I. Introduction:
The Queen Anne’s County Community Partnerships for Children and Families (LMB) is dedicated to the health and well-being of our children, the families who raise them, and the communities that support their growth. It is our mission to promote a safe, healthy and stable environment for all of Queen Anne's County children and families by achieving a comprehensive system of education, health and human services whose effectiveness and responsiveness addresses the needs of children and families through public and private interagency collaboration. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the environment of child care more than any other phenomenon in our State. There is a new normal of child care operations that can be measured in terms of before and after the pandemic. Today, daily child care operations may include increased health and hygiene measures such as wearing masks, conducting temperature checks, frequent hand-washing, on-going sanitation, and practicing social distancing. In accordance with recent Maryland guidelines in “Maryland Together: Maryland’s Recovery Plan for Child Care” there are new requirements that will be phased in as child care returns. “Reduced capacity for child care facilities will need to be in place with gradual transitions to maximum licensing capacity standards when safe. Group sizes must be kept small and isolated from others in the centers. Common areas should be avoided, and enhanced health and safety practices should be taken when children are dropped off and picked up and during snack time. Thorough disinfecting and cleaning must occur between shifts. Considerations must be made to meet the needs of children receiving early intervention and special education services. Self-care for staff should be prioritized. Considerations and adjustments in parental involvement will be needed, while still maintaining strong relationships.”
Providing strong activities and programming during Out of School Time has long been a priority of the LMB. Therefore, we are very appreciative of the Queen Anne’s County Commission for providing (TBD) $100,000 in their fiscal year 2024 budget to fund additional Out of School Time activities. It is the desire of the Out of School Time Committee to make sure that these funds are spent on projects that fill current unmet needs in the County and through data prove that children are better off because of the services they provided.
The LMB serves as the primary structure for the county to develop and maintain an effective and efficient system of services for children, adolescents and families. Emphasis is placed on prevention, early intervention and community-based services. Priority is given to children and families most at-risk. The Partnership primarily assesses, plans, coordinates, monitors and evaluates. The LMB does not function as a direct service provider. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Creating a vision and strategic plan for the roles of local government and public/private child/family serving agencies to achieve our mission;
- Collaborating/contracting with child/family agencies to implement and annually update our strategic plan;
- Maximizing the acquisition and utilization of all public and private funding sources and other resources;
- Facilitating interagency project/program planning and outcome measures to evaluate service effectiveness and to address gaps in services;
- Meeting the expectations of the Community Partnership Agreement between the State and the Local Management Board.
Since 1997 the Local Management Board has been implementing effective solutions for children and families. These approaches are cost-effective, efficient, and attuned to the needs of our citizens. And, most importantly, they improve the lives of our children and families. The LMB has been successful in bringing needed, impactful services to our community. We embrace the strategy to understand the situation as it is today and use the resources available to develop long term approaches. By keeping a long term outlook and utilizing successful prevention services, the demand for costlier interventions is minimized. Through these values the LMB has founded, sponsored, developed, led, and saved numerous community initiatives and programs.
The intention of QAC After School/Out of School Time Program Initiative is to provide support to organizations with:
- The energy and organization capacity to be successful,
- The ability to improve the quality of life for the general public or specific sub-populations (e.g. school success, child safety), and
- The ability to have a sustainable, long-term influence in the community.
- Provide unduplicated innovative responses to recognized community needs
- Demonstrate a capacity to deliver the service effectively and efficiently through data measurement
- Attract additional funds (e.g., through a monetary or in-kind match) and/or volunteer support
- Improve the local quality of life and strengthen local communities
- Demonstrate sustainability
II. Proposal Instructions/Guidelines:
- Last day to submit questions for RFP: Questions must be submitted by close of business on 6/23/23. Please email: QALMB@qac.org
- Addendums: Proposals are subject to change in the form of addendums. Updates will be announced on the website: www.communitypartnerships.info
- Submission and Delivery of Proposals: All applications must be submitted electronically via the following website: https://qacmd.seamlessdocs.com/f/RFP_OOST_FY24. No paper copies will be accepted. Once signed, the fillable form provided with this notice should be submitted via the SeamlessDocs application. Please note that the Queen Anne's County Department of Community Services Local Management Board (LMB) will receive an automatic notification upon submission of the application, eliminating the need for vendors to email an electronic version to the LMB. The proposal must be received by QAC/LMB by 4PM on June 30, 2023. Applicants may e-mail the LMB to confirm receipt QALMB@qac.org. Proposals submitted without the application form will not be considered. Appendices are limited to those documents that are necessary to support the proposal.
- Qualifications: The Proposal must be in compliance with the laws regarding conducting business in the State of Maryland.
- Proposal Evaluation: Scoring Rubric: Abstract (10 points), Organizational Capacity (20 points), Narrative – Program Description (50 points), Budget (20 points) – Total 100 points
- Award of Proposal: A review committee will meet to make recommendations of proposals. Recommendations will be based on the quality of the proposal. Final selections are made by the Queen Anne’s County Local Management Board’s Executive Committee. The LMB’s decision is final and not subject to appeal or reconsideration. Applicants selected for funding must enter into a Contract or Memorandum of Agreement with LMB including, but not limited to fiscal procedures, program reporting and monitoring requirements, inventory control procedures, and retention of records policies, etc.In addition, all Contractors may be required to adhere to all additional terms and requirements of the Maryland Children’s Cabinet as set forth in the current State of Maryland Policies and Procedures Manual for Local Management Boards, which can be found at goccp.maryland.gov/wp-content/uploads/LMB-Manual-07-01-2021.pdf, or Queen Anne’s County.
- Insurance: The Proposer may be asked to provide the County with Certificates of Insurance within ten (10) days of Proposal award notification evidencing the required coverage. Proposer must provide Certificates of Insurance before commencing work in connection with the contract.
- Right to Reject: The LMB reserves the right to reject any and/or all Proposals or to waive any technicality it deems in the best interest of the County.
- As there is significant funding available at both federal and state levels, the QAC LMB OST Grant Program must ensure that there is no duplication of benefits. Applicants must identify all sources of funds, including local and private, that have been applied for and/or received for requested projects and activities.
- Queen Anne’s County Standard Operating Policies: Procurement Policy #400-010. It is the responsibility of the proposer to review and adhere to all of Queen Anne’s County Procurement Policies, #400-010. The policies can be located at https://www.qac.org/593/Procurement.
III. Grant Details: Total amount of Funding Available: $100,000.00
Grant Period: The grant period for this funding will be from the awarding of this grant through June 30, 2024.
Grant Range:
This RFP is for Out of School Time Programs and Clubs that are located in QAC and serve students in grades K-12. Applicants’ missions should target youth engagement in creative learning opportunities out of school, social competency skills, academic performance, and increasing school attendance. A program is defined as a project based on a curriculum which anticipates outcomes for participants. Funding is not meant to sustain an organization.
A total of $100,000 is available for QAC OST programming for the 2023-2024 school year. Proposal requests from Programs may not exceed $100,000. The Committee typically awards multiple grants each for less than $100,000. We reserve the right to award at a lower rate than requested. The funding period for the proposal is time of the award through June 30, 2024.
Eligibility
Any organization that currently serves or intends to serve children and their families in Queen Anne’s County can apply. This includes non-profits, private not-for-profits, faith-based organizations, community organizations, public agencies, and all other groups serving or intended to serve youth and families in Queen Anne’s County. The applicant must comply with all applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, including Child Care Administration regulations where applicable and follow the Maryland Out of School Time Standards mostnetwork.org. Grants may include budget line items such as personnel costs, operating expenses associated with daily functions, equipment/supplies, and travel. Emphasis should be on direct service. Cost(s) incurred prior to the approval of the grant may not be funded through this award. QAC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs.
Qualifications
Applicants must demonstrate that they:
- Have the organizational capacity to be able to support the proposed project; and
- Have the staff and financial resources in order to ensure that the program will operate effectively;
And
- Have the capacity to operate in accordance with CDC’s Interim Guidance for Child Care Programs as a result of the Covid-19 response should guidelines be reenforced: Such operational guidelines may include but are not limited to 1) promoting healthy hygiene practices (washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes, using face coverings, have adequate soap, sanitizer, post signs on how to stop the spread of Covid-19), 2) Intensifying cleaning, disinfection, and ventilation, 3) Ensuring social distancing 4) limiting sharing 5) Training all staff with regard to Covid-19 safety actions and procedures 6) Screening for signs and symptoms of Covid-19 7) Providing a response plan for when a staff member, child or visitor becomes sick.
- Have a minimum of two years of operational activity; and
- Have both a tax identification number and a recent financial audit as proof of solvency
- Have the following Due Diligence documentation such as licensing, insurance, financial information, etc.
Target Population:
The Maryland’s Children’s Cabinet, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, strives to meet the needs of Maryland’s children, families and communities. Through this collaborative approach, each Local Management Board identifies and focuses on Results and Indicators that are priorities in their community. Results are goals that the State of Maryland has established for its children, families and/or communities. Indicators are information that demonstrates progress toward meeting the Result. The proposed project must impact one of our Results listed below but can also impact the other themes/result areas. It is the responsibility of the applicant to clearly explain how the proposed program will positively impact the Result(s) and Indicator(s) selected either directly or indirectly.
