The Big Lift Initiative Evaluation Consulting Services

The County of San Mateo Human Services Agency (HSA), Office of the Agency Director, is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to develop a comprehensive evaluation framework and quality improvement process for The Big Lift (TBL) Inspiring Summers Program. HSA intends to award one eighteen-month agreement to a responsive, responsible proposer offering the overall best value to the County for the services described in this solicitation, or as applicable, for a specific portion of the services described.

The Big Lift (TBL) is a bold collective impact effort, launched by the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in 2012, to tackle a single challenge: improving third grade reading proficiency in San Mateo County. Although the County is one of the most affluent in the nation, only 48 percent of the County’s third graders and 31 percent of its students whose families are socioeconomically disadvantaged are reading at grade level.

The Big Lift’s initial design drew on four evidence-based interventions: (1) high-quality preschool to boost kindergarten readiness; (2) “inspiring summers” programs to prevent learning loss; (3) attendance efforts to reduce persistent chronic absences; and (4) family engagement to promote home literacy practices.

Since its inception, The Big Lift has worked to align and connect stakeholders around the collectively held priority of advancing third grade literacy, with a focus on students who have the most barriers.

Several factors have converged to make this the right time for The Big Lift to reimagine its next phase of implementation. In addition to 5 years of evidence and feedback identifying strengths and areas for improvement from its pilot phase, the larger early learning landscape has changed with historic new investments in early learning, and the field as a whole is still recovering from the disruption of the COVID- 19 pandemic and its attendant impacts on families, staffing, and the already fragile early childhood infrastructure. For these reasons, this point in The Big Lift’s journey represents a critical opportunity to chart a path for the future.

In 2023, following a comprehensive strategic planning process, The Big Lift renewed its commitment to ensuring third grade reading proficiency in San Mateo County through implementation of evidence-based strategies. In this next phase, termed “Big Lift 2.0,” The Big Lift will sharpen its focus on early literacy, expanding its reach to support implementation of teaching practices that align with the science of reading in preschool through third grade classrooms. In the area of Family Engagement, The Big Lift will support the efforts of its grantees and partners to give families the tools they need to bolster their children’s literacy development, as well as encouraging regular attendance in school. Through its Inspiring Summers program, The Big Lift will continue to provide academic and enrichment programs to prevent summer learning loss and improve literacy outcomes for qualifying children.

In the coming year, The Big Lift will develop and operationalize an Equity Framework to address the stark disparities in third grade reading outcomes by race and other factors, such as home language, to help inform where systemic or structural changes may be needed to support children experiencing disproportionate need.