4605(00);4605(01);4605(SN)

The goal of STAR NET is to provide a variety of opportunities for personal and professional growth, with an emphasis on children with special needs, for those who touch the lives of young children, ages birth through 8. STAR NET provides training, consultation, and resources to the early childhood community in Illinois. STAR NET supports family-centered research and evidence-based effective practices in early childhood education and care. The STAR NET system works to develop more effective partnerships and linkages among families, professionals, and systems.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, Section 619 discretionary funds and supports ISBE’s goals and the Illinois State Performance Plan for IDEA Part B and Part C

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Hire a project leader, family resource specialist, and early childhood special education (ECSE) resource specialists to provide training and TA to professionals and families in the region(s) to be served. Maintain a staffing structure that provides sufficient support to programs. Staff providing training must, at a minimum, have a bachelor’s degree and maintain the appropriate certification, credential, or accreditation required by the specific PD that is being offered. In addition, trainers should have relevant experience in providing training and PD on early childhood education and, ideally, experience with Preschool for All (PFA) and ECSE. Hire a project leader. This person will oversee the planning of grant activities, the staff hired through the grant, the budget, and reporting requirements. He/she will serve as a main communicator with ISBE. o Project leaders hired under this grant will meet regularly with the ISBE’s 619 Coordinator, including attending monthly meetings (in person and via conference call). A schedule will be set at the beginning of the fiscal year for the upcoming year. o Project leaders must be qualified content experts and be knowledgeable of evidence-based practices in early childhood/ECSE and adult learning theory. Hire ECSE resource specialists, who will assist in developing and presenting PD and TA activities. o ECSE resource specialists will collaborate with resource specialists throughout the State in regular meetings (in person and via conference call). o Resource specialists must be qualified, be content experts, and be knowledgeable of evidence-based practices in early childhood/ECSE and adult learning theory. Hire a family resource specialist, who will provide information, support, and training to families and providers. o It is highly recommended the family resource specialist be a parent of a child with special needs. Family resource specialists will collaborate with resource specialists throughout the State in regular meetings (in person and via conference call). Resource specialists must be qualified, be content experts, and be knowledgeable of evidence-based practices in early childhood/ECSE and adult learning theory. Hire support staff, who will assist in registration, data input, and other administrative functions, as needed. Attend one statewide PD meeting in the fall and one statewide PD meeting in the spring. The responsibility for planning the statewide meetings is rotated on an annual basis among the regional STAR NET projects and Early CHOICES grantee. Maintain a sufficient budget for PD for the project leader and resource specialists to stay current in the early childhood field. Select an appropriate staff member to represent the region on statewide committees for early childhood outcomes, least restrictive environment, transition, and others representation as needed. Train and maintain a cadre of trainers capable of providing core trainings in research-based curriculum and assessment, social emotional development and other topics as determined by the ISBE Early Childhood Division. Assist the ISBE Early Childhood Division staff with the implementation of other statewide activities, including improvement activities specific to Indicators 6, 7, and 12 of the ISBE, Part B State Performance Plan. Be responsible for establishing an early childhood focus group to be composed of ECSE teachers, related services personnel, supervisors, directors of special education, parents, family advocacy organizations, community preschool providers, Head Start, and other providers of early intervention and preschool services representative of the region(s) being served. Give priority for trainings to ECSE professionals and families. Align PD and TA with the IELDS, the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, and the Standards for Professional Learning to ensure high-quality programming. Training should also be aligned with the concepts and strategies of adult learning theory. Maintain compliance with the ISBE Professional Educator Licensure requirements for PD providers and establish a system to provide credentialing. Embed opportunities for reflection, feedback, and integration of skills learned into PD offerings. Establish a regional center for the provision of training and TA to the early childhood community. Develop a comprehensive website for information dissemination, registration, etc. Develop and maintain a lending library with accessibility, based on regional needs, that includes both virtual and physical resources and that meets the professional learning needs of program staff and reflects current research, issues, and trends in early childhood education. Provide fellowship reimbursement funds for educators to attend educational and informative events in the State of Illinois. The fellowships should be awarded via application process to educators residing within the STAR NET region. Provide support and assistance for families of children with disabilities and include families in all training and TA opportunities. Provide networking opportunities for families. Provide parent consultations with family resource specialists. Hold family conferences and events based on priorities, concerns, and interests of families. Develop and maintain an accessible resource library for parents/guardians and families that is based on regional needs. It should include both virtual and physical resources. Provide family fellowship reimbursement funds for parents/guardians/families to attend educational and informative events in the State of Illinois. The fellowships should be awarded via application process to family members living within the STARNET region. Funds may be used for workshop registration, travel expenses/mileage, lodging, or child care costs. Maintain regular and ongoing communication with the ISBE Early Childhood Division regarding the PD planning and implementation. Develop/coordinate training and TA plans for the region, incorporating local, regional, and statewide PD activities for early childhood education professionals and families in coordination with the regional early childhood focus group. Collaborate with PFA training and TA entities to ensure that core trainings are offered regularly in all regions of the State. Create a calendar of professional learning opportunities in collaboration with other PD providers. Utilize the established evaluation system using the STAR NET logic model (Appendix B), which guides both formative and summative evaluation efforts. Formative evaluation is undertaken to assess whether a project is proceeding as planned, the fidelity of implementation to project design, and the degree to which changes need to be made. Summative evaluation is conducted to assess whether planned outcomes have been achieved and what impacts have occurred. Conduct ongoing evaluation to ensure trainings meet the needs of ECSE professionals, parents/guardians, and families throughout the project region.

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Education Organizations;

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Project Grants

Education

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RFP - Applications are found at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Request-for-Proposals.aspx. Applications should be scanned into one PDF with all supporting documents and required signatures then uploaded into the ISBE Attachment Manager is found at https://sec1.isbe.net/attachmgr/default.aspx Continuation Grant - Applications are found within ISBE’s IWAS system

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RFP - ISBE's Merit Based Review (Award Process) is conducted following Sections C and D of ISBE's Merit Based Review Policy https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Merit_Based_Review_Policy.pdf Continuation Grant - Applications are reviewed using modified Merit Based Review Process

RFP - Applications are due 45 calendar days from release of RFP. Continuation Grant - Applications are due within 30 calendar days of receipt

RFP - Tentative Award announcements are generally released via email 90 calendar days after the close of the RFP. Continuation Grant - Applications are generally approved or returned for changes within 30 calendar days of receipt

RFP - Appeals are conducted following Section E of ISBE's Merit Based Review Policy https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Merit_Based_Review_Policy.pdf Continuation Grant – N/A

Renewals: This program is renewed annually for an additional two years, pending funding and grantee compliance with program requirements. Grantees are required to update their plan and submit a current budget each year. Funding in the subsequent years will be contingent upon compliance with federal and state law, state grant-making rules, passage of sufficient appropriations for the program, and satisfactory performance in the preceding grant period.

There are no matching requirements for this grant. The program is a restricted rate program subject to supplement not supplant requirements.

Programs will be offered professional development (PD) and other resources by qualified staff with the appropriate education level, certification or credential to provide quality PD and TA. Develop PD training and TA, including workshops, webinars, consultations, fellowships, referrals, and materials loan and dissemination. Identify parent and program staff needs and respond to requests for PD support of staff involved in ECSE. Develop and deliver training and support for parents/guardians and families, including workshops, webinars, consultations, fellowships, and materials loaning and dissemination. Identify needs and respond to requests for support of families involved in ECSE. Implement an evaluation system that will provide critical data used for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and provide information and data to the ISBE Early Childhood Division.

Reports: Expenditure reports are required on an ongoing basis. Performance reports are required to indicate the deliverables completed semiannually. An annual project report is also required.

Audits: In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR200.503

Records: Grantees must retain records related to grant funds and compliance for a period of 3 years from the date the grantee or subgrantee submits its final expenditure report for that funding period. 34 CFR 80.42.

561-58657-4400-00-00-02

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Program regulations are at 34 CFR 300, and 34 CFR 76-77,79,80-82,84-86, and 97-99.

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Illinois State Board of Education 100 North First Street Springfield IL 62777-0001

IDEA information in SAM.gov - https://beta.sam.gov/fal/bcc6bf09286e464c8cedbaa1596ca877/view; Early CHOICES information on isbe.net - https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Early-Childhood-Professional- Development.aspx

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10/22/2021