Updated_Early Literacy Success Community Grant RFA QA 10.25.24.pdf

THE FOLLOWING CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE RFA:

Specifically, the removal of two eligibility requirements. Please be advised, as a result all questions regarding the presence of in-house accounting/HR and an existing tutoring program are no longer applicable. See changes below:

In addition, Applicant must currently have ALL OF THE FOLLOWING (Attachment J):

1. An in-house Accounting and Human Resources department.

2. An implemented continuous improvement process that employs participant feedback.

3. A web presence and marketing tools.

4. An existing tutoring program and ability to provide early literacy high-dosage tutoring as de�ined in OAR 581-017-0801 (21).

5. A data management system to monitor project activities.

6. Accessible physical spaces for tutoring.

https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=313277

Bid Solicitation: S-58100-00011280: Early Literacy Success Community Grant Questions and Answers

10/15/2024

# Question Response 1 I was wondering if we are eligible to apply for the upcoming 2024-2027 Early Literacy Success Community Grants, even though we are a current recipient of Early Childhood Equity Fund and Early Learning Hubs through other opportunities.

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements in Section 1.3 of the RFA can apply. Applicants will need to implement all 3 requirements as listed in Section

2.5 of the RFA.

2 Are Early Childhood Special Education and Migrant Education programs eligible? Both of these do provide literacy instruction and because they are part of the larger ESD organization are able to answer Yes to the questions on Appendix J. Since those programs already receive state funding, does that make them ineligible?

No, Education Services Districts (ESDs) themselves are not eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must be able to meet the definition for "Providers of Early Learning Services" in Section 2.2 of the RFA in order to be eligible. Applicants must meet the criteria listed in Section 1.3 of the RFA. In addition, Applicants will need to implement all 3 requirements as listed in Section 2.5 of the RFA.

3 My big question is are ESDs and School Districts eligible to apply for the Early Literacy Success Community Grant? I attended the virtual meeting on September 20th and have read through the documents pertaining to the grant, however there is still some disagreement at my ESD as to whether ESDs and/or school districts qualify to apply or not.

School Districts are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Education Services Districts (ESDs) themselves are not eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must be able to meet the definition for "Providers of Early Learning Services" in Section 2.2 of the RFA in order to be eligible. Additionally, organizations that closely partner with ESDs may be eligible for Early Literacy Success Initiative Community Grants funding if they are able to meet the definition of a "Community- Based Organization” in Section 2.2 of the RFA. Please refer to Section 1.3 of the RFA for more information related to eligibility requirements.

4 we’ve been led to believe the grant was a 4 year grant - but the documents clearly say it ends in June 2027 - which might be just 2.5 years. Can you clarify?

This RFA is not for a 4-year grant. The grant's period of performance will be from January 2, 2025, to June 30, 2027 as stated in Section 1.2 of the RFA.

5 We are looking into applying for the Early Literacy Success Community Grant. We are a provider of early learning services, and I believe we meet all 6 requirements listed under 1.3 eligibility. However, I had a couple questions about eligibility:

• Is there a requirement that the HR and accounting departments have more than one person in them?

• Is there a requirement that the entity be a non-profit?

• If we are not considered an eligible entity would an office within the public school system, a specific public school, or another child-focused nonprofit organization be eligible?

One additional question - Do we need to be on the already-approved list for the state to apply for this? We submitted an application to be on the pre-approved list, but will not know if we are approved until January 15th.

Section 1.3 of the RFA does not stipulate the number of employees needed in an Applicant's in-house Accounting and Human Resources Department. An Applicant must meet the eligibility criteria in Section

1.3 of the RFA to apply. Please refer to Section 1.3 for full eligibility criteria.

Applicants who are on the ODE approved list of High- Dosage Tutoring contractors will not be able to apply for this grant unless they also meet the all eligibility criteria in Section 1.3.

As an Early Learning Hub representing a rural region, we would like to submit an application. In our research, there is almost no community-based tutoring happening across the region and 10 of our 13 school-districts have third graders performing below the state average on their 3rd grade ELA tests.

This tells me there could be real benefit to my community.

We are considering partnering with a 21st Century Learning Center grant recipient who has some tutoring embedded in their programming as a small pilot to start this work and then look to expand more regionally. Would this partnership meet the criteria outlined in the pass/fail section of the RFA? We have to be the lead applicant because the grant recipient was a school district and we know districts are not eligible to apply.

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract.

The entity you outlined would be eligible as a partnership, however the lead Applicant must currently meet all eligibility criteria identified in section 1.3 of the RFA which includes having a tutoring program in place.

7 I wanted to clarify about the funding amounts/timing. I understand the $1m is the max amount for Year 1 and $1m is the max amount for Yr 2 and 3 combined. Is that correct?

We are curious about spending $1m within 6 months whereas the second $1m will be spread out over 2 years.

Can year 1 funding be accepted and restricted for use in the next year or does it all need to expended by 6/30/25. Can you shed any light on how to manage the decreased funding in the second two years?

Once Grantees are identified and awarded, ODE will provide support during the approval of the activities and budgets submitted through the application process. Year 1 funding deadline for spending is outlined in the RFA as 6/30/2025. Please refer to Section 1.2 of the RFA for further funding details.

8 We would like some clarification regarding whether or not we are eligible to apply to the RFA given the model we are using for providing services is based on providing tutoring only during school hours.

The definition of "High-Dosage Tutoring" found in Section 2.2 of the RFA states it must be provided outside the school day. This would include breaks from regular established school days, including holidays and summers. Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract.

9 Our school meets all of the qualifications listed in Section 1.3 of the RFA for the Early Literacy Success Community Grant. We currently have licensed teachers providing differentiated pull-out reading interventions in preschool and kindergarten. We want to expand the scope of that program into a high-dosage tutoring program for students preschool through the 3rd grade. Does this qualify us to apply for the Early Literacy grant?

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract.

Schools and/or School Districts are not eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must be able to meet the definition for "Providers of Early Learning Services" in Section 2.2 of the RFA in order to be eligible. Please refer to Section 1.3 of the RFA for more information related to eligibility requirements.

10 I don’t see a place in the grant Smart App fields to describe the project - the components - our unique qualifications

- our strategy. I see how we describe our organization and how our project will conform to your requirements - but no place for exactly what we are asking for which we need support.

Should we put the project we’d like to do for ODA in the Description of Organization section

All of the information for narrative responses is found in Section 3.2.1.3 to Section 3.2.1.13 of the RFA.

Please be sure to read the Narrative questions and include the information in the Smartsheets Application Link (Attachment B).

11 We have a question regarding qualifications as noted in section 1.3 of the RFA. The applicant does have the infrastructure for tutoring services and has offered this service as a part of their education programming in the past, however they are not currently offering this as a service. Would that disqualify them?

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract.

12 The non-profit I'm working with on this grant is run by their Board of Directors.

The Board handles all accounting and human resources functions. As they are Board Members they are not paid for this work nor are they employees of the organization. Does this meet the qualification for in-house Accounting and HR?

Per Section 1.3 of the RFA, In-house accounting refers to accounting duties and tasks being performed by individual(s) who are employed by the grant applicant organization.

13 If an organization is working with 3rd graders in year 1 of the grant, would that cohort be able to continue to receive services for the duration of the grant period under the grant funding?

Or is it intended that the grant funding program will stop serving youth once they have completed 3rd grade?

Per statute, Section 1 Definition (1) “Early elementary grades” means any grade from prekindergarten through grade three. Only students in grades Pre-K through 3 are eligible to receive services funded by the grant.

14 I am writing to inquire about Section

1.3 Eligibility of the Early Literacy

Success Community Grants issued on Sept. 13. On pg. 4, the first requirement states that applicants “MUST have an In-House Accounting and Human Resources department.” Can you provide a definition of “in-house” for clarity please? We are unable to find a clear definition within the materials provided.

Per Section 1.3 of the RFA, In-house accounting refers to accounting duties and tasks being performed by individual(s) who are employed by the grant applicant organization.

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB3198/Enrolled https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB3198/Enrolled

10/4/2024

# Question Response 1 If applicants do not currently have a high dosage tutoring program, but plan to sub-contract with an entity that does, are they eligible to apply?

o Early Learning Hubs specifically do not typically provide direct services and collaborate with partners through sub-contracting.

o Currently none of the Early Learning Hubs have an established high dosage tutoring program offered directly by their agency and would need to partner or sub-contract to meet eligibility as it is currently written.

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract. As stated in Section 3.2.1.8 of the RFA, Agency will need to approve the High-Dosage Tutoring contractor. The criteria for High-Dosage Tutoring contractors will be outlined in detail in ODE's published list of approved High-Dosage Tutoring contractors available in January 2025.

2 If an organization does not currently offer "high-dosage tutoring" as defined by the list of criteria in this RFP (but does offer some early literacy programming for children and families) and is interested in developing a more robust literacy program with this funding, would our organization be eligible?

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract. As stated in Section 3.2.1.8 of the RFA, Agency will need to approve the High-Dosage Tutoring contractor. The criteria for High-Dosage Tutoring contractors will be outlined in detail in ODE's published list of approved High-Dosage Tutoring contractors available in January 2025.

3 We have several program who provide early learning services (Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education, Juntos Aprendemos, Migrant Education, Healthy Families of the High Desert) and are working on a plan to bolster all or several of those listed above and our question is if a ESD can be an applicant.

Education Services Districts (ESDs) themselves are not eligible to apply for this grant. Applicants must be able to meet the definition for "Providers of Early Learning Services" in Section 2.2 of the RFA in order to be eligible. Additionally, organizations that closely partner with ESDs may be eligible for Early Literacy Success Initiative Community Grants funding if they are able to meet the definition of a "Community-Based Organization” in Section 2.2 of the RFA. Please refer to Section 1.3 of the RFA for more information related to eligibility requirements.

4 In the Partnerships section of RFP (section 3.2.1.11) and High-Dosage Tutoring and Tutor Qualifications (section 3.2.1.8), it states that an eligible organization can partner with a contractor and that the Oregon Dept. of Education will need to approve any High-Dosage Tutoring contractor that the Applicant plans to use. Our questions: 1. Can the contractor we plan to partner with be a for-profit organization? 2. Are the criteria for approving contractors known at this time?

Partnership organizations must meet the definition of "Partnership" as outlined in Section 2.2. According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract. The criteria for High- Dosage Tutoring contractors will be outlined in detail in ODE's published list of approved High-Dosage Tutoring vendors available in January 2025.

5 If an organization does not currently offer "high-dosage tutoring" as defined by the list of criteria in this RFP (but does offer some early literacy programming for children and families) and is interested in developing a more robust literacy program with this funding, would our organization be eligible?

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract. As stated in Section 3.2.1.8 of the RFA, Agency will need to approve the High-Dosage Tutoring contractor. The criteria for High-Dosage Tutoring contractors will be outlined in detail in ODE's published list of approved High-Dosage Tutoring contractors available in January 2025.

6 I believe our organization meets the criteria of both a community-based organization and provider of early learning services. Our grant application/proposal would like to reflect a partnership. In the definition of terms in Section 2 of the RFA, the term partnerships includes "districts."

Is a local school district an appropriate partner to name in the application?

Any eligible Applicant listed in Section 1.3 of the RFA can apply and partner with any group listed in the "Partnership" definition in Section 2.2 of the RFA, as long as the services the Applicant provides occur outside of the school day.

7 Is this funding opportunity that is offered every year? (Meaning: do you anticipate the same grant application to be announced next fall 2025?)

The same grant application will not be announced in Fall 2025. This first round of Grant funding extends through June 30, 2027 as stated in Section 1.2 of the

RFA.

8 As a public library we are equipped to meet The majority of the expected outcomes. Providing access to reading materials, encouraging family engagement, providing high impact early learning services etc are all part of our mission and well within our wheelhouse, however I get a little lost at the high dosage tutoring. How do you see libraries in relation to that requirement? We do outreach to our schools, but how many small groups of students are we intended to provide tutoring too and is it expected that the school district will identify those students with the most need? Usually when I apply for a grant I have a very cohesive project in mind.

With this one it is a little tricky to see how we can both provide large scale literacy programs that any and all are invited to attend, as well as host small group tutoring three times a week. It almost feels like two separate projects.

I guess if I had to boil that all down to one question it would be: How can public libraries be the fiscal agent and orchestrator for this grant rather than just a partner in another organization’s application?

I see how we fit into many of the components, but not all.

According to Section 1.3 of the RFA, Applicants must have a tutoring program currently in place and the ability to provide a High-Dosage Tutoring program through the performance period of this grant independently or through partnership or contract. This includes the requirement of using student assessment data and other evidence of student learning to inform tutoring sessions and adjust to student needs.

Applicants will need to implement all 3 requirements as listed in Section 2.5 of the RFA. As stated in Section

3.2.1.8 of the RFA, Agency will need to approve the High-Dosage Tutoring contractor. The criteria for High- Dosage Tutoring contractors will be outlined in detail in ODE's published list of approved High-Dosage Tutoring contractors available in January 2025.

10/2/2024

# Question Response 1 Can community-based organizations, colleges, universities, professional education associations and others apply for these grants?

Yes, community-based organizations and post-secondary institutions of education can apply for this grant. Please see all eligible applicants in Section 1.3 of the RFA.

2 We have a question about the internal accounting requirement for applying. We have our own accountant, but she is a contractor. We have yearly audits and work our payroll through a payroll system. Is this acceptable?

In-house accounting refers to accounting duties and tasks being performed by individual(s) who are employed by the grant applicant organization. An outside contractor would not qualify under Section 1.3 of the RFA.

3 Is the Early Literacy Success Community Grant a reimbursement grant?

Yes, please refer to section 5 Disbursement Provisions (page

19) in Attachment A of the RFA for details on funding disbursement.

4 Early Learning Hubs are listed as eligible to apply but I don't believe any of us are engaged in "high-dosage tutoring" activities as we work with systems that serve children ages 0-5 years-old. I don't believe that there is an evidence-base of developmentally appropriate "high-dosage tutoring" in the early years populations we work with. Our work does align with the CELF guidebook, especially Section Two: Literacy beyond the bell. I would like to develop a proposal that focuses on increasing Parent Engagement and supporting them as their children's first teachers, but I'm leery to invest the time in developing the proposal if the "high-dosage tutoring" is a pass-fail and the proposal would not even be read.

Applicants must have a current tutoring program in place and the ability to increase the scope of that program to High- Dosage Tutoring, as well as a plan to implement a High- Dosage Tutoring program during the period of performance (January 2, 2024-June 30, 2027). Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

5 We are a Education Non-Profit with 501c3 status -and have a particular interest in activating faith communities into the literacy movement in Oregon.

Before we go to too much effort - we want to be sure we can even apply.

Eligible entities who meet the definition for community-based organizations in Section 2.2 of the RFA, which may include 501(c)(3) status faith-based organizations, are eligible for these grant funds. These entities must use their organization and physical and virtual spaces to provide secular, religiously neutral grant-funded services and activities. Please refer to section 1.3 of the RFA for more information related to eligibility requirements.

6 Also - we’d like to see the two books you prepared -how do I download those?

Please refer to Attachment H and K of the RFA. These resources can be found on Oregon Buys https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=S- 58100-00011280&external=true&parentUrl=close https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=S-58100-00011280&external=true&parentUrl=close https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=S-58100-00011280&external=true&parentUrl=close https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=S-58100-00011280&external=true&parentUrl=close https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/external/bidDetail.sdo?docId=S-58100-00011280&external=true&parentUrl=close

7 What is the maximum and/or expected average award to be granted to community organizations? If I recall correctly when I last spoke on the phone with a representative from ODE, we may have discussed $150,000, however, I can't find that specific number anywhere. I do see that the total award to communities will be $8,000,000, but wanted to be sure we are in line with ODE's expectations for individual grantees when planning our project here in Eastern Oregon.

Agency anticipates funding up to $2,000,000 for the 2024- 2027 fiscal years. Please refer to the RFA, Section 1.2 for complete funding details.

8 Do applicants have to serve all age groups (Preschool-3rd grade) to be eligible, or can they focus on specific age groups (just preschool)?

Any age group focus from Pre-K to grade 3 is allowable, as long as Applicants have a plan to implement all three required components as outlined in the RFA during the period of performance (January 2, 2024-June 30, 2027) to be eligible for this grant. This includes High-dosage Tutoring.

Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

9 Are applicants required to offer all three activities or can they specify which activities they will implement?

o a. expand the state’s culturally and linguistically responsive early literacy programs, o b. implement High-Dosage Tutoring programs and provide training to tutors that are research-aligned, and o c. foster authentic engagement of families and caregivers of early elementary grades

Yes, Applicants must have a plan to implement all three required components as outlined in the RFA during the period of performance (January 2, 2024-June 30, 2027) to be eligible for this grant. Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

10 For programs who only serve preschool aged children are they still required to implement high dosage tutoring? If so, what is the expectation for developmentally appropriate high dosage tutoring for children ages 3-5?

o High Dosage tutoring is not a common nomenclature in early childhood education, many programs are more familiar with terms like-individualized small group instruction, small group focused instruction, family engagement/parent education to support individualized child needs. Will implementation of these activities meet the requirement for high dosage tutoring?

Applicants must have a plan to implement all three required components as outlined in the RFA during the period of performance (January 2, 2024-June 30, 2027) to be eligible for this grant. This includes High-Dosage Tutoring. Section

2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

11 Are research-based practices that support preschool aged children's literacy and language development such as parenting education, family engagement, and small group instruction allowable activities to meet the high-dosage tutoring requirement?

Please refer to the definition for High-Dosage Tutoring located in Section 2.2 of the RFA

12 Clarification on defining “outside of school day”-preschool hours are different than K-12 and include half day, full day, and year-round services. o could an allowable activity include using funds to extend the preschool day for small groups to focus on literacy support?

In the context of preschool, a full day would span from the start of any morning session offered and end at the close of any pm session offered. Allowable activities would take place outside of these hours and/or during any holidays or breaks from regular established school days and would exclude extension of a partial day enrollment. Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

13 I'm reaching out for some clarification on the Early Literacy Success Community Grant. Could you please confirm if the up to $2 million funding request is per grantee?

Agency anticipates funding up to $2,000,000 for the 2024- 2027 fiscal years. Please refer to the RFA, Section 1.2 for complete funding details.

14 Is a public school able to apply for this grant? No, public schools are not eligible to apply for this grant.

Public school funding through the Early Literacy Success Initiative is provided through the School District Grants program in the Office of Teaching Learning and Assessment (OTLA). Eligibility criteria for Community Grants is in Section

1.3 of the RFA. Applicants must be one of the following entity types: Community-based organization (CBO), Early Learning Hub, Provider of Early Learning Services, Post-secondary institution of education (colleges and universities), or a Public Library.

15 Does the tutoring need to be provided after the regular school day?

We are recipients of the 21st Century After School Program Grant in our district and I'm wondering if we can provide tutoring during that time.

Allowable activities, including High-dosage Tutoring, are required to take place outside of regular school day hours.

This would include breaks from regular established school days, including holidays and summers. Section 2.5 of the RFA lays out the scope of grant activities Grantees are required to perform.

16 What specific tutoring programs have you found to be successful? I've researched some programs around literacy and wondering if we can use a framework that works with what we are doing during the school day?

Please refer to the definition for High-Dosage Tutoring located in Section 2.2 of the RFA. We anticipate ODE's approved tutoring program and curriculum list to be published in January of 2025. Providers that meet all criteria established in Section 2.2 of the RFA for high quality and Science of Reading based High-dosage Tutoring implementation. Once published, Grantees can use any vendors from this list.