy child development, promote school readiness, and maximize resources: 1. Collaborate across agencies in order to build on and foster efficiencies within the local array of services available to children and families. 2. Facilitate early education and care programs provision of or connections to comprehensive services impacting the five domains of child development: social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and linguistic. Services may include health care, mental health care, dental care, parent support, nutritional counseling, social services, and special education related assessments and services. 3. Identify opportunities to improve access to services for families or increase services for families already receiving services. CPC Renewal Application

23 4. Plan for successful transitions from home to early education and care programs, from program to program, from one age-group to another, and to school from an early education and care program or home. 5. Identify gaps in services available to children and their families and develop recommendations to the department and board to better coordinate funding and services. 6. Work with other EEC funded initiatives around early literacy programming and community events 7. Assist programs with efforts to meet and maintain the Massachusetts universal pre-kindergarten program quality standards. Guidance for a Successful Local Council: Establish Bylaws: Councils should develop Bylaws which include the following sections: purpose of the organization; membership required representation, recruitment, terms, conditions; officers titles, roles and responsibilities, terms of office; executive committee and subcommittees (membership and scope of responsibilities); conflict of interest policy; election procedures; procedures for amending bylaws; and quorum. Council Meetings: Set meetings (number, time, place) that best accommodate the schedules of the membership and allow for optimum participation in accordance with the Open Meeting Law; Record attendance (name and agency affiliation) and minutes of meetings, including any official votes; and Send minutes of meetings/agendas of future meetings to Council members The Council may delegate some of these responsibilities through its bylaws to a sub-committee or an executive committee. Executive Committee: Council bylaws may establish an Executive Committee structure for purposes of expediency and/or to deal with immediate situations. The Council defines the membership of the Executive Committee (e.g., chairperson(s), number of members), and the role, responsibilities and limits of the Executive Committee. Executive Committee members should represent various sectors of the early care and education community, including at least one parent of a young child. The Executive Committee chairperson makes recommendations to the full Council for final approval Subcommittees: Bylaws may also establish subcommittees that focus on the mission and goals of the Council. Examples of subcommittee functions may include Council member-ship/recruitment, proposal writing, fiscal oversight, home visiting, fundraising, quality/ accreditation, family involvement, outreach, school readiness, and parent training/ professional development. Subcommittees should prepare and retain minutes, including attendance, affiliation and votes at all meetings. The subcommittee chairperson makes recommendations to the full Council for final approval. Subcommittees may have members who are not members of the full Council. Voting: When establishing which Council members may vote, consider the following: Voting needs to be equally representative of all entities involved in the Local Early Education and CPC Renewal Application

24 Care Council; No one program is permitted to submit votes which skew the decision making process in their favor; Balance the voting members between those who receive funds with other community representatives who do not receive funding; Council members must abstain from participating in the discussion of or voting on any matter that presents a conflict of interest or creates the appearance that a Council member is acting with bias or favoritism, such as voting to award funds to oneself, one s spouse, or a member of one s immediate family or taking an action that affects one s financial interest or that of a spouse, immediate family member, business partner, or an organization in which one serves as an officer, director, or trustee; and Council voting results may not overrule stated EEC policies and regulations. CPC Renewal Application

25 All early education and care programs which provide CPC funded direct services to children must meet the following quality standards, based on program type. All participating center-based programs, including public and private school programs, must be: Accredited or seeking accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) ; and Licensed by EEC or legally license-exempt; and Using the Early Childhood Program Standards for Three and Four-Year Olds; and Using the Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences. All family child care providers must: Be licensed by EEC; AND meet one of the following criteria: Have or be seeking the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; OR Have or be seeking National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation; OR Have at least an Associate s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field. Definitions For FY 2009 EEC defines accredited as a program having attained NAEYC or NAFCC accreditation. For FY2009 EEC defines seeking accreditation as follows, based on program type: Verification APPENDIX C Provider Quality Requirements Center based and public school programs - programs that are currently in step 1/enrollment or above of the new NAEYC accreditation process. At a minimum programs must have completed the enrollment form, be actively engaged in self-study, and be preparing to meet the NAEYC eligibility requirements according to the self study materials. Family child care programs programs that are actively involved in step II/self-study step or above of the NAFCC accreditation process. Programs should have completed the application step and are preparing to meet the NAFCC requirements according to the self study materials as defined by NAFCC. Regarding CDA, the family child care provider must have requested CDA materials or have a CDA advisor. CPC coordinators must maintain documentation at the local level to verify that programs providing CPC direct services have met the following criteria to qualify as seeking accreditation and accredited. To verify a provider s seeking accreditation status, CPC staff must obtain documentation which verifies the following: Provider has obtained enrollment/self study materials through NAEYC/NAFCC; and Provider is actively working on program improvements as defined by the self study materials by either accrediting organization. CPC Renewal Application

26 For family child care providers seeking CDA, the provider must request a letter from a CDA advisor (if they have an advisor) or; show verification that they submitted a request for CDA materials (a receipt) A Direct Service subcontract agreement with programs providing EEC financial assistance should include benchmarks/timelines to support programs in utilizing the self study materials to improve quality according to the criteria set forth by NAFCC and NAEYC. To verify a provider s accredited status, lead agency staff must obtain documentation which verifies the following: Provider has obtained an NAEYC/NAFCC accreditation certificate that is active for FY 2009; For family child care providers, an active CDA certificate. CPC Renewal Application

27 APPENDIX D Rate Reimbursement Requirements and Definitions Methods of reimbursement: CPCs may reimburse providers through the following rate structure: Published Private Rate* State Rate* Community Rate* *No provider may be reimbursed at a rate which is higher than their published private rate. CPC Reimbursement Rate Cap: CPCs may choose to reimburse providers up to the CPC Reimbursement Rate Caps for their designated region as denoted in the charts below (see Appendix F for regional assignments). The CPC Reimbursement Rate Cap is made up of the 75 th percentile of the market rate for that program type (for center-based and family child care) within each region. Center-based Preschool Region CPC Reimbursement Rate Cap 1: Western $ : Central $ : Northeast $ : Greater Boston $ : Southeast $ : Boston $46.70 Region Family Child Care CPC Reimbursement Rate Cap FCC Independent 1: Western $ : Central $ : Northeast $ : Greater Boston $ : Southeast $ : Boston $36.00 Family Child Care Systems: CPCs may reimburse family child care systems up to the rate which the Commonwealth reimburses them via contracts. To verify this rate, CPCs should request a copy of the contract that a system holds with the Commonwealth. No other providers may be reimbursed at a rate which exceeds the 75 th percentile caps in their designated region. Systems which also manage center-based facilities must be reimbursed within the parameters of the 75 th percentile market rate for center-based care. Half-day Rates: Half-day rates (less than 6 hours of care per day) should be equal to half of the full-day provider rate. CPC Renewal Application