[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15696-15700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7112]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview 
Information; Migrant Education Even Start Family Literacy Program; 
Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 84.214A.
    Dates:
    Applications Available: March 30, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 14, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 13, 2010.

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Purpose of Program: The Migrant Education Even Start (MEES) Family 
Literacy program is intended to help break the cycle of poverty and 
illiteracy of migratory agricultural or fishing families by improving 
the educational opportunities of these families through the integration 
of early childhood education, adult literacy or adult basic education, 
and parenting education into a unified family literacy program. This 
program is implemented through cooperative activities that build on 
high-quality existing community resources to create a new range of 
educational services for the most-in-need migratory agricultural or 
fishing families, promote the academic achievement of migratory 
children and adults, assist migratory children in meeting challenging 
State content standards and challenging State achievement standards, 
and use instructional programs based on scientifically based reading 
research on preventing and overcoming reading difficulties for children 
and adults. The application package contains a description of the 15 
program elements that MEES projects must implement, as required by 
Title I, Part B, section 1235 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA).
    Priority: This notice includes one competitive preference priority. 
This priority is from the Education Department General Administrative 
Regulations (EDGAR) that apply to this program (34 CFR 75.225).
    Competitive Preference Priority: For FY 2010 and any subsequent 
year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applicants from 
this competition, this priority is a competitive preference priority. 
Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we award an additional five points to an 
application that meets this priority.
    This priority is:

Novice Applicant

    The applicant must be a ``novice applicant.'' Under 34 CFR 75.225 a 
novice applicant is an applicant that has never received a grant or 
subgrant under the MEES program; has never been a participant in a 
group application, submitted in accordance with Sec. Sec.  75.127 
through 75.129 of EDGAR, that received a grant under the MEES program; 
and has not had an active discretionary grant from the Federal 
Government in the five years before the deadline date for applications 
under the MEES program.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6381a(a)(1)(A).

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    Applicable Regulations: EDGAR in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 80, 
81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.

    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 79 apply to all applicants 
except federally recognized Indian tribes.


    Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 86 apply to institutions of 
higher education only.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Discretionary grants.
    Estimated Available Funds: $1,196,500.
    Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of 
applications, we may make additional awards in FY 2011 from the list of 
unfunded applicants from this competition.
    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$400,000 per year.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $325,000 per year.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 3.

    Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this 
notice.

    Project Period: Up to 48 months.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: Any State or local government entity, 
institution of higher education or non-profit organization is eligible 
to apply for a grant under the MEES Program. For example, the following 
types of entities are eligible to apply: State educational agencies 
(SEAs) that administer migrant education programs; local educational 
agencies (LEAs) that have a high percentage of migratory students; 
nonprofit community-based organizations that work with migratory 
agricultural or fishing families; and faith-based organizations that 
work with migratory agricultural or fishing families.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching: See section 1234(b) of the ESEA. MEES 
grants are funded for 48 months. The matching requirement for a new 
MEES program begins at 10 percent of the total cost of the project in 
the project's first year and increases incrementally as the project 
continues to receive Federal support, through 40 percent in its fourth 
budget cycle. Previously funded MEES projects may apply for a second 
48-month cycle, where, in years 5 through 8, the project must provide a 
50 percent cost share of the total cost of the project. Further, a 
current or former MEES project may apply for a third project cycle that 
would fund their ninth year and beyond. Those projects, beginning in 
year 9, must maintain a 65 percent cost share of the total cost of the 
project. See ESEA section 1234(b).
    3. Other: Eligible MEES participants consist of migratory children 
and their parents who meet the definitions of a migratory child, a 
migratory agricultural worker, or a migratory fisher in 34 CFR 200.81, 
and who also meet the additional conditions specified in section 
1236(a) of the ESEA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: DonnaMarie Fekete, U.S. 
Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education, 400 Maryland 
Avenue, SW., room 3E313, Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone: (202) 
260-2815 or by e-mail: [email protected].
    The application package content also can be viewed electronically 
at the following address: http://www.ed.gov/programs/MEES/applicant.html.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the 
Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application 
package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, 
or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person listed 
in this section.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements 
concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you 
must submit, are in the application package for this competition.
    Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, 
address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your 
application. You must limit the application narrative to no more than 
30 pages, using the following standards:
     A ``page'' is 8.5'' x 11'', on one side only, with 1'' 
margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.
     Double space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) 
all text in the application narrative (Part 4), including titles, 
headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions. However, you 
may single space all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. 
Charts, tables, figures, and graphs presented in the application 
narrative count toward the page limit.
     Use a font that is either 12 point or larger or no smaller 
than 10 pitch (characters per inch) throughout the entire application 
package.
    Appendices must be limited to a total of 20 pages for all content 
and must include the following: Resumes, job descriptions of key 
personnel, and citations for the scientifically based reading research 
upon which your instructional programs are based. Job descriptions must 
include duties and minimum qualifications. Items in the appendices will 
only be used by the program office for the purpose of approving any 
future personnel changes.
    The 30-page limit for the project narrative does not apply to the 
cover sheet; the budget section, including the narrative budget 
justification; the assurances and certifications; or the one-page 
abstract. However, the page limit does apply to all of the application 
narrative section.
    Our reviewers will not read any pages of your application that 
exceed the page limit.
    (3) Additionally, please limit other application materials to the 
specific materials indicated in the application package and do not 
include any video or other non-print materials.
    3. Submission Dates and Times:
    Applications Available: March 30, 2010.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 14, 2010.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: July 13, 2010. Applications 
for grants under this competition must be submitted electronically 
using the Electronic Grant Application System (e-Application) 
accessible through the Department's e-Grants site. For information 
(including dates and times) about how to submit your application 
electronically, or in paper format by mail or hand delivery if you 
qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, 
please refer to section IV. 6.
    Other Submission Requirements of this notice.
    We do not consider an application that does not comply with the 
deadline requirements.
    Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact 
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII 
of this notice. If the Department provides an accommodation or 
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the 
application process, the individual's application remains subject to 
all other requirements and limitations in this notice.
    4. Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to Executive 
Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79. Information about 
Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs under Executive Order 
12372 is in the application package for this program.

[[Page 15698]]

    5. Funding Restrictions: Recipients of a MEES Family Literacy 
program grant may not use funds awarded under this competition for the 
indirect costs of a project or claim indirect costs as part of the 
local project share. ((section 1234(b)(3)) of the ESEA) We reference 
regulations outlining additional funding restrictions in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    6. Other Submission Requirements: Applications for grants under 
this competition must be submitted electronically unless you qualify 
for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the 
instructions in this section.
    a. Electronic Submission of Applications.
    Applications for grants under the MEES Family Literacy Program, 
CFDA number 84.214A, must be submitted electronically using e-
Application, accessible through the Department's e-Grants Web site at: 
http://e-grants.ed.gov.
    We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format 
unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of 
the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written 
statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these 
exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that 
is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in 
this section under Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement.
    While completing your electronic application, you will be entering 
data online that will be saved into a database. You may not e-mail an 
electronic copy of a grant application to us.
    Please note the following:
     You must complete the electronic submission of your grant 
application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. E-Application will not accept an application for this 
competition after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait 
until the application deadline date to begin the application process.
     The hours of operation of the e-Grants Web site are 6:00 
a.m. Monday until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday; and 6:00 a.m. Thursday until 
8:00 p.m. Sunday, Washington, DC time. Please note that, because of 
maintenance, the system is unavailable between 8:00 p.m. on Sundays and 
6:00 a.m. on Mondays, and between 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:00 a.m. 
on Thursdays, Washington, DC time. Any modifications to these hours are 
posted on the e-Grants Web site.
     You will not receive additional point value because you 
submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you 
if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your 
application in paper format.
     You must submit all documents electronically, including 
all information you typically provide on the following forms: the 
Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424), the Department of 
Education Supplemental Information for SF 424, Budget Information--Non-
Construction Programs (ED 524), and all necessary assurances and 
certifications. You must attach any narrative sections of your 
application as files in a .DOC (document), .RTF (rich text), or .PDF 
(Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the 
three file types specified in this paragraph or submit a password 
protected file, we will not review that material.
     Your electronic application must comply with any page 
limit requirements described in this notice.
     Prior to submitting your electronic application, you may 
wish to print a copy of it for your records.
     After you electronically submit your application, you will 
receive an automatic acknowledgment that will include a PR/Award number 
(an identifying number unique to your application).
     Within three working days after submitting your electronic 
application, fax a signed copy of the SF 424 to the Application Control 
Center after following these steps:
    (1) Print SF 424 from e-Application.
    (2) The applicant's Authorized Representative must sign this form.
    (3) Place the PR/Award number in the upper-right-hand corner of the 
hard-copy signature page of the SF 424.
    (4) Fax the signed SF 424 to the Application Control Center at 
(202) 245-6272.
     We may request that you provide us original signatures on 
other forms at a later date.
    Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of e-Application 
Unavailability: If you are prevented from electronically submitting 
your application on the application deadline date because e-Application 
is unavailable, we will grant you an extension of one business day to 
enable you to transmit your application electronically, by mail, or by 
hand delivery. We will grant this extension if--
    (1) You are a registered user of e-Application and you have 
initiated an electronic application for this competition; and
    (2) (a) E-Application is unavailable for 60 minutes or more between 
the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the 
application deadline date; or
    (b) E-Application is unavailable for any period of time between 
3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application 
deadline date.
    We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability 
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to 
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may 
contact either (1) the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT (see VII. Agency Contact) or (2) the e-
Grants help desk at 1-888-336-8930. If e-Application is unavailable due 
to technical problems with the system and, therefore, the application 
deadline is extended, an e-mail will be sent to all registered users 
who have initiated an e-Application. Extensions referred to in this 
section apply only to the unavailability of e-Application.
    Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement: You qualify for an 
exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your 
application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application 
through e-Application because--
     You do not have access to the Internet; or
     You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to 
e-Application; and
     No later than two weeks before the application deadline 
date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the 
application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business 
day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement 
to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception 
prevents you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you 
mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no 
later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax 
your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed 
statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date.
    Address and mail or fax your statement to: DonnaMarie Fekete, U.S. 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 3E313, Washington, 
DC 20202-6135. FAX: (202) 205-0089.
    Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the 
mail

[[Page 15699]]

or hand delivery instructions described in this notice.
    b. Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a 
commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail 
the original and two copies of your application, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.214A), LBJ Basement Level 1, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
    (1) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
    (2) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
carrier.
    (4) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the 
U.S. Department of Education.
    If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do 
not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
    (1) A private metered postmark.
    (2) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
    If your application is postmarked after the application deadline 
date, we will not consider your application.

    Note:  The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a 
dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with 
your local post office.

    c. Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.
    If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission 
requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper 
application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original 
and two copies of your application, by hand, on or before the 
application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: 
U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Attention: 
(CFDA Number 84.214A), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center 
Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260.
    The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily 
between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time, except 
Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays.

    Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications:  If you 
mail or hand deliver your application to the Department--
    (1) You must indicate on the envelope and--if not provided by 
the Department--in Item 11 of the SF 424 the CFDA number, including 
suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are 
submitting your application; and
    (2) The Application Control Center will mail to you a 
notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not 
receive this grant notification within 15 business days from the 
application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of 
Education Application Control Center at (202) 245-6288.

V. Application Review Information

    Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are 
from 34 CFR 75.210 of EDGAR and are listed in the application package.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: If your application is successful, we notify your 
U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and send you a Grant Award 
Notification (GAN). We may notify you informally, also.
    If your application is not evaluated or not selected for funding, 
we notify you.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: We identify 
administrative and national policy requirements in the application 
package and reference these and other requirements in the Applicable 
Regulations section of this notice.
    We reference the regulations outlining the terms and conditions of 
an award in the Applicable Regulations section of this notice and 
include these and other specific conditions in the GAN. The GAN also 
incorporates your approved application as part of your binding 
commitments under the grant.
    3. Reporting: At the end of your project period, you must submit a 
final performance report, including financial information, as directed 
by the Secretary. If you receive a multi-year award, you must submit an 
annual performance report that provides the most current performance 
and financial expenditure information as directed by the Secretary in 
34 CFR 75.118. The Secretary may also require more frequent performance 
reports under 34 CFR 75.720(c). For specific requirements on reporting, 
please go to http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/appforms/appforms.html.
    4. Performance Measures: The Government Performance and Results Act 
(GPRA) directs Federal departments and agencies to improve the 
effectiveness of their programs by engaging in strategic planning, 
setting outcome-related goals for programs, and measuring program 
results against those goals. Program officials must develop performance 
measures for all of their grant programs in order to assess their 
performance and effectiveness. The Department has established a set of 
measures to assess the effectiveness of the Even Start program. The 
MEES Family Literacy projects will report data on the following 
measures: (1) The percentage of adults showing significant learning 
gains on measures of reading; (2) the percentage of limited English 
proficient (LEP) adults showing significant learning gains on measures 
of English language acquisition; (3) the percentage of school-age 
adults who earn a high school diploma or GED; (4) the percentage of 
non-school-age adults who earn a high school diploma or GED; (5) the 
percentage of children entering kindergarten who are achieving 
significant learning gains on measures of language development; (6) the 
average number of letters preschool-age children can identify; (7) the 
percentage of school-age children who are reading on grade level; and 
(8) percentage of parents who show improvement on measures of parental 
support for children's learning in the home, school environment, and 
through interactive learning activities.

VII. Agency Contact

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DonnaMarie Fekete, U.S. Department of 
Education, Office of Migrant Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 
3E313, Washington, DC 20202-6135. Telephone Number: (202) 260-2815, or 
by e-mail: [email protected].
    If you use a TDD, call the FRS, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

VIII. Other Information

    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format 
(e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on 
request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT in section VII of this notice.
    Electronic Access to This Document: You can view this document, as 
well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal 
Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the 
Internet at the following site: http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister. To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
this site.

    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.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.



[[Page 15700]]


    Dated: March 25, 2010.
Thelma Mel[eacute]ndez de Santa Ana,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. 2010-7112 Filed 3-29-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P