Network of Early Childhood Stakeholders (NECS) and Implementation of Early Learning and Child Care Initiatives in Francophone Official Language Minority Communities

On this page

• Application period Closed
• Description
• Objective
• Eligibility
• Organization solicited for funding
• Contact Us
• Key Definitions

Application period

Current Status: Closed

This solicited intake through which one organization was invited to submit an application for funding was open between October 1, 2024, and November 13, 2024.

Description

The initiative of Creating a Network of Early Childhood Stakeholders and Implementation of Early Learning and Child Care Initiatives in Francophone Official Language Minority Communities will support the development of a Network of Early Childhood Stakeholders (NECS) to coordinate different sectors to improve access to high quality, accessible, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care services for Francophone families in a minority setting.

Funding for this initiative was announced as part of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration. The Action Plan reaffirms the Government’s commitment to the protection and promotion of Canada’s two official languages, the preservation of French, and the vitality of our official language minority communities.  This initiative contributes to Pillar 2 of the Action Plan: Promoting Lifelong Learning Opportunities of the Action Plan.

The total funding available under this initiative is $47,702,614 over 4 fiscal years.

The successful project is expected to begin by January 2025 and end by March 31, 2028.

Objective

This funding will establish a NECS with inter-sectoral partners to facilitate the coordination, oversight, and implementation of Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) initiatives in Francophone Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs).

Through this intake, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will select and fund one Francophone Minority Communities-focused national organization. This organization will:

• act as an initial recipient of the funding
• redistribute funding to eligible Francophone Minority Community organizations outside Quebec to support the creation and management of the NECS and implementation of early childhood initiatives in Francophone Minority Communities
• support collaboration with national and regional partners within the Francophone Minority Communities to provide early learning and child care (ELCC) programs and services by-and-for Francophone Minority Communities across Canada
• help coordinate different sectors to improve access to high quality, accessible, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care services for Francophone families in a minority setting
• report to ESDC on progress, results, and impact of the implemented NECS and supported initiatives
• conduct ELCC-related research and data collection activities, and establishing knowledge mobilization processes to help share data and evidenced-based practices on ELCC across Francophone OLMCs

Organizations invited to apply should propose project(s) that:

• are approximately 4 years in duration (the successful project is expected to begin by January 2025 and end by March 31, 2028)
• maximize use of the available budget amount ($47,702,614) over 4 fiscal years

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

To be eligible for this funding initiative, an organization must:

• be located in Canada
• be a not-for-profit organization
• have an Early Learning and Child Care mandate, focused on serving Francophone minority communities
• be actively pursuing Early Learning and Child Care activities related to networking, partnerships and stakeholders outreach activities in-line with the objectives of the solicited intake process
• be in good financial standing with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

Organizational Capacity

Eligible organizations must demonstrate capacity^{Footnote *} to administer funding agreements, including:

• managing sub-agreements with sub-funding recipients
• using financial controls to account for funds spent and monitoring sub-projects; and
• evaluating and reporting on results

For the purpose of this initiative, the organization will be responsible for consulting with a Community Advisory Board (CAB) that is representative of OLMC key stakeholders to help ensure that the process to redistribute funding to sub-agreements is fair and transparent. The applicant organization will need to describe how they will put a process in place to consult representatives from the Francophone OLMC ELCC sector and/or the organizations serving those communities.

In addition, eligible organizations must have recent^{Footnote *} and significant^{Footnote **} experience in the following areas:

1. Managing and implementing projects in Early Learning and Child Care in Francophone Minority Communities:
   • managing multi-year funding agreements with the federal government that include activities supporting the Early Learning and Child Care sector in Francophone Minority Communities
   • delivering funding to a broad range of Early Learning and Child Care Francophone Minority Community organizations across Canada, using mechanisms such as Calls for Proposals, Memoranda of Understanding and/or Contracts.
2. Building and Maintaining Community Relationships:
   • have current relationships and communication with diverse Early Learning and Child Care Official Language Minority Community organizations in Canada as well as access to key networks to:
     • assess community-level needs
     • deliver ELCC initiatives, including innovative practices, in Francophone minority communities
     • share best practices with the community of ELCC practitioners and partners
3. Collaborating with other organizations in the Early Learning and Child Care sector, including but not limited to: 
   • partners from a variety of Early Learning and Child Care-related fields, including social infrastructure, early childhood educators, social entrepreneurship in ELCC, child care providers, academics, Francophone immigration, and regional, provincial, territorial and/or Federal government.

Regarding partnerships, applicants are required to submit at least one letter of attestation with their application package, written and signed by one Francophone OLMC organization, with which the applicant has a previous/continued partnership.

Ineligible Applicants

Ineligible applicants include:

• provincial/territorial and municipal governments
• individuals

Eligible Projects

Eligible projects must clearly demonstrate how it intends to:

• support the initiative objectives including:
  • creating the Network of Early Childhood Stakeholders (NECS);
  • supporting collaboration with national and regional partners within the OLMCs to provide early learning and child care (ELCC) programs and services by-and-for Francophone communities across Canada
  • helping coordinate collaboration between ELCC stakeholders from different sectors to improve access to high quality, accessible, affordable, flexible and inclusive child care services for Francophone families in a minority setting

Organization Solicited for Funding

The following organization is considered to meet all applicant eligibility and organizational capacity requirements as outlined in the Eligibility section and will be invited to apply:

• Commission nationale des parents francophones (CNPF)

If you believe that your organization meets all eligibility criteria listed under the Eligible Applicants and Organizational Capacity sections above, please send us an expression of interest that includes specific information on how your organization meets each of the applicant eligibility and organizational capacity criteria at NC-DGOP-POB-ELCC-AGJE-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca by October 8, 2024, at 3:00 PM (EDT).

Following the submission of your expression of interest, we will assess your organization’s eligibility and inform you of the result within 48 hours (excluding weekends and statutory holidays).

Organizations assessed as eligible will receive an invitation to apply, and will be provided with the necessary application materials. Please note that only organizations that have been deemed as meeting all applicant eligibility and organizational capacity criteria, as per the Eligibility section above, will be invited to apply.

Organizations invited to apply are required to submit a complete application package by November 13, 2024, at 3:00 PM (EST) to be considered for this funding opportunity.

Contact Us

If you have questions or need help with this application process, contact NC-DGOP-POB-ELCC-AGJE-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

We will answer questions sent before November 12, 2024, at 5:00 PM (EST).

Key Definitions

Community Advisory Board

A committee/group that involves representatives from targeted community stakeholders that would help ensure the application and selection process of the funded sub-projects are fair and transparent.

Expression of Interest

The email that unsolicited organizations can send to ESDC to express their interest in applying for this funding opportunity. The email must clearly demonstrate how the organization meets all applicants’ eligibility and organization experience criteria.

Initial Recipient of Funding

An organization which acts as an initial recipient of funding is responsible for the following activities:

• conducting intake processes for selecting Official Language Minority Community organizations for funding that are accessible, fair and transparent
• managing and monitoring sub-agreements with sub-funded organizations for agreed-upon activities/projects
• demonstrating sound management of public funds by verifying financial claims from sub-funded organizations and reimbursing eligible costs
• establishing results measurement approaches and reporting on the results of the sub-agreements

Official Language Minority Community

In the context of this intake process, Official Language Minority Community refers to Francophone Communities in Provinces and Territories other than Quebec.

Organizational Capacity

An organization’s proven experience and expertise to meet its goals and carry out its mission, including its ability to collaborate and raise funding from different sources.

Partnership

Refers to a relationship (formal or informal) between the applicant and another party (other than sub-funded organizations), often established through Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). Partners may include:

• Official Language Minority Community - Early Learning and Child Care network members
• other community organizations
• not-for-profit organizations
• private sector organizations
• municipalities
• grassroots groups
• foundations
• governments

Partners collaborate and assist in carrying out the project and contribute valuable resources, time, and expertise to increase project success.

Project

For this funding opportunity, project refers to the totality of activities included in the submitted proposal to be carried out by the applicant.

Sub-agreement

An agreement concluded between the initial recipient of funds and another organization (referred to as a "sub-agreement holder"), in which the recipient redistributes program funding to the sub-agreement holder and delegates responsibility for the delivery of all or some of the activities to the sub-agreement holder. Since these sub-agreements are intended to enable the delivery of project activities and support the achievement of the project objectives, they should be guided by, and reflect, the contribution agreement between Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and the recipient. The requirements for sub-agreements (including Memoranda of Understanding) will be described in the recipient's contribution agreement. It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that all aspects of the sub-agreement are met, including but not limited to:

• verifying the eligibility of participants
• alignment with eligible activities and expenditures
• implementing activities
• verifying the accuracy of information shared with participants
• realizing results
• managing funds
• meeting reporting requirements

Sub-agreement Holder

In the context of this initiative, a “sub-agreement holder” is an organization with which the recipient has signed an agreement (“sub-agreement”), where the recipient redistributes funds and delegates responsibility for all or some project activities to the sub-agreement holder. This funding relationship is strictly between the recipient and the sub-agreement holder; ESDC isn’t a party to agreements with sub-agreement holders.