Head Start opportunities include one for Lucas County

7/24/2013

A batch of Head Start grant opportunities posted in the past two days includes one for the Lucas County program.

For decades, the federally funded early-childhood education program was administered locally by the Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Greater Toledo. The local $13 million grant was one of dozens that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put up for competition in 2011 for the first time. None of the bidders, which included EOPA and Toledo Public Schools, was selected.

After no bids were selected, HHS announced a re-competition would commence, and the recent grant opportunity announcement commences that competition. Applicants have until Oct. 21 to file their bids.

This grant opportunity is less than the previous one, as Head Start programs were cut nationwide as part of the federal budget sequester. The award ceiling for the first competition was about $12.9 million, while the re-competition is for about $12.2 million.

During the bid process, Head Start will be locally-administered by a Colorado-based firm on an interim-basis. The federal government had denied an EOPA request to continue administering Head Start during the re-competition, and the Community Development Institute took over the program on July 1.

Both EOPA and TPS are expected to reapply for the program.