|
|
Defining Evidence for Programs to Ensure Nutrition for Development (DEPEND): School-Based Demonstration Project, Apply by Oct. 13 (Reminder)
The US Department of Health and Human Services released $23 million in funding for its new DEPEND: School-Based Demonstration Projects, which is a cohort-based demonstration and learning mode opportunity for creating healthier, more appealing school meals through sustainable strategies. Public schools, public charter schools, LEAs and School Food Authorities (SFAs) are eligible to apply for one of up to 50 awarded projects in four learning cohorts with assigned amounts per individual award:
- Food Purchasing and Supply: $200,000-$450,000
- Workforce and Food Production: $200,000-$450,000
- Student Demand and Meal Economics: $150,000-$350,000
- Transforming Operations and Infrastructure: $300,000-$2.5 million
- Innovation Reserve Additional: $50,000-$150,00
The application deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 13 with anticipated awarded decisions by Friday, Oct. 23. The awarded project period is from Dec. 1, 2026 through Aug. 31, 2027.
Interested applicants should review the official Notice of Funding Opportunity before applying in the application submission system.
Promoting Real Food in Child Nutrition Programs with the USDA (Reminder)
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Team Nutrition initiative announced the release of new and revised nutrition education and training resources designed to help child nutrition program operators promote the clear, common-sense message of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030: Eat real food.
These resources focus on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods. These foods include protein foods, dairy, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Additionally, they highlight the importance of limiting the intake of highly processed foods, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates.
Resources for Schools
Resources for Child Care Organizations
OSSE Seeks DC Educators for 2026–27 Statewide Assessment Development Opportunities, Apply by Dec. 4 (Reminder)
OSSE is seeking educators to participate in statewide assessment development activities during the 2026–27 school year. Educator expertise is essential to ensuring DC’s assessments are valid, fair, rigorous, and reflective of the knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate.
Selected educators may have opportunities to participate in activities such as item and content review, bias and sensitivity review, range-finding, data review, standard setting, and other assessment development work across English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, science, alternate assessments, and English language proficiency assessments.
Educators from a range of grade levels, content areas, and professional roles are encouraged to apply. Prior assessment development experience is not required; selected participants will receive event-specific training and guidance. Individual events may require approximately three to five school days and may be held virtually or in person. Depending on the event, participants may be eligible for a daily stipend or Professional Learning Units (PLUs), and substitute reimbursement may be available to LEAs.
Educators interested in being considered for assessment development and standard-setting opportunities throughout the 2026–27 school year should complete the OSSE Educator Recruitment Application by Friday, Dec. 4. For additional questions, please contact Yolanda Barber at Yolanda.Barber@dc.gov.
|
NEW: 2026-27 Uniform Per Student Funding Formula Working Group Meetings
Pursuant to the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) for Public Schools and Public Charter Schools Act of 1998, OSSE is convening the 2026-27 UPSFF Working Group. The UPSFF Working Group is responsible for providing recommendations regarding potential revisions to the UPSFF. The focus area for the 2026-27 UPSFF Working Group is the exploration of potentially funding the Advanced Technical Center (ATC) and career and technical education (CTE) through the UPSFF.
All meetings are public and will take place virtually and you are invited to participate as a member of the public. Working group facilitators open the floor for comments from members of the public towards the end of every meeting. For more information about the 2026-27 UPSFF Working Group including registration links to the remaining meetings, please visit OSSE’s Website.
Meeting Dates
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, 3-5 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 28, 3-5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, 3-5 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 23, 3-5 p.m.
If you have any questions, please email Gabriel.Montague@dc.gov.
NEW: State Title III Advisory Committee Applications, Due Oct. 16
Are you an educator, LEA/school leader, parent, teacher educator, research or policy expert, or community organization member who understands the perspectives, strengths, and needs of students who are English learners? OSSE requests applications for the 2026-2027 State ESEA Title III Advisory Committee, which serves as an advisory body to support OSSE in carrying out its responsibilities under Title III of ESEA for the District of Columbia.
By joining this committee, you will contribute to OSSE’s development of educational programming, administration, and accountability guidelines to support LEAs in ensuring that immigrant children and English learners attain English proficiency and meet state academic achievement standards.
Apply here by Friday, Oct. 16. Applicants will be notified by Friday, Oct. 23 For more information, contact Angela Awonaike, Inclusive Practices Manager, at Angela.Awonaike@dc.gov.
NEW: Environmental Literacy Lunch and Learn, Nov. 18
Join OSSE and representatives from the Department of Energy and Environment and DC Public Schools on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 12 p.m. to hear the latest environmental literacy news.
This virtual lunch and learn will explore curricular updates, grant opportunities, and new resources for schools. Register here or contact Grace.Manubay@dc.gov for more information.
Join OSSE’s ESEA Team for Title Tuesday Office Hours on Oct. 20 (Reminder)
Join us for this month’s Title Tuesday: Consolidated Application (ConApp) Feedback and LEA Listening Session on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m.
Title Tuesdays are monthly office hours covering Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) grant program topics relevant to the current moment in the grant cycle. Each session provides actionable information relevant to ESEA Title programs and offers LEAs an opportunity to engage directly with the ESEA team on any related questions.
These virtual office hours will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Participants can join each session using the recurring link provided. Please come prepared to share your questions and feedback. We encourage participants to submit questions related to the monthly topic and ideas for future office hour topics to Con.App@dc.gov.
Title I Community of Practice (CoP), Apply by Oct. 15 (Reminder)
OSSE is seeking members of the District of Columbia school community to support children from low-income families in receiving a high-quality education by serving on the Title I CoP. Members of this committee engage with OSSE quarterly to advise on effective and responsive policies that impact schools in the District receiving federal Title I funds.
Over the years, this committee has influenced updates to the DC School Report Card and State School Climate Survey and revisions to the District’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act Consolidated State Plan.
The Title I CoP seeks thoughtful and engaged school community members to serve a three-year term from September 2026 to August 2029. Committee members attend quarterly meetings each school year, which are usually held virtually from 4:30-6 p.m.
To join the Title I CoP, you must serve a school community in the District in one or more of the following roles:
- DC Public Schools (DCPS) teacher;
- Public charter school teacher;
- DCPS paraprofessional;
- Public charter school paraprofessional;
- Public charter school leader (e.g., principal, assistant principal);
- DCPS school-level administrator (Title I program implementation);
- Public charter school-level administrator (Title I program implementation);
- Public charter school-level specialized instructional support personnel (e.g., counselor, interventionist);
- Public charter school board member;
- Parent of DCPS student(s); or
- Private school representative.
If you are interested in serving and representing your community’s needs, please submit a completed application and resume to Con.App@dc.gov by Thursday, Oct. 15. If you know someone whose perspective and expertise would benefit OSSE’s Title I CoP, please share this application opportunity with them.
For more information, see the OSSE’s Title I Committee of Practitioners website or contact Con.App@dc.gov.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Instructional Community of Practice (CoP) (Reminder)
OSSE will continue its SEL CoP for the 2026–27 school year. These convenings will serve as the primary professional learning framework for the District of Columbia in advancing the integration of SEL across various academic domains.
The CoP will convene bi-monthly, bringing together instructional leaders from both LEAs and schools to enhance their capacity to incorporate SEL into literacy, mathematics, social studies, leadership practices, wellness strategies, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS).
CoP participants will:
- Engage in bi-monthly CoP meetings scheduled from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., held in person at the OSSE building located at 1050 First St. NE.
- Engage in evidence-based instructional models, practical tools, and exemplars suitable for direct implementation by educators.
- Explore ways to incorporate District-wide data sources, tools, and resources, such as DC Survey About Your School (DCSAYS) data.
To learn more about this opportunity, please click on the registration link for each session or contact Marcus Hughes with OSSE’s Division of Teaching and Learning at Marcus.Hughes@dc.gov.
OSSE and DC Health School Immunization Webinar, Oct. 14 (Reminder)
OSSE and DC Health will hold a technical assistance webinar on implementing the School Year 2026-27 School Immunization Policy on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 1 to 2 p.m. The webinar will cover October key dates for the current school year, performing immunization data entry and retrieval, sending warning notifications of temporary exclusion to all families of noncompliant students in key grades, and potential vaccine opportunities. This webinar is required for Immunization Points of Contact (IPOCs), and school nurses. LEA and school leaders and any other school staff involved in immunizations should plan to attend. Register here.
School Behavioral Health 101 for School Leaders, Oct. 28 (Reminder)
How are you supporting mental health and wellbeing in your school? Join OSSE on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. for School Behavioral Health 101. This presentation is designed for school leaders and leadership teams in public and public charter schools in the District. It’s especially helpful if you are a new school leader, are looking for a refresher on school behavioral health, or want to learn about new tools being shared this year. Participants will learn about available resources for your school, professional learning opportunities, and best practices and practical tips for employing a strong comprehensive school behavioral health system.
Please register here to participate.
Questions? Reach out to Celeste Brown, School Behavioral Health Outreach Specialist, at Celeste.Brown@dc.gov.
 Fiscal Year 2026 SOAR Formula Reporting Template Now Available (Reminder)
As shared during the post-award webinar in April, public charter LEAs will submit only a final narrative report for FY26 Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Formula Academic Quality and Early Childhood grants.
The final report template is now available on the SOAR Formula webpage. The questions in the template are similar to previous years but were streamlined to reflect one summative report. The deadline to email the completed report to your LEA’s OSSE SOAR program contact is Friday, Nov. 20.
For any questions, please reach out to your LEA’s OSSE SOAR program contact or OPCSFS.Funding@dc.gov.
New Terms and Conditions for Federal Awards (Reminder)
For FY27, OSSE federal grants contained new terms:
-
Grantees not use federal funds in any manner that violates the Constitution, federal antidiscrimination laws, or certain executive orders.
-
Grantees comply with annual registrations requirements made in SAM.gov, including provisions that address civil rights, DEI programs, and support of illegal aliens.
-
Federal awards may be terminated at any point during the award’s period of performance if the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.
The District has joined other states in challenging these terms and has sent a reservation of rights to prevent our acceptance of grants from being construed as agreement to the new terms. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your legal counsel.
Department of Behavioral Health School Behavioral Health Services Comprehensive Expansion Grant (Reminder)
The Government of the District of Columbia, Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Child, Adolescent, and Family Services, is soliciting applications from DC public charter school LEAs to directly hire school behavioral health clinicians where the school has the capacity, willingness, ability to implement school behavioral health services, provided that each clinician shall receive onsite clinical supervision and shall perform duties exclusively related to the School Behavioral Health Program and provide prevention, early intervention, and treatment services using the Comprehensive School Behavioral Health Model.
Eligibility Criteria:
- A DC public charter school LEA.
- A DC public charter school LEA without a DBH-funded school behavioral health partnership.
Experience requirements are listed in the Request for Application (RFA).
An LEA that meets both eligibility and experience requirements may apply. The application submission deadline is Friday, Oct. 23 by 12 p.m.
For more information and for the recording of the Sept. 22 pre-application conference, please view here.
Grant-related questions for the point of contact, Dr. Charneta C. Scott, may be sent to dbh.grants@dc.gov.
Direct Investment in Students – Grant Request for Application Deadline Extended to Tuesday, Oct. 13 (Reminder)
OSSE has extended the Direct Investment in Students grant application submission due date to Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. Please review this notice of extension for further information. Applications are accepted only through OSSE’s Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) at grants.osse.dc.gov.
If you have any questions about the grant, please email Jessica.Sobin@dc.gov and Sam.Angileri@dc.gov.
Fiscal Year 2027 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity (Reminder)
The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the NSLP Equipment Grant is now available in the DC Register. The competitive grant application for the FY27 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant will be available on Friday, Oct. 16 in the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS). This grant opportunity is available to District public schools, public charter schools and private/non-public schools that currently participate in the NSLP (including the Seamless Summer Option), and who are interested in using the equipment funds to improve the quality and safety of school food service meals. The deadline to submit applications is Tuesday, Dec. 1. The award period for this grant is the date of award through Sep. 30, 2027.
An optional pre-application webinar will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 20, which will provide an overview of the purpose of the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant, provide information on how to complete the application in EGMS, and share basics of project budgeting and allowable costs. Please register to attend here.
Learn more about the award here. For questions or additional information about the NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant application, contact Kimberly Thompson, Grants Management Specialist, at KimberlyA.Thompson@dc.gov.
|
October 2026
|
