RFI 72027824RFI00004 - Final.pdf

Request for Information (RFI) - 72027824RFI00004

Activity: Improved Access to Early Childhood Education and Employment Activity

Issuance Date: April 22, 2024

Response Due Date and Time: May 12, 2024, at 12:00 pm, Amman time

Response Email Address: EarlyChildhood-ECE@usaid.gov

INTRODUCTION:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Jordan issues a Request for

Information (RFI) to collect data to inform the design of a new early childhood education and workforce activity. This is a Request for Information (RFI), providing information to parties interested in USAID’s support in Jordan, and seeks to collect any information and suggestions about USAID’s planned programming. Information collected is intended to contribute to the Mission’s activity design and development for an intended future Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Application (RFA).

DISCLAIMER:

This Notice is issued solely for strategic feedback and planning purposes. This is neither a Request for

Applications nor Request for Proposals, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S.

Government to issue a solicitation, or to award an assistance agreement or acquisition contract based on this Notice. If, at a later date, a Solicitation is issued, it will be announced on https://www.grants.gov or https://www.sam.gov. Issuance of a future opportunity for the Improved Access to Early Childhood

Education and Employment Activity (“the activity”) is subject to USAID internal approvals and availability of funds.

Please also note the following: (a) responding to this Notice will not give any advantage to any organization or individual for any subsequent competition; (b) responses are not offers/applications and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding award; and (c) applications/proposals, resumes, promotional materials, or corporate/organizational capacity will be discarded and should therefore not be included in your response.

Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future solicitations, if any is issued.

It is the responsibility of the potential responder to monitor the official websites for additional mailto:EarlyChildhood-ECE@usaid.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/

RFI-72027824RFI00004

Improved Access to Early Childhood Education and Employment Activity information pertaining to this notice. Submission is strictly voluntary, and USAID will not provide feedback or responses to questions submitted in response to this RFI.

All information provided will become the property of USAID and can be made public. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for its purposes without restriction or limitation.

Therefore, proprietary information must not be submitted. USAID may use the feedback from this RFI to develop future anticipated programs. USAID will not pay for information submitted nor will it reimburse for costs incurred by an organization that elects to respond to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this request will be solely at the respondent's expense.

INSTRUCTIONS:

USAID requests that respondents provide information and recommendations to the technical questions outlined below. Responses to this Notice must be in English or Arabic and must not exceed five pages.

Responses must be electronic and typed on standard 8 1⁄2” x 11” inch sized paper, single-spaced, 12-point Calibri font, with each page numbered consecutively. All responses must be submitted electronically to the email address identified above, by the date and time stated in this notice.

The submitted response must include:

1. Reference: RFI-72027824RFI00004

2. Organization Name

3. Organization Address

4. Contact Information

Background:

Early childhood education, targeting children between the ages of 3-6 years of age, supports physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, language, and gross or fine motor development of children and encourages self-regulation and a positive approach to learning (USAID, 2021). The expansion of quality early childhood education (ECE) services has the potential to improve child developmental outcomes, increase employment opportunities for women, and redistribute paid/unpaid care labor (UN Women, 2020). Growing evidence from low- and middle-income countries backs the immediate and longer-term benefits of high-quality early childhood education. In particular, ECE benefits marginalized and vulnerable children, who might otherwise lack access to resources and opportunities to develop the skills needed prior to entering school. Children with higher school readiness skills, including pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, and socioemotional skills, are more likely to succeed in obtaining the foundational learning skills needed in early primary school and in later life.

In Jordan, early childhood education includes children in nursery, Kindergarten 1 (KG1), and

Kindergarten 2 (KG2), and includes service provided by private, community-based, and state providers.

Recent data highlights that nearly 71% of children are enrolled in KG2. However, access to ECE services is inequitable and especially pronounced among marginalized groups. Research indicates that advantaged children had a 44% chance of accessing ECE, while the most disadvantaged had only a 5% chance of accessing ECE (Queen Rania Foundation, 2017). In addition to access, quality remains a challenge. Research conducted by the Queen Rania Foundation indicates that 27% of children who attend KG2 are not school-ready (Queen Rania Foundation, 2022). Further efforts are needed to increase access and quality of nursery, KG1, and KG2 services in Jordan. Policy, regulations, and systems-level improvements are critical aspects to ensuring reforms are implemented with high quality, safety, and equitable standards.

Despite the challenges that exist, Jordan-focused research shows that the return of a three-year ECE is projected to enhance average secondary and tertiary educational attainment by 0.7 years, equipping future generations with a stronger foundation for academic success (Fink et al., 2017). Additionally, return on investment in ECE in Jordan is high, ranging from $9 to $20 for each dollar invested. Expansion of ECE services is poised to create thousands of new job opportunities for educators in Jordan, addressing critical workforce participation issues and furthering the country's progress in ECE (Fink et al., 2017). Given the national buy-in to improving ECE in formal settings, there is great potential for sustainable and systemic change in improving and increasing availability of quality KG1 and KG2 services.

Current literature and evidence on Jordan highlight the potential for private- and community-based organizations (CBO) to provide education-focused nursery, KG1 and KG2 services in urban communities where needs are high, and in rural areas where access is disparate. However, we seek further information to understand the economic viability and differentiated approaches needed to expand and scale education-focused nurseries and KG1 and KG2 services in urban, rural, private or community-based centers (accounting for children with disabilities, poverty pockets, and refugee status). At large, this RFI aims to understand the economic viability of private sector and community-based organizations to invest in expanding access to quality and affordable KG1 and KG2, and nursery education specific services targeting children between the ages of 3-6 years of age.

Technical Questions:

Respondents may answer any or all the following questions outlined below. In your response, please specify the question including its number followed by your answer and references, as relevant:

1. Is there a demand for private and community-based education-focused nursery and kindergarten services (i.e. by locality and demographic)? If so, please identify where there is unmet demand for services and, if possible, quantify the need with reference sources and the methodology used for calculation.

2. Are the private sector and CBOs interested in investing and/or expanding in education-focused nursery and kindergarten services? What are the existing barriers and opportunities to this investment or expansion?

3. Are private sector and CBOs interested in partnering with GOJ to achieve expansions of education-focused nurseries and Kindergarten? If so, what type of support or collaboration with the GOJ would be most useful to you in order to expand services/strengthen quality of services?

4. What challenges do private and community-based nurseries and kindergartens face regarding accessibility for all children (including low-income, rural, refugee status, children with disabilities, etc.), quality of education, and affordability of services for families? What market-based solutions and/or policies could address these challenges?

5. What administrative challenges, regulations, or other barriers need to be modified to increase the provision of quality and accessible early childhood education services?

6. What current barriers or challenges do early childhood educators face in the workplace? What changes are needed to foster stable and quality employment that allow for quality early childhood education services?

Thank you in advance for your assistance and interest in USAID programs.