[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4496-4516]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1883]



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Part III





Department of Health and Human Services





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Administration for Children and Families



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Fiscal Year 2000 Discretionary Announcement of the availability of 
funds and request for applications for Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects, Child Care Policy Research Partnerships, Child Care 
Research Scholars, and the Child Care Research Fellowship Program; 
Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 18 / Thursday, January 27, 2000 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Program Announcement No. ACYF-PA-CC-2000-01]


Fiscal Year 2000 Discretionary Announcement of the availability 
of funds and request for applications for Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects, Child Care Policy Research Partnerships, Child Care 
Research Scholars, and the Child Care Research Fellowship Program.

AGENCY:  Administration on Children, Youth and Families, ACF, DHHS.

ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY:  The fiscal year (FY) 1999 Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriation Act (P.L. 105-277) provides $10 million in 
FY 2000 funds for child care research, demonstration, and evaluation 
activities to be used directly or through grants or contracts. This 
first-ever appropriation for child care research occurred at the 
request of President Clinton and reflects Congressional recognition of 
the importance of child care issues. In this notice, ACF announces the 
availability of these funds and requests child care research 
applications. It is anticipated that approximately $4.3 million will be 
distributed through this Announcement. Universities and colleges, 
public agencies, non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations 
agreeing to waive their fees are invited to submit applications for 
Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects, Child Care Policy 
Research Partnerships, and implementation of the Child Care Research 
Fellowship Program. Accredited universities and colleges may submit a 
Child Care Research Scholar application on behalf of a doctoral 
candidate who has a dissertation proposal approved by their doctoral 
committee.
    This solicitation announces competition for funding in four 
priority areas: (1) Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects; (2) 
Child Care Policy Research Partnerships; (3) Child Care Research 
Scholars; and (4) the Child Care Research Fellowship Program. Projects 
funded under each of these priority areas are expected to address 
critical questions with implications for children and families, 
especially low-income working families and families transitioning off 
welfare. In addition, projects will contribute to a comprehensive 
research agenda designed to increase the capacity for child care 
research at the national, State, and local levels and promote better 
linkages among research, policy, practice, and outcomes for children 
and families.
    The Child Care Bureau's research agenda is designed to help answer 
five key questions:
    (1) What does child care look like today? What are the variations 
in child care by type, quality, number and ages of children in care, 
cost, availability of subsidies, early childhood workforce, family-work 
issues, and community supports? How do child care demand and supply 
interact? How do the major variations relate to quality and outcomes 
for children and families? How are Federal subsidy and quality funds 
being used?
    (2) How do the variations in child care including quality, cost, 
types of care, administrative strategies, and characteristics of the 
child care workforce influence children's development and well-being, 
including school readiness?
    (3) How do the variations in child care including types of care, 
cost, quality, availability of subsidies, and flexibility relate to the 
ability of parents to provide for their families and successfully 
manage family and work responsibilities? Do difficulties in paying for 
child care affect family well-being in other areas such as housing, 
health care, and employment stability?
    (4) How do the answers to these broad questions translate into 
specific child care policies and program choices at national, State and 
local levels? What is the interaction between subsidy utilization rates 
and policies related to eligibility, rates, and co-payments? What 
effects do policy innovations involving provider compensation, 
training, and incentives for quality (such as tiered reimbursement 
rates and licensing) have on improving the quality and availability of 
care for children and families?
    (5) How do the answers to all of these questions differ for key 
sub-groups of children and families? Current research suggests that 
certain sub-groups of families (for instance, low-income, non-English 
speaking, and those that include an infant or a child with special 
needs) may have differing child care preferences or face extraordinary 
challenges as compared to other families. What are these variations and 
challenges and how do they affect children and families? What are the 
policy and programmatic implications?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  For questions regarding application 
requirements of this program announcement, please contact the ACYF 
Operations Center Technical Assistance Team at 1-800-351-2293 or send 
an Email to [email protected]. For programmatic questions, please contact Dr. 
Patricia L. Divine, Program Specialist, Child Care Bureau at 202-690-
6705 or Karen Tvedt, Policy Division Director, Child Care Bureau at 
202-401-5130, or send an Email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This Announcement includes the instructions 
needed to apply for: (1) Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects; 
(2) Child Care Policy Research Partnerships; (3) Child Care Research 
Scholars; or (4) the Child Care Research Fellowship Program. The 
Standard Federal Forms that must be included in applications can be 
downloaded from the Internet http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ofs/form.htm. For each priority area, the required Standard Federal Forms 
are identified under ``Project Description and Application 
Requirements.''
    This Announcement includes five parts. Part I provides information 
about the Child Care Bureau, its research agenda and strategies, 
priority areas to be funded under this Announcement, and instructions 
for submitting an application. Part II describes key research questions 
in the Child Care Bureau's broad research agenda. Part III provides 
background information, instructions for completing applications, 
evaluation criteria, and funding procedures for Field Initiated Child 
Care Research Projects (Priority Area 1) and Child Care Policy Research 
Partnerships (Priority Area 2). Part IV provides background 
information, instructions for completing applications, and evaluation 
criteria and funding procedures for Child Care Research Scholars 
(Priority Area 3). Part V provides background information, instructions 
for completing applications, and evaluation criteria and funding 
procedures for implementation of the Child Care Research Fellowship 
Program (Priority Area 4). The contents are outlined below:

Table of Contents

Part I. General Information

A. Purpose
B. Context
C. The Child Care Bureau
D. Need for Child Care Research
E. Research Agenda
F. Research Goals
G. Research Activities
H. Priority Areas to be Funded under this Announcement
I. Submission of Applications
J. Citations
K. Number of Awards, Duration, and Funding Levels

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Part II. Research Questions and Priorities

Part III. Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects and Child Care 
Policy Research Partnerships

Priority Area 1. Field Initiated Research Projects
    A. Purpose
    B. Priorities
    C. Number of Awards
    D. Project Duration, Funding Levels, and Budget Periods
    E. Federal Share
    F. Eligible Applicants
    G. Data Ownership
Priority Area 2. Child Care Policy Research Partnerships
    A. Purpose
    B. Priorities
    C. Number of Awards
    D. Project Duration, Funding Levels, and Budget Periods
    E. Federal Share
    F. Eligible Applicants
    G. Data Ownership
    Project Description and Application Requirements
A. Contents and Format of the Application
B. Project Narrative Statement
    Evaluation and Selection
    A. Screening and Panel Review
    B. Evaluation Criteria
    C. The Selection Process
    D. Funding Date

Part IV. Priority Area 3: Child Care Research Scholars

A. Purpose
B. Number of Awards
C. Project Period
D. Funding Levels
E. Matching Requirements and Non-Federal Share
F. Maximum Federal Share
G. Eligible Applicants
H. Additional Requirements
I. Project Description and Application Requirements
A. Evaluation and Selection
B. Evaluation Criteria
C. The Selection Process
D. Funding Date

Part V. Priority Area 4: Child Care Research Fellowship Program

A. Purpose
B. Priorities
C. Number of Awards
D. Project Period
E. Funding Levels
F. Matching Requirements and Non-Federal Share
G. Maximum Federal Share
H. Eligible Applicants
I. Project Description and Application Requirements
J. Evaluation and Selection
K. Evaluation Criteria
L. The Selection Process
M. Funding Date

Part I. General Information

A. Purpose

    The child care research grants to be funded under this Announcement 
will increase the capacity for child care research at national, State, 
and local levels while simultaneously answering critical questions with 
implications for children and families, particularly low-income working 
families and families transitioning off welfare.

B. Context

    These child care research grants are being funded at a time when 
more than half of infants, toddlers, and preschool children are in 
child care and only 14 percent of children stay at home full time with 
their primary caregivers during their first three years (NICHD). In 
1998, 96 percent of fathers and 65 percent of mothers with children 
under the age of six worked. During this same period, nearly 78 percent 
of mothers with children between the ages of six and 17 were in the 
paid labor force full or part-time. Welfare reform and the consistently 
strong and growing economy have contributed to dramatic increases in 
the number of low-income mothers in the paid labor market. The 
percentage of single mothers with incomes under 200 percent of the 
Federal Poverty Level who are employed rose from 44 percent in 1992 to 
57 percent in 1999 (U.S. Bureau of the Census). As increasing numbers 
of parents work and children experience non-parental care at younger 
and younger ages, questions about the availability, quality, and cost 
of child care and their effects on child care family outcomes take on 
new urgency.
    The projects to be funded under this Announcement build on 
significant child care research already in progress with support from 
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Administration 
for Children and Families (ACF), and other funding agencies. ``A 
National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families,'' being conducted 
by Abt Associates in cooperation with the National Center for Children 
in Poverty at Columbia University is but one example of important 
studies now in progress. This study will provide information about the 
employment and child care decisions of low-income families, the 
characteristics and functioning of family child care, the experiences 
children and families have with family child care, and the effects of 
policies and programs on the child care market. The Child Care Bureau's 
Child Care Policy Research Consortium, comprised of five currently-
funded Child Care Policy Research Partnerships and ten states, is 
actively engaged in research, much of which involves analysis of 
administrative data. These studies are designed to address issues such 
as unmet need, subsidies, TANF, the working poor, waiting lists, and 
quality of care. Information about these and other studies is available 
at http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/cyp/ccresinv.htm.
    Additional studies being conducted with ACF participation include 
``The Role of Child Care in Low Income Families' Labor Force 
Participation,'' the ``Study of Infant Care under Welfare Reform'' 
(both being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research), the ``Early 
Childhood Longitudinal Study--Birth Cohort (ECLS-B),'' and the National 
Institute of Child Health and Human Development's ``Study of Early 
Child Care.'' In addition, DHHS is supporting efforts by States to 
monitor the well-being of children in the context of welfare reform, 
child care, and other policy changes. In the ``Project on State-Level 
Child Outcomes,'' ACF and the DHHS Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) are supporting efforts in five 
States to improve the measurement of family and child health and well-
being in State welfare evaluations. Technical assistance to States in 
conducting these evaluations is being provided through Child Trends, 
Inc. In addition to the child impact projects, ACF and ASPE have funded 
a separate, complementary project in 13 states called, ``Advancing 
States' Child Indicator Initiatives,'' which supports the development 
and use of indicators for children's health and well-being in areas 
such as child care and school readiness. For a description of these 
State projects, visit http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/cyp/cindicators.htm.
    While important child care research has been conducted over the 
past two decades and important research is now in progress, some 
studies need to be updated and new studies are required to examine the 
emerging child care landscape. Welfare reform and increased federal 
child care funding provide further urgency to building the child care 
research infrastructure and being able to answer important questions 
about child care and its impact on children and families. For example, 
information is limited with regard to unregulated care, quality and 
quality incentives, and child care and its relationship to specific 
sub-groups of families such as non-English-speaking families and 
families which include a child with special needs.

C. The Child Care Bureau

    The Child Care Bureau was established by ACF in 1994 to provide 
leadership to efforts to enhance the quality, affordability, and supply 
of child care available for all families. The

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Child Care Bureau administers the Child Care and Development Fund 
(CCDF), a $3.5 billion child care program which includes funding for 
child care subsidies and activities to improve the quality and 
availability of child care. (CCDF was created after amendments to ACF 
child care programs by Title VI of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and consolidated four Federal 
child care funding streams including the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant, AFDC/JOBS Child Care, Transitional Child Care, and At-Risk 
Child Care.) The Bureau works closely with ACF Regions, States, 
Territories, and Tribes to assist with, oversee, and document 
implementation of new policies and programs in support of State, local, 
and private sector administration of child care services and systems. 
In addition, the Bureau collaborates extensively with other offices 
throughout the Federal government to promote integrated, family-focused 
services and coordinated child care delivery systems. In all of these 
activities, the Bureau seeks to enhance the quality, availability, and 
affordability of child care services, support children's healthy growth 
and development in safe child care environments, enhance parental 
choice and involvement in their children's care, and facilitate the 
linkage of child care with other community services.

D. Need for Child Care Research

    Child care research and evaluation are critical to understanding 
child care and its implications for children and families. Under 
Federal legislation governing welfare and child care, States have the 
opportunity to craft programs directly suited to their citizens; 
however, they are also faced with unprecedented challenges in meeting 
the needs of low-income, under-served, and other vulnerable 
populations. Public agencies are under enormous pressure to use their 
child care dollars as effectively as possible. Yet, research and 
administrative data need to be expanded to address additional policy 
and planning issues. For example, there is a need for a more detailed 
understanding of how the child care market operates within the context 
of changing policies and population dynamics, or what outcomes for 
children and families can be achieved under new policy opportunities 
and constraints. There is, therefore, a growing consensus about the 
critical need for more timely and broadly representative knowledge to 
guide child care services, inform policy debates, and assist in 
developing solutions to complex child care issues.

E. Research Agenda

    The fiscal year (FY) 1999 Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriation Act (P. L. 105-277) provides $10 million in 
FY 2000 funds for child care research, demonstration, and evaluation 
activities. This appropriation is particularly significant as the first 
federal funding specifically designated for child care research. These 
funds provide the catalyst for the research agenda that frames the 
goals and priorities contained in this Announcement. Developed by the 
Child Care Bureau, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation 
(OPRE), and other offices within ACF, this agenda is the result of a 
collaborative planning process which includes other Federal partners, 
State and local agencies, researchers, professional organizations, and 
other stakeholders.
    Instrumental to the development of the research agenda was a two-
day Child Care Research Leadership Forum in which researchers, policy-
makers and practitioners considered what is currently known and what 
needs to be learned about critical child care issues. Forum 
participants identified an urgent need for immediate short-term answers 
to policy questions, intermediate-term research on the complexities of 
child care in different kinds of markets, and longitudinal studies to 
determine macro trends and long-range outcomes for children, families 
and communities.
    Following the Child Care Research Forum, the Child Care Bureau and 
OPRE jointly sent letters to more than 700 individuals and 
organizations to further identify critical information gaps and policy 
research needs. Responses were received from 21 universities, colleges, 
and research organizations as well as many child care and human service 
agencies, national professional organizations, child care resource and 
referral agencies, and individuals. Among those commenting, 58 percent 
noted the need to better understand the dynamics of child care quality, 
cost, and availability. Forty-nine percent argued for strengthening the 
research infrastructure, and 37 percent mentioned the importance of 
developing an improved understanding of the interrelationships among 
child care, employment, and self-sufficiency.
    This process affirmed the need for better descriptions of local 
child care populations, services, and outcomes; development of 
interactive models to understand complex causal relationships; updated 
national profiles of child care supply and demand; and greater 
attention to specific policy questions in the arena of State child care 
regulations, subsidy programs, and welfare reform. ACF was urged to 
fund projects that will contribute to an increased national capacity 
for research and help build a sound infrastructure for emerging 
knowledge. At the same time, we were encouraged to fund studies that 
will provide short-term answers to pressing questions and yield timely, 
useful information for policy makers.

F. Research Goals

    The Child Care Bureau's research agenda is characterized by two 
major goals. These goals reflect the need to be able to answer critical 
questions while simultaneously developing a sound research 
infrastructure for new knowledge. All research funded in FY 2000 will 
support both goals. Several of these efforts will be carried out 
through projects described in this Announcement. Others will be funded 
through separate contracts, grants, interagency agreements, or other 
appropriate funding mechanisms.
Goal 1. Answering Critical Questions
    Our first goal for child care research is to address immediate 
information needs. Organizations and individual scholars will conduct 
research activities to provide timely answers to critical questions, 
improve the quality of knowledge within the child care field, and 
promote a more integrated understanding of the interrelationships among 
research, policy, practice, and outcomes for children and families. 
Research initiatives to be undertaken as part of the Child Care 
Bureau?s research agenda are designed to address the five key questions 
outlined in the Summary and detailed in Part II of this Announcement.
Goal 2. Capacity Building
    Our goal for capacity building includes a broad range of objectives 
to be addressed at national, state, and local levels. In particular we 
hope to:
    (1) Increase the comparability of administrative data and expand 
the analysis of policy variables (e.g., types of care, quality of care, 
number of families and children using care, family payments for care, 
subsidy amounts and duration, and characteristics of the child care 
workforce).
    (2) Ensure that researchers have easy access to data for a wide 
variety of analyses.
    (3) Stimulate growth in the field, including the recruitment and 
training of additional researchers.
    (4) Develop the partnerships among researchers, practitioners, and

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academics that are critical to success in this research.
    (5) Ensure that the research infrastructure supports national, 
state, and local studies.

G. Research Activities

    The Child Care Bureau plans to undertake an array of activities to 
achieve its research goals including the initiatives covered by this 
Announcement and other activities to be funded through separate 
procurement processes. The priorities covered under this Announcement 
include Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects, Child Care Policy 
Research Partnerships, Child Care Research Scholars, and the Child Care 
Research Fellowship Program. In addition, ACF anticipates funding 
additional activities toward building the research infrastructure as 
well as other Federal early childhood research projects. Activities 
likely to be funded separately from this Announcement include:
 Provide Additional Support to Developing the Research 
Infrastructure
    The Bureau intends to promote access to data, provide technical 
assistance, perform special analyses, and track Federally-and non 
Federally-funded child care research. This initiative will create a 
national child care data archive, assist researchers with secondary 
analyses of completed data sets, contribute to research dissemination, 
and coordinate sharing of research information among Child Care Bureau 
grantees.
 Support Other Federal Early Childhood Research
    Some FY 2000 child care research funds will be used for interagency 
agreements to support other Federal research related to child care and 
early childhood issues. Partnerships are being explored with the 
Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics and 
the DHHS National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.

H. Priority Areas to be Funded Under This Announcement

    Projects funded under each priority area will contribute to the 
Child Care Bureau's research goals, provide timely answers to critical 
questions, and expand research capacity. The four priority areas 
identified for this Announcement include:
    (1) Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects are being funded 
to stimulate research that is responsive to the consultation we 
received through the leadership forum and comment process, including 
the need to support studies that examine interrelationships within 
child care systems. Projects will support the Bureau's research agenda 
and provide timely and relevant data on issues faced by policy makers, 
practitioners, parents, and the general public. While projects may 
involve analysis of national or State data sets, we expect that most of 
these studies will address community issues. Since child care markets 
are local, there is a need to understand market dynamics, how child 
care demand and supply interact, how child care arrangements intersect 
with family, work, school, and other institutions in the community and 
how these factors relate to outcomes.
    The following are issues of special priority for Field Initiated 
Child Care Research Projects: culturally and ethnically diverse 
populations and cultural influences on child care; child care for 
infants and toddlers; child care for children with disabilities, 
chronic illnesses, and other special needs; issues related to 
children's out-of-school time; informal care provided by relatives, 
friends, neighbors, and other community caregivers operating outside 
the formal system; issues related to health, safety, and quality of 
care; children's development and well-being in care; and, social and 
emotional supports needed for a healthy child care environment. 
Applications dealing with other important issues are also invited.
    (2) Child Care Policy Research Partnerships expand on a strategy 
that has proven successful in facilitating cross-state research and 
providing rapid responses to State child care administrators' 
questions. The Child Care Bureau has funded two waves of Child Care 
Research Partnerships which operate as a Child Care Policy Research 
Consortium. New partnerships will be funded to build collaboration and 
systemic links among researchers, policy makers and practitioners 
toward addressing complex problems concerning child care quality, 
outcomes, and unmet needs. Other areas of special priority for new 
Child Care Policy Research Partnerships are subsidies, waiting lists, 
duration of care, quality initiatives, low-income families, and 
families transitioning off welfare, and partnerships among child care, 
Head Start, and State pre-kindergarten programs toward providing full-
day, full-year services. The new partnerships will participate with 
earlier partnerships in the activities of the Child Care Policy 
Research Consortium.
    (3) Child Care Research Scholars will provide support for doctoral 
candidates in conducting dissertation research on child care issues 
under the auspices of the Child Care Bureau and the educational 
institution in which the student is enrolled. Dissertation applications 
must have been approved by the student's doctoral committee by the time 
the scholarship is awarded and the dissertation expected to be 
completed within the two year scholarship period. Issues of special 
priority for Child Care Research Scholarships include those listed for 
Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects and Child Care Policy 
Research Partnerships.
    (4) The Child Care Fellowship Program will bring early-to-mid 
career professionals in the fields of child care, early childhood 
education, and research to the Child Care Bureau. Through this 
Announcement, we intend to select an organization to work in 
partnership with the Child Care Bureau to design and implement the 
Child Care Fellowship Program. This program will promote integrated 
leadership in child care research and policy through intensive 
involvement with Child Care Bureau and Senior ACF officials, State-
level policy makers, members of Federally-funded research projects, and 
others with a role in national issues for child care research. Fellows 
will work on assignments designed to further their potential as 
researchers in the areas of child care, child development, child care 
policy, and administration of subsidy programs.

I. Submission of Applications

    (1) Number of Applications: Only one priority area may be included 
in each application. Applicants, depending on eligibility requirements 
for the specific priority area, may apply for more than one priority 
area with separate applications. However, applicants submitting more 
than one priority area will be eligible for only one award. The cover 
letter for each application must state all priority areas in which 
applications are being submitted.
    (2) Notice of Intent to Submit an Application: In order to 
anticipate workload, including the number of outside reviewers 
required, ACF would appreciate an early estimate of the number of 
applications to be expected. If you intend to submit an application, 
please notify the ACYF Operations Center eight weeks prior to the 
submission deadline. (This information will also be used to update 
mailing lists for future announcements.) In the notification, please 
include the following information:

(a) Announcement Number, Title and Priority Area

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(b) Primary Contact Person (Project Director or Principal investigator)
(c) Organization
(d) Street address
(e) Mailing address
(f) E-mail address
(g) Phone number
(h) Fax number

    If the primary contact person is difficult to reach, please include 
an alternate contact. Your notification may be through e-mail at 
[email protected], telephone (1-800-351-2293), or postcard to the ACYF 
Operations Center, Laurel Consulting Group, 1825 Fort Myer Drive, Suite 
300, Arlington, Virginia 22209: Attention Child Care Research.
    (3) Deadline: The closing time and date for receipt of applications 
is 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on March 31, 2000. 
    (4) Late Applications: If your application is received by the ACYF 
Operations Center after the deadline, it will be classified as late and 
eliminated from the competition. Applicants whose packages arrive late 
will be notified.
    (5) Extension of Deadlines: ACF may extend the deadline for all 
applicants because of acts of God such as floods or hurricanes or when 
there is wide disruption of the mails. However, if ACF does not extend 
the deadline for all applicants, it may not extend the deadline for any 
applicant.
    (6) Address for Submission: All applications must be delivered to 
the following address: ACYF Operations Center, Laurel Consulting Group, 
1825 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia 22209, 
Attention: Child Care Research, Priority Area, Phone: 1-800-351-2293.
    (7) Method of Submission: (a) Mailed Submissions: Applications sent 
first class or priority mail should be sent well in advance to ensure 
that applications are received by the ACYF Operations Center on or 
before the deadline. When mailed applications are received after the 
closing date, date of postmark will not be considered as meeting the 
deadline.
    (b) Hand Delivered Submissions: Applications hand carried by 
applicants, their representatives, couriers, or overnight mail services 
must be received on or before the deadline by the ACYF Operations 
Center. Applications will be accepted between the hours of 8:00 a.m. 
and 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (excluding Federal 
Holidays). Applicants are cautioned that overnight and express mail 
services do not always deliver as promised. Failure of a delivery 
service to meet the deadline will cause an application to be classified 
as late and eliminated from competition.
    (c) Electronic Submissions: ACYF cannot accommodate transmission of 
applications by fax, e-mail attachment, or other electronic media. 
Therefore, applications transmitted electronically will not be 
accepted, regardless of date or time of submission and receipt.
    (8) Notification of Receipt: Applicants will be notified 
automatically about the receipt and status of their application. 
Applications that are received on or before the deadline will be 
assigned a four-digit identification number. This number and the 
priority area must be included in all subsequent communication 
concerning the application. If you do not receive acknowledgment of 
your application within eight weeks after the deadline date, please 
notify the ACYF Operations Center by telephone at 1-800-351-2293.

J. Citations

    (1) Statutory Authority: Department of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriation Act, 1999 
(Pub. L. 105-277).
    (2) Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance number for all priority areas is 93.647.
    (3) State Single Point of Contact: This program is covered under 
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs,'' and 45 CFR Part 100, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Department of Health and Human Services Program and Activities.'' Under 
the Order, States may design their own processes for reviewing and 
commenting on proposed Federal assistance under covered programs.
    As of October 5, 1999 the following jurisdictions have elected NOT 
to participate in the Executive Order process. Applicants from these 
jurisdictions or for projects administered by Federally-recognized 
Indian Tribes need take no action in regard to E.O. 12372: Alabama, 
Alaska, American Samoa, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, 
Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New 
York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Palau, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, 
Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
    Applicants should contact their SPOCs as soon as possible to alert 
them of the prospective applications and receive any necessary 
instructions. Applicants must submit any required material to the SPOCs 
as soon as possible so that the program office can obtain and review 
SPOC comments as part of the award process. It is imperative that the 
applicant submit all required materials, if any, to the SPOC and 
indicate the date of this submittal (or the date of contact if no 
submittal is required) on the Standard Form 424, item 16a, and submit a 
copy of the letter along with its application to OCS.
    Under 45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has 60 days from the application 
deadline date to comment on proposed new or competing continuation 
awards.
    The SPOCs are encouraged to eliminate the submission of routine 
endorsements as official recommendations. Additionally, SPOCs are 
requested to clearly differentiate between mere advisory comments and 
those official state process recommendations which they intend to 
trigger the ``accommodate or explain'' rule.
    When comments are submitted directly to ACF, they should be 
addressed to: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration 
for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management/ACYF, 330 C 
Street SW., Washington, DC 20447.
    A list of Single Points of Contact for each State and Territory can 
be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/progorg/grantsnet/laws-reg/spoc999.htm.
    (4) Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13): Public 
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to 
average 15 hours per response for the Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects, 20 hours per response for the Child Care Policy 
Research Partnerships, 5 hours per response for the Child Care Research 
Scholars, and 10 hours per response for the Child Care Research 
Fellowship Program. These estimates include the time for reviewing 
instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing 
the collection of information. The project description is approved 
under OMB Control Number 0970-0213. An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

K. Number of Awards, Duration, and Funding Levels

    Approximately 19-23 grants, for all priority areas, will be awarded 
in Fiscal Year 2000 (ending September 30, 2000), subject to results of 
the competitive review process and availability of funds. Continuation 
of grants beyond the initial budget period will depend strongly on the 
specific reauthorization of child care research funds for FY 2001. 
Should additional funds be available in FY 2001, ACF also reserves the 
right to

[[Page 4501]]

fund additional projects from among the applications received through 
this announcement.
    (1) Priority Area 1, Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects. 
This priority area is soliciting applications for project periods up to 
three years. Awards, on a competitive basis, will be for a one-year 
budget period, although project periods may be for three years. 
Applications for continuation grants funded under these awards beyond 
the one-year budget period but within the three year project period 
will be entertained in subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, 
subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the 
grantee and a determination that continued funding would be in the best 
interest of the government.
    Significant findings by the end of the first budget period will be 
necessary to demonstrate satisfactory progress on the part of the 
grantee. Approximately 8 to 10 grants will be awarded for an initial 
budget period of twelve months. Funding for Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects will range between $150,000 and $300,000 for the 
first budget period and up to $200,000 per year (12 months) in 
subsequent periods.
    (2) Priority Area 2, Child Care Policy Research Partnership 
Projects. This priority area is soliciting applications for project 
periods up to three years. Awards, on a competitive basis, will be for 
a one-year budget period, although project periods may be for three 
years. Applications for continuation grants funded under these awards 
beyond the one-year budget period but within the three year project 
period will be entertained in subsequent years on a noncompetitive 
basis, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of 
the grantee and a determination that continued funding would be in the 
best interest of the government. Significant findings by the end of the 
first budget period will be necessary to demonstrate satisfactory 
progress on the part of the grantee. Approximately 4 to 6 grants will 
be awarded for an initial budget period of twelve months. Funding for 
Child Care Policy Research Partnership Projects will be up to $300,000 
for the first budget period and up to $200,000 per year (12 months) in 
subsequent periods.
    (3) Priority Area 3, Child Care Research Scholars. This priority 
area is soliciting applications for project periods up to two years. 
Awards, on a competitive basis, will be for a one-year budget period, 
although project periods may be for two years. Applications for 
continuation grants funded under these awards beyond the one-year 
budget period but within the two year project period will be 
entertained in subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, subject to 
the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee and a 
determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of 
the government. Significant findings by the end of the first budget 
period will be necessary to demonstrate satisfactory progress on the 
part of the grantee. Approximately six grants will be awarded to 
institutions of higher learning for an initial budget period of twelve 
months. Funding for Child Care Policy Research Partnership Projects 
will be up to $40,000 for the first budget period with the possibility 
of up to $30,000 for one additional year (12 months).
    (4) Priority Area 4, Child Care Research Fellowship Program. 
Through a cooperative agreement, ACF anticipates funding an 
organization to work in partnership with the Child Care Bureau to 
design and implement the Child Care Research Fellowship Program. This 
program will enable mid-career professionals to participate in research 
fellowships with the Child Care Bureau. During the first budget period, 
an anticipated three to five fellows will be chosen to participate. 
This priority area is soliciting applications for a project period up 
to three years. Award, on a competitive basis, will be for a one-year 
budget period, although the project period may be for three years. 
Application for a continuation grant funded under this award beyond the 
one-year budget period but within the three year project period will be 
entertained in subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, subject to 
the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee and a 
determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of 
the government. One grant will be awarded for an initial budget period 
of twelve months. Funding for the cooperative agreement will be up to 
$500,000 for the first budget period with the possibility of up to 
$375,000 per year for two subsequent years.

Part II. Research Questions and Priorities

    As a result of major social change, shifting cultural patterns, and 
new legislation, child care has changed dramatically over the past 
decade. It is now apparent that child care markets are local, but 
influenced by State and national policies and trends. In addition, 
child care now touches many different aspects of contemporary life with 
implications for children, parents, educators, employers, communities, 
and society as a whole. Nonetheless, current knowledge in this area 
remains largely fragmented and piecemeal; there is little integration 
of information emerging from the various academic disciplines and child 
care sectors.
    In our consultations with experts in the field, we were told that 
it is crucial to understand the interplay between child care supply and 
demand in different communities, population groups, and policy 
contexts. As more knowledge is gained about child development and well-
being in contemporary environments, there is a need for better 
understanding of how child care affects the growing child. As more is 
known about the growing diversity in family values, child rearing 
strategies, preferences, and needs, questions arise as to how child 
care policies and programs affect the ability of parents to make wise 
decisions for their children. Better understanding of child care is 
also critical to employment goals for adults, particularly in the arena 
of welfare reform and economic self-reliance. In addition, there is a 
need for better information about how child care can help parents 
manage the difficulties of balancing work and family life, especially 
when resources are scarce.
    This section describes five broad research questions that the Child 
Care Bureau's research agenda seeks to address. These questions are 
designed to provide descriptive profiles of child care supply and 
demand, examine major variations and their outcomes, explore the 
interrelationships among child care market forces, policies and 
programs, and determine how these factors play out among different 
populations of children and families.
    1. What does child care look like today?
    2. How do the variations in child care affect children?
    3. How do the variations in child care affect parents?
    4. How do the answers to these broad questions translate into 
specific policy and program choices at the state and local levels?
    5. How do the answers to all the questions above differ for sub-
groups of children and families?
    These five questions and their sub-questions were developed from 
the comments and suggestions of researchers, policy makers, and 
practitioners during the development of the research agenda. We are 
particularly interested in these questions as they relate to low-income 
families, including those who are transitioning from welfare to work, 
working families who were formerly on welfare, and working families who 
have not been a part of the

[[Page 4502]]

welfare system. We are also concerned with the many issues of unmet 
need, quality of care, policy relevance, and outcomes as these themes 
play out in different social, cultural, and linguistic contexts.
    Each question contains several illustrative sub-questions. No 
individual research project will address all of these questions; a 
project may focus on a particular, essential issue or explore a more 
complex set. However, each project should contribute to the larger 
context of interrelated child care issues.

Question 1. What Does Child Care Look Like Today?

    The first research question is intended to broadly describe child 
care today. What types of care do families use? What quality of care do 
children receive? What does child care cost and how much do parents 
pay? Who are the providers of child care and what are their 
characteristics? The answers to these descriptive questions will form 
the basis for more detailed exploration of interrelationships among 
child care market forces, social and cultural influences, policies, 
programs, and outcomes.
Types of Care
     How many families rely exclusively on their own members 
for the care of children at different ages? How many parents provide 
all of the care for their children? How may rely on other adult 
relatives including grandparents? How many allow children to care for 
themselves or their younger siblings? How many families rely largely on 
care in the community? How many use some combination of care within the 
family and the community? Are there common usage patterns or 
transitions between family and community care?
     How is the community supply of care distributed across 
different types of care: child care centers and other early childhood 
programs, group child care homes, family child care homes, and 
arrangements in the child's own home (nannies or sitters)?
     Within the formal child care sector, how is the supply of 
care distributed across regulated family child care homes and center-
based programs? To what extent do family child care homes operate as 
part of networks? Within the informal care sector, how is the supply 
distributed among relatives (kin), individuals within close social 
networks (kith), legally operating non-regulated care offered in the 
community, and ``underground'' or illegally operating services?
Quality of Care
     What are the elements of quality in the care of infants, 
toddlers, and preschoolers? What constitutes quality in programs 
serving six-to-twelve year old children during their out-of-school 
time? How do child care professionals and informal providers define 
high-quality and low-quality care? How do parents define quality? What 
do school-age children have to say about their own needs and 
preferences in the use of out-of-school time? How do the same or 
similar dimensions of quality change when applied to children in 
different developmental stages?
     What are the key indicators of high quality in different 
types of environments? Of low quality? How does structural quality 
(e.g., caregiver-to-child ratios, group size, professional 
qualifications, continuity of care and provider retention) relate to 
process quality (what happens in the child care environment) and 
quality as measured by interviews with parents, providers or other 
professionals?
     What is the range of quality within a given type of care 
according to a variety of approaches and measures? What aspects of 
quality appear to be most prevalent or lacking in center-based settings 
and home-based environments? In formal care programs and informal 
arrangements? What practices best support the cognitive, social and 
emotional development of children?
     How do variables related to the distribution of child care 
relate to families and their experiences? For example, how many and 
what types of care do children experience throughout the day? How many 
arrangements do they have over the course of a year? How do elements of 
care stability, continuity, and transition affect the quality of their 
care in different types of settings?
Costs of Care and Subsidies
     What are the costs of care provided in different types of 
settings? What does care actually cost to provide? What do providers 
charge? How much do parents pay?
     To what extent are subsidies available and accessible to 
eligible families and children? To what extent are subsidies used? 
Which eligible families use subsidies and which do not? What do 
eligible families do when subsidies are not available?
     How do child care subsidies affect the price of care 
purchased by low-income parents? Do parents who receive child care 
subsidies make different choices than low-income parents without 
subsidies? What is the quality of care purchased by families with the 
help of subsidies?
     How does the utilization of subsidized child care shift 
during the transition from welfare-to-work? How does use of subsidies 
vary among current TANF recipients, former TANF recipients, and other 
working poor families? What are the interrelationships among welfare 
status, employment, child care subsidy, price of care, and family 
income?
     Do subsidies affect the likelihood of working, the number 
of hours worked, the types of jobs obtained, or the level of earnings? 
Do subsidies affect the stability and progression of employment and 
earnings?
     What are the interrelationships among child care cost, 
subsidy, and quality? Do subsidies affect the quality, safety, and 
stability of care that children receive?
Characteristics of the Child Care Workforce
     Who is caring for children? How do characteristics of the 
child care workforce vary by type of care, regulatory status, 
demographic characteristics of the population, type of neighborhood, 
and other important variables?
     What are the demographic characteristics, professional 
characteristics, and motivations of individuals who work in child care 
and early education programs? What is the current salary and benefit 
structure for child care center staff, preschool teachers and other 
early childhood professionals? How do provider education, training, 
experience affect salaries and benefits?
     What factors make a difference for staff turnover, 
continuity of care, and the quality of services provided? What are the 
challenges to retention of qualified staff? What is the effectiveness 
of approaches to improve retention? How do quality enhancements such as 
accreditation affect the quality of services received? Do accredited 
programs maintain higher levels of quality over time?
     What are the demographic characteristics, background, 
training, skills, and motivations of licensed family child care 
providers, license-exempt caregivers, and other unregulated providers 
in the community? What types of supports are available and used by 
caregivers who are part of a formal system and those who operate 
informally?

[[Page 4503]]

Question 2. How do the major variations in child care affect children?

     This set of questions examines how children develop in 
different care environments, how various features of child care affect 
children, and how child care relates to other important factors such as 
school readiness and achievement.
     What components of healthy development are most affected 
by child care? How do emotional, cognitive, and social variables 
interact in the developing child? How do early experiences in child 
care help to shape development? What are the implications of different 
aspects and levels of child care quality for growth and development 
throughout childhood?
     How do structural variables of quality (regulatory status, 
staff/child ratio, group size, caregiver training, etc.) relate to 
caregiver behaviors and outcomes for children? For example, do informal 
caregivers provide safety, stability, continuity, and developmentally 
appropriate experiences?
     How do other features of child care environments, such as 
type of care, cost, administrative strategies, and characteristics of 
the child care workforce affect outcomes in children?
     What are the interrelationships among types of setting, 
quality of child care and school readiness? What are the linkages 
between child care, children's development, school readiness, and later 
school performance? How do programs serving older children during out-
of-school time influence their academic performance and developmental 
well-being?
     How many children are in high-quality care environments 
that promote their healthy development? How many are in poor quality 
settings that threaten to impair their development? What are the most 
important factors?
     Are there important interrelationships between child care 
quality and the quality of children's other environments? For example, 
does the availability of high child care quality mitigate against 
violence in the home and community? Does a generally low level of child 
care quality care increase the risk? In what ways?

Question 3. How do the major variations in child care affect parents?

     This set of questions examines the interrelationships 
among market forces, workplace factors, child care policies and 
programs, community supports, and outcomes for parents.
     What is the relationship between parents' perceptions of 
quality care, their goals around child literacy, and the child care 
decisions they make? Do they choose care that is consistent with their 
values and expectations?
     Do families with more choices receive better quality? Do 
those with fewer choices receive care of lower quality? What is the 
impact on parents when they can't find or afford high quality care for 
their children?
     What do parents know about the availability of child care 
options, subsidies and other resources in their community? Are there 
groups of parents who are better informed than others? How do resource 
and referral services or other community supports influence the choices 
and quality of care experienced by families. How does information 
influence decision-making?
     Is there an unmet need for subsidies? Which factors appear 
to influence subsidy use when subsidies are available? What happens to 
eligible families when child care subsidies are not available? What are 
the cultural, social, economic and institutional constraints on the 
demand for child care subsidies?
     To what extent do child care problems and instability 
affect workplace productivity, absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover? 
How are employers dealing with these problems? To what extent do 
employers provide assistance for child care through on- or near-site 
programs, dependent care plans, purchase of slots? What is the impact 
of Federal and State efforts aimed at encouraging employers to support 
child care?
     To what extent do workplace policies and personnel 
practices affect parents' ability to successfully work and care for 
their children? How do parents deal with tensions and conflict between 
child care and work demands?
     How do variations in type of care, quality, cost, use of 
subsidy, characteristics of the child care workforce, and other 
important features affect the ability of families to meet basic needs? 
What are the effects on employment, earnings, family income and career 
progression?
     How do policies and practices concerning flexibility of 
child care interact with workplace policies concerning flexibility for 
workers and flexibility within the family? How do particular patterns 
of flexibility and rigidity enhance or limit the ability of parents to 
successfully manage family and work responsibilities? Where do parents 
find the flexibility they need?
     How affordable is child care for low-income parents? What 
proportion of family income goes for child care in various types of 
families?
     What trade-offs do parents make among child care cost, 
quality and flexibility or convenience? How do they make these 
decisions? What are the most important elements in formulating complex 
choices?

Question 4. How do the answers to these broad questions translate into 
specific policy and program choices at State and local levels?

    This set of questions explores interrelationships among market 
forces, policies, and programs carried out by states and local 
communities, along with the outcomes of these factors for children and 
families.
     How are the roles of local stakeholders (advocates, 
providers, parents, schools, businesses, etc.) in child care changing? 
Are the stakeholders changing? If so, how? How do changing roles affect 
the overall child care system?
     What roles do resource and referral programs play? Does 
the presence of resource and referral services influence the supply of 
care? In areas where no such program is available, how do providers and 
parents learn about resources such as training, subsidies, and the 
community supply of care?
     What roles do employers play? To what extent do employers 
participate in the community infrastructure for support of the child 
care industry through resource and referral, training or technical 
assistance for providers, parent education and consumer information, or 
transportation for children?
     How do child care regulations, subsidies and other 
policies affect the availability of care in low-income neighborhoods? 
What is the relationship between the overall supply of care in a 
community and the care used by subsidized families?
     What are the interrelationships among local market rates, 
child care subsidies, and what parents pay? How do child care subsidies 
and co-payment rates affect the cost of care in local markets? How do 
required co-payments and additional fees charged by providers affect 
subsidy utilization and choices made by parents? Does participation in 
other Federal programs (e.g., Child and Adult Care Food Program) reduce 
costs to parents?
     What are the interrelationships among parents' judgments, 
providers' judgments, professional observations of care environments, 
and children's experiences? Are there innovative methods that States 
and communities can use to identify need, improve responsiveness to 
families, leverage

[[Page 4504]]

resources, and improve the quality of services?
     Within the specific types of care, what aspects need 
improvement? How can States assess and improve the quality of care 
within each type?
     How do public and private child care programs, Head Start, 
kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs, before-and after-school 
programs, and other child development programs fit into the community-
level infrastructure? To what extent do community child care centers, 
Head Start programs, State pre-kindergarten programs and other early 
childhood programs collaborate? What are the challenges to 
collaboration? Are there successful models of statewide or local 
collaboration? Are there specific policies that make a difference?
     How do States and localities fund child care and other 
early childhood education programs? What innovations are being 
explored? What are the funding barriers to a seamless system? How are 
funds being blended at the State and local levels? How do various 
financing strategies affect the availability and access to high quality 
care in different communities?
     How do State and local regulations affect quality in 
various child care settings? How is this process mediated by 
institutional and community factors? How have States used their quality 
improvement funds? What are the results of these initiatives? Have they 
made a difference for children and families?
     How do State and local policy variations affect the 
utilization of subsidized care? Why don't some eligible families apply 
for subsidies? What happens to eligible families who apply for but do 
not receive subsidized care?
     How do child care policies affect welfare families, those 
moving off welfare, and the working poor who are not part of the 
welfare system? How are working class and middle-income families 
affected by child care policies?
     How do child care subsidy policies affect the availability 
and quality of care? For example how do eligibility requirements, co-
payment requirements and reimbursement rates interact to affect supply 
of care in local markets? Are market rate surveys useful in assessing 
the cost of care and the appropriate levels of reimbursement? To what 
extent do market rate surveys reward the more affluent urban providers 
while penalizing providers in poorer counties? Do differences in how 
subsidies and licensing are administered influence child care supply 
and demand and the use of subsidies?

Question 5. How do the answers to all the questions above differ for 
sub-groups of children and families?

    This set of questions examines how different groups of children and 
families are being affected by the major variations in child care 
market structures, policies and programs in the light of social and 
cultural trends.
Family Structure and Characteristics of Children
     What are the variations in services and outcomes when 
viewed through the lens of family structure and child characteristics?
     Do different types of providers serve different child 
populations? What services are available and utilized for the care for 
infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, young school-age children and 
those in the upper elementary grades? For children with disabilities or 
chronic illness? Abused and neglected children?
     Do single parents, two parent families and extended 
families make different arrangements for the care of their children?
Demographic and Cultural Factors
     What demographic, cultural and linguistic factors 
influence the availability, utilization, cost, and quality of care? How 
are population demographics changing in local communities, and how does 
increasing ethnic and linguistic diversity affect child care services?
     How do demographic, cultural and linguistic factors affect 
parental selection and utilization patterns? What are the determinants 
of parental choice in different cultural and ethnic groups? What 
family- and community-level factors shape the type and quality of care 
selected by low-income parents in different cultural and linguistic 
contexts?
     Do parents with different personal characteristics, family 
structures, financial resources, and employment patterns make different 
child care choices? Do some families have more or better options? Are 
some families able to make better use of their perceived options? How 
do geographic, community or cultural factors affect parent's decisions, 
utilization patterns and outcomes?
     What is the availability, accessibility, cost and quality 
of care for children from various ethnic groups, especially Native 
American children, recent immigrants, and non-English speaking 
children? Are there shortages of care for children in some age groups, 
ethnic groups, or special circumstances? What are the outcomes for 
these different groups of children?
Community and Neighborhood Factors
     What are the major variations when viewed through the lens 
of community and neighborhood? How does the availability of care vary 
in different types of communities and neighborhoods? Is the 
distribution of care different in neighborhoods with large welfare 
populations, neighborhoods with large numbers of low-income working 
families, and more affluent neighborhoods?
     What community factors are important? How do child care 
market forces, policies, programs and outcomes vary in different kinds 
of communities, including rural areas, inner cities, small towns, and 
economically distressed neighborhoods?
Policy Variations in the Social and Cultural Context
     How do State and local child care policies and programs 
affect the choices parents make and are able to sustain?
     How do state and local policies affect child care 
availability, accessibility, affordability, utilization and outcomes 
for current TANF recipients, former TANF recipients, low-income 
families who are not part of the welfare system?
     How do policies and programs affect teen parents, recent 
immigrants, families who work non-standard hours, single parents, 
parents with significant health problems and others for whom child care 
can make a critical difference?
     What are the outcomes for different groups of parents in 
terms of education, employment, wage progression and job stability? 
What are their outcomes in terms of family variables?

Part III. Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects and Child 
Care Policy Research Partnerships

    Part III includes descriptions and requirements for Field Initiated 
Child Care Research Projects (Priority Area 1) and Child Care Policy 
Research Partnerships (Priority Area 2). Instructions for completing 
applications are included, as are evaluation criteria and funding 
procedures.

Priority Area I. Field Initiated Research Projects

A. Purpose
    The purpose of this priority area is to stimulate child care 
research that helps States, communities, and the Child Care Bureau 
respond to emerging issues and questions in a timely and direct manner. 
Projects funded under this priority area

[[Page 4505]]

must contribute significantly to the overall research agenda, help 
build the research infrastructure, and lay the foundation for informed 
policy and practices. Grantees will be expected to produce significant 
findings by the end of the first budget period.

B. Priorities

    Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects are expected to focus 
on one or more of the questions included in Part II. These questions 
were developed from input received from researchers, policy makers and 
practitioners during the research planning process described in Part I.
    There is the particular need to study important issues faced by 
local communities in order to understand the characteristics of child 
care today. Child care markets operate at the local level. We want to 
better understand market dynamics, how child care demand and supply 
interact, and how child care intersects with family, work, school, and 
other community institutions.
    Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects will focus largely on 
local-level issues in order to understand the intricacies of child care 
demand, supply, quality and unmet need in different types of 
communities, cultural contexts, policy contexts, and populations. 
Projects may be stand-alone studies or may link with other studies to 
add sites, expand samples, add study components, add populations, or 
conduct special analyses. In addition, Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects may involve secondary analyses of completed data 
sets, including those from state or national studies when appropriate. 
Partnerships are not required for projects in this category but are 
encouraged if the resulting research will be more significant or 
complete than could be accomplished by a single organization. Projects 
will also be encouraged to take advantage of ``natural experiments'' to 
better understand how changes in state and local child care policy 
(such as devolution of responsibility for subsidy programs to local 
offices) may be affecting child care patterns and outcomes in different 
policy contexts.
    The Child Care Bureau is especially interested in funding projects 
that address local issues of national significance where information is 
particularly lacking. For example, there is very limited information 
about informal care provided by relatives, friends, neighbors, and 
other community caregivers operating outside the formal system. Very 
little is known about the characteristics of providers in all types of 
facilities, how they view their work, or the nature of children's care 
experiences. Additionally, some populations of children and families 
are underrepresented in existing research.
    The following are issues of special priority for Field Initiated 
Child Care Research Projects: culturally and linguistically diverse 
populations and cultural influences on child care; child care for 
infants and toddlers; child care for children with disabilities, 
chronic illnesses, and other special needs; issues related to 
children's out-of-school time; informal care provided by relatives, 
friends, neighbors, and other community caregivers operating outside 
the formal system; issues related to health, safety, and quality of 
care; children's development and well-being in care; social and 
emotional supports needed for a healthy child care environment; and, 
the impact of Federal and State efforts to improve the quality of care. 
Applications dealing with other important issues are also invited.

C. Number of Awards

    Approximately 8-10 Field Initiated Research Projects will be funded 
in Fiscal Year 2000, subject to the availability of funds and results 
of the evaluation process.

D. Project Duration, Funding Levels and Budget Periods

    Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects will be awarded for 
project periods of up to three years. The Child Care Bureau expects to 
invest an average of $225,000 per project for the initial 12-month 
budget period, with a range of approximately $150,000--$300,000 for 
each project. Non-competitive applications for continuation of Field 
Initiated Child Care Research Projects will be considered in fiscal 
years 2002 and 2003 with up to $200,000 per project being available for 
a twelve-month period. Applications for continuation grants funded 
beyond the 12-month budget period, but within the 36-month project 
period, will be entertained in the subsequent year on a noncompetitive 
basis, subject to the availability of funds from future appropriations, 
satisfactory progress of the grantee, and a determination that 
continued funding is in the best interest of the government.

E. Federal Share

    To maximize the Federal investment in Field Initiated Child Care 
Research Projects and in the interest of project sustainability, a 
financial commitment by the applicant organization (or other 
participating entities) is required. The Federal share may comprise no 
more than 80 percent of total project costs. Grantee contributions may 
be in cash or in-kind contributions of staff time, employee benefits, 
facilities, utilities, equipment, materials, supplies or other forms of 
project support.

F. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants include public agencies, non-profit 
organizations, and for-profit entities that agree to waive their fees.
    (1) Public agencies include state or local child care agencies; 
education agencies, welfare or other human services agencies, public 
schools, colleges and universities; and other public agencies with an 
interest in child care.
    (2) Non-profit agencies include, but are not limited to, community 
child care and early childhood programs, child care resource and 
referral programs, professional organizations, schools, colleges and 
universities, civic and community groups, and foundations.
    (3) For-profit entities include, but are not limited to, child care 
businesses, private research corporations, and other profit-making 
organizations. These entities are only eligible to receive a grant 
directly if they agree to waive their fees. However, they may 
participate in projects as partners without such a waiver.

G. Data Ownership

    Raw data are the property of the agency or organization where the 
data reside (for instance, the State agency or resource and referral 
entity.) Working data files constructed for research belong to the 
grantee carrying-out the research, but analyses of those data cannot be 
released without the approval of the agency that owns the original 
data. Once a study has been completed and released, clean, documented 
public use files must be prepared and archived according to 
specifications supplied by the Child Care Bureau. These public use data 
files will be the property of the Federal government and will remain in 
the public domain for secondary analysis by other researchers.

Priority Area 2. Child Care Policy Research Partnerships

A. Purpose
    The Child Care Policy Research Partnerships expand upon a strategy 
that has proven successful in stimulating collaboration among 
researchers, policy makers and practitioners, facilitating 
interdisciplinary approaches and cross-state research on critical 
issues, and providing rapid responses to State child care 
administrators' questions.

[[Page 4506]]

    The Child Care Bureau has funded two waves of Child Care Research 
Partnerships which collectively operate as the Child Care Policy 
Research Consortium. The purpose of the Consortium is to increase and 
strengthen the capacity for cross-cutting research on critical child 
care issues. Partners are working to better understand issues 
concerning: (1) The child care needs, utilization patterns, and 
outcomes for low-income families, including welfare recipients, those 
moving from welfare to work, and the working poor; (2) the child care 
opportunities and constraints which affect low-income families and 
children under new welfare policies, changing State and local child 
care systems, and emerging market conditions; and (3) the availability, 
cost, quality, and other critical features of subsidized child care 
services. Information about the Consortium, including project 
descriptions and publications, can be found on the Child Care Bureau's 
web page at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ccb. 
    The new Child Care Policy Research Partnerships will expand the 
Child Care Policy Research Consortium and contribute to ongoing 
activities. This approach is intended to help the Child Care Bureau 
build a sound research infrastructure, identify and respond to critical 
issues from a variety of professional perspectives, and develop cross-
cutting strategies for research. Partnerships funded under this 
priority area must also contribute significantly to the broader 
research agenda and help lay the foundation for informed policy and 
practice. Grantees will be expected to produce significant findings by 
the end of their first 12-month budget period.
B. Priorities
    The Child Care Bureau is particularly interested in partnerships 
that can help address important policy issues faced by State 
administrators who must make immediate decisions regarding the 
allocation of child care resources, achieve employment-related goals 
for parents, and meet growing needs. Applicants are referred to the key 
questions in Part II and asked to develop their applications around 
statewide or cross-state issues such as unmet need or quality.
    The second goal for the new partnerships is to stimulate greater 
collaboration and interdisciplinary research on critical issues for 
child care policies, programs and outcomes affecting children and 
families. For example, two or more states might produce comparable 
analyses to better understand child care in inner cities, rural areas, 
or selected populations, or to address some other cross-cutting theme. 
A third goal is to develop longitudinal data sets from child care 
subsidy programs, regulatory information systems, resource and referral 
data systems, and other administrative systems. It is hoped that these 
new partnerships will also help increase the comparability of 
information made available through different data systems and improve 
methods for linkage and secondary analysis of completed data sets.
    Ongoing studies might also be replicated, expanded, linked, or 
otherwise utilized in the development of a comprehensive and cohesive 
research strategy. Among the existing partnerships, for example, a 
Florida study looked at where parents receiving child care assistance 
work (Griesinger, Chipty and Witte and Lee, Ohlandt & Witte). This 
study led to the creation of a program in Florida in which funds were 
appropriated to match employer child care contributions. Alabama, 
California, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. have replicated 
this study. Other studies being carried out within the consortium are 
exploring child care availability, quality, and unmet need in different 
States and communities. References and project descriptions are 
contained in the Child Care Policy Research Consortium Executive 
Summary on the Child Care Bureau's web page.
    New partnerships may also take on new data collection activities 
and efforts to improve research methods and measures. Other areas of 
special priority for new Child Care Policy Research Partnerships are 
subsidies, waiting lists, duration of care, quality initiatives, low-
income families, and families transitioning off welfare, and 
partnerships among child care, Head Start, and State pre-kindergarten 
programs toward providing full-day, full-year services.
C. Number of Awards
    Four-to-six Child Care Policy Research Projects will be funded in 
Fiscal Year 2000, subject to the availability of funds and results of 
the evaluation process.
D. Project Duration, Funding Levels and Budget Periods
    Child Care Policy Research Projects will be awarded for project 
periods of up to three years. The Child Care Bureau expects to invest 
up to $300,000 during the initial 12-month funding period for each 
project. Initial grant awards will be for a 12-month budget period. 
Non-competitive applications for continuation of Child Care Policy 
Research Projects will be considered for in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 
with up to $200,000 per project being available for a 12-month period. 
Applications for continuation grants funded beyond the 12-month budget 
period, but within the 36-month project period, will be entertained in 
the subsequent year on a noncompetitive basis, subject to the 
availability of funds from future appropriations, satisfactory progress 
of the grantee, and a determination that continued funding is in the 
best interest of the government.
E. Federal Share
    To maximize the Federal investment in Child Care Policy Research 
Partnership Projects and in the interest of project sustainability, a 
financial commitment by the applicant organization (or other 
participating entities) is required. The Federal share may comprise no 
more than 80 percent of total project costs. Grantee contributions may 
be in cash or in-kind contributions of staff time, employee benefits, 
facilities, utilities, equipment, materials, supplies or other forms of 
project support.
F. Eligible Applicants
    Eligible applicants include public agencies, non-profit 
organizations, and for-profit entities that agree to waive their fees. 
The State agency that administers the Child Care and Development Fund 
must be included in the partnership. Additionally, at least one member 
must be a research group affiliated with an accredited university or 
four-year college. Broadly-based partnerships are encouraged. For 
example, the following entities may be included: (1) Child care 
regulatory agencies and agencies that administer child care programs 
for low-income children and families; (2) resource and referral 
organizations which collect and maintain an ongoing data base of local 
or statewide information on child care demand and supply; (3) planning 
councils, commissions, advisory groups, and other organizations that 
participate in child care planning and policy making; (4) non-academic 
research organizations that conduct studies on child care markets, 
populations, services, policies or other relevant aspects of child 
care; (5) Tribal, county or local agencies that administer child care 
subsidy programs; (6) early childhood programs such as public or 
private child care centers or Head Start; (7) family child care 
providers or networks of family child care homes; (8) professional 
organizations and

[[Page 4507]]

associations; (9) providers or supportive services such as provider 
training, technical assistance, or consumer education; (10) civic 
groups and community organizations; (11) foundations and charitable 
organizations; and (12) other appropriate organizations and 
individuals.
G. Data Ownership
    Raw data are the property of the agency or organization where the 
data reside (for instance, the State agency or resource and referral 
entity.) Working data files constructed for research belong to the 
grantee that is carrying-out the research, but analyses of those data 
may not be released without the approval of the agency that owns the 
original data. Once a study has been completed and released, clean, 
documented public use files must be prepared and archived according to 
specifications supplied by the Child Care Bureau. These public use data 
files will be the property of the Federal government and will remain in 
the public domain for secondary analysis by other researchers.

Project Description and Application Requirements

    This section contains requirements for both Field Initiated 
Research Projects (Priority Area 1) and Child Care Policy Research 
Partnerships (Priority Area 2). Applicants in each of these priority 
areas should follow the same set of formatting instructions, but tailor 
their Project Narrative Statements to the specific priority area in 
which they are submitting an application.

A. Contents and Format of the Application

    Applicants are cautioned to include all required forms and 
materials, organized according to the required format. The application 
packet must include the following items in order:
    A cover letter that includes the announcement number, priority area 
and contact information.
(1) Standard Federal Forms
    (a) Standard Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 face sheet 
and SF 424A) must be included with the application.
    (b) Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances: Non-Construction Programs.'' 
Applicants must sign and return the Standard Form 424B with their 
applications.
    (c) Certifications Regarding Lobbying. Applicants must provide a 
certification regarding lobbying when applying for an award in excess 
of $100,000. Applicants must sign and return the certification with 
their applications.
    (d) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Applicants must disclose 
lobbying activities on the Standard Form LLL when applying for an award 
in excess of $100,000. Applicants who have used non-Federal funds for 
lobbying activities in connection with receiving assistance under this 
announcement shall complete a disclosure form to report lobbying. 
Applicants must sign and return the disclosure form, if applicable, 
with their applications.
    (e) Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. 
Applicants must make the appropriate certification of their compliance 
with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. By signing and submitting the 
application, the applicant is providing the certification and need not 
mail back the certification with the application.
    (f) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other 
Responsibility Matters. Applicants must make the appropriate 
certification that they are not presently debarred, suspended, or 
otherwise ineligible for an award. By signing and submitting the 
application, the applicant is providing the certification and need not 
mail back the certification with the application.
    (g) Protection of Human Subjects: Assurance, Identification, 
Certification, and Declaration.
    (h) Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Applicants 
must make the appropriate certification of their compliance. By signing 
and submitting the application, the applicant is providing the 
certification and need not mail back the certification with the 
application.
    (2) For-profit entities wishing to receive a grant directly must 
provide a letter indicating their willingness to waive their fees. Non-
profit organizations must submit proof of non-profit status in the 
application at the time of submission. The applicant can demonstrate 
proof of non-profit status in any one of three ways:
    (a) By providing a copy of the organization's listing in the 
Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt 
organizations described in Section 501(c3) of the IRS code;
    (b) By providing a copy of the currently valid IRS tax exemption 
certificate; or
    (c) By providing a copy of the articles of incorporation bearing 
the seal of the State in which the corporation or association is 
domiciled.
    (3) Executive Order 12372--Single Point of Contact. Where 
appropriate, include a competed SPOC certification with the date of 
SPOC contact entered on page 1, line 16 of the SF424 face sheet.
    (4) Table of Contents
    (5) Project Abstract (not to exceed one page) for use in official 
briefings, decision packages, and public announcement of awards
    (6) Project Narrative Statement

(a) Issues, Objectives and Significance
(b) Research Design and Methodology
(c) Management Plan
(d) Staff Qualifications and Commitment
(e) Organizational Capability
(f) Fiscal Resources and Project Budget

    (7) Appendices: All supporting materials and documents should be 
organized into appropriate appendices and securely bound in to the 
application package. Applicants are reminded that the total page 
limitation applies to both narrative text and supporting materials.

(a) Contact Information for all Key Staff
(b) Resumes
(c) Letters of Support, if appropriate
(d) Other

    (8) Number of Copies and Binding: An original and two copies of the 
complete application packet must be submitted. Each copy of the 
application should be securely stapled in the upper left-hand corner, 
clipped, or enclosed in a quick-release binder. Because each 
application will be duplicated for the review panel, do not use non-
removable binders. Do not include tabs, plastic inserts, brochures, 
videos, or any other items that cannot be photocopied.

B. Project Narrative Statement

    The Project Narrative Statement contains most of the information on 
which applications will be competitively reviewed. The Project 
Narrative should be carefully developed in accordance with the research 
goals and expectations described for the priority area in which the 
applicant is submitting a proposal, the requirements described in this 
section, and the evaluation criteria and selection factors described 
below.
    The Project Narrative sets forth the technical proposal and 
describes how it will be carried out. This statement should be 
organized as follows: (1) Issues, Objectives, and Significance; (2) 
Research Design and Methodology; (3) Management Plan; (4) Staff 
Qualifications and Commitment; (5) Organizational Capability; and (6) 
Fiscal Resources and Project Budget.
    Clarity and conciseness are of utmost importance. ACYF strongly 
encourages applicants to limit their applications to 200 pages, double-
spaced, with standard one-inch margins and 12 point fonts. This 
includes the entire Project

[[Page 4508]]

Narrative Statement including text, tables, charts, graphs, resumes, 
corporate statements and appendices.
(1) Issues, Objectives, and Significance
    In this section, applicants demonstrate their understanding of the 
relevant literature on critical issues and existing knowledge, describe 
their objectives, and demonstrate the significance of their proposal.
    Applicants are expected to show how their proposal will address the 
Child Care Bureau's research agenda, answer key questions, and 
contribute to the child care research infrastructure. Specifically, 
applicants are expected to demonstrate a command of the policy and 
research literature in child care, as well as emerging issues. The 
proposal is expected to demonstrate understanding of current policies 
and programs, to show how the proposed research would further 
understanding, and to suggest practical applications which might be 
derived from the findings.
    Applications should clearly show how the research would build on 
the current knowledge base and contribute to policy, practice and 
future research. Applicants are asked to consider the significance, 
reliability, and validity of existing data pertaining to key questions. 
In addition, applicants should identify important gaps in the 
literature and areas in which findings are contradictory or ambiguous. 
It will also be important to consider what demographic, economic, and 
social data are available as a context for the proposed child care 
research. A bibliography of relevant literature must be supplied.
(2) Research Design and Methodology
    This section of the Project Narrative Statement requires that the 
applicant describe the technical approach for addressing issues and 
achieving objectives described in the previous section (B.1). In this 
section the applicant should clearly demonstrate their ability to 
produce significant and usable results within the first 12-month budget 
period in the event that Federal funding is not available for 
subsequent periods. How these early findings would influence decisions 
about subsequent stages of the research and contribute to an ongoing 
project should be addressed.
    The methodological discussion must include technical details of the 
proposed research design, including (as relevant): (a) Conceptual 
framework for the research; (b) research questions, hypotheses, and 
variables; (c) data sources and sampling plan; (d) new data on human 
subjects; (e) administrative data; (f) secondary analysis of existing 
data sets; (g) linkages with other research; (h) data collection; (i) 
data processing and statistical analysis; and, (j) product development 
and information dissemination. Qualitative studies with well-defined 
methodology are invited as well as those that use quantitative 
methodology. As part of the design section, applicants should discuss 
the strengths and limitations of all proposed approaches and 
techniques. Applicants are also asked to provide a flow chart or table 
showing interrelationships among the proposed research issues, 
questions, variables, and data elements.
(a) Conceptual Framework for the Research
    Based on the issues and objectives described in B.1, present the 
conceptual framework for the proposed research, including the approach 
to be taken and why this approach was chosen.
(b) Research Questions, Hypotheses and Variables
    Based on the conceptual framework for the research, present: (a) 
Areas of inquiry to be explored; (b) specific research questions and 
hypotheses; and (c) research variables and constructs. This discussion 
should relate back to the earlier discussion of Issues, Objectives and 
Significance (B.1) and lead into the design elements that follow.
(c) Data Sources and Sampling Plan
    This section should include a detailed plan for identifying data 
sources and obtaining an appropriate sample to achieve objectives of 
the proposed research.
(d) New Data on Human Subjects
    If new data are to be collected on human subjects, either 
independently or in conjunction with another ongoing study (e.g., by 
adding a new sample or an additional measure), describe the 
characteristics of the target population and provide a rationale for 
any sample stratification based on personal characteristics of 
individuals (such as ethnicity, income, marital status, or age of 
child.)
(e) Administrative Data
    If data would be compiled from service delivery records of State or 
local agencies, from resource and referral files, from records 
maintained by child care facilities, or from other primary data 
sources, describe the nature of the data and how they would be 
accessed, characteristics of the sample and how it would be 
constructed, and how confidentiality of individual records would be 
maintained.
(f) Secondary Analysis of Existing Data Sets
    If secondary analyses would be conducted on completed data sets, 
describe the original research, its appropriateness and limitations for 
this study. Describe the nature, scope and representativeness of the 
original sample and characteristics of the data (including data 
quality). Applicants who propose to conduct secondary analyses on large 
data sets, such as those from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, and other statistical organizations are expected to discuss 
how their analyses could be used to help profile national, regional or 
state-level child care market parameters and trends. If data sets from 
completed child care studies are to be analyzed, applicants are asked 
to suggest ways in which such data could be used by others to amplify 
or extend the proposed research.
(g) Linkages With Other Research
    If the proposed project would involve linkage with ongoing 
research, describe the ongoing research design and status, how the 
proposed study would benefit from and contribute to it, how the 
technical aspects of the linkage would be structured and carried out, 
and how the linked studies would address the goals of this 
announcement. Describe how the proposed research will make a distinct 
contribution while building on ongoing research. Include a letter of 
cooperation from the individual/organization conducting the research 
which details the status of the data collection, procedures to ensure 
data quality, timeliness of data availability and applicant access.
(h) Data Collection
    Describe data collection procedures and safeguards for data 
quality. Discuss procedures to protect human subjects, to maintain 
confidentiality of data, and to obtain consent for participation (if 
applicable).
(i) Data Processing and Statistical Analysis
    Include a detailed plan for processing and analyzing data from all 
sources which illustrates how the analyses will meet the goals of this 
research. Discuss the procedures which would be used to clean data, 
ensure data quality, and prepare data tapes. Discuss plans for the 
analysis of data, including units of analysis, analytic techniques to 
be used with various types of data, statistical considerations 
including, but not

[[Page 4509]]

limited to power analysis, attrition, response rates, etc., and the 
linkage of data sets, where appropriate. Describe documentation of the 
final data set and preparation of data for archiving by the Child Care 
Bureau.
(j) Product Development and Information Dissemination
    Include a product development schedule and information 
dissemination plan which describes the products to be generated during 
the course of this research (such as technical papers or reports, 
summaries, briefings, conference presentations, doctoral dissertations, 
journal articles, internet applications, software and public use data 
tapes, and the final report). Describe the audiences for various 
products and the dissemination strategies that will be employed. 
Discuss which products might be collaboratively developed or 
disseminated to intended audiences.
(3) Management Plan
    (a) The Management Plan is expected to describe a sound and 
workable plan of action for how the proposed project will be carried 
out. This section should detail how the project will be structured and 
managed, how the timeliness of activities will be ensured, how quality 
control will be maintained, and how costs will be controlled. 
Applicants should discuss their management of the project as a whole, 
and the management and coordinating roles of any partners.
    (b) Provide a diagram showing the organizational structure of the 
project and the functional relationships among components.
    (c) If the project is a partnership, describe how the project will 
be managed by the lead organization to ensure that members of the 
partnership operate as a cohesive research team and that cross-cutting 
goals of the project are carried out efficiently and cost-effectively.
    (d) Describe the make-up and role of any steering or management 
committees, technical work groups, advisory panels, and other 
coordinating bodies.
    (e) Produce a project management chart that lays out sequence and 
timing of the major tasks and subtasks, responsibilities and time 
commitments of staff, important milestones, reports, and completion 
dates.
    (f) Discuss potential problems or difficulties with the proposed 
management approach, including factors which may affect the quality of 
the research or its outcomes, may undermine the ability of partners to 
collaborate effectively, and may hinder the early sharing, review and 
dissemination of information.
(4) Staff Qualifications and Commitment
    In this section, applicants must provide evidence that project 
staff have the experience, expertise and commitment of sufficient time 
to carry out the proposed project on time, within budget, and with a 
high degree of quality.
    (a) Identify all key staff positions for this project, the 
professional requirements for each, the proportion of time staff 
holding these positions will be committed to the project, the period of 
time they will be employed, and whether their continued employment will 
be dependent solely on the funds to be awarded under this announcement.
    (b) Provide evidence that individuals proposed for key positions 
have the necessary technical skill and experience to successfully carry 
out their assigned roles.
    (c) Where key positions are currently vacant, include a position 
description outlining the qualifications necessary to carry out the 
duties and responsibilities of each. Include letters of commitment from 
any key individuals who have been selected but not yet hired.
    (d) If a data collection team must be assembled, describe the 
makeup of the team, what expertise will be represented, and how 
individuals will be selected.
    (e) Identify all proposed consultants or advisors, document their 
expertise, and describe how their services will be utilized. Include 
letters of commitment or intent if possible.
    (f) Identify the authors of the proposal and describe their 
continuing role in the project if funded.
(5) Organizational Capacity and Fiscal Resources
    In this section, the applicant must demonstrate that the official 
grantee has the organizational capacity and fiscal resources to 
successfully carry-out the project on time and to a high standard of 
quality, including the capacity to resolve a wide variety of technical 
and management problems that may occur.
    (a) Provide evidence of sufficient organizational resources to 
ensure successful project management, compliance with terms and 
conditions of the grant, and oversight of the proper use of Federal 
funds.
    (b) If the project is a partnership, provide evidence that all 
partners have the ability, willingness and flexibility to collaborate 
effectively with one another in carrying out the proposed project, and 
that the partnership as a whole could effectively participate in a 
larger research consortium. Include examples of past or current 
partnerships that demonstrate the ability to carry out collaborative 
research. Describe how each partner was included in the planning of the 
project. Include letters of specific commitment or support from each 
partner. Describe all cooperative agreements, subcontracts and other 
formal relationships within the partnership. Partners who will provide 
access to data or records must provide a letter stipulating the terms 
of their agreement with the researchers. Describe the future commitment 
each partner will make to ensure success of the collaboration as it 
evolves.
    (c) Include a separate two-page organizational capability statement 
for each participating organization which documents the partner's 
ability to carry out its assigned roles and functions.
    (d) Describe the relationship between this project and other 
relevant work planned, anticipated or underway by the applicant or its 
partners. Include funding sources for work in progress.
    (e) Provide a list of research and financial partners including the 
name and address of each organization, the names of its director and 
primary contact for this proposal, and the telephone, fax and internet 
numbers of each.
(6) Fiscal Resources and Project Budget
    (a) Describe the nature and extent of financial participation from 
all sources.
    (b) Present a detailed budget to demonstrate that the project will 
have adequate resources to carry out the work on time and with a high 
degree of quality.
    (c) Include a detailed budget narrative which describes and 
justifies line item expenses within the budget categories listed on the 
Standard Form 424 and 424A. (Line item allocations and justification 
are required for both Federal and non-Federal funds.) If project funds 
will be subcontracted, a detailed budget for the use of those funds 
must be also included. The budget should include funds to allow key 
representatives from Field Initiated Child Care Research Projects and 
Child Care Policy Research Partnerships to participate in an annual 
meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium in Washington, 
D.C.
    (d) Describe the extent to which funds, staff time, in-kind 
services, and other resources have been committed to the research 
effort during the planning period.
    (e) Describe what other resources are expected to help support the 
proposed research, including existing

[[Page 4510]]

commitments and negotiations in progress. Describe anticipated efforts 
to obtain other funding partners throughout the project.

Evaluation and Selection

A. Screening and Panel Review

    Each application will be screened to determine whether the 
applicant organization is eligible as specified in each of the priority 
areas. Applications from ineligible organizations will be excluded from 
the review.
    (1) The review will be conducted in Washington, D.C. Expert 
reviewers will include researchers, Federal or State staff, child care 
administrators and other individuals experienced in the study of child 
care demand and supply, child care delivery systems, welfare and 
supportive services, early child development and education, parental 
choice and involvement, and other relevant areas.
    (2) A panel of at least three reviewers will evaluate each 
application to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal 
in terms of the Bureau's research goals and expectations for the 
priority area under consideration, requirements for the Project 
Narrative Statement, and the evaluation criteria listed below.
    (3) Panelists will provide written comments and assign numerical 
scores for each application. The indicated point value for each 
criterion is the maximum numerical score for that criterion. The 
assigned scores for each criterion will be summed to yield a total 
evaluation score for the proposal.
    (4) In addition to the panel review, the Bureau may solicit 
comments from other Federal offices and agencies, from the states, from 
relevant non-governmental organizations, and from individuals whose 
particular expertise is identified as necessary for the consideration 
of technical issues arising during the review. Their comments, along 
with those of the panelists, will be considered by the Bureau in making 
funding decisions. The Bureau will also take into account the best 
combination of proposed projects to meet overall research goals.

B. Evaluation Criteria

    Eligible applications will be scored competitively against the 
published evaluation criteria described below. These criteria will be 
used in conjunction with other expectations, priorities and 
requirements set forth throughout this announcement to evaluate how 
well each proposal addresses the goals and priorities for funding.
(1) Significance, Issues and Objectives (maximum of 10 points)
    (a) The extent to which the application reflects a solid 
understanding of critical issues, information needs, and research 
goals.
    (b) The extent to which the proposed project framework is 
appropriate, feasible, and would significantly contribute to the 
importance, comprehensiveness, and quality of the proposed research.
    (c) The effectiveness with which the discussion articulates the 
current state of knowledge relative to issues being addressed, 
including: (1) critical child care issues and the complex 
interrelationships among major variables; (2) the significance of these 
issues and variables for child care policies and programs; (3) how 
current knowledge would be brought to bear on the proposed research; 
and (4) how the research would benefit various audiences.
    (d) The importance of research priorities identified for the first 
budget period, the degree to which early findings would be useful for 
policy and practice, and the significance of these data for the ongoing 
research goals if the project is continued beyond the first 12-month 
period.
(2) Research Design and Methodology (maximum of 40 points)
    The extent to which the applicant's proposed Research Design:
    (a) Appropriately links critical research issues, questions, 
variables, data sources, samples, and analyses;
    (b) Employs technically sound and appropriate approaches, design 
elements and procedures;
    (c) Reflects sensitivity to technical, logistical, cultural and 
ethical issues that may arise;
    (d) Includes realistic strategies for the resolution of 
difficulties;
    (e) Adequately protects human subjects, confidentiality of data, 
and consent procedures, as appropriate;
    (f) Includes an effective plan for the dissemination and 
utilization of information by researchers, policy-makers, and 
practitioners in the field; and
    (g) Effectively utilizes collaborative strategies, as appropriate 
to the project goals and design.
(3) Management Plan (maximum of 10 points)
    The extent to which the Management Plan:
    (a) Presents a sound, workable and cohesive plan of action 
demonstrating how the work would be carried out on time, within budget 
and with a high degree of quality;
    (b) Includes a reasonable schedule of target dates and 
accomplishments;
    (c) Presents a sound administrative framework for maintaining 
quality control over the implementation and ongoing operations of the 
study;
    (d) Presents a sound plan for coordination of activities carried 
out by partners and demonstrates an effective approach to team-building 
among project staff, consultants and advisors, and partnering 
organizations; and
    (e) Demonstrates the ability to gain access to necessary 
organizations, subjects, and data.
(4) Staff Qualifications and Commitment (maximum of 20 points)
    (a) The extent to which key staff, consultants, data collectors and 
other necessary personnel demonstrate competence in areas addressed by 
the proposed research, including relevant background, experience, 
training and work on related research or similar projects.
    (b) The extent to which staffing is adequate for research design, 
sampling, field work, data processing, statistical analysis, reporting, 
collaboration with other researchers, and information dissemination.
(5) Organizational Capacity (maximum of 10 points)
    (a) The extent to which (1) the applicant's facilities and 
organizational experience are adequate to carry out the tasks of the 
proposed project; (2) the applicant can effectively and efficiently 
administer a project of the proposed size, complexity and scope; (3) 
the applicant has the capacity to coordinate activities with other 
organizations for the successful accomplishment of project objectives; 
and (4) the applicant has the capacity to carry out all proposed 
functions and roles.
    (b) If the project is a partnership, the extent to which; (1) the 
partnership is well structured, with important and relevant roles for 
participating organizations; (2) partners are appropriate and 
significantly committed to research goals; (3) partners have the 
ability to carry out collaborative research, both within the proposed 
Partnership and as a member of the larger Consortium; (4) the partners 
will contribute adequate organizational resources; and (5) the 
partnership has significant fiscal commitment and support.

[[Page 4511]]

(6) Fiscal Resources and Project Budget (maximum of 10 points)
    (a) The extent to which proposed project costs are reasonable, the 
funds are appropriately allocated across component areas, and the 
budget is sufficient to accomplish the objectives.
    (b) The extent to which the applicant has sufficient fiscal 
capacity within the organization to ensure that unanticipated problems 
can be resolved and that the project will be completed on time and with 
a high degree of quality.
    (c) The extent to which the applicant will contribute to the 
project cost and to which the project can be sustained in the event 
that future funding is not available through ACF.

C. The Selection Process

    The Associate Commissioner, Child Care Bureau, Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families, will make the final selection of the 
applicants to be funded. Applications may be funded in whole or in part 
depending on: (1) the rank order of applicants resulting from the 
competitive review; (2) staff review and consultations; (3) the 
combination of projects which best meets the Bureau's research 
objectives; (4) the funds available; and (5) other relevant 
considerations.
    Selected applicants will be notified through the issuance of a 
Financial Assistance Award which sets forth the amount of funds 
granted, the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement, the 
effective date of the award, the budget period for which support is 
given, and the total project period for which support is provided.

D. Funding Date

    It is anticipated that successful applications for Field Initiated 
Child Care Research Projects and Child Care Policy Research 
Partnerships will be awarded by June 1, 2000.

Part IV. Priority Area 3: Child Care Research Scholars

A. Purpose

    This priority is intended to strengthen the child care research 
infrastructure by supporting the development of researchers with a 
grasp of child care research and its implications to policies and 
programs. Under this priority area, support will be provided to 
doctoral candidates in conducting dissertation research on child care 
issues under the auspices of the Child Care Bureau and the educational 
institution in which the student is enrolled. Dissertation research 
under this priority must support the Bureau's research agenda including 
addressing important questions about child care that have implications 
to families and children. The student is expected to gain experience 
and expertise in theories and methods related to child care, child 
development, early childhood education, child care program 
administration, or child care policy.

B. Number of Awards

    Up to six scholarships will be awarded. No individual educational 
institution will be funded for more than one candidate unless six 
applications from different universities or colleges do not qualify for 
support.

C. Project Period

    Competitive awards will be for a 12-month budget period although 
project periods may be for up to 24 months. Subsequent year awards (12 
months) will be considered on a non-competitive basis subject to the 
availability of funds from future appropriations, satisfactory progress 
of the grantee, and a determination that continued funding is in the 
best interest of the government. Significant findings by the end of the 
first budget period will be necessary to demonstrate satisfactory 
progress on the part of the grantee. A subsequent year award will not 
be approved if the student has graduated by the end of the first year.

D. Funding Levels

    Up to $40,000 will be awarded to each successful applicant for a 
12-month budget period. If the applicant expects to receive a doctorate 
by the end of the first one-year budget period, the application should 
request funding for a single grant period.

E. Matching Requirements and Non-Federal Share

    There are no matching requirements.

F. Maximum Federal Share

    (1) The maximum federal share is $40,000 for the first 12-month 
budget period and $30,000 for one subsequent 12-month period, subject 
to the availability of funds from future appropriations.
    (2) All monies must be used for the dissertation research including 
required personnel costs, travel, and other expenses directly related 
to the research.

G. Eligible Applicants

    (1) Eligible applicants include universities or colleges on behalf 
of doctoral candidates who have a dissertation proposal approved by 
their doctoral committee and who anticipate completing a child care-
related dissertation within the two-year scholarship period.
    (2) To be eligible to administer the grant on behalf of the 
student, the institution must be fully accredited by one of the 
regional accrediting commissions recognized by the Department of 
Education. Although the faculty advisor will be listed as the Principal 
Investigator, this grant is intended for dissertation work being 
conducted by a doctoral candidate. Information about both the graduate 
student and the student's faculty advisor is required as part of this 
application. Any resultant grant award is not transferable to another 
student.

H. Additional Requirements

    (1) Research projects may include independent studies conducted by 
the doctoral candidate or well-defined portions of a larger study being 
conducted by a principal investigator holding a faculty position or 
senior research position and for which the graduate student will have 
primary responsibility.
    (2) The student must be the author of the proposal.
    (3) Research projects must use sound quantitative or qualitative 
research methodologies or some combination of the two.
    (4) Given the size of these grants, sponsoring universities and 
colleges are encouraged to waive their customary indirect charges.

I. Project Description and Application Requirements

    Applicants are cautioned to include all required forms and 
materials, organized according to the required format. The application 
packet must include the following items in order:
    (1) A cover letter that includes the Announcement number, priority 
area, and contact information.
    (2) Standard Federal Forms.
    (a) Standard Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 face sheet 
and SF 424A) must be included with the application.
    (b) Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances: Non-Construction Programs.'' 
Applicants must sign and return the Standard Form 424B with their 
applications.
    (c) Certification Regarding Lobbying. Applicants must provide a 
certification regarding lobbying when applying for an award in excess 
of $100,000. Applicants must sign and return the certification with 
their applications.
    (d) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Applicants must disclose 
lobbying

[[Page 4512]]

activities on the Standard Form LLL when applying for an award in 
excess of $100,000. Applicants who have used non-Federal funds for 
lobbying activities in connection with receiving assistance under this 
announcement shall complete a disclosure form to report lobbying. 
Applicants must sign and return the disclosure form, if applicable, 
with their applications.
    (e) Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. 
Applicants must make the appropriate certification of their compliance 
with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. By signing and submitting the 
application, the applicant is providing the certification and need not 
mail back the certification with the application.
    (f) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other 
Responsibility Matters. Applicants must make the appropriate 
certification that they are not presently debarred, suspended, or 
otherwise ineligible for an award. By signing and submitting the 
application, the applicant is providing the certification and need not 
mail back the certification with the application.
    (g) Protection of Human Subjects: Assurance, Identification, 
Certification, and Declaration.
    (h) Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Applicants 
must make the appropriate certification of their compliance. By signing 
and submitting the application, the applicant is providing the 
certification and need not mail back the certification with the 
application.
    (3) Table of Contents.
    (4) Project abstract (not to exceed one page) for use in official 
briefings, decision packages, and public announcement of awards.
    (5) The student's approved dissertation proposal, demonstrating an 
understanding of current child care issues, presenting a conceptual 
framework for the proposed research, and detailing the research design 
and implementation plan, will serve as the basic project description 
for purposes of the application.
    (6) A project summary that includes an overview of the proposed 
research and a management plan detailing how the work will be 
accomplished. The management plan will include quantitative monthly or 
quarterly projections of the accomplishments to be achieved for each 
function or activity. The project summary should include a statement of 
how the proposed research will relate to the research agenda, goals, 
and priorities of the Child Care Bureau, the significant results to be 
achieved within the first budget period, and how research findings will 
be disseminated to colleagues and the public. This section should be no 
more than twenty double-spaced pages with one-inch margins and 12-point 
font.
    (7) Staff and Position Data. A curriculum vitae should be provided 
for both the student and faculty advisor. An official transcript should 
be included for the student that reflects courses completed at the 
Masters and Ph.D levels.
    (8) Faculty advisor letter. The application must include a letter 
from the faculty advisor stating that he or she has reviewed and 
approved the proposal, certifying the status of the student as a 
doctoral candidate with an approved dissertation proposal, the project 
as dissertation research, and describing how the advisor will monitor 
the student's work.
    An original and two copies of the full application packet must be 
submitted. All supporting materials and documents should be organized 
into appropriate appendices and securely bound in the application 
package. Each copy of the application should be securely stapled in the 
upper left-hand corner, clipped, or enclosed in a quick-release binder. 
Because each application will be duplicated for the review panel, do 
not use non-removable binders. Do not include tabs, plastic inserts, 
brochures, videos, or any other items that cannot be photocopied.

J. Evaluation and Selection

    (1) Each application will be screened to determine whether the 
applicant organization is eligible as specified in Part IV, Section G, 
above. Applications from ineligible organizations will be excluded from 
the review.
    (2) Panel Review.
    (a) The review will be conducted in Washington, D.C. Expert 
reviewers will include researchers, Federal or State staff, child care 
administrators and/or other individuals experienced in the study of 
child care demand and supply, child care delivery systems, welfare and 
supportive services, early child development and education, parental 
choice and involvement, and other relevant areas.
    (b) A panel of at least three reviewers will evaluate each 
application to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal 
in terms of the Bureau's research agenda, application requirements, and 
evaluation criteria listed in this section.
    (c) Panelists will provide written comments and assign numerical 
scores for each application. The indicated point value for each 
criterion is the maximum numerical score for that criterion. The 
assigned scores for each criterion will be summed to yield a total 
evaluation score for the proposal.
    (3) In addition to the panel review, the Bureau may solicit 
comments from other Federal offices and agencies, from the States, from 
relevant non-governmental organizations, and from individuals whose 
particular expertise is identified as necessary for the consideration 
of technical issues arising during the review. Their comments, along 
with those of the panelists, will be considered by the Bureau in making 
funding decisions. The Bureau will also take into account the best 
combination of proposed projects to meet overall research goals.

K. Evaluation Criteria

    Eligible applications will be scored competitively against the 
published evaluation criteria described below. These criteria will be 
used in conjunction with the other expectations, priorities and 
requirements set forth in this Announcement to evaluate how well each 
proposal addresses the Bureau's research agenda and the goals.
(1) Significance, Issues and Objectives (maximum of 20 points)
    (a) The extent to which the application reflects a solid 
understanding of critical issues, information needs, and research 
goals.
    (b) The extent to which the conceptual model, research issues, 
objectives and hypotheses are significant, well formulated and 
appropriately linked, reflect the Child Care Bureau's research agenda, 
and will contribute new knowledge and understanding.
    (c) The extent to which the proposed project framework is 
appropriate, feasible, and would significantly contribute to the 
importance, comprehensiveness, and quality of the proposed research.
    (d) The effectiveness with which the proposal articulates the 
current state of knowledge relative to issues being addressed, 
including: critical child care issues and the complex 
interrelationships among major variables; the significance of these 
issues and variables for child care policies and programs; how current 
knowledge would be brought to bear on the proposed research; and how 
the research would benefit various audiences.
    (e) The importance of research priorities identified for the first 
budget period, the degree to which early findings would be useful for 
policy and practice, and the significance of these data for the ongoing 
research goals if the

[[Page 4513]]

project is continued beyond the first 12-month period.
(2) Technical Approach (maximum of 40 points)
    The extent to which the applicant's proposed Research Design:
    (a) Appropriately links critical research issues, questions, 
variables, data sources, samples, and analyses;
    (b) Employs technically sound and appropriate approaches, design 
elements and procedures;
    (c) Reflects sensitivity to technical, logistical, cultural and 
ethical issues that may arise;
    (d) Includes realistic strategies for the resolution of 
difficulties;
    (e) Adequately protects human subjects, confidentiality of data, 
and consent procedures, as appropriate;
    (f) Includes an effective plan for the dissemination and 
utilization of information by researchers, policy-makers, and 
practitioners in the field; and,
    (g) Effectively utilizes collaborative strategies, as appropriate 
to the project goals and design.
(3) Management Plan (maximum of 20 points)
    The extent to which the project summary provides a management plan 
that:
    (a) Presents a sound, workable and cohesive plan of action 
demonstrating how the work would be carried out on time, within budget 
and with a high degree of quality;
    (b) Includes a reasonable schedule of target dates and 
accomplishments;
    (c) Presents a sound administrative framework for maintaining 
quality control over the implementation and ongoing operations of the 
study; and,
    (d) Demonstrates the ability to gain access to necessary 
organizations, subjects, and data.
(4) Applicant Qualifications and Commitment (maximum of 10 points)
    The extent to which the applicant:
    (1) Demonstrates competence in areas addressed by the proposed 
research, including relevant background, experience, training and work 
on related research or similar projects; and
    (2) Demonstrates necessary expertise in research design, sampling, 
field work, data processing, statistical analysis, reporting and 
information dissemination.
(5) Budget (maximum of 10 points)
    The extent to which proposed project costs are reasonable, the 
funds are appropriately allocated across component areas, and the 
budget is sufficient to accomplish the objectives.

L. The Selection Process

    The Associate Commissioner, Child Care Bureau, Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families, will make the final selection of the 
applicants to be funded. Applications may be funded in whole or in part 
depending on: (1) the rank order of applicants resulting from the 
competitive review; (2) staff review and consultations; (3) the 
combination of projects which best meets the Bureau's research 
objectives; (4) the funds available; and (5) other relevant 
considerations.
    Selected applicants will be notified through the issuance of a 
Financial Assistance Award which sets forth the amount of funds 
granted, the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement, the 
effective date of the award, the budget period for which support is 
given, and the total project period for which support is provided.

M. Funding Date

    Anticipated date of funding is prior to June 1, 2000.

Part V. Priority Area 4: Child Care Research Fellowship Program

A. Purpose

    The purpose of this priority area is to provide funding, through a 
cooperative agreement, to a partner organization that will work 
cooperatively with the Child Care Bureau to design and implement the 
Child Care Research Fellowship Program. We are seeking applications 
from organizations with experience in child care and research issues.
    The primary purpose of the Fellowship Program is to strengthen the 
child care research infrastructure by supporting the development of 
researchers toward a thorough understanding of child care research and 
its implications to policies and programs including the Child Care and 
Development Fund. Individuals chosen to serve as Fellows will work with 
Child Care Bureau and Senior ACF officials, State-level policy-makers, 
members of federally-funded research projects, and others involved in 
child care research. In addition to a significant policy-related 
research assignment within the Child Care Bureau, Fellows will take 
part in educational and leadership development programs.

B. Priorities

    The project under this priority area will be funded as a 
cooperative agreement in which substantial Federal participation is 
anticipated. The partner organization will work closely with Federal 
staff. The specific responsibilities of the Federal staff and the 
awardee will be negotiated prior to award of the cooperative agreement.
    The development of the Fellowship Program will require an initial 
planning period in order to create an effective program that meets the 
goals of the Child Care Bureau. We anticipate that approximately three 
to five Fellows will be involved in the program each year (subject to 
the availability of funds from future appropriations), with each 
Fellowship lasting up to two years. Fellows should possess paid 
experience in some aspect of the child care or early childhood field, 
an interest and aptitude in research and research methods, and the 
desire to develop their knowledge and skills in the area of child care 
research and policy. Desirable qualifications include a degree with 
relevance to child care and early childhood services and five years of 
progressively responsible work experience related to child care or 
early childhood programs.
    The partner organization will work collaboratively with the Child 
Care Bureau on, among other things:
    (1) Conceptualization of the Fellowship Program and development of 
the overall project plan for implementation;
    (2) Development of policies and procedures to govern the Fellowship 
Program;
    (3) Establishment of recruitment strategies, screening, selection, 
and compensation/logistical support criteria;
    (4) Management of the application and rating processes and 
recommendations for selection of individual Fellows; and
    (5) Design and implementation of an orientation program and other 
group learning and developmental activities for the Fellows. These 
activities will include support to Fellows in determining a policy-
related research project and in designing and carrying-out this 
project.

C. Number of Awards

    The Bureau anticipates selecting one organization.

D. Project Period

    The project period will be up to three years. The Child Care Bureau 
expects to invest up to $500,000 for an initial 12-month funding 
period. A non-competitive application for continuation will be 
considered in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 with up to $375,000 being 
available for a 12-month period. Applications for continuation grants 
funded beyond the 12-month budget period, but within the 36-month 
project period, will be entertained in the

[[Page 4514]]

subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, subject to the availability 
of funds from future appropriations, satisfactory progress of the 
grantee, and a determination that continued funding is in the best 
interest of the government.

E. Funding Levels

    The expected funding level is $500,000 for the first 12-month 
funding period and $375,000 for subsequent 12-month periods (subject to 
the availability of funds from future appropriations).

F. Matching Requirements and Non-Federal Share

    There is no matching requirement.

G. Maximum Federal Share

    The maximum Federal share is not to exceed $500,000 for the first 
12-month budget period.

H. Eligible Applicants

    Universities and colleges, public agencies, non-profit 
organizations, and for-profit organizations agreeing to waive their 
fees.

I. Project Description and Application Requirements

    In order to successfully compete under this priority area, 
applicants are cautioned to include all required materials, organized 
according to the required format. The application must include the 
following items in order:
    (1) A cover letter that includes the Announcement number, priority 
area, and contact information.
    (2) Standard Federal Forms.
    (a) Standard Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 face sheet 
and 424A); must be included with the application.
    (b) Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances: Non-Construction Programs.'' 
Applicants must sign and return the Standard Form 424B with their 
applications.
    (c) Certification Regarding Lobbying. Applicants must provide a 
certification regarding lobbying when applying for an award in excess 
of $100,000. Applicants must sign and return the certification with 
their applications.
    (d) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. Applicants must disclose 
lobbying activities on the Standard Form LLL when applying for an award 
in excess of $100,000. Applicants who have used non-Federal funds for 
lobbying activities in connection with receiving assistance under this 
announcement shall complete a disclosure form to report lobbying. 
Applicants must sign and return the disclosure form, if applicable, 
with their applications.
    (e) Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other 
Responsibility Matters. Applicants must make the appropriate 
certification that they are not presently debarred, suspended, or 
otherwise ineligible for an award. By signing and submitting the 
application, the applicant is providing the certification and need not 
mail back the certification with the application.
    (f) Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke. Applicants 
must make the appropriate certification of their compliance. By signing 
and submitting the application, the applicant is providing the 
certification and need not mail back the certification with the 
application.
    (3) For-profit entities wishing to receive a grant directly must 
provide a letter indicating their willingness to waive their fees. Non-
profit organizations must submit proof of non-profit status in the 
application at the time of submission. The applicant can demonstrate 
proof of non-profit status in any one of three ways: by providing a 
copy of the organization's listing in the Internal Revenue Service's 
(IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt organizations described in Section 
501(c3) of the IRS code; by providing a copy of the currently valid IRS 
tax exemption certificate; or by providing a copy of the articles of 
incorporation bearing the seal of the State in which the corporation or 
association is domiciled.
    (4) Executive Order 12372--Single Point of Contact. Where 
appropriate, a competed SPOC certification should be completed with the 
date of SPOC contact entered on page 1, line 16 of the SF424 face 
sheet.
    (5) Table of Contents.
    (6) Project abstract (not to exceed one page) for use in official 
briefings, decision packages, and public announcement of awards.
    (7) Project Narrative Statement. The Project Narrative Statement 
contains most of the information on which Applications will be 
competitively reviewed. The Project Narrative should be carefully 
developed in accordance with the research goals and expectations, the 
requirements described in this section, and the evaluation criteria and 
selection factors described below. The Project Narrative should be 
organized as follows:
    (a) Issues, Objectives and Significance. In this section, 
applicants demonstrate their understanding of current child care and 
child care research issues, describe their objectives, and demonstrate 
the significance of their proposal. Include a description of the 
applicant's understanding of the goals and purposes for the Fellowship 
Program.
    (b) Approach. This section should include a sound and workable plan 
of action for how the proposed project will be carried out. Include a 
description of the approach and strategies that would be taken to 
design the program, to recruit potential participants, to support the 
implementation and maintenance of the Fellowship Program, and to 
evaluate the program's effectiveness.
    (c) Management Plan. This section should detail how the project 
will be structured and managed, how the timeliness of activities will 
be ensured, how quality control will be maintained, and how costs will 
be controlled. Applicants should discuss their management of the 
project as a whole, and the management and coordinating roles of any 
partners.
    (d) Staff Qualifications and Commitment. In this section, 
applicants must provide evidence that project staff have the 
experience, expertise and commitment of sufficient time to carry out 
the proposed project on time, within budget, and with a high degree of 
quality. Identify all key staff positions for this project, the 
professional requirements for each, the proportion of time staff 
holding these positions will be committed to the project, the period of 
time they will be employed, and whether their continued employment will 
be dependent solely on the funds to be awarded under this announcement. 
Provide evidence that individuals proposed for key positions have the 
necessary technical skill and experience to successfully carry out 
their assigned roles. Where key positions are currently vacant, include 
a position description outlining the qualifications necessary to carry 
out the duties and responsibilities of each. Identify the authors of 
the proposal and describe their continuing role in the project if 
funded. Include a staffing plan and assurances that the Project 
Director or another appropriate staff member will attend four meetings 
annually in Washington, DC to meet with Federal staff to discuss issues 
related to Fellowship Program implementation.
    (e) Organizational Capability. In this section, the applicant must 
demonstrate that the official grantee has the organizational capacity 
and fiscal resources to successfully carry out the project on time and 
to a high standard of quality, including the capacity to resolve a wide 
variety of technical and management problems that may occur. Include a 
description of the applicant's experience that relates to programs of 
the kind envisioned in this announcement. Also describe the

[[Page 4515]]

mission of the applicant's organization as it relates to the fields of 
child care and research, and how the Fellowship Program fits within 
that mission. Provide evidence of sufficient organizational resources 
to ensure successful project management, compliance with terms and 
conditions of the grant, and oversight of the proper use of Federal 
funds. Describe the relationship between this project and other 
relevant work planned, anticipated or underway by the applicant. 
Include funding sources for work in progress.
    (f) Fiscal Resources and Project Budget. Present a detailed budget 
to demonstrate that the project will have adequate resources to carry 
out the work on time and with a high degree of quality. Include a 
detailed budget narrative which describes and justifies line item 
expenses within the budget categories listed on the Standard Form 424. 
(Line item allocations and justification are required for both Federal 
and non-Federal funds.) If project funds will be subcontracted, a 
detailed budget for the use of those funds must be also included. The 
budget should delineate between project administration costs as opposed 
to direct support to the Fellows individually and as a group. The 
budget should include stipends to Fellows. The stipend should be tiered 
to accommodate a range of education and experience and would parallel 
the Federal GS 12-14 range. Stipends should include funds to support 
fringe benefits. The average stipend and total amount of the budget 
which will be used for stipends for the Fellows should be delineated. 
It is anticipated that the major portion of the budget would be used 
for stipends and direct costs of the Fellows. The other expenses to 
support participation of the Fellows should also be described and 
budgeted within the budget.
    (8) Appendices: All supporting materials and documents should be 
organized into appropriate appendices and securely bound in to the 
application package. Included should be contact information for all key 
staff, resumes', and letters of support.
    (9) Other: An original and two copies of the complete application 
packet must be submitted. Each copy of the application should be 
securely stapled in the upper left-hand corner, clipped, or enclosed in 
a quick-release binder. Because each application will be duplicated for 
the review panel, do not use non-removable binders. Do not include 
tabs, plastic inserts, brochures, videos, or any other items that 
cannot be photocopied.

J. Evaluation and Selection

    (1) Screening. Applications will be screened to ensure that 
applicants meet eligibility requirements and that application packets 
are complete. Incomplete application packets and applications from 
ineligible applicants will be eliminated from further consideration.
    (2) Panel Review. The review will be conducted in Washington, D.C. 
Expert reviewers will include researchers, federal or state staff, 
child care administrators and/or other individuals with expertise in 
child care and early childhood services. A panel of at least three 
reviewers will evaluate each application to determine the strengths and 
weaknesses of the proposal based on the Bureau's research agenda and 
goals as well as the application requirements and the evaluation 
criteria listed herein. Panelists will provide written comments and 
assign numerical scores for each application. The indicated point value 
for each criterion is the maximum numerical score for that criterion. 
The assigned scores for each criterion will be summed to yield a total 
evaluation score for the proposal.
    (3) In addition to the panel review, the Bureau may solicit 
comments from other federal offices and agencies, from the States, from 
relevant non-governmental organizations, and from individuals whose 
particular expertise is identified as necessary for the consideration 
of technical issues arising during the review. Their comments, along 
with those of the panelists, will be considered by the Bureau in making 
funding decisions. The Bureau will also take into account the best 
combination of proposed projects to meet overall research goals.

K. Evaluation Criteria

    Eligible applications will be scored competitively against the 
published evaluation criteria described below.
(1) Objectives and Understanding (maximum of 20 points)
    (a) The extent to which the application clearly states the 
principal and subordinate objectives for the project.
    (b) The extent to which the application reflects a solid 
understanding of critical child care and early childhood education 
issues and information needs, as well as the goals and purposes of the 
Fellowship Program.
(2) Approach (maximum of 40 points)
    The extent to which the applicant outlines an appropriate, feasible 
plan of action pertaining to the scope of the project and details how 
the proposed work will be accomplished and lists each organization, 
consultant, and other key individuals who will work on the project. The 
approach should plan for resolution of logistical issues and other 
challenges that may arise.
(3) Staff Background and Organization's Experience (maximum of 20 
points)
    The extent to which the qualifications of the organization and 
staff are sufficient to administer the project. The application must 
identify the background of the project director and key project staff 
(including name, address, training, most relevant educational 
background and other qualifying experiences along with resumes and a 
short description of their responsibilities or contribution to the 
applicant's work plan), the experience of the applicant in 
administering a project like the one proposed, the applicant's 
knowledge of child care issues, and the applicant's ability to 
effectively and efficiently administer the project.
(4) Budget Appropriateness and Reasonableness (maximum of 20 points)
    The extent to which the project's costs are reasonable in view of 
the activities to be carried out, and the budget is sufficient to 
accomplish the objectives. The extent to which the applicant has 
sufficient fiscal capacity within the organization to ensure that 
unanticipated problems can be resolved and that the project will be 
completed on time and with a high degree of quality.

L. The Selection Process

    The Associate Commissioner, Child Care Bureau, Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families, will make the final selection of the 
applicant to be funded. Applications will be funded depending on: (1) 
the rank order of applicants resulting from the competitive review; (2) 
staff review and consultations; (3) the combination of projects which 
best meets the Bureau's research objectives; (4) the funds available; 
and (5) other relevant considerations.
    Selected applicants will be notified through the issuance of a 
Financial Assistance Award which sets forth the amount of funds 
granted, the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement, the 
effective date of the award, the budget period for which support is 
given, and the total project period for which support is provided.

[[Page 4516]]

M. Funding Date

    It is anticipated that the successful applications will be funded 
by June 1, 2000.

    Dated: January 19, 2000.
Patricia Montoya,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 00-1883 Filed 1-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P