Educational Mentorship Services for Foster Children

The Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families is requesting proposals for educational mentorship services for foster children statewide across New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties, with proposals due October 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and an anticipated contract start of no later than October 1, 2026.

The scope targets approximately 343 school-aged children in DFS custody, with priority given to youth with multiple placements, poor academic performance, chronic absenteeism, those entering middle or high school, academically at-risk youth, older youth preparing for adulthood, and youth with educational barriers or special education needs. Services include trained mentors providing consistent academic support, advocacy, encouragement, and connection to school and community resources. Bidders may propose statewide coverage or service one or more counties (New Castle, Kent, or Sussex). The RFP does not restrict set-asides or preferences; bidders indicating MBE, WBE, DBE, VOBE, or SDVOBE certification status will be identified, but no mandatory participation goal or set-aside is stated.

The total annual budget available is $250,000. Bidders may propose either cost-reimbursable or unit-cost compensation. The initial contract term runs through September 30, 2029, with optional extensions available for up to five years pending satisfactory performance and continued funding. All proposals must include completed DSCYF Budget Form, Salary Detail form, and detailed budget narrative. Successful bidders must maintain a Delaware business license or demonstrate nonprofit status, obtain $1,000,000 commercial general liability and $1,000,000 automotive liability coverage, and comply with DSCYF Operating Guidelines and mandatory reporting requirements. Bidders without a prior Division contract within the past three years must provide three professional references. All contractor representatives with direct access to children must complete criminal background checks and Delaware Child Protection Registry checks before providing services.

Evaluation is weighted across compliance with program requirements (15 points), organizational capacity (10 points), service delivery and program methods (20 points), service delivery monitoring and evaluation (20 points), experience and demonstrated ability (15 points), and budget reasonableness (20 points). The State reserves the right to award one or multiple contracts and to award to bidders other than the lowest-cost proposer.