Best Start Communities Building Stronger Families in East ... LA... · Building Stronger Families in Best Start East Los Angeles – Phase 1 RFP 4 of 28 II. BACKGROUND A. First 5

Los Angeles County Children and Families First – Proposition 10 Commission (aka First 5 LA)

RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2015

Best Start Communities

Building Stronger Families in East Los Angeles

Phase 1

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

Building Stronger Families in Best Start East Los Angeles – Phase 1 RFP 2 of 28

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. TIMELINE FOR SELECTION PROCESS .................................................................. 3

II. BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 4

III. SCOPE OF WORK ...................................................................................................12

IV. ELIGIBILITY .............................................................................................................22

V. TERMS OF PROJECT .............................................................................................22

VI. SELECTION PROCESS AND REVIEW CRITERIA ..................................................23

VII. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS .......................................................................................24

VIII. TERMS OF THE RFP ...............................................................................................26

IX. CONTRACTUAL CONSIDERATIONS .....................................................................27

X. APPEALS POLICY...................................................................................................28

XI. LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................................28


I. TIMELINE FOR SELECTION PROCESS1

ACTIVITY DATE

RFP Released September 21, 2015

Informational Webinar September 28, 2015

Final Date to Submit Questions and Requests for Additional Information

September 30, 2015

Posting of Responses to Questions October 2, 2015

Proposal Due October 13, 2015

Interviews with Top Proposers October 22-23, 2015

Contractor Selected October 28, 2015

Anticipated Contract Start Date2 December 1, 2015

Potential proposers are strongly encouraged to participate in an Informational Webinar scheduled for September 28, 2015 to learn more about RFP requirements. All questions and requests for additional information regarding this RFP must be received in writing by First 5 LA via email before 5:00 pm PDT on September 30, 2015. First 5 LA reserves the sole right to determine the timing and content of the responses to all questions and requests for additional information. First 5 LA may respond to individual inquires and then post replies to all questions by the posting date. Please submit questions and requests for additional information via email to:

Jocelyn V. Ramirez, Program Officer [email protected]

In order to respond to this RFP, a proposal complete with required documents must be received through the online application system by First 5 LA no later than 5:00 pm PDT on October 13, 2015 (see Appendix A – Proposal Checklist).

1 Note: Dates are subject to change at First 5 LA’s discretion. 2 According to First 5 LA’s Procurement Policy, any contract that is $75,000 or more requires approval from the Board of Commissioners. This is an internal threshold for Board approval and not a starting point for the contract amount. The contract amount will be based upon negotiations between First 5 LA and the selected proposer. Because this is a cost reimbursement contract, the selected proposer will be reimbursed for cost incurred based on the final negotiated budget.

mailto:[email protected]


II. BACKGROUND A. First 5 LA — Giving Kids the Best Start In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 10, which levied a 50-cent per pack tax on all tobacco products. The resulting tax revenues were earmarked for the creation of a comprehensive system of information and services to advance early childhood development and school readiness within each county in California. In Los Angeles County, the First 5 LA Commission was formed as a public entity to develop and oversee various early childhood initiatives and to manage the funding from Proposition 10. Since 1998, First 5 LA has invested more than $1 billion to improve the health, safety and school readiness of children prenatal to age 5. B. First 5 LA 2015-2020 Strategic Plan

In November 2014, the First 5 LA Board of Commissioners adopted a new Strategic Plan to guide its investments from July 2015 through June 2020. The plan, Focusing for the Future, lays out a clear path for First 5 LA to maximize its impact to strengthen families and improve outcomes for the greatest number of children prenatal to age 5 in Los Angeles County. The plan provides a roadmap for increasing First 5 LA’s contribution to better outcomes for young children by strengthening families, the communities they live in, and the systems that support them. Based on research, First 5 LA identified four Outcomes to achieve broad, lasting impact affecting the greatest number of children and their families. The strategies used to reach these Outcomes are connected and mutually reinforcing, providing a clear, focused path for First 5 LA’s work with its partners to help children enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school and life. Target Outcomes are: Families: Increased family Protective Factors.3 Communities: Increased community capacity to support and promote the safety, healthy development, and well-being of children prenatal to age 5 and their families. Early Care and Education Systems: Increased access to high-quality early care and education. Health-Related Systems: Improved capacity of health, mental health, and substance abuse services systems to meet the needs of children prenatal to age 5 and their families. To achieve these Outcomes, First 5 LA will focus its efforts on six investment areas: Research and Development: Promote the widespread use of proven best practices that are grounded in research and real-life application. Public Policy and Advocacy: Increase public investments of funds dedicated toward young children and improve policies that effect those investments.

3 The five Protective Factors are: 1) parental resilience; 2) social connections; 3) knowledge of parenting and child development; 4) concrete support in times of need; and 5) social-emotional competence of children. Source: http://www.cssp.org/reform/strengthening-families/2013/SF_All-5-Protective-Factors.pdf

http://www.first5la.org/postfiles/files/F5LA%20Strategic%20Plan_FINAL.pdf

http://www.first5la.org/index.php?r=site/article&id=3157


Provider Training: Build the knowledge and skills of the people providing support and services to parents and children. Community Capacity Building: Help individuals and groups that live and work in neighborhoods and communities take greater ownership and responsibility for the children and families who live within them by fostering safe, healthy and vibrant communities. Service Delivery System Improvement: Increase the quality, effectiveness, and coordination of how services are accessed and provided. Communications: Educate the public about the importance of investing in young children and families. With these six investment areas in mind, First 5 LA has identified Priority Focus Areas within each Outcome to further define the type of change that First 5 LA can measurably affect. The Priority Focus Areas and Outcomes are depicted in the below visual.

First 5 LA’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan also outlines investment guidelines to further support and guide First 5 LA’s work. Based on these investment guidelines, First 5 LA will:

Focus on prevention.

Focus on systems and policy change.

Seek to have a broad impact, affecting large numbers of people.


Prioritize investments that strengthen families and, whenever possible, improve community capacity.

Prioritize the identification and scaling up of evidence-based practices.

Engage partners at the earliest possible stage of activity and/or investment. Together, these investment guidelines, Target Outcomes, investment areas and Priority Focus Areas serve as ongoing policy guidance for First 5 LA and its work. C. Best Start Communities First 5 LA seeks to achieve the community outcomes primarily through Best Start Communities, a place-based approach that focuses on the places where families live — combining strategies to strengthen families with those that build community capacity to create and sustain thriving and healthy environments for all children. Through Best Start, First 5 LA seeks to help improve the lives of young children and their families in 14 communities across Los Angeles County by positively impacting the systems they participate in and the environments in which they live, learn, and play D. Best Start Communities and the Building Stronger Families Framework The Building Stronger Families Framework (BSFF) was developed to clarify and sharpen the focus of Best Start. The Framework involves strengthening the Protective Factors through a community capacity building approach. By applying BSFF in the Best Start communities, First 5 LA aims to strengthen communities’ capacity to support families and build parent/caregiver participation within their community. (For purposes of this RFP, “parents” includes biological parents, foster parents, grandparents, and other primary caregivers who are responsible for the health and well-being of the child.) The BSFF is strongly supported by research and promising practices and makes clear the results being sought and how to achieve those results through place-based work. At the heart of the Framework is the belief that if families are strong and communities are family-supporting, children will have better long-term outcomes. The BSFF defines “strong families” as those that support and promote optimal child well-being. Research and evidence-based practices have identified key characteristics of a “strong family.” These characteristics, which relate to parents and expectant parents, are also known as family strengthening “Protective Factors.” Rooted in these Protective Factors, the BSFF’s three core family results are:

1. Family Capacities – knowledgeable, resilient, and nurturing parents 2. Social Connections – families participating in positive social networks 3. Concrete Supports – access to services and supports in times of need

Strategies that promote strong families are those that build and support the ability of parents to effectively care for and promote the healthy development, school readiness and well-being of young children.


The BSFF defines “family-supporting communities” as communities that engage parents, residents, community-based organizations/agencies (CBOs), businesses, and other community partners to support families and optimal child development. The BSFF’s three core community results are:

1. Coordinated services and supports that meet families’ needs 2. A shared vision and collective action to strengthen families 3. Social networks and safe spaces for recreation and interaction

Appendix B – Building Stronger Families Framework (BSFF) Theory of Change provides a graphic depiction of the connection between these concepts. For additional information about Best Start Communities, visit www.First5LA.org. E. Best Start Community Partnerships Best Start Community Partnerships are a central component of First 5 LA’s community capacity building strategy, which is a way to improve the quality of life in a particular place – a neighborhood or a community – by strengthening and building the ability of parents, residents and other community stakeholders to achieve desired results. Community Partnerships are community bodies responsible for establishing a decision-making process and developing and informing the implementation of a broad-based, inclusive community effort to improve BSFF outcomes for children in their respective communities. Each of the 14 Best Start communities has its own Community Partnership that consists of multiple stakeholders, including parents, residents, CBOs, health care professionals, educators, faith-based organizations, government representatives and businesses. The majority of the members within the Community Partnerships are either parents and/or residents. A team of First 5 LA contractors provides customized capacity building support for each of the 14 Community Partnerships. In early 2014, all 14 Best Start Community Partnerships began a results-focused decision-making and capacity building process, referred to as “Learning by Doing” (LBD). Through LBD, Best Start Community Partnerships developed a set of strategies and activities to be implemented by a Contractor selected through this RFP. For more information about the LBD process see Appendix C – Learning by Doing (LBD) Stages Overview. F. Community Capacity Building Categories Community capacity building in the Best Start communities will focus on one or more of the following categories:

Civic Engagement – Civic Engagement refers to an individual’s participation in community life, particularly as it relates to shaping and directing decisions being made about his/her community. Examples include, but are not limited to: participating in his/her child’s school activities, community cultural events, local planning committees, and other ways to engage in civic life. It also includes developing leadership skills to engage others.

http://www.first5la.org/


Organizational Capacity Building – Building the “capacity” of organizations means to help organizations such as community groups, non-profits or other organizations to function more effectively. Examples include, but are not limited to: staff trainings and targeted discussions with community residents to elicit feedback on programs and services.

Social Capital – Social capital activities are intended to strengthen the sense of community and social fabric of a community by building and strengthening relationships. Social capital activities involve weaving together new relationships, and providing the space and support to navigate through challenges in existing relationships. Strong social capital in a community enables community members to work better together to make significant community changes, thereby improving the overall strength of the community. Examples include, but are not limited to: community groups, community events, networks, and collaborations.

Community Resource Mobilization – Community resources are the people, time, money, and places that help make improvements to the community. Mobilizing resources, means influencing, strengthening, connecting existing resources so that they can be more effective and achieve greater impact. Examples include, but are not limited to: grant applications, and mobilizing funding and in-kind donations.

G. About Best Start East Los Angeles The Best Start East Los Angeles (Best Start East LA) community consists of several neighborhoods east of the City of Los Angeles in LA County’s Supervisorial District 1. Best Start East LA includes the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, including unincorporated East Los Angeles and City Terrace, as well as parts of Monterey Park, Montebello, and the City of Commerce.4 East LA is home to approximately 139,000 residents with nearly 12,000 children under the age of 5.5 Best Start East LA is a densely populated urban community that primarily consists of both families who have lived in the community for three and four generations and immigrants just arriving to the United States. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Planning, the unincorporated areas of Best Start East LA has a density rate seven times higher than that of Los Angeles County and double than that of neighboring cities.6 Ninety-seven percent of the population residing in Best Start East LA is Latino, mostly of Mexican descent and nearly 60% of all households are bilingual.7 Nearly 25% of East LA families live in poverty8, and 37% of parents report it is very hard to get by on their family’s income.9 More than 65% of the population has less than a high school

4 Please see Appendix D: Best Start East LA Community Map

5 U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 6 Los Angeles County Department of Planning (2010). 3

rd St. Corridor Specific Plan

7 U.S. Census Bureau, 2010

8 American Community Survey, 2005-2009

9 First 5 LA Family Survey, 2014


education.10 In Best Start East LA, data trends also show an increased incidence of reported child abuse cases, child removal from homes, and levels of parental depression.11 Regular exposure to high stress, such as economic hardship, often has consequences on parental ability to establish and nurture child-centered relationships and to promote a child’s optimal well-being.12 Low parental confidence levels (48%)13 coupled with the high parent aggravation levels (22.9%)14 are challenging families in poverty to ensure child-centered and nurturing parenting approaches. In addition, residents face a lack of affordable housing, high dependence on public transportation, and limited park space for recreational activities and community gatherings. East LA is family-oriented and has a strong sense of community, culture and identity along with an extensive history of activism and community leadership. Open spaces, such as parks and recreational space, in Best Start East LA, although limited in this highly dense community, serve as places where the community residents come together throughout the year for seasonal celebrations, farmers markets, and programing that attracts residents. The two new child and family friendly Tot Lots at Salazar Park and City Terrace Park and the Community Garden at Eastmont Community Center have garnered community support from families with young children. Best Start East LA communities have a long history of social activism and residents view political leaders as strong allies and advocates for community issues. Members of the community, including families with young children prenatal to age 5, also view community leaders from faith-based organizations as trusted sources for information and support. There is a strong informal network of social service organizations working together in the area, although more formalized collaboration focused on supporting the whole family is needed.15 H. Best Start East LA Community Partnership The Best Start East LA Community Partnership (Partnership) was established as a decision-making body in December 2011 and holds a vision that the Best Start East LA community “is stable, informed and rooted in community values and morals that support individuals to be responsible for ensuring all children are born healthy, safe from abuse, and thrive physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively before they enter kindergarten.” The Partnership is designed to build upon the existing strength of the relationships within the community, its culture of community engagement, and a commitment to social equity and change for the betterment of young children and their families. The Partnership believes that this vision will be achieved by the way of the following actions:

Parents and residents are involved in leading community change.

Authentic relationships and collaboration between parents, residents and organizational representatives are promoted.

10

Alliance for a Better Community (n.d.). Places, Spaces and People: How the Urban Environment Impacts Health in Boyle Heights and East LA, 2010 11

LA County Department of Children and Family Services, 2008 12

Child Development, Volume 73, Num 3, May/June 2002 13

First 5 LA Family Survey, 2014 14

Community Capacity Assessment, 2014 15 First 5 LA. Community Assessment Report: East Los Angeles. April 2012. The report is available at: www.first5la.org/ELA

http://www.first5la.org/ELA


Organizations operate from a mission of being in service to and in partnership with parents.

The community is informed.

The community takes collective action.

With more than 75 active members, the Partnership is inclusive of a diverse cross-section of the Best Start East LA community, with parents and residents at the center of planning and decision-making. Representatives from organizations, schools, clinics/hospitals, businesses, and local and government agencies with a wide-range of expertise supporting families have been active in the Partnership since its inception. Two subcommittees help to inform and guide the work of the Partnership’s priorities: 1) an Advisory Committee comprised of 15 members helps inform and guide the work of the Partnership, and 2) an Outreach & Engagement Committee comprised of approximately 15 members, primarily residents, focus on engaging parents and the community at-large. The Partnership is active in the community through efforts that keep the community informed, connected to resources and each other, and ready to advocate for the needs of young children and their families. Partnership members also have a particular interest in data and learning which led them to conduct a Community-Based Action Research (CBAR)16 project in which residents developed research tools, gathered data, and produced a solutions-oriented action plan to improve the health and safety of the community’s children and families. The project identified and captured data regarding three key issues affecting East LA residents:17

Local housing conditions

Awareness or knowledge about local environmental toxins and hazards and their effect on the healthy development of young children and their families

Access to open spaces such as green spaces (i.e. parks, community gardens, etc) Based in large part on their CBAR findings and community discussion about their experiences, the Partnership identified the need and opportunity to address the use of open space as a critical pathway to increase family bonding and buffer parental stress through education and programming. They found, for example, that 40-62% of their survey participants who have a park near their home don’t use it. The Partnership believes that by addressing safety concerns and providing quality programs at these spaces will encourage utilization and provide access local resources that can help alleviate pressures that lead to high parental stress. The strategies and activities identified by the Partnership through their LBD process acknowledges that while a vast social service network has grown over the last decade to meet the diverse needs of families living within the service area of Best Start East LA, this approach is not enough and needs to be enhanced through robust parent-led efforts that strengthen the leadership and family capacities of parents with young children. Although there are strong

16

Community-Based Action Research involves community members identifying a research question and then leading data collection to inform causes and potential solutions to address the research question. It also includes presenting research findings to others to inform decision-making. Community members actively participate in all phases of research, from design of a research project to the dissemination and use of data. 17 Best Start East Los Angeles Community Based Action Research (CBAR): East Los Angeles Environment Research Brief, April 2014. The brief is available at: www.first5la.org/ELA

http://www.first5la.org/ELA


organizing and leadership efforts within the community, the Partnership believes there is not a focus on families with children prenatal to age 5. The Partnership believes that parents need to be at the center of any community change effort so that other parents and the community-at-large understand the importance of supporting the learning and development of children and managing parental stress. I. Project Rationale Based on their values, and since its inception, the Partnership consistently prioritized parent engagement as a critical component for achieving improved social conditions for families and outcomes for children in East LA. As noted in Section II. D, family capacities refers to parents having the knowledge and skills to support learning and development of their children and having the ability to manage stressors in their lives. The Partnership identified several key factors that affect families’ ability to have stronger family capacities, such as having limited resources, accurate information about their child’s developmental needs, and access to quality supports, particularly in open spaces. Through the Learn by Doing (LBD) process, the Best Start East LA Partnership identified that when parents have a strong understanding of the stages of child development and ways to manage stressors in their lives, they are more equipped to advocate for themselves and their children; be effective community leaders; and help inform and lead changes that result in an improved quality of life. Thus, the Best Start East LA Community Partnership identified strengthening family capacities as its family core result to target parents with children prenatal to age 5. The intent is that long-term focus through this Project and other efforts over time will yield positive change in the core result and target population, as shown by improvements in specific indicators. Table 1 below lists the core result, target population, and indicators being used as the basis for developing the Best Start East LA Partnership strategies and activities. The Partnership developed the strategies and activities in this RFP as building blocks for achieving its vision for children and families in its community. The selected contractor is not expected to demonstrate direct improvement in the core result, target population, and indicators at the community level. Section III. C. Evaluation provides more information regarding the Project’s evaluation requirements.

Table 1: BSFF Core Result, Target Population & Indicators Selected by the Best Start East LA Partnership

FAMILY CORE RESULT

Family Capacities: knowledgeable, resilient, and nurturing parents

TARGET POPULATION

Parents18 of children prenatal to age 5 residing within Best Start East LA

18

For the purposes of this RFP, “parents” includes biological parents, foster parents, grandparents, and other primary caregivers who are responsible for the health and well-being of the child.


INDICATORS Parents who report feeling confident in their parenting skills

Parents who experience frequent aggravation with their children

III. SCOPE OF WORK The purpose of this RFP is to select a contractor to work with the Best Start East Los Angeles (Best Start East LA) Community Partnership (Partnership) to implement the strategies and activities described in this RFP. This section contains the community capacity building strategies and activities the Best Start East LA Partnership identified to improve family capacities for parents with children prenatal to age 5. Subcontractors may be hired to accomplish any of the tasks.

A. Project Overview The purpose of this Project is to strengthen parent leadership, build social connections among parents, raise awareness of the incidence and prevalence of parental stress in the community, and increase parents’ awareness and access to quality programs in open spaces. As part of Best Start East LA, parents and residents are currently leading efforts to strengthen relationships between residents, organizations, institutions and civic leaders. This Project is designed to continue to build the capacity of parents and residents to work with organizations and civic leaders to affect change in the community and connect families to needed resources and programs in the places they find important. Thus, the Project includes three strategies and seven activities:

Strategy I: Strengthening Parent Leadership o Activity #1: Parent Leadership Academy o Activity #2: Systems Navigators o Activity #3: Community and Peer Educators o Activity #4: Organizational Mentor for parent Leaders

Strategy II: Building Awareness and Connecting Families to Resources o Activity #5: Community Resource Information o Activity #6: Public Education Campaign

Strategy III: Increasing Access To Quality Programs in Open Spaces o Activity #7: Plan of Action for Quality Programming in Open Spaces for Families

with Young Children Given the data noted earlier, the Partnership designed the strategies to have targeted outreach to parents with children prenatal to age 5, in particular those living under the federal poverty line, fathers, relative caregivers19, and parents with children with special needs. It is intended that the Project builds upon the community’s assets and the prioritized populations’ gifts and talents. The activities are intended to complement and build upon one another focusing on the

19

For the purposes of this RFP, relative caregivers are defined by the Partnership as primary caregivers of a child that are related to the child other than the biological parents, such as grandparents, aunt/uncle, etc. who are responsible for the health and well-being of the child.


people, the information, and the place of Best Start East LA. The strategies aim to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Expand parent leadership in the community so that parents have more influence on the systems, structures and policies that impact their lives.

2. Increase community awareness and access to information about parental stress, its impact on child development, and available resources.

3. Increase access to quality programs in open spaces for families. B. Strategies and Activities STRATEGY I: STRENGTHENING PARENT LEADERSHIP The purpose of this strategy is to support parents and residents in strengthening their leadership skills and engaging other parents and organizations to partner collectively to build the capacity of parents to be knowledgeable, resilient, and nurturing parents of children prenatal to age 5. The Partnership recognizes that parents in the Best Start East LA community—in particular those living under the federal poverty line, fathers, family caregivers, and parents of children with special needs—experience multiple stressors as a community and as individuals and need the support of other parents to effectively build their family capacities. Therefore, this strategy consists of four activities. The first activity focuses on the development and implementation of a Parent Leadership Academy which will expand and strengthen the leadership abilities of parents and residents. Upon completion of the Parent Leadership Academy, Parent Leaders will select one of two leadership tracks (Strategy 1, Activity #2 or #3) to continue their leadership development. In Activity #2, Systems Navigators, Parent Leaders connect other parents to needed services and supports. Activity #3, Community and Peer Educators, focuses on raising awareness about parental stress and strengthening social connections to support families experiencing stress. The fourth activity, Organizational Mentors, focuses on creating a network of organizations to support the Parent Leaders in navigating systems and connecting families to resources. Activity #1: Parent Leadership Academy

Community Capacity Categories: Civic Engagement and Social Capital

The purpose of this activity is to design, develop and implement a Parent Leadership Academy that strengthens parents’ and residents’ leadership skills to conduct outreach to the community, build social connections, and help other parents’ navigate systems. The Parent Leadership Academy will equip Parent Leaders with a solid understanding of such topics identified from the Partnership as the civic and political landscape of East LA, the effects of high parental stress on families and communities, the protective factors, and the stages of child development with an understanding of the various systems of formal and informal services and supports for families with children prenatal to age 5. In addition, Parent Leaders will be trained on community organizing, relationship-building, public speaking, advocacy fundamentals, active listening and


conflict resolution skills. All advocacy trainings and support must be in alignment with First 5 LA policies.20 It is intended that the selected contractor will collaborate with the Partnership to finalize the training modules and related materials. As part of the training design process, the selected contractor will be responsible for researching existing agencies and programs that could provide information about resources and services for children prenatal to age 5 in East LA. Upon completion of the Parent Leadership Academy, Parent Leaders are expected to choose a leadership track (Strategy I, Activity #2 or Activity #3) in which to participate to continue their leadership development. Parent Leaders are also expected to collaborate with and/or inform the implementation of activities in Strategies II and III. Contractor Roles for Activity #1:

Outreach & recruit parents and residents from the Best Start East LA community to participate in the Parent Leadership Academy.

Design, develop and implement training modules for the Parent Leadership Academy.

Seek and incorporate input from the Partnership in the design of all activities in Strategy I, including training topics.

Develop training modules and materials to ensure Parent Leaders have full competency and resources to conduct activities. Build upon other training programs as appropriate.

Adjust, modify and augment training modules as needs develop over time.

Provide drafts of the training modules to First 5 LA prior to finalizing.

Recruit participants for the Parent Leadership Academy.

Gather information about available services and resources in the community.

Maintain a feedback loop with the Parent Leaders for ongoing quality improvement.

Document discussions and lessons learned in community-friendly formats for distribution to the Community Partnership and First 5 LA.

Activity #2: Systems Navigators

Community Capacity Categories: Community Resource Mobilization

The purpose of this activity is to support a cohort of Parent Leaders from the Parent Leadership Academy in strengthening their skills to engage parents with children prenatal to age 5 and assist them in navigating the social service system in Best Start East LA. Through a series of trainings, these Systems Navigators will increase their knowledge of community resources (including how to utilize the community resource information from Strategy II, Activity #5), strengthen their relationships with other parents and service providers, and engage community members in discussions about their experiences in navigating systems. To be effective Systems Navigators, they also need to be equipped with more in-depth knowledge of the stages of child

20 First 5 LA funds for these activities shall not be used for lobbying any policymaker, local, state or federal legislative organization. Education regarding a policy issue is an eligible activity for First 5 LA funds, but First 5 LA funds cannot support lobbying for specific policies or legislation. Additionally, First 5 LA funds cannot be used to influence voters to support or oppose any candidate, specific legislation, or ballot measure. Policies are subject to change.


development and early intervention strategies to support other parents in accessing needed resources. The intent is for the Systems Navigators to become “walking resource guides” that have an understanding in navigating existing local services and can facilitate parental access to needed information and resources. The contractor is expected to recruit participants from Activity #1, develop training modules, implement trainings, connect participants to Organizational Mentors (Activity #4), increase the visibility of the Systems Navigators with organizations and parent groups, and support the Systems Navigators in engaging with other parents. The community resource information from Strategy II, Activity #5 is intended to be a tool for the Systems Navigators that will help them to:

Connect parents to concrete supports and resources that can increase family capacities.

Collaborate with local providers.

Share about the importance of reducing parental stress and increasing knowledge of the stages of child development.

Contractor Roles for Activity #2:

Recruit a cohort of parents and residents from Activity #1 to become Systems Navigators.

Design, develop and implement training modules based on information outlined in the section above.

Incorporate the content of the community resource information from Strategy II, Activity #5 into the trainings for the Systems Navigators. Provide support to Systems Navigators on how to utilize the resource information and present information to others.

Increase the visibility of the System Navigators in the Best Start East LA community.

Develop ongoing supports to coordinate and assist System Navigators in engaging parents.

Activity #3: Community and Peer Educators

Community Capacity Categories: Civic Engagement and Social Capital The purpose of this activity is to increase the capacity of Parent Leaders from the Parent Leadership Academy to raise awareness on the causes of parental stress and stress management techniques through popular education21. Popular education includes creative, culturally relevant bilingual techniques such as Teatro Popular22 to facilitate meaningful community dialogue on child development and parental stress in East LA. Community and Peer Educators will develop skills to organize social and informative activities for parents and their peers in order to build stronger connections and relationships between participants. For this strand of work, the Partnership identified the following potential training topics for the Community and Peer Educators: introduction to popular education, sources of parental stress, implications of stress on families, techniques to minimize stressors, local community services

21

Popular education is a form of adult education that encourages learners to examine their lives critically and take action to change social conditions. 22

Teatro Popular (Popular Theatre) uses theater as a tool for education and transformation. It typically involves the audience as participants in the story-telling, relies heavily on improvisation, and invites groups to explore attitudes and social problems and imagine a range of potential solutions. It often serves as the entry-point into a larger conversation about life circumstances.


and resources for parental stress reduction, and individual and systemic barriers to reducing parental stress in the community, particularly for families living under the federal poverty line, including fathers, relative caregivers, and parents with children with special needs. The selected contractor should also support Community and Peer Educators in coordinating, developing and implementing their own popular education sessions, such as a Teatro, for formal and informal parent groups and other community groups as opportunities arise. The parent and community groups can be associated with organizations such as schools, health centers, non-profits, faith-based centers, etc., or with open spaces such as parks and community gardens. Contractor Roles for Activity #3:

Recruit a cohort of parents and residents from the Parent Leadership Academy to participate as Community and Peer Educators.

Design, develop and implement training modules based on information outlined in the description of the activity.

Utilize popular education techniques, such as Teatro Popular.

Increase the visibility of the Community and Peer Educators in Best Start East LA community.

Provide ongoing supports to coordinate and assist the Community and Peer Educators to outreach to and educate parent groups and potentially other community groups as opportunities arise.

Activity #4: Organizational Mentors for Parent Leaders


The purpose of this activity is to develop and coordinate a network of organizations that can support the Parent Leaders, primarily the Systems Navigators, in navigating social service systems and connecting resources to parents, residents, and community stakeholders in East LA. Organizational Mentors will be recruited from organizations in East LA and adjacent areas, including those that expressed interest from the Partnership, who have knowledge and experience in providing supports to families with children prenatal to age 5. Organizational Mentors will be brought together periodically for trainings and to share promising practices and lessons learned in their role as a mentor to the Parent Leaders. The Organizational Mentors will also facilitate the involvement and raise the visibility of the Parent Leaders in other collaborative efforts such as the SPA 7 Collaborative, GO East LA, and LA County DMH Health Neighborhoods. Contractor Roles for Activity #4:

Recruit organizational mentors, preferably organizational representatives that participate in the Partnership and from First 5 LA-funded partners that have knowledge and experience in providing supports to families with young children.

Develop training modules that will support Best Start East LA organizational partners to provide mentorship to Parent Leaders.

Document best practices and lessons learned on mentoring Parent Leaders.

Convene and coordinate organizational mentors.


Include a feedback loop from the Parent Leaders to inform and improve the activity.

STRATEGY II: BUILDING AWARENESS AND CONNECTING FAMILIES TO RESOURCES The purpose of this strategy is to increase community awareness of the causes and implications of parental stress on families and make information about available community resources accessible to families. As noted earlier, parents living in poverty experience multiple challenges in accessing concrete supports, particularly quality services. As a result, this contributes to the parent’s ability to have positive and effective parenting skills. To ensure that parents with young children have access to community resource information and are supported by the community-at-large, the Partnership developed a community-focused approach to build awareness and promote a culture of support for families. Activities in this strategy are meant to build on the work of Parent Leaders from Strategy I and have a wider community reach. The first activity in this strategy, Community Resource Information, focuses on gathering community resource information and developing user-friendly resource information materials that address parental stress. The subsequent activity, Public Education Campaign, focuses on various media and grassroots marketing techniques to increase community awareness of the impacts of parental stress, stress management techniques, and the important role the community plays in strengthening families. Activity #5: Community Resource Information


The purpose of this activity is to increase the awareness of, access to, and utilization of community resources and services for parents with children prenatal to age 5. It is expected that the information will be provided in user-friendly formats, be available in English and Spanish, and accessible via different communication platforms. This information should build from other information currently available and be updated throughout the contract period in order for parents to have up-to-date information. These resources should be accessible to the Systems Navigators (Strategy I, Activity #2) and the community at-large and have a plan to find a sustainable home for the resource information to be updated on a regular basis. At minimum, the community resource information should include:

General information about Best Start East LA.

A compilation of support services for families in the Best Start East LA community that help strengthen family protective factors.

Resources for parents that can reduce parental stress and support their children’s development (this includes resources to link parents to tips to reduce parental stress and how to support their children’s development).


Research and compile existing community resources, services, and linkages to tips for parents to reduce parental stress and promote healthy child development.

Develop and implement an approach for engaging organizations and collaboratives to share information about available services and supports.


Develop strategies to develop and disseminate information with input from the Partnership and First 5 LA.

Ensure materials are in English, Spanish and other languages as needed.

Develop and implement an approach to regularly update the community resource information.

Produce and disseminate community resource information to the community-at-large using various communication platforms (e.g. print, web-based, telephonic)

Provide support to the Systems Navigators and Community and Peer Educators on how to utilize the resource information and present to parents.

Draft sustainability plan and present recommendations to the Partnership’s Advisory Committee and the Partnership for input. The plan should include recommendations specifically on information coordination and how to sustain this effort without F5LA support.

Activity #6: Public Education Campaign

Community Capacity Categories: Civic Engagement & Social Capital The purpose of this activity is to design and disseminate a culturally and linguistically appropriate public education campaign to increase awareness of the impact of stress on child and family well-being among residents, parents and organizations throughout Best Start East LA. The campaign will also focus on key messages that emphasize the importance of creating and upholding a vibrant, family-supporting community environment that helps families thrive. The Partnership believes that the campaign will use an integrated approach which includes a traditional media campaign as well as grassroots marketing to target the community at large as well as targeted efforts for harder-to-reach parent populations such as fathers, parents with children with special needs, and caregivers. It is expected that the contractor will be the lead in conducting research, developing messages, and distributing messages in multiple traditional and grassroots media venues. The contractor should promote this campaign in multiple physical and online places in the community, including open spaces, agencies, community events, social media, etc. It is expected that the contractor will engage representatives of the Systems Navigators, Community and Peer Educators, Organizational Mentors, Partnership members and First 5 LA to provide guidance on the campaign. Contractor Roles for Activity #6:

Conduct research on parent-based communication campaign models.

Engage the Partnership in campaign design, media messaging and timeline.

Facilitate a focus group of experts/providers working with the community to develop and deliver general messages on decreasing stress as well as more specific, targeted messages to the prioritized populations.

Design and lead a communications and marketing plan that incorporates critical feedback from the Partnership (and community groups gather information on messaging in the community through surveys conducted by the participants to determine if the messaging is appropriate).

Contractor must have access to experts on mental health, stress, early childhood related issues, etc. to consult with.


Develop and disseminate campaign messages and materials through traditional media as well as grassroots marketing (e.g. billboards, newspapers, educational materials, fotonovelas, etc.

Submit drafts of campaign materials for First 5 LA’s and the Partnership’s review and approval before distributing.

Develop and support existing community events to promote communications campaign and increase the visibility of the Parent Leaders.

Collaborate with First 5 LA Communications and Marketing Department to leverage expertise and resources.

STRATEGY III: INCREASING ACCESS TO QUALITY PROGRAMS IN OPEN SPACES The purpose of this strategy is to strengthen parents’ social connections and increase access to information and resources in places and spaces that are important to families. As described earlier in Sections G and H of the RFP, the Partnership considers open spaces23 as important gathering spaces where families come together and strengthen social connections that can mitigate parental stress. Although open spaces (primarily parks) are really important for the Best Start East LA, the Partnership found that there is limited use by families with children prenatal to age 5 primarily due to barriers (i.e. safety and poor maintenance) and lack of quality programming. The Partnership describes quality programming to be family-friendly programs that support parents to be knowledgeable, resilient and nurturing parents and enhance the parent/child bond. The Partnership believes that quality programming offered in open spaces will promote greater utilization, strengthen social connections among families, increase community stewardship (to address safety and maintenance issues), and expand awareness of what is happening in the community. This strategy requires collaboration between various stakeholders to address barriers and increase quality programming in open spaces. Building from the recommendations outlined in the Partnership’s CBAR report, this strategy consists of one activity – a Plan of Action that will identify strategies to address barriers and increase access to quality programming in open spaces. Activity #7: Plan of Action for Quality Programming in Open Spaces for Families with Young Children

Community Capacity Categories: Community Resource Mobilization & Civic Engagement

The purpose of this activity is to develop a plan of action that that will identify opportunities for expanding the use of open spaces by minimizing barriers to utilization and providing and/or enhancing quality programming for families with children prenatal to age 5. The focus of the plan will be to: 1) increase community members’ awareness and understanding of the

23

Open spaces refers to neighborhood green spaces (parks, community gardens, cemeteries), vacant lots, public plazas, school yards, and playgrounds that are open to the public.


importance of open spaces as places to strengthen social connections and improve access to quality programming; 2) strengthen collaboration between multiple stakeholders (including parents, community residents, city and county staff, local law enforcement, service providers, open space advocates, libraries and community leaders) to work collectively to address barriers related to the utilization of open spaces; and 3) develop recommendations for enhancing open spaces to promote greater utilization by families with children prenatal to age 5, particularly those living under the federal poverty line, fathers, family caregivers, and parents of children with special needs. The action plan may help inform the next phase of the Partnership’s work in relation to open spaces. This activity should complement the recommendations developed by the Partnership through their CBAR project, the LA County Parks Needs Assessment (if available), and First 5 LA’s 2015-2020 Strategic Plan effort on Physical and Open Spaces.24 The selected contractor is expected to conduct an environmental scan that analyzes the available quality programs in opens places in the community, identifies opportunities, barriers and gaps, and drafts recommendations on how to address barriers and gaps and capitalize on opportunities. It is also expected that the contractor will convene community stakeholders to inform the plan of action. This activity (Activity #7) should include, but not be limited to, the following:

Existing information on the importance of open spaces as places for quality programming.

A community engagement process that includes the Partnership, Parent Leaders from Strategy I, and other stakeholders identified in the description of this activity.

Learnings from the Partnership’s CBAR.

An environmental scan of the available open spaces in Best Start East LA, any quality programming opportunities that can be leveraged, and any barriers and gaps that need to be addressed.

Bringing together a collaborative of stakeholders who are willing to support the implementation of this Project either through family-oriented programming, hosting open space, or providing other resources such as safety or funding.

A recommended plan of action should identify open places, quality programs, and public resources that can be leveraged, as well as any other opportunities that can collectively help improve the way that communities support families to decrease parental stress, increase safety in open spaces to promote use and maximize First 5 LA’s 2015-2020 effort on Physical Places and Spaces.

Areas where policy/advocacy efforts may be needed to enhance the impact of this activity.


Conduct an environmental scan of open spaces and community programs that can serve as opportunities to increase the use of open spaces.

Develop a community engagement process to educate stakeholders on Best Start East LA and goals of this effort.

24

First 5 LA 2015-2020 Strategic Plan, “Focusing for the Future.” http://www.first5la.org/postfiles/files/F5LA%20Strategic%20Plan_FINAL.pdf

http://www.first5la.org/postfiles/files/F5LA%20Strategic%20Plan_FINAL.pdf


Utilize materials produced in the Public Education Campaign (Strategy II, Activity #6) to recruit and educate potential collaborative members.

Draft a recommended plan of action and present to the Partnership in a community-friendly report for review prior to finalizing it.

Look at low-to-no-cost opportunities to enhance and begin implementing items from the plan of action.

Increase the visibility of this plan of action with community stakeholders.

Understand the landscape of parks and open space environments in Best Start East LA. C. Evaluation The selected Contractor will work with Partnership members and First 5 LA to further develop and finalize the performance measures to assess the success of each activity. The performance measures will seek to answer certain information for each activity, including quantities of participants and activities, effectiveness of implementation and the impact of activities. The Partnership has drafted some of these performance measures. The selected Contractor will also work with Partnership members and First 5 LA to develop and finalize a plan for collecting information on the desired measures. First 5 LA may have additional data collection requirements. First 5 LA has final approval of the performance measures and data collection plan.

Contractor Roles for Evaluation:

Facilitate discussions with Partnership members and First 5 LA to identify performance measures and methods for collecting desired data to assess the success of activities in achieving desired results.

Finalize performance measures for each activity with First 5 LA and the Community Partnership.

Document the activities including, but not limited to, attendance, summary report, etc.

Develop basic data collection instruments as needed.

Collect and analyze the performance measure data for each activity.

Generate written reports on the performance measure data and analysis.

Present and conduct verbal reports to the Partnership on a monthly basis.

Help strategize and support efforts to strengthen areas in which performance targets are not met.

D. General Tasks

In addition to the activity-specific tasks and roles, the selected Contractor will be expected to perform general tasks related to the implementation of the work and managing the contract.

General Contractor Roles include, but are not limited to:

Coordinate and facilitate an initial meeting with, Partnership representatives and subcontractors (if applicable).

Collaborate with First 5 LA and its partners to coordinate all aspects of the project.

Develop and submit a work plan describing how all activities will be implemented. Work plan needs to include a timeline for all tasks. Update work plan on a regular basis.


Attend monthly Community Partnership meetings to build a collaborative relationship with the Partnership, provide regular progress updates (verbally and in writing) and solicit feedback from Partnership members on progress of activities.

Collaborate with the Partnership on any needed modifications to the activities.

Develop an incentive program for this project in collaboration with the Partnership and First 5 LA. Incentives will be determined by the structure and length of the activity. Incentives will be contingent on the approval of First 5 LA.

Learn about other community activities being developed and implemented.

Coordinate the implementation of all activities as agreed upon with the Partnership and First 5 LA.

Perform all contract and subcontract management, including budget oversight and fulfilling reporting requirements and coordinating contract approvals and modifications.

Require all subcontractors to comply with all insurance requirements to be set forth in the final executed contract.

Provide logistical support such as, child care, transportation, healthy food, venue and interpretation, etc. for all trainings and events.

Conduct parent outreach at local schools, churches, day care centers, clinics, parks and other community spaces where parents with young children congregate. Underrepresented groups in the community are families with children with disabilities, fathers, single-parent households, and grandparents serving as primary caretakers.

Participate in monthly contractor Learning Team meetings.

Ensure that all trainings, workshops, and facilitated meetings with parents are culturally competent, accessible via public transportation and conducted in Spanish with English translation, if necessary.

Develop materials, including flyers and training documents, as necessary and ensure that all materials are bilingual.

Provide certificates for all activity participants upon completion of each training module or activity.

Document and share promising practices and lessons learned for each activity and the project as a whole in a community-friendly format.

IV. ELIGIBILITY Proposals will be considered from legal entities with the qualifications and capacity to implement the strategies and activities outlined in this RFP. Eligible proposers must demonstrate the qualifications, experience, competency, and ability to successfully coordinate the implementation of the desired strategies and activities. Additionally, proposers must have personnel located in Southern California. This is essential, because all of the activities will be implemented locally in Los Angeles County. V. TERMS OF PROJECT The term of the project is up 24 months. The contract amount and duration will be determined through negotiations with the selected applicant and First 5 LA. The duration, extension, renewal, and amendment of the contract is contingent upon the First 5 LA Board of


Commissioner’s approval of funding for each fiscal year. First 5 LA reserves the right to extend or renew the contract to complete the activities listed in this RFP. This will be a cost reimbursement contract. VI. SELECTION PROCESS AND REVIEW CRITERIA First 5 LA will review the proposers based on the multi-stage review process detailed below. In the event only one proposal is received, the proposal must score satisfactorily in each level of review, as applicable. Level 1 Review: Proposal Compliance

First 5 LA will evaluate all proposals for completeness and minimum requirements. Basic requirements include: timely receipt of proposal, submission of all required attachments, etc. Proposals with omissions of any required documentation are subject to disqualification.

First 5 LA will also conduct a due diligence review which includes a review of the Litigation and Contract Compliance form and a review of whether the proposer (that are current and former contractors, grantees and vendors) have been placed in non-compliant status by First 5 LA under any existing and past contract or agreement with First 5 LA.

Level 2 Review: Proposal Scoring

Proposals that pass Level 1 Review will proceed to Level 2 Review. First 5 LA staff will review and score proposers using the review tool listed as Appendix E: Level 2 Review- Proposal Scoring Criteria and sign a Conflict-of-Interest form.

Level 3: Financial Review Proposals receiving the highest scores in Level 2 Review will proceed to Level 3 Review. Financial review will be a factor in the selection process, and proposer(s) may be required to submit financial statements or other additional information upon request. The First 5 LA Finance Department may review a copy of audited financials or statements prepared by an independent auditor to ensure the financial capacity of proposers. As a public entity, First 5 LA has a responsibility to the public to ensure that the organizations that receive the funds are financially stable to provide the contracted services. Further written materials regarding the financial stability of the agency may be requested during or prior to the review. Level 4 Review: Interview Proposers that pass Level 3 Review will be invited to interview with First 5 LA staff and community representatives. First 5 LA reserves the right to conduct the interviews without the community representatives if the representatives do not attend the interviewer training and/or interview. Only key personnel on the proposed RFP must attend the interview. Interviews are scheduled to be held on dates shown in the RFP Timeline. These dates are subject to change at First 5 LA’s sole discretion. An interview is not a guarantee of funding approval. Further written materials regarding qualifications may be requested prior to the interview. The highest


scoring proposer from the interview process will be awarded the contract or grant agreement or recommended to First 5 LA’s Board of Commissioners for award of the contract or grant agreement. The interview will request proposers to do at least the following:

Provide a twenty-minute presentation about the proposer’s (and collaborative partners, if any) background in implementing programs for children prenatal to ages 5 and their families as well as the action plan for implementing the strategies and activities identified in this RFP. Briefly describe how any best practices and lessons learned from the proposer’s previous experiences will inform the implementation of this work. Also describe description how the proposer plans to provide sufficient support for staff to effectively implement the work.

Respond to the following question: What plan does your agency have in place to ensure accountability for implementing the work according to the goals laid out by the Best Start East LA Partnership?

VII. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS Proposers must submit the following required documents through the online application system in order to be eligible for this RFP (Appendix A: Proposal Checklist is available to assist in proposal completion). All narrative sections should be single-spaced, 11 point font with 1” margins. Appendix E: Level 2 Review: Proposal Scoring Criteria provides the criteria that will be used to score each element of the proposal.

A. Online Application

Organization Information

B. Executive Summary (3 pages maximum) Please include summaries of your responses to the questions in the Implementation Narrative section

C. Implementation Narrative (15 pages maximum) Please explain the proposer’s approach to implement the strategies and activities over a 24 month period as outlined in Section III: Scope of Work and III.C. Evaluation based on the requirements in the RFP. Please include a description of scale (e.g.: numbers of trainings), substance (e.g.: topics of trainings), timing/phasing of all four activities, personnel (e.g.: trainers or subcontractors) and/or any other important considerations for implementing the activity in the specific community context. Include the challenges that you anticipate and how you will ensure the implementation of activities listed in Section III: Scope of Work is successful in the Best Start East LA community context.

D. Qualifications (7 pages maximum) Please explain the proposer's approach to implement the strategies and activities over a 24 month period as outlined in Sections III: Scope of Work. Please also differentiate which qualifications belong to the proposer and which belong to subcontractor(s):


1. Experience working in the Best Start East LA community. Please describe

experience and expertise in meeting East LA community needs, taking into account its cultural, socioeconomic background, language, religious beliefs.

2. Experience collaborating with organizations and informal groups (e.g., faith-based groups, civic groups, etc.) to plan, implement and/or assess activities.

3. Experience collaborating with parents and residents to plan, implement and/or assess activities.

4. Demonstrable experience in parent outreach, recruitment and sustained community engagement. Please share your experience in recruiting and sustaining interest of parents in community efforts. Please include examples of your experience in reaching families living in poverty, fathers, parents of children with special needs and caregivers.

5. Experience developing parent leadership programs. Please provide examples of experience in developing interactive, accessible and relevant trainings.

6. Experience and success in implementing the desired contractor tasks. Please describe any past experience of the organization(s) and people involved in implementing similar activities. Be sure to include the evaluation roles.

7. Current capacity to implement activities and perform required roles (i.e., available staff with necessary skills). Please provide the current capacity of the proposer and subcontractor(s) to implement the activities. This can include references to specific staff who will be involved as well as their intended roles.

8. Experience working with the target population – Families with Children prenatal to age 5 within Best Start East Los Angeles.

9. Ability to leverage additional resources to support the work.

E. Detailed Budget (Appendix F) Please provide an estimated 24 month budget breakdown for all activities and tasks using the template provided as Appendix F – Detailed Budget Form. Explain the component costs in the budget narrative. Please refer to Appendix G – Instructions for Budget Forms

F. Budget Narrative

Please provide a narrative that briefly explains the assumptions and reasoning used to calculate the estimated budget. No additional budget figures are needed in this section, although they may be presented if desired.

G. Letter(s) of Intent (LOIs) (if applicable)

For each subcontractor mentioned in the Narrative, please provide a LOI that that indicates acknowledgement and agreement to the proposed subcontractors’ roles and responsibilities. It is not necessary to submit LOIs if no subcontractors are proposed.


H. Résumés or Curriculum Vitae for Key Staff of Primary Contractor and

Subcontractors Please provide Résumés or Curriculum Vitae for the key staff already identified that will be involved in the implementation of the activities.

I. Litigation and Contract Compliance Form (Appendix H) Please read the information on the Litigation and Contract Compliance Form attached as Appendix H: Litigation and Contract Compliance Form thoroughly and submit a signed copy. If the proposer checks “Yes” to any of the questions on this form, please explain whether this will impact the project on this solicitation. Omission of the form will constitute an incomplete proposal and may be grounds for disqualification.

J. Most Current Independent Audited Financial Statement – or – Financial Statements Prepared by a Certified Public Accountant

K. Business License (if applicable)

Failure to submit all required attachments will constitute an incomplete proposal and may be grounds for disqualification. Proposers are responsible for any errors omissions in their proposals and proposals. In order to respond to this RFP, submit a complete proposal and all required documents to First 5 LA no later than 5:00 pm PDT on October 13, 2015. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure, prior to submission, that their proposal reflects the requirements of this solicitation. VIII. TERMS OF THE RFP First 5 LA reserves the right to reject all proposals and re-solicit for proposals. Failure to comply with proposal specifications shall be grounds for disqualification of proposals. Each proposer shall be required to honor the price and specifications quoted for a minimum of sixty (60) calendar days following submission of the proposal. First 5 LA also reserves the right to cancel this RFP, in its sole discretion, at any time before execution of a contract.

First 5 LA shall not be liable for any costs incurred in connection with an proposer’s preparation of a proposal in response to this RFP. Any cover letters, résumés and curriculum vita, including attached materials, submitted in response to this RFP shall become First 5 LA’s property and subject to public disclosure. Each proposal shall be retained for official files and will become public record upon submittal unless the proposal or specific parts of the proposal can be shown to be exempt from disclosure by law. The budget, scope of work and other contractual information may be included in Board of Commission materials which are made public if the contract requires Board approval. Each proposer may clearly label parts of a proposal as “CONFIDENTIAL” if the proposer thereby agrees to indemnify and defend First 5 LA for honoring such a designation. The failure to so label any information that is released by First 5 LA shall constitute a complete waiver of all claims for damages caused by any release of the information. If a public records request for information labeled confidential is received by First 5 LA, First 5 LA will notify the proposer of


the request. Within seven (7) calendar days after First 5 LA’s notification to the proposer, it will be the proposer’s duty to act in protection of the labeled information. The proposer’s failure to so act shall constitute a complete waiver.

The proposer agrees that, by submitting proposal, the proposer authorizes First 5 LA verify any or all information and/or references submitted in the proposal.

IX. CONTRACTUAL CONSIDERATIONS The successful proposer must sign and adhere to the provisions of the First 5 LA Contract (see Appendix I – Sample Contract). The successful proposer must execute the Contract without substantive alteration. All proposer must review the Sample Contract in detail and fully understand the contractual obligations described in the Contract, including all insurance requirements. Current and former First 5 LA grantees and contractors must be or must have been in good standing and in compliance with all aspects of their current and former contracts with First 5 LA in order to be eligible to respond to this RFP. First 5 LA may deem a proposer ineligible if it finds, in its reasonable discretion, that the proposer has done any of the following: (1) violated any significant term or condition of a First 5 LA grant agreement or contract; (2) committed any act or omission, or engaged in a pattern or practice, that negatively reflects on the proposer’s quality, fitness or capacity to perform services listed in this RFP or an RFP issued by any other public entity; (3) committed an act or offense that indicates a lack of business integrity or business dishonesty; or (4) made or submitted a false claim against First 5 LA or any other public entity. First 5 LA may, after contract award, amend the awarded contract, scope of work and any other exhibits in accordance with the terms of the contract and as needed throughout the contract term to best meet the needs of First 5 LA. The award of a contract by First 5 LA to an individual/agency/organization that proposes to use subcontractors for the performance of work under the contract resulting from this proposal process shall not be interpreted to limit First 5 LA’s right to approve subcontractors, assemble teams and/or assign leads. Each proposer will be evaluated independently for added value to the overall team. A copy of executed subcontract(s) related to Program funding must be provided to First 5 LA. If the Contract is not signed prior to the intended start date, the commencement of any activities will not begin until the contract execution date (the date all parties have signed the contract) and Contractor will not be eligible to obtain reimbursement for any costs incurred prior to the contract execution date, unless otherwise approved in writing by First 5 LA. If the Contract is not signed by the successful proposer within thirty (30) calendar days from the proposed intended start date, First 5 LA may withdraw the contract award. First 5 LA may revise the proposed effective date prior to final execution of the Contract. If the contract is $75,000 or more in the aggregate in any fiscal year, final execution of the Contract is contingent on First 5 LA’s Board approval. Any performance of services commenced prior to obtaining all written approvals by First 5 LA shall be considered voluntary.


Unless otherwise submitted during the proposal process, the successful proposer will be required to submit additional required documentation including, but not limited to, the following documents before the Contract can be fully executed:

Litigation and Contract Compliance Form By-laws (if applicable) Articles of Incorporation (if applicable) Board of Directors or List of Partners (if applicable) Signature Authorization Form Annual Independent Audit for prior fiscal year or calendar year (if applicable) Appropriate business licenses (for vendors or private organizations) IRS Determination Letter for non-profit status (if applicable) Completed IRS Form W-9 Memorandums of Understanding (for any sub-contractors, collaborators, and/or

partners) Certificates of Insurance for all insurance requirements outlined in the Contract.

X. APPEALS POLICY

First 5 LA reserves the right, without prejudice, to reject any or all submitted proposals. An appeal shall be permitted only on the grounds that the decision violated applicable law, First 5 LA policies and procedures, or the terms of the bid or RFP. Appeals challenging First 5 LA’s decision on the merits or qualifications of proposers or the scoring of proposals shall not be permitted. An appeal of a First 5 LA decision shall be in writing and filed with the office of the Executive Director, or his/her designee, within ten (10) business days following the date the notification of decision is made by First 5 LA. For more information, please refer to the Appeals Policy located at http://www.first5la.org/About-Us/Policies. XI. LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A – Proposal Checklist

Appendix B – Building Stronger Families Framework (BSFF) Theory of Change

Appendix C – Learning by Doing (LBD) Stages Overview

Appendix D – Best Start East LA Community Map

Appendix E – Level 2 Review: Proposal Scoring Criteria

Appendix F – Detailed Budget

Appendix G – Instructions for Budget Forms

Appendix H – Litigation and Contract Compliance Form

Appendix I – Sample Contract

http://www.first5la.org/About-Us/Policies

Documents

Best Start Communities Building Stronger Families in East ... LA... · Building Stronger Families in Best Start East Los Angeles – Phase 1 RFP 4 of 28 II. BACKGROUND A. First 5