If the next round of DRS grant competitions follows the same pattern we saw last year, programs might expect a fall or early winter timeline. Most DRS competitions took place in the fall, with grants forecasted in September and open for competition October through December. The months leading up to DRS are critical planning time.
If your program expects to be in DRS this fall, summer is a great time to consider the resources and information you will need for a smooth and successful process. One way that your program can prepare for DRS is to complete data updates. This pre-work is essential to make sure that your program has up-to-date data that will be required by the grant application and will be used to justify your proposed program.
What type of data will our program need?
You can get a sense of the data that will be required by reviewing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that is similar to the NOFO you anticipate responding to. You can explore open (or recently closed) opportunities on the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) Locator. You will need data on eligible children, agencies serving eligible children, community needs, and more.
In addition to providing data that is required by the NOFO, you might need additional data that helps to justify your proposal. Think about how you will use data to describe the need for services and justify the proposed use of funds.
If your program recently competed for Head Start/Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) funding, you might also remember there were some data nuances in that application. While there’s no guarantee that DRS NOFOs will be the same, we recommend paying attention to what the Office of Head Start (OHS) is focusing on. For example, the NOFO asked for the number of children in the proposed service area that are receiving child care subsidies, and applicants were required to describe the subsidy landscape in their state.
How do we know if we have what we need?
First, take inventory of your most recent community assessment and wage study. Consider, how do your most recent community assessment and wage study line up with what you will need and want for grant writing? Do they provide current and relevant data to justify your program design and budget, including staff compensation?
The wage comparability piece is equally as important as the data in your community assessment. With the recent focus on the importance of staff compensation, and potential upcoming changes to compensation requirements, it seems likely applicants will be required to write about wage comparability (e.g., how the program offers competitive salary and benefits, how the program is working toward pay parity). This was the case for HS/EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP, signaling the importance to OHS.
What other data should we consider?
As 2023-2024 Program Information Reports (PIR) are finalized, you’ll have recent data to be able to write about your program. Use data to highlight the strengths of your program. For example, does your program have a history of serving a high percent of enrolled children with disabilities? Are you reaching substantial numbers of single parent families? Or families experiencing homelessness? While most of a DRS proposal is about the future (what your program will do once awarded funds), there are opportunities to write about your program’s past performance. Be prepared to highlight the strengths of your program.
What steps can we take to support data readiness?
Take advantage of the time leading up to the grant competition to get your data ready. Talk about data in your planning conversations. Make a plan for who is responsible for what. The summer months can be an ideal time to update data and gather new information. We recommend starting with the biggest and most time-consuming tasks. If your community assessment annual update is overdue or if your wage study is out of date, make a plan right away to get these completed by fall. These “big” tasks can take months to complete thoughtfully.
If your program is in good shape with a current community assessment and wage study, consider if you need enhancements (is all the data you need included?) or if there is data that will need updated (has more current information become available?). Focus on plugging holes so that you have the most complete story of need in your service area.
If your program needs assistance with DRS data readiness, we offer support with data gathering to support a competitive application. We can prepare a data report for your program that will provide complete and up-to-date information for use in your application. Data tables in the report are aligned to community assessment requirements in HSSPPS, as well as data requirements in the DRS NOFO.
With these tips in mind, your program will be well positioned to respond to required data, provide data that justifies your grant proposal, and show your understanding of community need.
In addition to the data services noted above, Foundations for Families offers a variety of Consulting Services, including wage comparability studies and grant writing support. If your program is interested to learn more, please be in touch, and we would be glad to discuss your program’s needs.
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