HomeMy WebLinkAboutContract 33032 CITY SECRETARY
CONTRACT NO. 3,3 03
TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
FY 2006 ELOA/NEIGHBORHOOD EARLY LITERACY HUBS
CONTRACT COVER SHEET
CONTRACT NUMBER: 06-CC-ELOA-001 CONTRACT TYPE: Cost Reimbursement
FUNDING SOURCE: HHS / ACYF Grant Award No. 90LOO169
CONTRACT PERIOD: From Sepbember 30,2005 To February 28,2007
FUNDED PROJECT/PROGRAM: Neighborhood Early Literacy Hubs
TOTAL FUNDING OBLIGATION NOT TO EXCEED: $687,138.01
Total Federal Funds Available to Contractor $687,138.01
Total Non-Federal Funds to be Provided by Contractor 124,989.00
This contract is entered into by and among the TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT BOARD (TCWDB or the Board) and the CITY OF FORT WORTH (together
herein referred to as the Contractor):
Tarrant County Local Workforce
Contractor: City of Fort Worth
Development Board
Address: 2601 Scott Avenue,Suite 400 Address: 1000 Throckmorton
City: Fort Worth,Texas 76103-2303 City: Fort Worth,Texas 76102
Contact: Ms. Lisa Witkowski Contact: Ms. Katherine Livingston
Phone: 817/413-4441 Phone: 817/392-6129
Fax: 817/531-6754 Fax: 817/392-7529
E-Mail: lisa.witkowski@twc.state.tx.us E-Mail: kathy.livingston@fortworthgov.orZ
The Contractor agrees to provide early learning opportunity services in compliance with all
applicable Federal and State laws, regulations, and rules, and in accordance with the provisions
of this contract consisting of this Contract Cover Sheet and the following parts, which are
hereby incorporated as part of this contract and constitute promised performances by the
Contractor:
Table of Contents
Part A-General Contract Terms
Part B- Line-Item Budget and Budget Back-Up
Part C-Statement of Work
Part D-Attachments
The parties agree that the programs provided under the herein above listed parts of this
contract shall be administered pursuant to the Texas Workforce Commissions Financial
Manual for Grants and Contracts.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 ij n �f �� Page 1 of 2
City of Fort Worth
The Contractor hereby acknowledges that it has read and understands this entire contract. All
oral or written agreements between the parties hereto relating to the subject matter of this
contract that were made prior to the execution of this contract have been reduced to writing and
are contained herein.
The Contractor agrees to abide by all terms and conditions specified herein and certifies that the
information provided to the Board is true and correct in all respects to the best of its knowledge
and belief. The obligations of the Board under this contract are expressly contingent upon the
availability of funds for such purpose, under the applicable federal, state and/or other sources.
This contract shall not be binding until expressly approved by the Executive Director of the
Board,or the Executive Director's designee.
APPROVED:
TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE CITY OF FORT WORTH
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Juy cDonal Libby Wagon
Ex five Dirictor Assistant City Manager
Date: /2 o 5' Date: _ �l 5 d,V j
C 2 Ilt a APROVED A - TO MORN AND LEGALITY:
contract Authorization
Asststant,Ct ty Attorney
Date
Attested By,
`
l�Iart endr
City ecretary
c,i�,`r�l
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 Page 2 of 2
City of Fort Worth
PART A
GENERAL CONTRACT TERMS
TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
GENERAL TERMS FOR CONTRACT WITH
TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001
SECTION 1-PARTIES TO CONTRACT
The Tarrant County Local Workforce Development Board, herein referred to as "the Board" and City of Fort
Worth herein referred to as"the Contractor',have made and entered into this contract which, together with the
documents attached and/or incorporated by specific reference, constitutes the entire agreement between the
parties,and is herein referred to as"the Contract".
SECTION 2-CONTRACT PERIOD
The period for performance of this Contract shall commence September 30, 2005 and shall terminate February
28,2007,unless otherwise provided for in the Statement of Work.
SECTION 3-CONTRACT FUNDING
Total Federal funding obligated by the Board to be paid to the Contractor shall not exceed $687,138.01. The
Contractor shall contribute$124,989 in non-federal funding.
SECTION 4-LEGAL AUTHORITY
4.1 The Board is the designated agency of the Tarrant County Workforce Development Area to implement:
• the Workforce Investment Act of 1998[WIA] (29 USC§2801 et seq.),
• the Wagner-Peyser Act(29 U.S.C. §49 et seq.),
• portions of the public assistance programs under the Social Security Act(42 U.S.C.§301 et seq.),and
• the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 [PRWORA] (7 U.S.0
§201.1,et seq.).
• the Health and Human Services,Administration for Children and Families
4.2 The Board is responsible, under these legal authorities, for administering an integrated workforce
development system, including job training, employment, employment-related educational programs,
and the unemployment compensation insurance program.
4.3 The Contractor represents and guarantees that it possesses the legal authority to enter into this Contract,
receive the funds authorized by this Contract and to perform the services the Contractor has obligated
itself to perform under this Contract. Whenever applicable, the Contractor shall comply with
appropriate federal and state licensing or certification requirements.
4.4 Each person signing this Contract on behalf of the Board and the Contractor hereby warrants that
he/she has been fully authorized by the Board and the Contractor to execute this Contract on behalf of
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the Board and the Contractor and to validly and legally bind the Board and the Contractor to all the
terms,performances and provisions herein set forth.
4.5 If Contractor is a Texas Corporation, either for profit or non-profit, Contractor shall provide (1) a
Certificate of Existence from the Secretary of State; and (2) a Certificate of Account Status from the
Comptroller of the State of Texas. If Contractor is a foreign corporation qualified to do business within
the State of Texas, Contractor shall provide (1) a Certificate of Authority from the Secretary of State
authorizing it to do business within the State of Texas and (2) a Certificate of Account Status from the
Comptroller of the State of Texas. If Contractor is a non-profit corporation having exempt status from
federal income taxation, it must provide the appropriate Internal Revenue Service notice of exemption
as well as an exemption letter from the Comptroller of the State of Texas granting exemption from State
franchise taxes.
SECTION 5-CONTRACT PERFORMANCE
5.1 Pursuant to the applicable authorities cited in this Contract and in compliance with all other terms and
conditions required by this contract, the Contractor shall provide services in accordance with the
provisions set forth in any Statement of Work attached here to as Part C and made a part hereof.
5.2 The Contractor shall comply with all federal, state and local rules and regulations pertaining to
conciliation, good cause determinations, and hearings concerning recipients of services, and shall abide
by the decisions rendered pursuant to such rules and regulation,subject to any statutory right of appeal.
SECTION 6-INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
6.1 It is understood and agreed by both parties that the Board is contracting with the Contractor as an
independent contractor,and that to the extent allowed by law,Contractor agrees to indemnify the Board
against all disallowed cost or other claims which may be asserted by any third party occurring in
connection with the services to be performed or administered by the Contractor under this Contract.
6.2 The Board may undertake or award other contracts for additional or related work. The Contractor and
any other additional contractor shall fully cooperate and accommodate each other's work and activities
related to such additional work. The Contractor shall not commit or permit any act,which will interfere
with the performance or work by any other contractor or by the Board or its agents.
6.3 The Contractor shall notify the Board within ten (10) working days of the occurrence of any change in
the Contractor's name, governing structure or organization, taxpayer identification number, and of any
voluntary or involuntary actions in bankruptcy.
SECTION 7-BOARD PERFORMANCE
7.1 The Board agrees to:
7.1.1 In accordance with Section 8 (Contract Liabilities) of this Contract, pay or reimburse the
Contractor, in a timely manner, for authorized expenses incurred or services provided in
accordance with specific grant awards or program contracts upon timely receipt of proper
supporting documentation as specified in such grant awards or contracts, subject to the
limitations set forth in Section 9.1.
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City of Fort Worth
7.1.2 Provide technical assistance to the Contractor as deemed necessary by the Board to provide for
the effective and efficient administration of programs, to address any monitoring deficiencies,
and assure quality delivery of services
SECTION 8-CONTRACT LIABILITIES
8.1 In consideration of the Contractor's full and satisfactory performance of the services specified in the
attached Statement of Work,the Board will pay the Contractor in an amount equal to the actual costs for
specific programs incurred by the Contractor in rendering such performance, contingent upon the
availability of funds for such purposes, as more fully described in Section 9 (Fiscal Administration)
herein,and subject to the following limitations:
8.1.1 The Board shall not be liable for expenditures made in violation of the provisions of the legal
authorities cited in this Contract,or any other law or regulation applicable to a specific program
or service performed under this Contract.
8.1.2 Except as may be otherwise approved by the Board, the Board shall not be liable to the
Contractor for costs incurred or performances rendered by the Contractor before
commencement of this Contract or after termination of this Contract, except for the costs of
close-outs and audit reports required pursuant to this Contract. Proposed closeout and audit
costs shall be submitted to the Board for prior written approval.
8.1.3 After close-out of the contract, the Board shall not be liable for any costs incurred by the
Contractor in the performance of this Contract, pursuant to 40 TAC §805.229 (The Close-out
Process),which have not been billed to the Board within sixty(60)days following termination of
this Contract.
8.2 Method of Payment and Expenditure Reports
8.2.1 The Board agrees to make payment in accordance with the Line-Item Budget, attached here to
as Part B, upon receipt of a proper and verified statement of current and/or projected costs for
services rendered under this contract, after deducting therefrom any advance payment or
previous overpayment made by the Board, and conditioned upon the Contractor having
submitted a completed Line-Item Budget and Budget Back-Up,attached here to as PartB.
8.2.2 The Contractor may request an advance based upon estimated allowable costs to be incurred by
the Contractor during the period for which such advance is sought and which, if approved by
the Board,shall be paid to the Contractor subject to Section 21 (Sanctions and Penalties) of this
Contract.
SECTION 9-FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
9.1 Availability of Funds
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Contract,it is understood and agreed by the parties hereto
that the Board's obligations under this Contract are contingent upon actual receipt of adequate funds
from federal and state sources to meet the Board's liabilities hereunder.
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9.2 Limitation on Liability
9.2.1 The Contractor understands and agrees that it shall be liable to repay to the Board any funds
not expended in accordance with this Contract or determined to be expended in violation of the
terms of this Contract, and pursuant to the corrective action process detailed in Chapter 17 of
the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts. The Contractor shall be liable for such
funds and shall repay such funds even if the improper expenditure,if any,was made by a sub-
contractor.
9.2.2 Pursuant to legislation, a member or former member of the Board may not be held personally
liable for a claim, damage, loss, or repayment obligation of federal or state funds that arises
from this Contract unless the act or omission that causes the claim, damage, loss, or repayment
obligation constitutes official misconduct on the part of the Board Member,willful disregard of
the requirements of this Contract on the part of the board member, or gross negligence on the
part of the board member.
9.2.3 The Board may provide written notification to the Contractor in the form of either a unilateral
letter of notification, with at least twenty (20) working days notice, or a bilaterally executed
contract modification of intent to either obligate additional funds or to de-obligate funds
previously obligated under this Contract. The Board shall not be liable to the Contractor for,
and retains the right to unilaterally de-obligate any excess or erroneous funding obligations
inadvertently indicated in any Statement of Work or Line-Item Budget, attached hereto and
made a part hereof. De-obligation or re-obligation of funds shall be pursuant to Sections 2.02
and 12.04 of the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts.
SECTION 10-ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
10.1 All business relationships between the Board and the Contractor shall conform to the administrative
requirements found in:
10.1.1 any specific term or condition within this Contract,
10.1.2 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars A-102 or A110 (as applicable), as
supplemented by the Rules promulgated by the Office of the Governor under the Uniform
Grant Management Standards(UGMS),
10.1.3 the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts,and
10.1.4 any directives specified by TWC issuances,except as otherwise specifically authorized by TWC
in writing.
10.2 In the event of a conflict between such laws and regulations and the terms and conditions of this
Contract,precedence shall be given to the laws and regulations.
10.3 This Contract is subject to the rights and responsibilities for charitable and faith-based providers set
forth in Section 104 PRWORA.
10.4 Responsibility for disallowed costs and other liabilities under any specific program grant or contract
between the Board and the Contractor will be as follows:
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Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 ��,U A-4
City of Fort Worth
10.4.1 First Priority:The Contractor shall use available stand-in costs to resolve the disallowed costs or
other liability to Board.
10.4.2 Second Priority: The Board shall recover funds from the Contractor and utilize such funds to
retire the liability to TWC.
10.4.3 Third Priority: The Contractor shall recover funds from an insurance carrier or bond issuer and
utilize such funds to retire the liability to Board.
SECTION 11-RETENTION AND ACCESSIBILITY OF RECORDS
11.1 The Contractor shall grant access and the right to examine, copy or mechanically reproduce,all reports,
books, papers, documents, automated data systems and other records pertaining to any grant award or
program contract awarded under this Agreement from Monday through Friday, between the hours of
8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.,excluding state or federal holidays or Contractor holidays.
11.2 Such rights to access shall continue as long as the Contractor retains the records.
11.3 Such rights of access and examination are granted to,as applicable,:
11.3.1 the United States Department of Labor,
11.3.2 the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
11.3.3 the United States Department of Education,
11.3.4 the United States Department of Agriculture,
11.3.5 the Comptroller General of the United States,
11.3.6 the General Accounting Office,
11.3.7 the Auditor of the State of Texas,
11.3.8 TWC,
11.3.9 other state and federal auditing agencies,or
11.3.10 any duly authorized representative of the above named agencies as deemed appropriate by the
Board or TWC.
11.4 The Contractor shall maintain program records and financial management records, which support and
document all expenditures of funds made under this Contract. The Contractor shall, for all of its
activities under this Contract, maintain a recordkeeping system for all of its activities based on the
retention and custodial requirements for records in the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts,
and 40 TAC §805.212, as amended. This section shall not be interpreted to require maintenance of
multiple exact duplicate copies of any record or document.
11.5 The Contractor shall retain all fiscal records and supporting documents for a minimum of three(3)years
after final contract closeout, or for any greater period specified in the Statement of Work,attached here
to as Part C. In the event there is an unresolved audit discrepancy at the end of such retention period,
the records will be retained until the discrepancy is resolved.
11.6 The Board, and other oversight entities, as detailed in Section 11.3 above, in coordination with the
Board, shall have the right to timely and reasonable access to the Contractor and its Subcontractors,
existing for the purposes of accomplishing the goals of this contract, premises and personnel for the
purpose of inspection, monitoring, auditing, evaluation, or interview and discussion, related to all
records required to be retained under this Section.
11.7 The Contractor shall implement and maintain an information security system for all records and
supporting documentation, with particular attention to the reasonable safeguard of confidential client
data, in accordance with the TWC Information System Security Policy and Chapter 552 of the Texas
Government Code.
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City of Fort Worth �j�� 1 �� ,54(3
SECTION 12-CHANGES AND AMENDMENTS
12.1 Except as specifically provided by this Contract, alterations, additions, or deletions to the terms of this
Contract shall be modified in writing and executed by both parties.
12.2 Any alterations, additions, or deletions to the terms of this Contract which are required by changes in
federal or state law or by regulations are automatically incorporated into this Contract without written
amendment hereto,and shall become effective on the date designated by such law or by regulation.
SECTION 13-SUBCONTRACTS
13.1 If applicable, Contractor subcontracts must require all subcontractors to comply with all requirements,
as covered in this Contract:
13.1.1 for retention and accessibility of records;
13.1.2 for non-discrimination and equal opportunity;
13.1.3 for prevention of fraud and abuse;
13.1.4 for prevention of conflicting interests;
13.1.5 for fiscal administration;and
13.1.6 for audits or evaluations.
13.2 If applicable, a charitable or faith-based organization is eligible to be a subcontractor to the Contractor
on the same basis as any other private organization. As a subcontractor under this Contract, such an
organization retains its control over the definition, development, practice and expression of its
charitable or religious beliefs,except as provided by federal law.
13.3 If applicable,the Contractor agrees to submit notification to the Board of any subcontract or partnership
agreement developed between the Contractor and a charitable or faith-based organization.
13.4 If applicable,the Contractor may enter into contracts,defined herein as written legal agreements with a
sub-contractor that specify the terms and conditions for the provision of goods or services to be used by
the Contractor or by participants in the Contractor's programs and which will be paid for with funds
from this Contract. The term sub-contractor shall be defined as any organization, entity or individual
that is awarded a contract under the Board's procurement standards and procedures,and may include a
subrecipient or a vendor. The Board reserves the right to review and approve any and all sub-contracts
prior to the Contractor formally agreeing to any level of service by a sub-contractor that may or will be
paid for by funds provided to the Contractor under the terms of this Contract.
13.5 If applicable, except as specifically authorized by the Board in writing, in selecting Sub-contractors
hereunder, the Contractor shall establish and adhere to a procurement system consistent with federal,
state and local laws for the award and management of contracts. The Contractor in subcontracting any
of the performances hereunder is not acting as an agent of the Board.
13.6 If applicable, the Contractor shall ensure that the performances rendered under all subcontracts are
rendered so as to comply with all the terms and provisions of this Contract as if the performances
rendered were rendered by the Contractor. All subcontracts shall be subject to all applicable federal
and state laws.
13.7 If applicable, the Contractor shall not subcontract with any corporation that is unable to certify that
either it is current in state franchise taxes, pursuant to Article 2.45, Texas Business Corporation Act, or
that is a non-profit corporation.
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Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 v��� ;c,V. c I�z' t A-6
City of Fort Worth
Prior to entering into a subcontract, Contractor shall require the subcontractor to certify that such
subcontractor is current in Unemployment Insurance taxes, Payday and Child Labor law monetary
obligations, Proprietary School fees and assessments,and has no outstanding Unemployment Insurance
overpayment balance.
13.8 If applicable,when issuing requests for proposals,bid solicitations,press releases,statements,and other
documents describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part with federal funds, all
subcontractors shall state the projected dollar amount and projected percentage of the total costs of the
program or project which will be financed with those federal funds, and the dollar amount and
percentage of the total costs of the program or project which will be financed by nongovernmental
sources.
13.9 If applicable, if any subcontract is subject to the requirements of Texas Family Code §231.006, the
Contractor shall comply with the provisions of that statute.
SECTION 14-RIGHTS IN DATA
14.1 The Board retains the non-exclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice or have
practiced, or reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, perform publicly and
display publicly, by or on behalf of the Board any data,product or invention developed as result of this
Contract or purchased or developed with funds from any Contract awarded by the Board to the
Contractor.
14.2 Excluding copyrighted, licensed and public domain software purchased by Contractor, the Contractor
grants to the Board and its designated representatives, unlimited rights to any data, databases or data
processing program, regardless of form or media, first produced, developed, or delivered under the
terms and conditions of this Contract. Such data includes recorded information regardless of form or
media.
14.3 Upon termination of this Contract, whether for cause or convenience, all finished or unfinished
documents, records, reports, photographs, etc. purchased or developed with funds awarded by the
Board to the Contractor shall,at the option of the Board,become the property of the Board.
In the event of such termination the Contractor may be requested to transfer title and deliver to the
Board any property or products the Contractor has acquired or produced in performance of the
Contract.
14.4 All data and rights necessary to fulfill the Contractor's obligations to the Board under this Contract must
be secured and obtained from Contractor subcontractors for any data or rights purchased or developed
with funds awarded under the terms and conditions of this Contract.
If a subcontractor refuses to accept terms affording the Board such rights,the Contractor shall promptly
bring such refusal to the attention of the Board.
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City of Fort Worth
SECTION 15-PREVENTION OF FRAUD AND ABUSE
15.1 The Contractor shall establish and implement procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating, and
taking appropriate legal and/or administrative action concerning any fraud, program abuse, possible
illegal expenditures, unlawful activity, violations of law, or TWC or Board rules, policies, and
procedures occurring under any funds awarded by the Board to the Contractor.
15.2 The Contractor shall require any member of the Contractor, Contractor staff, or Contractor
subcontractor staff having knowledge of suspected fraud,program abuse,possible illegal expenditures,
unlawful activity,violations of law or Board or TWC rules,policies and procedures occurring under any
funds awarded by the Board to the Contractor to report such information to the Board Staff Member
designated in Section 16.3 below no later than five (5)working days from the date of discovery of such
act.
15.3 An Incident Report regarding such an act must be submitted to:
Tarrant County Workforce Development Board
Attn:Joe Warren
2601 Scott Avenue,Suite 400
Fort Worth,Texas 76103
15.4 The Contractor shall establish and implement reasonable internal program management procedures
sufficient to ensure that its employees, participants, and subcontractors are aware of the TWC's Fraud
and Program Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-3642) and that Hotline posters are displayed to ensure
maximum exposure to all persons associated with or having an interest in the programs or services
provided under this Contract.
15.5 Except as provided by law or court order, the parties to this Contract shall ensure the confidentiality of
all reports of violations,as listed above. Neither the Contractor nor the Board shall retaliate against any
person filing a report.
15.6 Upon review of submitted reports, the designated Board Staff Member may elevate the report to the
appropriate State or Federal authority, accept the case for investigation and/or action at the IocaI level,
or return the case to the Contractor,or Contractor subcontractor,for action including,but not limited to,
the following:
15.6.1 Further investigation;
15.6.2 Referral for prosecution under the Texas Penal Code,or other State or Federal laws;and/or
15.6.3 Other corrective action,as may be appropriate.
15.7 In such referral cases,the Contractor shall ensure that a final investigation closing report is submitted to
the designated Board Staff Member after all feasible avenues of investigation and legal and/or
corrective action have been taken.
SECTION 16-PREVENTION OF CONFLICTING INTERESTS
16.1 In order to maintain the integrity of expenditure of public funds arising from grants or program services
contracts subject to this Contract, conflicts of interest shall be avoided by both parties for all issues
related to this Contract or any grant awarded by the Board to the Contractor.
16.2 No member of the Contractor may cast a vote on, or participate in any decision related to,the provision
of services by such member, or any organization which that member directly represents, or on any
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matter which would provide direct financial benefit to that member, or any organization which that
member directly represents.
16.3 No person shall participate in any decision relating to any subcontract which affects his/her personal
pecuniary interest including,but not limited to:
• members of the Contractor,
• employees or subcontractors of the Contractor,or
• persons who exercise any function or responsibility in the review or approval of the
undertaking or carrying out of this Contract.
16.4 The Contractor shall maintain on file, and make available for inspection by the Board, a statement
submitted by each Contractor employee, subcontractor, or governing body member disclosing any
interest, fact or circumstance which does or may present a potential conflict of interest. Such conflict of
interest disclosure statements shall be updated,as circumstances require,but at least annually.
The above paragraph shall serve as a minimum standard and shall not be construed as to limit the
Contractor's authority for more restrictive governance to prevent real and/or apparent conflicts of
interest.
SECTION 17-NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
17.1 Grant or Program Contract awards under this Contract must comply with the provisions of the
following laws:
17.1.1 Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,as amended;
17.1.2 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,as amended;
17.1.3 Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,as amended;
17.1.4 The Age Discrimination Act of 1975,as amended;
17.1.5 The Americans with Disabilities Act,as amended;
17.1.6 The Non-traditional Employment for Women Act of 1991,as amended;and
17.1.7 Applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq.) and the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act,as amended(233 U.S.C.§1251 et seq.).
17.2 The Board, the Contractor and its subcontractors shall make a good faith effort to ensure that the
employees and personnel of the local workforce development system reflect the demographic
composition of the local workforce development area,subject to the provisions of this Contract.
17.3 The Board, the Contractor and its subcontractors may not deny services under any grant or program
contract to any person and are prohibited from discriminating against any employee, applicant for
employment, or beneficiary because of race,color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental
disability, temporary medical condition, political affiliation or belief, citizenship or his or her
participation in any Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title I-financially assisted program and/or
activity.
17.4 The Board, the Contractor and any subcontractor, shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the
evaluation and treatment of employees and applicants for employment are free from discrimination.
17.5 The Contractor shall make a reasonable effort to meet the state goal on subcontracts and supplier
contracts to historically underutilized businesses certified by the State of Texas, as defined in Texas
Government Code §2161.001, including any certified women or minority owned businesses or
enterprises.
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17.6 The Board has adopted Methods of Administration approved by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services and the U.S. Department of Labor governing the Board's compliance with legal
requirements concerning nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. The Contractor is responsible for
adhering to the provisions of those Methods of Administration, as provided to each Contractor by the
Board.
SECTION 18-NON-ASSIGNMENT
As provided in 20 CFR §627.420(h)(4)(ix), this Contract may not be assigned. Notwithstanding any attempt to
assign the Contract, the Contractor shall remain fully liable on this Contract and shall not be released from
performing any of the terms, covenants, and conditions of this Contract. The Contractor shall be held
responsible for all funds received under this Contract.
SECTION 19-TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
19.1 This Contract may be terminated in whole or in part,by the Board with sixty(60) days advance written
notice whenever it determines that such termination is in its best interests or the interests of the local
workforce development area.
19.2 This Contract may be terminated in whole by the Contractor with sixty(60)days advance written notice,
whenever it determines that such termination is in its best interest or the interests of the local workforce
development area.
19.3 Either party may terminate this Agreement for cause, pending completion of any reports or audits
required by TWC or this Contract. Such termination shall be effective upon receipt of written
notification of termination,provided no less than sixty(60)days in advance.
19.4 If the Contractor fails to provide services in accordance with the provisions of this Contract, the Board
may issue written notice of default to the Contractor immediately terminating the whole or any part of
this Contract. Such termination shall not be an exclusive remedy but shall be in addition to any other
rights,sanctions and remedies provided by law or under this Contract.
19.5 Subject to Section 8(Contract Liabilities) of this Contract, the Contractor shall cease to incur costs under
this Contract upon termination or receipt of written notice to terminate,whichever occurs first.
19.6 If the Contract is terminated as provided herein,in addition to any other provisions,the Contractor shall
transfer title and deliver to the Board any property,products,or transferable licenses the Contractor has
acquired or produced in performance of this Contract,including contract or program records.
19.7 If federal or state laws or regulations should be amended or judicially interpreted to render continued
fulfillment of this Contract by either party substantially unreasonable or impossible,or if the parties are
unable to agree on an amendment to enable the substantial continuation of services under this Contract,
then the parties shall be discharged from any further obligations under this Contract, except for the
equitable settlement of the respective accrued interests or obligations incurred up to the effective date of
contract close-out.
19.8 Notwithstanding the Board's exercise of its right of early termination, the Contractor shall not be
relieved of any liability for damages due to the Board for proven damages. Upon termination, the
- - - ,
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 l s',' A-10
City of Fort Worth
Board shall pay all allowable expenses incurred by Contractor and any subcontractor pursuant to this
Contract up to the point of termination.
19.9 Any notice required by either party under this Section 19 shall be by certified mail, addressed to the
signatories of this Contract, or other designee so designated in writing at the address noted in Section
28.8 of this Contract.
SECTION 20-SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES
20.1 The Contractor acknowledges that failure of the Contractor to comply with any provision of this
Contract, whether stated in this Contract or in any Federal or State statute or regulation,State Methods
of Administration, Commission rules, an assurance, a certification, an application or TWC policies or
procedures referenced in the Contract may subject the Contractor to sanctions and enforcement or
remedial measures appropriate to the circumstances to include:
• temporary withholding of payments,
• disallowance of costs,
• whole or partial suspension,
• withholding of further awards or
• other remedies that may be legally available.
20.2 Any sanctions or penalties imposed shall conform to rules set forth at TAC Title 40, Part 20, Chapter
800,Subchapter E or other remedies allowed by state and federal laws and Agency rules.
20.3 Financial Related
20.3.1 The Board retains the right to deduct the amount of any advance payment or previous
overpayment made by the Board, from any subsequent payment made by the Board in
accordance with Section 8.2 of this Contract.
20.3.2 Failure to comply with Section 8.2.2 of this Contract is valid justification for immediate
termination pursuant to Section 19 (Termination of Contract) of this Contract and/or refusal to
honor the charges or any portion of the charges that are not submitted within the specified time
limit.
20.3.3 The Contractor shall submit requests for an advance to coincide with immediate cash needs and
shall assure that no excess cash is on deposit in the Contractor's accounts or the accounts of any
subcontractor. Excess cash is defined in the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts.
The Board may unilaterally change the method or payment from advance to reimbursement if
the Board determines that the Contractor has maintained excess cash or if the Board identifies a
material deficiency, as defined in the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts, in the
cash controls or financial management system maintained by the Contractor. Failure to adhere
to these provisions may result in funds being provided through a reimbursement process
and/or the imposition of the sanctions set forth in this Section 20.
20.3.4 Subject to appropriation by Contractor's City Council, Contractor shall be responsible for and
shall repay to the Board, any amounts that are shown to be expended in non-compliance with
Contract provisions, or disallowed as a result of a resolution agreement. Subject to
appropriation by Contractor's City Council, Contractor shall further be responsible for any
audit exception or other payment deficiency in the program covered by the Contract and all
other payment deficiency in the program covered by the Contract and subcontracts hereunder.
Vi'l !=! libvJ
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001 A-11
City of Fort Worth
20.3.5 Subject to appropriation by Contractor's City Council, all funds for which Contractor is liable
shall be made from non-federal funds. The Contractor's failure to pay within thirty (30) days
after demand may result in legal actions to recover such funds, sanctions as set forth in this
Section 20, termination as set forth in Section 19 (Termination of Contract), and/or additional
costs,including allowable interest.
20.3.6 If the Contractor proposes to use stand-in costs as a substitute for otherwise unallowable costs,
such proposal, as required by 40 TAC §805.230(b), must be included in the information
provided to the Board during the informal resolution period,and shall be subject to final review
and approval by the appropriate federal agency. The proposed stand-in costs shall be included
in the subject audit resolution report,and shall have been reported as uncharged program costs,
included within the scope of the audit, and accounted for in the Contractor's financial
management system.
20.3.7 If the Contractor fails to submit to the Board in a timely and satisfactory manner any report
required by this Contract or otherwise fails to satisfactorily render performances hereunder,the
Board may withhold payments otherwise due and owing the Contractor. If the Board
withholds such payments,it shall notify the Contractor in writing of its reasons for withholding
payment. Payments withheld pursuant to this paragraph may be held by the Board until such
time as the delinquent obligations for which funds are withheld are fulfilled by the Contractor.
20.4 Prior to imposition of sanctions or withholding of funds, the Board will provide the Contractor with
notice of such action,pursuant to 40 TAC§§800.181.
20.5 Any sanctions or remedial measures imposed under this Contract may be appealed pursuant to the
appeals provisions at 40 TAC§800.191.
SECTION 21-POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND LOBBYING
21.1 No funds provided under the Contract may be used in any way to attempt to influence in any manner a
member of Congress to favor or oppose any legislation or appropriation by Congress, or for lobbying
with State or local legislators. The Contractor will comply with the requirements of Restrictions on
Lobbying:Certification and Disclosure Requirements imposed by 29 CFR§93.
21.2 The Contractor shall require any subcontractor that will receive funds under the Contract to certify
compliance with such restrictions or lobbying or political activity by utilizing Attachment D-1 of the
Contract.
SECTION 22-DEBARMENT CLAUSE
22.1 The Contractor certifies that neither it nor its principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed
for debarment, declared ineligible,or voluntarily excluded from participating in this transaction by any
federal department or agency.
22.2 The Contractor shall require any subcontractor that will receive funds from the Contract to submit such
certification utilizing Attachment D-2 of the Contract.
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001A-12
City of Fort Worth '
rr u.�•�
SECTION 23-DRUG FREE WORKPLACE
23.1 The Contractor agrees to provide a drug-free workplace in compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace
Act of 1988(102 Stat.4304,P.L. 100-690,Title V,Subtitle D).
23.2 The Contractor shall require any subcontractor that will receive funds from the Contract to submit such
certification utilizing Attachment D-3 of the Contract.
SECTION 24-TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION EXPENSES
All Contractor staff and employees who are required to travel pursuant to this Contract in order to fulfill
Contractor business or duties as relating to this Contract shall be reimbursed for necessary and reasonable travel
and per diem expenses in accordance with the TWC Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts. Travel costs
include expenses for transportation, lodging, subsistence and related items incurred by Contractor staff and
employees who are on official business incidental to a contract.
SECTION 25-ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FUNDING SOURCE
The Contractor will acknowledge the Board, by including a printed notice that program funding is received
from the Board,in all materials related to programs governed by this Contract that are produced for distribution
to other entities or the general public.
SECTION 26-DEFINTITION OF TERMS
Terms, acronyms and terminology used in the contract are defined by the Texas Workforce Commission
Financial Manual for Grants and Contracts,and other relevant statutes and regulations.
SECTION 27-COMPLAINTS
In order to address complaints relating to discrimination or a violation of any of the legal authorities cited in
Section 4 of this Contract, the Board has adopted Methods of Administration approved by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Labor establishing complaint processing procedures.
The Contractor is responsible for adhering to the complaint processing provisions set forth in those Methods of
Administration,as provided to the Contractor by the Board.
SECTION 28-GENERAL PROVISIONS
28.1 Employment Preference
In any program administered by the Contractor that was previously administered by the Board the
Contractor shall ensure that preference in employment is given to Board or TWC employees who
provided the same services in the local workforce development area.
28.2 Environmental Compliance
To the extent required by law, the Contractor will comply with applicable provisions of the Clean Air
Act(42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq.) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended(233 U.S.C. §1251
et seq.).
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 A-13
City of Fort Worth ��� �'C���d� v�•1..
p
28.3 Force Majeure
Except with respect to defaults of subcontractors, no liability or loss of rights hereunder shall result to
either party from delay or failure in performance(including any failure by the Contractor to progress in
the performance of the work) if such failure arises out of causes beyond the reasonable control and
without the default or negligence of the party affected.
Such causes may include but are not limited to acts of God or of the public enemy, fires, floods,
epidemics, quarantine restrictions, serious labor disputes, shortage of or inability to obtain material or
equipment and unusually severe weather. In every case, however, the failure to perform must be
beyond the control and without the fault or negligence of the party affected.
28.4 Rights to Appeal
28.4.1 Any sanctions or penalties imposed under any this Contract may be appealed pursuant to the
appeals provision at 40 TAC§800.191.
28.4.2 For any disputes arising under this Contract not resulting in a sanction or penalty, Contractor
may submit a Board decision to the Board for reconsideration within 15 days of the Board's
initial decision. Contractor's request for reconsideration may include any additional evidence
Contractor wishes the Board to consider. The Board will consider the request for
reconsideration along with any additional evidence and issue a final decision in writing to
Contractor within 30 days of receipt of the request for reconsideration.
28.4.3 If Contractor is not satisfied with the Board's final decision, Contractor may request that the
Board enter into non-binding mediation to resolve the dispute in question. If the parties agree
to mediate the dispute, the parties shall mutually agree on the selection of an independent
mediator.
28.4.4 Contractor agrees that it will follow the procedures set forth in sections 30.4.1,30.4.2 and 30.4.3
herein prior to pursuing any right or remedy which may be available at law or in equity in any
court of competent jurisdiction.
28.4.5 Contractor further agrees that, pending the resolution of any dispute, Contractor shall proceed
diligently with the performance of work, including the delivery of items and services in
accordance with the Board's direction and the terms of this Contract.
28.5 Law of the Contract
This Contract shall be construed, interpreted and applied in accordance with the laws of Texas,
excluding its choice of law rules.
28.6 Severability
If any of the provisions of this Contract shall contravene or be invalid under the laws of the United
States or the State of Texas,such contravention or invalidity shall not invalidate the whole Contract,but
it shall be construed as if not containing the particular provision or provisions held to be invalid, and
the rights and obligations of the parties shall be construed and enforced accordingly and the Contractor
and the Board shall endeavor to agree on a mutually acceptable alternative provision.
Contract No.06-CCELOA-001 ,.. A-14
T,'
City of Fort Worth
i
I ^
28.7 Order of Precedence
To the extent of any inconsistency between the provisions of clauses in the Contract, the Statement of
Work, attachments, and other specifications or provisions that are a part of this Contract, the following
order of precedence shall apply:
First: All applicable Statutes and Regulations shall prevail over the Contract;then
Second: Part A-General Contract Terms (excluding Statement of Work and any parts,and any other
attachments to this contract; then
Third: Part B-Line-Item Budget and Budget Back-Up;then
Fourth: Part C-Statement of Work;then
Fifth: Part D-Attachments
Sixth: Any other part attached or incorporated by reference to the Contract in the order so cited in
the Table of Contents to the Contract;then finally,
Finally: Other attachments of the Contract.
28.8 Notification
Any notice required by either party under any section of this Contract shall be by certified mail,
addressed to the designated contact signatories, or other designee so designated in writing to the
following address:
Board: Tarrant County Local Workforce Development Board
2601 Scott Avenue,Suite 400
Fort Worth,Texas 76103
Contractor: City of Fort Worth
1000 Throckmorton
Fort Worth,Texas 76102
APPROVED:
TARRANT COUNTY LOCAL WORKFORCE CITY OF FORT WORTH
DEVELOPMENT BOARD
oudv 0 60�dd —
Ju cDo ald Libby Wats
Executive Director Assistant City Manager
Date: rr pp ppZ /c 5 Date:
.TCCC�tC� -
qq APROVED AS '1'O FORM AND LEGALITY:
vv v-
blarty endrhx
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City ecretary
_ 1
Contract No.06-CC ELOA-001
City of Fort Worth
PART B
LINE ITEM BUDGET AND BUDGET BACK-UP
GRANT#90LOO169
City of Fort Worth
Early Learning Opportunities Act Discretionary Grant
Budget Breakdown -September 30, 2005-February 28, 2007
Administrative Costs"
Federal Non-Federal Sub-total
Personnel
Project Manager $64,779 $0 $64,779
Early Literacy Hub Site Coordinator(2) $117,178 $0 $117,178
Project Assistant $14,520 $14,520
School Liaision &Youth Outreach Manager(40%) $0 $43,011 $43,011
Public Education Specialist(10%) $0 $7,044 $7,044
Public Health Touchpoints Coordinator(5%) $0 $3,347 $3,347
Temporary Employees $3,000 $0 $3,000
$199,477 $53,402 $252,879
Fringe Benefits
Project Manager $7,896 $0 $7,896
Early Literacy Hub Site Coordinator(2) $14,193 $0 $14,193
Project Assistant $1,770 $0 $1,770
Health $21,213 $0 $21,213
$45,072 $0 $45,072
Travel $6,720 $0 $6,720
Equipment
$0 $0 $0
Supplies
General office supplies $4,880 $0 $4,880
Copy paper and toner $3,000 $0 $3,000
Computers(3) $5,244 $0 $5,244
Blackberries (2) $300 $0 $300
Software $2,055 $0 $2,055
TV/VCE/DVD/Audio equipment $3,000 $0 $3,000
Other office supplies $3,265 $0 $3,265
$21,744 $0 $21,744
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001
City of Fort Worth __�_ B-1
GRANT#90LOO169
City of Fort Worth
Early Learning Opportunities Act Discretionary Grant
Budget Breakdown -September 30, 2005 - February 28, 2007
Federal Non-Federal Sub-total
Contractual
Camp Fire $108,800 $26,950 $135,750
UTA Evaluation $48,567 $0 $48,567
United Way $90,000 $0 $90,000
TCU $2,040 $0 $2,040
Liberation Communities $7,200 $0 $7,200
$256,607 $26,950 $283,557
Construction
Not allowed $0 $0 $0
Other
Workshop/Retreat $5,190 $0 $5,190
Consultants& professional Services $12,000 $0 $12,000
Children's Books and Supplies for Children $36,000 $0 $36,000
Children's Books and Supplies for Parents/Caregiver $24,120 $0 $24,120
Non-cash Incentives for Parents/Child Care Provider $30,000 $0 $30,000
Furnishings&supplies $4,800 $0 $4,800
Copying $7,500 $0 $7,500
Graphic Design Serivice $200 $0 $200
Printing $800 $0 $800
Early Literacy Van expenses $2,400 $0 $2,400
Telephones $2,380 $0 $2,380
Postage $2,960 $0 $2,960
Neighborhood Early Literacy Council Expenses $6,000 $0 $6,000
Laminator $2,000 $0 $2,000
Projector $4,500 $0 $4,500
Digital Camera $700 $0 $700
Camcorder $2,000 $0 $2,000
Community Center Expenses $3,400 $0 $3,400
Temporary Labor Pool $1,000 $0 $1,000
Information Technology Services $2,706 $0 $2,706
Office Space $0 $9,210 $9,210
Meeting space $0 $4,250 $4,250
Local travel $6,862 $0 $6,862
Administrative Costs'
Community Relations Director(5%) $0 $10,114 $10,114
Indirect Costs(CFW salaries x .0661) $0 $21,063 $21,063
$157,518 $44,637 $202,155
*(Federal share not greater than 3%
of grant award amount)
Total Direct Costs $687,138 $124,989 $812,127
GRAND TOTAL $812,127
jj Z'- a
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001
I 0
7 .vJ':.I;J 6 U G �f
City of Fort Worth B-2
Early Learning Opportunities Act
DHHS Category DESCRIPTION Totals
CHARACTER 011
Salaries 19?S
Project Manager$26.29/day'22days/month' 64,778.56
14months
Early Literacy Hub Site Coordinator$20.84 x 115,578.00
2773 hrs x 2 people
Project Assistant,737 hours at$19.70/hr 14,520.00
Scheduled Temporary Employees 3,000.00
All S01 s,seasonal help, but not temp pool
Fringe Bi-lin ual Stipend 3 @ $800 1
2 @ $800 1,600.00
Fringe Medicare .0145 x base salary) 2
Project Manager$26.29/day'22days/month' 939.29
14months
Early Literacy Hub Site Specialists(2 @ 1,780.00
$890
Project Assistant 210.54
Fringe Health Insurance,3 @ $7,071 21,213.00 21,213
Fringe Employment Retirement(.1074 x base 20,930
salary)
Project Manager 6,957.22
Early Literacy Hub Site Specialists(2 @ 12,413.08
$6,207
Project Assistant 1,559.45
TOTAL CHARACTER 01 244,549.13 244 549
CHARACTER 02
Office Supplies 4,880
2 Easels for training at each hub 4 @ $150 600.00
Bulletin boards and white marker boards for
each hub$300 per hub 600.00
Exterior and interior signage for each hub
site$350 per hub 700.00
Start-up office supplies for each hub site
(paper,pens,folders,desktop supplies,etc.)
$375 per hub 750.00
Start-up office supplies for project manager
(paper, pens, folders, desktop supplies, etc.) 350.00
Ongoing supplies (paper,pens,folders,
binders,clips, etc.)for hub$600 per hub 1,200.00
Ongoing supplies(paper,pens,folders,
binders,clips,etc.)for project manager and
assistant 680-C TTI
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001 }
City of Fort Worth
Postage- $740 per hub site x 2;$1,480 for
project office 2,960.00 2,960
OPERATING SUPPLIES(Program
supplies) 114,985
Laminator 2,000.00
Photo paper and ink for hub sites$700 per
hub 1,400.00
Cartridges for project laser printer 10 x$80 800.00
Colored paper for flyers 32 boxes @ $25 800.00
Craft materials for each hub (scissors,
crayons, paint, glue, etc. $3,000 per hub 6,000.00
Consumable supplies(puzzles,games, baby
toys, books, puppets),$10,000 per hub 20,000.00
Poster paper 200.00
Adult Education Lending Library, Books,
DVDs,videos for parents and care givers to
borrow$5,000 per hub x 2(includes
replacements of those that are lost or are
otherwise not returned) 10,000.00
Books and book/DVD kits for children to
borrow$5000 per hub x 2(includes
replacement of those that are lost or are
otherwise not returned) 10,000.00
Children's learning materials for hub(easels,
blocks,etc.)$5,000 per hub x 2 10,000.00
Book display stands at each hub$100 x 2
hubs 200.00
Magazine subscriptions for each hub$60 x 2 120.00
Children-sized furnishings$1,500 per hub x
2 3,000.00
Shelving and Book cases 600.00
Resource Materials for hub for provider
training$2,000 per hub x 2 4,000.00
Incentives for parents,center caregivers,
and home-based providers at each hub
$15,000 x 2 sites 30,000.00
Early Literacy Van-allocated expenses for
Ivan operation (gas, maintenance, etc.) 2,400.00
Neithborhood Early Literacy Council
meetings supplies(refreshments,easel
ads, name tags,etc.) $3000 x 2 hubs 6,000.00
Reimbursement to the community centers
for maintenance,damage to center,etc.
,$100/month x 17 months x 2 hubs 3,400.00
2 locking storage cabinets for each hub site
4 @ $200 800.00
Other supplies 3,265.00
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001
City of Fort Worth .y �:.�;�.,, .�,U:J 4 B-4
6
Information Technology Supplies 17,799
2 Standard computers 2,822.00
1 Computer with docking station 2,422.00
Software 1,885.00
2 Blackberry 300.00
Blackberry software 170.00
TVNCR/DVD/Audio tape equipment 3,000.00
Projector for presentations 4,500.00
Digital camera for each hub site 2 @ $350 700.00
Camcorder to record adult/child interactions
at each hub site 2 @ $1000 2,000.00
TOTAL CHARACTER 02 140,624.00 140,624
CHARACTER 03
Worksho s/Retreats 5,190
Touchpoints Registration Fee 4 @ $1200 4,800.00
State or National Training Conference
Registrations 2 @ $195 390.00
OINOMMUM Consultants& Professional Services 12,000
Speaker Fees$4,000 x 2 8,000.00
Expenses(airfare, hotel for one night, meals,
ground transportation, parking at home
airport) 4,000.00
Mileage Reimbursement-Local mileage is
budgeted to reimburse project staff for use
of their own vehicles in carrying out project
0-thor activities 6,862
Project Manager-Average of 400 miles per
month x 16 months @ $.40/mile 2,560.00
Early Literacy Hub Coordinator-Average of
250 miles per month x 16 months
$.40/mile 3,302.00
Temporary Labor Pool 1,000.00 1,000.00
Information Technology SERVICES 2,706
Monthly Blackberry chargesx 14 months
75.21 2,105.88
Computer installation 150.00
15`2`5'3 people maintenance for computer 450.00
T Travel Expenses 6,720
Airfare @ $485 x 2 (non-restricted coach
fare)x 4 to travel to Boston for Touchpoints
training 1,942.00
Hotel @ $161/night x 3 nights x 4 people 1,932.00
Per Diem @ $50/day x 3.5 days x 4 people 700.00
Ground Transportation @ $40 per person
x 4 160.00
Parking at DFW Airport @ 16/day x 3.5
days x 4 224.00
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001 y� C � y�
City o/Fort Worth U L� �S'v'J 1°! � B-5
U�GL
Airfare @ $300 x 2 to attend state or
national training conference to hear latest
research and best practices in literacy and
other early learning and/or child
development areas 600.00
Hotel Cad $120/night x 3 nights x 2 720.00
Per Diem @ $40/day x 3.5 days x 2 280.00
Ground Transportation @ $25 per person x
2 50.00
Parking at DFW Airport @ $16/day x 3.5
days x 2 112.00
CFW-Inside Printing& Binding-
Newletter printing 4 4-page issues x 2 hubs
$200 800.00 800
CFW-Graphics and outside graphics,
framing 200.00 200.00
CFW-Machine Fold/Insert 100.00 1WOO
RMWMININNEMCFW-Office Copy Services 7,400.00 7,400
Cellular/mobile phones-2 Blackberry
hone service for 14 months x$85 2,380.00 2,380
Contractural Other Contractural(Camp Fire 108,800
78 Provider training sessions @ $400 31,200.00
Materials for sessions:
center-based @ $20 x 26 sessions x 10
trainees 5,200.00
family child care @ $10 x 26 sessions x
10 2,600.00
kith and kin @ $5 x 26 sessions x 35 4,550.00
97 parent education sessions @ $400 38,800.00
Materials for sessions:
$5 x 1140 participants(duplicated) 5,700.00
Site Visits:
5 visits to 16 centers @ $75 6,000.00
5 visits to 10 family child care providers @
$75 3,750.00
1 visit to 40 kith and kin providers @ $75 3,000.00
Program-related materials:
16 centers @ $250 4,000.00
10 family child care providers @ $100 1,000.00
40 kith and kin providers @ $75 3,000.00
Contractural Other Contractual Evaluation UTA 48,567
Principal Investigator$5,809 @ 15%x 17
mo. 14,813.00
Co-principal Investigator$3,719 @ 15%x
17% 9,483.00
Graduate research assistant 10
hours/week x 600 hours @ $17.39 10,434.00
Benefits @ 30% 10,419.00
Travel 300 miles @ $.41 123.00
Translation Services$50 x 15 hours 750.00
Focus Group and Interview snacks$3 x
150 participants 450.00
Contract No.06-CC-ELCA-001 � �,� ,
City of Fort Worth ,y7�� L, ±' .' B-6
Office supplies, printing, phones, postage 680.00
Indirect cost 0 3% 1,415.00
Contractural Other Contractural United Way) 90,000
Marketing consultant to develop campaign
strategy and materials 1250 hours @ $40 50,000.00
Graphic artist to design advertising and print
materials estimated project fee 8,000.00
Outdoor billboards in 2 target areas$3,000
per area;exact price and number will
depend on availability,length of run,and
size 6,000.00
Bus side advertising 2"queen size"ads to
run for length of the campaign 3,500.00
Bus bench advertising 4 benches(2 per
area) for length of campaign 4,500.00
T-shirts for childrn with promotional
messages 600 @ $500 3,000.00
Development and printing of handbook
listing early literacy resources for hubs 5,000.00
Other printed materials(brochures,door
hangers,tray liners) 8,000.00
Printing of Born Learning materials 2,000.00
Other Contractural TCU 2,040
Other Contractural(Liberation
Communities) 7,200
2 all day sessions x$700 x 2 facilitators 2,800.00
Breakfast and lunch for 40 persons x$12 x
2 sessions 960.00
4 half-day sessions x$400 x 2 facilitators 3,200.00
$6 per persons x 40 participants for
refreshments 240.00
TOTAL HAR 03 300,964.88 301,965
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 687,138.01
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-00 t
B-7
City of Fort Worth
L IQQ11I c�2LIQj I'1tnl.� t,' U•r(J�
NON-FEDERAL SHARE
Grant Categories DESCRIPTION
Personnel PERSONNEL TOTAL
Salaries and Fringe. 63,516
City of Fort Worth Community
Pelations:
Director 0 5%(11,899 x
17/month x 5%) 10,114
Outreach Mgr @ 40%($6,325 x
17 x 40%) 43,011
Public Education Specialist
10% $4402.50 x 16) 7,044
Fort Worth Public Health
Department:
Touchpoints Coordinator @ 5%
($3937 x 17 month x 5%) 3,347
Contractural CONTRACTURAL
Camp fire: 26,950
26 sessions @$400($200/hour
x 2 hours,inclusive of preparation
time,presentation,travel,set-up
and clean-up,and preparation of
reports 10,400
$5 per session for materials x 26
sessions x 35 participants 4,550
Program-related furnishings for
each provider $75 x 40) 3,000
2 site visits to 40 pjroviders(40 x
$75) 6,000
One additional visit to 40
providers whose training and first
site visit is covered by the Federal
share 40 @$75 3,000
Other Office,Meeting Space 13,460
Space for project manager 100 sf
x$13/yr x 17 months 1,842
Space for project assistant 100 sf
x$13/yr x 17 months 1,842
Northside hub office space 150 sf
x$13/ r x 17 months 2,763
$25 x 6 meetings/sessions x 17
months 2,550
Poly hub office space$25 x$13/yr
for 17 months 2,763
Poly meeting space$25 x 4
meetings/sessions x 17 months 1,700
Indirect Expense 21,063
Total CFW project Salaries x
.0661
TOTAL 124,989
Contract No.06-CC-ELOA-001 'U
City of Fort Worth B-8
. .. .. .. ....,I ua,.'.a
PART C
STATEMENT OF WORK
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J Iii .. .. ...�-.� ���✓':f
GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT
Located in North Central Texas, Tarrant County is home to more than 1.4 million residents, in 31 municipalities.
Fort Worth,the county seat,has a diverse population of more than 618,000 residents and is now the 19''largest city
in the United States. The activities of this project will occur in two zip codes, 76015 and 76106, where there are
very high concentrations of poverty, low student achievement, and high crime rates. Special emphasis will be given
to two large neighborhood areas, Polytechnic and Northside, where the project will target a wide range of
participants to join in the effort to ensure improved early literacy outcomes for children there. Targeted groups
include parents, informal caregivers, child care providers, schools, congregations, businesses and institutions.
Included in the appendix are maps showing boundaries of the target neighborhoods and locations of many of the
community assets that will be utilized to accomplish the planned work, including childcare centers, schools,
churches and libraries.
The Polytechnic area is bounded on the west by Beach Street, on the north by the Rock Island Railroad, on the east
by Coleman Street, and on the south by East Berry Street. The Northside area is bounded on the west by Highway
199, on the north by Highway 820, on the east by Main Street, and on the south by 28th Street/Ephriham.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 I _ C-1
City of Fort Worth
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OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE
Community Context
In 1999, the Tarrant County Workforce Solutions Board established an advisory group to provide input in
addressing early learning issues and management of the subsidized child care program. The Child Care Community
Advisory Council is made up of early care and education organizations,providers,and parents. This group has been
a leader in the county and is pleased to see this interest expand and efforts at the community level take hold.
Within the last three years, the needs of young children have risen to new heights on the public agendas in Tarrant
County, Texas. The United Way, the City of Fort Worth, and community leaders in Arlington(the county's second
largest city)have all developed plans to improve the outlook for Tarrant County's youngest citizens. The proposed
project will translate some of these plans into action.
In 2002, United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County convened a countywide group of citizens, service providers,
and child development experts to identify priority issues affecting children and youth in Tarrant County. The
group's charge was to focus on a single issue of critical importance,to establish a broad community goal and a more
targeted community outcome objective to which members'energies could be applied over the next 3-5 years.
After studying local data on issues impacting the target population,the Kids Way Impact Council selected child care
as the most salient issue and further defined the healthy social, emotional, and cognitive growth of pre-school
children as the most desirable outcome. That decision resulted in a series of strategies, including development of a
public awareness campaign about choosing child care wisely, hosting of an early childhood symposium, evaluation
of informal caregiver training programs,creation of a scholarship fund to ensure low-income children have access to
quality child care,and the implementation of a pilot project quality child care improvement program.
In May 2003,the Fort Worth City Council accepted a challenge from the National League of Cities to address early
childhood success. The City asked Camp Fire USA First Texas Council to convene community stakeholders to
propose an action plan to(1)support families and caregivers so they can help children develop successfully,and(2)
to improve the quality and accessibility of early care and education programs in Fort Worth. The stakeholders
reviewed existing reports, conducted 17 focus groups, talked with experts, and collected written surveys to find out
what services exist and where the gaps were. They also looked closely at best practices in other cities around the
country.
The City Council approved the action plan in October, 2004, launching Early Childhood Matters. The objectives
include a community awareness initiative focusing on parents of newborns, access to information for parents and
caregivers, development of a child care rating system, professional development for regulated and non-regulated
child care providers,and collaborations between regulated and non-regulated child care providers.
In 2004, the Arlington Child Care Council was formed to focus on preparing preschoolers in Tarrant County's
second largest city for success in school and in life. This group created a comprehensive strategic plan called Ready
for School,the first step of which was to define essential school readiness skill sets.
These three initiatives have been undergirded by The Partnership for Children,a coalition of social service providers
and community members formed in 1999, whose early childhood focus is on health and safety as well as early care
and education.
Each of these groups has adopted a community-wide,broad brush approach to addressing the school readiness needs
of Tarrant County's at-risk children. They have succeeded in getting the endorsement of public officials and the
attention of key stakeholders. They have involved local child development experts and child care providers who
have contributed their time to these groups, sometimes attending meetings of two of the groups in a single day.
They are a macro model of collaboration at the city and county level. And they point to a need for investment at the
micro level--where children live and where their day-to-day experiences influence what and how they learn.
The proposed project is intended to demonstrate an approach which will capture the successes of the larger-scale
efforts and apply them with more focused intensity at the neighborhood Ievel in targeted areas of greatest need.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-2
City of Fort Worth
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These areas are:
• Fort Worth's South Polytechnic Heights (Poly) area (zip code 76105) with a population of 1,836 children
from birth through age four,68%of whom are Hispanic;and
■ The Northside area of Fort Worth(zip code 76106)with a population of 5,140 children from birth through
age four,92%of whom are Hispanic.
Need for Assistance
The nearly 7,000 young children in the target areas represent a cohort in need of early learning programs. A
growing body of research has demonstrated that a complex array of language skills is critical to children's ability to
learn to read(Scarborough, 1990,2001;Vernon-Feagans et al,2001;Gowsami,2001,Neuman&Dickson,2001).
While all children have some experiences with language in their homes,there are dramatic disparities according to
socioeconomic status. By age 4,children with parents on welfare have heard ten thousand different words; children
with working-class parents have heard twenty thousand different words, and children with parents who are
professionals have heard fifty thousand different words(Hart&Risley, 1995).
The child care experience also impacts children's language and literacy development. Child care quality has been
shown to predict children's cognitive and language outcomes (Loeb, Fuller, Kagan, & Carrol, 2004; NICHD Early
Child Care Research Network,2000, 2002,2003;Peisner-Feinberg et al, 2001). Other studies demonstrate specific
links between cognitive stimulation by caregivers and oral language skills as well as vocabulary and code related
skills(Storch&Whitehurst,2002;Dickinson&Snow,2001;NICHD Early Child Care Research Network,2005).
Demographic Data
Tarrant County has a critical need for language and literacy activities for young children who are English language
learners or who are from low-income families. One quarter of all Fort Worth households speak a language other than
English. The biggest enrollment increases within the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) have
occurred where the Hispanic population has increased: the Northside and the Southeast Polytechnic (Poly) areas --
the proposed project's target areas. Data from the 2000 census show the percentage of households in which a
language other than English is spoken,comparing the target areas to all of Tarrant County:
Table 1. Language Other Than English Spoken At Home
Tarrant County Poly Northside
21.9% 1 39.3%
Source:U.S.Census 2000
Census projections suggest that the number of Hispanic children in Tarrant County will continue to grow, fueled by
immigration and by the high proportion of Hispanic women of child-bearing age.
In addition to language barriers,poverty and their parents'educational status put children in the target areas at risk
for entering school with low language and literacy skills. The National Research Council's 1998 publication,
Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, states that neighborhood poverty is associated with less
favorable child and youth outcomes, including school readiness and long-term academic attainment. Poverty for
families with children under age five in the two target areas exceeds the county-wide average as shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Poverty Status of Families With Children<5
Tarrant County Poly Northside
14.6% 41.9% 24.4%
Source: US Census 2000
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City of Fort Worth f '�v ::- 1;5{ fel A.
Among the elementary schools in the target areas, the percentage of children eligible for the free breakfast/lunch
program ranges from 88%to 97%in the Poly area and 89%to 96%on the Northside.
Even for families above the poverty level,household incomes in the target areas lag behind the county:
Table 3. Median Income
Tarrant County Poly Northside
$46,179 $22,710 $30,510
Source: US Census 2000
Similarly, the residents of the target areas have lower educational attainment than residents of Tarrant County as a
whole.This is a concern since research shows that children of economically disadvantaged and low literacy families
score low on vocabulary and school readiness tests (Moore, Zaslow, Coiro, Miller, & Magenheim, 1996; Snow,
Burns&Griffin, 1998;Purcell-Gates, 1996).
Table 4. Educational Attainment of Population>Age 25
Tarrant
Coun Poly Northside
Less than 9th grade 7.6% 24.4% 39%
9th to 12th grade,
no diploma 11.1% 26.8% 26.8%
High school diploma or GED
23.5% 30.9% 20.3%
Some college,no degree 25.1% 12.2% 8.9%
Associate degree 6.0% 1.9% 1.5%
Bachelor's degree 18.8% 2.4% 1.9%
Graduate or professional
degree 7.8% 1.4% 1.6%
Source: US Census 2000
The percentage of births to teen mothers in the target areas exceeds the percentage for the entire City as does the
percentage of single mothers:
Table 5. Births to Mothers<Age 18
Fort Worth I PoiNorthside
5.5% 1 8.6% 18.0%
Source: City of Fort Worth Vital Records,2003
Table 6. Households Headed By Females,No Husband Present With Children<Age 18
Fort Worth Poly Northside
8.7% 16.0% 9.6%
Source: U.S.Census 2000
School Performance Indicators
The Fort Worth Independent School District(FWISD)assesses children on a variety of school readiness skills when
they enter kindergarten. The children in the target areas demonstrate a lower level of skill development in language
and early literacy than their cohorts in FWISD's higher income schools in the Benbrook area.
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City of Fort Worth
Table 7. Kindergarten Skills Inventory
#of
Schools %With Skills Not
Area Reporting Yet Developed
Benbrook 3 30.0%
Poly 3 42.0%
Northside 4 41.0%
Source: FWISD
FWISD has implemented a strong reading initiative within the past few years. A review of FWISD's scores on the
Texas Assessment of Skills and Knowledge(TAKS)administered in the spring of each year offers a glimpse of the
progress being made in reading by third-graders in the target areas compared to third-graders in higher income areas
of the district.
Table 8.Percent Meeting 3rd Grade Reading Expectations
#of %Passing
Area Schools 2005 TAKS
Benbrook 3 94.0%
Poly 3 69.5%
Northside 3* 89.0%
Sources: Texas Education Agency
*one school is exempted because of the high number of English-language learners
Community Resources
In addition to determining the risk factors for the target population, community resources have been analyzed with
respect to the quantity and quality of programs addressing early literacy in the target areas. Overall, there are few
early care and education programs that address early literacy,and there are few early literacy resources available for
parents,caregivers,and child care professionals.
■ Early Care and Education Programs
Within the target areas, there are 48 regulated child care providers, with a combined total of 2,377 spaces
(to serve a preschool age population of 6,976). In the last year, 14 child care centers and family child care
programs in these neighborhoods closed,with a loss of 217 spaces. Among the remaining providers are 12
Head Start centers, 20 child care centers, 12 family child care providers, and four school-age programs.
These numbers do not include informal caregivers -- so-called "kith and kin," estimated to provide nearly
half of child care arrangements for children in nonparental care and the type of care most often used by
Hispanic families(Brown-Lyons,Robertson,&Layzer,2001).
The quality of the programs in the target areas is a concern. Only one center is accredited by the National
Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC). Although all of the centers are licensed,the
state of Texas' licensing standards require child care staff to have completed only a high school diploma or
GED and have taken an eight-hour pre-service training class in order to supervise a classroom. This is in
stark contrast to the 1800 hours of training required for hairdressers in the state.
The pre-service training introduces the basics of child development and health and safety, but does not
provide any information on building literacy skills in young children. Adding to this concern,the state no
longer provides any funding for activities to improve child care quality, other than for ensuring compliance
with licensing standards. FWISD is beginning to establish relationships with child care providers, but the
district lacks the resources to fully implement the program. There are opportunities for more robust
�
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coordination between the public schools and programs serving young children in order to ensure that the
instruction occurring in these programs is aligned with the Texas Education Agency's Pre-K Standards.
■ Existing Early Literacy Programs
FWISD's Early Literacy Program serves 57 schools within the district, including those in the target areas.
The parent educators in this program conduct a series of 4-5 early literacy workshops in each of the schools
per year and in a handful of child care and early education programs in the community (see maps in
Appendix). The district's Parents as Teachers program,which operates at four of the schools in the target
areas, is also designed to help parents foster their young children's learning, as are the teen pregnancy
programs operated in conjunction with FWISD. The proposed project will connect these programs to
others developed for the project, offering them increased visibility within the community as well as other
resources.
The majority of children's literacy programs set their lower limits at age six. The Boys and Girls Club of
Greater Fort Worth, the YMCA, and FWISD's after-school programs offer Reading is Fundamental and
other tutorial programs for school-age children and youth,but not for preschoolers.
Local libraries schedule story times, offer books to check out, and conduct some parenting skills classes.
Two local libraries have established informal relationships with several community and faith-based child
care centers. In the past, library staff would offer basic literacy training to child care staff and would come
to the centers to conduct story time. Unfortunately, these efforts are too infrequent and inconsistent to
sustain positive gains in literacy for the children.
The lack of book stores in the target zip codes further limits opportunities for parents and child care staff to
expose their children to literacy activities, including seeing the adults they are close to express interest in
books.
■ Community Literacy Resources
Organized reading and other tutorial programs in the community are generally well-attended by school-age
children and youth. However, other available literacy resources, particularly the local libraries, are poorly
attended and are nearly void of any parent involvement. During the summer months, the local library is
often the child care provider for unaccompanied children as young as eight years old, who come to use the
library's computers to play games. Parents who do visit the library most often do so to use the computers to
work on their resumes and to look for employment opportunities. It is clear that there is an opportunity to
improve connections between the literacy activities that libraries offer and the community.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 � ; I ti =,�,-„
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City of Fort Worth
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APPROACH
Overview
The proposed project is designed to effect change at multiple levels: the system level (community), the program
level(child care, Head Start), and the personal level(parents, relatives, friends). The Local Council believes that
only a multi-level, inclusive approach can result in the degree of culture change required to improve children's
chances for success in school in low-income,high-need areas and that leadership for change must come from within
the community.
The change will grow out of the creation of neighborhood literacy hubs as catalysts for action in focusing attention
on the importance of early learning in two low-income, high-need areas of Fort Worth. The hubs will reach deeply
into these neighborhoods to engage a variety o community partners including schools, churches, community
centers, child care providers, libraries, health care providers, social service agencies, and local businesses --
organizations that will remain in the community when the grant ends and who will be called upon to contribute to
the long-term sustainability of the project.
Each of these sectors, along with individuals such as the areas' city council members, leaders of neighborhood
associations, parents, and interested individuals, will be represented on a Neighborhood Early Literacy Council
formed to guide and advise the hub and ensure community level commitment to the hub's work. It will be the
council's job to (1)help raise community awareness about the need to help prepare young children for a successful
start in school, (2) shape the work of the hub to be responsive to the community's needs, and (3) secure the
resources required to sustain the work after the grant ends.
The Local Council envisions a network of neighborhood early literacy hubs that will mobilize and train parents of
children from birth to age five,the children's kith and kin caregivers,and child care/early education staff to provide
intentional early language and literacy experiences for the children at home, in child care, at the hub, and elsewhere
in the community. Two hubs will be created with funding from this grant.
The plan for the hubs represents a strategy which complements those adopted by the county-wide and city-wide
initiatives described earlier. While the existing strategies promise a broad approach to the needs of young children
in general,the proposed strategy goes deep, addressing the documented needs of a specific population with an array
of early literacy initiatives that the target group itself has helped to define.
The hubs will host a variety of literacy activities designed to (1) highlight the importance of early childhood
development, and (2) present strategies for enhancing young children's potential for success in school. They will
serve as resource centers for parents,caregivers,and child care providers,where they can get services free of charge.
They will be able to:
■ stop by to pick up information,borrow materials,or receive free books;
■ bring children to scheduled story hours or to learn in small groups with explicit language stimulation
activities provided by the neighborhood early literacy hub site coordinator;
■ attend training sessions and support groups;
■ participate in events designed to promote language and literacy development;and
■ learn about community resources and how to use them.
In addition to the specific activities offered by the hubs,a public awareness campaign will be developed to target the
nearly 75,000 residents of the areas.
Goal and Obiectives
The goal of the project is to enable 600 children in the target areas to enter kindergarten with the appropriate
literacy, language, social-emotional and motor skills needed to succeed in school. This will be accomplished
through the creation and continuation of two pilot neighborhood early literacy hubs which will introduce new
services and integrate the current patchwork of existing programs, resulting in more intensive and cohesive early
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literacy initiatives. Specific objectives and the relationship to the purposes of the Early Learning Opportunities Act
are shown below.
Table 9: Goal,Objectives,ELOA Purposes
GOAL
At least 600 children will enter kindergarten with emerging or developed literacy, language, social-emotional and
motor skills as measured by the FWISD Kindergarten Early Skill Inventory
Objectives ELOA Purposes
1. By December 2005, create two neighborhood early ■ to support parents, child care providers and
literacy hubs to serve as early learning support centers for caregivers who wish to incorporate early learning
educating parents, caregivers, and child care providers activities into the daily lives of young children
about child development and for providing them the tools ■ to increase parent effectiveness and promote the
and techniques for enhancing young children's readiness learning readiness of young children so that they enter
for school. school ready to learn
2. By February 2007, increase the capacity of 300 parents ■ to increase the availability and affordability of
and 165 caregivers/providers to facilitate the development professional development activities for caregivers and
of literacy, language comprehension, expressive language, child care providers
and social-emotional and motor skills that promote school
preparedness.
3. By February 2007, increase the involvement of to facilitate the development of community-
community members in efforts to promote early childhood based systems of collaborative service delivery
development in selected neighborhoods. models characterized by resource sharing, linkages
between appropriate supports, and local planning for
services
Supporting Families with Yount Children
The Local Council recognizes that the life circumstances of many low-income families make early literacy a low
priority. For that reason, the neighborhood early literacy hubs will use a holistic approach in engaging families,
helping them access existing health and human services
agencies to help meet their higher priority needs. The location of each of the hubs within a community center,
which already has these services,will facilitate these efforts.
The Northside hub will be in a city-owned facility--the North Tri-Ethnic Community Center--which has a social
worker on site as well as a clinic operated by John Peter Smith Hospital, a county-supported medical facility serving
indigent families. The Poly area hub will be in a faith-based facility--the Polytechnic Communi1y Center,operated
by the United Methodist churches in the area, which has an on-site social service component, a food bank, a clothes
closet,and after-school programs.
The neighborhood early literacy hubs will be sensitive to parents' language and cultural norms. GED and ESL
classes will be offered at the centers or nearby to accommodate families'needs. Every effort will be made to recruit
the site coordinator to staff each hub from the neighborhood area or from current trusted workers working in the
area. Recruitment of parents will be through connections that they already trust -- their churches, child care
providers or Head Start centers, schools, health clinics, and the community centers themselves. The Neighborhood
Early Literacy Council will guide these and other efforts of the hubs, facilitating both recruitment and retention of
parent participants.
Parent Education
Since research has firmly established that children's early learning and literacy development are markedly improved
by both social support for their parents and their parents'participation in instruction, a primary focus of the project
will be parent involvement.
Parent Groups
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City of Fort Worth `
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Each neighborhood early literacy hub will offer monthly parent education sessions in English and Spanish. At least
one session will be for stay-at-home parents and will be offered during regular business hours (for example, 10:30
am on a week-day). At least one session will be offered on Saturdays or in the evening. Additional sessions will be
offered to parents of children enrolled in neighborhood child care programs or Head Start centers. These groups will
meet at their program sites and will be scheduled on the basis of the parents'and programs'needs.
Each group session will include child development and language and literacy topics presented in an informal,guided
discussion format; opportunities for socializing -- often around a meal; parent-child interactions; time to practice
new literacy enhancing skills; and take-home materials. Within Head Start and child care programs, the sessions
will build on existing parent involvement and training activities. Incentives will be offered at each session in
addition to take-home materials related to early literacy and learning.
All parent education activities will include age-appropriate child development information as well as simple
strategies parents can use to enhance their children's early literacy skills,such as:
■ talking to their children from birth
■ encouraging their children's use of language
■ pointing out letters of the alphabet or words that make up brand names of objects in the home
■ reading to their children
■ calling their children's attention to words and letters in road signs,billboards,signs on stores
• looking at newspapers and magazines with their children and helping them describe what they see or
pointing out familiar words or letters.
Materials
Books and other written materials(either in English or in Spanish)will be given to all parents participating in groups
in any of the settings. Appropriate videos and DVDs will be available to borrow,and parents will be encouraged to
use equipment at the hubs to make audio tapes of their children's favorite stories, songs, or rhymes to take home.
Other materials designed to extend and expand children's pre-literacy skills, such as puppets, also will be given to
parents related to the discussions at each group session.
Other Activities
Regular story times will be scheduled at the hubs with an open invitation for parents and children to attend as they
are able to. Play sessions will be offered to encourage parents to drop by the hub during scheduled hours with their
children. Although the play groups will feel informal,the materials available and the site coordinator's modeling of
adult-child interactions to stimulate language and literacy development will be rigorously planned for the ages and
developmental levels of the children in attendance. Hub activities will be coordinated with FWISD's Parents as
Teachers program to link as many parents as possible to that highly effective parent support service, where
available.
In addition to receiving learning materials related to the topics presented at each session, parents will receive points
toward earning gift cards for book stores,museums,the zoo, fast food restaurants, Wal-Mart,video stores,and other
retailers or other prizes, such as bags of groceries, small electronics, etc. FWISD personnel have reported these
incentives are crucial tools to secure parent participation. Attendance at story time will be worth a specific number
of points, dropping by for an informal play session will earn a different number of points, and attending a parent
education group session will garner yet another set of points. Although donations of gift cards and prize items will
be solicited by the Neighborhood Early Literacy Councils and the project manager, funds have been budgeted to
purchase some as necessary.
Father Involvement
The hubs will be committed to fathers and supporting their active involvement in their children's learning. Tarrant
County Fatherhood Initiative is a model for programs to involve men,and sponsors activities such as:
■ Books and Breakfast: a special day when fathers, grandfathers, or other significant males will have
breakfast with their children at the hub and hear a story together.
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City of Fort Worth
■ Father Read/Mother Read: a group session in which both parents will learn techniques suitable to their
literacy levels of reading a book to their child and activities to reinforce what the book is about.
■ Dad's Treat: for special holidays or cultural events, fathers will be invited to bring a special treat they have
prepared or purchased.
The hubs will host these kind of activities and others,as appropriate.
Father involvement will be strengthened by:
■ having high expectations for male participation
■ recognizing and valuing a father's offerings as different from a mother's
■ treating male participants with dignity and respect
■ designing culturally relevant father involvement opportunities
■ the presence of male staff and male volunteers
Parents (both mothers and fathers) will be invited to serve on their Neighborhood Early Literacy Councils to help
ensure that their local hub is meeting their needs and to help plan for ongoing sustainability.
Caregiver Education
Children who are in full-time child care or who attend full-day Head Start programs in the target areas are spending
more of their waking hours with adults other than their parents--more time than their older siblings spend in school
and more time than their parents spend at work. What they experience in child care, along with what they learn at
home, is what they bring to school.
With this in mind, the neighborhood early literacy hubs are designed to have a significant impact on the quality of
both informal and formal child care in the target areas, drawing on the extensive, successful training experience of
three primary project partners--Camp Fire USA First Texas Council(Camp Fire), Child Care Associates/Headstart
23(CCA), and the Fort Worth Public Health Department (see pages 25 through 28 for a description of their
qualifications.)
The Local Council's estimates of the number of unduplicated caregivers that will benefit from the proposed training
are based on the number of regulated programs in the target areas plus Camp Fire's prior experience training kith
and kin caregivers. The estimates are: 75 caregivers from 28 centers (including Head Start), 10 registered family
child care providers (out of 12 currently registered), and 80 kith and kin caregivers, for a total of 165. These
estimates assume that center-based caregivers are typically offered more training opportunities than home-based
caregivers and are more mobile. Thus some may be less motivated to participate in the proposed neighborhood-
based project. The home-based caregivers, on the other hand, rarely have training brought to their neighborhoods
and,even less frequently,day-time training which allows them to attend with the children in their care.
Center-Based Caregivers
In each target area, training for center-based caregivers will be conducted at the hub and through in-classroom
support and mentoring_ Each person's attendance will be recorded and a certificate of completion presented at the
end of the session, so annual training hours required by licensing regulations can be documented. In addition,
incentives will be offered for participation, primarily in the form of drawings for prizes, such as movie tickets,
dinner at local restaurants, or small gift items. Because fewer of these incentives will be awarded compared to the
number of incentives earned by parents(i.e. every parent could earn an incentive by amassing sufficient points, but
only one or two participants per caregiver training session will win a prize)donations should be easier to secure.
Caregivers will be offered the opportunity to attend monthly, two-hour, evening sessions in either English or
Spanish. The trainers will also observe monthly in the participants' classrooms, offering feedback and mentoring
support. Training sessions will be as informal and interactive as possible,highlighted by hands-on activities such as
practice making materials related to early literacy for use in the classroom, role playing, and small group
discussions.
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In addition, each child care program participating in the project will be visited monthly by FWISD's Early Literacy
vans, equipped with print materials and guidance on how to use them in the child care setting to improve language
and literacy instruction.
Specific training on early literacy in addition to the basics of child development will be presented for caregivers who
work with preschoolers.
This training is intended to:
■ help staff create environments throughout the child care facility that foster the development of language
and literacy skills
■ introduce them to strategies such as labeling of classroom areas and objects (in both English and Spanish),
encouragement of repetition and scaffolding in order to support emerging literacy skills, modeling of
language responses,etc.
■ help them plan explicit language and literacy activities
■ assist them in identifying high quality literature and language-rich songs and poetry and modeling their use
■ help them learn how to carefully observe and respond to children's interests and signals in providing
language and literacy instruction
Training for caregivers who work with infants and toddlers will also include basic child development as well as
content specific to language and literacy development for that age group. This training is intended to:
■ assist staff in matching books and printed materials to the development and interests of the children
■ introduce them to strategies such as encouraging children to vocalize, talk, and sing, allowing children to
handle and look at books and hold the book while being read to; propping books up near babies on the
floor so they can notice the pictures,etc.
• enable caregivers to use pre-verbal communication strategies with babies, including understanding
temperament,reading babies'cues and teaching pre-verbal children sign language which has been shown to
accelerate language acquisition and vocabulary
■ using music and rhythm to enhance language development
• help them encourage children to participate in reading by pointing, naming, or chiming in on familiar
stories
Home-Based Caregivers
Family child care providers and kith and kin caregivers will have the same access to the neighborhood early literacy
hubs as do stay-at-home parents. They will be invited to bring the children in their care to scheduled story times,to
drop by for casual play groups,to stop in to borrow materials,and to tap into community resources.
These caregivers will have their own monthly two-hour day-time training sessions, using an informal, guided,
conversational approach in the language most comfortable to the caregivers in which training content is woven into
the conversation. Materials for children's learning that are common items found in the home (pots and pans, empty
boxes,measuring cups,etc. will be used to demonstrate developmentally-appropriate teaching strategies. Caregivers
also will receive materials for use in their own caregiving settings at each training session. The training will build on
participants' expressed needs and will be infused with culturally relevant perspectives and practices. Additional
personal incentives will be offered through drawings for door prizes at each session.
Children in the participants' care will be included in each session so that language and literacy activities can be
modeled with them and the participants can immediately practice their newly learned skills. A light lunch will be
served for the adults and children,and a drawing for a door prize will be held.
The group will be encouraged to take advantage of informal mentoring opportunities. Group sessions will offer
them the chance to learn more about each other and become resources for one another. For those who choose to
mentor or be mentored,the trainers will help them connect based on each person's needs and accomplishments.
In addition to these resources, home-based caregivers will have access to one of the FWISD's Early Literacy vans.
This mobile van,equipped with language and literacy materials and supplies,will make monthly stops at the hubs in
conjunction with scheduled caregiver training. The caregivers will be encouraged to borrow items from the van for
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-11
City of Fort Worth
use until its next visit,at which time the items can be exchanged for new ones. The group trainers will set aside time
at each monthly session to discuss the items the caregivers have borrowed and how they can be used.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 __.,__ C-12
City of Fort Worth
Training Partners
Camp Fire USA First Texas Council, a United Way partner agency, has operated in Fort Worth since 1914, and its
Work/Family and Child Care division has been supporting the early care and education community since 1991. This
division focuses on improving outcomes for children and families through professional development for early
childhood professionals,child care resource and referral,direct services to children through its family-centered child
development center, and strengthening systems and services through community collaborations and advocacy. Its
work has included:
■ providing child care resource and referral services for 39 counties in north Texas
■ providing on-going and individualized training for child care providers throughout north and central Texas
• managing major child care provider training contracts through three Local Workforce Development Boards
in the region
■ operating an NAEYC-accredited child development center
Camp Fire is currently collaborating with FWISD on a Ready to Read project funded by the Texas Education
Agency to improve oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge by using
scientific based pre-reading instruction. Through Ready to Read, Camp Fire is training and mentoring four child
care centers,while FWISD does the same in 18 of its pre-K programs.
All of Camp Fire's programs emphasize a research-based, family-centered approach to caring for children and
families. Through basic child care training workshops, NAEYC accreditation support, Child Development
Associate training and support, technical assistance, licensing support, and donations of materials, Camp Fire has
built a trustworthy relationship with the early care and education community in more than 45 counties throughout
Texas. The organization has developed and delivered training for child care center staff,family child care providers,
and kith and kin caregivers. Its staff are degreed professionals in child development, early childhood education, or
family support and parent education,with specialized training in research-based early childhood curricula.
Camp Fire has received numerous awards and recognition for its Work/Family programs, including the Texas Child
Care Licensing Partnership Award, Camp Fire National Outstanding Program Award, and recognition in a report
from the White House on high quality child care programs.
Camp Fire's role will be to coordinate and deliver parent and provider training,some directly and some through sub-
contracts with other agencies who will be chosen on the basis of their expertise and experience in training
populations similar to those included in this project. Camp Fire staff will work closely with the project staff and
neighborhood early literacy councils to develop the training plans for parents and both regulated and informal child
care providers. Child care program operators will be consulted about their perceived needs for training,support and
resources, and Camp Fire staff also will observe at participating programs to help develop individualized plans.
Camp Fire also will assist with administering evaluation instruments to measure project implementation and results.
Child Care Associates(CCA)is a nonprofit corporation that operates an extensive network of publicly funded early
childhood programs in Tarrant County and 17 other counties in north and north central Texas. It is also a United
Way partner,and its funding streams include private,local,state,and federal sources.
CCA has been a leader in the area of early childhood education in Tarrant County for 35 years,currently employing
840 staff. The agency's major programs include locally funded, full-day, full-year early childhood facilities, locally
funded and state-funded voucher management services, and federally-funded Head Start and Early Head Start
programs. The latter programs incorporate a family-centered approach to early intervention that involves parents in
every aspect of their children's development,with intensive support in the areas of nutrition,health, disabilities,and
education, as well as referrals to other community resources. CCA's strength lies in its exceptional network of
available resources, long-standing partnerships, agency stability, and an unwavering commitment to children and
families.
Child Care Associates partners with several local educational agencies. In a unique design with three school districts
(Fort Worth, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw), Head Start classrooms are integrated into
elementary school classrooms,with children spending one-half of each day with a Head Start teacher and the rest of
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 �-.��;-,. ;
-- -. C-13
City of Fort Worth
"� I
the day with a school district Pre-K teacher. Another model with two other Tarrant County school districts (White
Settlement and Arlington)integrates Pre-K teachers into Head Start centers. These collaborations not only allow
CCA another avenue through which to foster early literacy, but also the opportunity to meet a broader need within
the community.
Child Care Associates' project-related parent education sessions for parents of children enrolled in its Head Start
centers will also be open to parents in the community. In addition, the agency will share its program management
expertise with child care centers in the target areas at no cost to the grant on issues of transformation and transition.
Activities will include four Saturday round-table discussions in which center directors can share information on how
they are transforming their centers into early literacy environments and discuss management issues related to setting
and achieving literacy-related objectives for their programs. CCA will also conduct a training session for directors
on the topic of helping children transition from child care to kindergarten,using a transition checklist that can serve
as an ongoing guide.CCA's director training sessions will also include incentives as described earlier.
Both Camp Fire and Child Care Associates, as well as FWISD personnel, have been trained in CIRCLE by trainers
from the University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center.
The Fort Worth Public Health Department will deliver Touchpoints training sessions for at least 75 participants:
staff of child care centers,family child care providers,and kith and kin caregivers in the target areas. Touchpoints is
a relational-developmental model for children from infancy to age three developed by T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
Touchpoints has been presented to 775 health professionals, community agency staff, parents, and child care
providers throughout Fort Worth and Tarrant County since 2001.
Public Awareness Activities
United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County will oversee the public awareness campaign, in coordination with the
project manager. It will subcontract with a marketing consultant to develop and implement a 17-month plan to
educate audiences about the importance of the early years to children's later learning and how adults in their lives
can help. The public awareness campaign will be culturally appropriate and designed to meet the specific needs of
the two hub sites. The campaign will include some or all of the following:
■ print and broadcast advertising(the latter through public service announcements)
■ neighborhood billboards
■ bus advertising on bus routes through the target areas
■ bus bench advertising in the target areas
■ brochures in English and Spanish
■ door hangers on neighborhood residences
■ tray liners in neighborhood fast food restaurants
■ children's t-shirts with promotional messages
■ media relations, including placement of feature articles and appearances by project personnel on local
television and radio programs
All of the early childhood initiatives throughout the county (Early Childhood Matters, Arlington Child Care
Council,etc.)are planning to use a common design element, such as the same colors, in order to make the focus on
early childhood development readily recognizable. In addition to using whatever design element is chosen, the
project will have its own "look" created by a graphic designer. This look will be applied to all print materials
developed for the project, including an early literacy resource handbook for distribution to parents and child care
providers.
The project will also purchase and distribute brochures developed by Born Learning, a national public engagement
campaign created by United Way of America, the Ad Council and Civitas to help parents, caregivers, and
communities create quality early learning opportunities for young children.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-14
City of Fort Worth
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Proiect Accountabilities
The attached chart outlines the objectives,key activities and the responsible parties.
Responsible
Objectives Key Activities Par Vies
1.Create two neighborhood early literacy hubs to serve Order,purchase, Project manager and site
as early learning support centers for educating parents, inventory and arrange coordinators(to be hired)
caregivers,and child care providers about child hub materials and
development and for providing them the tools and equipment
techniques for enhancing young children's readiness for Meet with community
school. organizations and
stakeholders
■ Form local council
• Convene and support
local council meetings
■ Publicize hub creation United Way
community-wide
2. Increase the capacity of 300 parents and 165 Distribute information Site coordinators
caregivers/providers to facilitate the development of about project;make
literacy,language comprehension,expressive language, personal contacts
and social-emotional and motor skills that promote Arrange training Site coordinators
school preparedness.
■ Deliver training Camp Fire,CCA,Health
mentoring Department,FWISD
Site coordinators
■ Conduct story times,
play groups at hubs
■ Maintain and distribute
resource materials
■ Maintain records of
hub activities and
participants
University of Texas at
• Design and oversee Arlington
program evaluation
strategies
3. Increase the involvement of community members in effbi Publish and distribute Project manager
to promote early childhood development in selected quarterly project
neighborhoods. newsletter for key
stakeholders
■ Dialogue with key Project manager,
stakeholders neighborhood council
• Make presentations to leadership
community and
business groups
• Secure funding and in-
kind resources for
continuation of hubs
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C c 1 c; C-17
City of Fort Worth v
Potential Conflicts of Interest
The potential for conflicts of interest is reduced since neither the grantee (Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County)
nor the project manager(the City of Fort Worth Community Relations Department)is a direct service provider. The
Local Council is composed of nearly 30 individuals, including representatives of Camp Fire and Child Care
Associates (the primary providers of training for the project). However, the overwhelming majority of the Local
Council members are not associated with any organizations likely to receive funding under this grant. Furthermore,
their past experience working together has demonstrated the Local Council's collective commitment to consensus in
making recommendations and decisions that are in the best interests of children and families.
Payment For Services
All services provided to parents and child care providers of any type will be provided without charge.
Forming Collaborations
The choice of the City of Fort Worth Community Relations Department to manage the project not only provides a
"neutral" party, it also strengthens the project's capacity to form and sustain collaborations in each of the target
areas.
The Department's purpose is to improve community relations and customer service for residents throughout the city.
Its School and Youth Outreach Division, where the project management will reside, facilitates communication
between area school districts and city departments. It provides support for programs that encourage youth to be
engaged in civic life and works to improve the quality of after-school programs. It leads Early Childhood Matters,
the initiative described earlier in this document. All of this work takes place"on the ground" in city neighborhoods.
Staff work closely with schools, social service agencies, early learning programs, and parent groups to form
collaborations which maximize resources and make community connections. Their work in identifying two
community centers as neighborhood early literacy hub sites and gaining the enthusiastic support of these centers'
directors as well as the interest of potential members of the Neighborhood Early Literacy Council is an indicator of
collaboration successes to come.
Work With Local Educational Agencies
The Local Council includes representatives of three local school districts (including FWISD). Part of the planning
of the proposed project included obtaining a list from FWISD of the set of skills that comprise the Kindergarten
Early Skills Inventory. All parent education and provider training will include the child development principles and
instructional practices that help children attain these skills. The skills, defined by FWISD, are listed on the
following page.
f� C-18
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001
City of Fort Worth
Kindergarten Early Skills InventoryGeneral
Knowledge Technology
■ identifies self by first and last name N starts a software program
• states age(in years) 0 uses a mouse to click on objects
■ states birth date(month and day)
■ prints first name with capital and lower case Mathematics
letters ■ recognizes four shapes: circle, triangle,
rectangle,square
Language and Early Literacy 0 rote counts to 10 or higher
■ identifies the cover of a book M recognizes numerals 0-10
■ knows that reading progresses from left to 8 repeats simple patters
right 8 understands math vocabulary (under,
■ identifies 10 or more capital letters over, beside, behind)
■ identifies 10 or more letters 0 names nine colors(green, brown, white,
■ identifies 10 or more sounds yellow, red,purple, orange, blue, black)
■ identifies rhyming words
■ identifies beginning sounds Social Development
■ breaks words into syllables a follows class rules
■ follows simple oral directions after being ■ listens without interrupting
told • completes tasks
■ expresses interest in learning
Physical Development speaks in a respectful tone to teachers
■ hops on one foot and others
■ skips(alternate step/hop for 15 ft) shares materials and toys with peers
■ cuts a straight line with scissors practices self-control (e.g. waits for
turns,respects personal space)
■ participates in group activities
■ demonstrates self-confidence (e.g.
initiates conversation with peers,
chooses new activities)
Each child must achieve numerous developmental milestones,starting with hearing speech from birth, in order to be
able to master these skills. While drilling young children or otherwise preparing them to perform isn't suitable nor is
it likely to work, intentional, adult-directed activities, combined with home and center environments and materials
that stimulate young children's interest in learning,plus many opportunities for children to practice new or emerging
skills, are both appropriate and effective.Thus both parent and provider training will focus on these key elements.
Proiect Management
The Tarrant County Workforce Development Board, dba Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, will be the
&'antee on behalf of the Local Council and the project's fiscal agent. Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County will
contract with the City of Fort Worth Community Relations Department to manage the project. The Community
Relations Department will be accountable for:
■ hiring and supervising the project manager
■ hiring the neighborhood early literacy hub site coordinators, in consultation with the directors at each of the
community centers serving as hub sites
■ subcontracting with training partners, the project evaluator, and other vendors as necessary, monitoring
their work for compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant and the project's policies and
procedures,and instituting performance improvement measures if and when necessary
• securing all materials and supplies for the project
■ preparing and presenting reports for the Local Council,HHS,and other entities as required
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 f f J =. ):." y C-19
City of Fort Worth
Subcontractors
Each training subcontractor will be accountable for providing high quality, content-specific training on a timely
basis and for maintaining documentation of each training session (topic, materials, attendance, and participant
evaluations). A Memorandum of Understanding with each subcontractor already identified which outlines the
organization's responsibilities can be found in the Appendix.
Subcontractors will be required to provide monthly reports to the project manager which detail progress to date and
identify any problems requiring resolution. Subsequent reports will indicate if and how the problem was resolved.
If necessary, the project manager and site coordinator(s) will work with subcontractors to resolve problems.
Problems that cannot be resolved with assistance from the project team will be brought before the Local Council for
members' input. If a subcontractor cannot deliver services in accordance with the work plan and the MOU, a
replacement will be selected,with approval by the Local Council.
Local Council's Role
The Local Council will receive and review monthly reports from the project manager on progress to date for each
component of the work plan. Where progress is not consistent with the work plan,the project manager will be asked
to present a plan for corrective action.
Council members will be invited to observe parent education and provider training sessions. As the Neighborhood
Early Literacy Councils begin to take shape,Local Council members will be asked to attend some meetings in a dual
role -- as "cheerleaders" to encourage the neighborhood councils in their leadership roles and as sources of
information.
Local Council
Child Care Advisory
Organizational Chart ,- Council
Workforce Development Board
Training Resources
Workforce Solutions
Child Care Program Director Camp Fire Other
r------ USA - 7reining
' Resources
Evaluation ' ______ Child Care
Universityof Texas at Arlington _ I Associates
9 ____ City of Fort Worth ----_
Community Relations Dept i
--_ School and Youth Outreach __ FW
Division ---- Dis"strict
CommunUy Awareness - ,
United Way of Tarrant County '
i Touchpoints
'------- Program FW
Project Public Health
Assistant Project Manager
Northside Poly Neighborhood
Early Literacy Council Early Literacy Council
r
` Northside Poly ,
Hub Site Hub Site r
� Coordinator Coordinator ` Pol r
r Northside ` Communit r
--- Community -J
Center y Center
Director Director
Contact information for key players shown on the organization chart is included in the appendix.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-20
City of'Fort Worth
Organizations,Cooperating Entities,Consultants
The table below shows the major organizations that will contribute to the project in addition to the project partners
already described. The involvement of various departments of the City of Fort Worth as well as the FWISD lends
credibility and a level of resources to the project that reflects community-wide commitment to helping young
children succeed in school.
Table 11. Organizations,Cooperating Entities,Consultants
Organization Contribution to the Project
United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County Public awareness materials
City of Fort Worth
Parks and Community Services Department Hub site at North Tri-Ethnic Community Center
Public Library Project support at Northside Branch Library
Health Department Touchpoints Training
North Tri-Ethnic Community Center
Community Action Partners Social service supports for Northside parents
Leadership and support for Neighborhood Early Literacy
Community Center Neighborhood Advisory Board Hub Counci
Polytechnic Community Center Hub site,social service supports
John Peter Smith Hospital
Referrals of patients to project;membership on
North Tri-Ethnic Clinic Neighborhood Early Literacy Council.
Fort Worth Independent School District
Alignment of training and hub services with FWISD's
Early Childhood Education re-K and kindergarten standards
Parents as Teachers Linkages to parents,parent education
Psychological Services Testing of children as required
Counseling and Guidance Services to parents
Parent Liaisons at Title I Schools Linkages to parents
Adult Education Adult basic education for parents, providers
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Linkages to teen parents
21st Century Community Learning Center at
Turner Elementary School Linkages to parents
Fort Worth Afterschool Program at Kirkpatrick
Middle School Linkages to parents
Elementary School PTAs linkages to parents
Leadership and support for Neighborhood Early Literacy
Far North Fort Worth Neighborhood Association Hub Local Council
Leadership and support for Neighborhood Early Literacy
Liberation Community,Inc. Hub Local Council
Fort Worth/Dallas Birthing Project Linkages to parents
University of Texas at Arlington Project Evaluation
Hillcrest Head Start Center Site for provider training and parent education
North Fort Worth Day Care Center Site for provider training and parent education
YMCA Northwest Child Care Center Linka es to parents
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 ` t?1';";;. J C-21
City of Fort Worth
f�e is li j 5 L
Factors That May Affect Project Implementation or Outcomes
Factors that could affect project implementation relate primarily to staffing. If staff can be identified and hired
within the first month and a half of the project as planned, the project should proceed on schedule. If staff are not
hired until the last half of the first quarter, the project may get off to a slower start, especially since it could be
difficult to gain the attention of parents,providers and community organizations during the holiday season.
The activities at each hub will begin as soon as the coordinator for that site has been hired. While it might be more
efficient to hire and orient both site coordinators at the same time,the project will not wait if one hub requires more
time to find a suitable candidate.
Each of the project's activities is intended to have a positive impact on the project's effectiveness, while the project
staffing plan is designed primarily for efficiency. The staffing provides for a manager to see that the project
operates as planned and to work on sustainability strategies, as well as obtaining cooperation at executive levels.
The two hub site coordinators will see that hub activities are implemented and that community stakeholders are
involved in the Neighborhood Early Literacy Council. Parent education and provider training will be delivered by
organizations with expertise in appropriate content and delivery.
Conducting separate training sessions for center-based and home-based caregivers will ensure that each group's
unique training needs are met. Although some caregivers in either group are likely to have more years of caregiving
experience than others,they are all likely to be at similar stages of learning about promoting language and literacy.
Encouraging Neighborhood Early Literacy Councils to shape the programs to meet their communities' needs in
terms of messages, populations served, scheduling of training and other events, resource development, etc. will
increase their buy-in and help ensure the sustainability of the project--especially as successes are documented.
Resolution of Problems
As noted earlier,problems that cannot be resolved at the hub level or problems that occur at the management level
will be addressed by the project manager and, if necessary, the Local Council. At the hub level, close cooperation
between community center staff and project staff will be essential. Regular meetings between the hub site
coordinator and the director of the community center will be scheduled at which time information can be shared,
joint plans can be made,and potential problems identified and averted.
At the project level,joint planning meetings, supervisory sessions, and frequent contact between staff members,
training partners, the evaluation team, and other cooperating organizations will facilitate exchanges of information
that will note developing problems and address them before they become serious.
The most likely problem to emerge will be maintaining attendance among a sufficient core group of participants
(parents and caregivers)to meet the project's objectives. Each hub site coordinator will be responsible for reviewing
participant attendance. When a parent or caregiver who has been participating regularly does not appear at the next
scheduled training event, the hub site coordinator will contact the individual -- not to probe the reason for the
absence but to express concern,to tell the individual that she/he was missed, and to encourage the person to resume
attendance. If there has been a change in the person's or family's circumstances which makes attendance difficult or
an external barrier has arisen,the site coordinator will make every effort to help the individual resolve the situation.
This close attention to absences, programs designed to be responsive to parents' and caregivers' needs, and
opportunities for all participants to experience success should curtail attendance problems.
Problems relating to cooperation or sharing of resources among existing and_potential collaborators should be
minimized by the support for the project which has been expressed by key leaders in the community at the highest
levels of city and county government,public education,and private sector interests.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-22
City of Fort Worth
RESULTS OR BENEFITS EXPECTED
Children in the target areas are at risk of not developing the literacy skills they need to succeed in school. Data
shows that children in these areas face social and economic risk factors, and school tests confirm that they do less
well in school than their cohorts in other areas of Fort Worth with fewer risk factors. The Local Council's needs
assessment shows that existing early care and education programs in the target communities generally do not exceed
minimum standards and that few successful literacy-enhancing resources are available.
The lack of adequate early language and literacy experiences both in the home and in out-of-home care and
education settings will be addressed through training, support,and education for parents, other caregivers, and child
care providers and through facilitating community collaborations to leverage available resources.
Benefits for Parents
Virtually all parents want their children to succeed in school,but many don't realize their pivotal role in making that
happen. They may not feel confident in their abilities to "teach"their children, especially those who have had little
formal education themselves. They may believe that their young children, especially infants and toddlers, are too
young to learn anything. Those who are working are likely to have many demands on their time.
The proposed project will address these factors. Through flexibly-scheduled activities at the neighborhood early
literacy hubs and outreach at places where parents naturally gather,300 parents will be helped to:
■ increase their awareness of young children's developmental milestones
■ increase their understanding of the importance of early relationships and attachment as the basis for all
learning
• expand their use of language, books, music, movement, and art to support their children's cognitive
development
■ increase their knowledge of how and why to expose their children to books and print
■ increase their awareness and use of community resources to enhance their children's development of early
literacy skills.
As a result,parents will experience increased self-confidence in their parenting abilities and pride in their children's
accomplishments at each stage of development.
Benefits for Kith and Kin Caregivers
Kith or kin are often the child care arrangements of choice in immigrant or low-income communities. Shared
culture and values, lower cost, availability, and flexibility are the reasons for this preference for informal care,along
with the reluctance of many non-English speaking parents to take on the challenge of finding child care in the
formal,regulated system.
These informal caregivers operate in isolation. They may be more nurturing than other child care providers, but
they are less likely to support young children's learning through appropriate child development practices.
The benefits described above for parents will also accrue to the kith and kin caregivers. In addition, the hubs will
enable 80 kith and kin caregivers to:
■ have a neighborhood site where they can bring the young children in their care for story time and other
planned language and literacy activities
■ share experiences with other caregivers at the hub
• increase their use of books and other learning materials for the children in their care
As a result, kith and kin caregivers in the target areas will experience increased confidence in their roles and will
have appropriate materials and other resources to use in providing language and literacy experiences for the children
in their care.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 - C-13
City of Fort Worth
Benefits for Child Care Providers
Paraprofessionals form the backbone of the child care workforce in Texas. These individuals may enter the field
with the personal qualities and experience required for the job, but they typically have little formal training. The
state's funding cuts have eliminated community-based training, higher education courses, a resource library, and
technical assistance for local programs. Nonetheless, the Local Council believes that customized and consistent
staff development and mentoring available through the project can overcome these losses for child care providers in
the target areas. Through the hubs,child care providers will be helped to:
• increase the number of planned, purposeful interactions with children around literacy and school
preparedness
■ increase the print-richness of the environment
■ expand their use of language,books,music,movement,and art to support children's cognitive development
■ increase their awareness of developmental milestones
■ improve their relationships with children and parents
■ increase their knowledge of best practices in child care and early education
As a result,75 center-based child caregivers and 10 family child care providers will have a greater understanding of
the principles behind young children's development of language and literacy and will feel more competent and
confident in implementing suitable activities with appropriate materials to assure the children in their care are ready
to succeed in school when they enter kindergarten.
Benefits for the Community
Each of the community center stes has been selected as a neighborhood early literacy hub because of the presence of
in-house leadership committed to helping children become successful and to making the community a better place in
which to live now and in the future. The project will leverage this commitment to enable each site to:
■ infuse new resources(dollars,staff,supplies,etc.)into the neighborhood
■ increase the number of people using the facility' existing services by attracting new people (the target
population)to the site
■ identify new volunteers from among project participants to help shape the project to meet the
neighborhood's continuing needs
• marshal community resources (churches, neighborhood associations, businesses) on behalf of at least 600
children in the area
As a result, each neighborhood will have lowered some of the barriers (lack of awareness, lack of trust) that have
limited residents' access to resources and involvement in the community and will have created an infrastructure to
support continuation of the project.
The project will share lessons learned with the other Tarrant County early childhood initiatives. Since some of the
Local Council members serve on the United Way's Kids Way Impact Council, Arlington Child Care Council, the
Partnership for Children,and the Early Childhood Matters Council, information on the project's progress,successes,
and challenges can be shared in"real time"as these groups move forward with their work.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 C-24
City of Fort Worth
STAFF AND POSITION DATA
The Tarrant County Workforce Board manages$28,000,000 in federal funds for child care and$44,000,000 overall.
All of its services are delivered via contracts with a wide range of vendors. As convener of the Workforce Solutions
for Tarrant County Child Care Community Advisory Council, which has been in existence since 1999, the Board
regularly assesses the need for child care services throughout the county and the availability of resources to meet
these needs. The Board's strategic plan includes a goal which states:
Ensure the integration of child care into the workforce development
system while promoting and supporting quality early childhood
development and education for children in Tarrant County.
The objectives which address this goal are:
1. To promote the continuous improvement of quality child care purchased by the Board.
2. To maximize available resources as a means of promoting quality child development and education
3. To promote awareness of the reality that child care need is driven by the needs of the workforce.
The strategies used to meet these objectives are closely related to the project:
1. Support initiatives for unique approaches to delivery of quality care.
2. Maintain child care performance measures as developed by the Texas Workforce Commission.
3. Program monitoring of contractors and providers for compliance and quality of care.
4. Coordinate child care services to maximize utilization and integration with Board's funding services.
S. Consideration and inclusion of child care industry as a viable employer.
6. Provide consumer education information that will promote informed child care choices to parents of
eligible children and the general public.
7. Encourage the development of community resources for families.
The staff member representing Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County on the project team is Lisa Witkowski,
Child Care Program Director. She has over 25 years experience in the field of management and oversight for
federal and state funded early care and education child care programs. These programs include direct voucher
subsidy, quality initiatives, caregiver training, and consumer education. She has served on the boards of local and
state associations and has directed a child care center. Ms. Witkowski has staffed the Workforce Solutions Child
Care Community Advisory Council(the Local Council)over 6 years.
The City of Fort Worth Community Relations Department will be represented by Katherine Livingston, School
Liaison and Youth Outreach Division Director. Ms. Livingston has eight years experience with the City and serves
as lead staff for the City's Early Childhood Matters initiative. She is an experienced grant administrator,has budget
oversight for the division, and is chief liaison for the creation of a collaborative program between the City and
FWISD that funds $2.4 million for after-school programs at 52 sites. She served on the steering committee of the
National League of Cities'Institute for Youth Education and Families.
While neither Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County nor the City of Fort Worth Community Relations Department
provide direct services, the two primary training subcontractors -- Camp Fire and Child Care Associates -- have a
wealth of experience in both community needs and resource assessments. CCA undertakes a biannual community
assessment related to its Head Start/Early Head Start programs. This assessment provides a snapshot of low-income
families with children in Tarrant County, covering a variety of dimensions. It is valued by other community
agencies as a reliable reference.
Camp Fire's resource and referral service provides current information about the need for early childhood services in
the counties it covers as well as up-to-date information about the supply of early childhood programs, including
locations,hours,program type,program auspices, fees,etc.
Camp Fire and CCA are considered to be the premier providers of early childhood services in Tarrant County and
manage a variety of large contracts for early childhood services. Since 1994,Camp Fire has managed$7,360,000 in
public and private contracts for child care provider training, child care resource and referral, parent education, and
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 2 2;_,, ; C-25
City of Fort Worth
related activities that have reached an unduplicated count of 58,740 providers in a 14 county area and parents
throughout a 39 county area. CCA manages over $84 million in contracts including Head Start/Early Head Start,
Child Care Management Services (the state of Texas' child care subsidy program), USDA Adult and Child Care
Food Program,among others.
The Workforce Solutions Board has managed millions of dollars of federal and state funds annually since its
inception in 1996. The Chief Financial Officer, Thomas L. Hall,CMA, CPA,manages the Finance Department. He
has over 10 years of CFO experience with workforce boards (Fort Worth, Dallas and San Antonio) overseeing as
much as$100 million in federal funds annually.The Accounting Manager,Kim Baker,has over 15 years experience
in accounting for federal funds. In the Board's most current audit,annual expenditures were over$44 million.
The most recent audit, for the period ending 9/30/2004, had an unqualified opinion with no findings or questioned
costs. The audit for the period ending 9/30/2003 also had an ied opinion with no findings or questioned costs. In
addition to being audited annually, the Texas Workforce Commission monitors the financial systems of the Board
on an annual basis. The most recent monitoring visit,which concluded on 7/8/2005,did not indicate any findings or
questioned costs from the Board's Finance Department
The Board's accounting department uses the computerized Micro Information Products accounting system for its
accounting system. The department maintains a written accounting policies and procedures manual. Fund
accounting is used by the accounting system to track revenues and expenses by program sources. The accrual basis
of accounting is used "Budget to actual" reports are prepared on a monthly basis and reviewed by the Finance
Committee and approved by the Board.
Local Council Participation
Members of the Local Council have been actively involved in the planning of this project. A subcommittee has
been meeting since January 2005 to plan a response to the ELOA funding announcement. This proposal is the result
of the group's research,discussions,and meetings with potential collaborators.
As described earlier, the Local Council will receive monthly reports on the project with opportunities to ask
questions and provide feedback. Members will be encouraged to schedule individual visits to parent education and
provider training sessions as well as neighborhood early literacy council meetings and to bring their observations to
Local Council meetings. Minutes of Local Council meetings, written reports,and photos of members'attendance at
hub events will document the Local Council's participation.
Third Party Agreements
Memoranda of Understanding are attached in the Appendix. These will serve as templates for any additional MOUs
to be developed with other subcontractors not yet identified.
Support for the Project
Support for the project have been demonstrated by strong institutional support by four City of Fort Worth
departments and strong commitment from directors of hub locations who see this project as a vital complement to
their existing services. Neighborhood leadership is supportive, as well as directors of youth-serving collaborations
and parenting agencies. During parent interviews, parents expressed interest in learning how to support their
children, as well as wanting to learn English themselves. The Fort Worth Mayor other elected officials are looking
forward to the project as one that can be replicated in other areas of the county. Business leaders want this project to
succeed because they feel it would help children stay in school and become successful in the workforce. Letters of
support are included in the Appendix.
Contract No.: 06-CC-ELOA-001 C-26
City of Fort Worth C '''
PLAN FOR PROJECT CONTINUANCE BEYOND GRANT PERIOD
The continuation of the project is a planned outcome of leadership development within each Neighborhood Early
Literacy Council. The project's objectives include the creation of a cadre of well-informed and committed
community residents who will have built strong relationships with community partners including parents,
community agencies, faith-based programs, and businesses. They will share a common vision, speak a common
language(that of the importance of early literacy), and be willing to volunteer time and resources. They will know
what community partners have to offer and how to integrate those resources into a sustained early literacy initiative.
The Neighborhood Councils will have a track record of success to point to as they enlist new sources of support for
sustainability.
The approach of this grant is to serve a catalyst for fundamental community change around the issue of the
importance of early childhood and its affect on literacy and future school readiness. Local champions for this
movement will be nurtured and developed so they can lead the efforts when the grant period ends. Members of the
Local Council will continue to mentor these individuals.
Each Community Center will have in place an Early Literacy Hub with sufficient materials and resources to
continue the program. Because of demonstrated participation numbers for the program, and the resulting increased
traffic to the centers, the center staff will want to incorporate operation of the literacy hub activities as part of the
ongoing operations that if offers to the community. Community Centers will have a list of parenting and caregiver
trainers that can be employed for continued support.
The networks of neighborhood caregivers and providers that will have been established will be strong enough to
continue their work together for mutual benefit. Child care providers will have had training and materials to support
print-rich environments in their centers,which will provide for the continued benefit of the children in their care.
Parents will have had multiple workshops, training sessions, and resource materials in their homes to continue their
work with their children. Parents and caregivers will be given library cards and will be encouraged to use the free
Public Library throughout the program.
By the end of the fifth quarter, Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and the City of Fort Worth will determine
the level of on-going support they can provide to the project. Workforce Solutions will continue to provide federal
early care and education initiative funds to this community. The City has already allocated existing staff in its Parks
and Community Services, Public Health, and Public Library and Community Relations Departments in support of
this work.
This project will result in a demonstrated community approach that will serve as a model for replication in other
areas of the city and the county. With the investment of funds in this project,the Local Council will have experience
with successful strategies of creating and implementing sustainable neighborhood hubs to be established in other
neighborhoods in Tarrant County. The Local Council is an ongoing group and is committed to continuity for these
neighborhoods.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 _ : C-27
71
City of Fort Worth r
i
EVALUATION
Evaluation Design
A team of faculty, staff and graduate students from the Community Services Center of the University of Texas at
Arlington School of Social Work will conduct a process and outcome evaluation of the project. The evaluation plan
involves a mixed-method(qualitative and quantitative) design intended to assess how well the project achieved the
overall goal of preparing preschool aged children for kindergarten in two neighborhoods in Tarrant County with
large proportions of low-income and English learning families. These methods will include pre-post test assessment
of parent and caregiver behaviors, semi-structured interviews with council participants and project personnel, focus
groups with parents and caregivers, participant observation, and descriptive analysis of project outputs such as
service utilization, task completion and protocol changes. The evaluation will be guided by eight questions that
correspond to the objectives and needs outlined in the project narrative (see Table 11 on page 67). A logic model
demonstrating the linkages between community needs, program activities, and project outcomes is shown in Figure
1 on page 68.
Evaluation Procedures
Protection of Human Subjects
At the onset of the project implementation, an application for approval from the University of Texas at Arlington's
Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be submitted. Procedures will be established to protect project participant's
rights to confidentiality, to be free of harm and to provide informed consent as these issues relate to evaluation
procedures. All data used by evaluators will be stripped of identifying information and reported in aggregate form.
All efforts will be made to ensure that the evaluation process is sensitive to the needs of diverse populations. These
efforts will include translating documents into Spanish, conducting interviews in Spanish when necessary, and
training interviewers in issues of cultural sensitivity and awareness. Additionally, interviews and focus groups will
either be conducted by telephone or held in facilities that accessible to disable populations.
Data Collection Procedures
Data will be collected from several different sources including:
Pre and Post Assessments of Parents and Caregivers: Service providers with the project will be responsible for
administering the pre and post versions of standardized assessment instruments at the intake and follow-up time
periods. These raw data, containing no identifying information, will be given to the evaluation team to enter into
SPSS. Service providers will use tracking numbers to link pre and posttests. Members of the evaluation team will
provide training to service providers to ensure consistency in assessment procedures.
Service Utilization Data: Using the same tracking numbers identified in the previous item, service providers will
collect demographic and service utilization data on all participants, such as time spent using services, number of
sessions attended, ethnicity, age, level of education, income, and other variables deemed relevant by project
planners.
Session/Event Attendance. Service providers will track the number of persons attending each training session or
event and the dates during which these were held.
Project Staff and Focus Group Participant Interviews:Semi-structured interviews with project personnel and focus
groups composed of parents and caregivers will be conducted to assess their perceptions of project implementation
and any unanticipated impacts (individually or in the community). Key project personnel will be interviewed
quarterly. Two parent focus groups and two caregiver focus groups will be conducted during the last quarter of the
project. Interviews and focus groups will last approximately 30-90 minutes and participants will be selected based
on their roles and involvement in the project. The interviews will consist of pre-determined open and close-ended
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 �, 2]] -,r C-28
City of Fort Worth VJ L .: 'w 'u,
Ills .,' .. .. ,�� ,.. .
questions, and interviewers will be permitted to ask follow-up probing questions. Participants' answers will be
documented through the interviewer's field notes and will be transcribed into computerized text files.
Participant Observation: Members of the evaluation team will attend meetings of the local councils and other
selected planning meetings to assess project implementation.
Interviews with Early LiteracyNeighborhood Council Members: All members of the Neighborhood Early Literacy
Councils will be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to assess their involvement with and perceptions
of the council activities. These interviews will take approximately 30-60 minutes and will include both open and
close ended questions.
Document Review: Several types of documents will be collected to review as part of the process evaluation. These
include but are not limited to: the project proposal narrative, forms used to track service delivery, products and
planning documents produced by the councils,and other outreach or service provision-related materials.
Data Analysis and Reporting
The evaluation team will produce a summary report ninety days following the end of the grant cycle. This report
will include a brief executive summary of key findings as well as detailed analysis of program processes and
outcomes. Methods of analysis will include descriptive,bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis,assessment of
data reliability(qualitative and quantitative),and content analysis of qualitative data. Statistical data will be entered
into an SPSS database where parents and caregivers are the units of analysis. Qualitative data will be transcribed
into Rich Text Files and imported into a software package called Nvivo which facilitates the analysis and
management of text data.
Subcontractor Organizational Capability
The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) School of Social Work's mission is to prepare competent, effective
social workers and to generate and disseminate knowledge focused on promoting social and economic justice for
human well-being in a global community. The School of Social Work promotes community involvement through its
various centers. The Development Division of the Community Services Center was created in 1980 as a research,
planning, and community practice arm of the school. The Center works in partnership with community groups and
organizations to conduct research, planning, program development, and evaluation in efforts to support and sustain
community-based programs and nonprofit organizations. The Center utilizes faculty, staff, and students to assist
organizations in building capacity. The Center has a long history of partnering with community organizations to
assist ith early childhood initiatives, including a 14-year evaluation of a Head Start program funded by the Texas
Instruments Foundation, a nine-year AmeriCorps project, and an evaluation of Campfire Lonestar Council's after
school program.
Key Personnel
Dr. Emily Spence, Principle Investigator of the evaluation contract, will oversee the evaluation process and be
responsible for ensuring implementation of the proposed design. Dr. Spence has been an evaluator for federal,
state, and locally funded projects and has written technical reports and published findings in peer reviewed journals.
She is the Director of Community Development Services at UTA and supervises students completing internships
and graduate assistantships with the Community Services Center. Melissa Reeves, Interim Director of the
Community Services Center,will be co-Principle Investigator and will assist in the oversight of the evaluation, data
collection, analysis, and development of the summary report. Ms. Reeves has been employed with the Community
Services Center since 1999 and has coordinated the center's previous evaluation contracts involving early childhood
education projects. Dr. Spence and Ms. Reeves will be assisted by graduate social work students enrolled in the
MSSW and PhD programs.
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001C-29
n i r•� ,Q, TN:^� I
„C
City of Fort Worth + 1 l,�,=!` p v iJ�1;✓1,
Table 11. Evaluation Objectives, uestions,Data Sources and Methods of Analysis
Objective Evaluation Questions Source of Data Data Analysis
Increase the capacity 1. To what extent did the **Standardized Approach: Calculate and
of 300 parents and parents and caregivers increase instruments to be compare pre-post changes
115 caregivers to behaviors intended to promote selected separately for parents and
facilitate the school preparedness? administered at caregivers,assess magnitude
development of 2. To what extent were intake(project of change,examine influence
literacy,language parents and caregivers involved onset)and follow- of time spent on project
comprehension, in the project? up. Analysis: T-test with effect
expressive language, **Measurement of size calculations for both
and social emotional time spent on groups,repeated measures
and motor skills that project activities Analysis of Covariance
promote school (attending training, (ANCOVA)
preparedness. sessions,
etc.).
Increase 3. In what ways were * Participant Approach: Provide a
involvement of community members involved in observation by qualitative analysis of the
community the Neighborhood Early Literacy members of the activities and preliminary
members in efforts Council? evaluation team at outcomes of the Council.
to promote early 4. How do Council Council meetings. Analysis: Qualitative content
childhood members plan to promote short * Semi-structured analysis of field notes,
development in and long-term changes in the interviews with transcribed interview notes,
targeted geographic community? Council members. and Council-produced
areas. 5. What were the activities *Review of documents.
of the Council during its first documents
year of development? produced by the
Council.
Establish two 6. Were there any deviations *Participant Approach: Compare
neighborhood early between project plans and the observation in proposal implementation
literacy hubs to actual implementation process? planning meetings plan and timeline to actual
serve as early If yes,what led to the deviations, *Quarterly process,gather feedback
learning support how were they handled and how interviews with for program improvement
centers for educating did they impact the project? program staff and assess unanticipated
parents,caregivers, 7.How do parents and *Project proposal outcomes and provide
and childcare caregivers perceive their * Focus groups of general description of
providers about experiences and satisfaction with parents and service delivery.
child development. the project? caregivers Analysis: Content
8. What were the program *Program analysis of qualitative
outputs in terms of service attendance and data and descriptive
provision and characteristics of service delivery summary statistics.
program users? records
Contract No.:06-CC-ELOA-001 „ ^! ; L r. ,. C-30
City of Fort Worth f 1 u =s v✓ J
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PART D
ATTACHMENTS
N•'
i
Attachment D
CERTIFICATIONS
Lobbying
This certification is required by the Federal Regulations,implementing Section 1352 of the Program Fraud
and Civil Remedies Act, Title 31 U.S. Code, for the Department of Agriculture (7 CFR Part 3018),
Department of Labor (29 CFR Part 93),Department of Education(34 CFR Part 82),Department of Health
and Human Services(45 CFR Part 93).
The undersigned certifies that:
(1) No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the
undersigned, to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of
Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding of any
federal grant,the making of any federal loan,the entering into of any cooperative agreement,and
the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any federal grant award,
grant,loan or cooperative agreement.
(2) If any funds other than federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person
for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any Agency, a Member of
Congress, and officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in
connection with this federal grant award, grant, loan or cooperative agreement, the undersigned
shall complete and submit Standard Form -LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying", in
accordance with its instructions.
(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award
documents for all sub-awards at all tiers (including sub-grant awards, sub-grants, and grant
awards under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all sub-recipients shall certify
and disclose accordingly.
Debarment,Suspension,and Other Responsibility Matters
This certification is required by the Federal Regulations, implementing Executive Order 12549,
Government-wide Debarment and Suspension, for the Department of Agriculture (7 CFR Part 3017),
Department of Labor (29 CFR Part 98), Department of Education(34 CFR Part 85), Department of Health
and Human Services(45 CFR Part 76).
The undersigned certifies that neither it nor its principals:
(1) Are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily
excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or Agency.
(2) Have not within a three-year period preceding this grant award been convicted of or had a civil
judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with
obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State or Local) transaction or
grant award under a public transaction, violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or
commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records,
making false statements,or receiving stolen property;
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001D-1
City of Fort Worth1j�p'�,�'�
Attachment D
(3) Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity
with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in Paragraph(2)of this certification; and,
(4) Have not within a three-year period preceding this grant award had one or more public
transactions terminated for cause or default.
Drug-Free Workplace
This certification is required by the Federal Regulations, implementing Sections 5151-5160 of the Drug-
Free Workplace Act, 41 U.S.C. 701; for the Department of Agriculture (7 CFR Part 3017), Department of
Labor (29 CFR Part 98), Department of Education (34 CFR Part 85), and Department of Health and
Human Services(45 CFR Part 76).
The undersigned certifies that it shall provide a drug-free workplace by:
(a) Publishing a policy statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture,
distribution, dispensing, possession or use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the
workplace and specifying the consequences of any such action by an employee;
(b) Establishing an ongoing drug-free awareness program to inform employees of the
dangers of drug abuse in the workplace, the Board's policy of maintaining a drug-free
workplace, the availability of counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance
programs, and the penalties that may be imposed on employees for drug abuse
violations in the workplace;
(c) Providing each employee with a copy of the policy statement;
(d) Notifying the employees in the policy statement that as a condition of employment under
this grant award, employees shall abide by the terms of the policy statement and
notifying the employer in writing within five days after any conviction for a violation by
the employee of a criminal drug statute in the workplace;
(e) Notifying the Agency within ten days of receipt of a notice of a conviction of an
employee; and,
(f) Taking appropriate personnel action against an employee convicted of violating a criminal drug
statute or requiring such employee to participate in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program.
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 D-2
City of Fort Worthf'.1\y7
Attachment D
Certification
These certifications are a material representation of fact upon which reliance is placed when entering into
this transaction. Signature by an authorized representative of the awardee and return of this document to
the Agency are prerequisites for finalizing the award.
Where the undersigned awardee is unable to certify to any of the statements above, an explanation shall
be attached.
The undersigned certifies that the indicated statements are true and correct and understands that making
a false statement is a material breach of the grant award and is grounds for grant award cancellation.
The person signing this grant award on behalf of the awardee hereby warrants that he/she has been fully
authorized to execute this grant award on behalf of the awardee and to legally bind the awardee to all the
terms,performances and provisions herein set forth.
Si re ' Date
Libby Watson, Assistant City Manager
Typed/Printed Name and Title of Authorized Representative
City of Fort Worth
Organization
1000 Throckmorton
Address
Fort Worth, TX 76102
City,State,Zip Code
Contract No. 06-CC-ELOA-001 V �� D-3
City of Fort Worth \t? UUU J 1-2 t
City of Fort Worth, Texas
Mayor and Council Communication
COUNCIL ACTION: Approved on 11/1/2005 -Ordinance No. 16675-11.2005
wMaNNOMMMOW
DATE: Tuesday, November 01, 2005
LOG NAME: 07ELOAGRANT REFERENCE NO.: **C-21112
SUBJECT:
Authorize the Execution of a Contract with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County for the City of
Fort Worth to Implement Activities of an Early Learning Opportunities Act Grant; Authorize the Use
of In-kind Funds; Authorize the Waiver of Indirect Costs; Adopt the Appropriation Ordinance;
Authorize Contracts with Community Services Center of the University of Texas at Arlington, Camp
Fire USA First Texas Council, United Way of Tarrant County and Liberation Community, Inc., to
Fulfill the Obligations of the Grant
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County for
$687,138 for the City to serve as project manager for the Early Learning Opportunities Act Grant, to create
two neighborhood early literacy hubs and to contract for services and goods to fulfill the obligations of the
grant;
2. Authorize the use of$124,988 for in-kind funds as part of the 15% required match for this grant;
3. Authorize the waiver of indirect costs as a portion of the in-kind match;
4. Adopt the attached appropriation ordinance increasing estimated receipts and appropriations in the
Grants Fund by$812,126 from available funds;
5. Authorize the execution of a contract with Community Services Center of the University of Texas at
Arlington's School of Social Work in an amount not to exceed $48,567 for project evaluation, contingent
upon receipt of the grant;
6. Authorize the execution of a contract with Camp Fire USA First Texas Council in an amount not to
exceed $108,800 to conduct 175 parent education and caregiver training sessions including materials and
conduct 180 onsite visits for technical assistance to childcare centers, family childcare providers and
informal caregiver providers, contingent upon receipt of the grant;
7. Authorize the execution of a contract with United Way of Tarrant County in an amount not to exceed
$90,000 to conduct a public relations campaign in the targeted areas and print a resource guide of early
literacy resources, contingent upon receipt of the grant;and
8. Authorize the execution of a contract with Liberation Community, Inc., in an amount not to exceed
$7,200 to conduct eight"Community of Leaders"training retreats for neighborhood stakeholders connected
with Neighborhood Literacy Hubs.
DISCUSSION:
Logname: 07ELOAGRANT Page 1 of 3
On October 12, 2004, the City Council approved Resolution No. 3131, accepting an Early Childhood
Community Action Plan presented by a community task force. On July 5, 2005, (M&C G-14844) the City
Council approved designating Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, through its Child Care Community
Advisory Council, to serve as the Designated Local Council on behalf of the City of Fort Worth for the
purposes of applying for an Early Learning Opportunity Act (ELOA) grant from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and designated Workforce Solutions to serve as the fiscal agent for the grant.
On October 3, 2005, Workforce Solutions received notice that the ELOA grant application was
approved. The grant stipulates that the Community Relations Department of the City of Fort Worth will serve
as the lead agency and project manager for implementation of the grant activities. Other major partners in
the grant include Fort Worth Public Health, Fort Worth Public Library, United Way of Tarrant County, Camp
Fire USA, Child Care Associates, Head Start, Fort Worth Independent School District and University of
Texas at Arlington.
The ELOA project involves a multi-level, inclusive approach to affect sustainable community change around
the importance of early childhood activities for children 0-5 years old to develop readiness skills needed for
literacy. Two Neighborhood Literacy Hubs will be created with funding from this grant: one on the north
side at North Tri-Ethnic Community Center, a city facility and the second at Polytechnic Community Center,
a faith-based facility. Project partners selected the sites based on low test scores of area children entering
kindergarten, large numbers of low-income families, interest from managers at hub locations and capability
of residents in the selected areas to form strong community councils.
At each hub, a Neighborhood Early Literacy Council comprised of neighborhood stakeholders will help
guide and advise the project locally and ensure community level commitment to the work. Leadership
development and capacity building of the local leaders and community advocates are important
components of the grant. The project will engage a variety of community partners including schools, faith
communities, community centers, child care providers, libraries, health care providers, social service
agencies and local businesses.
Other major activities include awareness and education sessions for parents and informal caregivers, as
well as training for child care workers and others who influence the lives of young children and a community
awareness campaign.
The contract will also provide:
-- $256,429 to fund 3.5 FTE positions in the Community Relations Department
-- $138,860 in materials and incentives for parents, caregivers and children, operating and meeting
supplies, computers and consumables
-- $27,840 for training and travel for capacity building and presentation fees to national speakers
-- $9,442 for IT networking, phones and mileage reimbursement
The local in-kind match of $124,988 for the grant is provided from a percentage of salaries and indirect
costs of Community Relations and Public Health Department employees who will be working on the project,
office space and meeting space used by the project and a contractual match from Camp Fire USA. No
cash match from the City is required.
The Early Literacy Project target areas are in COUNCIL DISTRICTS 2, 5, and 8.
Lognam.e: 07ELOAGRANT Page 2 of 3
FISCAL INFORMATION/CERTIFICATION:
The Finance Diredtor certifies that upon approval of the above recommendations and adaption of the
attached appropriation ordinance, funds will be available in the current operating budget, as appropriated in
the Grant Fund.
TO FundlAccountlCe to ers FROM F n Ag-countlCenters
GR76 451459 007208068000 $687.138.00
GR76 488339 007208068000 $124 988.0
GR76 5XXXXX 007208068010 $687,138.00
GR76 517040 007208068L20 $124.988.00
Submitted for City Manager's Qffice by-' Libby Watson (6140)
Originating Department Head: Vanessa Ruiz Boling (7525)
Additional Information Con agt-: Kathy Livingston (6129)
Logname: 07ELOAGRANT Page 3 of 3
(,`7 � SECRETARY
(""'CNTRACT NO. ����Y McDONALD
WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS Executive Director
`FOR TARRANT COUNTY
Tarrant County Workforce Development Board
Contract Amendment No. 1
Program Contract No.: 06-CC-ELOA-001. CSC 33032
Original Contract Period: September 30,2005 to February 28,2007
New Contract Period: September 30, 2005 to August 31,2007
Contractor Name: City of Fort Worth
Contractor Contact: Ms. Kathy Livingston
Tarrant County Workforce
Development Board Contact: Ms. Lisa Witkowski
Reason for the Amendment:
To extend the end date of the contract and revise the budget and statement of work.
Amendment to Original Contract:
This amendment:
1. Extends the end date of the contract through August 31, 2007; and,
2. Revises the contract budget in accordance with the contractor's request as shown on
Attachment A; and,
3. Revises the Statement of Work as shown on Attachment B.
Total funding under this contract remains unchanged at $812,127.00.
Effective Date:
The effective date of this amendment is February 28,2007. All other terms and conditions of the
above Contract, not otherwise referenced herein, remain unchanged and in full force
Approved: and effect.
Tarrant County Workforce City of Fort Worth:
Development Board:
Judy Donal Libby Watson
Exe tive Director Assistant City Manager
?.-)I ,01—
Date Date
AF1ROY6D AS FORM AND LEGALITY:
;320 S.University Dr,Suite 600*Fort Worth,Texas 76107*Voice 817 13. B aQ47 5Q . 4 �+ y�t. g;�cforceso u i
Attachment A
The City of Fort Worth
Contract No.: 06-CC-ELOA-001
Early Leaning Opportunities Act
Contract Amendment Number One
Original This Revised
Budget Categories Budget Amendment Budget
A FEDERAL
I. Class Category
1 Salaries $ 196,477.00 $ 14,638.19 $ 211,115.19
2 Fringe 45,072.00 (5,862.03) 39,209.97
3 Travel 6,720.00 (3,060.34) 3,659.66
4 Supplies 27,179.00 (6,131.05) 21,047.95
5 Other 155,083.00 3,065.23 158,148.23
Subtotal: Class $ 430,531.00 $ 2,650.00 $ 433,181.00
11. Contractual Category
1 Camp Fire $ 108,800.00 $ - $ 108,800.00
2 Evaluation UTA 48,567.00 - 48,567.00
3 United Way 90,000.00 - 90,000.00
4 TCU 2,040.00 - 2,040.00
5 Liberatin Communities 7,200.00 (2,650.00) 4,550.00
Subtotal: Contractual $ 256,607.00 $ (2,650.00) $ 253,957.00
TOTAL FEDERAL $ 687,13 .00 (0.00) 687,138.00
B. NON-FEDERAL
I. Class Category
1 Salaries&Fringe $ 53,402.00 $ 7,223.74 $ 60,625.74
2 Other 44,637.00 (7,223.74) 37,413.26
Subtotal: Class $ 98,039.00 $ - $ 98,039.00
II. Contractual Category
1 Camp Fire $ 26,950.00 $ 26,950.00
Subtotal: Contractual $ 26,950.00 $ - $ 26,950.00
TOTAL NON-FEDERAL $ 124,989.00 $ - $ 124,989.00
TOTAL ALL $ 812,127.00 $ (0.00) $ 812,127.00
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0- 4 m C7
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
ATTACHMENT B
NEIGHBORHOOD EARLY LITERACY HUBS
REQUEST FOR NO-COST EXTENSION
Review of status:
Originally designed for 17 months, the project was delayed for five months as
high-quality staff was recruited, hired, and trained. The first Early Learning
Resource Center was not opened until February 2006 and the second in March
2006. We are fully functioning at these centers now with well-attended parent
training classes being held weekly and child care provider training occurring
monthly. Site visits to child care centers and family child care providers are
occurring to encourage improvement in quality.
Community engagement strategies have been successful. Not-for-profit agencies,
civic groups, and city departments are actively engaged in assisting in the work.
Individuals have been recruited to serve on Neighborhood Early Childhood
Leadership Councils to help advise the Early Learning Resource Centers and to
mount outreach efforts locally. However, the Neighborhood Councils are still in
their infancies, dependent on program staff and will not be sustainable by the end
of February.
Word-of-mouth communication has been strong in the neighborhoods,but the
comprehensive public awareness component was delayed substantially and large
scale tactics will only begin in 2007. The data collection instrument for evaluation
was substantively revised in mid-project and thus the collection of data continues
so that the program can be adequately evaluated.
Why work cannot be accomplished in the original time period:
The delayed start has hampered our efforts to build capacity and sustainability.
Our overarching goal is to serve as a catalyst for change in individuals, programs,
and institutions. Although the program has been well received by the community
and new partners have asked to become affiliated with us, we will not have
achieved our objectives by the initial contract end date. The delayed start has
negatively impacted our ability to do this.
Building relationships with child care programs, family child care providers and
kith and kin providers took longer than expected. Some initial assessments did not
occur until summer of 2006. Additional time is required to provide the training
and technical assistance called for in the grant.
The public awareness campaign was delayed, first by design as we wanted the
Early Learning Resource Centers to be functional before encouraging people to
1
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
come to use them. Second, delays in creating an overall communication plan and
producing resulting collateral materials delayed the implementation of a large
scale campaign, and it was decided to wait until after the 2006 holiday season to
begin. The public awareness element is just now beginning in earnest and will
require extra time to complete. We have yet to schedule the national child
development experts—outside speakers - that we had hoped to bring to our city to
help educate and motivate our target populations as well as decision makers who
can help with sustainability.
The specific work accomplished by project objective as outlined in the grant and
what still needs to be done in each objective is outlined in the following pages.
Proiect Obiective 1: Create two neighborhood early literacy hubs to serve as
early learning support centers for educating parents, caregivers, and child care
providers about child development and for providing them the tools and
techniques for enhancing young children's readiness for school.
What has been done: The Child Care Council of Workforce for Tarrant County has
met regularly to oversee the grant. Staff from our project manager, the
City of Fort Worth, has met frequently with specific partners funded by
the grant to ensure effective implementation of the program components.
Staff has been hired, including a project manager to develop and oversee
program implementation and coordination, and two early childhood
specialists to staff the two Early Childhood Resource Centers. Contracts
have been negotiated with subcontractors identified in the grant and with
host locations. Furnishings, equipment and resource materials have been
purchased for the centers. Educational materials and parent incentives
have been selected. Child care for participants has been arranged for each
of the parent training sessions.
We have created curriculum plans for 35 different classes and workshops
targeted at the needs and desires of the population, and we have utilized a
variety of tactics to recruit parents and caregivers to attend. Parent classes
are offered 7 times per week for 35 weeks out of the year. Provider and
kith and kin training are offered one Saturday a month. Five of the seven
parent classes are taught in Spanish and two classes are in English. Parents
come to the centers to use materials, consult with the Early Childhood
Specialists between classes and attend small group sessions.
As part of the resource center, we have assembled lending libraries in
each center with books,videos, and DVD's for adults to learn about child
development, and books and "activity kits" for adults and children to use
together. Parents can check out activity kits that include a book, a puppet
2
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
or other materials to use in extending the story, and information and
materials to use in the home for activities that relate to concepts in the
book.
We have met repeatedly with school officials, non profit agencies, health
clinics, Head Start programs, apartment complexes and faith communities
to enlist collaboration and support for the project and to help publicize the
classes.
What still needs to be accomplished:
The Centers are operational; however,the program seeks continuous
improvement and evaluates and investigates ways to use materials and
resources effectively and efficiently. Sustainability for the program after
the grant ends is a concern, and opportunities to position community
resources to contribute to sustainability needs to continue to be explored.
Project Obiective 2: Increase the capacity of 300 parents and 165
caregivers/providers to facilitate the development of literacy, language
comprehension, expressive language, and social-emotional and motor skills that
promote school preparedness.
Activities performed through December 2006 include 181 parent training sessions, 16
sessions for child care providers and family child care homes, 17 sessions for kith and
kin providers, and 110 site visits to caregivers.
What has been done--Parent Training:
By December 15, 2006, we had reached a total of 498 parents
(unduplicated)through attendance at events at the center or by their
attending any of the 181 parent training sessions. We have developed and
offered 35 separate parent educational sessions and distributed learning
materials and children's books to program participants.
A goal is for participants to attend multiple sessions since there are various
topics presented. Repeat attendance increases the likelihood of changing
behavior based on what is learned, and bonds built among participants
strengthen the program and the two neighborhoods in which they live.
This spring, 89 participants attended 6 or more sessions and 107 during
the summer and fall.
We have a strong core of loyal participants, which is not only helping their
own children,but is helping to build program credibility among the
neighborhood residents. Since the project was instituted, 59 participants
have attended 16 or more sessions and have received special Certificates
of Accomplishment. These participants went through a"graduation" in
December. These parents, although"graduated,"will continue to stay
3
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
involved with Early Childhood Matters as volunteer training facilitators
and child care aides, leaders or participants in small parent playgroups,
and/or as members of the Neighborhood Early Learning Leadership
Council.
The training calendar for 2007 includes three different tracks at each site:
one for newly enrolling parents that will feature topics that were offered
previously(February—December 2006); one for parents who are
continuing from the fall of 2006; and a third track of
advanced/reinforcement sessions for those who completed the entire series
by December.
The program has been very successful in attracting Hispanic families;
Spanish is the first language for fully 90%of program participants.
What still needs to be accomplished—Parent Training: We have exceeded the
goal of reaching 300 parents (with at least one training). However, in order
to increase the capacity of participants, they need to attend 6 or more
sessions. By continuing the program through May 2007, sixty more
parents will have attended 6 or more sessions. In addition, while the two
target communities are predominantly Hispanic and Spanish language
speakers, it is not only Hispanics who live in the area. We have not been
as successful in involving the other groups in these neighborhoods. We
have an outreach plan to increase participation from English speakers,
especially African-Americans, so that we can reach the rest of the
demographic mix in the target areas.
What has been done- Child Care Provider and Kith and Kin Training: The goal
was 165 participants. The training content for child care providers and
family day homes is delivered in 4-hour block sessions on one Saturday
each month at locations in each neighborhood. Sixteen sessions have been
conducted with 154 participants attending(duplicated numbers). Seven
child care center workers attended special training to better understand
brain development and how to use the knowledge in their centers.
The kith and kin training sessions are 2-hour sessions held one Saturday
each month. Seventeen sessions have been conducted and 175 participants
attended (duplicated). Other kith and kin providers have come to the
parent training sessions,particularly if they have children of their own.
Conducting site visits to where children are being cared for is an important
complementary strategy to the monthly training sessions. Licensed child
care centers and family homes, as well as homes of kith and kin providers,
are enrolled in the technical assistance component of the program
4
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
Through December 2006, 110 site visits had been conducted, which
included initial assessments of the centers, interim consultations, and
mentoring of site directors and teachers.
A pilot project for teenagers who are primary care providers in the
summers and afterschool for their siblings was tested in the summer of
2006. Teens at both centers attended eight hours of training on the basics
of development and safety.
What still needs to be accomplished- Child Care Provider and Kith and Kin Training:
For Child Care Providers, we need to continue to encourage targeted child
care providers and kith and kin providers to attend training sessions in
greater numbers. The site visits to providers were delayed at the
beginning of the project, but the majority received an initial assessment by
August 2006. Additional time is needed to continue to work with these
sites over time and conduct the number of site visits originally planned in
the grant. Repeated visits are necessary to encourage implementation of
what is recommended by the consultants and to build the relationships and
secure the trust of the providers. In addition, materials for the providers
need to be purchased and delivered to support the advice that they are
receiving by the consultants providing the technical assistance. Site visits
will be complete by the end of May 2007.
Proiect Obiective 3: Increase the involvement of community members in efforts
to promote early childhood development in selected neighborhoods
What has been done—Community involvement:
In addition to overall awareness, our goal was to have Neighborhood Early
Childhood Leadership Councils in each of the two neighborhoods we
serve to encourage involvement and to support the efforts of the
Neighborhood Early Childhood Resource Centers.
The Neighborhood Councils have been meeting monthly since the spring.
Membership varies by neighborhood,but participants include community
volunteers, parents, non-profit agency employees, outreach workers
serving the areas, and school representatives. While leadership among the
members is emerging, the Councils rely heavily on staff for direction and
guidance. Each Council did develop and execute well one highly visible
outreach effort in its neighborhood in the fall. At one center,the Council
was part of a community parade and distributed 1,200 books to
neighborhood families. In the other neighborhood, the Council teamed up
with an infant mortality awareness event, providing age-appropriate
activities for children and families attending the event while highlighting
the ELOA program to the attendees.
5
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
Four half-day Leadership Training sessions were held for the
Neighborhood Council members, so that they could work more effectively
with each other and so they could meet and exchange ideas with members
of the other Neighborhood Council.
What still needs to be accomplished— Community involvement. Building the
capacity of neighborhood leaders and the Councils to promote the
importance of early childhood is a key factor of whether or not the
outreach within the community continues past the end of the grant. The
emerging leaders need several more months of support from staff to be
able to move forward effectively by themselves. We will be working to
shift the leadership from"staff led"to "Council member led"
involvement. Each Neighborhood Council will host another public
awareness event in the spring.
What has been done Publicity and Community Outreach:
Outreach to the two neighborhood communities began in earnest in
February 2006 and is ongoing. We attended meetings of neighborhood
associations, PTA meetings, civic clubs, and other community groups to
encourage participation in the program. We have increased the numbers of
community agency partners and school campuses participating directly
with us. The not-for-profit agencies operating in our target neighborhood
are well aware and supportive of the efforts.
Other than direct personal contact and word of mouth, publicity about the
program and the importance of early childhood and the hubs has been
accomplished through flyers distributed widely in the neighborhoods,
banners for use at public events, and t-shirts for program participants.
Two special events for families were held in conjunction with "Read for
the Record" family literacy national awareness day with a total of 200
people attending. In addition, the centers hosted staff visiting from The
Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Children's Hospital in Boston.
An article about the centers has appeared in the local Spanish-language
daily newspaper, and an opinion piece was published in the English-
language daily. Signs have been placed outside buildings where training is
held to identify the hub locations.
A communication plan has been drafted and most of the materials have
been created to implement the public awareness campaign and create a
coordinated approach. Coordinated templates for flyers, newsletters, and
direct mail pieces, as well as other promotional materials, have been
designed and await production.
6
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
What still needs to be accomplished--Publicity and Community Outreach
The bulk of the public relations campaign will be occurring in 2007, now
that the communication plan has been created. We have had turnover in
advertising and public relations agencies, and the new one that was
engaged to help with the graphics and creative aspect of the work only
began in late fall of 2006. Thus, work has been delayed substantially. The
goals of the awareness campaign are to increase awareness within the two
neighborhoods of the importance of early childhood, to publicize
strategies that can be used to support young children's learning, and to
encourage use of the Neighborhood Early Literacy Centers.
The outdoor advertising will begin in February with 20 large or small
billboards and 30 bus bench signs being placed on neighborhood
commercial streets, as the signs come available. These large signs will be
reinforced with 200 yard signs displaying the program's logo that will be
placed in the front yards of program participants' and neighborhood
supporters' homes.
More than 1000 custom calendars will be distributed to parents,
caregivers, and community leaders. Each month features parents
associated with the program as well as a helpful tip about an activity for
parents to do with their child that month.
Door hangers will be distributed periodically beginning in February in
specific geographic areas to assist with recruitment of African-American
and other English speaking households. Small incentive items such as
magnets, mugs, and sippy cups will be available for use beginning in
February. Additional time is necessary to maximize the impact of these
public awareness efforts.
The community events featuring nationally or regionally known early
childhood specialists as presenters still need to be scheduled. They will be
used both to educate and bring awareness of the importance of early
development to the target audience of parents and providers, and to
motivate community leaders of the critical needs as well. Lead times for
speakers suggest that late February to May would be the best times to
schedule such events.
Evaluation Objective: Conduct meaningful program and process evaluation
What has been done: Two types of evaluation have been employed. At each training
session, participants complete a pre- and post-test survey for that session.
In addition, an evaluation conducted by university researchers is being
utilized to provide a more rigorous, overall evaluation of the program and
7
ELOA Grant Award No.90LOO169/01
Tarrant County Workforce Board on behalf of
Child Care Council,Fort Worth,TX
its outcomes. University evaluators developed an initial instrument to
collect data from participating parents, and it was piloted in the summer.
When the preliminary results were received, the researchers advised us
that the instrument had to be significantly revised because preliminary
analysis of the pilot data generated concerns about validity and reliability
of results. Thus, a new instrument had to be been designed and it is now
in use. Key stakeholders, key informants, program star and
subcontractors have been interviewed and focus groups of participants
held. The findings will be included in the final report along with the
participant results from training sessions and site visits for centers.
What still needs to be accomplished: Because the initial instrument did not yield
sufficiently accurate data to assess the program's outcomes, we are still
gathering sufficient data to complete a fully useful set of data to analyze.
We will need to complete the evaluation of a full series of training this
spring in order to collect the scope of data necessary to draw valid
conclusions and ones that can be used to help sustain the funding for the
program.
How much more time is needed:
The extended time period would allow for three more months of programming
(through May 2007) to complete the work on the major program goals and
another three months after that for evaluation, receiving and processing all
invoices through subcontractors, and preparation of the final report. The new end
date for the grant would be August 31, 2007.
8