Contracts for services to Wayne County, Michigan nonprofits, agencies, faith-based organizations, and businesses for comprehensive early childcare programs. The City of Detroit is excluded from this opportunity. Required registrations may take up to four weeks to complete. Funding is intended for programs to give disadvantaged children a strong early education so that they arrive in kindergarten on par with their peers.

The federally-funded Head Start program provides high-quality, comprehensive early education programming to low-income children and families so that children start school ready to succeed. The Office of Head Start (OHS) is offering applicants the opportunity to apply for funding to serve pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and children from birth to compulsory school age in one application. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits applications from public or private non-profit organizations, including faith-based organizations or for-profit organizations that seek to provide a high-quality, comprehensive program incorporating both Head Start and Early Head Start funding, or to provide services for Head Start only or Early Head Start only, in a manner that ensures continuous services and seamless transitions for children and families residing in Wayne County, with the exception of the City of Detroit, Michigan.

The goal of this FOA is to ensure an equitable distribution of resources to meet the demonstrated community needs of children from birth to compulsory school age, ensuring continuity of services and taking into account the availability of high-quality and comprehensive early childhood education opportunities (which may include public preKindergarten programs for 4-year-olds). This FOA provides applicants the opportunity to propose to reallocate funding between Head Start and Early Head Start based on both the needs in the community and the applicant's capacity and experience serving pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and/or preschool-age children. Applicants may explore combining Head Start and Early Head Start funds with resources from other early childhood programs or funding streams, including state, local, and private sector funding for child care, pre-Kindergarten, and special education services. Please note that applicants responding to this FOA will be expected to begin providing Head Start and/or Early Head Start services quickly after award, with a minimal startup period, to support limited to no disruption in services to the currently enrolled children and families in this service area.

For additional information, please see Program Description located on the RFP:
https://ami.grantsolutions.gov/files/HHS-2019-ACF-OHS-CH-R05-1596_0.pdf#page=4