[Federal Register: May 7, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 88)]
[Notices]
[Page 23008-23009]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07my01-41]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA No.: 84.310A]
Parental Assistance Program;Notice Inviting Applications for New
Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2001
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Parental Assistance Program,
20 U.S.C. 5911, et seq., is to (1) increase parents' knowledge of and
confidence in child-rearing activities, such as teaching and nurturing
their young children; (2) strengthen partnerships between parents and
professionals in meeting the educational needs of children aged birth
through five years and the working relationship between home and
school; and (3) enhance the developmental progress of the children
assisted under the program.
Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit organizations, and nonprofit
organizations in consortia with local educational agencies (LEAs).
From the available funds, awards will initially be made to
successful applicants from States in which the current Parental
Assistance Program grants are expiring. Thus, in this competition, a
grant will first be awarded to a successful applicant from each of the
following twelve jurisdictions: Alabama, Arkansas, Guam, Illinois,
Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode
Island, and South Carolina. The remaining funds will be used to award
grants to successful applicants from any of the States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the outlying areas. As a result, all states
will have at least one parental information and resource center; some
States will have a second center funded.
An LEA, by itself, is not eligible for an award. However, an LEA
may be part of a consortium with a nonprofit organization that applies.
In those instances, the award would be made to the nonprofit
organization, which would serve as the fiscal agent.
For purposes of this competition, nonprofit organizations do not
include institutions of higher education, State educational agencies,
LEAs, intermediate school districts, schools, government entities, or
hospitals.
Applications Available: May 7, 2001.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 21, 2001.
Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 7, 2001.
Available Funds: $12,000,000. Of this amount, approximately $5.5
million will be used to award a grant to successful applicants from
each of the twelve jurisdictions specifically identified above. The
remaining amount will be used to award grants to successful applicants
from any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the outlying
areas. The Department will fund no more than two parent centers in any
jurisdiction.
Estimated Range of Awards: $200,000 to $700,000.
Note: Due to anticipated variances in the scope of proposed
activities and the number of program beneficiaries, the estimated
range is very broad.
Estimated Number of Awards: 25. Of this number, a grant will be
awarded to a successful applicant from each of the twelve jurisdictions
identified above. The remaining thirteen awards will be made to
successful applicants from any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, or the outlying areas.
Note: These estimates are projections for the guidance of
potential applicants. The Department of Education is not bound by
any estimates in this notice.
Project Period: Up to 12 months.
Applicable Regulations: The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 81,
82, and 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99.
Note: The regulations in 34 CFR part 80 (Uniform Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and
Local Governments) apply to an LEA that is part of a consortium
receiving assistance.
(1) Competitive Preference: The Secretary has published elsewhere
in this issue of the Federal Register a notice of final priorities,
which establishes a competitive preference of up to 10 additional
points in this competition.
Invitational Priority: Schools must provide a safe, disciplined
environment conducive to learning. Projects funded under this program
are in a unique position to incorporate in their services activities
that assist parents, schools, and the community in implementing
strategies to reduce youth violence. The Secretary invites applicants
to include as part of their proposals activities to help parents
recognize early warning signs that relate to violence and other
troubling behaviors. However, under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), an applicant
that meets this invitational priority receives no competitive or
absolute preference over applications that do not meet the priority.
Description of Program: The Parental Assistance Program supports
parental information and resource centers that are designed to meet the
unique training, information, and support needs of parents of children
from birth through five years of age and of parents of children
enrolled in elementary and secondary schools, particularly parents who
are economically or educationally disadvantaged. Funded centers must
serve both urban and rural areas, and use at least half of their grant
award to serve areas with high concentrations of low-income families.
Activities of the center must focus on serving parents of low-income,
minority, and limited-English proficient parents. Each center must use
part of its funds to support Parents as Teachers Programs or Home
Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters. (Descriptions of these
programs are in the application package.)
Applicants should be aware that the legislation at 20 U.S.C. 5912
establishes specific requirements for the organizational structure,
operation, and activities of the parent centers. To be eligible for
funding, an applicant must meet these statutory requirements. (A copy
of the program legislation is included in the application package.)
[[Page 23009]]
In instances in which more than one parent center is funded in a
jurisdiction, the centers should collaborate with each other as part of
their networking responsibilities. (A list of current grantees is
included in the application package.)
Applicants should be aware that section 1118(g) of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Improving
America's Schools Act of 1994, requires schools and districts receiving
Title I funds to assist parents and parent organizations by informing
them of the existence and purpose of the parent information and
resource center in their State, providing them with a description of
the services and programs provided by the center, advising parents on
how to use the center, and helping them contact the center.
Consequently, applicants should be prepared to address the demand for
their services created by this requirement.
Selection Criteria: The Secretary will use selection criteria and
factors from 34 CFR 75.210 to evaluate applications under this
competition. The specific selection criteria and factors that will be
used in evaluating applications are detailed in the application
package.
The maximum score for all of the selection criteria is 100 points.
The total maximum score of an application is 110 points (100 points
under the selection criteria and a maximum of 10 points under the
competitive preference referenced elsewhere in this notice and
published separately in this issue of the Federal Register.)
The maximum points for each criterion are as follows:
(1) Need for project--20 points.
(2) Quality of the project design--22 points.
(3) Quality of project services--20 points.
(4) Quality of project personnel--9 points.
(5) Adequacy of resources--7 points.
(6) Quality of the project evaluation--22 points.
Intergovernmental Review: This program is subject to the
requirements of Executive Order 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of
Federal Programs) and the regulations in 34 CFR part 79.
(Intergovernmental Review instructions are contained in the application
package.)
For Applications and Information Contact: Rachael Couch, (202) 401-
0039, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, FOB 6,
Room 3E243, Mail Stop 6400, Washington, DC 20202. The e-mail address
for Ms. Couch is: rachael couch@ed.gov.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-888-877-
8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alterntive format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed above.
Individuals with disabilities may also obtain a copy of the
application package in an alternative format on request to the contact
person listed. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an
alternative format the standard forms included in the application
package.
Electronic Access To This Document: You may view this document, as
well as other Department of Education documents published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on
the Internet at the following site: www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at the preceding site. If you have questions about using PDF, call
the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-
6498, or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 5911 et seq.
Dated: May 1, 2001.
Thomas M. Corwin,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary
Education.
[FR Doc. 01-11438 Filed 5-4-01; 8:45 am]
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