Section 235.20  Application Procedure and Content for New or Expanding Programs

Each applicant that is proposing a program that has not received funding in the year previous to the current application or is seeking additional funds to expand its currently funded program shall submit to the State Board of Education a proposal that includes the components specified in this Section.  For purposes of this Section, an "expanded" program includes one in which the applicant is proposing to serve additional children and their families or to offer initiatives not provided under its currently funded program.

a)         Grants for new or expanded programs shall be offered in years in which the level of available funding is such that one or more new or expanded programs can be supported, along with those currently funded programs that seek continuation funding in accordance to Section 235.60 of this Part.

b)         When sufficient funding is available, the State Superintendent of Education shall issue one or more Requests for Proposals (RFP) specifying the information that applicants shall include in their proposals, informing applicants of any bidders' conferences, and requiring that proposals be submitted no later than the date specified in the RFP.  The RFP shall provide at least 45 calendar days in which to submit proposals.

c)         All proposals submitted in response to an RFP shall include the following components:

1)         A cover page completed on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and signed by the school district superintendent or official authorized to submit the proposal or, in the case of a joint application, by the superintendent from each of the school districts and each authorized official of other eligible entities participating in the joint proposal.

2)         For applicants other than public school districts, a description that includes the following:

A)        the applicant's mission statement, organizational structure, and goals or policies regarding early childhood programs;

B)        the applicant's existing competencies to provide early childhood education programs, to include a list of any early childhood accreditations that have been achieved; and

C)        in the case of a joint application, the goals and objectives of the collaboration and a brief description of each partner's experience in providing services similar to those to be provided under the Early Childhood Block Grant program.

3)         A description of the need for the program, which shall include:

A)        current demographic or descriptive information regarding the community in which the families and children reside (including information on the prevalence of homelessness); and

B)        the process that was used to determine the need for the program in the community in relation to other similar services that may be operating in the same geographic area.

4)         A description of the population to be served, as defined in Section 235.10(a) of this Part, for each program to be funded under the Early Childhood Block Grant.  This description shall include:

A)        how the eligible population will be recruited;

B)        the geographic area to be served; and

C)        the estimated number of children and/or families to be enrolled.

5)         A description of the procedures to be used to screen children and their families to determine their need for services.  Results of the screening shall be made available to the program staff and parents of the children screened.  All screening procedures shall include:

A)        criteria to determine at what point performance on the screening instrument indicates that children are at risk of academic failure as well as to assess other environmental, economic and demographic information that indicates a likelihood that the children would be at risk;

B)        screening instruments/activities related to and able to measure the child's development in at least the following areas (as appropriate for the age of the child):  vocabulary, visual-motor integration, language and speech development, English proficiency, fine and gross motor skills, social skills and cognitive development;

C)        written parental permission for the screening;

D)        parent interview (to be conducted in the parents' home language, if necessary), including at least the following:

i)          for preschool education programs, a summary of the child's health history and social development; or

ii)         for prevention initiative programs, information about the parents, such as age, educational achievement and employment history;

E)         vision and hearing screening, in accordance with 77 Ill. Adm. Code 685 (Vision Screening) and 675 (Hearing Screening); and

F)         where practicable, provision for the inclusion of program teaching staff in the screening process. 

6)         A description of the parent education and training component that will be provided, to meet at least all of the requirements of Section 2-3.71a of the School Code.

7)         A description of how the program will coordinate with other programs, as specified in the RFP, that are in operation in the same area and that are concerned with the education, welfare, health and safety needs of young children.

8)         A description of the full-time and part-time professional and nonprofessional staff to be paid by the program, indicating that program administrators, early childhood teachers, counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers are appropriately qualified.

A)        Teachers of children ages 3 to 5 years must hold an initial, initial alternative, standard, master, provisional, provisional alternative, resident teacher, or visiting international teacher early childhood certificate.  (See Section 2-3.71(a)(3) of the School Code and 23 Ill. Adm. Code 1.Appendix A.)

B)        By July 1, 2014, noncertificated staff employed to assist in instruction provided to children ages 3 to 5 years shall meet the requirements set forth in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.510(c).

9)         A description of staff development assessment procedures and ongoing professional development activities to be conducted.

10)         A description of the required program components, as set forth in either Section 235.30 or 235.40 of this Part.

11)         Other information, as specified in the RFP, such as daily schedules (including the number of hours per day and days per week the program will operate), classroom locations, facility information (e.g., owner's name, terms of lease arrangement, size of classrooms and other areas to be used by the program), if applicable.

12)         The plan for ensuring that the program provides either a snack, in the case of a half-day program, or a meal, in the case of a full-day program, for participating children.

13)         Budget information, provided on forms supplied by the State Board of Education.  The budget shall specify that no more than 5 percent of the total grant award shall be used for administrative and general expenses not directly attributed to program activities, except that a higher limit not to exceed 10 percent may be negotiated with an applicant that has provided evidence that the excess administrative expenses are beyond its control and that it has exhausted all available and reasonable remedies to comply with the limitation.

14)         A description of how the applicant will ensure that no fees will be charged of parents or guardians and their children who are enrolled and participate in Early Childhood Block Grant programs.

15)         A plan for evaluating the proposed programs and activities to be included in the Early Childhood Block Grant, which shall correspond to the applicable specifications set forth in the RFP.

16)         Such certifications and assurances as the State Board of Education may require. 

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 13357, effective July 25, 2008)