DEPARTMENT: Pre-K 4 SA
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Kathy Bruck, CEO
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Competitive Grants
SUMMARY:
This item includes a briefing and potential approval of Pre-K 4 SA competitive grants for San Antonio Educators.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Pre-K 4 SA competitive grants were approved during the original vote in 2012. The vision for these grants was to provide additional full-day and/or enhanced prekindergarten services in existing programs for 1,700 students per year.
ISSUE:
In order to achieve the goal of increasing access to quality prekindergarten programs, Pre-K 4 SA’s competitive grants will fund projects to expand or enhance educational opportunities for four-year-olds in San Antonio, especially programs that target underserved categories. Selected programs can serve this population through the following projects:
1) Expansion opportunities that may include but are not limited to: offering full day programs, extended day programs, additional classrooms, etc.
2) Enhancement opportunities that may include but are not limited to: improved curriculum/assessment, increased professional development opportunities, increased/improved parent involvement, decreased class size or teacher to student ratio, etc.
Pre-K 4 SA will fund approximately $4.7 million in grants for the 2016-2017 school year. Funding will be distributed between three groups: 1) public and charter schools, 2) private and parochial schools, and 3) childcare centers. Grant dollars will be distributed based on the proportion of students currently served in these categories in San Antonio.
In order to be eligible to receive grant funding, applying entities must be located within and serve students who reside within San Antonio City limits, identify that they are serving only pre-k 4 students, demonstrate that they are a high quality program, utilize Pre-K 4 SA professional development as part of their plan, and must be willing to participate in a quality and outcome evaluation.
The department plans to release the Competitive Grants Request for Proposals in November 2015. An external committee will evaluate the responses, and will announce the selected projects in January 2016. Staff will present this item for full Board approval during the February 2016 meeting.
This item will include an overview of the RFP timeline, a summary of the three categories, details on the evaluation criteria, and a list of recommended evaluation committee members.
ALTERNATIVES:
If the Request for Proposals is not approved at the November Board of Directors meeting, the timeline for the RFP process will be delayed. Selected candidates need time to plan and budget the funds into their FY 2017 budget, so delaying the timeline will constrain the ability to use grant funds as effectively as possible.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
RECOMMENDATION:
Pre-K 4 SA staff recommends that the Board of Directors approve the Request for Proposals for Pre-K 4 SA competitive grants.