The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), is announcing a competitive Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) Request for Application (RFA) for fiscal year 2022-23.
HSSAP funding is awarded competitively on a five-year grant cycle. FY 2022-23 begins a new five-year cycle. All current HSSAP grantees, as well as any new, eligible applicants MUST apply during this competitive RFA process. Governor Wolf’s proposed FY 2022-23 state budget expands HSSAP by $10 million, allocating a total of $79 million to be distributed to eligible applicants starting with the new five-year cycle on July 1, 2022.
This RFA is intended to support providers in preparing to enroll and serve children by September 2022. The RFA is being released in February 2022 to give providers time to conduct outreach to families; recruit, hire and train staff; and to plan for implementing the program pending grant approval. Applicants may submit funding proposals aligned with the program models outlined in the Head Start Program Performance Standards 1302 Part B.
Applicants must submit Letters of Intent to RA-PAPreKCounts@pa.gov by 3:00 PM on Feb. 25, 2022. Only applicants that submit a complete Letter of Intent by the deadline will be permitted to apply for funding.
Introduction
The intent of HSSAP is to increase the number of low-income, Head Start-eligible children receiving high quality pre-kindergarten services in Pennsylvania. The proven high standards of Head Start programs ensure that young children are prepared for school, helping to close the achievement gap between groups of students in the K-12 educational system while their families receive additional services that enable them to support their children’s successful entry into school.
This RFA is intended to support providers in preparing to serve and enroll children by September 2022. The RFA is being released in February 2022 to give providers time to conduct outreach to families; recruit, hire and train staff; and plan for implementing the program pending grant approval. Applicants may submit funding proposals aligned with the program models outlined in the Head Start Program Performance Standards 1302 Part B.
RFA Process
In compliance with Commonwealth Management Directive 305.20 section 5e, all existing HSSAP grants will end June 30, 2022. OCDEL is using a competitive application process to disperse all available HSSAP funding to eligible grantees beginning in FY 2022-23.
The ceiling or limit on the potential number of slots that may be awarded to any applicant will depend upon a county’s unmet need percentages and the amount of funding available. Funding is contingent upon the enacted 2022-2023 state budget.
HSSAP grants are funded via state dollars and, therefore, carryover funds are not permitted. All grant dollars identified in this FY 2022-23 application must be encumbered or spent by June 30, 2023.
Eligible entities include:
- Head Start grantees; and
- Early Head Start grantees.
- Successful applicants MUST demonstrate:
- Current federal funding for Head Start or Early Head Start as a grantee or delegate; and
- No uncorrected deficiencies from the most current federal Monitoring Review.
Eligible applicants who apply for HSSAP funding must provide assurance that they operate in full compliance with the federal Head Start Performance Standards as reported on their Integrated Monitoring Report. They also must assure they will provide updates to OCDEL and the Head Start Collaboration Office director when changes in their compliance occur. Failure to report changes may jeopardize current or future grant funding.
Applicants also must have the following to complete an application:
- REQUIRED Letter of Intent (see below);
- Vendor number (SAP #);
- Administrative unit number (AUN);
- Master provider index number (MPI); and
- Federal ID number or tax ID number.
All information relevant to the application process is available in the HSSAP Application Guidance. Applicants should review all information in this document before submitting the required Letter of Intent to apply.
Letter of Intent
HSSAP applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) using the template posted at How to apply. The LOI represents the applicant’s intent to apply for HSSAP funding and includes preliminary information about requested funding, program model, provider type, and area to be served. Information submitted in the LOI may be modified in the final eGrants application.
Programs interested in applying must submit a fully completed mandatory LOI by 3:00 PM on February 25, 2022, to RA-PAPreKCounts@pa.gov. Programs that do not submit the LOI will not be able to access or submit a funding application in the eGrants system. Late submissions will not be accepted. Applicants submitting a complete LOI by the due date will be notified when the HSSAP application is open in eGrants.
