The narrative explanations of the six clusters are in italics. The specific charts and tables in each section are the LIST OF DELIVERABLES. Each figure, (map, chart or table) includes citations of the sources, and a narrative describing the relevance or main conclusions to be drawn from the figure. These figures can be cut or pasted into MS Word or Excel.

Task 1. DESCRIPTION AND DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SERVICE AREA & NUMBERS OF ELIGIBLE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. We will describe the demographic make-up of Head Start eligible children and families in your Service Area, including their number, geographic location, and racial and ethnic composition.

We will update your required demographics in the form of figures and/or narrative bullet points. We will identify the most recently published data from the US Census, and your state Departments of Finance, Health, and Education, and other relevant sources. We will also recommend a valid process for updating these statistics in between the years of the census.

In addition to the required items, we can provide you with details on other specific questions you may have on an hourly basis.

DELIVERABLES

1. Map of Service Area

2. Population of Service Area; trends and components of change since last census

3. Number and Percent of Population by Race and Ethnicity

4. Linguistic Isolation

5. Number of families with children by family status (single parent; grandparent head of household) and when available, by ethnicity/race.

6. Number of Eligible Children – Number and Percent of children under 5 in poverty for Service Area and geographic subareas

7. Number of births and/or birth rate for the previous 5 years (as available); by status of mother (e.g., ethnicity, Medicaid status, age of mother, or other available indicators)

8. Number of Eligible Children - Calculated from Enrollment in Public Assistance Programs (income, ranges from poverty level to 180% of poverty)

9. Number of Eligible Children - Estimated from Enrollments in Federal Free/Reduced Lunch in the Service Area (up to 130% of poverty)

10. Transportation (most recent census data).  This refers to the access low-income families have to jobs and child care, given their location in the county.

The cost cap for Section 1 is $6,500.  This is for up to 2 large geographical subareas in the Service Area such as two counties, or a county and large city.  Where readily available, we will include a breakdown of data for selected items such as eligibility for Head Start (3-4 year olds) and Early Head Start (0-2 year olds) for additional geographic subareas (such as smaller cities, towns, or census tracts).  We need to talk to you about the types and numbers of additional geographical subareas within your service area and the data you want for each subarea.  The key variable is the amount time required to gather data for these subareas.  If there are additional large subareas for which you want detailed information and each requires a separate avenue of research, please add $500 apiece.

Task 2. Describe other child development and child care programs that are serving Head Start eligible children, including publicly funded State and local preschool programs, and the approximate number of Head Start eligible children served by each.

We can put together a detailed inventory of other programs and resources in your Service Area, and determine overall demand and supply to better understand how many of the eligible children are currently being served by your program. This information can also assist in strategic decision-making regarding expanding an early Head Start program.

DELIVERABLES:

1. List of Other Agencies Providing Subsidized Child Care Services, and number of HS eligible children served by each, by zip code.

2. Description of conditions and trends in provision of subsidized or free childcare, including geographic issues.