DRS Updates

About DRS Updates

Foundations for Families started this blog in 2011 to provide support for those agencies on the Designation Renewal Systems (DRS) list, and to give you up to date information and analysis about DRS.

DRS Updates provides timely information and context for those agencies in DRS, at risk of being in DRS, or those wishing to compete for the service areas.

DRS Round 10 NOFOs Posted and Applications due February 2, 2022

Nov 22, 2021

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the tenth round of Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant competitions were announced on Grants.gov on Friday, November 19. Applications are due no later than February 2, 2021. NOFOs are available on Grants.gov by searching for Head Start grant opportunities. If you’re used to seeing “Funding Opportunity Announcement” or “FOA” in grant documents, note that the Office of Head Start has begun using NOFO instead.

DRS Round 10 Forecasted to Open for Competition November 22

Nov 4, 2021

The tenth round of Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities were forecasted on grants.gov in July and were expected to open for competition in September. Grants.gov has been updated to reflect a new timeline. The estimated posting date for Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) is November 22, 2021. Applications are estimated to be due on January 21, 2022.

DRS Grant Competitions Delayed and New Grants Forecasted

Sep 22, 2021

The upcoming round of DRS was scheduled to open for competition on September 8, 2021. The forecasts for these grants were released in July and have not been updated since then. If you’re waiting for a DRS Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) to post, new activity on grants.gov may provide some insight.

Create Efficiencies with Internal Grant Writing Expertise

Aug 19, 2021

The next round of DRS is right around the corner, with grants competitions forecasted for September 2021. If your program plans to compete for funding through DRS, you may be determining roles and responsibilities for grant writing and submission of your agency’s proposal.

For agencies that don’t have a clear grant writing process, you might need an external grant writer to facilitate the grant writing process from drafting to application submission. Foundations for Families offers this service, comprehensive grant writing.

DRS Round 10 Grant Competitions Forecasted for September 2021

Jul 27, 2021

The tenth round of Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities are now forecasted on grants.gov. The estimated posting date for Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) is September 8, 2021. Applications are estimated to be due on November 8, 2021.

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Executive Director, Community Action of Eastern Iowa

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EHS-CCP In Depth

Two EHS Expansion & EHS-CCP Grants Included in DRS Round 10

Last week, the Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for grants in the upcoming round of DRS were announced. This is the tenth round of DRS, and ten NOFOs were released for grants open for competition. Two of those NOFOs are for Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) grants.

5 Strategies for Success in EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 5

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the fifth round of EHS Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants (EHS-Expansion and EHS-CCP) may be released this fall. Since each round of EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP has become increasingly...

EHS-CCP Quarterly Status Update (#4 of 4)

This is the fourth of four 2020 quarterly status updates about the Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) initiative. Learn about what to expect for EHS-CCP and EHS Expansion in 2021. Round 4 grant award negotiations...

Is Consolidating EHS-CCP and HS/EHS Grants Right for Your Program?

This time last year, the Office of Head Start (OHS) issued a Program Instruction (PI) announcing an opportunity for grantees to consolidate their Head Start and Early Head Start grants. Now, consolidations may include Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership...

EHS-CCP Quarterly Status Update (#3 of 4)

This is the third of four 2020 quarterly status updates about the Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) initiative. Learn about next steps for EHS-CCP Round 4 applicants and what all grantees should know about changes to...

Application Deadline Extended in Six States

The EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) has been updated to provide extensions to the application deadline in six states: Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oregon. For applicants in these states, the deadline is...

Grants.gov Maintenance Scheduled for This Weekend

Grants.gov is scheduled for maintenance this weekend, leading up to Monday’s deadline for submission of EHS-CCP proposals. The maintenance schedule states that systems will go offline Saturday, September 19 at 12:01am ET and will go back online Monday, September 21 at...

5 Tips and 10 Days Before Proposals are Due

Applications for EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4 funding are due in 10 days, on September 21, 2020. This is anticipated to be the most competitive round of funding yet, and high quality applications will stand out. Here are five tips to keep in mind as you finalize...

Prioritizing Qualified Opportunity Zones in EHS-CCP Round 4

When the EHS Expansion and EHS-CCP Round 4 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) was released last month, one of the highlights we noticed is that funding may be prioritized for services in Qualified Opportunity Zones. Here, we provide information about Qualified...

EHS-CCP Round 4 Posted and Applications Due September 21

The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the fourth round of Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants was released on Grants.gov. The applications are due no later than September 21st. The FOA can be found here. With a sixty...

Talking Points

FY2022 Head Start Monitoring Protocols Provide Consistency and New Areas of Interest

The webinar on September 23, 2021 was the first glimpse into changes for FY2022 monitoring. Following the webinar, the Office of Head Start (OHS) released Fiscal Year FY2022 Head Start Monitoring Protocols. The Virtual Expo opens in October. It is a great time to familiarize yourself with the protocols, particularly if your program anticipates a FY2022 review.

Funding Highlights from NHSA Fall Leadership Institute

This year’s National Head Start Association (NHSA) Fall Leadership Institute took place virtually, September 20-23,2011. New and exciting information was shared, including updates on potentially historic increases in funding for Head Start and the child care community.

FY2022 HS/EHS Monitoring Process Brings Updates to Format and Focus

The 2021-2022 program year is the third program year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Head Start/Early Head Start monitoring processes have been adapted with the changing circumstances. Focus Area 1 and Focus Area 2 reviews took place virtually during the 2020-2021 program year, and CLASS reviews were suspended.

2021-2022 program year reviews will return to some sense of “normal,” and there are notable changes for programs anticipating a review. These changes are described in a July 27, 2021 Information Memorandum (IM) from the Office of Head Start (OHS).

Funding for Head Start/Early Head Start Through the American Rescue Plan

As U.S. schools plan for their future, the American Rescue Plan has designated assistance for State and Local Education Agencies (SEAs and LEAs) through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Two-thirds of ARP ESSER funds - $81 billion -...

Office of Head Start Highlights Importance of Community Assessment in Planning 2021-2022 Program Services

Learn about Head Start expectations for the 2021-2022 program year and how to prepare with up-to-date community data that includes a specific focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data Updates and COVID Impact Essential for 2021 Grant Writing

If your program is preparing for grant writing in 2021 – whether it be DRS, Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership, or another upcoming opportunity for the early childhood community – now is a great time to consider the resources and information you will need at your fingertips for success. In recent years, fall has been a busy time for responding to Office of Head Start (OHS) grant opportunities. As your program nears the end of the current program year and thinks about summer planning, we offer a few strategies to help you prepare.

Risk Mitigation Recap: Continuous Improvement for Head Start and Early Head Start

During the past six months, we’ve introduced concepts in the Talking Points blog about how Head Start/Early Head Start programs can take a planned and systematic approach to minimize the risk of being identified for participation in the Designation Renewal System (DRS) and improve program services. Today, we bring it full circle with this risk mitigation recap.

Make Ongoing Monitoring Central to an Effective Management System

This year, we’ve highlighted a few strategies to implement a risk mitigation framework in programs. Through a planned approach, your program can identify, minimize, and eliminate risk. One of the most impactful actions your program can take is to improve its system of...

Support Refugees to Establish Family Child Care Businesses through Grant Funded Program

While there are highly visible, and often highly competitive, grants available to the early care and education community – such as Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants – smaller, impactful grants are available for organizations to support child care...

Partner with Higher Education for CCAMPIS Funding for Child Care Services

Grant funding plays an important role in many early childhood programs, often enhancing or expanding program services. This month, the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), opened a grant competition for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS) program to provide campus-based child care services. $43.5 million funding is available, with an award ceiling of $443,492 per grant. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2021.