Due to the limited amount of funding available, ONLY programs providing the below listed services as defined by the OCFS Life Areas Coding Document will be considered for funding. It is encouraged that all applicants utilize current research and best practice in any and all program design. • Work Readiness Supports • Year/Round Seasonal Activities • Career Development Supports • Healthy Lifestyles • Life Skill Supports • Academic Support Services • Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention • Youth Leadership/Empowerment Opportunities • Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Services 8 When selecting a service category please refer to the specific program components and associated performance measures listed in the coding document, as all funded programs shall report the identified outcome measurements at the end of the award year. A clear plan on how this data will be captured will help ensure later success. “At-Risk Youth” shall be described as any Erie County youth under twenty-one years of age and described as one or more of the following: • Living within a family below 200% of federal poverty line • At risk of becoming Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) • Juvenile delinquents or youth charged with committing a crime • Victims of child abuse, domestic violence, maltreatment and/or neglect • Exhibiting self-destructive behavior • School dropouts • Youth in need of safe places, caring adults &/or structured activities • Youth with three or more hours of idle time per day • Lack of parental support or positive role model • Homeless youth or youth who has run away from home • Considered for placement outside the home GENERAL REQUIREMENTS: Successful proposers will: • Run said program from June 30, 2025 through September 5, 2025. This is the equivalent of ten weeks. Programs are required to run 4-5 days per week for a minimum of six weeks during said time period. • Maintain a child to staff ratio of no more than 15:1. • Not turn away any youth based on the inability of a youth’s family to afford any membership fees associated with program participation. A funded program may not charge a fee for programs without sufficient proof that a scholarship or tiered-cost system is utilized to ensure equal access to all participants regardless of financial resources. • Participate in announced or unannounced monitoring visits during the course of the program period, in order to ensure safety and programmatic/fiscal accountability. • Procure and maintain in force, for the duration of any contract, such insurance as is deemed appropriate by the Erie County Department of Social Services in types and in such amounts as are specified in the Erie County Standard Insurance Certificate, which shall be completed and signed by the Contractor’s insurance company prior to contract execution. Said certificate need not be submitted with the proposal but will be required prior to contract execution and payment for services.
