Access to Infant and Toddler Care and Education: Research and Evaluation | HHS 2024 ACF OPRE YE 1212

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACF OPRE YE 1212

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through its Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), is offering a discretionary grant opportunity to fund research and evaluation focused on access to infant and toddler care and education. The purpose is to generate timely, policy-relevant evidence about how well families can find and afford care for children from birth to age three, and how recent shifts in the early care and education (ECE) system are influencing that access. ACF is responding to major changes in the ECE landscape, including growing state and local investments in public pre-kindergarten, a decline in home-based child care options, evolving workforce qualification requirements, and persistent staffing shortages and provider instability that worsened during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. ACF is explicitly interested in how these dynamics may affect access in both expected and unintended ways, such as families having to search longer, pay more, settle for care that does not match work schedules, or losing opportunities for settings that support early development.

Funded projects are expected to answer key questions about infant and toddler care and education access at the national, state or territory, or local level. The opportunity supports two broad types of work. The first is descriptive research, such as documenting current access conditions, tracking changes over time, mapping supply and demand, or describing the features of specific policies, practices, or initiatives that could be shaping access. The second is evaluation, which can focus on how a policy or program is implemented and/or what effects it has on access-related outcomes. In practical terms, a project might examine how a new subsidy policy, compensation initiative, licensing change, capacity-building effort, or expansion of public pre-K affects the availability of infant-toddler slots, family affordability, the match between care options and parent needs (like nontraditional hours), or stability and continuity of care.

Methodologically, ACF is allowing a wide range of rigorous approaches. Applicants may propose studies that collect new (primary) data, use existing (secondary) data, or combine both. Designs may be quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods, depending on the questions being addressed. This flexibility is meant to accommodate different policy contexts and data environments across jurisdictions while still producing credible findings that can inform decision-making.

Awards will be made as cooperative agreements, which typically means ACF/OPRE expects substantial involvement in the project (for example, collaboration on study design refinements, measures, dissemination plans, or alignment with broader federal evidence needs). The anticipated project period is 36 months, running from September 30, 2024 through September 29, 2027, structured into two 18-month budget periods. The forecasted maximum award amount is $450,000 per budget period, and ACF expects to make about eight awards. The program is listed under CFDA 93.575 and falls within the Income Security and Social Services activity category.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations, such as state, county, and city governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses; and other eligible entities as specified in the notice. Individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from review. Faith-based and community organizations that meet eligibility requirements may apply on the same basis as other organizations, and ACF notes it will not discriminate based on religious character or affiliation, consistent with applicable federal rules.

Applications were to be submitted through Grants.gov under Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2024-ACF-OPRE-YE-1212, with an original closing date of July 8, 2024. Organizations are allowed to submit more than one application as long as each proposal is clearly distinct in scope (for example, different study questions, sites, interventions, or research teams). For additional context about OPRE and its broader research agenda, ACF points applicants to http://acf.hhs.gov/opre.

• The Administration for Children and Families - OPRE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Access to Infant and Toddler Care and Education: Research and Evaluation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.575.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for HHS 2024 ACF OPRE YE 1212

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