[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1228-1234]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-495]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications 
(SGA) for the Purpose of Training Child Care Providers

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor.
    This notice contains all of the necessary information and forms 
needed to apply for grant funding.

SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, Employment and Training 
Administration, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, invites 
proposals for up to ten (10) awards. These awards will be for the 
implementation of the Quality Child Care Initiative. It will assist 
with the initiation of building a national system for the education and 
training of professional child care providers and expand the National 
Apprenticeship System by incorporating diversification of occupational 
entities through development of new and innovative strategies for 
increasing the participation among the child care industry.

DATES: Applications will be accepted commencing January 9, 2002. The 
closing date for receipt of applications is March 11, 2002, at 4 P.M., 
(Eastern Time ) at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Applications shall be mailed to the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Federal 
Assistance, Attention: Mamie D. Williams, Reference: SGA/DFA 02-103, 
200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room S-4203, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions should be faxed to Mamie D. 
Williams, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Federal Assistance, 
Fax (202) 693-2879. This is not a toll-free number. All inquiries 
should include the SGA number (SGA/DFA 02-103) and a contact name, fax 
and phone number. This solicitation will also be published on the 
Internet on the Employment and Training Administration's Homepage at 
http://www.doleta.gov. Award notifications will also be published on 
this Homepage.

Quality Child Care Initiative Solicitation

Part I. Purpose

    To invite proposals for providing a credentialed career path for 
development of professional child care provider through the utilization 
of the National Registered Apprenticeship System; which will reduce 
turnover, increase wages for providers, provide a more stable 
environment for children and lower the concern of parents.

Part II. Background

    The Child Care Industry is in trouble. A 1989 study by the national 
Center of Early Childhood Workforce found that the quality of services 
provided by most day care centers was rated as Abarely adequate,'' and 
a more recent four-State study by the University of Colorado at Denver 
found that only 14 percent of child care centers were rated as good 
quality. In addition, child care workers are faced with relatively low 
wages, inadequate benefit coverage, and high job turnover.
    On October 23, 1997, former President and Mrs. Clinton hosted the 
White House Conference on child care--to focus the Nation's attention 
on the importance of addressing the need for safe affordable, 
available, quality child care. Integral to providing the ``right'' care 
is the quality of the child care worker.
    Quality child care service goes hand in glove with having an 
adequate supply of competent, professional child care providers. This 
requires enhanced training opportunities and a redefinition of the 
basic concept of what constitutes a child care provider. A national 
focus on accreditation demands that practitioners have access to 
education and training that will promote professional development. As 
the field of early care and education becomes established as a 
profession, practitioners are required to master basic knowledge, 
skills and core competencies of early childhood development. As 
professionals, practitioners must develop practical knowledge that will 
enable them to apply new approaches and strategies for working 
effectively with young children.

Part III. Statement of Work

    As our society continues to evolve and demands are placed on 
parents to secure full time job/careers, the need for safe, affordable, 
available, quality child care has been brought to the forefront. 
Utilization of the National

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Apprenticeship System can provide needed training for early care and 
education practitioners. High quality training has the potential to 
change the culture of the child care industry from one dominated by low 
pay and high turnover to one of respected professional service. No 
longer would child care be equated to baby-sitting.
    The apprenticeship model validates the integral part that child 
care plays in the economy, as working families rely on dependable, 
accessible care for their children. As families move from welfare to 
work, additional sources of training child care providers are in 
demand.

    Note: All successful applicants are expected to provide 
information relative to the projected number of participants (i.e., 
employers, apprentices and the diverse make-up of the participants) 
in order to assist the grantor in determining the amount of awards 
to be given.

    The major tasks of this project will be, but not limited, to the 
following:
     System and capacity building by incorporating in a 
collaborative spirit organizations, agencies, employers, associations 
and higher education to develop a vision for implementation of an 
individual statewide sustainable infrastructure built upon successful 
registered apprenticeship and best practice models;
     From the above activity, establishment of an oversight 
body to provide direction and guidance to the vision, utilizing the 
services of an Apprenticeship and Training Representative;
     Utilization of an established curriculum or development of 
a curriculum based on developmentally appropriate inclusive practices 
for young children and an interactive adult education teaching approach 
that is effective for adult learners;
     Adoption of or establishment of a train-the-trainer system 
that will ensure the availability of knowledge, experienced, skilled 
instructors for the related instruction course work;
     Development of a process to promote career lattice for 
those graduates of the registered apprenticeship system (i.e., 
articulation into an Associates Degree or higher);
     Ensuring the inclusion of those with other nationally 
recognized credentials such as the Child Development Associate (CDA) 
through previous credit for documented prior experience;
     Demonstration of in-kind support from institutions 
involved in the process (i.e., time spent to facilitate and foster the 
process and/or free facilities to conduct related instruction);
     Development and implementation of a strategy or strategies 
to ensure inclusion of practitioners representing diversity of culture, 
ethnicity, gender and ability;
     Development of policies, procedures and formulas to ensure 
the consistency and integrity of system implementation and beyond. The 
system will be sustainable and ownership established, if the process is 
followed throughout the state;

Part IV. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible Applicants: Those eligible to apply are as follows: States 
that have a State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) , State Agencies 
designated by the Governor, Governor's Early Childhood Initiative, 
other State Agencies with responsibility for child care regulations or 
funding. Only one proposal will be accepted per State and for States 
without a SAA a letter from the Governor designating the agency must 
accompany the proposal. Those States who received Child Care Initiative 
awards in Round 1 (1999) and Round 2 (2000), are not eligible to 
compete for this procurement action.

    Note: Except as specifically provided, DOL/ETA acceptance of a 
proposal and an award of federal funds to sponsor any program(s) 
does not provide a waiver of any grant requirement and/or 
procedures. For example, the OMB circulars require that an entity's 
procurement prodedures must require thall all procurement 
transaction must be conducted, as practical, to provide open and 
free competition. If a proposal identifies a specific entity to 
provide the services, the DOL/ETA's award does not provide the 
justification or basis to sole-source the procurement, i.e., avoid 
competition.


    Note: Administrative Costs: Pursuant to 20 CFR 667.210(b), 
grantees are advised that there is a 10% limitation on 
administrative costs on funds administered under this grant. The 
Grant Officer may, however, approve additional administrative costs 
up to a maximum of 15% of the total award amount, if adequate 
justification is provided by the grantee at the time of the award. 
In no event, may administrative costs exceed 15% of the total award 
amount. The cost of administration shall include those disciplines 
enumerated in 20CFR 667.220(b) and (c).

Part V. Application Process

    Application Submittal. Applicants must submit one (1) copy of their 
proposal with an A. original signature and two (2) additional copies of 
their proposal. The applications shall be divided into two distinct 
parts: Part I--which contains the Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application 
for Federal Assistance,'' (Appendix A) and ``Budget Information 
Sheet,'' (Appendix B). All copies of the (SF) 424 MUST have original 
signatures of the legal entity applying for grant funding. Applicants 
shall indicate on the (SF) 424 the organization's IRS Status, if 
applicable. According to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, Section 
18, an organization described in Section 501(c) 4 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities shall not be 
eligible for the receipt of federal funds constituting an award, grant, 
or loan. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 17.262. 
In addition, the budget shall include--on a separate page(s)--a 
detailed cost break-out of each line item on the Budget Information 
Sheet. Part II shall contain the program narrative that demonstrates 
the applicant's plan and capabilities in accordance with the evaluation 
criteria contained in this section. Applicants must describe their plan 
in light of each of the Evaluation Criteria. Applicants MUST limit the 
program narrative section to no more than 30 double-spaced pages, on 
single-sided numbered pages with the exception of the Executive 
Summary. The Executive Summary must be limited to no more than two 
single-spaced, single-sided pages. Note: The Executive Summary is not 
included in the 30 page limitation. A font size of at least twelve (12) 
pitch is required throughout on 8.5  x  11 inch paper with 1-inch 
margins. This includes any attachments. Letters of general support or 
recommendation for a proposal should NOT be submitted and will count 
against the page limits. Applications that fail to meet the page 
limitation requirement will not be considered.

Part VI. Late Applications

    Any application received after the exact date and time specified 
for receipt at the office designed in this notice will not be 
considered, unless it is received before awards are made and it--(a) 
was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the fifth 
calendar day before the date specified for receipt of applications 
(e.g., an application submitted in response to a solicitation requiring 
receipt of applications by the 20th of the month must have been mailed/
post marked by the 15th of that month); or (b) was sent by the U.S. 
Postal Service Express Mail Next Day Service to addresses not later 
than 5:00 P.M. at the place of mailing two working days prior to the 
date specified for receipt of applications. The term ``working days'' 
excludes weekends and federal holidays. The term ``''post marked'' 
means a printed, stamped or otherwise placed impression (exclusive of a 
postage meter machine impression)

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that is readily identifiable, without further action, as having been 
supplied or affixed on the date of mailing by an employee of the U.S. 
Postal Service.

Part VII. Hand Delivered Proposals

    It is preferred that applications be mailed at least five days 
prior to the closing date. To be considered for funding, Hand-delivered 
applications must be received by 4:00 P.M., (Eastern Time), on the 
closing date at the specified address. TELEGRAPHED AND/FAXED 
APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE HONORED. Failure to adhere to the above 
instructions will be a basis for a determination of nonresponsiveness. 
Overnight express mail from carriers other than the U.S. Postal Service 
will be considered hand-delivered applications and MUST BE RECEIVED by 
the above specified date and time.

Part VIII. Funding Availability and Period of Performance

    The Department expects to makeup to 10 awards with a maximum total 
investment for these projects of $3.3 million. Grants will be awarded 
up to $325,000. The period of performance will be for 18 months from 
the date the grant is awarded.

Part IX. Review Process

    A careful evaluation of applications will be made by a technical 
review panel who will evaluate the applications against the criteria 
listed below. The panel results are advisory are advisory in nature and 
not binding on the Grant Officer. The Government may elect to award the 
grant with or without discussions with the offeror. In situations 
without discussions, an award will be based on the offeror's signature 
on the (SF) 424, which constitutes a binding offer. Awards will be 
those in the best interest of the Government.
Evaluation Criteria
    A. System and Capacity Building--The extent to which the offeror 
has delineated collaboration strategies to develop a vision and 
implementation plan for a statewide infrastructure utilizing the 
registered apprenticeship system of training and forecast of 
implementation. (25 points)
    B. Sustainability--Plan for long term viability of the system after 
this funding ends. (15 points)
    C. Curriculum--Delineation of utilization or development of 
curriculum based on developmentally appropriate inclusive practices for 
young children and an interactive adult educational component for 
effective adult learners and a forecast of implementation. (15 points)
    D. Career Lattice--Describe the process for inclusion of 
participants with documented prior experience linked with substantial 
increases in compensation and next steps for apprenticeship graduates 
in the process (awarding of college credit and articulation with higher 
education). (20 points)
    E. Diversity--Outline the strategy or strategies developed to 
ensure inclusion of participants representing diversity of culture, 
ethnicity, gender and ability (i.e., projected number of employers and 
apprentices) and a forecast of implementation. (15 points)
    F. Consistency and Integrity--Delineation of the policies, 
procedures, and formulas developed to ensure consistency and integrity 
of the statewide system. (10 points)
    The grants will be awarded based on applicant response to the above 
mentioned criteria and what is otherwise most advantageous to the 
Department.

Part X. Reporting Requirements

     Attendance to a post award orientation briefing, is 
tentatively scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia, where BAT will 
reiterate and delineate the overall desired outcomes of the project;
     Detailed work plan, budget, and schedule within 30 days of 
grant award;
     Quarterly Status Reports within 30 days of quarters' end;
     Monthly cost vouchers;
     Final report on completed tasks, and specific 
recommendations for future grants for Child Care Initiatives, no later 
than 45 days following the end of the grant.

    Signed in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of January, 2002.
James W. Stockton,
Grant Officer.

Appendix A: (SF) 424--Application Form

Appendix B: Budget Information Form

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[FR Doc. 02-495 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
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