SBE: Educational Surrogate Parent Training Program

The State of Illinois, through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), awarded a competitive sealed bid contract to Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center for the Educational Surrogate Parent Training Program. The contract, numbered 26-586SBE-CHFED-P-97725, was awarded on July 1, 2026, for an initial five-year term concluding on June 30, 2031, with a total contract value of $314,935.75. The prime contractor was selected as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder among five competing submissions, prevailing over four unsuccessful bidders including SAREM Consulting LLC, Tates Enterprise LLC, Young Scholars Learning Center LLC, and Dr. Ariel Sylvester, Ed.D. Early Education Consulting LLC.

Under this contract, Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center will provide statewide recruitment, training, and background check services for volunteer educational surrogate parents serving special education students ages 3-21 who are youth in care, unaccompanied homeless youth, or whose parents cannot be identified or located. The vendor shall conduct a minimum of six new training sessions annually (six-hour full-day virtual sessions) and three refresher training sessions annually (three-hour half-day sessions), develop marketing and training materials, collaborate with ISBE through bi-monthly meetings, and deliver quarterly and year-end performance and financial reports. The contract costs are structured across four expense categories: personnel ($299,833.80), supplies and materials ($12,039.45), travel ($1,812.50), and miscellaneous expenses ($1,250.00), with all services performed entirely virtually within the United States and funded through federal Special Education-Grants to States appropriations.