Requests for proposals; contracts for services

A. The department shall solicit the delivery of both half-day and full-day early pre- kindergarten and pre-kindergarten program services by publishing a request for proposals or a request for applications that contains the same requested information for pre-kindergarten services. B. Eligible providers shall submit proposals to the department that shall include a description of the services that will be provided, including: (1) how the provider's services meet department standards; (2) the number of eligible children the provider can serve; (3) the provider's site and floor plans and a description of its facilities; (4) the revenue sources and non-state funding available for the provider's delivery of services; (5) a description of the qualifications and experience of the provider's service- delivery staff for each site; (6) the provider's plan for communicating with and involving parents of children in the early pre-kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs; (7) how the provider's services meet the continuum of services to children; and (8) other relevant information. C. The department shall accept and evaluate proposals or applications for the delivery of early pre-kindergarten and pre-kindergarten program services by eligible providers. D. In selecting among proposals and applications for the delivery of early pre- kindergarten and pre-kindergarten program services, the department shall give priority to programs in communities with public elementary schools designated as Title I schools in which at least sixty-six percent of the children served reside within the attendance zone of a Title I elementary school. It shall further consider: (1) the number of eligible children residing in the community and the number of eligible children proposed to be served; (2) the adequacy and capacity of pre-kindergarten facilities in the community; (3) the availability of language and literacy services in the community; (4) the cultural, historic and linguistic responsiveness to the community; (5) the availability of parent education services for parents of eligible children in the community; (6) staff professional development plans; (7) the capacity of local organizations and persons interested in and involved in programs and services for eligible children and their commitment to work together; (8) the degree of local support for early pre-kindergarten and pre-kindergarten program services in the community; and (9) other relevant criteria specified by department rule. E. A contract with an eligible provider for early pre-kindergarten and pre- kindergarten program services shall provide that funds not be used for any religious, sectarian or denominational purposes, instruction or material. History: Laws 2005, ch. 170, § 6; 2011, ch. 140, § 2; 2019, ch. 48, § 22.