OHS_DRAFT_TTA_SOW.pdf

Draft Dated 7/19/2019

REGIONAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK

SCOPE OF WORK

TASK 1– PROVIDE TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

Regional Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator will:

a. Support the Regional Office in developing short, intermediate, and long term professional development and training and technical assistance (TTA) planning that addresses Office of Head Start (OHS) priorities and initiatives.

b. Provide effective management and coordination of regional TTA services that ensures the provision of high quality, responsive and coordinated TTA services and contract deliverables, timely communication and resolution of quality concerns and issues.

c. Develop and implement quality assurance processes.

d. Implement and oversee a system of ongoing supervision and coaching for all TTA specialists that supports ongoing professional development and performance improvement.

e. Ensure the timely and accurate completion of OHS required reports including but not limited to the Annual Regional Professional Development (PD) plan, monthly and quarterly aggregated TTA plans, and grantee‐specific T/TA plans and activity reports.

f. Implement data analysis and reporting processes that inform and improve the quality, responsiveness, and effectiveness of training and technical assistance services.

g. Participate in national and regional work groups and meetings as directed by the Office of Head Start.

Regional Early Childhood Manager will:

a. Implement a comprehensive system of quality assurance for training and technical assistance to grantees and contract deliverables related to the work of Early Childhood (EC) Specialists.

b. Provide effective and timely ongoing supervision and coaching to EC specialists.

c. Develop and implement professional development planning for EC specialists to increase their expertise and capabilities in key performance areas including coaching, curriculum implementation and fidelity, teacher‐child interactions, child outcomes, assessment, and data aggregation and analysis.

d. Implement TTA data aggregation, analysis and reporting processes that inform and improve the quality, responsiveness and effectiveness of EC Specialist services and improves coordination of regional OHS T/TA activities with state, regional and national priorities and other early childhood T/TA systems, as directed by the region.

e. Participate in national and regional work groups and meetings, as directed by the Office of Head Start.

f. Provide direct TTA to grantees, as requested by the Regional Office.

g. Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

Grantee Specialist Manager (Optional by Region) will:

a. Implement a comprehensive system of quality assurance for training and technical assistance to grantees and contract deliverables related to the work of Grantee Specialists.

b. Provide effective and timely ongoing supervision and coaching to Grantee Specialists.

c. Develop and implement professional development planning for Grantee Specialists to increase their expertise and capability to deliver technical assistance that increases program capacity, supports grantees in developing strong management systems, and strengthens grantee corrective action efforts.

d. Communicate in a timely and effective manner with Regional Office staff to ensure coordinated support, messaging, and prioritization of technical assistance to grantees with monitoring findings, management systems concerns, under‐enrollment, and other risk factors identified by the Regional Office.

e. Implement TTA data aggregation, analysis and reporting processes that inform and improve the quality, responsiveness and effectiveness of Grantee Specialist training and technical assistance services and improves coordination of regional OHS TTA activities with state, regional, and national priorities.

f. Participate in national and regional briefings as well as other regional office meetings as requested by OHS.

g. Provide direct T/TA to grantees, as requested by the Regional Office.

h. Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

Grantee Specialists will:

a. Provide on‐site, group and virtual T/TA to grantees in the following areas:

1. Correction of areas of noncompliance and deficiencies identified through the federal monitoring process. This may require on‐site work for periods of time ranging from one day to several weeks.

2. Development and implementation of a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) that addresses root causes of the deficiencies for grantees with identified monitoring deficiencies.

3. Improvement of program management in areas of concerns identified through the Regional Office oversight processes.

b. Maintain regular and timely communication with the appropriate Regional Office staff on delivery of TTA, progress toward corrective actions or quality improvement, and concerns.

c. Coordinate TTA with Early Childhood, Health and System Specialists to ensure effective integration of management systems TTA that supports improvements to education, family services, and health services, as directed by the Regional Office.

d. Develop and provide effective presentations and training in areas related to grantee program management and fiscal operations.

e. Support emerging OHS priorities and initiatives.

Early Childhood Specialists will:

a. Provide TTA related to the selection and implementation of ongoing child assessment, curriculum, and teaching that is age, developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate as required by the Head Start Program Performance Standards, other regulations across the birth to five spectrum, and OHS directives.

b. Provide TTA to improve teacher/child interactions as described by the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) for center based preschool programs and other measures suitable for programs serving children from birth to three or children in home based and family child care settings.

c. Assist grantees to develop the procedures and skills to aggregate, analyze, and use data obtained through multiple sources.

d. Assist grantees to implement a research‐based coaching model.

e. Assist grantees to develop and implement family engagement practices that support family progress as described in the PFCE Framework, including coaching of family engagement staff.

f. Provide TTA related to the selection and implementation of a parenting curriculum.

g. Assist grantees to strengthen transition practices, including building relationships with local preschools and elementary schools.

h. Assist local grantees to improve their collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), state agencies, and other partners.

i. Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

Health Specialist will:

a. Serve as a liaison between the OHS, the National Center responsible for health and wellness, and other relevant agencies.

b. Provide subject matter expertise, strategies, and resources to Regional Office and T/TA staff on comprehensive health services, such as mental health and environmental health and safety, as well as strategies for engaging families around issues on health.

c. Serve as a member of a national peer group of Health Specialists from each of the twelve regions.

d. Develop and implement strategies for connecting with grantee health managers and/or coordinators in the Region.

e. Aggregate, analyze and disseminate regional and grantee health data to identify emerging trends impacting Head Start grantees.

f. Develop and provide presentations and training on topics related to early childhood health, mental health, safety, and other related topics.

g. Provide direct service to individual grantees, at the direction of the Regional Office.

h. Support emerging OHS initiatives and priorities.

TASK 2 – PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

The contractor shall provide program management support under this Contract. This includes project management, oversight, direction, administration, quality assurance, and leadership in the execution of this contract to satisfy the requirements identified in this Statement of Work.

Subtask 1 – Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Meetings

At the request of OHS, the contractor shall ensure that regional TTA staff, either separately or collectively, shall be required to participate in two National TTA Meetings per year in Washington D.C. and up to four Regional Office Meetings per year for all T/TA staff.

Subtask 2 – Using Data to Inform TTA

At the request of the Regional Office, the contractor shall complete an initial Needs Assessment in order to determine regional TTA priorities. The need for such an assessment will be determined at the project kick off meeting.

On an ongoing basis, the contractor shall use available data, such as Program Information Report (PIR), monitoring, other regional office data, and pre‐ and post‐event surveys to inform individual and group TTA.

Subtask 3 – Professional Development Plan

The contractor shall submit an annual professional development plan projecting TTA to be provided in the upcoming year, including TTA events for multiple grantees. The plan shall be developed in consultation with Regional Office staff, including the COR, and will be informed by available data, grantee input, and National Center resources. The plan shall be submitted to the OHS Central Office and will require approval from the responsible OHS Division Director.

In addition, the contractor shall submit Efficient Spending requests to the OHS Central Office for training events and/or conferences that require prior ACF approval per ACF/HHS guidance.

Subtask 4 – Monthly Travel Plans

Projected Monthly Travel Plan – The contractor shall submit a Projected Monthly Travel Plan (PMTP) for all long distance and local travel for approval a minimum of five business days prior to the upcoming month, or as negotiated and agreed upon between the contractor and COR. All travel and related costs such as lodging, car rental and per diem must be approved by the COR prior to the date of travel, or as negotiated between contractor and COR.

Final Monthly Travel Plan – The contractor shall submit a Final Monthly Travel Plan (FMTP) including reconciled actual travel expenses and percentage of time each specialist spent providing direct TTA services to grantees. The FMTP shall be due no later than the 20th calendar day of the month immediately following the month of travel, or as negotiated between contractor and COR.

Subtask 5 – Monthly Budget and Burn Rate Report

The contractor’s Regional TTA Coordinator shall be responsible for submitting a monthly Budget and Burn Rate Report to the COR and the OHS Central Office. The report shall include a comparison of budgeted costs versus actual costs, current burn rate and projected costs, and is due no later than the 30th calendar day of each month for the prior month. If the 30th calendar day falls on the weekend or a holiday, the report shall be due the first business day following the 30th calendar day of the month.

Subtask 6 – Quality Control Plan

The contractor shall provide a plan for providing ongoing supervision, observation, coaching and professional development in order to ensure TTA staff possesses the skills, knowledge and effectiveness to deliver training and technical assistance. The plan shall include a description of how the contractor plans to assess and evaluate TTA staff performance in meeting OHS National and Regional priorities, SOW tasks and contract deliverables.

The contractor shall describe internal policies that will enable timely and effective response to concerns about TTA staff resulting from either client or customer complaints or TTA staff performance evaluations/assessments.

The contractor shall describe a plan for implementing quality assurance systems to ensure the delivery of work products and contract deliverables that meet both Regional Office and grantee needs and that require minimal revision or corrections by the client. The plan shall describe the ongoing processes and strategies that will be used to assess the quality of training and technical assistance provided to grantees, as well as to ensure that client deliverables (i.e. monthly travel plans, invoices, TTA Activity Reports, and other technical assistance reports) are complete, accurate and require minimal corrections by the client. The contractor shall describe its plan and frequency for analyzing TTA data and trends, as well as the impact and outcomes of its TTA service provision for use in regional TTA planning, and develop recommendations based on their analysis.

The contractor shall describe how its proposed management systems and structure will enable it to have the capacity to effectively plan and execute the requirements of the statement of work, including systems to effectively: 1) aggregate and analyze data related to regional and grantee needs and the provision of TTA; 2) coordinate the development of comprehensive, data driven professional development plans for the provision of TTA at the regional, state and grantee level; and 3) manage and coordinate the provision of TTA that meets the identified needs of grantees and the Regional Office. The quality control plan shall also include a description of how the management system and structure will ensure TTA staff will integrate OHS National and Regional priorities and coordinate with National Centers, OHS, and other relevant entities in the TTA service delivery.

The Quality Control Plan shall be updated within 60 calendar days of contract award, and once a year thereafter, or as negotiated and agreed upon between the COR and contractor.

Subtask 7 – Participation in Quality Assurance Meetings

The contractor’s TTA Coordinator and Manager(s) shall participate in quality assurance meetings with the COR and Regional Program Manager (RPM) as negotiated between the contractor and COR. These meetings will include discussions of topics such as workloads, TTA events, quality of TTA delivered, and contract staff development needs.

Subtask 8 – Development and Implementation of Transition In/Out Plans

The Contractor shall provide the Government with a final Transition‐In Plan which shall be due 5 business days after the Kick‐Off Meeting. The Transition‐in Plan shall ensure minimum disruption to vital Government business and staffing shall be completed within 30 calendar days after contract award. Upon completion of the transition‐in period, the contractor shall be fully staffed and prepared to begin full performance. The contractor shall ensure that there will be no service degradation during transition. Strategies to ensure a smooth transition will be discussed at the Project Kick‐Off Meeting.

At the request of the Government, the Contractor shall provide the Government a Transition‐ Out Plan which shall be due 90 calendar days before the contract end date. The plan shall facilitate the accomplishment of a seamless transition from the incumbent to an incoming contractor /government personnel at the expiration of the contract. The plan shall identify how the contractor will coordinate with the incoming contractor and/or Government personnel to transfer knowledge regarding the following:

1. Project management processes;

2. Points of contact;

3. Location of technical and project management documentation;

4. Status of ongoing technical initiatives;

5. Appropriate contractor to contractor coordination to ensure a seamless transition;

6. Transition of Key Personnel;

7. Identify schedules and milestones;

8. Identify actions required of the Government; and

9. Establish and maintain effective communication with the incoming contractor/Government personnel for the period of the transition via status meetings.

After Government acceptance of the Transition‐Out Plan, the contractor shall begin implementation of the plan.