[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62695-62701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29971]
[[Page 62695]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Solicitation for Migrant Child Labor Demonstration Grants
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor.
ACTION: Notice of Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for
piloting innovative ways to discourage child labor in the agricultural
industry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice contains all of the necessary information and
forms needed to apply for grant funding. The U.S. Department of Labor
(DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces a
Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) to develop and pilot three to
four demonstrations nationally that offer improved educational and
alternative work experience opportunities for migrant farmworker youth.
These demonstrations are designed to reduce incentives for migrant
farmworker youth to perform agricultural work under any one or
combination of the following conditions:
In situations that may lead to child labor violations of
agriculture workplace rules such as those of the Fair Labor Standards
Act (FLSA), or
during the scheduled school session, or
in lieu of summer school attendance needed to complete a
grade advancement.
DATES: Applications for grant awards will be accepted commencing
November 17, 1999. The closing date for receipt of applications shall
be January 31, 2000 by 4 p.m. eastern standard time. No exceptions to
the mailing and hand-delivery conditions will be granted. Applications
that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be
considered. Telefacsimile (FAX) applications will not be honored.
ADDRESSES: Applications shall be mailed or hand-delivered to: U.S.
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division
of Federal Assistance, Attention: Ann Newman, Reference: SGA/DFA-100;
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-4203; Washington, DC 20210.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fax questions to Ann Newman, Division
of Federal Assistance at (202) 219-8739. This is not a toll-free
number. All inquiries sent via fax should include the SGA number (DFA-
100) and a contact name, fax and phone number. This solicitation will
also be published on the Internet on the Employment and Training
Administration's Home Page at http://doleta.gov. Award notifications
will also be published on this Homepage.
1. Hand-Delivered Proposals
Applications should be mailed no later than five (5) days prior to
the closing date for the receipt of applications. However if
applications are hand-delivered, they must be received at the
designated place by 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on January 31, 2000, the
closing date for receipt of applications. All overnight mail will be
considered to be hand-delivered and must be received at the designated
place by the specified time and closing date. Telegraphed and/or faxed
proposals will not be honored. Applications that fail to adhere to the
above instructions will not be honored.
2. Late Proposals
A proposal received at the designated office after the exact time
specified for receipt will not be considered unless it is received
before award is made and it:
(1) Was sent by registered or certified mail not later than the
fifth calendar day before the date specified for receipt of
applications (e.g., a proposal submitted in response to a solicitation
requiring receipt of applications by the 20th of the month must be
mailed by the 15th);
(2) Was sent to the U.S. Postal Service Express Mail Next Day
Service, Post Office to addressee, not later than 4 p.m. at the place
of mailing two working days prior to the date specified for proposals.
The term ``working days'' excludes weekends and U.S. Federal holidays.
The only acceptable evidence that an application was sent in accordance
with these requirements is a printed, stamped, or otherwise placed
impression (exclusive of a postage meter machine impression) that is
readily identifiable without further action as having been supplied or
affixed on the date of mailing by employees of the U.S. Postal Service.
3. Withdrawal of Applications
Applications may be withdrawn by written notice or telegram
(including mailgram) received at any time before award. Applications
may be withdrawn in person by the applicant or by an authorized
representative thereof, if the representative's identity is made known
and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal.
4. Funding Availability and Period of Performance
The Department of Labor expects to make approximately 3-4 awards,
with a total investment of approximately $5,000,000. The period of
performance will be for 12 months from the date the grant is awarded.
At the Government's discretion and based upon availability of funding,
it is possible that the project may be extended for up to two option
years of funding.
5. Submission of Proposals
In accordance with the requirements above, applicants must also
submit four (4) copies of their proposal, with original signatures. The
proposal must have the following information:
(1) The proposal shall contain the Standard Form (SF) 424,
``Application for Federal Assistance'' (Appendix A). All copies of the
(SF) 424 must have original signatures of the legal entity applying for
grant funding. Applicants shall indicate on the (SF) 424 the
organization's IRS status, if applicable. According to the Lobbying
Disclosure Act of 1995, Section 18, an organization described in
section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in
lobbying activities is not eligible for the receipt of federal funds
constituting an award, grant, or loan. The grant proposal text is
limited to 30 double-spaced, single-side, numbered 8\1/2\'' x 11''
pages, in 12-point type and having margins measuring at least one inch
(Page numbers may be placed within the margin space.) This includes
attachments. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not
be considered.
(2) A certification prepared within the last six months, attesting
to the adequacy of the entity's fiscal management and accounting
systems to account for and safeguard Federal funds properly. The
Certification should be obtained as follows:
(a) For incorporated organizations, a certification from a
Certified Public Accountant; or
(b) for a public agency, a certification by its Chief Fiscal
Officer;
(3) A statement indicating the entity's legally constituted
authority under which the organization functions. A nonprofit
organization should submit a copy of its Charter or Articles of
Incorporation, including proof of the organization's nonprofit status;
(4) The applicant's employer identification number (EIN) issued by
the Internal Revenue Service;
(5) Applications from a Consortium of organizations must include a
copy of the Consortium agreement and must identify the consortium which
will act as the administrative entity for the project. The agreement
must include stated arrangements for administrative
[[Page 62696]]
and financial responsibility that are acceptable to the Grant Officer.
(6) Budget Information Sheet (Appendix ``B'') with a narrative
description of each line item.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Lifestyle that limits occupational horizons and disrupts
educational achievement--It is generally accepted that agricultural
employment earns its workers the lowest wages among the major low-
skilled occupations. While it does provide this labor group with
seasonal employment, farmwork has the deleterious characteristic of
preserving the working family in a working poverty status and tends to
establish a pattern of farmwork to the exclusion of most other
possibilities. The desire or initiative to learn other trades or job
skills is easily defeated by the compelling need to generate family
income by farmwork. Agricultural practices often subject workers to
working conditions involving exposure to agricultural pesticides and
fertilizers. The health hazards associated with exposure to these
compounds may not be comprehended fully by most youth. Young people are
generally less prepared intellectually and emotionally to accept
warnings about long-term health risks associated with external
exposures to commonly used agricultural chemicals. Consequently, they
are prone to view precautionary instructions as an inconvenience and to
be trusting and unquestioning of the authority of growers and bosses
who may direct them to prematurely enter a field following a recent
pesticide application. The continuing demographics shift of farmworkers
to a population that has become increasingly foreign born and Hispanic
over the past two decades, increases the risks associated with
agricultural pesticide use for the farmworker families working in the
United States. Why, language barriers?
Consequently, migrant farmworker children of all ages, perform farm
labor work which exposes them to harsh and dangerous working conditions
which may breach the spirit, if not violate the letter, of child labor
laws and EPA/OSHA standards.
Part I. Authority
Introduction
The Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act for the 1999 fiscal
year appropriated $5 million for demonstration programs to develop
alternatives to agricultural labor for migrant farmworker youth. The
Department seeks the development, piloting and evaluation of three to
four demonstrations nationally for reducing child labor in migrant
agricultural streams through the cooperative participation of state and
local organizations.
When traveling with their families in the migration stream, migrant
farmworker youth often assist the adult members of their family and
when they reach legal working age they actively participate by working
side-by-side with adults. The experiences growing up in a migrant
farmworker family provide little exposure to alternative opportunities
that may expand the young person's outlook for the possibility of a
different life and improved standard of living. As a result, they may
not learn as early as their peers about the range of occupational
options available to them and they may fail to develop an appreciation
of their potential for capitalizing on the connection that exists
between good jobs and educational achievement. Migrant farmworker youth
also perform farmwork during scheduled school sessions or in lieu of
summer school attendance that is needed for completing a grade
advancement. This practice establishes a pattern of reduced primary
school participation that leads to reduced high school completion for
the children of farmworkers. The Department seeks to support the
development of innovative approaches for reversing the movement from
the classrooms to the fields without harming the family income.
The Department will consider demonstrations utilizing a
comprehensive approach that addresses all of the following conditions
faced by farmworker youth who are members of a migrant farmworker
family dependent on farmwork for a majority of its income:
the incidence of agricultural labor performed by secondary
school age workers, age 12-17
the low levels of secondary school attendance
the low levels of secondary educational achievement
agricultural work that may be illegal or detrimental to
educational achievement
the need for sustaining family income requirements
Demonstration proposals must describe how the pilot project is
anticipated to make a substantial reduction to the level of farmwork
performed by the migrant youth served.
Project approaches may include: parental participation, child care,
continued classroom participation during either or both the regular
school year and summer school, to facilitate completion of academic
courses required for grade promotion, non-agricultural work experience
or other approaches for reducing the incidence of farmwork by migrant
youth.
A. Eligible Applicants
Current recipient of JTPA Section 402 or WIA 167 funds; public,
private, or non-profit organization may apply for these grants either
individually or as a consortium of eligible applicants. Each proposal
must contain provision for participation by appropriate education
agencies.
B. Government's Requirements
ETA seeks to test the efficacy of using Case Management in an
interdisciplinary environment that provides working-age migrant
children alternative work and educational opportunities while working
in the migrant stream and without detriment to the income expectations
of their family. The pilots will test the use of Case Management to
sustain a comprehensive approach to serving 12 to 17 year-old migrant
youth that includes all of the following components:
Case Managers working with youth and their families,
arrangements appropriate for ensuring uninterrupted
educational participation that include provision for tutorial
assistance,
alternative employment in community service work
experience,
provision for child care,
communications support between case managers, the
farmworker youth, and other personnel as appropriate to the proposed
design,
coordination with appropriate educational institutions,
and
establishment of arrangements with the appropriate
agencies throughout the migrant stream for developing a dependable
network of supportive services available to the project for use by the
Case Managers.
Addressing Remote Contact Issues
To support continued participation and enrollment in education and
work experience or combined education and work experience activities,
the design must contain specific mechanisms for maintaining participant
access to the Case Manager. This must be achieved through personal
contact. Personal contact may be accomplished by establishing a network
of qualified representatives made available to the Case Managers by
appropriate partnering organizations such as
[[Page 62697]]
farmworker grantee organizations. To supplement the system of personal
contacts, applicants may propose use of other remote means such as
computerized communication technologies which may be adapted to support
such aspects of the proposed design as Case Management communications
and tracking, the educational component and the transfer of information
on participants' status.
The Alternative Employment Component
With respect to the alternative employment component, the
arrangements must support work alternatives for the participants during
periods when they would normally be engaged in agriculture. Such work
experience arrangements will help provide an income through the
controlled environment of a structured work experience program. The
design should promote exposure to a sample of the career alternatives
potentially available. Applicants may propose other, less conventional
activities that may be complementary to the formal educational process.
The Educational Component
With respect to the educational component, the design must be one
that supports sustained educational participation leading to completion
of a specific scheduled secondary education requirement. This must be
addressed by the cooperative participation of the family's home-base
local school system, a State level secondary entity, or a charter
school or other nonsectarian institution credentialed as a secondary
education institution.
Target Population
Youth, age 12 to 17 who are established working members of migrant
farmworker families and who accompany their families on the migration.
(Family members are those persons living together who are related by
marriage, blood or adoption.)
Funding Context
Section 167 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The Migrant
and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) program provides services to meet the
employment and training MSFWs through such public and private nonprofit
organizations determined by the Secretary to have an understanding of
the problems of MSFWs. This familiarity may be variously demonstrated
by an organization's familiarity with the area to be served, its
demonstrated understanding of the problems of eligible MSFWs, and its
demonstrated capability to administer effectively a diversified
employability development program for MSFWs.
Consortium Arrangements
Consortium of cooperating eligible applicants may apply. An
acceptable consortium arrangement is one made of two or more signatory
eligible applicants, supported by a Consortium Working Agreement
between all the cooperating parties under the proposed design. The
agreement must designate one of the consortium's members as the
responsible administrative agency under the grant.
Specific Migrant Youth Problems
Demonstrations must be developed to address problems faced by
farmworker youth, age 12-17, who are members of migrant families and
who face limited opportunities due to conditions that may be attributed
to the family's dependence on employment in farmwork, and especially
due to the family's migrations during the agricultural season. Examples
of such problems experienced by farmworker youth are:
a record of substandard or declining school attendance
being required to repeat at least a year at grade 5 or
higher
having a work history exclusively consisting of farmwork
performed in the company of their families
having a family which does not speak English at home
possessing other documented conditions proposed by the
applicant.
Projected Benefits of This Migrant Child Labor Initiative
It is anticipated that program participation will result in
improved outcomes for youth participants and their families in (e.g.,
youth educational goals, school participation, promotion and dropout
rates, family and participant employment and income, parental
expectations for children, etc.).
Pilot outcome information will be used to identify further options
to decrease child labor in agriculture and increase academic retention
and achievements for migrant farmworker youth.
Part II. Grant Proposal
All grant proposals accepted for consideration must be prepared in
accordance with the requirements set forth in Sections (1) to (3)
below.
Section (1)--Proposed Pilot Demonstration
A. Demographics of Selected Migrant Stream
An understanding of the area economy and its influence on the
problems and conditions faced by MSFWs working within that economy is
important to formulating an effective service strategy. Identify and
describe the geographic area (i.e. migrant stream) where the design is
proposed to be tested. The description should include relevant factors
about the agricultural community, crops and migrant farmworker
demographics for the migrant stream. A complete statement would include
a brief discussion of the problems of eligible migrant farmworker
families working in the selected area that either contribute to
intensive farmwork labor conditions, or interfere with secondary
education achievement.
B. Problems Faced by Migrant Youth Population of the Selected Migration
Area
Describe the conditions that are faced by MSFW youth over the
course of a year in the specific geographic area proposed to be served.
The discussion must show how the condition contributes to the pattern
of low school attendance and success. Examples of specific conditions
proposed to be addressed are:
Family group situations wherein farmworkers bring their
children to assist them with their work at farm locations. This
condition occurs more often at farms where pay is determined on a piece
rate basis.
Seasonality of work and migration that disrupts education
Strenuousness of farmwork--stoop labor, long hours, low
wages
Living conditions experienced in a migratory lifestyle--
housing facilities, transportation, etc.
Problems unique to farmwork families working the selected
migrant stream that adversely affect the educational achievement of
their children and limit the youths' access to recreational activities
and alternative forms of work opportunities (other than the manual
farmwork that may defines their lifestyle) for their children in the 12
to 17 age range.
C. Design Proposed To Be Piloted
(1) Provide a brief, single paragraph summary of the proposed
demonstration objective. Follow the summary with an explanatory
statement on how the objective is proposed to be achieved. Include each
of the following in the discussion as appropriate:
[[Page 62698]]
Problem(s) affecting migrant youth that the proposed
design would address
Number of youth to be served by the project
Characteristics of those to be enrolled
Case Management techniques to be used
Work Experience Component
Education Component
Provisions and system for maintaining contact with
participants during the family's migration and for maintaining
connections with the home community.
Follow-up during the off-season
Provision for family involvement
Collaborations with appropriate organizations such as
participating MSFW programs, school systems, One-Stop Centers, State
Rural Development Councils, grower groups, etc.
Results to be achieved
Portability of records
Other areas appropriate to the proposed design
(2) Strategic Plan: Describe the proposed strategic plan by
addressing all the following:
(a) Case Management Strategy--Describe the proposed case management
system and techniques that are proposed to be employed. To be
acceptable, the plan must include a strategy for maintaining
communications during migrations. Identify the local resources--
including those located in the migrant stream remote from the home-base
for the operation--that will be developed for use by the Case Managers.
Identify the responsible party and describe how the person will
approach the development of the necessary arrangements with local
representatives.
(b) Work Component--Describe the proposed work experience component
in detail. Include a description of the proposed strategy for securing
alternative work experience arrangements along the migration stream.
(c) Educational Component--Describe the proposed educational
component in detail. Describe how you propose to maintain contact with
participants during their migration. Include how you propose to arrange
for continued support from the home based school. If your proposed
strategy will rely on use of schools in other communities and states
for classroom instruction leading to academic credit, describe how you
will secure support from the other school systems. If you propose to
test the use of virtual classroom technologies during the migration
period, describe the level of personal contact you propose and explain
how you will provide for it. Also, describe how the personal contact
will ensure that the technology is accessed, understood and utilized by
the participants.
(d) Combinations Of Work and Education--Where alternative work
arrangements and educational arrangements are proposed in combination,
describe the planned combination and identify the merits of the
combination proposed for testing.
(e) Retention During Migration --Describe the arrangements proposed
for retaining participation during the migration within the area
proposed for the demonstration. (Build into the description, answers to
such questions as, ``What means will be employed to return
participation and what persons and organizations will be responsible
for doing what?'')
(f) Provision For Adult Family Member Involvement--Describe the
proposed role of parental participation and how you will promote and
support their involvement.
(3) The proposed design must have measurable results. Describe the
goals of the project and how the impact of the design will be measured.
For example, the following indices are offered for consideration:
reduced hours working in agriculture
development of educational goals by the participating
youth
parental goals for their children that are outside
agriculture
school participation and drop-out rates for participants
sustaining individual and family employment and income
Duration: Proposals must incorporate a strategy for demonstrating
the complete execution of the proposed design during a single
agricultural season.
Rating Basis--For Section (1)
60 points based on:
(a) The relative merits of the conceptual design proposed and
described in part (C)(1) at incorporating broad geographic coverage,
innovation and reliance on diverse and cooperating resources to work
under a Case Management strategy towards achieving the goals proposed
in (C)(3), (25 points);
(b) Provision inherent to the strategic design described in part
(C)(2) for ensuring consistency and integrity with the conceptual
design throughout the demonstration, (25 points); and
(c) How well the design relates to the problems faced by farmworker
children age 12 to 17 that are described in part (B). (10 points)
Section (2)--Commitments From Other Partners Including State and Local
Education Agencies
In this section, applicants must describe the commitments to this
project from State Education agencies, local public schools in the home
base of the students, local public schools in the migrant stream,
social service agencies, grower representatives and other partners such
as technology firms. In particular, ETA is looking for commitment of
researchers, social services and other resources that are substantially
above the current service level available to migrant youth. In
addressing the criteria below, each applicant should demonstrate its
potential to arrange for adequate coverage for the entire geographic
area of the migrant stream. Evidence of provisional commitments will be
accepted and may be included with the proposal. Where a consortium
arrangement is proposed, the educational agency partner(s) must be
included as member(s) of the agreement.
Each applicant must:
Show how it has developed appropriate arrangements with
associate organizations within the migrant stream that are critical to
the success of the pilot,
show how educational agencies and agencies capable of
providing work experience alternatives will participate in the
demonstration
show how it will ensure cooperation with the local Migrant
Education program (funded by the US Department of Education) and with
the College Assistance Migrant Program.
Rating Basis for Section (2)
The rating will be based on the applicant's demonstration of its
ability to develop effective working partnership agreements with
representatives of the required community resources pertinent to the
proposed pilot. Total weight for Section (2) is 20 points.
Section (3)--Administration and Staff Capacity To Perform Pilot
This section describes the applicant's capacity to operate the
project including its organizational structure and staffing patterns.
The applicant must:
Demonstrate its understanding of the problems of migrant
farmworker families through its statement in section 1(A); and
Demonstrate its knowledge of the migrant stream area
proposed for the pilot demonstration through its statement in section
1(B).
Applicants must provide statements and information in this section
to
[[Page 62699]]
ensure the piloting of the proposed strategy will be effectively
carried out. An applicant must:
(A) Demonstrate its capacity to work effectively with the growers,
the workforce investment agencies, the community organizations critical
to the proposed design and the educational agencies needed;
(B) identify the management staff and their qualifications for
conducting the pilot,
(C) provide the proposed standards for the maximum and average
case-load levels and the minimum qualifications for those to be hired
as Case Managers.
(D) when appropriate, demonstrate its knowledge of the regional
practices of growers regarding:
(1) Employment of adult farmworkers
(2) housing for farmworkers and farmworker families
(3) farmworker transportation, and
(4) employment of farmworker youth under age 18;
(E) describe administrative and program management processes which
include the fiscal management systems and the program management
systems needed to measure results; and
(F) for proposed consortium arrangements, provide the proposed
Consortium agreement identifying the member of the consortium
responsible for administering the demonstration, i.e., coordinating the
overall responsibility for managing the pilot and accounting for the
proper use of funds. The answers to items (B) and (E) must be
specifically addressed to the consortium partner designated as the
administering member. Consortium agreements must include all the
critical members required for administering the strategic plan, such as
MSFW grantees, state and local school systems, organizations
representing growers, state rural development councils, etc.
Rating Basis for Section (3)
The rating of section (3) will be based on the proposer's knowledge
of farmworker issues and its organizational strength. The weight for
section (3) is 20 points.
Part III. Proposal Review and Process
A careful evaluation of applications will be made by a technical
review panel which will evaluate the applications against the criteria
identified in Part II--Grant Proposal. The panel results are advisory
in nature and not binding on the Grant Officer. The Government may
elect to award the grant with or without discussions with the
applicant. In situations without discussions, an award will be based on
the applicant's signature on the (SF) 424, which constitutes a binding
offer. The Grant Officer will make final award decisions based upon
what is in the best interest of the Government. The Grant Officer may,
at his/her discretion, request an applicant to submit additional or
clarifying information when deemed necessary to make a selection.
Part IV. Reporting Requirements
Once grant awards are made, the following reports and documents
will be required:
Quarterly Financial Reports
The awardee must submit to the Grant Officer's Technical
Representative (GOTR) within the 30 days following each quarter, two
copies of a quarterly Financial Status Report, Standard Form (SF) 269,
until such time as all funds have been expended or the period of
availability has expired.
Progress Reports
The awardee must submit quarterly reports to the GOTR within the 30
days following each quarter. Two copies are to be submitted; the report
will provide a detailed account of activities undertaken during each
quarter.
Final Report
A draft final report which summarizes project activities and
results of the demonstration shall be submitted no later than 30 days
prior to the expiration date of the grant.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 10th day of November, 1999.
Janice E. Perry,
Grant/Contracting Officer.
BILLING CODE 4510-30-p
[[Page 62700]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO99.054
[[Page 62701]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17NO99.055
[FR Doc. 99-29971 Filed 11-16-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-C
