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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 10-992

NOTICES

DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION

Availability of Program Year 2010-11 Federal Even Start Grants for Renewal and New Family Literacy Programs

[40 Pa.B. 2777]
[Saturday, May 29, 2010]

 The Federal Even Start Family Literacy Program (program), renamed the William F. Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Programs, is authorized by Title I, Part B, Subpart 3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB Act) (Pub. L. No. 107-110, 115 stat. 1425). This program is administered by the Department of Education (Department) for family literacy programs that will:

 1) Target families living in areas of high concentration of poverty who are receiving welfare benefits and who have educational needs.

 2) Enable communities to foster cooperative partnerships that build on existing community resources to create a new range of services.

 3) Provide services that are of sufficient intensity in terms of hours, and of sufficient duration, to make sustainable changes in a family, and that integrate all of the following:

 a. Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children.

 b. Training for parents regarding how to be the primary teacher for their children and full partners in the education of their children.

 c. Parent literacy training that leads to economic self-sufficiency.

 d. An age-appropriate education to prepare children for success in school and life experiences.

 Eligible Entity—An eligible entity is a partnership composed of a local educational agency (LEA) and a nonprofit community-based organization, a public agency other than a local educational agency, an institution of higher education or a public or private nonprofit organization other than a local education agency, of demonstrated quality. A private nonprofit entity, including a faith-based organization, as part of a partnership may serve as the fiscal agent since school-age children who are enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools are eligible for Even Start services under the equitable participation provisions of the NCLB Act. Under these circumstances, a public agency, particularly an LEA, is required to control and administer program funds used to provide equitable services to private school students.

 Eligibility—To be eligible to receive a grant, an eligible entity must submit an application that demonstrates it has the qualified personnel needed to develop, administer and implement an Even Start program under Part B, Subpart 3 of Title I of the ESEA; will provide access to the special training necessary to prepare staff for the program, which is offered by the Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (Bureau); and will address each of the following program elements addressed in Section 1235 of the Even Start statute.

 Selection Process—Consideration will be given to applications that meet the following conditions:

 1) Reflect the family focus of Even Start.

 2) Effectively implement the program elements in the Even Start statute.

 3) Demonstrate that the area to be served by the program has a high percentage or a large number of children and families who are in need of those services as indicated by high levels of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, limited English proficiency or other need-related indicators, such as a high percentage of children to be served by the program who reside in a school attendance area served by a local educational agency eligible for participation in programs under Part A (that is, Title I school attendance area), a high number or percentage of parents who have been victims of domestic violence or a high number or percentage of parents who are receiving assistance under a State program funded under Title IV Part A of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.A. §§ 601—619).

 4) Provide early childhood services for at least a 3-year age range.

 5) Demonstrate the greatest possible cooperation and coordination between a variety of relevant service providers in all phases of the program. Relevant service providers include, but are not limited to, adult education and literacy programs; county assistance offices; social service agencies; public libraries; PA CareerLink® One-Stop Centers; Workforce Investment Act programs; elementary schools; family centers; preschool programs such as Head Start; licensed child care centers and other community groups or agencies that provide services and assistance to persons in need of basic literacy skills or support services, or both.

 6) Submit a cost-effective total budget which contains a local match beyond the required Even Start statutory percentages.

 7) Are representative of urban and rural regions of the State.

 8) Show the greatest promise for providing models that may be adopted by other family literacy projects and other local educational agencies.

 Priority will be given to applications that target services to families most in need (that is, educationally disadvantaged adults who are receiving public assistance; do not have high school diplomas; are single parents; are victims of domestic violence; have children with developmental delays; reside in a Title I school attendance area and (if in primary grades) are receiving Title I services) or are located in areas designated as empowerment zones or enterprise communities.

 State Funding Priorities for Grant Applications—

 1) Renewal of grants to currently-funded Even Start Family Literacy Programs, providing sufficient progress is made toward meeting program objectives in relation to the Pennsylvania Family Literacy Program Performance Standards.

 2) New Even Start Family Literacy Programs by local educational agencies receiving Title I, Part A, ESEA funds and partnering with local programs currently providing Even Start or State Act 143 Family Literacy services.

 3) New Even Start Family Literacy Programs by community-based organizations, in partnership with school districts and/or charter schools receiving Title I, Part A ESEA funds and other agencies currently providing Even Start or State Act 143 Family Literacy services.

 4) New Even Start Family Literacy Programs by local educational agencies receiving Title I, Part A ESEA funds in areas of counties not served by a current Even Start or State Act 143 Family Literacy grant.

 5) New Even Start Family Literacy Programs by community-based organizations, in partnership with school districts and/or charter schools receiving Title I, Part A ESEA funds in areas of counties not served by a current Even Start or State Act 143 Family Literacy grant.

 Grant Period—The Grant Period (or duration of an Even Start grant) will be for a term of 4 years provided that sufficient progress is made towards meeting program objectives in relation to the Pennsylvania Family Literacy Program Performance Standards. The Commonwealth will not, however, issue a 4-year grant. Each year, or Grant Year, grantees will be required to apply for continuation funding. At the end of the grant period, grantees will be authorized to reapply and compete with other applicants for another 4-year term. Upon the completion of 8 years, special provisions apply to the continuation of program operations. Refer to the Application Guidelines for details.

 Restrictions—

 1) The Federal program requires a local contribution/matching funds in addition to the requested grant amount. The total cost of the program is to be supported by grant funds and a ''local share.'' The Even Start statute requires a graduated increase in the local share, which ranges from 10% (in the first year) to 65% depending upon the year of operation (see Application Guidelines for details).

 2) Section 1234 of the Even Start statute prohibits a local program from using grant funds for indirect costs. This restriction includes the project's matching funds (local share).

 Application Procedures—Even Start Renewal and New applications must be completed online and submitted by means of the eGrants web site at http://egrants. ed.state.pa.us to the Bureau, on or before June 7, 2010.

 Instructions and the Adult Education and Family Literacy Guidelines, along with the appendices for all Family Literacy programs and Even Start programs, are available on the Department's web site at http://www.education.state.pa.us and by means of the eGrants web site.

THOMAS E. GLUCK, 
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 10-992. Filed for public inspection May 28, 2010, 9:00 a.m.]


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