RFP: Equity Coaching Services

Deadline: Feb. 7, 2025

Overview

Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance (the Alliance) is seeking a consultant or consulting firm to help support the implementation and integration of our Racial Equity and Social Justice work in the form of equity coaching and training. Bids are being accepted on a rolling basis until February 7, 2025.  

Background Information

The 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, MD, with an annual budget of approximately $1.2 million. The revenue of the organization 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.

Contact Information

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

Children’s Opportunity Alliance
Attn: Brittany Anuszkiewicz, Strategic Public Financing Coordinator
1801 Rockville Pike, Suite 320
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone: 410-440-4188

Introduction

The Children's Opportunity Alliance (the Alliance) invites qualified consultants and consulting firms to submit proposals for services such as equity coaching and training. The Alliance is committed to ensuring every child in Montgomery County has equitable access to opportunities that set the foundation for lifelong success. As the county's Early Care and Education (ECE) Coordinating Entity, we work to build an inclusive, accessible, high-quality, and sustainable early childhood system.

Our Story

In July 2022, Children’s Opportunity Alliance was designated as Montgomery County MD’s early care and education coordinating entity via Bill No. 42-21, Child Care – Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity – Established. The Alliance is emerging as a new independent nonprofit and our legislation required we complete certain policies related to Racial Equity and Social Justice (RESJ) – we are following the lead of the Montgomery County Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, in terms of definitions and other guiding principles. Since we were founded, the Alliance Board has focused on standing up our organization as a new nonprofit, completing our Foundational Action Plan, a strategy that will guide our organization and critical community-based work moving forward.  As Montgomery County’s Early Care and Education Coordinating Entity, we aim to create an early care and education system that prioritizes a systems-level approach, racial equity and inclusion, and accountability and transparency. Working alongside and building consensus among key stakeholders, we will grow an equitable system of high-quality, accessible, and sustainable early childhood education for children ages 0-5.

Our Board makeup is 21 individuals, nine of whom are government representatives (ex-officios) and 11 community members who are parents, child care providers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and philanthropy. They all have diverse perspectives and experiences related to living and working to integrate RESJ into all aspects of our organization.  To create the necessary policies required by our legislation, including developing our RESJ Statement, we convened a workgroup of diverse community stakeholders.

Upon recommendation of the workgroup, we are releasing this RFP to help us move the work forward so that we can further build staff, community and Board capacity to implement our values and principles and embed them as sustainable practices. We are looking for ways to measure our progress over time.

Issues to be Addressed

As the Alliance is both a new nonprofit organization and the County’s first-ever ECE Coordinating Entity, there are numerous issues that need to be addressed through this equity work.  Here are some current questions that are top-of-mind for us related to this work: 

• What will be our strategies for change and action to ensure alignment with RESJ principles and practices?

• What is our staff and Board capacity in terms of understanding equity, intercultural development, and how this impacts our work as a Board? How do we recruit, select and onboard new staff and Board members so they have the skills and knowledge reflective of our RESJ values, principles, and practices?

•  What accountability systems and performance metrics do we need to put in place to ensure we (the Alliance and ECE system) are abiding by our values and principles and addressing issues and challenges that are out of alignment?

• What equitable decision-making and joint decision-making modalities should the Alliance adapt to ensure we are making decisions in line with our values and being mindful to not cause unintended consequences?

• How do we ensure RESJ principles and practices are embedded and sustained in all our work – internally and externally – within partner and community engagement practices.

• What are some best practices that we can add to our virtual/in-person meetings that would ensure our meetings more equitable and inclusive?

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will coach and train Alliance staff, Board, and the community in the following areas:

• Staff and Board Development:

  • Develop a strategy and action plan to strengthen Alliance staff and Board members' understanding and application of RESJ principles. 

  • Provide tailored coaching and training to enhance staff and Board capacity to lead equity-focused initiatives, e.g. build our internal staff capacity to ensure we are implementing a community engagement strategy with an equity lens; facilitate meetings with an equity lens, creating and facilitating feedback loops with community, address and implement equitable power sharing and joint decision-making in all our settings

  • Assess staff and Board capacity through pre-/post-surveys.

• Internal Processes and Systems:

  • Assess existing organizational processes and systems for RESJ alignment. 

  • Develop a plan to address gaps and ensure compliance with RESJ policies.

  • Develop a sustainability strategy outlining recommendations and actionable measures the Alliance can take to embed and maintain equitable practices in all processes and systems.

Deliverables and Timeline

This section outlines key deliverables and a proposed timeline for the Equity Coach project, aligned with the anticipated contract period from March 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025. We understand that this timeline may be flexibly implemented, but all work must be completed by the end of the contract period.

• Phase 1: Planning and Onboarding (March 1 – March 15, 2025)

  • Kickoff meeting to review project scope and expectations.

  • Develop a detailed work plan and timeline.

  • Initial review of organizational documents, policies, and stakeholder feedback.
    

• Phase 2: Staff and Board Development (March 15 – April 15, 2025)

  • Assess staff and Board capacity to understand and apply RESJ principles.

  • Conduct staff and Board training sessions.

  • Deliver plan with recommendations for ongoing capacity building.
    

• Phase 3: Systems Alignment and Evaluation (April 15 – May 31, 2025)

  • Review and assess internal processes and policies.

  • Implement recommended changes and measure initial impact.

  • Deliver plan with recommendations for ongoing internal processes and systems alignment with RESJ policies, principles, and practices.
    

• Phase 4: Project Closeout (June 1 – June 30, 2025)

  • Finalize and submit the comprehensive project and sustainability plan.

  • Present findings and recommendations to organizational leadership.

Budget and Timeline 

The contract is expected to run for four months. The total budget will not exceed $64,000. All work must be completed by June 30, 2025. 

*Note: These figures are flexible, subject to negotiation based on the selected candidate's proposal and approach.

Eligibility Requirements 

• Two years of proven experience in equity coaching and implementing RESJ principles within organizations. 

• Demonstrated success in facilitating community engagement and building organizational capacity. 

• Familiarity with development and governance processes. 

• Strong project management skills and the ability to meet deadlines. 

Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested parties should submit the following: 

• Cover Letter: A brief overview of your qualifications and interest in the project.

• Approach and Work Plan: Outline your proposed methodology, including a timeline and key milestones (previous experience in early care and education and/or systems building is a plus).

• Budget Proposal: Detailed cost breakdown based on the scope of work.

• References: Contact information for three professional references familiar with your equity-focused work.

• Relevant Experience: Examples of similar projects, including outcomes achieved.   

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on: 

• Alignment with the scope of work and organizational goals. 

• Relevant experience and demonstrated expertise. 

• Strength of proposed approach and methodology. 

• Cost-effectiveness and adherence to budget constraints. 

• References and past project outcomes. 

Submission Instructions 

Please send proposals electronically in PDF format to the following: 

Brittany Anuszkiewicz, Strategic Public Financing Coordinator, Children’s Opportunity Alliance

brittany@mocochildren.org

Subject Line: Equity Coaching Services RFP Submission 

Submission deadline is February 7, 2025.

For questions or clarifications, contact Brittany Anuszkiewicz, Strategic Public Financing Coordinator, at 410-440-4188 or brittany@mocochildren.org. 

Proposals will be reviewed as quickly as possible and on a rolling basis until the submission deadline. Applicants may be invited to participate in a brief interview with the RESJ workgroup or members of the Alliance Board. 

Terms and Conditions

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

Submission of a proposal does not guarantee selection. 

The selected candidate will enter into a formal agreement with Children’s Opportunity Alliance outlining the terms of engagement. 

We look forward to your proposal and to partnering on this critical work to advance equity and social justice.