The Common Funding Request of the Jefferson Parish Early Childhood Collaborative Network was developed by the Jefferson Parish School System as Lead Agency, with information shared through the Jefferson Early Childhood Collaborative. Initial information about the Common Funding Application was shared with the Jefferson Early Childhood Collaborative on October 26, 2016 during the Collaborative’s standing monthly meeting. Community Partners were encouraged to watch the recorded webinar to begin learning about the process for requesting funds for the 2017-2018 school year. Draft timelines were shared and partners were encouraged to watch for an email from the Lead Agency in early November.
Also in October, representatives of the lead agency participated in the Coordinated Funding webinar for information on completing the Coordinated Funding Request. On November 11th, the JPPSS distributed a Request for Applications (RFA) to all partners wishing to continue, expand, or start new publicly funded early childhood programs. The RFA included detailed instructions to apply, application questions, seat requests, and assurances. The RFA highlighted that the goal of the Coordinated Funding Request was to ensure that the limited number of publicly-funded early childhood seats are allocated to those programs in Jefferson Parish that:
- Address parish wide needs
- Are high quality
- Are in high demand by parents/families
Application questions asked partners to describe their community needs, share information about the quality of their program (e.g., facilities, curriculum, GOLD assessment data,), and detail current parent demand for services. Applications were due on November 22, 2016.
All applications submitted by November 22, 2016, were included within the attached Common Funding Application for the Jefferson Early Childhood Network, including a request for funding for LA 4, Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG), and Nonpublic School Early Childhood Program (NSECD). The Common Funding Application includes all applications submitted by 11/22/16, organized by funding type, organized by currently funded programs, new requests for funds, and organized alphabetically by center name. Further, partnerships for LA 4 and PEG funding for the 2017-2018 school year will be determined after LA 4 and PEG seat awards are made by the LDOE and with the following considerations:
- Determination of community need, with priority given to areas with growing populations and limited availability of 4-year-old services,
- Parent demand for services as determined by parent applications in the Jefferson Child Common Enrollment system,
- JPPSS Superintendent’s Committee review and recommendation of applications,
- JPPSS School Board approval.
The Common Funding Application was posted to the JPPSS website for public comment on November 28, 2016. Written comments were accepted through November 30, 2016 then reviewed and addressed within the final Application submitted to the LDOE on December 12, 2016.
The Jefferson Parish School System as Lead Agency for the Jefferson Early Childhood Collaborative Network developed the 2017-2018 Common Funding Application as required by the Louisiana Department of Education. This Common Funding Application is posted for public review and comment. Public comments must be submitted in writing by November 30, 2016 to: ecnetwork@jppss.k12.la.us. The final application will be submitted to the Louisiana Department of Education on December 1, 2016.