2019 is the year of the Preschool Development Grants!
The US Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the recipients of this year’s Preschool Development Grants. According to the announcement on the HHS website, the $250 million grant program is “designed to fund states to conduct a comprehensive statewide birth through five needs assessment followed by in-depth strategic planning, while enhancing parent choice and expanding the current mixed delivery system consisting of a wide range of provider types and settings, including child care centers and home-based child care providers, Head Start and Early Head Start, state pre-kindergarten, and home visiting service providers across the public, private and faith-based sectors.”
The good news? Just about the entire country benefits, as 45 states received allocations to help fund their early childhood strategic plans. At ReadyRosie, we want to congratulate those states and offer our help!
It’s been a pleasure to read more about the goals and initiatives of each state, beyond the initial birth through five needs assessment. We have highlighted some of these below along with thoughts on how our in-depth family engagement support might be able to help:
| GOALS OF THE PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANT | HOW READYROSIE CAN HELP |
|---|---|
| Develop, update, or implement a strategic plan that facilitates collaboration and coordination among existing programs of early childhood care and education within a statewide mixed delivery system in order to prepare low-income and disadvantaged infants, toddlers, and young children to enter kindergarten | Strong family partnerships are a key aspect of quality care and learning for birth - five year olds. From state-funded PreK and Head Start programs to public libraries and collective impact initiatives organized by governments and nonprofits, ReadyRosie has hundreds of examples of helping schools and communities deepen and scale their partnerships with families of 0 to 5 year olds. |
| Encourage partnerships among Head Start, child care and pre-kindergarten providers, state and local governments, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, private entities (including faith- and community- based entities), and school systems | Many of our partners utilize ReadyRosie in way that connects all families in their community to a single resource, whether that family is being served in a formal school, child care facility, or not. While ReadyRosie has tools to help schools, Head Start programs more easily partner with families, there are several examples of pediatricians, medical clinics, social service agencies, local businesses, public libraries, parks departments, and other community entities that serve young families |
| Improve transitions between early childhood and school systems | Families can play one of the most important roles in supporting a smooth and positive transition between care providers and especially upon kinder entry. ReadyRosie helps families understand the importance of successful transitions and how they can support the social emotional and academic needs of children. Many of the grantees indicated a desire for a seamless support system. Because ReadyRosie provides content and resources for families from birth through 3rd grade, it is a seamless tools for families who have multiple children across the early childhood spectrum. Families and educators can utilize all aspects of the content to support families as their children develop through the stages of early childhood. |
| Maximize parental choice and knowledge about the state’s mixed delivery system of early childhood education program providers. | Families have multiple choices for care and learning experiences for their birth - five year old children. This grant provides multiple opportunities to improve parental awareness and choice. We at ReadyRosie have found that when families understand child development and developmentally appropriate practices, they are empowered to ask important questions and check for specific aspects when selecting care. ReadyRosie provides families access to this knowledge of child development. |
| Create supports for the state’s dual language learners and their families | Many states included specific information in their grant application about supporting dual language learners and their families. Despite the language of the formal care environment, families need accessible information in their home language so they can know how to partner with their child’s program and how they can support their child’s development at home. All of ReadyRosie resources are completely accessible in English and Spanish and our modeled moment videos contained closed-captioning in additional languages, including Arabic and Vietnamese.. |
To learn more about how ReadyRosie works, check out the resources we have to partner with public schools and Head Start programs. Let us know if you’d like to schedule a demo for you and your team to learn more.
BELOW IS A LIST OF ALL THE GRANT RECIPIENTS FROM AROSS THE COUNTRY
| GRANT AWARDEES | GRANT AMOUNT |
|---|---|
| Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education | $10,620,000 |
| Alaska Department of Education and Early Development | $2,617,353 |
| Arkansas Department of Human Services | $3,506,749 |
| Arizona Department of Education | $1,396,806 |
| California Department of Education | $10,620,000 |
| Colorado Department of Human Services | $5,801,793 |
| Connecticut Office of Early Childhood | $8,591,087 |
| Delaware Department of Education | $4,236,837 |
| District of Columbia Education Office | $10,620,000 |
| Florida Department of Education | $8,520,000 |
| Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning | $2,961,044 |
| Hawaii Department of Human Services | $965,530 |
| Illinois Office of the Governor | $3,702,937 |
| Indiana Family and Social Services Administration | $6,895,336 |
| Iowa Department of Management | $2,190,119 |
| Kansas Department of Education | $4,482,305 |
| Commonwealth of Kentucky | $10,620,000 |
| Louisiana Department of Education | $7,100,000 |
| Maine Department of Education | $1,011,080 |
| Maryland Department of Education | $10,618,584 |
| Massachusetts Executive Office of Education | $1,801,346 |
| Michigan Department of Education | $5,058,813 |
| Minnesota Department of Education | $4,705,603 |
| Mississippi Community College Board | $10,620,000 |
| Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services | $4,208,250 |
| Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services | $4,141,560 |
| Nevada Department of Education | $606,515 |
| University of New Hampshire | $3,843,557 |
| New Jersey Department of Children and Families | $10,620,000 |
| New Mexico Department of Children Youth and Families | $5,374,596 |
| New York Office of Children and Family Services | $8,732,006 |
| North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services | $4,486,842 |
| North Dakota Department of Public Instruction | $2,275,771 |
| Ohio Department of Job and Family Services | $10,486,896 |
| Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Foundation, Inc | $3,116,729 |
| Oregon Department of Education | $4,257,418 |
| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania | $10,553,711 |
| Rhode Island Department of Human Services | $4,194,057 |
| South Carolina Department of Social Services | $3,453,679 |
| Texas Education Agency | $1,789,455 |
| Utah Department of Workforce Services | $538,000 |
| State of Vermont | $3,363,695 |
| Virginia Department of Education | $9,900,948 |
| Virgin Islands Department of Human Services | $725,112 |
| Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families | $5,270,656 |