Request for Proposals for Public Opinion Research Services

Released on Sept 10, 2025

Overview

Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance (the Alliance) is seeking a consultant or consulting firm to help support the implementation of public opinion research services in Montgomery County, MD. We will be gathering data and recommendations on developing a communications and messaging strategy that resonates with various stakeholders for the advancement of support for dedicated and sustainable funding for the early care and education system. Bids are being accepted on a rolling basis until Sept 30, 2025 at 5 p.m. ET.

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: 301-450-1872

Email: brittany@mocochildren.org

Introduction

The Children’s Opportunity Alliance invites consultants and consulting firms to submit proposals for public opinion research services. 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. Since we were founded, the Alliance board has focused on standing up our organization as a new nonprofit, completing our Foundational Action Plan, and Common Agenda strategies and work groups that 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.

We are releasing this RFP to help us move the work forward through public opinion research services, so that we can determine the most effective communications, outreach, and messaging strategies that resonate with a variety of stakeholders related to policy and funding for the early care and education system.

Scope of Work

Public Opinion Research for Early Care and Education System Planning & Communications

Purpose:

The Contractor will design and implement a comprehensive public opinion research study to measure awareness, perceptions, priorities, and willingness to support investments in an equitable, high-quality early care and education (ECE) system in Montgomery County, MD.

Objectives:

• Assess public awareness of the importance of early childhood development and quality ECE.

• Identify community perceptions and attitudes about policy and funding related to early care and education. 

• Gauge support for specific policy options and funding mechanisms.

• Provide actionable data to inform public awareness campaigns, policy design, and funding proposals.

• Assess various types of message framing that could potentially shift community-level attitudes and beliefs or willingness to support government funding for early care and education in Montgomery County. 

Methodology:

The Contractor will propose a mixed methods approach to ensure representative, high-quality data to reach a representative sample of approximately 400-500 likely voters in Montgomery County, MD. Montgomery County is a large and diverse county, therefore a contractor must be intentional about implementing outreach strategies that engage the public across different languages and cultures. Ideally, polling would be conducted in English and in Spanish; the consultant should speak to their ability to conduct polling in these languages and its potential impact on budget and timeline. 

Research Topics:

Research protocols should address the following:

A. Awareness & Understanding

• Importance of early care and education

• Impact of early childhood accessibility on workforce employment and productivity.

• Awareness of local/state ECE programs, supports, and policies.

• Perceived return on investment of ECE.

B. Attitudes about Policy & Funding Support

• Baseline support for early care and education.

• What should be funded? Gather reactions to specific investment strategies (e.g., expanding pre-K, increasing teacher pay, subsidizing tuition).

• Support for the need for more funding. Willingness to support dedicated funding streams (e.g., property tax, sales tax, state/local bonds), for example, how funding would work – which funding methods should be used – at the state and/or county?

• Prioritization of government funding options.

C. Message Framing

• Reactions to sample message framing about ECE.

• Preferred information sources and trusted messengers.

Deliverables:

The Contractor will provide:

1. Project Work Plan: Detailed schedule, milestones, and approval process.

2. Draft Research Instruments: Survey questionnaire and any other guides for agency approval.

3. Fieldwork Summary: Documentation of sampling, recruitment, and completion rates.

4. Clean Dataset & Codebook: Final anonymized dataset with variable definitions.

5. Analytical Report:

• Executive summary with key findings and implications.

• Full report with charts, tables, and narrative analysis.

• Cross-tabulations by demographics, geography, and stakeholder type.

6. Presentation Deck: Visual summary of findings for policymakers, media, and community stakeholders.

7. Briefing(s): One to two in-person or virtual presentations to Children’s Opportunity Alliance staff and partners.

Data Quality & Standards:

• Use validated, neutral question wording.

• Apply weighting to adjust for demographic and geographic representation.

• Protect respondent confidentiality in accordance with Montgomery County and federal privacy laws.

• Provide bilingual instruments (at least in Spanish) and interpretation, where needed.
  

1. Agency Responsibilities:

Children’s Opportunity Alliance will:

• Provide background materials on the organization and on the local ECE system.

• Assist with stakeholder connections for recruitment.

• Review and approve research instruments and deliverables.

2. Contractor Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience conducting public opinion research on early childhood, education, social services, or public policy. 

• Ability to engage hard-to-reach populations and conduct culturally responsive research.

• Proven capacity to deliver high-quality data analysis and clear, actionable reports.

Budget and Timeline:  

• The contract is expected to run for four months. The total budget will not exceed $30,000.  

• All work must be completed by January 16, 2026.*  

*Note: There is some flexibility in the timeline, which is subject to negotiation based on the selected candidate's proposal and approach.

Eligibility Requirements: 

• Five to 10 years of experience implementing public opinion research services for children and youth initiatives, projects, or organizations (with preference for expertise in early care and education systems).

• Strong research and 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, including relevant experience in early childhood polling projects. 

• 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). Please speak to your ability to conduct polling in Spanish and any of the other top languages in Montgomery County within the scope and budget, or what would need to change within the budget to accommodate these considerations.

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

• References: Contact information for three professional references familiar with your public opinion research services 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 early childhood 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:  

Children’s Opportunity Alliance
Attn: Brittany Anuszkiewicz, Strategic Public Financing Coordinator
brittany@mocochildren.org
Subject Line: Public Opinion Research Services RFP Submission  
Submission Deadline: Sept 30, 2025, 5 p.m. ET

For questions or clarifications, contact Brittany Anuszkiewicz, Strategic Public Financing Coordinator at 301-450-1872 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 staff or members of the Alliance board.  

Terms and Conditions:

Submission of a proposal does not guarantee selection. The selected candidate will enter into a formal agreement with the Children’s Opportunity Alliance outlining the terms of engagement.  

We look forward to your proposal and to partnering on this critical work in public opinion research services for our early care and education system.