Department of
Human Services
Notice of Request
for Information (RFI)
Community-Based
Parenting Education Support Groups
For Children Birth
to Three
The Department of Human Services is seeking written comments
from the general public, private sector, and community-based organizations, as
well as religious organizations, in accordance with Sec. 104, Public Law
104-193.
The Department is interested in procuring services for the
purpose of providing community-based, parenting education support groups for
children ages birth to three. Services may include but are not limited to,
the provision of ongoing peer support, the promotion of positive parenting and
guidance to groups of parents of infants and toddlers through:
Community-based volunteer led support groups that provide information,
education, referral and screening.
Training volunteer group leaders to lead parent groups and help recruit
other parents to be trained as leaders.
Educating the community at-large in the form of workshops and other
events on child behavior and development, parent-child interactions and
positive parenting guidance techniques.
DESCRIPTION
OF THE PROPOSED PROCUREMENT:
1. Parenting
Education Support Groups
Provide parenting education support group sessions of 10 week cycles to
be led by trained volunteer group facilitators.
i. Parents
of children birth-to-three are the target population to be served.
ii. In
each contract year, a minimum of 100 low income teen, single or two parent
families are to be served.
iii. Services
are to be provided on Oahu and at least one
other island.
The focus of the sessions should include parent education materials and
have a discussion-group format.
A manual for use by the group facilitators is to be developed,
maintained, and updated as necessary for leading the 10 week sessions:
i. One
manual shall be for parents of children less than one year old.
ii. A
separate manual will be developed for parents with children 1-3 years old.
An educational notebook for parent participants shall also be developed
and updated as needed. Topics should
focus on appropriate child guidance and development issues.
Group sessions are to include opportunity for discussions on these
targeted behaviors/issues for parents:
i. Coping
with the stresses of parenting.
ii. Improving
communication; relating and responding to children s needs.
iii. Gaining
a basic knowledge of child development.
iv. Setting
realistic parental expectations.
v. Addressing
low self-esteem and achieving personal growth.
vi. Isolation
from support services.
2. Support and Group Skill Building
Facilitate, reinforce and encourage functioning and support systems already established in families.
Create of new peer support systems.
3. Referral,
Linkage, and Screening
Children under four years of age will be screened using the Ages and
Stages Questionnaire (Hawaii
version) (ASQ) as well as the Ages and Stages Social-Emotional (ASQ-SE),
recommended by the Department of Health.
Referral/linkage services with other providers will be made as needed
when applicable.
Parents will be supported and encouraged to seek services when referral
is indicated.
4. General
Educational Workshops
Provide general educational workshops and other events to an at-large
community population serving parents/caregivers and community agencies.
Written comments shall be submitted to the following:
Department of Human Services
Attention: Scott Ray
P.O. Box 339
Honolulu, Hawaii 96809
Or by fax at: (808)
586-4890, Attention: Scott Ray
Deadline for written comments
in response to this RFI is Friday,
January 25, 2008.
Participation in this RFI process
is optional and is not required in order to respond to a subsequent request of
proposal. The purchasing agency reserves
the right to incorporate or not incorporate any recommendations presented in
response to the request for proposal.
Neither the purchasing agency nor the interested party responding has
any obligation under the request for information.
Lillian B. Koller
Director
