[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 88 (Monday, May 7, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23008-23009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-11438]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[CFDA No.: 84.310A]


Parental Assistance Program;Notice Inviting Applications for New 
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Parental Assistance Program, 
20 U.S.C. 5911, et seq., is to (1) increase parents' knowledge of and 
confidence in child-rearing activities, such as teaching and nurturing 
their young children; (2) strengthen partnerships between parents and 
professionals in meeting the educational needs of children aged birth 
through five years and the working relationship between home and 
school; and (3) enhance the developmental progress of the children 
assisted under the program.
    Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit organizations, and nonprofit 
organizations in consortia with local educational agencies (LEAs).
    From the available funds, awards will initially be made to 
successful applicants from States in which the current Parental 
Assistance Program grants are expiring. Thus, in this competition, a 
grant will first be awarded to a successful applicant from each of the 
following twelve jurisdictions: Alabama, Arkansas, Guam, Illinois, 
Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode 
Island, and South Carolina. The remaining funds will be used to award 
grants to successful applicants from any of the States, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas. As a result, all states 
will have at least one parental information and resource center; some 
States will have a second center funded.
    An LEA, by itself, is not eligible for an award. However, an LEA 
may be part of a consortium with a nonprofit organization that applies. 
In those instances, the award would be made to the nonprofit 
organization, which would serve as the fiscal agent.
    For purposes of this competition, nonprofit organizations do not 
include institutions of higher education, State educational agencies, 
LEAs, intermediate school districts, schools, government entities, or 
hospitals.
    Applications Available: May 7, 2001.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 21, 2001.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 7, 2001.
    Available Funds: $12,000,000. Of this amount, approximately $5.5 
million will be used to award a grant to successful applicants from 
each of the twelve jurisdictions specifically identified above. The 
remaining amount will be used to award grants to successful applicants 
from any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the outlying 
areas. The Department will fund no more than two parent centers in any 
jurisdiction.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000 to $700,000.

    Note: Due to anticipated variances in the scope of proposed 
activities and the number of program beneficiaries, the estimated 
range is very broad.

    Estimated Number of Awards: 25. Of this number, a grant will be 
awarded to a successful applicant from each of the twelve jurisdictions 
identified above. The remaining thirteen awards will be made to 
successful applicants from any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto 
Rico, or the outlying areas.

    Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of 
potential applicants. The Department of Education is not bound by 
any estimates in this notice.

    Project Period: Up to 12 months.
    Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General 
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 
82, and 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 80 (Uniform Administrative 
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and 
Local Governments) apply to an LEA that is part of a consortium 
receiving assistance.

    (1) Competitive Preference: The Secretary has published elsewhere 
in this issue of the Federal Register a notice of final priorities, 
which establishes a competitive preference of up to 10 additional 
points in this competition.
    Invitational Priority: Schools must provide a safe, disciplined 
environment conducive to learning. Projects funded under this program 
are in a unique position to incorporate in their services activities 
that assist parents, schools, and the community in implementing 
strategies to reduce youth violence. The Secretary invites applicants 
to include as part of their proposals activities to help parents 
recognize early warning signs that relate to violence and other 
troubling behaviors. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), an applicant 
that meets this invitational priority receives no competitive or 
absolute preference over applications that do not meet the priority.
    Description of Program: The Parental Assistance Program supports 
parental information and resource centers that are designed to meet the 
unique training, information, and support needs of parents of children 
from birth through five years of age and of parents of children 
enrolled in elementary and secondary schools, particularly parents who 
are economically or educationally disadvantaged. Funded centers must 
serve both urban and rural areas, and use at least half of their grant 
award to serve areas with high concentrations of low-income families. 
Activities of the center must focus on serving parents of low-income, 
minority, and limited-English proficient parents. Each center must use 
part of its funds to support Parents as Teachers Programs or Home 
Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters. (Descriptions of these 
programs are in the application package.)
    Applicants should be aware that the legislation at 20 U.S.C. 5912 
establishes specific requirements for the organizational structure, 
operation, and activities of the parent centers. To be eligible for 
funding, an applicant must meet these statutory requirements. (A copy 
of the program legislation is included in the application package.)

[[Page 23009]]

    In instances in which more than one parent center is funded in a 
jurisdiction, the centers should collaborate with each other as part of 
their networking responsibilities. (A list of current grantees is 
included in the application package.)
    Applicants should be aware that section 1118(g) of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving 
America's Schools Act of 1994, requires schools and districts receiving 
Title I funds to assist parents and parent organizations by informing 
them of the existence and purpose of the parent information and 
resource center in their State, providing them with a description of 
the services and programs provided by the center, advising parents on 
how to use the center, and helping them contact the center. 
Consequently, applicants should be prepared to address the demand for 
their services created by this requirement.
    Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use selection criteria and 
factors from 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications under this 
competition. The specific selection criteria and factors that will be 
used in evaluating applications are detailed in the application 
package.
    The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points. 
The total maximum score of an application is 110 points (100 points 
under the selection criteria and a maximum of 10 points under the 
competitive preference referenced elsewhere in this notice and 
published separately in this issue of the Federal Register.)
    The maximum points for each criterion are as follows:
    (1) Need for project--20 points.
    (2) Quality of the project design--22 points.
    (3) Quality of project services--20 points.
    (4) Quality of project personnel--9 points.
    (5) Adequacy of resources--7 points.
    (6) Quality of the project evaluation--22 points.
    Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to the 
requirements of Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. 
(Intergovernmental Review instructions are contained in the application 
package.)
    For Applications and Information Contact: Rachael Couch, (202) 401-
0039, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, FOB 6, 
Room 3E243, Mail Stop 6400, Washington, DC 20202. The e-mail address 
for Ms. Couch is: rachael [email protected].
    Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-
8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alterntive format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed above.
    Individuals with disabilities may also obtain a copy of the 
application package in an alternative format on request to the contact 
person listed. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an 
alternative format the standard forms included in the application 
package.
    Electronic Access To This Document: You may view this document, as 
well as other Department of Education documents published in the 
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on 
the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister
    To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available 
free at the preceding site. If you have questions about using PDF, call 
the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-
6498, or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html


    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 5911 et seq.

    Dated: May 1, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 01-11438 Filed 5-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U