ASES Frontier FAQs FY 2023-24

Annually, the EXLD will determine how much funding is available for any new After School Education and Safety (ASES) Frontier Transportation grants for those qualified sites not currently funded.

Once awarded, all ASES Frontier Transportation grants will be continuously funded, subject to renewal, as are all ASES after school grants. However, once awarded, ASES Frontier Transportation grants will be synced to the cycle of their ASES after school program grant. This means that in the first year or second year of the Frontier Transportation grant some grantees may need to reapply for their ASES Frontier Transportation grant as part of their normal ASES after school program grant renewal. The ASES Frontier Transportation renewal process will simply require recertification of whether the grantee is a current ASES after school program grantee, is in Good Standing, and is located in an area that has a population density of less than 11 persons per square mile.

If the application is funded, the grantee will use the After School Support and Information System (ASSIST) online reporting system to report ASES Frontier Transportation Grant information to the EXLD. Current ASES grantees are responsible for maintaining and updating grant contact information, revising grant budgets, submitting quarterly expenditure reports, and submitting semiannual attendance reports using their current user name and password.

Recipients of ASES Frontier Transportation Grants are subject to the same expenditure and monitoring requirements as the ASES Program. All expenditure due dates for ASES can be found on the California Department of Education (CDE) ASES Reporting Due Dates web page.

Entities eligible to apply for ASES Frontier Transportation Grant funds must operate at a school site located in an area that has a population density of less than 11 persons per square mile pursuant to California Education Code (EC) Section 8483.7. The school site location eligibility list can be found on the CDE website. The CDE will inform eligible school sites of the opportunity to apply for this funding through a targeted application process and will utilize the existing RFA as reference to the program and funding requirements.

Grantees can verify their Good Standing Status through the ASSIST reporting system at any time. Good Standing Status for ASES grantees refers to all of the following conditions:

• Attendance reports for grantees have been submitted and have been found by the EXLD to be complete.
  
• Expenditure reports for grantees have been submitted and have been found by the EXLD to be complete.
  
• Annual outcome-based data for grantees has been submitted and have been found by the EXLD to be complete.

Applicants that do not meet all of the above conditions for Good Standing will not be funded.

If an ASES grantee is identified as not in Good Standing during the EXLD annual reviews, the grant will be terminated and the grantee will no longer receive either Expanded Learning program or Frontier Transportation funds. Grantees should carefully review the certified assurances and reporting requirements of this grant.

Evidence could include excerpts from the Program Plan or any other local site or district document, or include a description of the demographics, staffing levels, available transportation, etc. that demonstrate why transportation funds are needed to support the Expanded Learning Program at that site.

Per EC Section 8483.7(a)(5), you must be a current ASES grantee to apply for the Frontier Transportation grant.