|
ACYF
Administration on Children,
Youth and Families
|
U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families |
| 1. Log No. ACYF-IM-HS-96-14 |
2. Issuance Date: 07/23/96 |
| 3. Originating Office: Head Start Bureau |
| 4. Key Word: Head Start Facility Referral and Information Service |
INFORMATION MEMORANDUM
TO: All Head Start Grantees and Delegate Agencies
SUBJECT: Head Start Facility Referral and Information Service
SUMMARY: The Head Start Bureau is now operating a Head Start Facility Referral and Information Service (FRIS) which will provide grantee and delegate agencies with information on issues related to facilities as well as prevailing wage rates as mandated by the Davis-Bacon Act. Grantee and delegate agencies may call one 800 number to access both the database and the prevailing wage rates.
INFORMATION:
I. Purpose of the Facility Referral and Information Service (FRIS)
The service is a time-saving tool that will provide the Head Start community with referrals on how to get to resources that address current facility issues and concerns. It will assist grantees, delegates, Regional staff, and the T/TA Network in locating information for creating or maintaining quality physical environments.
II. Type of Facility Information Available Through the FRIS Database
A. The database currently contains over 200 items, with additional resources to be added regularly. Resources include relevant Head Start documents, pamphlets, brochures, books, book chapters, government documents, newsletters, journal articles, special journal issues, professional associations/organizations, conference proceedings, state materials, monographs, current legislation, and audiovisual materials.
Categories of resources listed on the database include the following:
- Accessibility ( ADA) |
- Local Zoning/Ordinances |
- Associations |
- Marketing Strategies |
- Contracts/Contract Terms |
- Planning Strategies |
- Construction/Building |
- Playgrounds |
- Design/Space Planning |
- Portable Buildings/Modulars |
- Environmental Hazards and Pollutants |
- Professional Organizations |
- Facility Maintenance |
- RAPs |
- Federal Agencies |
- Real Estate Issues |
- Finance, Costs, and Budgeting |
- Safety |
- Funding |
- Shared Facilities |
- Fundraising |
- Site Selection |
- Legislation |
- State Agencies |
- Licensing and Regulations |
- TASCs |
B. The service provides callers with the prevailing wage and fringe benefits rates as mandated by the Davis-Bacon Act. However, the information specialist does not provide answers to questions that require legal interpretation or provide wage information that has not been included on a Davis-Bacon Prevailing Wage decision. The information specialist will refer such questions to the Department of Labor.
III. Access and Use of The Facility Referral and Information Service
To obtain a list of resources from the facilities database, callers and the information specialist work together to select the items that are most relevant to the callers' needs. The database provides callers with print-outs (citations) of selected resources that contain the following information:
Once callers receive the printed citation(s), they decide if they want to contact the publisher/source for the information. Please note that callers are referred to resources; the service does not distribute the resources listed on the database.
To obtain Davis-Bacon wages, callers provide an information specialist with 1 ) a short description of the construction/repair/renovation project and 2) the project's location (county and state). Callers receive a copy of the most current decision applicable to their project.
IV. Contact Information
Callers can access the FRIS through any of the methods listed below.
Telephone: 1-800-303-0705
The 800 number offers callers several menu options: During normal office hours (9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday), callers may choose to either speak with an information specialist or to leave a message; during evening hours, callers may leave a message to be retrieved by the information specialist the following morning.
Fax: (301) 309-2084 (Attention: Facility Referral and Information Service). Available 24 hours, 7 days per week.
E-mail: mcunningham@smtpinet.aspensys.com
Mail: Aspen Systems Corporation
Attn: Maggie Cunningham
1600 Research Blvd., 5F
Rockville, MD 20850
We hope that this service is useful to your program.
/S/
Helen H. Taylor
Associate Commissioner
Head Start Bureau
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
