Are you a Head Start and/or Early Head Start Director who has to re-compete for your Head Start and/or Early Head Start grant? Are you trying to navigate the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) process and coming away frustrated and unsure?
I can help. I am an approved Federal Reviewer for Head Start and Early Head Start grant applications. I participated in the Office of Head Start’s training and screening process and I am a qualified, experienced reviewer available to help your program re-apply for your grant. I also have previous practical knowledge of Head Start and Early Head Start as well as early childhood education, social services and health services with over 20 years experience in those fields.
Based on the revised guidelines, your Head Start/Early Head Start grant is available for other organizations to apply and receive. You are now competing against other agencies who strive to provide Head Start/Early Head Start services to your area(s). The Office of Head Start does not provide direct support for your grant application process, but I do. I am available to review your grant application before you submit it as well as provide feedback that will assist your program in strengthening your application.
Contact me for additional information regarding your application process. www.atomasconsulting.com, atomasconsulting@gmail.com and 904-451-5470.
New opportunities are around every corner. I have found when life sets me up for the biggest fall; the possibilities appear endless with ways to succeed. Lately, I have been feeling a little down regarding my career. But I have kept going. I realized a long time ago that no one can walk my path for me or do my work for me. I have to keep on moving and going and doing. Even those times when I feel like I am spinning my wheels, I have to remember that I am still moving.
My goal in life is to raise a healthy, happy family; do work that I love and I am passionate about; and be grateful for all that I have been blessed with. When I am sad, I have to remember that my business is less than 2 years old. People thought that I was crazy to leave my job, my benefits, my vacation pay, and strike out on my own. It took a lot of painful lessons for me to realize that charting my own path is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. Now, when I look for contracts or clients, I look for work that I know I will enjoy. I look for work that means something and that makes a difference.
My writing brings me joy and fulfillment. I love to put my thoughts and feelings down in black and white. My consulting allows me to use my professional experience to help other agencies reach their goals. I have walked in their shoes and I know how it feels to be going for that grant or accreditation or evaluation. Being a Realtor may seem like an odd aspect of my business, but I get to help people find homes or investments. I get to find the right property for the right person and see someone else move one step further down their own path.
Owning my own business isn’t easy. It takes a lot of work and a lot of faith. I have to work when I am not getting paid because that is the way I access the contracts that do bring home the bacon. I have to be self-motivated, energized and positive, even when I don’t feel it. I have to write even when I don’t want to because that is part of my job. I have to search for houses and clients and contacts all of the time. And all of that is okay.
This is the life that I have chosen and while it has its ups and downs, it brings me much more in the positive than it does negative. I am happy with my life and my business and I want everyone to know that when I am working for a client, I am doing it because I love it. The best service comes from love.
It’s that time of year again! The end of the official school year and the time when assessors are coming out to rate your programs. This is the time when accredited programs are working to ensure that their post assessments are better than their pre assessments. That everything they were told to work on throughout the school year has been done. Directors and Education Managers are walking the halls, observing and taking notes. But sometimes a fresh set of eyes is needed. Sometimes it helps to have someone come in and do their own independent observations. Their eyes haven’t been looking at the same environments all year long and they haven’t formed close relationships with the teachers that are being coached. Sometimes it helps to have a new, experienced viewpoint to ensure that all of that hard work has paid off.
Contact me. I will come to your programs and let you know what I see after spending a few hours in your classrooms. I will give you feedback that you can use to validate the work that has already been completed and fine tune those few areas that need a little more tweaking. I’ve been a teacher, I’ve been a coach, I have been a Director, and I have been an assessor. I am available to help you and your program be the best they can be.
I just finished another session of grant reviews. These weren’t as detailed as my previous jobs, but still interesting and as always, a new learning opportunity. Each time I review a grant just reinforces how much I enjoy this part of my business. It’s like solving a large puzzle, making sure all of the pieces fit together in just the right way.
I have been working with the Office of Head Start, reviewing grant applications for the past 4 months. I never thought that I would enjoy reading grants, writing comments and attaching scores as much as I do. I see each grant as a puzzle. It is my job to solve the puzzle and ensure that the applicant has a plan to meet the requirements of the Funding Announcement Opportunity. I like the structure of the review process with the diversity of each application. I find joy in completing the work and I find fulfillment of being able to work from home.
Life is funny. I enjoy reading grants. I enjoy stretching my brain by increasing my knowledge of different interpretations of the Head Start Performance Standards and the Head Start Act. I know that I am helping to make a difference by participating in the review process. It is about identifying agencies that are able to provide high quality services. These agencies make the direct impact on people’s lives, but I get to be part of that by not only scoring applications, but also by providing feedback that can help the agency strengthen its weaknesses and enhance its strengths. I am also helping local communities that receive these Head Start grants based on my and the other reviewers’ evaluations. New Head Start and Early Head Start grants not only provide education and family services for the community but also provide opportunities for employment and economic growth. I am part of the job creation process as well as the community development process.
Life is good when you can do a job that you love and know that you are helping make the world be a better place.
A Tomas Consulting, Grant Reviews | ATomas | 
April 1, 2013 5:08 pm | 
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