RFA - Early Learning Collaborative Pre-K Application Cohort V Round IV

REQUEST FOR APPLICATION

Early Learning Collaborative Pre-Kindergarten

Application Cohort V Round IV

Submission Deadline Date: November 30, 2023

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION AND PROGRAM OVERVIEW

1.1 Program Purpose and Goals

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), Office of Early Childhood is seeking competitive written applications from qualified Applicants to provide voluntary pre-K classrooms serving four-year-old children to implement the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 through grant awards issued by the Mississippi Department of Education.

The purpose of the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 is to provide funding to local communities to establish, enhance, expand, support, and facilitate the successful implementation of quality early childhood education and development services.

Several terms defined in the Early Learning Collaborative Act are used throughout this section and the application. These terms and their definitions are:

• Early Learning Collaborative: An "early learning collaborative" is a district or countywide council that writes and submits an application to participate in the voluntary pre-Kindergarten program.

An early learning collaborative is comprised of, at a minimum:

o a public-school district (This entity must have at least one classroom.)

o and a local Head Start affiliate, if in existence. (This entity must have at least one classroom.)

Other partners could include:

o one or more licensed childcare centers,

o private or parochial schools,

o agencies or other organizations that work with young children and their families to provide resources and coordination even if those agencies or organizations are not pre-Kindergarten providers.

• Pre-Kindergarten Provider: A "pre-Kindergarten provider" is a public, private or parochial school, licensed childcare center or Head Start center that serves pre-Kindergarten children and participates in the voluntary pre-Kindergarten program.

• Lead Partner: A "lead partner" is a public-school district or other nonprofit entity with the instructional expertise and operational capacity to manage the early learning collaborative's pre-Kindergarten program as described in the collaborative's approved application for funds. The lead partner serves as the fiscal agent for the collaborative and shall disburse awarded funds in accordance with the collaborative's approved application. The lead partner must facilitate a professional learning community for the teachers in the pre-Kindergarten program and lead the collaborative. The lead partner ensures that the collaborative adopts and implements curriculum and assessments that align with the comprehensive early learning standards. The public-school district shall be the lead partner if no other qualifying lead partner is selected.

The MDE is tasked with specific duties in regard to the Mississippi Pre-K legislation. According to legislation, the MDE shall:

1. Administer the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the voluntary pre-K program.

2. Establish a rigorous and transparent application process for the awarding of funds.

3. Establish monitoring policies and procedures that, at a minimum, will include at least one site visit per year.

4. Provide technical assistance to Early Learning Collaboratives and their providers to improve the quality of pre-K programs.

The law also specifies that the MDE should evaluate the effectiveness of each Early Learning Collaborative and each pre-K provider. This evaluation is the Effectiveness Evaluation Plan for Early Learning Collaboratives and Other Pre-K Classrooms. This plan can be located at Early Childhood Early Learning Guidelines 3's 4's 2018 FINAL with no mark-ups.pdf (mdek12.org) pages 7 – 10.

The voluntary pre-K program is intended to improve quality and increase access to high-quality pre-K programs for four-year-old children. The MDE expects the pre-K program to accomplish and demonstrate the following outcomes:

• More children will enter Kindergarten ready to succeed in school.

• More families will have access to high-quality early education programs.

• Families will have access to information about pre-K program quality.

• Pre-K programs will receive resources and support to increase quality.

• High-quality pre-K programs will increase their collaboration with other early childhood education programs and related services.

• Pre-K programs will use curricula that are research-based and aligned with the MDE’s Early Learning Standards for Classrooms Serving Infants Through Four-Year-Old Children.

• Pre-K programs will implement an integrated, effective system of early childhood curriculum, instruction, assessment, and program evaluation.

• Pre-K programs will implement consistent and appropriate learning targets for children and demonstrate progress towards achieving these targets.

A grant agreement will be signed to include a multi-year grant not to exceed number (3) years. All grant awards are at the discretion of the State Board of Education (SBE). Each year of the grant shall be contingent upon successful completion of the services in the preceding year’s grant, availability of funds, and performance evaluation. This solicitation and any resulting grant agreement shall be governed by the applicable provisions of the State Board of Education Grant Policies. The grant agreement Assurances and Standard Terms and Conditions have been included for your review, acceptance, and signature after an award has been made.

A copy of this solicitation, including all attachments and any subsequent amendments, including the Question-and-Answer amendment, if issued, will be posted on the MDE website under “Public Notice” Request for Applications, Qualifications, and Proposals section. It is the sole responsibility of all interested Applicants to monitor the website for updates regarding this solicitation.

1.2 Eligibility Criteria

This solicitation is to provide information required to submit a response to this Request for Application (RFA). Please be aware that changes to previous requirements and/or eligibility solicited may have been made.

Grantees must demonstrate that they meet the components of the Early Learning Collaborative and are eligible to apply prior to having their application reviewed. Those components are as follows:

An early learning collaborative is comprised of, at a minimum:

• a public-school district (This entity must have at least one

classroom.)

• and a local Head Start affiliate, if in existence. (This entity must

have at least one classroom.)

Other partners could include:

• one or more licensed childcare centers,

• private or parochial schools,

• agencies or other organizations that work with young children and

their families to provide resources and coordination even if those agencies or organizations are not pre-Kindergarten providers.

Early learning collaborative councils eligible to be selected must:

• Use state-adopted early learning standards;

• Use evidence-based curriculum;

• Use age-appropriate assessments;

• Plan to serve students with disabilities as indicated under IDEA; and

• Meet all program criteria established by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the Mississippi Early Learning Guidelines for Classrooms Serving Three- and Four-Year-Old Children.

Applications that do not meet requirements in this section, Eligibility and Program Requirements, may be disqualified from the competition and will not be reviewed.

Applicants that previously received a subgrant award must be in good standing with the MDE to receive an award through this solicitation. If a previous Subgrantee is not in good standing, the application will be disqualified and will not be considered for an award. If a Subgrantee has already received funding for an Early Learning Collaborative or a State Invested Pre-K program, the entity will not be eligible to apply.

Subgrantees must have previously submitted:

• any final evaluation reports and data as required;

• any annual performance reporting data;

• finalized all monitoring review corrective actions;

• any requests for reimbursement of allowable expenditures following MDE’s reimbursement process; and

• the Year-End Budget Report.

1.3 Informational Webinar

The MDE will host an informational session, Monday, November 13, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. to assist potential grantee with furthering their understanding of the program and the proposal process.  There is no cost for the webinar; however, registration is required. Attendance to the recorded webinar is not required but is highly encouraged.

This webinar will be recorded and posted to the Early Childhood webpage.  Please register at GoSignMeUp at https://gsmu.mdek12.org/Public/Course/Browse

SECTION 2. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

2.1 Application Criteria

The awarded Subgrantee must meet the following criteria to submit an application for these services:

Section I. Eligibility

A. Organizational Structure of Lead Partner

All applications must designate a Lead Partner that fulfills the legal requirements, as defined by the Early Learning Collaborative Act.

The Lead Partner must serve four-year-old children in a classroom by directly providing pre-K instruction to four-year-old children. A school district or organization that only provides support services to others engaged in pre-K instruction does not meet the definition of serving four-year-old children in a classroom. Compliance with this component will determine eligibility for the application.

B. Capacity to Fulfill Duties of Lead Partner

Lead Partners must have the “instructional expertise and operational capacity” to implement the collaborative’s proposed plan. It is desirable that the Lead Partner have experience in implementing early childhood education programs for four-year-old children. Lead Partners should have experience in successfully managing projects with multiple partners.

The Lead Partner should have experience in successfully managing large grant programs in a fiscal capacity. The Lead Partner should have the ability to manage cash flow with grants operating on a reimbursement basis, ability to complete financial reporting in a timely manner, and ability to work with several contractual partners.

If the Lead Partner has never implemented early childhood education programs for four-year-old children, they will be required to provide evidence that the Lead Partner is capable of implementing such programs successfully. Evidence may include a track record of success implementing programs for children between ages 5-8, newly hired experts with high-quality experiences, or other evidence.

The Lead Partner needs experience with implementing professional learning communities and other high-quality professional development programs.

The primary point of contact for the program (for example, the pre-K coordinator or manager), should have knowledge of child development and expectations of four-year-old children, be able to coordinate a grant program, work cooperatively with all collaborative partners, and be a resource and support for the teachers. This person will need to be responsive to MDE, the requirements of the RFA, and the application the collaborative submits to MDE.

C. Partners Within the Proposed Collaborative

Grantees must apply for funding on behalf of a qualified early learning collaborative. Please remember the following requirements as each will determine eligibility for the application:

• The collaborative may be a school district-wide or a countywide collaborative. Collaboratives may include more than one school district.

• Each collaborative must be led by a qualified Lead Partner.

• Each collaborative must have at least two partners who meet the definition of a “pre-Kindergarten provider.” This means that at least two partners must apply to operate classrooms for four-year-old children.

• At least one partner must be a public school district. A Head Start center must also be a partner. (There is a Head Start grantee in every county. Licensed childcare partners are strongly encouraged.

• A collaborative may have as many partnering providers as it can manage.

• Organizations that do not meet the definition of a provider may participate in the collaborative once the collaborative has at least two partnering providers but cannot receive funds intended to provide classroom services

D. Pre- K Manager/ Primary Point of Contact

The Pre-K Manager/Primary Point of Contact should have knowledge of child development and expectations of four-year-old children, be able to coordinate a grant program, work cooperatively with all collaborative partners, and be a resource and support for the teachers. This person will need to be responsive to MDE, the requirements of the RFA, and the application the collaborative submits to MDE.

Section II. Program Components

A. History of and Commitment to Collaboration

Collaboratives in the initial phase of implementation of the pre-K program must demonstrate existing strong local collaboration among early education stakeholders.

• Prior to the founding of the proposed collaborative, partners are expected to have made efforts to collaborate with partners.

• Members/partners of the collaborative may have participated in the following programs such as Excel by 5, SPARK, or other formal collaboration programs.

• Collaborative partners must meet at least monthly.

• Collaboratives will need to make a plan of how the proposed council will make decisions.

• Collaboratives will need to decide the scope of decision-making power for the ELC. In other words, the partners will need to decide what decisions the partners make versus the Lead Partner or each individual provider.

B. Need for Pre-Kindergarten

To be funded, collaboratives must demonstrate a need for pre-Kindergarten services by showing either low academic achievement in the school districts participating in the collaborative or a high number and percentage of children without quality pre-Kindergarten options.

1. For the proposed program list the following data points on Form 1: • 2021-2022(Current) Kindergarten readiness rate • Describe the district grade assignments. • % of students in the district that are performing below levels 4 and 5 on the state administered assessment. • Kindergarten Retention rate in the district • % of students in an underserved special population (race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, migrant, homeless status, students with a parent in the military, and students in foster care) • % of students in the district that are English Language Learners

C. Children Served, Classrooms, Class Size, and Teacher-Child Ratio

Please remember the following requirements related to children served, classrooms, class size, and teacher-child ratios:

• Children eligible to be served in the program with grant funds must be four years of age by September 1.

• Collaboratives may propose to serve as many children as necessary to meet the demand for pre-K in their communities and as they have the capacity to serve. The number of classrooms proposed should be sufficient for the number of children the collaborative expects to serve.

• At least two of the partners in a collaborative must operate a pre-K classroom, which means that the collaborative must have, at a minimum, two classrooms—1 at each of 2 partners. If children are dually enrolled or there is coordinated enrollment within the school district and Head Start, those classes will qualify.

• No more than twenty, but no less than five, children may be served in one class.

• Mississippi requires teacher-child ratios of one adult for every ten children. This means that a class of between 5-10 children may have one adult, but a class of 11-20 children must have at least two adults. If three-year-old students will be combined in these classrooms, the class must have at least five four-year-old students and the ratio of one teacher to seven children must be met with no more than 14 children (two teachers) in the classroom. Keep in mind that this project will not provide a student allocation for three-year-old children.

• No waivers for teacher-child ratios will be issued for pre-K.

D. Staff Qualifications

Instructional staff, including teachers and assistant teachers, must hold specific qualifications to participate in a collaborative classroom. These qualifications are:

Teachers

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, child development, or related field; OR

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in any field AND a specialization in early childhood education (12 hours of early childhood education coursework or the equivalent).

• Hold a valid state license to teach pre-K if teaching in a public school.

Assistant Teachers

• Hold an Associate’s degree in early childhood education, child development, or related field; OR

• Hold an Associate’s degree in any field AND a specialization in early childhood education (12 hours of early childhood college course credit, CDA, Montessori certificate, or other equivalent certification).

Each classroom must have a qualified teacher. A classroom of 11-20 children must have at least one qualified teacher and one qualified assistant teacher. No classroom may be staffed only with assistant teachers.

E. Professional Development

Please note the following requirements of the collaborative professional development plan:

• All program instructional staff within a collaborative must attend at least 15 hours of annual professional development, including professional development in early literacy.

• Collaboratives are required to organize professional learning communities (PLCs) that meet on at least a monthly basis. Meeting on a weekly basis is strongly encouraged.

• Lead Partners are responsible for facilitating PLCs.

• Lead Partners will ensure all teachers, assistant teachers and program instructional staff within a collaborative will have an annual individualized professional development plan.

• Programs will have access to coaches (early childhood and family engagement/ transition) provided and funded by the MDE, Office of Early Childhood. Coaches will need access to program classrooms to assist teachers and administrators with quality improvements to include but not limited to lesson plans, curriculum, learning centers, CLASS observations, Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment/Screener, Kindergarten Readiness Assessment data, Early Learning Guideline components, and Early Learning Standards components. Through the course of assisting the teachers, coaches may video the teacher interacting in the classroom with the children to use as a mentoring tool. After use of the video during the visit, the videos will be deleted. Sites are expected to access and welcome the coaches to support teachers and administrators.

F. Learning Standards

All collaboratives must use Mississippi’s Early Learning Standards for Classrooms Serving Four-Year-Old Children as the basis of their curriculum. Collaboratives may choose to supplement Mississippi’s standards with other standards, such as the Head Start Performance Standards.

G. Curriculum

All participating pre-K programs must use an evidence-based curriculum that is designed to prepare students to be ready for kindergarten. The curriculum must place an emphasis on early literacy and be aligned with MDE’s Early Learning Standards for Classrooms Serving Four-Year-Old Children. The curriculum should contain thematic units of activities and ideas designed to provide children the opportunities and experiences needed to master the performance standards in the Mississippi Early Learning Standards for Classrooms Serving Four-Year-Old Children and must be implemented with fidelity. This curriculum is comprehensive and should be implemented with fidelity to obtain the expected evidence – based child outcomes. MDE has identified one curriculum that meets these requirements—Mississippi Beginnings: Pre-K in conjunction with Building Blocks Pre-K. The open-source curriculum can be found at this link: https://www.mdek12.org/EC/Mississippi-Beginnings-Curriculum . Mississippi Beginnings: Pre-K was derived from Focus on Pre-K which can be found at this link: https://www.bpsearlylearning.org/focus-on-prek .

In the process of implementing and utilizing the Mississippi Beginnings: Pre-K curriculum, the MDE will conduct a quasi-experimental design study to measure child outcomes. Approved programs will be expected to participate in this study. The study will be looking at child data at the classroom, site and collaborative level.

If you would like to submit a curriculum other than Mississippi Beginnings: Pre-K for consideration, you must provide evidence from an independent review that the curriculum is evidence – based. Curricula chosen for collaboratives will have to meet the MS Code 37-21-51 definition of an “evidence-based program,” which means “An "evidence-based curriculum" is an age-appropriate curriculum that demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on: (i) Strong evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented experimental study; (ii) Moderate evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or (iii) Promising evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias.”

According to the Pew Charitable Trust’s Results First Initiative, “Evidence-based programs and practices have been evaluated multiple times and found to be effective using rigorous methods such as randomized controlled trials, statistically controlled evaluations, or a single large multisite randomized or statistically controlled evaluation. Typically, these programs have specified a set of procedures that allow for successful replication.” Please be aware that all “research” does not rise to the level of quality required for an “evidence – based” designation. Internal research done by a curriculum’s writers and used in marketing materials likely does not qualify.

H. Assessments

All collaboratives must participate in state assessments, which include the Mississippi Kindergarten Assessment Scoring System (MKAS2) and the Comprehensive Early Learning Assessment (CELA). The collaborative classroom teachers and assistant teachers will be evaluated with the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS). Further information about these assessments can be found in the Early Learning Guidelines for Serving Classrooms of Three- and Four-Year-Old Children on this webpage: www.mdek12.org/ec . The MDE will provide the required assessments/professional development/materials related to those listed in this section. Collaboratives can incorporate additional age-appropriate assessments, if desired.

I. Meals

Collaboratives must provide at least one meal meeting state and federal nutrition guidelines for young children.

J. Screenings

All programs must screen and/or refer children for vision, hearing, and other health issues.

K. Family Engagement

Family engagement is a key component of quality early childhood programs. The program will market the program to parents to ensure that all children, including hard-to-reach children, have access to the program. All providers in the collaborative will implement activities to engage families in learning.

L. Including Children with Disabilities, Special Populations and Other Non-Discrimination Requirements

Collaboratives must serve children with disabilities and cannot engage in any form of discrimination that would be unlawful for a public school, such as exclusion of children based on race or religion. Services, including diagnostic services, will be available to children with disabilities in the collaborative. These may be classroom-based services, itinerant services, clinical services, or others. Students with disabilities have the right to be included in their Least Restrictive Environment, as determined by their IEP Committee, and Head Start entities hold 10% of their slots for children with disabilities. The collaborative will ensure that children with disabilities have equal access to the collaborative and are appropriately included in classrooms.

The collaborative will ensure that children of underserved special populations (race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, English language learners (ELLs), migrant, homeless status, students with a parent in the military, and students in foster care) have equal access to the collaborative and are appropriately included in classrooms.

M. Continuous Quality Improvement System

CLASS observation will be conducted in every classroom. All sites will receive a monitoring visit at least once during the school year. Representatives from the MDE will conduct the CLASS observations and utilize the ELC Pre-K Monitoring Tool.

N. Length of Program, Enrollment, and Start Date

Providers within a collaborative may operate full- or half-day programs, as approved in the application. Funding per child is based on the length of the program day:

• Full-day programs must include no less than 1,080 hours per school year, or 6 hours per day for 180 days, for $2,500 in state funding per child with at least a $2,500 local match per child.

• Half-day programs must include no less than 540 hours per school year, or 3 hours per day for 180 days, for $1,250 in state funding per child with at least a $1,250 local match per child.

• All classes in the collaborative must start on the same calendar day, as designated by the Lead Partner in collaboration with other partners.

• Enrollment in any provider within the collaborative should occur in a coordinated fashion to ensure children have an equal opportunity to participate in the collaborative and for each provider to be able to fill its seats. Enrollment in the prekindergarten program shall be coordinated with the Head Start agencies in the local areas and shall not be permitted to cause a reduction in children served by the Head Start program.

O. Early Learning Provider Partnerships

The ELC grant requires districts to partner and collaborate with area Head Start entities.

Enrollment in the ELC program at the school district can be coordinated with the Head Start agencies in local areas and can prevent a reduction in children served by the Head Start program. Programs can work with area Head Start entities and offer coordinated enrollment (dual enrollment) at the public school program. Coordinated enrollment (dual enrollment) can offer families of children housed at public schools opportunities for additional support and resources. Programs that work with Head Start entities to coordinate enrollment and dually enroll children will be eligible for priority points. Please see the webinar posted on the Office of Early Childhood webpage titled, “ Ways School Districts Can Work with Area Head Start Entities to Coordinate Enrollment ” to find out more about this opportunity.

PRIORITY POINT SECTION

1. Applicants meeting the eligibility requirements will be reviewed and considered for a grant award

2. Priority points will be given to schools based on the below criteria

Priority Points

Total possible priority points

Program Component O – 25 points (coordinated enrollment)

3. Applicants agreeing to meet the above priority points will receive preferential ranking.

SECTION 3. GRANT AWARD AND RESPONSIBILITIES

When determining the amount to be requested, grantees are required to consider the needs of the community and the number of students to be served. All grantees must submit budgets. Recipients will receive funding each year pending appropriations. Once an early learning collaborative's plan is approved and funded, the collaborative and prekindergarten providers shall receive funds on an ongoing basis unless the collaborative’s prekindergarten providers no longer meet the criteria to participate in the program.

Funding per child is based on the length of the program day. The budget allocation is created by the number of four-year-old children (by September 1st of a given year) that will be served in the collaborative. Funding will be provided to Early Learning Collaboratives on the basis of $2,500 per student enrolled in a full-day program and $1,250 per student enrolled in a half day program proposed in the collaborative’s application.

• Full-day programs must include no less than 1,080 hours per school year, or six hours per day for 180 days, for $2,500 in state funding per child with at least a $2,500 local match per child

• Half-day programs must include no less than 540 hours per school year, or three hours per day for 180 days, for $1,250 in state funding per child with at least a $1,250 local match per child.

Funds are subject to appropriations by the state/federal government. All grants will be awarded contingent upon appropriations, proper implementation of the proposed project implementation, completion, and submission of all required documentation. Funding to eligible Applicants is subject to the SBE approval. The Mississippi Department of Education reserves the right to negotiate grant award amounts with all potential Subgrantees.

3.1 Use of Funds

Funds are used for program implementation, as well as for operating expenses such as:

• Personnel and personnel benefits;

• Staff development and training;

• Consultants, subcontractors and evaluators; and

• Classroom equipment, materials, and supplies.

• Specific categories of allowable expenses include hiring additional and/or more qualified teaching staff, purchasing appropriate educational materials, purchasing equipment or technology used for educational purposes, providing professional development, administering age-appropriate child assessment, and transporting students using no more than 10% of total budget.

• Specific categories of non-allowable expenses include costs associated with writing the application, costs for entertainment, land acquisition, capital improvements/permanent renovations not required to maintain licensing requirements, tuition for staff to pursue required teaching degrees, stationary playground equipment, supervisory salary and fringe benefits, cost of substitute teachers, cost to attend out of state conferences (lodging, transportation, meals), and indirect cost.

Applicants should be aware that funds must be used in a manner consistent with all requirements of the statute and must be used only to supplement, not supplant, any federal, state, local, or non-federal funds available to support activities.

Applicants should be aware that funds must be used in a manner consistent with all requirements of the statute and must be used only to supplement, not supplant, any federal, state, local, or non-federal funds available to support activities.

3.2 Responsibilities of A Fiscal Agent

The following are some of the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of a fiscal agent:

1. As the official Subgrantee, all awards must be adopted by the Local Board of Education for LEAs or the Board of Directors for non-LEAs.

2. Administer the subgrant from award to closeout in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.

3. Serve as the Subgrantee representative and point-of-contact for all business management aspects of the award agreement.

4. Apply appropriate management controls using management systems, checklists, and records, including, but not limited to:

• Internal Controls

o Safeguard assets; ensure reliability of accounting data and subgrant terms and conditions

• Operating Controls

o Fiduciary procedural manuals; budgetary control

• Accounting Controls

o Implement controls to ensure reliability of recorded financial data;

o Maintain appropriate level of transaction review and authorization;

o Develop and implement proper procurement procedures and cash management procedures that are well defined; and

o Develop procedures that facilitate timely review and audit of financial activity.

• Compliance Controls

o Consider mechanisms to monitor and review compliance with subgrant terms (i.e., ensure grant funds are disbursed only to eligible Subgrantees);

o Ensure all expenditures and disbursements are consistent with the objectives of the subgrant award and comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing the program and use of funds.

• Document Control System

o Develop written documentation of adequate internal operating and accounting controls that demonstrate evidence of controls related to grant compliance.

5. Assemble appropriate staff resources and communicate all compliance requirements and resources of the subgrant.

6. Keep abreast of changes in policies, procedures or requirements and continue to advise program staff of subgrant requirements.

7. Request any further “prior approvals” when identified.

8. For year 1 submit grant reimbursement requests no later than June 30, 2024, with liquidations by July 12, 2024. For years 2 & 3 submit subgrant reimbursement requests no later than June 30, 2025 & 2026 with liquidations by July 12, 2025, & 2026.

• Eligibility of Expenditures

o Adhere to the list of eligible activities for which funds under the program may be spent, as well as allowable cost objectives in applicable cost principles; and

o Ensure that transactions are made in a reasonable and prudent manner, are allowable and allocable, and avoid double charging and ensure that credits are applied appropriately.

9. Prepare necessary reports:

• Source Documentation

o Appropriately support transactions entered into the Subgrantee’s system;

o Documentation tracks each subgrant transaction and supports the validity of financial data reported; and

o Maintain separate funding lines for funds.

• Audit Trail

o The lowest level of detail the system should provide is documentation that supports all transactions (e.g., invoices, contracts, purchase orders);

o The overall recordkeeping system should be able to trace financial statement balances through the Subgrantee’s general ledger, cash books and other journals; and

o Amounts claimed on financial statements and reports accurately reflect the accounting books and records from which they were prepared.

10. Use feedback from site visits by the MDE to enhance the program, show

Subgrantee’s strength and demonstrate commitment to the project.

11. Keep the MDE and the public aware and informed about grant project

progress.

12. Evaluate the extent to which measurable project objectives are being met.

13. Liquidate all obligations incurred under the award within the set

deadline.

14. Ensure and oversee the performance of final audits and resolution of

findings.

15. Establish adequate system for records retention.

3.3 Audit

Please note that the Subgrantee is required to, if applicable, have the financial and compliance audits conducted in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1966 and 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart F – Audit Requirements. Any non-federal entity that expends $750,000 or more in a year in federal awards shall have a single or program specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of 2 C.F.R. Part 200 Subpart F. If the non-federal entity did not expend $750,000 or more in a year in federal awards, a letter MUST be provided stating that this requirement does not apply.

The financial audit shall be conducted by a certified public accountant or by an accountant certified as qualified to audit local government accounts. The audits must be performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) and the financial statements must be prepared in conformity with general accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

SECTION 4. TENTATIVE TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES

A recommendation to the SBE for an approval of awards is anticipated for Applicants based on applications submitted and accepted, and an evaluation and selection process. All new Subgrantees approved for funding by the SBE at that time must attend subsequent mandatory meetings for all Subgrantees. An award or non-award letter will be sent to Applicants confirming the SBE’s action. The letter will include specific information on meeting dates and times, if applicable.

Important tentative dates and activities related to this solicitation are listed below.

Important Dates	Activity
November 1, 2023 November 8, 2023	RFP Issued – Email and Post to MDE Website/Newspaper
November 13, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.	Informational Webinar
November 14, 2023	Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply
November 16, 2023	Deadline for submitting questions
November 21, 2023	Questions will be posted to the MDE website
November 30, 2023, by 2:00 pm	Applications deadline by 2:00 PM CST
December 4 - 5, 2023	Review of applications
February 15, 2024	State Board of Education approval
February 15, 2024	Notification of awards and non-awards
February 23, 2024	Forms and Budget Revisions due
March 8, 2024	Authorization to expend, pending approved revisions

SECTION 5. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Signed Cover Page (Form 1) - Required Signature(s)

2. Budget Forms A, B, & C – Complete

5.1 Formatting and Submission Directions

Applicants should submit applications using the following parameters:

• Submitted on 8.5” x 11” white paper using 12-point Arial/ Times New Roman font

• Formatted using 1” margins on all sides

• Portrait setting

• Single-spaced and single-sided (pages must include the Applicant’s name and page number within the footer in the lower right-hand corner)

• The complete application including all attachments shall be submitted in a searchable Microsoft Office® format, preferably in Word® or Portable Document Format (PDF) only

• “Links” received to obtain a response via the RFXS will not be opened and the email will be rejected without further consideration for an award

• A response received via the RFXS must include ONE response per electronic submission.

• Duplicate submission of an electronic or mailed response proposal will result in the LAST submission being considered as a modification to the original submission. The previous submissions will be rejected and will not be considered for the evaluation and award. Any late duplicate copy will disqualify all submissions from the evaluation process for an award.

• Applicants are encouraged to submit ONE response to prevent duplication. Upon submission of the response a confirmation receipt shall be provided as assurance that the Office of Procurement received the response packet.

This grant competition is highly competitive. Applicants should ensure that all guidelines and requirements are met before submitting applications. Please note that the MDE staff will not grant permission to Applicants to modify or change the criteria established in the application. This includes extending the date and time applications are due.

5.2 Application Submission and Due Date

A signed application packet shall be submitted electronically in a PDF format via RFXS <rfxs@mdek12.org> no later than Thursday, November 30, 2023 by 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). Applicants shall allow at least 72 hours in advance of the due date to consider unforeseen technical issues. Applications received after the time designated in the solicitation shall be considered late and shall not be considered for an award.

Please NOTE: The email subject line and electronic document shall identify the name of the solicitation and the name of the entity/individual submitting the response. Any deviation from these instructions may result in disqualification of the response proposal and shall not be considered for an award.

Example Format for Subject Line: 21st Century Program by John Blue LLC (DO NOT UNDERSCORE or INSERT SYMBOLS)

OR

Shipping instructions are provided below:

An original signed application packet with one copy shall be shipped/mailed and received in a sealed envelope at the MDE no later than Thursday, November 30, 2023 by 2:00 PM Central Standard Time (CST).

Please NOTE: The return address label must be visible on the outside of the sealed shipping envelope and shall include the name of the entity/individual submitting the response. Any deviation from these instructions may result in disqualification of the response proposal and shall not be considered for an award.

Ship To:

MONIQUE CORLEY

Office of Procurement

The Mississippi Department of Education

Early Learning Collaborative Pre-Kindergarten Application Cohort V Round IV

359 North West Street

Jackson, Mississippi 39201

5.3 Restrictions on Communications

At no time shall any Applicant contact or attempt to contact any MDE staff regarding this solicitation. All correspondence shall be sent via email to the assigned contact person within the time specified in the Request for Information Section. Should it be determined that any Applicant has attempted to communicate or has communicated with any other MDE staff regarding this solicitation, MDE, at its discretion, may disqualify the Applicant from submitting an application in response to the solicitation.

5.4 Risk of Delivery

Timely submission of the application package is the sole responsibility of the Applicant. It is suggested that if the application is shipped to the MDE, it should be tracked to require an MDE mailroom staff signature and request a return receipt/notice with signature.  Any application shipped or mailed MUST be verified, date and time stamped, and recorded by an MDE mailroom staff. The time and date of the receipt will be indicated on the sealed application envelope or package by the MDE mailroom staff.  The only acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt at the MDE will be identified by the time and date stamp of the MDE mailroom staff on the application wrapper or other documentary evidence of receipt used by the mailroom.

...