ACA UPDATE: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Grants Available—Deadline: April 10, 2006

The Department of Education announced in the February  22nd Federal Register that it is accepting new grant applications for the 2006-07 school year for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP).  A total of $34.65 million will be spent on the program for this year, of which $17 million will be available for new grants.  This money is available despite the fact that President Bush has proposed not funding the program at all in fiscal year (FY) 2007 (which will run from October 1st of this year through September 30, 2007).  ACA is working to convince Congress to ignore the President’s proposal, and to maintain—if not increase—funding for ESSCP as it writes the appropriations bills for fiscal year 2007.

The Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program is a discretionary program administered by the U.S. Department of Education.  ESSCP provides competitive grants to school districts that demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional counseling services, the greatest potential for replication or dissemination, or propose the most innovative programs.  Please note: Due to the program's statutory funding trigger, secondary schools cannot benefit unless total funding exceeds $40 million, with that base amount reserved for elementary schools.  Since the FY 2006 appropriation for ESSCP is $34.65 million, only elementary schools may apply for grants this year.

 
Applications Available: February 22, 2006.
Deadline for Applications: April 10 , 2006.
Eligible applicants: Local educational agencies.
Estimated available funds: $17,000,000
Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$400,000.
Maximum Award: $400,000 per year for a maximum of three years.
Estimated Number of Awards: 45

Submitting an Application

Electronic applications must be submitted using e-Application available through the Department' of Education’s e-Grants system, accessible through the e-Grants portal page at: http://e-grants.ed.gov

For printed applications, contact:
ED Pubs
P.O. Box 1398
Jessup, MD 20794-1398
Telephone: (877) 433-7827
(TDD) (877) 576-7734
ED Pubs Web site: www.edpubs.org

E-mail: edpubs@inet.ed.gov

ACA Grant Assistance Packet for ESSCP Available

The ACA Grant Assistance Packet for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program is available online at: http://www.counseling.org/public

The ACA Grant Assistance Packet includes:

·         A brief overview of the Elementary and Secondary School Program;

·         Legislative Citation Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title V, Part D, Subpart 2; 20 U.S.C. 7245;

·         February 22, 2006, Federal Register notice;

·         Tips on Applying for ESSCP Grants;

·         Contact information and Additional Grant Resources;

·         Student-to-counselor ratios charts;

·         The "Effectiveness of School Counseling" fact sheet;

·         Information on "Smoother Sailing", the model program for the Elementary School; Counseling Demonstration Act.
 
For More Information:
 
Visit the Department of Education’s ESSCP web site at:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/applicant.html
 
Contact Loretta McDaniel, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E220, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2661, or by e-mail:
loretta.mcdaniel@ed.gov.

Additional information about ED funding opportunities, including discretionary grant application packages, are at:

http://www.ed.gov/fund/landing.jhtml