Section 1-9 - Application (a) The grant application shall be filled out completely and shall include: - (i) A project proposal that clearly expresses and depicts the applicant's and the community's commitment to ensure that all children are ready to be successful in school by:
- (A) Facilitating regular and on-going communication and collaboration between the community's early childhood stakeholders including broad outreach to and participation from families, kindergarten teachers, school district administrators, early childhood education professionals and teachers, and health professionals, and others;
- (B) Obtaining data and strengths-based evaluation from the community to inform and evaluate actions; and
- (C) Providing support to work with and for children who are educationally or otherwise disadvantaged.
- (ii) A community description that:
- (A) Offers insightful information about the community, including: definition of community boundaries and the population that shall be served with grant funds, defining characteristics of the identified community, and an overview of community needs and existing resources that includes data and strengths-based evaluation.
- (iii) An overview of existing and planned community partnerships that details:
- (A) Existing or past efforts to engage early childhood partners in the community as well as the strategy for continued broad-based community engagement. Partners shall include, but not be limited to: families, early childcare and education professionals and teachers, kindergarten teachers, school district administrators, and school district staff; and
- (B) Documentation from past collaborative meetings to show purpose, attendance and/or clear agendas for communication (if applicable) as well as the strategy for broad based community partnerships and correspondence.
- (iv) A list and narrative of the actions and outcomes that connects to the community's needs and commitment to ensure that all children are ready to be successful in schools. Actions may include, but are not limited to work that:
- (A) Engages and supports parents and families while honoring their role as a child's first and most important teacher;
- (B) Brings together early childhood stakeholders to work together to promote and provide for a seamless transition into the school setting;
- (C) Considers the community and family contexts in which children grow up, and works then to connect families, health and other community elements to ensure children are ready to be successful in school;
- (D) Develops a two-tiered approach to implement the Wyoming Early Learning Guidelines and the Wyoming Early Learning Foundations (one tier for early childhood professionals and one tier for families); and
- (E) Encourages and promotes high quality early childhood education programs, environments and opportunities that are accessible by both children and families, and that cut across the following developmental domains:
- (II) Language Development;
- (III) Literacy Knowledge and Skills;
- (IV) Logic and Reasoning;
- (V) Mathematics Knowledge and Skills;
- (VI) Physical Development and Health;
- (VII) Science Knowledge and Skills;
- (VIII) Social and Emotional Development; and
- (IX) Social Studies Knowledge and Skills.
- (v) A request for any technical assistance and/or training that would increase and support the communities work to achieve positive outcomes in the action plan.
- (vi) A Cost Proposal which includes:
- (A) A detailed operational budget showing expenditures and income as well as an in-kind and/or monetary match of 25% of total funds requested; and