NOI_W27012.docx

Department of Public Health Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems:

Scaling Effective Early Childhood Systems Development (ECCS SEED) Notice of Intent: NOI/Waiver# 27102

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition (BFHN) is applying to the Health Resources and Services Administration’s notice of funding opportunity #26-057 Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems SEED Project: Scaling Effective Early Childhood Systems Development (ECCS SEED). HRSA will award 8 grants nationally for up to $875,000 for 5 years.

The grant program aims to improve access to high-quality, coordinated care for families from pregnancy through age 5. The program strengthens early childhood systems by identifying family needs early and connecting both children and caregivers to high-quality services by supporting families during the earliest and most critical years of a child's development.

ECCS SEED helps prevent chronic disease and supports lifelong health. Required core activities of the grant are to:

· Establish or expand Centralized Intake and Referral Systems (CIRS) that assess families’ needs and connect them to appropriate health and human services

· Implement a community-wide, evidence-based, early childhood model to improve well-child visits, developmental screening, parent-child relationships, and child flourishing

· Provide state, Tribe, or territory early childhood systems leadership, including training parents and engaging them in and engage these leaders in program design, implementation, and decision-making.

· Plan for long-term systems sustainability

Grant expectations also stipulate applicants must select a high-need community of focus, in which to implement the core grant requirements. In addition, funding priority will be given to applicants who select a county size or larger community of focus with the highest rates of infant mortality, which in Massachusetts is Hampden County.

The purpose of this notice is to publicize DPH/BFHN’s intent to submit a federal grant application naming Families First as a partner to fulfill the grant’s requirement to train parent leaders and provide technical assistance to organizations to improve and deepen their family engagement. DPH/BFHN intends to contract with Families First to provide the organization’s research-based Power of Parenting and Ripple programs for families and ECCS project partners in Hampden County, ensuring parent leadership in planning and implementing all of the core activities listed above. Families First is uniquely qualified because they are the only organization in Massachusetts that provides a universal and comprehensive model of early childhood parenting education, family engagement, and parent leadership – including its unique Ripple program, which offers an evidence-informed framework for organizations to engage families. Additionally, Families First has recently expanded, employing residents of Hampden County and bringing its 30 years of experience in providing comprehensive parent leadership programming in the Greater Boston Area to Hampden County.

If you have equal qualifications to the organization mentioned above and would like to be considered for partnership on this grant, send qualifications along with any questions or comments with the subject line: Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems SEED Project in writing to Claudia Catalano at Claudia.Catalano@mass.gov by July 6, 2026 at 4PM EDT