CONTINUED REFUNDING LTR FOR 2015-2016.PDF

ADMINISTRATION FOR
CHILDREN &FAMILIES
Office of Head Start I Region IX I 90 Seventh Street, Ninth Floor, San Francisco, California 94103 I
www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov
JAN 1 6 Z015
Denny Barney
Chairman, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
234 North Central Avenue, Suite 3201
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Re: Grant No. 09CH7096
Dear Mr. Barney:
An application for continued refunding of the organization's Head Start and Early Head Start
grant for the 7/1/2015 — 6/30/2016 budget period is due 4/1/2015. This letter provides
guidance on the requirements for submission of the application. Funding is contingent upon
the availability of federal funds and satisfactory performance under the terms and conditions
of the Head Start grant in the current budget period.
Public Law 113-235, enacted December 16, 2014, established the appropriation for the
Head Start program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015. The following table reflects the annual
funding and enrollment levels for the Head Start and Early Head Start grant in FY 2015.
Common Accounting Number (CAN) Projected Funding Funded Federal Enrollment
G094122 — Head Start
Program Operations $18,782,007 2,295
G094120 — Head Start
Training and Technical Assistance $175,868
G094125 — Early Head Start
Program Operations $3,660,683 303
G094121 — Early Head Start
Training and Technical Assistance $90,343
TOTAL $22,708,901 2,598
The application for continued refunding must be prepared in accordance with the
instructions in Information Memorandum ACYF-IM-HS-00-12, dated April 25, 2000. This
information is available electronically at the following link: http_Seclicc.ohs.acf.hhs.qov/hslc.
As noted in the Information Memorandum, Head Start and Early Head Start grantees are
required to submit a full application once every three years. In the other two years, grantees
need only submit budget information, describe the progress being made toward the
community needs and objectives, and explain proposed significant changes to the
programs. The grant is considered to be in year two of the application cycle, and an

Mr. Barney Page 2
abbreviated application is required. Please review ACYF-IM-HS-00-12, the attached
instructions, and this guidance carefully prior to preparing the application.
The application must be submitted using the Standard Form 424 (SF-424), Application for
Federal Assistance. The application must be submitted electronically in the Head Start
Enterprise System (HSES) at https:IIhses.oh s acf. h hs . so. The Administration
for Children and Families will no longer accept a hard copy of the application. Please select
the Financials tab in the HSES and then select the Application tab to complete the
application. Reference materials can be found in the "Instructions" section of the HSES. For
further assistance, please contact .helpPhsesinfo.oro or 1-866-771-4737.
The application must contain the proposed budget, budget justification, and program
narrative. Breakouts must be provided on the SF-424A, Budget Information — Non-
Construction Programs, for the distribution of funds by object class categories. The
proposed budget must support all program costs, both direct and indirect costs, if
appropriate. In Section B of the SF-424A, use a separate column to reflect the amounts by
object class categories for operations and training and technical assistance (T/TA) funds for
Head Start and Early Head Start. Section D, Forecasted Cash Needs, of the SF-424A must
accurately reflect the funds needed for each quarter of the year based on the expected
outlays and timing of operational expenditures. A separate SF-424A must be submitted for
each delegate agency. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Long Range Goals and Objectives
The full and abbreviated applications must provide, as part of the goals and objectives of
the program, a description of program goals for improving the school readiness of children.
School readiness goals, as defined in 45 C.F.R. §1307.2, articulate the expectations of
children's status and progress across domains of language and literacy development,
cognition and general knowledge, approaches to learning, physical well-being and motor
development, and social and emotional development that will improve their readiness for
kindergarten.
The application must contain a description of the following:
6 The program's goals and progress in aligning the goals with the Head Start Child
Development and Early Learning Framework, State early learning guidelines, and
the requirements and expectations of the schools, to the extent they apply to the
_ages of children, birth to five, participating in the program.
6 Thp child assessment system used by the program to collect information about
children's development in combination with parents and families and how the
program uses or plans to use that information to individualize instruction and
learning.
e The key findings from aggregating the child assessment data, how that information
helped identify patterns of progress and areas where improvement is required, and
how progress toward meeting school readiness goals is shared with parents and the
cornmunity.

Mr. Barney Page 3
The application must also contain a summary of findings from the community assessment
for a full application and updates for abbreviated applications. Further, the application must
identify any proposed program improvements or changes to the program design based on
the aggregation and analysis of individual child-level assessment data, the community
assessment, and the results of the self-assessment. Additionally, a breakout of the
proposed enrollment levels for each county within the approved service area as well as the
results of the annual self-assessment and the improvement plan must also be submitted
with the application.
Development of the Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) Budget
The TiTA plan must assure sufficient resources are devoted to address all T/TA needs,
support school readiness goals, ensure staff are qualified, and provide quality and
comprehensive services to all enrolled children and families. The application must include
the T/TA plan and an accompanying narrative on the T/TA needs. The T/TA plan must
address the results of the self-assessment and identify resources to implement the
improvement plan.
Grantees with identified areas of noncompliance and/or deficiencies should invest
appropriate resources to assure correction is achieved. If the direct funding for T/TA is not
sufficient to meet all of the identified needs in the annual T/TA plan, operational funds
available in the annual grant award may be used.
Approvals
Approval of the application by the Governing Body and Policy Council is required. Signed
statements by the Governing Body and Policy Council Chairs attesting to the approval of
the application and the minutes documenting each group's participation in the development
and approval of the application must be submitted. If the Policy Council has not approved
the application, a letter from the Policy Council indicating its reasons for withholding
approval is required.
Submission Information
The application must be submitted electronically on. behalf of the Authorized Official
registered in the HSES. A checklist is enclosed to assist in ensuring the application contains
all of the required information.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact -Andrea Harvey, Head Start
Program Specialist, at (415) 437-8544 or Andrea.Harvey@acf.hhs.gov or Heather Thach,
Grants Management Specialist, at (415) 437-8405 or Heather.Thach@acf.hhs.gov . Thank
you for Your cooperation and timely submission of the grant application. r

Mr. Barney Page 4
Sincerely,
Jan Len
Regional Program Manager
Office of Head Start
Enclosure
cc: Bruce Liggett, Executive Director
Alecia Jackson, Head Start Director

Head Start Grant Application Checklist
Please be sure the following items are included in the
application package in the Head Start Enterprise
System (HSES).
If the grant application includes a request for a reduction in enrollment due to conversion from Head Start
to Early Head Start services (with the exception of American Indian and Alaska Native grantees) or
conversion from part-day to full-working day services, please include a cover letter along with the
rationale for requesting consideration for such approval.
For completion of the continuation application, refer to Information Memorandum ACYF-IM-HS-00-12,
dated April 25, 2000. The Information Memorandum and Program Instruction are available on the Early
Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) at http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs .,ggv.
1. Grant Applications (via the web at https://hses.ohs.acf.hhsaov/hsp):
• Separate application tabs are required for both Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
O A separate application is required for each delegate agency.
• SF-424 — The application is submitted and signed electronically on behalf of the registered
Authorized Official. Scanned, signed and uploaded SF-424 forms are no longer necessary. LI
• SF-424A
O A breakout of amounts by object class categories for Head Start and Early Head Start
operations and training/technical assistance; and LI
e The forecast of cash needs by quarter based on anticipated outlays. LI
• SF-424B, Assurances — Non-Construction Programs LI
2. Submission Requirements:
e Year One — a comprehensive application is required. LI
• Years Two and Three — an abbreviated application, is required. E
3. Program Schedule:
• The Program Schedule must contain the projected funded enrollment by program option for
Head Start and Early Head Start that can be supported with the projected funding level. LI
4. Long Range Goals and Objectives, describing the following:
• The program's long range goals and shorter term program objectives; LI
The program's school readiness goals and progress in aligning the goals with the Head
Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework, State early learning guidelines,
and the requirements and expectations of the schools; LI
• The child assessment system used to collect information about children's development in
combination with parents and families and how the program uses or plans to use that ,
information to individualize instruction and learning;
• The key findings from aggregating the child assessment data, how that information helped
identify patterns of progress and areas where improvement is required, and how progress
toward meeting school readiness goals is shared with parents and the community; and
• Any proposed program improvements or changes to the program design based on the
aggregation and analysis of individual child-level assessment data, the community
assessment, and the results of the self-assessment.
October 2014 Version

5. Program and Budget Narratives, describing the planned uses of the funds and demonstrating
the following for each grantee and delegate:
a The amount and intended use of the funds by object class category for program operations
and training/technical assistance;
• A projection of the amounts and sources of the non-federal share match requirement (cash
and/or in-kind); and
• Copy of approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if applicable.
6. Training and Technical Assistance Plan
7. Results of Self-Assessment and Improvement Plan
8. Signed Governing Body and Policy Council Approval Statements and Meeting Minutes:
a A letter from the Policy Council indicating its reasons if approval is withheld.
October 2014 Version