Request for Proposals for Burtonville Focus Group Services

Released on Dec. 19, 2025

Overview

The Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance (the Alliance) is seeking proposals from community-based organizations, consultants, or research groups to design, recruit for, facilitate, and document a series of parent/caregiver focus groups and a community survey in the Burtonsville area of Montgomery County. The targeted population will be families with children ages 0-5 living within the catchment areas of Burtonsville Elementary, Greencastle Elementary, and Galway Elementary. These engagement activities will gather insights into families’ needs, preferences, and concerns related to Pre-K access and expansion.

The selected partner will lead all aspects of focus group and survey implementation, including recruitment, facilitation, note-taking/documentation, and analysis, to ensure the Alliance receives meaningful qualitative and quantitative input from families of young children. These insights will inform planning efforts with MCPS and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Proposals are due by January 21, 2026.

Background Information

The Children’s Opportunity Alliance was created in 2022 through Montgomery County legislation. Our mission is to connect our community to build an equitable, accessible, high-quality, and sustainable early childhood system that narrows disparities and puts all young children on a path to reach their greatest potential. We are located in Montgomery County, Maryland, with an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million. The organization’s revenue is comprised of County funding through Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County Public Schools, foundation grants, and donations from individual donors.

Guiding this work are the Alliance’s core values, which shape how we design initiatives, engage communities, and partner with stakeholders. We are committed to equity, intentionally addressing systemic barriers so that race, income, language, neighborhood, and other social factors no longer predict a child’s access to opportunity. We advance justice by centering the voices and lived experiences of families and communities most impacted by inequities, ensuring their perspectives inform decision-making and system change. Our work is family-centered, recognizing families as experts in their own experiences and essential partners in building effective early childhood systems.

We believe meaningful progress requires synergy, strong collaboration across community-based organizations, school systems, government agencies, and families so that efforts are aligned and mutually reinforcing. Finally, we value accountability and transparency, using data, community input, and clear outcomes to guide our strategies and measure impact. Together, these values ground the Alliance’s approach to community engagement and inform this RFP, as we seek partners who share a commitment to inclusive, respectful, and action-oriented work in service of young children and their families.

Contact Information

All correspondence, telephone calls, and/or emails regarding this RFP shall be addressed to:

Children’s Opportunity Alliance
Attn: Kimberly Pena-Molina, Early Care and Education Manager
1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 320
Rockville, MD 20852

Telephone: 301-450-1672

Email: kpmolina@mocochildren.org

 
 

Scope of Work

The selected partner will design and deliver culturally responsive, trauma-informed focus groups and survey engagement in Burtonsville. Required services include, but are not limited to:


Participant Recruitment & Community Partnership Development

  • Recruit 50-150 parents/caregivers of children ages 0-5 who live in or near Burtonsville.

  • Identify, engage, and coordinate with trusted community partners (e.g., local churches, food distribution sites, libraries, recreation centers, community schools/PTAs) to support parent/guardian recruitment or promote survey distribution as needed.

  • Proposals that include elements of Participatory Action Research are encouraged.

Mixed Methodology Parent/Caregivers Engagement

  • Lead drafting of a set of questions, survey tool, and/or facilitation guide in partnership with the Alliance staff tailored to early childhood and Pre-K topics, that captures key questions around Pre-K awareness, access, barriers, and family needs.

  • Translate survey into Spanish (required) and additional languages as needed.

  • Develop and implement a mixed methods approach to receive input from parents/caregivers, including but not limited to small focus groups, door-knocking, interviews, etc. Collect, track, and manage all responses.

  • Provide all necessary logistics including room setup, check-in, interpretation support, food/snacks, and incentive distribution. Arrange for child care during focus groups (if needed). Can work with Alliance staff to find and secure a child care provider.

 Documentation, Analysis, and Reporting

  • Provide detailed notes or transcripts for each focus group, including major themes, quotes, and divergent perspectives.

  • Synthesize findings into a final summary memo with actionable recommendations for the Alliance.

  • Provide raw qualitative documentation (notes/transcripts) to the Alliance.

Project Management

  • Provide biweekly written updates on progress, recruitment, partner engagement, and risks.

  • Attend virtual check-in meetings with Alliance staff as needed.

Additional Expectations

  • All services must be culturally responsive and tailored to the specific needs and context of the Burtonsville community.

  • Ensure a safe, respectful environment that encourages open dialogue across diverse demographics.

  • Ensure multilingual access (Spanish required).

  • Compensate parents/guardians who participate and offer their expertise to this process.

  • Ensuring data privacy and accessibility.

Deliverables & Timeline

Deliverables

  • Recruitment of 50-150 caregivers to participate in focus groups.

  • Facilitation of focus groups.

  • At least 150 completed surveys.

  • Clean notes/transcripts for each focus group.

  • Biweekly progress updates.

  • Final summary memo synthesizing key themes and insights.

Timeline

  • Contract duration: January 2026 – May 2026

  • Final deliverables are due no later than May 31, 2026.

 

Budget

  • Funding availability: Up to $25,000 inclusive of all staff time, travel, interpretation, materials, incentives for focus group and survey participants, and administrative costs.

  • Please provide budget breakdown options for the target number of families members that you can engage in focus group, within the 50-150 range.


Selection Criteria

Interested applicants should submit a proposal including the following:

1. Cover Letter

A brief overview of your qualifications, organizational background, and interest in the project.

2. Approach, Statement of Need, and Work Plan

Describe your proposed approach to:

  • Recruiting families

  • Engaging community partners

  • Facilitating culturally responsive focus groups

  • Documenting and analyzing findings

  • Include a clear work plan with timeline.

3. Budget Proposal

Provide a detailed cost breakdown aligned with the scope of work.

4. References

Contact information for three professional references familiar with your qualitative research, facilitation, or community engagement work.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

  • Alignment with scope of work

  • Strength and feasibility of proposed approach

  • Demonstrated community credibility and cultural responsiveness

  • Experience facilitating qualitative research and discussion groups

  • Cost-effectiveness

  • Strength of references

 

Submission Instructions

Please send proposals electronically in PDF format to:

Children’s Opportunity Alliance
Attn: Kimberly Pena-Molina, Early Care and Education Manager
Email: kpmolina@mocochildren.org

Subject Line: Burtonsville Focus Group RFP Submission

Submission Deadline: January 21, 2026

For questions or clarifications, contact:
Kimberly Pena-Molina
301-450-1672 | kpmolina@mocochildren.org

Proposals will be reviewed as quickly as possible and on a rolling basis until the submission deadline. Organizations may be invited to a follow-up conversation with the Alliance to discuss their proposal in greater depth.

 

Terms and Conditions

The Children’s Opportunity Alliance reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

Submission of a proposal does not guarantee selection. The selected partner will enter into a formal agreement with the Alliance outlining the terms of engagement.

We look forward to your proposal and to partnering with you to advance equitable early childhood access in Burtonsville.