Refugee Home-Based Child Care Microenterprise Development Project

This announcement has been modified. In the Overview and in Section IV.3. Submission Dates and Times, the Due Date for Applications field reflects an extension of 2 days to accommodate a scheduled maintenance outage on www.Grants.gov. Note: While no other changes apply to the application package, applicants must download the SF-424 (only) in Application Package. The SF-424 includes the revised application due date. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) invites eligible entities to submit competitive grant applications for funding under the Home-Based Child Care Microenterprise Development Project (HBCCMED). Through HBCCMED, ORR will provide funding for applicants proposing to implement home-based child care (HBCC) training and mentoring programs for refugees. Although the focus will be on refugee women, all services provided to refugee women under HBCCMED are available to refugee men who are able to benefit from these services. The two main objectives of HBCCMED are: to help refugees (primarily women) to achieve economic self-sufficiency by becoming licensed HBCC providers; and to ease the shortage of licensed culturally and linguistically competent HBCC providers who will promote the early care and development of refugee children, helping them to thrive in the U.S. The secondary objective of HBCCMED is to enable other refugees to enter the workforce with confidence that their children are cared for by proficient, licensed HBCC providers in their neighborhoods and communities, who possess an understanding of the children's cultural background and the ability to communicate in the children's native languages. Refugees trained under this project will learn about state and federal child care laws, regulations and licensing requirements, and U.S. child care norms; acquire English language skills; advance their education (e.g., attainment of General Education Diploma (G.E.D.); learn basic financial skills; receive one-time financial assistance to cover partial start-up costs related to home-based child care entrepreneurship; apply their new child care knowledge and skills in the job market; and improve their economic opportunities. As continuity of care is essential for refugee children and their families to gain the knowledge and establish the trusting relationships needed to thrive in the U.S., ORR hopes that with their enhanced understanding of early childhood programs, refugee women will apply their acquired knowledge to facilitate the integration of their children while operating HBCC facilities and attaining economic self-sufficiency. Therefore, through HBCCMED, refugee families and children will benefit from placement in high quality, stable home-based child care services provided by HBCCMED alumni.