Request for Application Child Signature Program (CSP) 2-21-12

Please review the CSP RFA #1 Timeline document for key dates involved in this application process.

·         RFA#1 Transmittal Cover Memo

·         RFA#1 Cover

·         Table of Content

·         RFA#1 Child Signature Program Chart

·         RFA#1 Quality Enhancement Chart

·         CSP RFA#1

·         CSP RFA #1 Timeline

·         Attachment A

·         Attachment A1

·         Attachment A2

·         Attachment A3

·         Attachment B

·         Attachment C

·         Attachment D

·         Attachment E

·         Attachment F

·         Attachment G

·         Attachment H

·         Attachment I

·         Attachment J

·         Attachment K

·         Attachment L

·         Form 1

·         Form 2

·         Form 3a-3D

·         Form 3e

·         Form 4a-4e

·         Form 4f

·         Form 5

·         Form 6

The entire RFA application can be downloaded in a single compressed file by selecting this link.  You will need WinZip or Winrar to open this compressed file.

First 5 California is pleased to announce the availability of matching funds for the Power of Preschool (PoP) Bridge
FY 2011-12 program through the posting of this Request for Funding (RFF).

Please note that this funding is available only to First 5 county commissions currently participating in PoP Bridge.

Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) Plus Funding Results (Posted 4-28-2011)

CARES Plus Program
Funding Results
April 28, 2011

CARES Plus Program Funding Announcement

First 5 California is pleased to announce the authorization of CARES Plus matching funds for the counties listed below: 

CARES Plus funds are available to the applying lead agency (a local county commission or the designated local public entity). Building on the success of the original CARES program, CARES Plus is designed to improve the quality of early learning programs by focusing on increasing the quality, effectiveness, and retention of early educators. As a statewide professional development program, its main objectives are to improve both the quality of early learning programs, and ultimately, learning and developmental outcomes for young children.

Component D Selection

Based on the Component D Pilot Selection Criteria listed in the RFA, the following counties have been chosen to participate in Component D training, My Teaching Partner. 

If the above counties are not able to participate, or if there are an insufficient number of participants from these counties, First 5 California will then notify additional counties, as appropriate, that indicated their interest in Component D, of the possibility for them to participate.

Phase I and Phase II Funding Dates

CARES Plus Phase I - Planning and Development funds are available for expenditure from February 16, 2011, through June 30, 2011.

CARES Plus Phase II - Program Operations and Requirements funds are available for expenditure from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2013.

 CARES Plus Program Contact Information

For additional information on the CARES Plus Matching Funds Program, please visit: http://www.ccfc.ca.gov/commission/funding.asp.

 For program questions, contact:

• Mary Anne Riehl-Campos, Program Management Division, by email at mriehl-campos@ccfc.ca.gov or by phone at (916)-262-1091.
• Cynthia Hearden, Program Management Division, by email at chearden@ccfc.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 263-1304.

For evaluation questions, contact Gretchen Williams, Research and Evaluation Division, by email at gwilliams@ccfc.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 263-1051. 

For fiscal questions, contact Erik Miyao, Administrative Services Division, by email at emiyao@ccfc.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 263-1047.  

A CARES Plus informational conference call will be announced soon to provide you with additional information and to answer questions you may have regarding program planning and implementation. 

Please submit any questions that you may have prior to the conference call at caresplus@ccfc.ca.gov. This will help ensure that your questions can be addressed during the call.

First 5 California is pleased to announce the availability of matching funds for the Comprehensive Approaches to Raising Educational Standards (CARES) Plus program through the posting of this Request for Applications (RFA).

CARES Plus is a statewide professional development program for early educators designed to improve the quality of early learning programs by focusing on increasing the quality, effectiveness, and retention of early educators. Its main objectives are to improve both the quality of early learning programs, and ultimately, improve young children’s learning and developmental outcomes.

First 5 California will award funds to lead agencies that partner to focus on meeting the educational and professional development needs of local early educators. Counties are encouraged to collaborate and create cohesive programs, share resources, and reduce administrative costs. Cross-county collaboration is strongly encouraged, especially for small counties.

For each application, a lead agency must be designated. The “first right of refusal” will be given to the First 5 county commission to apply as the lead agency on behalf of the county (or regional) collaborative. The county commission will have the opportunity to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) indicating its interest in serving as the lead agency. The county executive director, or designee, shall submit the LOI to apply to First 5 California by December 13, 2010. If the First 5 county commission chooses not to participate as the lead agency or does not submit the LOI, then a local public entity will be eligible to apply as the lead agency on behalf of that county or region.

The lead agency, if other than a First 5 county commission, by the stated deadline, must submit evidence that reflects the existing capacity to provide early learning workforce services and administrative, fiscal, and program oversight (see pp 7-8 of the RFA).The deadline for submitting the LOI from a local public entity is December 27, 2010.

All of the information necessary for submitting a LOI and the CARES Plus application is included in this posting. To access the CARES Plus RFA, Forms, and Appendices, please see below.

CARES Plus CORE Program Update

First 5 California launched its new Signature Program, CARES Plus, in November 2010 with the posting of the CARES Plus Request for Application (RFA). When the CARES Plus RFA was originally released, it was anticipated that the translation of each of the CARES Plus CORE requirements would be available in Spanish by July 2011, with the exception of the Looking at CLASSrooms (LAC) video library. Since that time, First 5 California staff has worked with the proprietary vendor of the CLASS materials to accelerate the translation of the LAC into Spanish.

We are pleased to announce that the Spanish translation of the LAC will now be available to all CARES Plus participants during the first year of CARES Plus implementation. This latest translation is in addition to the other CARES Plus CORE requirements already available in Spanish, including: Introduction to the CLASS, the CLASS Dimensions Guide, and the Webinar training on the effects of second-hand smoking on young children.

As a result of the accelerated translation of the LAC, now making all CORE requirements available in Spanish, First 5 California has decided to conduct a second application opportunity, open only to those 21 counties that originally did not apply for CARES Plus funding.

The CARES Plus second application period is open only to the following 21 counties:

• Letter dated March 17, 2011
• CARES Plus RFA, Appendices and Forms For Selected Counties (Posted 3-24-2011)

• First 5 County Commissions
• Local Public Entities (LPE)

• CARES PLUS RFA (Revised 12-17-2010)
• CARES Plus Errata (Posted 12-1-2010)
• CARES Plus RFA (Revised 12-1-2010)
• Appendices A-Q

• Form 1 - Letter of Intent - First 5 county commission
• Form 2 - Letter of Intent - Local Public Entity
• Form 3 - Collaborative Partners List
• Form 4 - Application Cover Sheet
• Form 5 - Application Checklist
• Form 6- CARES Plus Funding and Collaborative Partners
• Form 7 - Phase I -- Planning and Development Budget 2010-11
• Form 8 - Phase I -- Planning and Development Proposed Activities
• Form 9A and 9B - Phase II -- Program Operation Budget  (Revised 12-1-2010)
• Form 10 - Program Operations Budget Instructions (Revised 12-1-2010)
• Form 11 - Component D -- State Coaching Pilot Selection Criteria

FAQ's

• CARES Plus FAQ's Set #1 (Revised 12-3-2010)
• CARES Plus FAQ's Set #2 (Posted 12-10-2010)
• CARES Plus FAQ's Set #3 (Posted 12-17-2010)
• CARES Plus FAQ's Set #4 (Posted 1-11-2011)

To find funding opportunities in your area, visit your local First 5 county commission's Web site.  A directory of county Web sites is located here.