Summer is in full swing in Charlottesville. The kids are in camp and the grant writing season has officially arrived. Like many of you, I have been searching the Internet, talking to colleagues, and using any fortune telling powers I have at my fingertips to determine when the Preschool Development Grants will—as we say in grant land—"drop."
This blog post is a summary of what I have learned from my reading and conversations to date. Please remember that nothing is final until the application is published by DOE and HHS. The information in this post should be used to begin your planning and local discussions. (Once the final application is out, I will post an additional blog with all of the highlights.)
The Preschool Development Grants are jointly unded by DOE and HHS and are a down payment on what was requested in the full-scale Preschool for All plan. The funding is meant to build capacity in states that have done minimal large-scale systems building to support early childhood education (Development Grants), as well as begin to scale state programs that have made large efforts on their own or through Race to the Top funding (Expansion Grants). One-third of the money (approximately $80 million) is for Development and 2/3 (approximately $160 million) is for Expansion. These are four-year grants that are refunded each year.
Now for the details …
General Grant Timeline*
|
May 16, 2014 |
Public comment on draft language ended (over 500 comments were submitted and these are moving through approval process) |
|
Mid July |
Final RFP released (I am estimating this based on the fact that nothing happens in DC the week of July 4th) |
|
Mid Summer |
Intent to Apply Due by governors (begin this process now!) |
|
Mid Fall |
Final Applications Due |
|
Late Fall |
Notice of Funding sent to states |
|
December 31 |
Funds must be obligated to states |
* Note: These are estimates based on knowledge available to date.
Development Eligibility
A Development Grant is to support a State with a small or no State-Funded Preschool Program to:
-
Develop or enhance preschool program infrastructure and capacity to deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs (100% of funds years 1, 2, 3, 10% of grant year 4)
-
Implement and sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs to reach and serve additional Eligible Children in one or more High-Need Communities no later than the fourth year of the grant (90% of funds year 4)
|
Amount in Millions |
Eligible States |
|
$20 |
AZ-R IN-R |
|
$17.5 |
AL-R MO-R PR-R |
|
$15 |
ID-R MS-R NV-R UT-R |
|
$10 |
AK-R HI-D MT-D NH-D SD-R |
|
$5 |
ND-R WY-R |
Expansion Eligibility
An Expansion Grant is for a State that already serves 10% or more of eligible children within State-Funded Preschool Programs OR that has received a Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant to:
-
Implement and sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs to reach and serve additional Eligible Children in two or more High-Need Communities (90% of funds)
-
Enhance preschool program infrastructure and make quality improvements to deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs (10% of funds)
|
Amount in Millions |
States Eligible |
|
$35 |
CA-D |
|
$30 |
TX-R |
|
$25 |
FL-R NY-D |
|
$20 |
IL-D OH-R GA-R NC-R PA-R MI-R |
|
$17.5 |
TN-R WA-D SC-R VA-D NJ-R |
|
$15 |
WI-R LA-R KY-R CO-D MD-D MN-D OK-R AR-D OR-D MA-D KS-R |
|
$12.5 |
ME-R IA-R NM-R CT-D NE-R WV-R |
|
$10 |
RI-D DC-D DE-D VT-D |
Teachstone Assistance
Teachstone can provide draft grant text to use as you begin to write. We can not write your entire grant, but we can provide language to support section C: Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (pp. 14-15 in Expansion Grants and pp. 12-13 in Development grants from drafts). This text includes research on the power of teacher-child interactions, research on quality professional development, and descriptions of impactful professional development programs that you can implement to improve program quality.
If you would like to schedule a time to discuss your state’s grant, just complete this form or email me directly at Rebecca.berlin@teachstone.com.
Happy writing,
Rebecca
