QRIS 2016 Program Quality Improvement Grant

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QRIS 2016 Program Quality

Improvement Grant

Applicant Technical

Assistance and

Support Meetings

January/February 2016

Wendy Valentine, M.Ed.

Senior Director, CI and Early Education Partnerships

Project Manager, QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants United Way of Mass Bay and Merrimack Valley

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Background Information



QRIS is a method to assess, improve, and

communicate the level of quality in early care

and education and after-school settings.



EEC formally began developing its Quality

Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

during the spring of 2008.



EEC fully implemented the Massachusetts

QRIS in January 2011.

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National QRIS Implementation

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EEC and United Way

 _{The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and}

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley have partnered together to support and strengthen the capacity of early education and out of school time

program leaders to identify, prioritize, and implement improvements that move them forward in the state’s Quality Rating Improvement System.

 This grant application’s purpose is to provide QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grants to

programs/educators serving infants and toddlers in the mixed delivery system to make program improvements, in pursuit of upward progress on the levels defined in the

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Goals



QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grant is

intended to offer funding to support programs

serving infant and toddlers to advance

towards a higher level on the QRIS system.



Support programs/educators to engage in a

process of continuous quality improvement.



Enhance outcomes for children in

Massachusetts, especially those populations

most at risk.

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Funding



Funds Type:

Massachusetts State Funds



Funds Source:

Department of Early

Education and Care FY 2016 Budget



Fund use for this initiative must be aligned

directly with the purchase resources that will

allow an educator/program to advance on the

QRIS system.



All funds from this grant must be expended,

and products/services received by grantees,

by June 15, 2016.

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Phase One

Continuous Quality Improvement Planning

Grantees Participate in Required Technical Assistance Events

Continuous Quality Improvement Plan Developed with support from Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs)

Continuous Quality Improvement Documents Submitted and Approved by TAP and Funds Added to Online Durable Goods Portal

Request for Program Planning Stipends Submitted

1

2

3

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Phase Two

Continuous Quality Improvement Plan Implementation

Durable Goods Selected by Grantee Approved by TAP and United Way

Durable Goods Shipped by Vendor and Received by Program/Educator

Continuous Quality Improvement Plan Implemented

Outcomes Reporting Completed by Grantee

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6

7

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Eligible Grant Applicants

 Be part of EEC’s mixed delivery system

 Currently be serving at least one child who is an infant or toddler

 For the purposes of this grant, infant and toddler children are defined as:

 Infants: age birth up to 15 months

 Toddler: age at least 15 months but younger than two years & nine months

 Currently be serving at least one infant or toddler receiving financial assistance as of January 25, 2016

 Submit a final self-assessed QRIS level 1, 2, 3, or 4 application or documentation of a granted QRIS

Level 1, 2, 3, or 4 in EEC’s online QRIS Program Manager (QPM) by January 25, 2016

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Eligible Grant Applicants

(cont.)

 Must demonstrate current use of Environment

Rating Scale (ERS) Tools (ITERS-R or FCCERS-R) in the past 12 months including submission of a

signed QRIS Measurement Tool(s) Verification

 Complete all grant submission requirements including:

 Submit online grant application by February 17, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.

 Submit required documents by mail postmarked no later than February 17, 2016

 For EEC-licensed programs: License must be in good standing with EEC

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QRIS Participation

 Programs applying for grant funding are required to participate in the Massachusetts QRIS.

 Required to submit a printed copy of their program’s QRIS Summary of Application Profile from the online QRIS Program Manager showing self-assessed or granted level, QRIS number, and status with this grant application.

 Programs that do not provide proof of a submitted final self-assessed QRIS Level 1, 2, 3, or 4

application or documentation of a granted QRIS Level 1, 2, 3 or 4 prior to January 25, 2016 will not be eligible for funding under this grant opportunity.

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How

Do

I

Know

What

My

QRIS

Rating

Is?

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Environment Rating Scale (ERS)



Programs must demonstrate current use

of ERS Tools

 Submit a signed Verification of Use of QRIS Measurement Tool(s) documenting use of the ITERS-R or FCCERS-R in the program for each classroom completed in the past twelve months.

 The ERS observation may be done for

self-assessment purposes; a observation completed by a Reliable Rater is not required to be eligible for this grant opportunity.

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Required Regional Technical Assistance Events (Part 1)

 Participation in two required Technical Assistance events (dates to be determined) and submission of two documents (a final CQI Plan and a CQI Implementation Plan) is required in order to receive Program Planning stipends.

 To accommodate the diverse needs of

programs/educators in the field, any in-person event will take place on a weekday and be

repeated on a Saturday or an option will be provided to participate online. Successful

completion of Phase One is required to receive Phase Two Durable Goods funding.

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Required Regional Technical Assistance Events (Part 2)

 _{Participation in two Technical Assistance events is}

mandatory for all grant recipients. The events will take place in April 2016.

 _{For each grant awarded, one educator, on-site}

administrator or on-site program leader who works

directly in the program must participate in two Technical Assistance events. One event will be a required in-person event and the second event will be available virtually

online (with a required Verification of Participation that must be completed after participating).

 _{An assistant teacher may participate in place of a lead}

teacher, but a lead agency/system representative may not participate in place of an educator from the program.

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Required Regional Technical Assistance Events (Part 3)

 One representative from each Family Child Care System

receiving an award is encouraged to participate, but is not required.

 Grantees will be asked to provide their first and second choice of day to participate in the in-person Technical

Assistance event; preference in days of attendance will be given to those requiring accommodation or with a

documented hardship.

 For Family Child Care educators, lack of an available

substitute teacher will be considered a hardship and they may request participation in the Saturday Technical

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Required Regional Technical Assistance Events (Part 4)

 Translation services will be available for Saturday event participants.

 Programs/educators who do not participate in the mandatory

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Program Planning Stipends

 All grantees selected for funding will be eligible for up to $2,000 in Program Planning stipends.

 Grantees must submit proof of participation in two required Technical Assistance Events and submit two documents (a final CQI Plan and a CQI

Implementation Plan) to receive two Program Planning stipends of up to $1,000 each.

 Successful completion of Phase One is required to receive Phase Two Durable Goods funding.

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Durable Goods Funding

 A program/educator that serves 20 children or less will be eligible for goods valued at up to $5,000

 A program that serves 21-99 children will be eligible for goods valued at up to $7,500

 A program that serves 100 children or more will be eligible for goods valued at up to $9,000

 The number used to determine eligibility is the

number of currently enrolled children as of January 25, 2016, not the licensed capacity

 Programs/educators may submit requests for lesser amounts

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Funding Allocation

 Submission of an application does not guarantee that your program will be awarded a grant

 Proposals will be accepted for consideration

beginning January 27, 2016 and reviewed on an ongoing basis; no proposal for this round of funding will be accepted after 4:00 p.m. on February 17, 2016

 Proposals for funding that meet all the grant eligibility requirements will be evaluated

 United Way, in collaboration with EEC, will ensure funding is allocated in a manner which ensures diversity in terms of geographic and

program/educator type representation to the extent possible based on the applications received

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Online Grant Application

Within the application, programs/educators can expect to find the following questions:

a) Program Contact information

b) Family Child Care System Contact Information (if applicable) c) Number of infant and toddler children receiving financial

assistance on January 25, 2016.

d) Use of required QRIS evaluation tools

e) A clear plan for participation in the grant, including name of

staff person participating in Program Planning Events

f) Consent for a pre and post program quality assessment

Access online grant application: http://www.cybergrants.com/qrisgrants

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Timeline

1/15/2016 Grant Solicitation Released

1/27/2016 Online Grant Application Opens

1/15 – 2/13/2016 Applicant Technical Assistance and Support Meetings (Bidder’s Conferences)

2/12/2016 All Questions must be submitted in writing by this date

2/17/2016 QRIS Program Quality Improvement Grant Application Closes

- All required documents must be mailed and postmarked by this date - Online grant application must be submitted by 4:00 pm on this date 3/25/2016 List of Grant Recipients Posted

4/10/2016 Pre-Assessment Survey must be completed by all grantees

April 2016 1st round of required Technical Assistance Events take place

- All grantees must participate in one session

2nd round of required Technical Assistance Events take place

- All grantees must participate in one session

4/10-5/23/2016 Required Continuous Quality Improvement Plans Developed

and Submitted by Programs/Educators and Durable Goods Funds Available in Online Portal

6/15/2016 All goods and services purchasedby grantees with these grant funds must be received and accepted by this date

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Submission Instructions

 February 17, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. is the deadline for submission of documents; they must be mailed and postmarked by this date

 February 17, 2016 at 4:00 pm is the deadline for completion of online grant application

 Grant application must be completed online

 Submit signed copies of required documents by mail as directed in the Grant Solicitation

 Applicants who do not complete the online grant application and submit documentation will not be considered for funding

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Required Application Forms

Must be mailed and postmarked by February 17, 2016:

 Program/Educator Application Document Cover Page

 Grant Contact Information

 Commonwealth Terms & Conditions

 W-9 (must include you EIN # or Social Security #)

 Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing (Notarized)

 Grant Disbursement Authorization

 QRIS Measurement Tool(s) Verification

 Consent for a Pre and Post Quality Assessment

 QRIS Summary of Application Profile

Documents posted at: http://www.cybergrants.com/qrisgrants

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Required Forms for Family Child Care Systems

A complete set of Program/Educator Application forms for each program/educator included in the Family Child Care System’s application and the following additional forms:

 Family Child Care System Document Cover Page

 Provider Consent Form (one per each affiliated grant application)

 Commonwealth Terms & Conditions

 W-9 (must include you EIN # or Social Security #)

 Contractor Authorized Signatory Listing

All forms must be mailed and postmarked by February 17, 2016.

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Resources

Key Contacts

o Documents posted at: http://www.cybergrants.com/qrisgrants o Grant Application - questions may be directed to

[email protected]

o Online Grant Application – for technical questions use the

help function within the application; additional questions may be directed to [email protected]

o EEC QRIS Program Manager – access the Program Manager at https://www.eec.state.ma.us/qrisstatewide; technical

questions about the on-line QRIS application and

self-assessment may be directed to your EEC Regional QRIS Contact (listed below)

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Regional QRIS contacts – Part 1

REGION STAFF PHONE/EMAIL REGIONAL OFFICE LOCATION & PHONE NUMBER

Region 1 Western

QRIS Program Quality Specialist

Diane Santucci

(413) 881-1547

[email protected]

Department of Early Education and Care 1441 Main Street Suite 230

Springfield, MA 01103 Phone (413) 788-8401 Education & Provider

Support Liaison Kimm Quinlan Preschool Enrichment Team, Inc. 413) 763-3900 x159 [email protected]

QRIS Health Advisor Edwin Moralez

413) 881-1546

[email protected]

Region 2 Central

Amy Whitehead-Pleaux

(508) 461-1446

[email protected]

Department of Early Education and Care 10 Austin Street

Worcester, MA 01609 Phone (508) 798-5180 Education & Provider

Support Liaison Joanne Gravell

Family Services of Central Massachusetts

(508) 757-1503 x211 [email protected]

QRIS Health Advisor Lila Coverstone

(508) 461-1460

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Regional QRIS contacts – Part 2

Region 3 Northeast

Jody Dominquez

(978) 826-1336

[email protected]

Department of Early Education and Care 360 Merrimack Street Building 9, 3rd_Floor

Lawrence, MA 01843 (978) 681-9684 Education & Provider

Support Liaison Kathy Gallo

North Shore Community College.

(781) 593-6722 x6249 [email protected]

QRIS Health Advisor Maureen Waitt

(978) 826-1319

[email protected]

Region 5 Southeast

To Be Announced

Please send questions to

[email protected]

Department of Early Education and Care 1 Washington Street Suite 20

Taunton, MA 02780 Education & Provider

Support Liaison Elizabeth A. Reddy Child Development and Education, Inc.

(508) 369-3673 [email protected]

QRIS Health Advisor Lila Coverstone

(508) 461-1460

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Regional QRIS contacts – Part 3

Region 6 Metro Boston

To Be Announced

Please send questions to

[email protected]

Department of Early Education and Care 1250 Hancock Street Suite 120-S Quincy, MA 02169

Phone (617) 472-2881 Education & Provider

Support Liaison Donna Jasak ABCD

(617) 348-6287

[email protected]

QRIS Health Advisor Maureen Waitt

(978) 826-1319

[email protected]

Coordinate Family & Community Engagement To find your grantee, please access:

http://www.eec.state.ma.us/childcaresearch/cfce.aspx

Childcare Resource & Referral To find your CCR&R agency, please see:

http://www.eec.state.ma.us/childcaresearch/ccrr.aspx Quality Improvement Grant Technical

Assistance Providers

See http://www.cybergrants.com/qrisgrants or email [email protected]

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Questions?

Thank you for participating

in this Applicant Technical

Assistance and Support Meeting