FY2023: Partners for Youth Success: Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)

Fund Codes: 716/211

Purpose:

The purpose of this state and federally funded, competitive grant is to enable districts to plan, implement and sustain comprehensive sexual health education programs. This grant is administered in partnership with the Department of Public Health (DPH) and supported, in part, by the federal Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP). Through this grant, districts or districts in partnerships with community-based organizations will select and implement an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program while incorporating selected adulthood preparation subjects in middle (MS) and/or high schools (HS). See the PREP Program Overview in the Additional Information section below for more information.

Priorities:

The priority of this grant is to create or improve teen pregnancy prevention education programs at the middle school and/or high school level in public school districts in communities with greatest need for sexual and reproductive health services as determined by DPH's Sexual and Reproductive Health Need Index. Through this grant, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and/or its partners will provide, in addition to the grant funds, technical assistance, professional development and/or coaching to support district teams and/or district & community partner teams in one or more of the following categories:

Category A: District Based Implementation: Participating districts will designate a Partners for Youth Success Planning Team of at least 2–3 persons to be responsible for:

• Bringing together a local team of health teachers, administrators, health professionals, parents/caregivers, youth and others to assess the risk and protective factors in their communities in order to choose an appropriate curriculum from the options provided (see the Evidence-Based Program Descriptions in the Additional Information section below.) Local teams should consist of at least one middle or high school health teacher and one district level administrator (e.g., curriculum director/coordinator, health education department head, etc).*
• Ensuring the curriculum will be implemented completely and with fidelity.
• Attending all required trainings sponsored by DESE and/or DPH.
• Following local protocols to ensure that the selected curriculum is approved and implemented in the current (2022-2023) or next school year (2023-2024), and in each subsequent year of the grant cycle.
• Working to develop plans for continued curriculum implementation beyond the grant cycle.
• Participating in program evaluation activities.

* Districts that are already implementing one of the evidence-based curricula are eligible to apply. In such cases, planning teams will focus on the integration and implementation of the adulthood preparation subjects, continued practice and program improvement and sustainability.

Category B: District — Community Based Partnerships: This priority is designed to create networks between community-based organizations (CBOs) and school districts that allows for deeper and more intentional partnerships and linkages of education and care for students. Funded partnerships will support the infrastructure, implementation, and long-term sustainability of evidence-based comprehensive sexual health education in the school district. Districts or community-based organizations are eligible to apply under this priority. Applicants must provide a copy of an executed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the partnering CBO or district. Participating partnerships must designate a Partnership For Youth Success Planning Team consisting of at least one person from each partnering entity that will be responsible for:

• Bringing together a local team to assess the risk and protective factors in their communities in order to choose an appropriate curriculum from the options provided (see the Evidence-Based Program Descriptions in the Additional Information section below.) Make-up of the local teams should be reflective of the partnership and consists of health teachers (at least one at the grade level targeted for implementation), district level administrators (e.g., curriculum director/coordinator, health education department head, etc.), health professionals, parents/caregivers, youth and others. *
• Ensuring the curriculum will be implemented completely and with fidelity. The expectation is that implementation of the selected curriculum will be a collaborative effort between teachers and CBO trained facilitators.
• Attending all required trainings sponsored by DESE and/or DPH.
• Following local protocols to ensure that the selected curriculum is approved and implemented in the current (2022-2023) or next school year (2023-2024), and in each subsequent year of the grant cycle.
• Working to develop plans for continued curriculum implementation beyond the grant cycle.
• Participating in program evaluation activities.

*Districts and CBOs that are already implementing one of the evidence-based curricula in partnership are eligible to apply. In such cases, planning teams will focus on strengthening the partnership, the integration and implementation of the adulthood preparation subjects, continued practice and program improvement and sustainability.

Category C: Planning and Capacity Building: Funded districts will receive professional development and technical assistance to build capacity and infrastructure to foster an environment for comprehensive sexual health education. Participating districts will designate a Partners for Youth Success Planning Team of at least 2–3 persons to be responsible for:

• Bringing together a local team of health teachers, administrators, health professionals, parents/caregivers, youth, community partners and others. Local teams should consist of at least one middle or high school health teacher and one district level administrator (e.g., curriculum director/coordinator, health education department head, etc.). Local teams will:
• Perform an environmental scan to assess staff capacity, policies and resources needed for the implementation of an evidence based comprehensive sexual health education curriculum
• Assess the risk and protective factors in their communities in order to choose an appropriate curriculum from the options provided (see the Evidence-Based Program Descriptions in the Additional Information section below.)
• Develop action plans to address areas of need/growth, acquire needed professional development and to implement the chosen evidence based curriculum in year 2 and beyond.
• Attending all required trainings sponsored by the DESE and/or DPH

For all categories competitive priority will be given to:

• Districts and schools in chronically underperforming status;
• Applicants serving a community where at least 45% of students have been identified as low income.
• DPH funded Adolescent Sexuality Education (ASE) and PREP providers who apply in partnership with a local and/or catchment school district. (Category B only)
• Districts in rural communities (Category C only)

Eligibility:

Public school districts (including charter schools), educational collaboratives and CBOs, that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• Are located in or primarily provide services to a community in the top two tiers of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Need Index. See the Sexual and Reproductive Health Need Index in the Additional Information section below for more information
• Are proposing to implement the curriculum in at least one school that has at least 150 students in middle school or high school (Category A or B)

• Districts, charters, collaboratives and CBOs in or that primarily serve students in the communities listed in the attached document are eligible to apply.

Please Note: All applicants other than public school districts, cities or towns must demonstrate the capacity to administer grant funding through:

• Proven fiscal responsibility as demonstrated, for example, through an annual audit; and
• Previous experience with similar amounts of funding from government (state/federal/local), foundation, or private grants.

Funding Type:

Fund Code 211 — State
Fund Code 716 — Federal CFDA: 93.092

Funding:

Approximately $325,000 is anticipated to be available for this grant program. Approximately 10% of funds will be prioritized for schools and districts in chronically underperforming status.

Districts, including charters and collaboratives, may apply for Category A or B and/or Category C. CBO applicants may apply for Category B only.

Eligible applicants may apply for up to the following amounts for each category for which they apply:

• Category A: District Based Implementation: up to $25,000
• Category B: District- Community Based Partnership: up to $25,000
• Category C: Planning and Capacity Building:
  • Up to $10,000 if planning to implement in MS or HS
  • Up to $15,000 if planning to implement in both MS and HS

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Funds can be used to:

• Support release time for staff to attend professional development and to meet about program planning/implementation. (e.g., substitutes or stipends)
• Purchase evidence-based curricula and related training on the chosen curriculum.
• Support other costs related to planning for and implementing the chosen curriculum.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 06/30/2023

Pending appropriation and contingent upon meeting grant requirements including submitting an approvable grant continuation proposal (during Spring prior to continuation year), grantees will be eligible for up to two one-year continuation grants. Continuation grants are anticipated as follows:

• FY24: Upon Approval (anticipated July 1, 2023) – June 30, 2024
• FY25: Upon approval (anticipated July 1, 2024) – June 30, 2025

Continuation grant funding amounts may be reduced each year to encourage sustainability.

Program Unit:

Office of Student and Family Support

Contact:

Chiniqua Milligan

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6307

Date Due:

Friday, October 28, 2022

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

Required Forms:

• Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

• Part II — Budget Details

• Part III — Required Program Information

• Grant Assurances Category A

• Grant Assurances Category B

• Grant Assurances Category C

• Executed MOU that was developed by applicant (Category B only)

Additional Information:

Save the Date: The kick-off meeting for this grant will be held Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Time and Location: TBD

• PREP Program Overview

• Evidence-Based Program Descriptions

• Description of Evaluation Components

• Description of Sexual and Reproductive Health Index

Submission Instructions:

Email one (1) complete set of all required documents, in their original Word or Excel formats (i.e., not converted to a PDF), and email one scanned version of Part I and Grant Assurances to achievement@mass.gov . (Email must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on the date due.)

Please use the following for the subject line of the email:
FY23 FC716 211 PREP [Applicant Name]

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Part I in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.

Last Updated: September 21, 2022