The EARLY LEARNING COALITION OF FLAGLER AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES, INC. (Coalition) located at 125 Executive Circle, Daytona Beach, FL 32114 is seeking and will accept proposals from qualified vendors to provide business development and support services to child care providers in Flagler & Volusia Counties. The requirements and specifications for the proposed service are detailed in the Scope of Work attached hereto as Exhibit A.
The Coalition is a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Florida and has been determined exempt by the Internal Revenue Service under the provision of IRS Code, Section 501(c)(3). The Florida Office of Early Learning has certified the Coalition as a local early learning coalition for the purposes of implementing programs authorized by Florida Statute Chapter 1002. Our principal function is the provision of oversight, and policy guidance to the early childhood School Readiness and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education systems in Flagler and Volusia Counties, Florida.
Background
In 1999, the Florida Legislature passed the School Readiness Act. The Act created the Florida Partnership for School Readiness (SR). In addition, the Act called for the creation of local school readiness coalitions whose goals were to improve the readiness of children when they enter school. With specific membership designated by Florida Statutes, 57 school readiness coalitions were formed throughout the state covering all 67 counties, with 30 Coalitions statewide. In 2001, the Florida Partnership for SR was transferred from the Executive Office of the Governor to the Agency for Workforce Innovation for administrative purposes. The funds for the Pre-Kindergarten, subsidized Child Care, Even Start, First Start, Migrant Pre-Kindergarten, and other programs were managed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation and distributed through the local coalition. In early 2005, the State passed Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) legislation, which placed local responsibility for the VPK program with the local school readiness coalitions. The coalitions have been renamed "Early Learning Coalitions" to reflect their greater role in meeting the early care and education needs of children and their families. Coalitions now fall under the direction and funding of the State of Florida Department of Education Division of Early Learning (DEL). ELCFV is charged with assessing the early care and education resources available in our community and developing local plans to address identified needs of children and their families. ELCFV plans, funds and administers a system of services designed to help ensure that children are ready for school when they enter kindergarten; in addition, ELCFV helps give parents support services to enable them to be stable and strong. ELCFV's budget for SR and VPK combined is currently over $58 million. ELCFV typically has between 250 and 300 active contracted providers. The budget is funded by a mix of federal, state, and local grants.
Scope of Work (summary of services anticipated)
The Coalition anticipates that services may include, but are not limited to, training, consultation, assessments, and resources addressing business planning, budgeting, financial management, revenue and expense analysis, cash-flow planning, financial performance, resource allocation, and long-term business sustainability; assessments of local market conditions, business opportunities, enrollment demand, competitive factors, capacity utilization, pricing considerations; enrollment planning, family outreach, marketing strategies, community engagement, business visibility, inquiry management, and enrollment processes; guidance related to operational practices, staffing and labor costs, resource utilization, leadership, organizational effectiveness, classroom capacity, and the relationship between enrollment, staffing, and business performance; workshops, group training, individualized consultation, mentoring, coaching, technical assistance and other professional support formats; developing business improvement plans, establishing goals, identifying priorities, supporting implementation, reviewing progress, and recommending adjustments; and providing educational materials, assessment tools, worksheets, templates, dashboards, business planning resources, or other materials to help providers continue improvement efforts.
Additional RFP provisions include conflict of interest and lobbying prohibitions, public records disclosure requirements, evaluation criteria and process (Vendor Selection Committee review, potential presentations, and final decision by the Chief Executive Officer), and requirements for compliance with applicable federal, state, county and local laws. Mandatory attachments and forms (Exhibits A–E) and other administrative and contractual terms are included in the RFP document.
