Executive Summary:

The purpose of this program announcement is to award a cooperative agreement to operate Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) for five years.  The CCEERC will work to support family economic self-sufficiency and child care quality for families with children ages 0-12 or with special needs by fostering a child care and early education knowledge management and support system.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Legislative Authority

This cooperative agreement is funded under the authority of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, as amended, and is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161).

Funding Opportunity Description

A. Background

Since 2000, Congress has appropriated about $10 million per year of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) discretionary funds to be used for child care research and evaluation. These funds have supported projects that add to our knowledge about the efficacy of child care policies and programs toward achieving the two targeted long-term outcomes of the CCDF, enhancing the economic security of low-income families with young children and improving quality in all child care and early education settings. One of these projects is Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (see http://www.researchconnections.org).

Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) is a national research knowledge management and support system for the child care and early education field.  CCEERC is intended to be responsive to the needs of the CCDF program by clearly addressing child care as a support to working families and quality of care in all settings, with a particular focus on children in low-income families.  CCEERC has also expanded to integrate research in areas with clear benefit to the CCDF program, including research related to Head Start, and, increasingly, pre-kindergarten.  These are important areas of child care and early education, and it is an expectation that the CCEERC will continue to develop in response to the child care and early education research and policy fields.

Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) is currently being carried out through Cooperative Agreement Number 90-YE-0063 by the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) and the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research. This cooperative agreement will end on September 29, 2008, at which time the products, hardware and software developed under this project will be transferred to the organization awarded the cooperative agreement under this announcement.

B. Purpose

The purpose of this priority area is to seek qualified applicants for a cooperative agreement to operate Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (CCEERC) for five years. Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to both sustain and build upon the current level of CCEERC functions.

C.  Goals and Project Description

The CCEERC has five interrelated goals that link its functional components:

1.  Operating a state-of-the-art, web-based child care and early education project with a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of research articles and reports, selected datasets, policy data, ready access to datasets for secondary analysis, technical assistance for contributors and users, strong linkages with other archives and information systems, and ongoing synthesis of data into useful information and knowledge for child care and early education research and policy.  

2. Promoting collaboration and partnership building for child care and early education research and policy analysis and facilitating information-sharing and use of research findings by researchers, policy makers, and other key stakeholders.  

3. Developing and providing technical assistance to assist data contributors, technical analysts, and end users of research information.

4. Making sound child care and early education research findings available to researchers and policymakers in accessible language and formats.

5. Encouraging the use of research-based information by policy makers, and other key stakeholders with an interest in child care and early education issues.

Functional Components

The CCEERC consists of the following functional components: (1) An interactive website through which the public can gain easy access to the research database, datasets, and other related information described in this section; (2) a research database consisting of research reports, summaries, and other related documents designed for end-users of research, which includes related metadata elements and other technical features; (3) a data archive of datasets from major child care, Head Start, and early education research and evaluation studies;  (4) a technical assistance and support system to improve quality of data, assist researchers in developing analytic skills and knowledge of major child care, Head Start, and early education datasets that can be accessed through Research Connections, facilitate collaboration, and create a stronger research infrastructure; and (5) ongoing collaboration activities.

Component 1. The Interactive Website

The most visible component of the CCEERC is the interactive website. The largest group of website users are individuals or organizations whose primary functions and goals relate to child care and early education research. Important categories of users include child care and early education researchers, legislators and policy analysts; Head Start researchers, legislators and policy analysts; child development specialists and educators; professors; and community child care organizations such as resource and referral agencies.

Given the large number and diversity of end users from beyond the research community, the CCEERC must be committed to ensuring that findings on a wide variety of topics are easily searchable and accessible in formats that meet the needs of different constituencies.

Researchers who wish to conduct secondary analyses of datasets, and have a variety of technically oriented information needs should be able to download data through the website, and participate in a variety of research networks, along with other researchers around the country. This group will be supported through the CCEERC components described below.

Components 2 and 3. The Research Database and Data Archive

The primary function of the CCEERC is to maintain and further develop a web-based database of research and related products.  A prominent feature of the website is that products reside in the CCEERC's content database or in other locations, but are accessible in a seamless manner throughout the CCEERC website.  For the purposes of this announcement, 'research database' refers to the many reports, publications, and other related products indexed and accessible through CCEERC, whereas 'data archive' refers specifically to the collection of datasets that can be accessed through CCEERC. 

The research database is intended to improve access to child care and related early education research, promote the use of data for analysis, and facilitate the utilization of research findings by policy makers, practitioners, academics, and other stakeholders. 

The underlying structure of the research database and data archive consists of specially processed and documented research products and datasets linked to a comprehensive taxonomy that are searchable and include metadata elements that describe and categorize both research database and data archive holdings, and an indexing system. These features interface with end users through the interactive website.

Taxonomy. This feature is designed to allow end users of the website to conduct sophisticated searches with ease. The taxonomy will be continually expanded and refined as research products are added and new variables are identified, and according to high priority issues within the child care and related early education and Head Start research and policy communities.

Metadata (data about data) that describe holdings were developed in accordance with Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) standards used by nationally recognized archives and information systems. As new products are acquired and indexed in the CCEERC, the metadata will continue to evolve.  The metadata will also evolve according to high priority issues within the child care and related early education and Head Start research and policy communities.

Documents. Abstracts and other information about documents will be available through the CCEERC website and, where possible, the full text of the documents will be available to users. Through ongoing efforts, including coordination with researchers and other organizations, the grantee will continuously expand CCEERC holdings to ensure up-to-date availability.

Datasets. A major function of the CCEERC is to process, house, and preserve quality datasets and related documents from studies on child care and early education, either directly or in partnership with other archives. The CCEERC currently houses Child Care and Development Fund administrative datasets and key datasets from Head Start and Early Head Start research. It will be a priority of this project to maintain and archive data on these government programs, and make them useable and accessible to the larger research community. Data processing includes, but is not limited to: sub-setting of child care-relevant variables and formatting for easy download to statistical packages for analyses; variable labeling; application of weights; and maintenance of subject confidentiality. The amount of data processing required before inclusion in the CCEERC varies depending on the number and types of variables in a dataset and the amount of processing completed by the owner of the data prior to submission.  It will also be a priority of CCEERC to provide ongoing support for users of key government funded datasets, which will be decided in collaboration with OPRE (also see Technical Assistance and Collaboration below).

Data Standards and Documentation. The archive also sets standards and establishes procedures for documentation of datasets. Data documentation and code books are developed for archived datasets to make these data readily available to other researchers and facilitate secondary analysis. A related goal is to increase the average quality of child care and early education research through systematic improvements in the underlying quality of data.

Content Development. Data contributors and end users of research are able to access data and published research, as well as special materials such as research summaries or methodology briefs. This activity will involve ongoing acquisitions and development to ensure that the needs of contributors and users are met.

Data Contributors. Any child care or early education investigator, regardless of funding source for their project, is encouraged to house data with the CCEERC. Since 2000, all research grantees funded through CCDF discretionary funds have been required to plan for the archiving of their data. The intent is that grantees will prepare their datasets according to sound data processing and documentation practices, and house those datasets at the CCEERC within two years after the end of their funding period. The CCEERC will provide technical support to contributors regarding data entry, processing, and documentation. For an example of the types of datasets supported at CCEERC, visit the website at www.researchconnections.org. It is expected that the institution receiving the award for this project will continue to expand this data collection.

Data Users. Many researchers use the CCEERC to access public datasets for secondary analysis. The CCEERC must maintain a system of data access for primary datasets as well as specially constructed analytic files and interactive tools. For example, some researchers might need to extract child care data from national longitudinal studies in which child care is embedded in a larger set of issues. Some may need to combine Head Start data from two or more datasets to create a linked data file. Others may need to conduct simple analyses of large datasets like national census estimates or State administrative data. Support for data users is expected to grow over the next several years.

Components 4 and 5. Technical Assistance and Collaboration

The Technical Assistance and Collaboration components provide interface and support for data contributors and users as well as for the Child Care Policy Research Consortium and other collaborative endeavors undertaken by OPRE and in collaboration with the Child Care Bureau within the Administration of Children and Families (ACF).

Technical Assistance. CCEERC provides technical support for users of the website.  This function includes the following on-line activities, and can be expanded as will enhance the project goals:  frequently asked questions and answers; short briefing papers on common technical issues; Secondary Analysis Tool and other ready-to-use formats that make archived datasets more easily accessible to the research community; information on CCEERC services, products and new acquisitions; technical guidelines and documentation for data processing and access; and electronic services to facilitate networking and information exchange among researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

The CCEERC also provides training and technical assistance opportunities by conducting technical roundtables for researchers working on special datasets such as child care administrative data from the States. Other opportunities might include training institutes that convene a small number of researchers to work in a guided setting with important national datasets. Support for secondary analysis of various datasets in the CCEERC can be provided through these training institutes as well as through small grants.

Workshops and training sessions will be convened at major national conferences. In particular, the CCEERC will conduct sessions at the OPRE Annual Child Care Policy Research Consortium meeting, the Child Care Bureau's annual meeting of State Child Care Administrators, and the Biennial Head Start Research conference.

It will be a priority for CCEERC to conduct workshop and training sessions on government datasets specific to child care subsidy administration and Head Start and funded through ACF.  These workshops should be responsive as datasets become available, and according to high priority research areas that can be addressed through these datasets.

While some technical assistance activities will be supported through this cooperative agreement, others may require outside resources, including other funding partners and fee-for-service arrangements.

Collaboration and Infrastructure Building.  The CCEERC maintains a national infrastructure for child care and early education research. A major function of this effort is to facilitate collaboration among researchers to build knowledge, facilitate networking and thematic work across projects; and provide a vehicle for peer technical support and scientific advancement. A related function is to increase interaction and mutual support between the research and policy communities. As researchers try to make their studies more relevant for policy and practice, policy makers will be able to make better use of the findings. These relationships can be nurtured and significantly strengthened through activities of the Technical Assistance and Collaboration component.

The CCEERC participates as a member of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium and provides limited support for consortium-wide initiatives. The CCEERC participates in activities of the consortium steering committee and assists with note taking and preparation of summary documents resulting from conference calls, research forums, or major meetings. The CCEERC supports participants in the annual meeting of the consortium with technical workshops and small group discussions, as well as on-site document preparation and organization of materials to lend depth and breadth to the discussions. (Logistical support for the meeting will be supplied by contracts outside of this project). The CCEERC will also assist with planning for meetings and briefings, coordinating the work of thematic work groups for cross-cutting research, and preparation of proceedings or other summary documents.

The CCEERC is also expected to maintain collaborations and respond to the research needs of the CCDF program by participating in monthly meetings of the Child Care Technical Assistance Network and other related activities, including participation in the Child Care Bureau's Annual State Administrator's meeting.  CCEERC will also be expected to maintain collaborations with other early education programs (e.g., Head Start), as relates to the goals of this announcement, and in consultation with OPRE.  The CCEERC will also collaborate in the preparation of documents that can facilitate the use of child care and early education research by program administrators; however, it is not currently the priority of this project to prepare materials that translate research findings to practice. 

The collaborative and networking function of this project puts CCEERC in an excellent position to identify cutting edge child care, Head Start, and early education research and policy issues that may be in need of further exploration and development.  It is within the scope of this project to identify and develop a limited number of publications that synthesize research on critical issues and identify policy implications. Types of publications have included bibliographic lists on key topics, research briefs, and reviews of research.  In order to maintain project goals related to operating a state-of-the-art knowledge information system and the dissemination of sound research, the CCEERC will build quality control processes for the development of these materials.  Examples include commissioning the development of publications to widely recognized experts in specific topical areas and establishing a formal review process for project publications.  As much as possible, product development should leverage the resources maintained by the CCEERC. 

C.  Project Requirement

The grantee must attend and present a poster at the Annual Meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium each year of the grant, and also attend and present at the Biennial Head Start Research conference.  In addition, the grantee may be asked to attend the annual Child Care State Administrators' Meeting.  These meetings typically are held in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and last approximately two days. The budget should reflect travel funds for these conferences. 

II. AWARD INFORMATION

Substantial Involvement with Cooperative Agreement:

A cooperative agreement is Federal assistance in which substantial Federal involvement in project activities is anticipated.  Responsibilities of Federal staff and the successful applicant are negotiated prior to award. OPRE and the grantee will work collaboratively on the development of products such as work plans, technical assistance materials, summaries or literature reviews, decisions about datasets to be archived, the proportion of the budget that is allotted to key functional tasks, and other matters.  OPRE will also participate in any Advisory Group or Technical Work Group meetings and will work closely with the grantee to promote partnerships and collaborative research, both within the Child Care Policy Research Consortium and with other potential partners. In addition, OPRE will assist with technical assistance activities as appropriate and needed.

The applicant will be awarded up to $1,500,000 for the first 12-month budget period, and up to $1,500,000 for each of the subsequent 12-month budget periods for the duration of this cooperative agreement.

The initial award will be made for the first 12-month budget period. Continuation awards for the subsequent 12-month budget periods will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government.

The need for a 60-month project period should be identified in Item 17 on the Standard Form (SF) 424, in the project narrative, and in the budget. Applicants will receive instructions on how to submit non-competing continuation applications during the first budget period to request funds for the second and third budget periods.

Awards under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants:

• Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
• Non-profits with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education
• For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
• Small businesses
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

Faith-based and community organizations are eligible to apply under this announcement.

Foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: None

3. Other:

Disqualification Factors

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package:

2. Content and Form of Application Submission:

Letters of Intent

Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the operations center (opre-ccr@xtria.com),  of their intention to submit an application under this announcement. Please submit the letter of intent by the deadline date listed in Section IV.3.

This information will be used to determine the number of expert reviewers needed to review applications. Failure to submit a letter of intent will not impact eligibility to submit an application and will not disqualify an application from competitive review.

The letter of intent should include the following information:

• The number and title of this announcement;
• The names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers, email and addresses for the Principal Investigator; and
• The name of the Lead Agency.

Do not include a description of your proposed project in your letter of intent.

Format and Organization of Application

The original and two copies of an application must be submitted. Applicants must limit their application package to 100 pages, double-spaced, with standard one-inch margins and 12-point fonts. This page limit applies to both narrative text and supporting materials, not including the appendices and Standard Federal Forms (listed below). In addition, applicants must number the pages of their application beginning with the Table of Contents. Pages in excess of the page limitation will be removed and not reviewed.

Applicants are advised to include all required forms and materials and to organize these materials according to the format for their application package, and in the order, presented below:

1. Cover Letter. Applicants should include a Cover Letter using official letterhead of the Lead Agency, and including the Funding Opportunity Number, the Title of the Application and contact information for the applicant.
   
   
2. Contact Information Sheet: The contact information sheet should include addresses, phone and fax numbers and email addresses for all key project staff, including the fiscal representative for the project.
   
   
3. Required Standard Federal Forms and Certifications.
   • Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424). Follow the instructions on the back of the form. In Item 5 on SF-424, enter the name of the applicant (Lead Agency).  In Item 8 on SF-424, check "New".
     
     
   • Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A). When completing the SF 424A, first year budget period information should be reflected in Section A as new Federal funds.
     
     
   • Assurance Regarding Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)
     
     
   • Certifications Regarding Lobbying (if necessary)
     
     
   • Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke
     
     
   • Assurance Regarding Protection of Human Subjects
4. Table of Contents
   
   
5. Project Abstract (one page maximum)
   
   
6. Project Description. The project description should be carefully developed in accordance with the research goals as described in the Purpose and Background sections of this announcement, and the structure requirements listed in Section V. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the detailed Evaluation Criteria found in Section V  to organize the project summary/abstract and full project description.  

7. Budget and Budget Justification. Present a detailed budget for each 12-month interval of the proposed project period (i.e., the 12-month budget period to be funded under this announcement and subsequent budget periods that may be funded under a non-competing continuation project). This budget should match the appropriate object class categories reflected in SF 424-A, Section B. A detailed budget justification should describe each line-item expense including the Federal and non-Federal funds. If project funds will be sub-contracted, a detailed budget for the use of those funds must be included.  There should be consistency across the line item budget, the budget justification, and the SF 424-A.

   8.  Appendices

• Proof of Non-Profit Status (see Section III.3)
• Letter(s) of Agreement
• Biographical Sketch for PI and Key Personnel

Biographical Sketch: These are used to partially evaluate Staff and Position Data (see Section V.1). Inclusion of information regarding the Principal Investigator's and Key Personnel's work and publication history that will address the evaluation criteria is encouraged.

D-U-N-S Requirement

Proof of Non-Profit Status

Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Due Date For Letter of Intent: 04/14/2008

Due Date for Applications: 05/13/2008

Explanation of Due Dates

Receipt acknowledgement for application packages will not be provided to applicants who submit their package via mail, courier services, or by hand delivery.   Applicants will receive an electronic acknowledgement for applications that are submitted via http://www.Grants.gov.

Checklist

You may use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package.

4. Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs:

5. Funding Restrictions:

6. Other Submission Requirements:

Submission by Mail

Hand Delivery

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13)

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed and reviewing the collection information.

The project description is approved under OMB control number 0970-0139, which expires 4/30/2010.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

1. Criteria:

Part I   THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION OVERVIEW

PURPOSE

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Part II   GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING A FULL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE - 10 points

The extent to which the applicant:

Demonstrates an awareness of current issues and initiatives in child care and early education and Head Start research, policy and practice, technical assistance, and collaboration, as well as the interrelationships among these broad functions. 

Describes the need for an integrated system of knowledge, data, technical assistance, and collaboration to further effective child care and early childhood research and policy.

Describes the relationships among the interactive web site, the research database and data archive, and the technical assistance, and collaborative components of the project.

Discusses current issues in archiving including, but not limited to, topics such as the world-wide web, access to full-text documents, dissemination strategies, liability, confidentiality, and terms-of-use agreements.

Describes the audience of current CCEERC contributors and users, estimates their number, describes their needs, anticipates future needs of this audience, and if applicable, describes underserved or untapped audiences to be served. 

APPROACH - 40 points

The extent to which the applicant's technical approach:

Appropriately links CCEERC goals, objectives, activities and performance indicators to ensure successful operations and ongoing development.

Describes strategies for each of the five functional components (interactive website, research database, archive of datasets, technical assistance, and ongoing collaboration).

Describes strategies that build upon the current CCEERC activities in each functional component in order to further the stated goals of the CCEERC.

Describes strategies in each functional component that address CCDF and related early intervention policy issues.  This includes, but is not limited to, quality of care in all settings, the role of child care and the subsidy program as a support to working families, and related Head Start research.

Demonstrates the ability to effectively implement and coordinate the functional components of the CCEERC to promote high quality and useful research, make research data and products easily accessible, significantly improve the research infrastructure, and support the CCDF program, OPRE, and the Child Care Policy Research Consortium.

Describes the technical specifications of the information technology system that will be developed or sustained to support the web-based functions of the CCEERC and addresses issues related to ACF information technology requirements for project boundaries, data security, risk analysis, operational concepts, functional requirements, systems design, deployment plans, and performance standards.

Provides a detailed description and rationale for the range of topics to be included in the CCEERC archive, the types of data sets that currently exist and are anticipated, and which among these should be given priority for inclusion in the CCEERC, with high priority given to data that is supported by and/or informs ACF child care and early education programs (e.g., CCDF, Head Start, Early Head Start).

Demonstrates an awareness of current activities being undertaken in the field of data archiving, web site management, technical assistance and collaboration; describes how the approach being proposed would build on or coordinate with this work.

Demonstrates an understanding of the technical issues associated with managing a national data archive; describes the strengths and limitations of existing approaches; and proposes effective solutions to a full range of issues. Important issues include, but are not limited to, multiple archiving of individual data sets; technical problems with data sets such as poor variable definitions, small sample sizes, and missing data; delimitation of public access to data; piecemeal publication of data sets and documents related to a single study; masking of individual identifiers and protection of confidentiality; legal issues of liability; and terms-of-use agreements.

Provides a detailed description of the technical assistance that will be available for archived datasets which includes, but is not limited to, answering user questions, conducting in-depth data training workshops, and providing documentation to assist data users.  This description should anticipate problems and suggest solutions to the ongoing support of dataset archiving, and present a manageable plan for ongoing technical assistance.

Describes a plan for effectively partnering with other research and data archives, knowledge management, and information systems; funding partners; and research consortia, professional associations, or other relevant bodies whose members represent target users of the CCEERC.

Discusses the relationship of archiving to the protection of human subjects, informed consent, protection from research risks, and Institutional Review Boards (IRB). Addresses the relationship of the funded archive to IRBs, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), and Certificates of Confidentiality, specifically.     

Proposes an effective approach to technical assistance for contributors and users of the CCEERC, showing how the technical assistance plan relates to and promotes each of the other components.

Proposes an effective quality control approach for the development of CCEERC publications.  Examples include commissioning project publications to be developed by widely-recognized experts in specific topical areas and establishing a formal review process for project publications. 

Describes the composition and role of an advisory group in support of the work of the CCEERC.

Proposes an effective plan to increase collaboration and partnership-building at national, statewide and local levels; support researchers and other stakeholders in their efforts to build effective partnerships; and promote collaboration in a variety of environments, such as colleges and universities, State and local child care and early education agencies, and child care and early education organizations.

Proposes approaches that reflect cultural sensitivity to the issues being addressed.

Identifies possible barriers to achieving the proposed results and benefits and describes effective strategies for addressing these barriers.

Provides assurance that, should the occasion arise, all products acquired, developed or maintained during the term of the cooperative agreement will be passed on to ACF or the subsequent CCEERC grantee.

STAFF AND POSITION DATA - 10 points

The extent to which the applicant:

Commits to an adequate number of staff with the expertise to carry out the project with a high level of accomplishment, on time, and within budget.

Proposes a project director and key staff with highly relevant skills, knowledge, and experience in child care, Head Start, and early education.

Proposes a project director and key staff with evidence of sufficient time available to fulfill this role.

Proposes a project director and key staff, who, when taken together as a team, have the knowledge and experience to accomplish collaborations across researchers, policy makers, and other key stakeholders described for this project.

Provides brief resumes of the current and proposed staff, as well as job descriptions that demonstrate the ability of the proposed staff to fulfill key roles, including their percent effort committed to projects outside of CCEERC.

Resumes indicate what position each individual will fill and position descriptions specifically describe each job as it relates to the proposed project.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILES - 15 points

The extent to which the applicant:

Describes university or agency support, if applicable, to the organizational capabilities required for implementation of this activity.

Describes organizations and consultants who may work on the program along with a short description of the nature of their effort or contribution.

Provides a detailed management plan, with personnel allocations, tasks and subtasks, products, timelines, and coordination of components which shows how the proposed project goals will be accomplished. 

Provides a means of monitoring progress, accomplishments, and shortfalls.

Provides information on plans for training project staff as well as staff of cooperating organizations and individuals, if needed.

Identifies a process of self-evaluation for the project, which may include, but is not limited to, monitoring the usage of the website and making comparisons to other similar projects in an effort to monitor and improve the CCEERC's service to its intended audience.

Demonstrates sufficient resources and appropriate facilities to successfully implement, manage and further develop the CCEERC.

Includes letters of intention from any subcontractors or primary consultants.

RESULTS OR BENEFITS EXPECTED - 10 points

The extent to which the applicant:

Identifies the results and benefits of the proposed project to enhance policy on children in low-income families and advance science in child care and early education, including Head Start.

Describes how the proposed approach to the CCEERC would contribute to overall efforts to improve child care and early education services and systems, the development and well-being of children, and particular outcome measures, as applicable.

Provides a set of performance measures designed to demonstrate how well the goals and objectives of the CCEERC are being met.

Describes how technical assistance plans will benefit contributors and users of the CCEERC including OPRE, the Child Care Bureau, the Child Care Policy Research Consortium and other members of the child care and early education research and policy communities, including Head Start researchers.

Describes how the proposed project will significantly increase collaboration and partnership building among researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders at national, State, and local levels.

BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION - 15 points

The extent to which the applicant:

Provides a narrative description and sound rationale for the budget information presented on Standard Forms 424 and 424A and related budget tables presented in the text.  The description and rationale should indicate the proportion of the budget that is allotted for the key functions, which at least include:  1) Interactive website; 2) research database; 3) data archive; 4) technical assistance; and 5) ongoing collaboration activities.

Demonstrates that costs to operate the CCEERC are reasonable, adequate and justified in terms of the proposed tasks and subtasks as well as anticipated results and benefits.

Includes sound fiscal control and accounting procedures to ensure prudent use, proper and timely disbursement and accurate accounting of funds received under this program announcement.

2. Review and Selection Process:

The competitive review will be conducted in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by panels of Federal and non-Federal expert reviewers knowledgeable in the areas of child care, Head Start and early education. Application review panels will assign a score to each application and identify its strengths and weaknesses in direct relation to the evaluation criteria.

OPRE will conduct an administrative review of the applications and results of the competitive review panels and make recommendations for funding to the Director of OPRE.

The Director of OPRE will make the final selection of the applications to be funded. Applications may be funded in whole or in part depending on: (1) the ranked order of applicants resulting from competitive review; (2) staff review and consultations; (3) the combination of projects that best meet the information needs of the program; (4) the funds available; and (5) other relevant considerations.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates:

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Award Notices:

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements:

Grantees are subject to the requirements in 45 CFR Part 74 (non-governmental) or 45 CFR Part 92 (governmental).

3. Reporting Requirements:

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

Program Office Contact:

Susan Jekielek
Administration for Children and Families
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
7th Floor West
Washington, DC 20447
Phone:  202-401-7260
Email: Susan.Jekielek@acf.hhs.gov

Grants Management Office Contact:

Tim Chapelle
Office of Grants Management
Administration for Children and Families
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW.
Washington, DC 20447
Phone:  202-401-4855
Email: tim.chappelle@acf.hhs.gov

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION