Plugged In To Education

September 16, 2021

Coverage of updates in lower education, higher education & human services.

New Mask Requirements Announced for Child Care and Congregate Care Settings

Earlier this week, Governor Hochul announced a series of universal mask requirements for child care programs and other congregate care settings. The new requirement applies to New York State Office of Children and Family Services-licensed and -registered child care centers, home-based group family and family child care programs, after-school child care programs and enrolled legally exempt group programs during operational hours. New masking requirements will also apply to congregate programs and facilities licensed, registered, operated, certified or approved by the Office of Mental Health, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, Office of Children and Family Services and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. See the OCFS Dear Provider letter here. This follows the Governor’s announcement earlier this month requiring masks for everyone in school buildings during instructional hours and extracurricular activities.

Governor Hochul Announces $23.7 Million in Grant Awards to End the Gun Violence Epidemic

Governor Hochul announced funding for several gun violence prevention efforts including job training, community activities, and intervener staffing in communities seeing the highest concentration of gun violence. Funding will be allocated as follows:

  • $16 million to local workforce development boards to fund workforce training and job placement programs in 20 cities most impacted by gun violence across New York State.
  • $5.7 million in grants to provide sports, arts, civic engagement, skill development, and recreational programming in communities seeing high gun violence.
  • $2 million to gun violence intervention programs across the state to hire and train 39 new street outreach workers and violence interrupters.

$40 Million Biodefense Commercialization Fund Announced

Governor Hochul announced the opening of New York’s new $40 million Biodefense Commercialization Fund to accelerate the development and commercialization of life science research and innovations that address serious infectious health threats, including COVID-19 and its variants. Eligible companies that are developing promising diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and other innovations to prevent, treat or mitigate serious infectious disease threats can apply for grants of up to $4 million. New York’s academic research institutions will be able to apply for grants of up to $500,000 to help fast track advanced intellectual property in life sciences. An emphasis will be placed on supporting the development of innovations with the highest potential for commercial viability.

State Comptroller Reports Significant Challenges in Closing COVID Achievement Gap in NYC DOE

A report released today by New York State Comptroller DiNapoli details the NYC DOE’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on attendance and enrollment, difficulties in measuring student achievement and learning loss, and budgetary risks that arise from the reliance on federal aid. According to the press release, the DOE is set to receive more than $8 billion in emergency federal funding between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, including $6.96 billion in education-related emergency federal funds between 2020 and 2024, $721 million in CARES Act allocation, and additional unrestricted federal emergency funding. The report found that the City is “creating a fiscal cliff of unfunded recurring expenses amounting to more than $1 billion annually when the extraordinary federal aid expires in FY 2025” and that “If revenues do not trend better than projected, the city may be forced to cut services or find new revenue sources or funding partners.”

OMH Announces RFP for Community Based Services for Youth

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) is providing one-time funding up to $50,000 to OMH providers to expand timely in-person and telehealth access to intensive community-based services. Specifically, these resources are intended to support children and youth returning to school for 2021-2022 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in alignment with the design and intent of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplement Appropriations Act. Applications are due November 1, 2021.

Agency Guidance, Policy Directives & Letters

Department of Health (DOH)

State Education Department (SED)

Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)

Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)

  • 21-OCFS-ADM-19 – Requirements to Operate an EMPOWER Qualified Residential Treatment Program (QRTP) Exception Program
  • 21-OCFS-ADM-20 – Revised Model Contract for Purchase of Foster Care Services
  • 21-OCFS-ADM-21 – Tracking Child Care Providers Disqualified from Receiving Child Care Subsidy Pursuant to 18 NYCRR 415.4(h)(2)

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA)

  • 21-INF-08 Information Regarding Federal Child Tax Credit Benefits
  • 21-LCM-12 Automated Termination of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Claims

New York Register

Emergency Adoption/Proposed Rule Making

Proposed Rule Making

  • The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has issued a notice of proposed rule making to provide equity in opportunities for certified residential opportunities. Public comment will be received for 60 days. September 15, 2021

Funding Opportunities

The State Education Department announced the 2022-2024 New York State My Brother’s Keeper Exemplary School Models and Practices (ESMP) Request for Proposals (RFP) to assist public school districts and BOCES in supporting innovative approaches to identifying, understanding, and overcoming barriers to improve outcomes for youth placed at risk with an emphasis on boys and young men of color. September 27, 2021

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) announced the availability of funds for the expansion of Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams throughout New York State. The Youth ACT team serve children/youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), who are returning home from inpatient settings or residential services, at risk of entering such settings, or have not adequately engaged or responded to treatment in more traditional community-based services. September 28, 2021

Young Adult ACT In NYC– September 29, 2021

Young Adult ACT in Western NY– October 26, 2021

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued a Request for Applications (RFA) to announce the availability of approximately $14 million annually to support implementation of the Perinatal and Infant Community Health Collaboratives (PICHC) initiative. Funds will be awarded to approximately 25 programs throughout New York State (NYS) to support the development, implementation and coordination of collaborative community-based strategies to improve perinatal and infant health outcomes and eliminate racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in those outcomes. October 5, 2021

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Special Education is seeking proposals from vendors to provide Braille and large print books and educational materials for blind and visually impaired school age students in New York State (NYS). October 5, 2021

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Education Policy is seeking proposals for the development and dissemination of professional learning experiences (PLEs). The PLEs will be designed for field-based implementation led by trained professionals. The contractor retained under this RFP will develop and lead a training program on PLE implementation and develop and propose criteria for NYSED to approve qualified entities and/or individuals to deliver PLEs and wraparound services (e.g., peer-to-peer support networks, coaching, mentoring, professional learning communities). At the close of the training program, NYSED will approve qualified entities and/or individuals to deliver ongoing PLEs and wraparound services to the field. October 6, 2021

New York State is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to advance the five-year goal of developing more than 6,000 units of supportive housing over five years for persons identified as homeless with special needs, conditions or other life challenges as part of the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. October 6, 2021

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP), Division of Long Term Care (DLTC), Bureau of Community Integration and Alzheimer’s Disease (BCIAD), Alzheimer’s Disease Program (ADP) announces the availability of funding for the Regional Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative. October 15, 2021

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of State Assessment (OSA) is seeking proposals for the transcribing of New York State Exams and exam-related materials into Braille. October 21, 2021

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) through its Suicide Prevention Center of New York (SPCNY) announced the availability of funds dedicated to the implementation of Sources of Strength, a suicide prevention program, in New York State secondary schools and youth serving organizations. October 27, 2021

The New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOH AI), Office of the Medical Director (OMD) and Health Research Inc. (HRI) announced the availability of $795,000 annually for five years in state and federal funds to provide a wide range of professional processes and activities associated with the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of clinical practice guidelines. October 28, 2021

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is soliciting information regarding the creation of a new Impartial Hearing Officer (IHO) system for special education due process hearings in New York City. This system must address the resolution of 14,000 or more due process complaint filings annually in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and New York State Education Law and regulations. November 5, 2021

The Department of Health has issued a request for application for Projects to Accelerate Research Translation (PART) and Innovative, Developmental or Exploratory Activities (IDEA) in Spinal Cord Injury. The SCIRB wishes to stimulate the growth of SCI research and to accelerate the pace with which basic (preclinical) findings are translated into clinical benefits for spinal cord-injured persons. In addition, SCIRB wishes to fill fundamental gaps in knowledge that are barriers to scientific advances in SCI research. The goal is to expend $8.5 million for SCI research every State fiscal year. The SCIRB welcomes basic, translational and clinical neurological research applications on topics bearing on its mission. November 16, 2021

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) is making up to $2.75 million in funding available under the Apprenticeship State Expansion (ASE-1) – Registered Apprenticeship Group Programs Request for Applications (RFA). January 3, 2022

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) is making up to $2 million in funding available under the Apprenticeship Expansion Grant (AEG-2) Request for Applications (RFA). The purpose of this RFA is to expand Registered Apprenticeship (RA) training by increasing employment opportunities for approximately 800 apprentices with a focus on underrepresented populations. July 1, 2022

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