Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants - Brooklyn, Kings County, and the Bronx, New York | HHS 2024 ACF OHS HP R2 0071

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACF OHS HP R2 0071

The Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants - Brooklyn (Kings County) and the Bronx, New York is a competitive federal grant opportunity from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Head Start (OHS). The funding is intended to increase the supply of high-quality Early Head Start services for low-income infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) and their families in the targeted New York City boroughs. The program focus is on building and expanding access to comprehensive early childhood services, either by creating or strengthening Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships with child care providers, or by expanding the direct provision of Early Head Start services.

ACF is making up to $6,161,948 available under this discretionary grant competition (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2024-ACF-OHS-HP-R2-0071; CFDA/Assistance Listing: 93.600). ACF anticipates making 2 awards. The listed award ceiling aligns with the total amount available, which signals that one or more awards could be relatively large depending on how ACF structures final selections, budgets, and service area coverage. The funding supports the core Early Head Start expectation of delivering high-quality, comprehensive services, which typically include early learning and development supports, health and developmental screenings, family engagement and family support services, and coordination with community resources, all designed to promote school readiness and family well-being beginning in infancy.

The central goal is expansion: adding new Early Head Start slots and improving access to high-quality care for infants and toddlers whose families have low incomes. Applicants can pursue this through EHS-CC Partnerships, which generally combine the strengths of Early Head Start (comprehensive standards and family services) with the broader child care system (extended-day and year-round care options). Alternatively, applicants can propose to expand Early Head Start services directly. In either approach, the intent is to increase the availability of settings that meet Early Head Start performance expectations and can reliably serve eligible children and families in Brooklyn/Kings County and the Bronx.

Eligibility is broad but clearly defined by the Head Start Act. ACF will consider applications from public entities (including state, county, and city or township governments), and private organizations, including community-based and faith-based nonprofits, as well as for-profit agencies, so long as they meet eligibility requirements under section 645A(d) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840A(d)). The opportunity also lists eligible applicant types such as independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses, reflecting the program’s allowance for multiple organizational forms when they are capable of operating Early Head Start services. Current Head Start operators are explicitly allowed to apply to operate Early Head Start programs as well, which can be important for organizations that already have Head Start infrastructure and want to extend services earlier in a child’s life.

At the same time, there are firm restrictions. Individuals, including sole proprietorships, are not eligible, and foreign entities are not eligible; applications from those categories will be disqualified from merit review and cannot be funded. Faith-based organizations are eligible on the same basis as other applicants, and ACF states it will not discriminate in selection based on an organization’s religious character or affiliation, consistent with 45 CFR Part 87 and applicable federal protections.

Administratively, this is a grant (not a contract) and falls under income security and social services as the primary activity category. The application closing date shown is January 26, 2024, and the opportunity record was created on November 27, 2023. Applicants are directed to federal grant application guidance at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-4 for practical steps such as Grants.gov registration, submission mechanics, and an overview of the federal review process. For additional competition-specific questions, ACF provides an inquiry email: OHSgrants@koniag-gs.com.

In practical terms, an applicant considering this opportunity would need to present a credible plan to expand Early Head Start capacity in Brooklyn and/or the Bronx, demonstrate the organizational capability to meet Early Head Start program requirements, and show how it will deliver or coordinate the full set of comprehensive services that Early Head Start expects for infants, toddlers, and their families. For partnership proposals, the applicant would also need to explain how it will collaborate with child care providers to raise and sustain quality, align standards and staffing, and ensure eligible families can access stable, developmentally appropriate care.

• The Administration for Children and Families - OHS in the income security and social services, oz sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Grants - Brooklyn, Kings County, and the Bronx, New York" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.600.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-01-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,161,948.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

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