School’s Out Washington and Best Starts for Kids
Out-of-School Time, Request for Proposal
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BEST STARTS FOR KIDS and SCHOOL’S OUT WASHINGTON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
OUT OF SCHOOL TIME (OST) PROGRAMS
Proposals are due on Friday, November 3rd 2017, by 5:00 PM
I. INTRODUCTION
A. King County and School’s Out Washington: Partnering on High-Quality Out-of-
School-Time through Best Starts for Kids
In June, 2017, King County announced its partnership with School’s Out Washington to create
more opportunities for children and youth to flourish outside of the school day, through
investments in high-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs.
Best Starts for Kids (BSK) invests in promotion, prevention and early intervention strategies
that promote healthier, more resilient children, youth, families and communities. The priorities
for BSK investments – including quality out-of-school-time programs – were determined
through thousands of hours of consultation with researchers and experts, and extensive
engagement with community partners. The BSK Levy is rooted in the fundamental belief – from
within King County government, and across King County’s richly diverse communities – that ours
is a region of considerable opportunity and that we all benefit when every County child, youth
and young adult is supported to achieve their fullest potential.
School’s Out Washington (SOWA) provides services and guidance for organizations to ensure
all young people have safe places to learn and grow when not in school. SOWA is dedicated to
building community systems to support quality afterschool, youth development and summer
programs for all of Washington’s children and youth. SOWA supports programs through
Quality and Training, Policy and Advocacy, Grants to Programs, and a Commitment to Racial
Equity.
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King County has contracted with SOWA to lead the planning for this BSK Out-of-School Time
RFP process, and to manage BSK out-of-school-time investments over the next few years.
Together, BSK, SOWA and community partners will deepen and broaden the system of out-of-
school-time in King County, serve children and youth through more and better OST programs,
and pursue multiple shared goals:
Meaningful Results for Children and Youth
Equity and Social Justice
Community Partnerships
II. SHARED GOALS
A. Meaningful Results for Children and Youth
King County’s vision is that Best Starts for Kids will be the most comprehensive approach to
early childhood development in the nation, starting with prenatal support, sustaining the gain
through teenage years, and investing in healthy, safe communities that reinforce progress. BSK
is funded through a property-tax levy, approved by voters in 2015, which will generate
approximately $65 million per year. Across the initiative, these public funds support
programmatic approaches in three overarching strategy areas:
Investing Early – Prenatal to 5 years old
Sustaining the Gain – 5 to 24 years old
Communities of Opportunity
Across all strategies and investments, BSK will drive toward three overarching results:
Babies are born healthy and are provided with a strong foundation for lifelong health
and wellbeing.
King County is a place where everyone has equitable opportunities to be safe and
healthy as they progress through childhood, building academic and life skills to be
thriving members of their communities.
Communities offer safe, welcoming and healthy environments that help improve
outcomes for all of King County’s children and families, regardless of where they live.
This OST RFP is part of a portfolio of investments, focused on Sustaining the Gain through
programs and services for 5 to 24 year olds. OST programs will contribute toward this BSK
result:
King County is a place where everyone has equitable opportunities to be safe and healthy as they progress through childhood, building academic and life skills to be thriving members of their communities.
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King County has identified headline and secondary indicators for evaluating BSK and informing
priorities over time, as the initiative progresses. Secondary indicators are listed in Section IX.
Headline indicators for Sustaining the Gain are listed here:
Headline Indicators for Sustaining the Gain, 5 – 24 years old
3rd graders who meet reading standard
4th graders who meet math standard
Youth who graduate from high school on-time
High school graduates who earn a college degree or career credential
Youth and young adults in school or working
Youth and young adults who are in excellent or very good health
Youth not using illegal substances
Youth who are flourishing and resilient, as described by curiosity and discovery about
learning, resilience, and self-regulation
Applicants for this OST RFP will be asked to explain how their out-of-school-time programs
contribute toward achievement of the headline and secondary indicators for programs serving 5
– 24 year olds. BSK and SOWA do not expect that OST programs will directly affect the headline
indicators; rather, they represent the shared goals of Best Starts for Kids.
B. Equity and Social Justice
Achieving racial equity and pursuing social justice are core to the vision of both School’s Out
Washington and Best Starts for Kids. The extent and impact of disparities in access to high
quality OST programs requires a full and focused response that will reduce those disparities,
increase opportunities for children and youth of color, and assure that all King County children
and youth have equitable access, leading to positive life outcomes. SOWA believes that access
to high quality expanded learning opportunities offered before and after school and during the
summer is essential for closing the opportunity gap and challenging inequity. Experience from
three decades of work in diverse communities has shown how expanded learning opportunities
can level the playing field, which is why SOWA is committed to increasing access to high quality
programs for children and youth of color so they have opportunities to reach their full potential.
Pursuing equity and social justice is integral to the work of King County government. While
recognizing that for many in our region, King County is a great place to live, learn, work and
play, deep and persistent inequities - especially by race and place - are getting worse in many
cases and threaten our collective prosperity. Launched by King County Executive Ron Sims in
2008, and formalized by Executive Dow Constantine and the Metropolitan King County Council
via ordinance in 2010, Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) is integral to the County’s work and
foundational to the work of Best Starts for Kids. The County’s goal is to ensure that all people,
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regardless of who they are or where they live, have the opportunity to thrive, with full and equal
access to opportunities, power, and resources.
To amplify consideration of equity and social justice, SOWA has prioritized communities of color
for OST funding, and designed a program model that will invest in community-based
organizations led by people of color (POC) to improve the reach and scale of high quality OST
programs serving children and youth of color, within communities of color. More information
on People of Color-Led programs is included in Section IV.
C. Community Partnerships
As the intermediary for out-of-school-time investments, SOWA is well-positioned to be
responsive, and accountable, to community partners. Over the last three decades, SOWA has
impacted 950 programs statewide, through workshops and trainings. In 2010, SOWA began
working more closely with community partners such as Youth Development Executives of King
County (YDEKC) and Community Center for Education Results to create an out-of-school-time
system that supports healthy development for all children and youth in King County. In 2013,
SOWA and many partners across the state completed the Washington State Quality Standards
for Afterschool and Youth Development Programs. Since then, through an intensified focus on
quality, SOWA has partnered with approximately 500 programs across Washington State, which
includes approximately 320 in King County, working to improve the quality of out-of-school-
time programs.
Best Starts for Kids is equally committed to community partnerships as a means of achieving
results. Through all of its BSK investments, King County seeks to support organizations that are
reflective of and embedded in the communities they serve, recognizing and addressing the
disparities and disproportionality that exists in communities. With Best Starts for Kids, King
County is working to assure that neither zip code nor family income constrain young people
from pursuing lives of promise and possibility.
III. DESCRIPTION
A. Out-of-School-Time Strategy Rationale and Research
King County detailed the rationale and research behind investing in out-of-school-time
programs in the Best Starts for Kids Implementation Plan which was approved by King County
Council in September, 2016.
Children and youth spend only 20 percent of their waking hours in school. How they spend the
remaining 80 percent of their time has a significant impact on their success and well-being1.
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Over a decade of research and evaluation shows that high quality afterschool and summer
programs are directly linked to youth achievement of positive social/emotional, health, and
academic gains. Quality out-of-school-time programs provide children and youth with access to
a range of activities from educational enrichment to cultural and social development activities,
recreation, physical activity and health promotion, visual and performing arts, tutoring and
homework services and leadership skills. They serve a critical role in fostering healthy
communities and providing young people with a safe space keeping them off the streets during
the peak hours for juvenile crime.2
What happens in quality out-of-school-time programs looks and feels different than the school
day, and enhances in-school learning by supporting the holistic needs of children and youth.
High quality out-of-school-time programs, with a specific focus on improving academic
outcomes for low-income youth and children and youth of color, use data to inform program
practice and measure progress. Engaging with communities, families, and schools to align in-
school and out-of-school learning, with a shared goal of enhancing learning and improving
academic outcomes, is at the core of high quality out-of-school-time programs.3
Investments in quality out-of-school-time have the potential to counter the significant impact of
summer learning loss. Every year, children and youth forget between one-three months of what
they learned in school the previous year.4 Two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower
and middle to higher income youth entering 9th grade can be attributed to summer learning
loss.5 The benefits and social returns of investing in summer learning are compelling and
contribute to a decrease in student dropouts, higher grades and academic performance, and
higher graduation and college enrollment rates.6
B. Quality Matters
SOWA functions as a backbone organization to help build community systems to support
quality afterschool, youth development and summer programs in King County, and across
Washington, for children and youth ages five through young adulthood. Quality afterschool,
youth development and summer programs must have the skills, knowledge and tools necessary
to effectively engage and interact with children and youth. These skills, knowledge and tools are
defined within the Washington State Quality Standards for Afterschool and Youth Development
Programs. Nine overarching domains encompass key areas of quality:
Safety and Wellness - Quality programs provide safe, healthy, and developmentally
appropriate learning environments for all participants.
Assessment, Planning and Improvement - Quality programs have policies and procedures
in place that promote continuous improvement.
Cultural Competency and Responsiveness - Quality programs respect and are responsive
to the diversity of program participants, their families, and community.
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Ongoing Staff and Volunteer Development - Quality programs ensure competent,
motivated, youth-centered staff and volunteers through effective orientation, training, and a
philosophy that views professional development as a journey rather than a destination.
Relationships - Quality programs develop, nurture, and maintain positive relationships and
interactions among staff and participants.
Leadership and Management - Effective organizations have a coherent mission, well-
developed systems, and sound fiscal management to support and enhance quality
programming and activities for all participants.
Youth Leadership and Engagement - Quality programs promote a sense of purpose and
individual empowerment in youth through opportunities to engage in a rich variety of
experiences, participate in planning, and exercise choice and leadership.
Family, School and Community Connection - Quality programs establish and maintain
strong, working partnerships with families, schools, and community stakeholders.
Program and Activities - Quality programs offer a variety of activities that are active,
developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive and enrich the physical, social,
emotional, and creative development of all participants.
Some of the organizations contracted through SOWA for OST programs will be familiar with
quality standards and youth program quality interventions. For others, this will be new
information. Funding through this RFP will accommodate both scenarios, through opportunities
to apply as Phase One organizations (new to quality supports), or Phase Two organizations
(some experience with quality supports). Additional information is provided in Section IV.
C. Community Involvement in Shaping the OST Strategy
As the intermediary for BSK out-of-school-time funding, SOWA is committed to being
responsive and accountable to the community, and to collaborating closely with King County
staff to ensure ongoing alignment to the goals of Best Starts for Kids. Collectively, community
feedback has assisted SOWA to shape a clear and accessible RFP process, and will inform the
programmatic plan for BSK-funded OST programs in King County, which will be completed by
December.
SOWA conducted four focus groups across King County to engage out-of-school-time
stakeholders and gather input to inform the strategy and the RFP:
Date/Time Location # of Participants7 Stakeholder Partners
7/24/17 – 11:30 AM-1:30 PM Kirkland Library 7 Eastside Pathways
7/25/17 – 3:30-5:30 PM Broadview Library 8 YDEKC8
8/1/17 – 9:00-11:00 AM 2100 Building 14 SESEC9
8/1/17 – 3:00-5:00 PM Kent Commons 15 City of Kent
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SOWA’s objective was to engage a broad range of perspectives and geographies, and assure
ethnic and cultural diversity within focus group discussions.10 The stakeholder partners listed in
the chart above helped SOWA plan the focus groups and reached out to their partners and
constituencies to encourage participation in the focus group discussions. A document
summarizing the focus groups is available from SOWA on request.
SOWA convened a final discussion on August 28, 2017 that included King County staff and
community members – most of whom had attended focus groups – to review modifications
resulting from the community focus group discussions, and garner additional input prior to the
RFP release.
D. Landscape Analysis
SOWA commissioned BERK Consulting to complete an Out-of-School Time Landscape Scan to
compile a picture of OST programs in King County. The scan was completed in August, 2017 and
aims to illustrate what is known across King County about: 1) the potential demand for OST
programs; 2) the supply of OST providers and programs; 3) barriers to accessing OST and system
needs; and 4) OST funding sources.
IV. SHAPING OST PROPOSALS
A. Overview
Two program models are defined in this RFP: Place-Based Partnerships, and People of Color
(POC)-Led. Within each of the program models, organizations will have the option of applying
as Phase One or Phase Two which will assure that a range of organizations have the opportunity
to participate. Over the course of the contract period, SOWA will provide quality supports –
through coaching, training and technical assistance – to all funded organizations, based on
need.
Full details on elements of both models are provided below. SOWA will offer four information
sessions, as well as technical assistance opportunities to support organizations considering
applying for this funding to determine the best fit by program model, and program phase
(details found in Section VI). School’s Out Washington and Best Starts for Kids are eager to
engage a diverse range of place-based partnerships, and POC-Led organizations, to contribute
toward building out an out-of-school-time system in King County that provides more and
better programming for young people.
B. Phase One or Phase Two
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Proposals for both Place-Based Partnerships and People of Color-Led models will have the
option of entering into OST contracts at Phase One or Phase Two. Applicants will self-identify
an appropriate phase in their proposals.
Phase One programs will be those that are new to Youth Program Quality Standards,
and/or those creating new or greatly expanded programming or partnerships, which will
require time and support to plan and implement. These programs will receive funding in
January, 2018 and will work with SOWA for approximately nine months, to prepare for
OST program implementation in fall 2018.
Phase Two programs will be those which don’t require as much preparation and
planning time. These programs will receive funding in January 2018, and will begin
implementation in spring 2018.
In designing program models that allow for these two phase options, SOWA intends to assure
greater accessibility to BSK OST funding for organizations which may need additional time and
supports to prepare, but which are well-positioned to provide high quality OST programming
for children and youth in communities of color and/or underserved geographies.
C. Quality Supports
School’s Out Washington will provide quality supports to funded Place-Based Partnerships and
People of Color-Led organizations over the course of their BSK-funded OST contracts.
Quality supports provided by SOWA to Phase One organizations will include:
Quality and capacity assessments (external and self)
Introductory trainings
Enhanced coaching and planning support
Monthly peer learning community meetings.
Quality supports provided by SOWA to Phase Two organizations will include:
Quality and capacity assessments (external and self)
Trainings based on assessment and plan/goals
Coaching
Quarterly peer learning community meetings.
D. Place-Based Program Model
Place-Based program models will serve neighborhood and school communities that lack
sufficient access to high quality out-of-school-time programs. Priority will be given to programs
with a focus on serving youth from low income families, youth of color, or other disadvantaged
populations in geographies that lack adequate access to high quality OST programs. Both the
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landscape scan, and SOWA’s online mapping tool can help partners identify these areas of high-
need.
SOWA’s goal is to converge the programmatic strengths of multiple organizations – which may
include larger providers, as well as smaller ones – to work together as partners to offer high
quality out-of-school-time programming that meets the needs of neighborhoods and school
communities. The intent of Place-Based programs is to maximize the strengths of multiple
organizations working within a single geography, and to support each of the Place-Based
partners to provide elements of an afterschool and summer program that plays to the strengths
of each organization, and collectively meets the needs of neighborhoods and school
communities, and their children, youth and families.
SOWA will require that a minimum of two organizations work together, although three or more
is preferred. Partnering organizations will be engaged in continuous quality improvement at
either Phase One or Phase Two.
Programming may be provided in school buildings, community centers, housing communities or
other sites as determined by the partner organizations. While it is encouraged that schools be
one of the partners, it is not required. However, a school relationship of some kind must be
developed through the partnership. Successful applicants will be asked to obtain a letter
confirming schools’ endorsement of the partnership.
All organizations within a Place-Based Partnership must provide programming. Through
combined efforts of the partners, Place-Based programs must encompass the school year and
summer. Applicants should consider all of the following requirements for a Place-Based
Partnership proposal:
o Average daily attendance of 50-100 children and youth.
o Collectively, the Place-Based partnership must provide 2-3 hours/day, for at least 4/days
each week, over 32 weeks during the school year.
o Collectively, the Place-Based partnership must provide 6 hours/day, for 5 days each
week, for at least six weeks during the summer.
o Programs must focus on elementary and/or middle school youth.
Funding for Place-Based Partnerships will be between $100,000 and $300,000 annually, to be
allocated across the partner organizations based on their differing program offerings as part of
the collective model. Up to 15% of the grant award may be used for coordination functions by
the coordinating organization, which is chosen by the partners.
E. People of Color-Led Model
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SOWA and BSK are prioritizing funding to organizations that are led by people of color, and
which serve children and youth of color, within communities of color. By partnering with POC-
Led organizations, SOWA will support organizations’ infrastructure and growth as they develop,
or expand, their capacity to implement high quality OST programming for their communities’
children and youth.
In this RFP, People of Color-Led organizations are defined as single organizations which center
communities of color; in which the majority of leadership, board, staff and youth engaged are
People of Color (POC), and which has an expressed and demonstrated commitment to racial
equity and/or communities of color as reflected in its mission and program strategy.
Applicants should consider all of the following requirements for a POC-Led proposal:
o Average daily attendance of at least 20 children and youth.
o The POC-Led organization must provide at least 2-3 hours/day, for 2-4/days each week,
over 32 weeks during the school year.
o Providing summer programming is optional.
If POC-Led organizations do not provide summer programming, it is
recommended that they provide more than 2 days of afterschool programming
during the school year.
If POC-Led organizations do provide summer programming, they must provide 6
hours/day, for 5 days each week, for at least 4 weeks during the summer.
o Programs must focus on elementary and/or middle school youth.
Funding for POC-Led organizations will be between $60,000 and $100,000 annually.
F. Organizations Considering Multiple Proposals
Place-Based Partnerships. Organizations proposing to provide OST programs may
participate in more than one Place-Based partnership proposal. However, the children
and youth proposed to be served as part of a Place-Based partnership must be
different/unduplicated children and youth than those served by any other Place-Based
partnership proposal in which the organization participates.
POC-Led Organizations. In addition to proposing to provide OST programming within
their communities, POC-Led organizations may choose to partner with other
organizations to develop a Place-Based partnership proposal. However, if POC-Led
organizations both submit a proposal as a single, POC-Led organization, and partner on
a Place-Based partnership proposal, the two proposals must serve different/unduplicated
children and youth.
G. Data Resources for Proposal Development
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BSK and SOWA value the use of multiple sources of data and information. The Landscape
Analysis may be a helpful resource. Applicants may also choose to use this mapping tool to
determine current programming available in King County, and to prioritize high-need areas.
Other sources include the BSK indicators website and the Communities Count website as well as
these maps, providing data by Regions and Health Reporting Areas across King County.
H. 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.
V. EVALUATION and REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
A. Data Collection
Organizations receiving funding from Best Starts for Kids will be asked to participate in data
collection and reporting activities to support evaluation and learning. This includes:
Building evaluation into the project budget (up to 10%)
Connecting work to long term BSK results, listed in Section I/Introduction.
Organizations are NOT required to submit a detailed evaluation plan as part of their
applications. After funding decisions are made, BSK evaluation staff, and SOWA staff, will work
collaboratively with grantees to identify mutually agreed upon evaluation goals.
B. Reporting Requirements
Reporting requirements will be finalized as part of the contracting process for successful
bidders. At a minimum, SOWA expects that each Place-Based partnership, and POC-Led
organization, will be asked to submit brief written summaries, and provide program data, twice
annually. Reporting requirements may change over the course of the contract, and where
appropriate, SOWA will seek opportunities for in-person reporting and sharing of progress and
challenges across programs as part of the overall process of quality supports.
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VI. INFORMATION SESSIONS AND PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE
SOWA will offer four information sessions to explain the RFP in detail, and answer questions.
Organizations considering responding to this RFP are strongly encouraged to attend one of the
information sessions. They are scheduled for:
Date/Time Location
10/2/17, from 1:30-3:30 PM
Rainer Beach Library Meeting Room
9125 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98118
10/3/17, from 12:30-2:30 PM
Lake Hills Library Meeting Room
15590 Lake Hills Boulevard, Bellevue, WA 98007
10/4/17, from 1:30-3:30 PM
Lake City Library Meeting Room
12501 28th Avenue Northeast, Seattle, WA 98125
10/5/17, from 1:00-3:00 PM
Kent Library Meeting Room
212 2nd Avenue North, Kent, WA 98032
Additionally, technical assistance is available to organizations needing support in applying. If
you have never applied for government funding before, are new to responding to a Requests for
Proposal (RFP), or are needing support with your application, contractors will be available
through King County for assistance at no cost to the applicant.
Please check SOWA’s Best Starts for Kids webpage for information on additional opportunities
to receive technical assistance and support in applying for these funds.
VII. TIMELINE
The timeline details the tentative schedule of the entire process, from RFP release to project
implementation. Dates listed here are subject to change.
RFP released September 27, 2017
Information sessions October 2-5, 2017
Final day to ask questions October 27, 2017
RFP responses due November 3, 2017 no later than 5:00 PM
Interviews with applicants (if necessary) November, 2017
Responses reviewed and rated November, 2017
Notice to selected and non-selected
organizations
December, 2017
List of selected organizations published. December, 2017
Project implementation. January, 2018
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VIII. RATING CRITERIA
Proposals will be read and evaluated by a review committee. The process for choosing funded
projects will include evaluation of the narrative and accompanying documents. The selection
criteria that will be used during the evaluation/review process are listed below. Please consider
using the rating criteria headings below to organize your project narrative.
CRITERIA Points
1. CAPACITY TO MEET COMMUNITY NEED
Highly Competitive Less Competitive
Place-Based Partnerships identify a
high-need neighborhood or school
community and define clear roles
among the partners.
Roles of each organization within Place-
Based Partnerships and the
neighborhood or school community are
unclear.
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People of Color-Led organizations
define their role and history in
communities of color.
Role and history of POC-Led
organization is unclear.
Applicants detail the need for quality
OST programs in their focus areas,
children and youth to be served, and
their goals for community impact.
Need for quality OST programs, children
and youth to be served, and/or goals of
bidding organization are unclear.
Applicants have a rationale for how
their work will contribute toward the
BSK result and indicators.
Connection between applicant’s
proposed program and BSK result and
indicators is unclear.
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CRITERIA Points
2. OST PROGRAM
Highly Competitive Less Competitive
Applicants define their proposed
program as Phase One or Phase Two
and detail a rationale for their phase
and an understanding of the role of
program quality supports.
Program phase is not defined or is
unclear. Applicants do not sufficiently
discuss program quality supports.
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Applicants detail milestones and overall
timeline for preparation and
implementation that is likely to result in
quality OST programming.
Milestones and timeline are unclear,
and/or unlikely to support quality OST
programming.
Applicants provide full details on OST
programming, including dosage and
roles among Place-Based Partnerships.
Programming proposed is high quality,
and focused on supporting children and
youth in building lifelong skills,
improving academic performance, and
discovering their individual passions.
Details, dosage and/or roles are unclear
or inadequate. Programming proposed
is not of sufficiently high quality to
assure the desired results for children
and youth.
CRITERIA Points
3. EQUITY
Highly Competitive Less Competitive
Applicants clearly define how their
programs will address gaps in access to
high quality OST programs among
children and youth of color, and
children and youth living in poverty.
Applicants provide limited explanation of
how the program will address gaps in
access to high quality OST programs
among children and youth of color, and
children and youth living in poverty.
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CRITERIA Points
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4. BUDGET
o Proposed budget costs are reasonable and justified
o Budget is complete and aligns with proposed activities
o Up to 10% of the budget is assigned to evaluation activities
Not
rated
A. Application Review Process
Review committees may consist of SOWA staff, King County staff, external subject matter
experts, evaluators, members of the BSK Children and Youth Advisory Board (CYAB), community
members, and members or designees of the King County Council (as nonvoting members). Final
selection of awardees will be made by division directors based upon recommendations from the
review committees. SOWA will execute contracts based upon the final selection.
B. Appeals Process
School’s Out Washington will notify all respondents in writing of the acceptance or rejection of
their proposals and, if appropriate, the level of funding to be allocated. Written notification will
be sent via email to the email address(s) submitted on the proposal cover sheet.
Any applicant wishing to appeal the decision must do so in writing within four working days of
the email notification of SOWA’s decision. An appeal must clearly state a rationale based on the
following criteria: 1) violation of policies or guidelines established in this RFP; and/or 2) failure to
adhere to published criteria and/or procedures in carrying out the RFP process.
SOWA will review the written appeal, will confer with King County, and may request additional
oral or written information from the appellant organization. A written decision from King County
will be sent within four working days of the receipt of the appeal. This decision is final.
IX. APPLICATION AND PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PROCESS
Proposals are due by 5:00 PM on Friday, November 3, 2017. Late proposals will not be accepted.
Proposals must have three components:
1) A narrative response to the five questions detailed below.
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2) A budget using SOWA’s BSK OST budget template.
3) An online organizational summary form.
Organizations should complete the narrative first, preferably as a Word document, followed by
the budget, using the budget template. Upon completion of the narrative and the budget,
organizations should complete the online organizational summary form. Once the online
organizational summary form is completed, the narrative and the budget, should be uploaded.
Further detail on each of these three steps is provided below:
Narrative. Proposal narratives should be formatted with 11-point font, single-spaced, and
one-inch margins. Please address all of the questions below in no more than five pages.
Place-Based Partnerships, please begin your proposals by answering question #1a, followed by
questions 2 through 5. People of Color-Led Organizations, please begin your proposals by
answering question #1b, followed by questions 2 through 5.
1. Partnership/Organizational Overview
a. Place-Based Partnerships:
i. What are your partnership’s overall goals in applying for BSK funding for
out-of-school-time programs? What is the impact your partnership
hopes to make for children and youth in the school-based neighborhood
or community you have identified?
ii. List each organization in your partnership (there must be at least two, but
three or more is preferred) and explain why you’ll be a strong partnership
to provide OST programming as part of Best Starts for Kids.
iii. Which organization will serve as the coordinating organization? Why did
the partner organizations make that choice? In addition to providing
some of the OST programming, what do you expect will be the primary
functions of the coordinating organization? (Up to 15% of the overall
project budget may be directed toward the coordinating organizations,
for functions agreed to by the partnering organizations.) Attach a letter
confirming agreement to the Place-Based Partnerships among all partner
organizations. You can use the sample Intent to Partner letter found on
SOWA’s Best Starts for Kids webpage.
iv. Detail how many children and youth each of the partner organizations
currently serve, their demographics, the locations of your current
programs, and the types of programming provided.
v. Describe the school-based neighborhood or community your program
will serve and explain why you’ve focused on that area, and how you used
information from the landscape scan and other sources to make that
decision.
vi. What is the need in this area?
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Out-of-School Time, Request for Proposal
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vii. Provide demographic information on the children and youth your Place-
Based Partnership intends to serve.
b. People of Color-Led organizations
i. What are your organization’s overall goals in applying for BSK funding for
out-of-school-time programs? What is the impact your organization
hopes to make for children and youth?
ii. Describe your organization, including your history and mission, the
community(ies) you serve, your leadership and staff, and why you feel
your organization is a good fit with the RFP’s priority on POC-Led
organizations.
iii. Describe the racial, ethnic and/or cultural community(ies) on which your
organization focuses its work. Detail how many children and youth your
organization currently serves, the locations of your current programs, and
the types of programming provided.
iv. Explain the need in your community, and why your organization has
decided to establish, or expand, out-of-school-time programming?
v. If awarded funding through this RFP, describe the geography(ies) within
King County where you will provide OST programming for children and
youth. What data/information informed your geographic focus?
vi. Provide demographic information on the children and youth your POC-
Led program intends to serve.
2. Discuss how your work will contribute to achieving BSK’s Sustaining the Gain result, and
headline and secondary indicators.
3. Are you proposing as a Phase One or Phase Two organization? Explain why you’ve chosen
that phase, and discuss how SOWA quality supports will be, or are, essential to your
organization’s ability to provide high quality OST programming.
4. Detail key milestones and the overall timeline you expect from notification of funding
through program implementation.
5. Describe the OST programming your Place-Based Partnership or POC-Led organization will
provide. Include detail of what activities will be available to children and youth each day, the
dosage of programs provided, and in the case of Place-Based proposals, explain which
organization in your partnership will provide each element of the overall OST program.
Provide the same information for summer programming. This information may be
summarized in a chart, in narrative, or in a combination of the two.
School’s Out Washington and Best Starts for Kids
Out-of-School Time, Request for Proposal
Page 18
Budget The budget template is an Excel spreadsheet, which must be downloaded from
SOWA’s BSK webpage. Budgets, and proposal narratives, should be completed prior to
completing the online organizational summary form.
Online Organizational Summary Form After completing the narrative and the budget,
organizations must complete the online organizational summary form. The link to the form is on
SOWA’s BSK webpage. After completing the online form, organizations will be provided
directions on how to electronically submit their proposal narratives and budgets.11
The online organizational summary form will request all of the following information.
Organizations should compile this information before they begin the form.
Organization Name(s) (For Place-Based Partnerships, list all partners and note the
coordinating organization.)
Total amount requested
Project/Program Name
Summary of proposed project (2-3 sentences maximum)
Demographics of children and youth to be served.
Geographical areas to be served. They include:
o North King County
o East King County
o South King County
o City of Seattle (specify neighborhood(s)
o Other cities or neighborhoods in King County
Headline and/or secondary indicators your proposed work will influence:
5 to 24 HEADLINE INDICATORS: o 3rd graders who meet reading standard o 4th graders who meet math standard o Youth who are flourishing and resilient o Youth and young adults who are in excellent or very good health o Youth who graduate from high school on time o Youth and young adults in school or working o High school graduates who earn a college degree or career credential o Youth not using illegal substances
POTENTIAL SHORTER-TERM CHANGES (SECONDARY INDICATORS): o Lowering the rate of adolescent births o Youth who have supportive adults o Youth believe in their ability to succeed o Youth are not chronically absent from school o Youth are getting good grades in school o Youth are completing 9th grade o Young adults participate in civic activity and are engaged o Youth are not justice system involved o Youth have positive social-emotional development
School’s Out Washington and Best Starts for Kids
Out-of-School Time, Request for Proposal
Page 19
o Youth are not suspended/expelled from school o Youth are physically active o Youth have strong family relationships o Youth have strong peer relationships o Youth have strong school relationships o Youth live in supportive neighborhoods o Youth and young adults are successful beyond school or employment
X. CHECK LIST
Please use the following checklist to ensure that your application is complete. Incomplete
applications or applications that do not follow instructions will not be considered.
COMPLETE ITEM
□ Yes Proposal narrative completed in 11-point font, 1-inch margins, page-
numbered and no more than 5 pages long.
□ Yes
Intent to Partner agreement included in narrative (for Place-Based
partnership proposals). Sample letter can be found on SOWA’s BSK
webpage.
□ Yes Budget completed, using budget template found on SOWA’s BSK
webpage.
□ Yes Online organizational summary form, found on SOWA’s BSK webpage,
completed and narrative and budget uploaded and submitted.
1 Making the Case: A 2008 Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time National Institute on Out-of-
School Time, Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, 2008; Outcomes Linked to High Quality Afterschool
Programs D. Lowe Vandell, E. Reisner & C. Pierce, 2007. 2http://www.schoolsoutwashington.org/UserFiles/File/Executive%20Summary%20of%20State%20Plan%202013%20-
%20Print.pdf 3 ibid 4http://www.schoolsoutwashington.org/UserFiles/File/Summer%20Learning%20Policy%20Brief%2006-
11%281%29.pdf 5 http://www.schoolsoutwashington.org/1750_198/SummerLearningResources.htm 6 Fairchild, R., McLaughlin, B. & Costigan, B. P. (2007, Spring). How Did You Spend Your Summer Vacation?: What
Public Policies Do (and Don’t Do) to Support Summer Learning Opportunities for All Youth. Afterschool Matters,
Occasional Paper Series, 8 7 As reflected on sign-in sheets 8 YDEKC - Youth Development Executives of King County 9 SESEC – South East Seattle Education Coalition 10 Rosters of attendees from each focus group meeting are included in the focus group summary. 11 If necessary, organizations may mail a hard copy of their proposal, however, the online organizational
summary form must still be completed. SOWA’s mailing address is 801 23rd Avenue South, Seattle,
Washington, 98144.