Download a sample issue and learn more about becoming a client here.
Strategic Opening: Setting Standards for the Day Care of School-Age Children
Announcement: Developing Program Standards for School Age Child Care Due August 20 (Jul 24) Maryland State Department of Education
Their Description: Since 2000, the Maryland State Department of Education has published Standards for Implementing Quality Early Childhood Programs for prekindergarten, kindergarten, Head Start, and center-based child care. This solicitation would identify a vendor to develop state standards for school age child care to be incorporated and recognized by the Early Childhood Accreditation Project....
In 2000, MSDE established the Early Childhood Accreditation Project which was designed to increase the number of early care and education programs in Maryland. The Project currently recognizes the following recognized national accreditation standards:
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
• National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
• Middle States Association (MSA)
• American Montessori Society (AMS)
• American Montessoriy Internationale/USA (AMI/USA)
• National After School Association (NAA)....
The vendor will:
1. Review national school age child care standards, including NSACA’s (National School-Age Care Alliance) school age child care standards @ ... and complete the following analyses:
a. Comparison of school age child care standards;
b. Comparison of procedures to meet school age child (c)are standards.
2. Develop school age child care standards for the following areas:
a. Administration and Personnel;
b. Safety, Health, and Nutrition;
c. Extended Learning and Enrichment;
d. Family Partnerships;
e. Collaboration and Coordination with School and Community (including after school enrichment programs).
3. Develop indicators of quality school age child care for each standard;
4. Develop descriptions of best practices for each indicator...;
5. Develop representative examples of documenting and observing best practices;
6. Develop a guide to self-appraisal and accreditation using the school age child care standards, which shall include the following descriptions for:
a. Conducting orientations for school age child care programs;
b. Implementing the self-appraisal;
c. Improving the program based on self-appraisal;
d. Implementing the accreditation of school age child care programs;
e. Receiving state accreditation for school age child care programs.
Include in both documents the following:
a. Introduction and Background
b. Glossary of Terms
c. Table of Contents
Present the comparison analysis, drafts of the standards, and the guide to a statewide committee on school age child care....
Our Thoughts: The subject of this RFP constitutes a strategic seem of our market. It connects pre-k to k-6, in-school to after-school, academic to nonacademic expectations of public education, research to practice. The project is full of important policy questions - a classic example of action research. It will have high visibility in the department, leading to other work in the field and Maryland.
As such the RFP looks like a good opportunity for research organizations, specialists in the specific field as well as the related fields on the various sides of the field, and the emerging “consulting architects” becoming important to the development and implementation of market regulations.