EHS-CCP In Depth

About EHS-CCP In Depth

In January of 2014, Congress appropriated $500 million to expand the number and quality of early learning slots for infants and toddlers. There have been three additional rounds of funding, for Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships.

This blog gives you access to tools and services that maximize success in planning for, applying for, and implementing an EHS-Child Care Partnership grant.

Application Deadline Extended in Six States

Sep 18, 2020

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 October 5. A description of the extension is provided on the ACF Funding Opportunities website and is in the updated Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Due to the federal emergency disaster declarations in Alabama, California,...

Grants.gov Maintenance Scheduled for This Weekend

Sep 18, 2020

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 6:00am ET. If you have not yet submitted your EHS-CCP proposal or created your workspace on grants.gov, we recommend you log in as soon as possible. If you’re not ready to submit today, consider entering any data that is ready....

5 Tips and 10 Days Before Proposals are Due

Sep 11, 2020

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 your application and get ready to submit. 1. Double check start up needs. Ask for what you need to successfully implement the proposed program. Have you budgeted for items such as classroom supplies, renovations, or equipment? And...

Prioritizing Qualified Opportunity Zones in EHS-CCP Round 4

Aug 13, 2020

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 Opportunity Zones. What are they? And, how do you find them? First, here is the language from the FOA about the prioritization for Qualified Opportunity Zones. Having high-quality early care and education opportunities is...

EHS-CCP Round 4 Posted and Applications Due September 21

Jul 23, 2020

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 day turnaround, it’s time to get to work! An initial review of the FOA shows that the substance and criteria for each of the sections of the narrative remain essentially unchanged from the previous round. Some of the most notable...

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EHS-CCP In Depth Archive

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We were able to quickly turnaround one of the best grant applications we have ever submitted and in less than a month’s time. FFF helped us stay on timeline and get tasks accomplished. Having their assistance, we were able to stay focused on each task at hand and actually were able to finish ahead of the proposed timeline.

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Early Childhood Services Operations Director, Sunbeam Family Services, OK

The knowledge-level and support provided by the Foundation for Families team was exceptional. Our Expansion application was successful, resulting in an additional 104 children in Douglas County being served. Additionally, I feel like we strengthened our own knowledge of HSPPS and Head Start values throughout both processes, which will have a lasting impact on all of the work we do. The FFF team has great knowledge and expertise, is highly organized, and communicates effectively. As a result, our products were of a much higher caliber than they would have been otherwise.

Shannon Cotsoradis

President & CEO, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative

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DRS Updates

NOFOs Posted for Competitive HS/EHS Grants in New Jersey, North Dakota, and Texas

On March 14, 2023 three Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for competitive Head Start/Early Head Start grant opportunities posted on grants.gov. Applications for grants are due May 15, 2023. In addition to accessing NOFOs on grants.gov, they are downloadable from the Office of Head Start (OHS) Funding Opportunities website. Service areas with grants open for competition, estimated funding amounts, and estimated numbers of awards are listed below.

What to Expect for DRS in 2023

DRS can feel unpredictable as programs learn about deficiencies or await a grant competition. From timelines to process, it can be hard to know what to expect. In this blog post, we recap what we know about the status of DRS in 2023, from open competitions to what may come.

DRS NOFOs Posted for Four States and Applications Due January 24, 2023

On November 10, 2022, five Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities posted on grants.gov. These grants were forecasted in October and were expected to post earlier this month. Applications for DRS grants are due January 24, 2023.

In addition to accessing NOFOs on grants.gov, they are downloadable from the Office of Head Start (OHS) Funding Opportunities website. Service areas with grants open for competition, estimated funding amounts, and estimated numbers of awards are summarized below.

DRS Grants Forecasted to Open for Competition in November 2022

On October 11, 2022, four of the eight Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities expected this fall were forecasted on grants.gov. At the NHSA Fall Leadership Institute, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announced that DRS grant competitions will be for service areas in Puerto Rico and seven states including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

New Section of HSPPS Allows Flexibility for DRS Determinations in Emergencies

The tenth round of DRS is coming to a close next week. If your program is competing in this round, you might be putting the final touches on your application. The application process is a lot of work. Congratulations to all who submit applications! In recent years,...

5 Tips for Successful Submission of DRS Round 10 Applications

The deadline for submission of DRS grant applications, February 2, 2022, is less than three weeks away. At this stage in the process, you are likely putting finishing touches on narrative, gathering appendix items, and planning for submission of your application. It’s the home stretch and carefully navigating the final steps of the application process will help to ensure timely and successful submission of your program’s application.

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

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

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

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

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.

Talking Points

How to Plan for a Successful Change in Scope Request

Underenrollment action planning is well on its way for some Head Start/Early Head Start programs, and will be soon for many more. Whether responding to an underenrollment letter that has been received, or one expected soon, submitting a Change in Scope Request to the Office of Head Start (OHS) is one strategy programs might consider to mitigate underenrollent challenges and deal with an ongoing child care workforce staffing crisis.

Underenrollment Action Planning Begins for Many HS/EHS Programs

Underenrollment is a longstanding issue faced by many Head Start/Early Head Start programs. It continues to present a major challenge for programs and is now coupled with an unprecedented child care staffing crisis. 2023 is the first year the Full Enrollment Initiative is being implemented since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an estimated 225 grant recipients just received letters designating their program as chronically underenrolled.

Funding Highlights from 2023 NHSA Winter Leadership Institute

The 2023 National Head Start Association (NHSA) Winter Leadership Institute took place January 22-25 in Crystal City, Virginia. The conference facilitated many opportunities for collaboration and learning. Updates from the Office of Head Start (OHS) and other federal...

Exploring Inflation and Its Impact on Low-Income Households

In the United States, inflation is at an all-time high. This information probably doesn’t come as a surprise! During the summer of 2022, inflation reached 9.1%, the highest rate in four-decades. In this blog post, we explore inflation, how it affects families, and how programs serving children and families might use this data.

Making the Case for HS/EHS Enrollment Reduction or Conversion

On November 7, 2022, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued an Information Memorandum, Enrollment Reductions and Conversion of Head Start Slots to Early Head Start Slots (ACF-IM-HS-22-09), that provides guidance to Head Start/Early Head Start programs about how to submit a change in scope and the factors that programs should take into consideration for such a request.

Insights on Process and Content to Help Prepare for FY2023 Focus Area Reviews

As programs settle into the new program year, many are looking ahead to Head Start/Early Head Start monitoring reviews. Reviews are around the corner, as Focus Area Two will begin in October, followed by Focus Area One in November. This is the time of year when the Office of Head Start (OHS) releases updated monitoring protocols and guidance for programs to consider.

Funding Highlights from 2022 NHSA Fall Leadership Institute

The 2022 National Head Start Association (NHSA) Fall Leadership Institute took place September 19-22 in Washington, DC. It was a welcome opportunity to see colleagues in person, as the last couple years it has taken place virtually. One aspect of the conference that was particularly interesting from the funding perspective was Updates from the Office of Head Start. We learned about big picture and program-specific funding opportunities.

Wage and Benefits Studies Support Competitive Compensation Systems

Staff wages and benefits are important factors in a program’s ability to attract and retain a qualified workforce. Research shows that higher staff turnover is associated with lower wages in child care programs, so learning how your program’s compensation compares to others is an important strategy for fostering a stable workforce. And with widespread staffing shortages in the child care industry, compensation is more important than ever.

CLASS and Coaching: Valuable Tools to Support Continuous Program Improvement

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Head Start/Early Head Start programs have taken unprecedented steps to provide compliant, high quality programs for children and families. There have been health and safety mandates, guidelines, and protocols to implement, all while programs navigate the day-to-day with a shrinking workforce.