SOLICITATION NOTICE
U -- National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation
- Notice Date
- 6/10/2011
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 611710
— Educational Support Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland, 20857
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- 11-233-SOL-00271
- Point of Contact
- Tanya Crawford, Phone: 301.443.0058
- E-Mail Address
-
tanya.crawford@psc.hhs.gov
(tanya.crawford@psc.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The proposed acquisition listed herein is unrestricted. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Program Center, Division of Acquisition Management intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) on behalf of the Office of Child Care (OCC) within the Administration for Children and Families for the National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation. The RFP number is: 11-233-SOL-00271. NAICS code is 611710. One of the OCC's priority goals is assisting States, Tribes, and Territories to design child care subsidy programs that are child focused, family friendly, and fair to providers. These child care subsidy programs reach all sectors of the early childhood and school age field, thus serving children birth through age twelve. The aim is to integrate child development goals and family self-sufficiency goals in order to promote increased stability and higher quality services that lead to improved child and family outcomes. Efficient, well run programs enhance access to services for eligible families and children and create a key link in the education of young children and the self sufficiency of families. The National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation will support the work of Tribal grantees related to CCDF administration by: helping Tribes create continuous quality improvement efforts as they set quality goals; developing and coordinating peer-learning opportunities and leadership development; and supporting a biennial National Conference and other trainings for Tribal grantees. Background The Office of Child Care (OCC) falls within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACF has responsibility for many programs that support the economic success of families and the well-being of children, including: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start, Child Welfare, Child Support Enforcement, the Social Services Block Grant, and the new Home Visiting Program, authorized by the Affordable Care Act. The OCC supports low-income working families through child care financial assistance and promotes children's learning by improving the quality of early care and education and after-school programs. The OCC is responsible for administering the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) - a program that helps low-income families access child care for children while parents work or participate in education or training. A portion of CCDF also is used to improve the quality of child care. In FY 2010, the OCC awarded approximately $5 billion in CCDF funds to States, Territories, and Indian Tribes through block grants. Each State, Territory or Tribe appoints a Lead Agency to administer the CCDF funds. These Lead Agencies make decisions about CCDF priorities, policies, and expenditures, including: determining eligibility requirements, setting family co-payment levels, establishing provider payment rates, setting target populations, and prioritizing quality investments. States, Territories and Tribes are required to complete a comprehensive planning process every two years, and to provide information on child care policies to ACF in biennial CCDF Plans. The majority of CCDF monies are used to subsidize the cost of care for low-income families, typically through certificates or vouchers that families can use to pay the provider of their choice. In addition, States and larger tribal grantees are required to commit at least 4 percent of their total CCDF to quality enhancement activities such as consumer education, resource and referral services, provider training, and caregiver recruitment and retention. Additional targeted funds (designated for quality improvement activities, infant and toddler care, school-age child care, child care resource and referral, and research) further support State efforts to improve child care access and quality. The CCDF Planning Process: OCC recently revamped the Tribal Child Care and Development Fund Plan Preprint for 2012-2013, which will serve as the application and blueprint for Tribe's work in CCDF in the coming biennium. In this revision, to better understand Tribal practices, OCC made changes to ask Tribes to describe: efforts to help subsidized families access quality care (including setting quality improvement goals for the biennium); program integrity activities and strategies; provide additional information on payment rates. The Tribal CCDF Plans will be an important resource for the work of this Center. Tribal Child Care: Public Law 104-193 amended the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBG) to reserve "not less than one percent and no more than two percent" of the aggregate Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funds for Indian Tribes. HHS elected to reserve the full two percent set-aside. In FY 2011, 260 Tribal grantees were awarded $100 million in CCDF funds. Over 535 federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, and a Native Hawaiian organization received CCDF funds directly or through consortium arrangements. Thirty-three (33) Tribes elect to add their CCDF Funds into a consolidated Employment, Training and Related Services Plan, authorized by Public Law 102-477. These 33 Tribes received nearly one-third of the FY 2011 CCDF funds. The CCDF regulations provide significant flexibility for Tribes to design and administer their programs in accordance with the unique needs and challenges in their communities. With some exceptions, Tribal CCDF grantees are located in rural, economically challenged areas. Office of Child Care Technical Assistance: OCC has established a Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) to support the work of States, Territories, and Tribes that administer the CCDF. In the years 2007-2011 CCTAN Projects included: After-school Investments; the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning; Child Care Aware; Child Care and Early Education Research Connections; the Child Care Information System Technical Assistance Project; the Communications Management Center; Healthy Child Care America; the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center; the National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative; the Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center, and the Child Care Improper Payments Initiative. In FY 2011, OCC will re-compete its CCTAN to specialize in core areas, including the following new projects: - The National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement will support CCDF grantees as they build quality improvement systems that create pathways to excellence for child care providers. - The National Center on Child Care Professional Development Systems and Workforce Initiatives will build State capacity to produce qualified child care professionals. (Jointly funded with Office of Head Start) - The National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability will support CCDF Administrators as they develop child care subsidy systems that are child-focused, family-friendly, fair to child care providers and operate with strong program integrity. - The State Child Care Systems Specialist Network will work with Regional staff and other OCC TA Centers to customize TA and coordinate a team to help States reach the goals outlined in their CCDF Plans. The National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation will play a key role in the new CCTAN, coordinating with other CCTAN projects to support tribal CCDF grantees as they implement their new FY 2012-2013 Tribal CCDF plans. The Center will also share with the CCTAN Tribal-State best practices, and other program administration strategies and innovations that have replication potential for all CCDF grantees. The RFP will be made available electronically at http://www.fedbizopps.gov on or about, but no sooner than 15 days after the issuance of this notice. All responsible sources may submit proposal which shall be considered by the agency. The closing date will be approximately 60 days after issuance of the RFP.
- Web Link
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- Record
- SN02469399-W 20110612/110610234632-6d6b0c455da49184064b1c30a99c6ebe (fbodaily.com)
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