The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act

A tremendous round of applause to the many advocates and government officials, including Teachstone’s partners at the Early Childhood Education Consortium (ECEC) and all of those in the Office of Child Care, who worked tirelessly for a bicameral, bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The slightly modified House version passed the Senate at the end of the day on Monday and was signed into law by President Obama on Wednesday.

For many Head Start grantees and Head Start applicants, this is not only the week before Thanksgiving but also the week before the due date of the third round of recompetition grants.

Are you considering applying for one of the Head Start grants that are part of the third round of recompetition in the Designation Renewal System (DRS)? If so, please join me and my colleague, Betsy Murry, on October 14th from 2 – 3 p.m. (ET) for a webinar on Head Start Designation Renewal and the CLASS tool.

Until all children in America have access to high quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood experiences, and until all early childhood providers and teachers receive the training and financial support they require to ensure their commitment and competence, as many advocates as possible are needed to speak out on behalf of children. – Adele Robinson and Deborah Stark, Advocates in Action (NAEYC 2005)

When DHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, along with DOE Secretary Arne Duncan, announced the Preschool Development Grants competition as part of the Preschool for All in early February 2014, she asked for help. Her request? That all of us in the early childhood community find our roles in the grant process and assist applicants to ensure the best possible quality programs are developed and expanded for preschoolers. She called on those able to step up if able to provide “wraparound help”—and Teachstone is heeding that call.

While managing MyTeachingPartner™ (MTP™) Coaching, my colleagues would roll their eyes when they'd catch me boasting to directors that our coaching staff and specialists are “here for you 24/7.” What I meant, of course, was that their dedication wasn't confined to business hours, but the implication was that they were "always on the job"—no wonder they rolled their eyes!