21st Century Community Learning Centers

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State of Maine

Department of Education

RFP# 202312249

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The State of Maine is seeking proposals for 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) grant awards from providers capable of delivering high-quality after school and summer educational programs for students attending Maine schools. The State of Maine will be accepting applications for new, expansion, and renewal awards under this RFP.

A copy of the RFP, as well as the Question & Answer Summary and all amendments related to the RFP, can be obtained at: https://www.maine.gov/dafs/bbm/procurementservices/vendors/rfps

An informational webinar for this RFP will also be available on January 24, 2024, at the following website: https://maine.egrantsmanagement.com/ .

Proposals must be submitted to the State of Maine Division of Procurement Services, via e-mail, at: Proposals@maine.gov . Proposal submissions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m., local time, on April 10, 2024. Proposals will be opened the following business day. Proposals not submitted to the Division of Procurement Services’ aforementioned e-mail address by the aforementioned deadline will not be considered for contract award.

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RFP TERMS/ACRONYMS with DEFINITIONS

The following terms and acronyms, as referenced in the RFP, shall have the meanings indicated below:

State of Maine - Department of Education

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title IV, Part B CFDA #84.287
RFP# 202312249

21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

PART I INTRODUCTION

A. Purpose and Background

The Department of Education (Department) is seeking proposals to provide 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs, as defined in this Request for Proposal (RFP) document. This document provides instructions for submitting proposals, the procedure and criteria by which the awarded Bidder will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State of Maine (State) and the awarded Bidder.

The 21st CCLC program is authorized under the Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in “community learning centers” that:

1. Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet challenging State academic standards;

2. Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and

3. Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

Recipients of 21st CCLC funding from the Maine Department of Education (DOE) must address all three program components noted above at each program site and such services must be available to all students participating in the program. The structure of local 21st CCLC programs may vary across the state to include before school, after school, weekends, holidays, summer vacation, and other times when schools are not in session. At a minimum, however, Maine’s 21st CCLC programs must offer both school year and summer program services to participating students as outlined in Appendix G.

Approved 21st CCLC programs must link directly to the local School Administrative Unit’s (SAU’s) Consolidated SAU Plan and align with the Maine Learning Results. The Department will be accepting applications from new, expansion, and renewal proposals. The combined total funding available for all proposals is projected to be $3,500,000.00 (subject to the final federal allocation for the program).

B. General Provisions

1. From the time the RFP is issued until award notification is made, all contact with the State regarding the RFP must be made through the RFP Coordinator. No other person/ State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding the RFP. Violation of this provision may lead to disqualification from the bidding process, at the State’s discretion.

2. Issuance of the RFP does not commit the Department to issue an award or to pay expenses incurred by a Bidder in the preparation of a response to the RFP. This includes attendance at personal interviews or other meetings and software or system demonstrations, where applicable.

3. All proposals must adhere to the instructions and format requirements outlined in the RFP and all written supplements and amendments (such as the Summary of Questions and Answers), issued by the Department. Proposals are to follow the format and respond to all questions and instructions specified below in the “Proposal Submission Requirements” section of the RFP.

4. Bidders will take careful note that in evaluating a proposal submitted in response to the RFP, the Department will consider materials provided in the proposal, information obtained through interviews/presentations (if any), and internal Departmental information of previous contract history with the Bidder (if any). The Department also reserves the right to consider other reliable references and publicly available information in evaluating a Bidder’s experience and capabilities.

5. The proposal must be signed by a person authorized to legally bind the Bidder and must contain a statement that the proposal and the pricing contained therein will remain valid and binding for a period of 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening.

6. The RFP and the awarded Bidder’s proposal, including all appendices or attachments, will be the basis for the final contract, as determined by the Department.

7. Following announcement of an award decision, all submissions in response to this RFP will be public records, available for public inspection pursuant to the State of Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) ( 1 M.R.S. § 401 et seq.).

8. The Department, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to recognize and waive minor informalities and irregularities found in proposals received in response to the RFP.

9. All applicable laws, whether or not herein contained, are included by this reference. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to determine the applicability and requirements of any such laws and to abide by them.

C. Eligibility to Submit Bids

Public or private organizations in the State of Maine are considered eligible entities under the 21st CCLC program. Such entities include:

• Public SAUs and private schools,

• Non-profit agencies,

• Local government agencies,

• Faith-based organizations,

• Institutions of higher education,

• Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and

• For-profit companies.

For an application to be considered eligible, all potential bidders must:

1. Propose to serve one or more Maine schools, where at least 2/3 of the students the bidder proposes to serve attend:

a. A school eligible for a schoolwide program under Title I, Section 1114 of the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the families of those students; or

b. A school with at least 40 percent of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, and the families of those students.

2. Develop the proposal in partnership with another agency, where the proposal consists of:

a. One lead applicant organization, who shall take on the responsibilities of fiscal agent for the proposed program and demonstrate achievement of all deliverables set forth in the proposal; and

b. One lead partner organization, who shall have an active and meaningful role in the planning, development, and delivery of the proposed program.

3. Ensure that the proposal aligns with one of the following proposal types:

a. New proposal: A proposal submitted by an eligible entity that currently does not receive, directly or indirectly, any 21st CCLC funding which seeks to establish new program site(s).

b. Expansion proposal: A proposal submitted by an eligible entity that currently operates one or more 21st CCLC program sites, but not does not currently provide programming for the student population and program site(s) targeted in the proposal.

c. Renewal proposal:  A proposal submitted by an eligible entity who's current 21st CCLC award expires on 6/30/24 and who wishes to continue providing the same level of 21st CCLC programming and services for the targeted student population and program site(s).

a. Special Rule: Under this RFP, bidders submitting one or more renewal proposals may request a new funding amount that differs from their current funding level. In situations where additional funding is requested, programs must also increase the number of regular low performing (RLP) students served, ensuring that the cost per RLP student does not exceed $3,000 for a single-site program or $2,700 for a multi-site program.

4. Obtain written assurance from the school organization included within the proposal that it will contribute to no less than 35 percent of the annual transportation cost for the program budget. Both parties to the proposal must also ensure students travel safely to and from the proposed program and no barriers to program participation exist for students whose families are not able to transport their child to and from the program; and

5. Meet all application requirements and deadlines, including accurate completion of all application sections and required signature pages.

All bidders must also ensure that the students they propose to serve are not already served by another 21st CCLC program or individual program site. There may be only one 21st CCLC program per school building or other community facility, and the same children may not be served by more than one program. It is allowable for an agency to offer 21st CCLC programming in a different facility for a different cohort of children than are already served by a 21st CCLC program operating in a school or other community facility.

D. Partnerships

Bidders are encouraged to collaborate with partners in carrying out 21st CCLC programs, which include the eligible school(s) that students attend. A partnership is characterized by meaningful involvement in the planning, development, and delivery of the proposed program for students and families. All partners should be defined as a school organization, nonprofit agency, local government agency, faith-based organization, institution of higher education, Indian tribe or tribal organization, and/or for-profit company with a demonstrated record of success in designing and implementing before school, after school, summer learning, or expanded learning activities. Please note that an individual, agency, organization or other entity that only provides products and/or services described in the application and are not involved in the overall planning and implementation of the program is considered a vendor, not a partner. Bidders must have at least one lead partner organization in order to apply for funding. Additional partnerships are encouraged to demonstrate the viability of the program.

E. Allowable Activities

Each bidder that receives 21st CCLC funding under this RFP may use awarded funds to carry out a broad array of activities that advance student academic achievement and support student success. Such activities include the following:

1. Academic enrichment learning programs, mentoring programs, remedial education activities, and tutoring services that are aligned with (1) the challenging State academic standards and any local academic standards and (2) local curricula that are designed to improve student academic achievement;

2. Well-rounded education activities, including such activities that enable students to be eligible for credit recovery or attainment;

3. Literacy education programs, including financial literacy programs and environmental literacy programs;

4. Programs that support a healthy and active lifestyle, including nutritional education and regular, structured physical activity programs;

5. Services for individuals with disabilities;

6. Programs that provide afterschool activities for students who are English learners that emphasize language skills and academic achievement;

7. Cultural programs;

8. Telecommunications and technology education programs;

9. Expanded library service hours;

10. Parenting skills programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy;

11. Programs that provide assistance to students that have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow students to improve their academic achievement;

12. Drug and violence prevention programs and counseling programs;

13. Programs that build skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this paragraph as ‘STEM’), including computer science, and that foster innovation in learning by supporting nontraditional STEM education teaching methods; and

14. Programs that partner with in-demand fields of the local workforce or build career competencies and career readiness and ensure that local workforce and career readiness skills are aligned with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.).

F. Contract Term

The Department is seeking a cost-efficient proposal to provide services, as defined in the RFP, for the anticipated contract period defined in the table below. Please note, the dates below are estimated and may be adjusted, as necessary, in order to comply with all procedural requirements associated with the RFP and the contracting process. The actual contract start date will be established by a completed and approved contract.

Contract Renewal: Following the initial term of the contract, the Department may opt to renew the contract for up to three (3) renewal periods, as shown in the table below, and subject to continued availability of funding and satisfactory performance.

The term of the anticipated contract, resulting from the RFP, is defined as follows:

G. Size of Awards

All awards resulting from the RFP will be based on a funding reduction model, meaning that award amounts will be reduced over time, as outlined in the table below.

Potential awards resulting from this RFP will range from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $325,000. At no time will the Department issue an award in an amount of less than $75,000 or greater than $325,000.

Single-site Programs: Bidders proposing to operate a single-site program may request an award ranging from $75,000 to $175,000. Single-site programs are limited to operating a single grant-funded program site. At no time can cost per RLP student exceed $3,000 for a single-site program.

Multi-site Programs: Bidders proposing to operate a multi-site program may request an award ranging from $75,000 to $175,000 for the first site and up to $75,000 for each additional site. Multi-site programs must operate at least two but no more than three grant-funded program sites. At no time can cost per RLP student exceed $2,700 for a multi-site program.

Please note that agencies applying for multiple awards and those that already receive 21st CCLC funding from the Department will be limited to a maximum of $1,250,000.00 in annual funding across all awards.

The Department reserves the right to issue awards in amounts less than a bidder’s request. Such adjustment shall be based on whether the requested amount is appropriate and reasonable for the size and scope of the program, as determined by the Department.

H. Number of Awards

The Department anticipates making multiple award(s) as a result of this RFP process. The number and size of awards will depend on the number of proposals received and available funds. Based upon the consensus scoring of applications, the Department will rank order applications. Requested amounts will be subtracted from the funding available until insufficient funds remain to make an additional award. Proposals receiving a score of less than 70 points will not be selected for an award under this RFP.

PART II SCOPE OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

A. Program Goals

The Provider will deliver, during non-school hours or periods, a learning opportunity program that addresses the stated student service targets, program goals, indicators, and performance measures that are set forth in the application, reflected in the budget forms, and required in progress reporting to include measurement of: