Excel Beyond the Bell Program

The Collaboration Council seeks Letters of Interest from organizations and qualified individuals to serve as a pre-approved pool of potential out-of-school time vendors to serve middle school students at a particular school or schools within the Excel Beyond the Bell Middle School out-of-school time system. Vendors are strongly encouraged to consider operating at more than one location. Qualified applicants will be selected for the Open Solicitation Vendor List and remain on the list for a period of three years. Selection for the Open Solicitation Vendor List is not a commitment by the Collaboration Council to contract with each vendor for these services. The Open Solicitation process allows the Collaboration Council the flexibility to secure specific services on a short-term or continuing basis from vendors who meet pre-established requirements.

Mission & Purpose 

EBB’s Mission is to provide quality afterschool opportunities while allowing sufficient time for youth to explore new interests and build relationships leading to a sense of belonging. Excel Beyond the Bell enables middle school students to succeed and thrive by providing high quality, coordinated out-of-school time programs that promote positive social development. 

EBB’s purpose is to provide opportunities to middle school youth for exposure and engagement to a variety of experiences in a safe and supportive environment so that every student will have the social and emotional skills to be successful. 

EBB Youth Focused Outcomes: The EBB partnership collective has identified the following five outcomes our program will lead youth people to through the activities facilitated by our contracted providers.

  • Safety: Participant feels safe at home, at school/in program, and in his or her neighborhood
  • Constructive Use of Time - Youth Programs: Participants participate two or more times per week in cocurricular school activities or structure community programs for children
  • Positive Identity - Personal Power: Participant feel he or she has some influence over things that happen in her or his life.
  • Boundaries and Expectations - Adult Role Models: Parent(s) and other adults in the participants family, as well as, non-family adults, model positive, responsible behavior.
  • Support: Caring School/Program Climate - Relationships with teachers/program staff and peers provide a caring, encouraging environment.

Programming Timeline: 

Open Solicitation for Participation: Ongoing

EBB Programming is provided across various MCPS middle school campuses during the school year. Programming is not provided during Spring, Winter or Summer Breaks. The programming year is split into two sessions - Session 1 (Fall) and Session 2 (Spring) and contracts are administered per session.

The following criteria will be considered in determining eligibility for a contract award and award amount:

1. Demonstrated and authentic connections to the proposed target community for programming

2. Program approaches and models rooted in Positive Youth Development and effective community engagement principles

3. Number of youth/families to be served,

4. Level of services, e.g., frequency, duration, and length of session,

5. Program focus and scope,

6. Geographic location of the program

7. Reasonableness of budget/cost items

8. Programming needs of EBB campuses and;

9. Alignment with the EBB Youth Focused Outcomes

Eligible Providers can be: 

Contracted Provider Expectations:

During an active contracting year in EBB, providers are required to: 

  • Demonstrate and use a positive youth development approach 
  • Participate in free training, networking and coaching provided through the Collaboration Council
  • Maintain a 1:10 staff to student ratio and accept up to 25 participants in each class.
  • Prioritize consistent and intentional professional development and supervision of all program staff
  • Assist in participant recruitment at each school location through active involvement in school events
  • Submit timely monthly fiscal reports and invoices 
  • Identify and utilize strategies to include and meet the needs of all young people, including those who are newcomers, English language learners and youth with special needs.
  • Deliver one or more out-of-school time programs that focus on one or more of the following areas: 

  STEM - Mentoring  - Language and Culture - Cooking and Nutrition - Workplace and Career Exploration - Creative and Performing Arts - Leadership and Civic Engagement - Fitness and Physical Activity - Other
 

To learn more about the history and background of EBB, please visit: www.excelbeyondthebell.org

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