Please note that on March 22, King County issued an addendum and updated budget template for this funding opportunity. This addendum extends the deadline for the RFP to April 12, clarifies and adds allowances in the budget template, clarifies language for funding categories, and revises the narrative response attachment.
If you downloaded the RFP or budget template prior to March 22, please review the addendum and use the updated budget template:
Links to the RFP and all attachments are available on the Public Health funding opportunities page. Click here and click on “RFP: Best Starts for Kids: Kaleidoscope Play and Learn.”
The request for proposals to fund Kaleidoscope Play & Learn groups is now open and available HERE.
Best Starts for Kids is investing in Community-Based Parenting and Peer Supports as one means of enhancing strengths and services within King County communities and improving child and family outcomes. This funding strategy is part of our Invest Early prenatal to 5 years old work.
This RFP for Kaleidoscope Play & Learn Groups, in partnership with Child Care Resources, is one of three Community-Based Parenting and Peer Supports RFPs that Best Starts is releasing to partner with community-based organizations to promote positive and healthy outcomes for young children and to support parents and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers. The other two RFPs focus on general parenting (upcoming) and basic needs resource brokering (closed).
Click HERE to the links for the RFP and other attachments.
Commitment to equity
For many in our region, King County is a great place to live, learn, work and play. Yet we have deep and persistent inequities – especially by race and place – that in many cases are getting worse and threaten our collective prosperity. Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) is integral to the County’s work and foundational to the work of Best Starts for Kids. Our goal is to ensure that all people, regardless of who they are or where they live, have the opportunity to thrive, with full and equal access to opportunities, power, and resources.
In alignment with the BSK Equity and Social Justice Framework and values, this investment will prioritize:
- Communities of Color, Low-Income Communities, and Limited English-Speaking Communities
- Populations and Communities Experiencing Significant Limited Resources
- Organizations that are Connected to, and Embedded in, the Community Served
Eligibility
This announcement is only open to not-for-profit organizations, community-based organizations, tribes and tribal organizations, schools and school districts, and public or governmental agencies serving communities in King County. Small non-profits and community-based organizations are encouraged to submit proposals. Technical assistance is available to any agency that would like help with their application. More information on technical assistance is available towards the end of this post.
Available funding
Through this RFP, Best Starts for Kids will invest $400,000 annually in Kaleidoscope Play and Learn groups in King County. Initial contracts will span from July-December 2018 and may be renewable for up to two more years. The number of awarded grantees will be determined by the quantity and quality of applications received. Funds will be administered in three separate categories:
- New Agency Affiliate
- Current Agency Affiliate group expansion
- Partial funding or Critical Sustainability
For the purposes of this RFP, $15,000 is the maximum annual amount to be awarded to fund a weekly group that meets a minimum of 48 weeks per calendar year. Award amounts will be prorated in the first year.
Timeline
| RFP released | 2/27/18 |
| Information Sessions | 3/5/18 , 3/12/18 , 3/14/18 |
| Final day to ask questions of King County | 4/5/18 |
| RFP Addenda Issued (if necessary) | 4/6/18 |
| Final day to request technical assistance | 4/7/18 |
| RFP responses due | 4/12/18 by 2p.m. |
| Interviews with applicants (if necessary) | TBD |
| Responses reviewed and rated | Tentative 5/01/18 |
| Notice to selected and non-selected organizations | Tentative 5/18/18 |
| List of selected organizations published. | Tentative 5/25/18 |
| Contracts begin | Tentative July 2018 |
Have more questions? Join us for information sessions
- March 5, 2018, from 1-2pm, Online Webinar. This is an online conference only. To join the presentation, click here. Audio via phone at 206-263-8114, conference ID: 3490706
- March 12, 2018 from 11am-12pm at the Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Boulevard SE Snoqualmie WA 98065
- March 14, 2018, from 1-2pm at the Federal Way Library, 848 South 320th Street, Federal Way WA 98003
Need help? Get free assistance applying
Help preparing your application is available at no cost to support Best Starts for Kids applicants. Providers offer a wide range of skills, areas of expertise, and language abilities.
See the list of providers and contact information for technical assistance here.
Where can I find data to support my application?
Best Starts values the use of multiple sources of data and information. While the use of data resources is not required, we have compiled some King County data resources to assure equal access to information. Indicators identified for Best Starts can be found here: www.kingcounty.gov/bskindicators. Please visit the “Data Resources” page on the Communities Count website.