letter of interest - phlprek...keystone stars program standards may respond to loi, but must have a...

MAYOR'S OFFICE OF EDUCATION

INFORMATION SESSIONLETTER OF INTEREST

Issued by:

Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC)

in behalf of the

City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office of Education


Agenda

• Overview of PHLpreK

• LOI & Application Eligibility

• Performance Expectations

• LOI Process

• Documents required for LOI

• Reviewr Demonstration

• Timeline

• Q & A


LOI Purpose

To gain insight as to the interest and

capacity of high quality providers to

support MOE’s goal of expanding

PHLpreK by 1,000 seats in FY 21.


PHLpreK Priorities

• Access to the highest quality services that will prepare

students (or children) for kindergarten

• Alignment with and leveraging of other early learning

initiatives

• Serving high need areas and special populations

• Improving nutrition and physical activity

• Expanding access to families that are unserved or

underserved in the early learning system

• Accountability and data-driven decision making

• Equity and good stewardship


Fiscal Year 2020-2021

• Funding for 4,300 preKslots

• $8,750/child

• 5.5 hrs. instructional time/ school day

• 180 days (Sept 2020-June 2021)

• At least 3 years-old (by 9/1/20) and younger than entry age for kindergarten

• Reside in Philadelphia


Application Timeline

Date Description

November 22, 2019 Release of the Letter of Interest (LOI) – Posted to website

December 4, 6, & 7, 2019 Letter of Interest information sessions

December 4, 2019 LOI online link available at PHLpreK website

December 9, 2019 Deadline to submit LOI questions

December 11, 2019 Answers to LOI questions posted to PHLpreK website

December 20, 2019 Letter of Interest due

February, 2020 Release of the Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Week of March 2, 2020 Mandatory Pre-Application Conference Sessions

March 13, 2020 Deadline to submit application questions

April 7, 2020 Applications due

May, 2020 Notice of Intent to Award


LOI Provider EligibilityGeneral Requirements

• Licensed by and in full compliance with the Department of Human Services (DHS) or the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)

• Quality community-based child care programs (center- and multi-site, group, family childcare, school district, Head Start) that operate within the City of Philadelphia.

• PA DHS compliance and noncompliance history will be reviewed for all LOI respondents.

• LOI Reponses from Providers with an active DHS negative sanction at the point of submission will be reviewed, however all PA DHS noncompliance must be resolved prior to contracting for the delivery of PHLpreK services.

• The PHLpreK program will not issue a contract to a provider with a DHS negative sanction.


LOI Provider EligibilityGeneral Requirements

• Providers not licensed through PDE or DHS, but

licensed through accrediting bodies outlined in the

Alternative Pathways to STARS Designation of the

Keystone STARS Program Standards may respond

to LOI, but must have a Keystone STARS

designation.

• Distribution of FY21 PHLpreK funding will be

prioritized to STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs.

http://www.pakeys.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Keystone-STARS-Performance-Standards-07-01-2018.pdf


LOI Provider EligibilitySTAR Level Eligibility

STAR 3 & 4 programs are eligible to apply to provide

PHLpreK services in FY21.

Distribution of FY21 PHLpreK funding will be prioritized

to STAR 3 and STAR 4 programs that submit a

complete and competitive RFQ application.



STAR 2 programs are eligible to apply to provide PHLpreK services

in FY21. STAR 2 providers applying must demonstrate a

commitment to moving up.

If awarded funds, will be expected to achieve a minimum of STAR 3

within a timeline recommended by PHMC and approved by MOE.

STAR 2 Programs that have not requested a STAR 3 or STAR 4

designation by the time of the full Application submission must

submit a written Waiver Request and Action Plan during the

Application Process.

The provider must meet specific requirements as outlined on the

Waiver Request and must provide a specific plan for reaching

STAR 3.

The provider’s progress toward this benchmark will be closely

monitored.



STAR 1 programs are only eligible to apply to provide PHLpreK services in

FY21 if located in a Priority Neighborhood*. STAR 1 programs applying

must demonstrate a commitment to moving up.

If awarded funds, will be expected to achieve a minimum of STAR 3 within a

timeline recommended by PHMC and approved by MOE.

STAR 1 Programs that have not requested a STAR 3 or STAR 4

designation by the time of the Application submission must submit a

written Waiver Request and Action Plan during the Application Process.

The provider must meet specific requirements as outlined on the Waiver

Request and must provide a specific plan for reaching

STAR 3. The provider’s progress toward this benchmark

will be closely monitored.



Unrated Locations of existing STAR 3 and STAR 4 Providers are eligible to apply to

provide PHLpreK services in FY21. Unrated locations applying must demonstrate a

commitment to moving up.

If awarded funds, will be expected to achieve a minimum of STAR 3 within a timeline

recommended by PHMC and approved by MOE.

New site locations of current STAR 3 or STAR 4 Providers may have a Provisional DHS

license due to being a newly licensed facility. Those sites will be expected to reach full

licensure and STAR 3 within a timeframe recommended by PHMC and approved by MOE.

New site locations of current STAR 3 or STAR 4 Providers may be awaiting Provisional

licensure, if the site underwent renovation or construction. However, those sites will

not receive a contract and cannot proceed with enrolling children if the

Provisional license is not obtained prior to contracting. Those sites will also

be expected to reach STAR 3 within a timeframe recommended by PHMC

and approved by MOE.


Priority Areas

Defined by:

• Population of children ages 3 &41

• Population of children ages 3 & 4 experiencing 2 or more Early Childhood Risks2

• Population below 200% of the poverty line3

• High-quality childcare shortage4

• Previous PHLpreK investment5

1 Reinvestment Fund, Child Care Map: 2010 Decennial Census, 20132 City of Philadelphia’s CARES Dara Warehouse, 2018 Early Childhood Risk Map Tool, 20183 Census Bureau, 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates4 Reinvestment Fund, Childcare Map, 20185 PHMC Enrollment Report November 1st, 2019: Approved Enrollment, 2019


Priority Areas

Targeted Priority Areas:

• Bartram Village

• Belmont

• East Parkside

• Fairhill

• Franklinville

• Harrowgate

• Hartranft

• Haverford North

• Hunting Park

• McGuire

• Strawberry Mansion

• Stanton

• Upper Kensington

• West Kensington

• Wister

STAR 1 programs are only eligible to apply to provide PHLpreK services in FY21

if located in a Priority Neighborhood*.


Distribution of Funds

• Funding will be Prioritized to STAR 3 and

STAR 4 programs

• Other Eligible Applicants

• STAR 2 programs, demonstrating a commitment to

moving up

• STAR 1 programs, only in priority areas,

and must demonstrate a commitment to moving up

• Unrated Locations of existing STAR 3 and STAR 4

Providers either with a Provisional license due to being

newly licensed or awaiting provisional licensure

due to renovation or construction.


LOI Review

• Current STAR Level

• PA DHS Compliance

• Area served

• Revenue sources

• # of seats across care levels

• Number of PreK slots and when available

• Proportion of requested seats to license capacity

LOI review will include:


Performance Expectations

Program Expectations

Maintain DHS or PDE license in good standing

Provide overall program quality

✓ Current STAR 3 or 4 Providers must maintain good

standing in Keystone STARS

✓ Growth provider entering PHLpreK system in FY21 with

less than a STAR 3 designation will be expected to

reach STAR 3 status in a timeline recommended by

PHMC and approved by MOE.

Conduct marketing and recruitment activities

Ensure children receive adequate program dosage

(85% average daily att./month)




Deliver quality developmentally-appropriate educational

services to 3- and 4-year-olds a minimum 5.5 instructional

hrs./day/180 days

• Implement Creative Curriculum to fidelity in the PHLpreK

classroom(s) and participate in required professional

development and coaching as provided by PHMC and

MOE to support fidelity of implementation for the required

curriculum.

• Record child progress using Teaching Strategies Gold

(TSG) online data tool and participate in required

professional development and coaching as provided by

PHMC and MOE to support fidelity of implementation for

the required assessment tool.




Recruit and retain qualified staff

Child Care Centers/Group Child Care

• Every child care center location has a full-time Director or

Administrator with a minimum of an Associate’s Degree in Early

Childhood Education (ECE) or related field and meets all other

DHS regulations.

• Each classroom has a Lead Teacher with a minimum of an

Associate's Degree in ECE or related field.

• Each classroom with more than 10 children also has an

Assistant Teacher with a minimum qualification of (1) a CDA

credential OR (2) 6 credits in Early Childhood Education

coursework

• Classes are staffed by full-time staff and all substitutes must

meet the credentials noted above for the position they are filling.





Family Child Care

• Every Family Child Care Owner/Operator has a minimum

of an Associate’s degree in ECE or related field.

• When a Family Child Care Owner/Operator does not

serve as the full time Lead Teacher and is not present for

the full 5.5 hr. PHLpreK day during the 180 days of

PHLpreK service, a teacher must be in place that has an

Associate’s degree in ECE or a related field.





School District

• Directors/Administrators, Lead Teachers and Assistant

Teachers at direct school sites must meet the staff

qualifications established for employees of the School

District. Staff at other School District contracted sites

must meet qualifications for Center Director, Center Lead

Teacher/Center Assistant Teacher noted previously.

By 2028, the Owner/Operator and all Lead Teachers must

have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in ECE or a related

field as outlined in Appendix A of the 2018 Keystone STARS

Indicators.



Comprehensive Services

Support family need for early learning and childcare services

Follow appropriate health and nutrition standards

• Complete at least one developmental screening for each

child annually using the Ages and Stages, 3rd Edition

(ASQ-3) and the Ages and Stages Social Emotional

(ASQ-SE). The required developmental screening tool

will be provided by the PHLpreK system.

Partner with families and caregivers to support their children’s

learning and development

Support Kindergarten transition



Reporting and Fiscal Expectations

Keep accurate records and enter data in defined databases

Engagement in the project and continuous improvement of the

system by participating in meetings and quality improvement

efforts as required

Comply with monitoring and reporting requests

Utilize funds appropriately

Maintain status as a quality business partner of PHMC or a

designated Hub Agency, while complying with applicable

policies and requirements of PHMC, the City of Phila., State of

PA and Federal Government


Questions


LOI Process

√ Read all information before completing application

√ Gather all documents you will need to upload

√ Read and Re-read your submission for accuracy, spelling, etc.

√ Give yourself plenty of time, DO NOT wait until the last minute.


Online Submission Demo

• Login

• Key navigation

• Save and Advance

• Save and Logout

• Required fields

• Uploading files

• Editing a submission

• Submitting more than

one LOI


Online Submission ProcessFillable Items in REVIEWR

• Legal Entity

Information

• Primary Contact for

the Application

• Facility/Site

Information

• Revenue Sources

• Licensed Capacity

• STAR Level

• Accreditations

• Levels of Care

• Number of Slots being

requested

• Area Demographics

• Narrative Questions

(Disclosures)


Online Submission Process

Items to upload:

• Copy of valid Pennsylvania DHS

• Copy of PA Department of Education license (if applicable)

• Copy of Accreditation Certificate (if applicable)

• Copy of Keystone STARS Certificate



• Legal Entity Name: Use the LEGAL ENTITY Name as it

appears on your DHS license

• Site Name: Use the NAME OF FACILTY OR AGENCY as

it appears on DHS license

• Site Address: Should match the address on the DHS

license if licensed.



• DHS License Number: Use the Certification ID. Enter all

letters and numbers as listed on the license.

• MPI #: Use the MPI ID as it appears on the DHS license.

Enter all numbers as they are listed.



All applications must be submitted via REVIEWR

1. Link can be found on www.PHLpreK.org beginning

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

2. Go to “Resources” in the upper right corner

Scroll down to “For PHLpreK Providers,”

3. Click the link to “Letter of Interest (LOI) for PHLpreK’s

2020-2021 school year”)

4. Click the link “LOI Submission Form”

http://www.phlprek.org/



Start at www.PHLpreK.org

Return via www.PHLpreK.org or https://app.reviewr.com

https://app.reviewr.com/s1/site//PHLpreK_LOI



https://app.reviewr.com/

https://app.reviewr.com/s1/site/PHLpreK_LOI



CREATE AN ACCOUNT & APPLY

– Select this option if you do not

have a Reviewr Login.

LOGIN – Select this option if you

already have a Reviewr account.



New User: If you are a

new user and do not have

an account then select

Create an Account and

follow the instructions

Existing Account: If you

have an existing user

account you will enter the

Email address and

Password for that account.

If you do not remember the

Password for the account

then CLICK on FORGOT

YOUR PASSWORD and

instructions will be sent to

your email address.


Online Submission DemoSaving and Logging Out

LOGOUT will log you out of your application

without saving information

SAVE & LOGOUT will save any information

entered in the application and will log you out

SAVE & ADVANCE will save any information

entered into the application and advance you

to the next page.

* - any fields with a red * are required fields.

You will not be able to SAVE AND ADVANCE

without willing these fields out.


Online Submission DemoLegal Entity Information

• Complete all Mandatory

fields (*) on each page

• The list to the right helps

you navigate to the pages

of the LOI



• If you do not fill out a required field you will not be able to

SAVE and ADVANCE and you will be prompted at the top of

the page where you need to complete information.


Online Submission DemoLegal Entity Information

• Questions on this

page are specific to

the Legal Entity

• When you have

completed all required

fields select SAVE

AND ADVANCE to

move to next page


Online Submission DemoPrimary Contact Information

• The Primary

Contact

Information

should be

entered for the

person who

will answer

any questions

related to the

LOI


Online Submission DemoFacility/Site Information

• Information about the

Facility/Site

Information should be

answered specific to

the facility where

children will be

served.



• Indicate the STAR Level for the specific location. You will be

prompted at the end of the application to upload your STARS

Certificate.



• For each question, select the appropriate

response for the specific location.

• You will be prompted at the end of the

application to upload the applicable

certificates based on your response.



• Answer each

question as it relates

to your specific

location



• Answer each

question as it

relates to your

specific location

• If the slots are not

currently available

indicate why and

realistic timeframe

as to when

anticipate they will

be available.



• Complete this question as it relates

to your specific location and the

families you serve.


Online Submission DemoNarrative Questions

• Complete these questions

as they relate to your

specific organization.


Online Submission DemoDocument Upload

• Upload required documents by selecting Browse

and navigating to where you have saved the

documents on your computer.

• After uploading documents SUBMIT LOI


Online Submission DemoEmail receipt upon submission

We have received your Letter of Interest for PHLpreK. It is suggested

you login again to review your submission to ensure it is

complete and all required documents are uploaded. You may

review and edit your submission any time until the posted

deadline date/time. The Letter of Interest process is designed to

support PHLpreK expansion efforts and understand the capacity of

interested Providers. Following the LOI process, it is anticipated that

PHMC will administer a separate application process for all sites

interested in participating in PHLpreK in Fiscal Year 2021.

Thank you for your interest in PHLpreK.

Sincerely,

PHLpreK Review Team



• To Edit a submission you will select MY

SUBMISSIONS and then View for the submission

you want to view and edit.



• Select ADD ANOTHER SUBMISSION if you wish

to add an LOI for an additional location.

• Select if you want to add a new submission

without copying or with copying from a previous

submission.



• If you selected “with copying”, select the submission

you wish to copy from.

• Legal Entity Information and Primary Contact

Information will pre-populate. You can then edit any of

the fields and complete the facility specific information

on the other pages of the LOI.



Need Help in the Reviewr System?

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


LOI Process

If in Doubt

Fill it Out


LOI Process

√ Read all information before completing application

√ Gather all documents you will need to upload

√ Read and Re-read your submission for accuracy, spelling, etc.

√ Give yourself plenty of time, DO NOT wait until the last minute.


LOI Dates to Remember

Date Description

December 9, 2019Deadline to submit LOI questions

December 11, 2018Answers to LOI questions posted to PHLpreK website

December 20, 2018 Letter of Interest due

Send questions to: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Questions


LOI Process