Child Care and Early Education at CLASP

Head Start 2007 state data profiles now available

CLASP has released state profiles that show Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data for 2007, which all programs are required to report to the federal government on an annual basis. Data on all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, include information on programs, participants, families, and staff for all Head Start programs in each state, including preschool, Early Head Start, American Indian and Alaskan Native Head Start, and Migrant or Seasonal Head Start. Profiles are also available for the six territories with Head Start and/or Early Head Start programs in 2007.

Funds available for State Early Childhood Advisory Councils

The Administration for Children and Families has announced the availability of $100 million in funds to support coordination and collaboration across early care and education programs and services for children from birth to the age of school entry. The 2007 reauthorization of Head Start required Governors to establish or designate a State Advisory Council for this purpose. The recent Economic Recovery Act provided funding to support the work of State Advisory Councils. According to the announcement,

"The State Advisory Council will work to strengthen state-level coordination and collaboration among the various sectors and settings of early childhood programs in the State. The Council will conduct periodic statewide needs assessments on the quality and availability of programs and services for children form birth to school entry, identify opportunities for and barriers to coordination and collaboration among existing Federal and state-funded early childhood programs, and develop recommendations for: (1) increasing overall participation of children in existing Federal, State, and local child care and early education programs, including outreach to underrepresented and special populations; (2) the establishment or improvement of core elements of the State early childhood system, such as a statewide unified data collection system; (3) a statewide professional development system and career ladder for early childhood educators; and (4) high-quality State early learning standards. The Council will also assess the capacity and effectiveness of institutes of higher education in the State toward supporting the development of early childhood educators.

"States shall also use the funds to carry out activities to facilitate the development or enhancement of high-quality systems of early childhood education and care designed to improve school readiness through one or more of the following activities: promoting school readiness of children birth to five; supporting professional development, recruitment and retention initiatives for early childhood educators; enhancing existing early childhood and development programs and services in existence on the date of the grant award; and carrying out other activities consistent with the State’s plan."

Funds are available for one-time start-up grants, over a three-year period, to develop and implement State Advisory Council plans. Applications may be submitted through August 30, 2010. For information on required application content and format, read the complete announcement.

Early Head Start Expansion: Resources for local programs and state actions

Right now across the country local early childhood programs are thinking about whether to apply for newly available federal funds to expand access to the Early Head Start program.  Current grantees may apply to expand their services, and new applicants can apply as well. Any public or private non-profit organizations, including community based faith-based organizations, or for-profit agencies can apply. The following resources can help potential applicants: 

• Information to help applicants has been posted by the Administration for Children and Families.    
• A free webinar explaining the Early Head Start program components was developed by WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies in partnership with California First Five, the California Head Start Association, and Preschool California.  The archived file may be downloaded.
• Groups in other states, including New York and Wisconsin, have also put together webinars to educate potential applicants with funding provided to the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association by the Wisconsin Department of Children & Families.

Applications are due to the Administration for Children and Families by July 9th.

State early care and education leaders can offer grants, technical assistance, and data to help local programs make the best case and applications to serve additional low-income infants/toddlers.   For example, states can:

• Train providers on the federal Program Performance Standards and the components of comprehensive services required to be an Early Head Start grantee.  
•  Provide supply and demand data to help applicants assess community needs.
• Help providers hire additional teachers and increase education levels to meet federal standards for qualifications and teacher : child ratios.
• Encourage and support partnerships between current EHS grantees and existing child care center and family child care providers, who are already serving eligible children, to deliver EHS services in those settings.

States can finance these options by tapping the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which included funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), including $255 million for quality enhancement, of which $93.6 million is targeted to infant/toddler child care.  Using these funds to assist local programs in attracting federal EHS dollars will ultimately benefit the state as more low-income infants and toddlers are served in high-quality settings.

Head Start and Early Head Start grant applications now available

The Office of Head Start has started the process for accepting grant applications for expansion of Head Start and Early Head Start, as well as for Migrant and Seasonal and American Indian programs.  The expansion is possible through the ARRA, which provided $1 billion in new funding for Head Start preschool programs and $1.1 billion in new funding for Early Head Start.  Information posted describes eligible applicants, criteria for successful proposals, and the required forms and other supporting documentation.

The Early Head Start competition is open to any eligible organization, according to the notice:

The Administration for Children and Families solicits applications from any public or private non-profit organizations, including community based faith-based organizations, or for-profit agencies, that wish to compete for funds that are available to provide Early Head Start services to pregnant women, infants, toddlers and their families.

Current Early Head Start grantees may apply to increase the number of children currently being served within their approved service area. All applicants, including current Early Head Start grantees, may apply to establish new Early Head Start programs in areas not currently served by Early Head Start. In metropolitan areas, or counties with large numbers of children who are not being served, current EHS grantees may apply to expand services. Other organizations will also be able to apply to serve children in the unserved portions of that service area.  All applicants proposing to establish an Early Head Start program in any area currently unserved will be given equal consideration.

The Head Start expansion, for $102 million, is limited to current grantees for the purposes of increasing the number of preschool children served in the Head Start program.

President releases additional budget details

Yesterday, the Obama Administration released additional details on their FY 2010 budget proposal. The 2010 budget reflects both the President’s interest in expanding high quality early childhood settings and a recognition that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), passed in February, made significant investments in Head Start, Early Head Start, and CCDBG, which will be spent through FY 2010.

As states and local communities continue to feel the impact of the economic downturn, more families are in need of help to find and afford high quality child care. Increases in federal funding this year and into the future will be critical to help these families and to support state efforts to expand access to high quality early childhood settings for children from birth to five and for school-age children.

The budget document is a first step in the FY 2010 appropriations process; Congress now has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to early education through increased funding for child care and Head Start. Additionally, new programs proposed by the President must be authorized by Congress.  

The budget proposal for FY 2010 includes:

• flat funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), although the FY 2009 appropriation is $7 billion with $2 billion in ARRA funds.
• a $122 million increase for Head Start, adding to the FY 2009 ARRA investment of $2.1 billion in new funds.
• new $500 million matching Title I Early Childhood Grants for local educational agencies that choose to invest ARRA Title I funds in preschool programs.
• a new $300 million Early Learning Challenge Fund. According to budget documents, the fund would:

"provide competitive grants to State educational agencies, or the agency in a State that administers early childhood programs, for the development of a statewide infrastructure of integrated early learning supports and services for children, from birth through age 5. This infrastructure would provide a pathway to a high standard of quality across all publicly funded early learning programs in the State. Grants would enable States to raise their standards, build systems that promote quality and ensure the effectiveness of their early learning programs, and monitor all publicly funded early childhood programs' performance against the State's standards. This program, a central component of the President's early education agenda, complements existing and proposed Federal investments in Head Start and Early Head Start, home visitation, the Child Care Development Fund, Title I preschool, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

"States receiving an Early Learning Challenge Fund award would be required to develop and establish a system of research-based metrics and measures for addressing essential aspects of program quality, such as child health and safety, the effectiveness of the early learning environment, the qualifications of early education staff, research- based curricula, and program effectiveness, including child outcomes. Through the implementation of their grants, States would establish a pathway to high quality, beginning with a basic level of standards for licensing, and support the enhancement of programs as they progress to higher levels of quality over time.

"This request would be the first of several years of investment. The Administration will propose authorizing language for this program and, assuming that States demonstrate promising results in ensuring the quality of their early childhood programs, will request additional funds in future years so that States can extend quality early childhood education to more children."

• elimination of the Even Start Family Literacy program.
• flat funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school program.
• a new evidence-based home visitation program for low-income parents with newborns. The budget proposes mandatory funding of $8.5 billion over 10 years.
• a new $10 million Promise Neighborhoods initiative to support competitive planning grants to nonprofit community organizations for comprehensive neighborhood programs to support children from preschool through college.

Models for using Title I ARRA funds for early education

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included $13 billion in funding for Title I of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which provides resources for disadvantaged students. Title I is a flexible funding source that may be used to support components of high-quality early education programs. Spending on early childhood programs for children from birth through the age of school entry has always been a permitted use of Title I funds.

A new addition to our Reinvesting in Child Care economic recovery series provides illustrative examples of school districts that have used Title I funds to invest in services from infant/toddler programs to pre-kindergarten classes to Head Start collaborations. The Title I and Early Education page includes information on:

• How Title I can be used for early education,
• The benefits of using Title I,
• Models of Title I-funded early education programs, and
• Links to additional CLASP resources.

Read about Title I here or see all of our economic recovery resources.

Program standards in state preschool initiatives

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) today released their annual yearbook: The State of Preschool 2008. When early care and education programs provide comprehensive services (like those that the Head Start and Early Head Start standards require), they support high-quality early care and education for both preschoolers and infants and toddlers.

NIEER provides information on program standards and other items like eligibility and resources for each preschool initiative in an online appendix. Standards and services available vary greatly by initiative. NIEER surveyed 50 preschool initiatives in 38 states (some states have multiple initiatives) on eight types of services and found that:

• 40 required parent involvement activities.
• 36 required transition to kindergarten activities.
• 31 required parent support or training.
• 30 required referral for social services.
• 30 required child health services.
• 21 required nutrition information.
• 16 required parent education or job training.
• 7 required parent health services.
• 8 no longer require one or more of the above services in 2008, compared to 2007
• 3 have added one or more of the above services in 2008, compared to 2007
• In some initiatives, specific services are determined locally.
• Some initiatives reported other support services, for example developmental, social/emotional, mental health, and ESL support.

Initiatives with program standards that address these eight comprehensive services operate in Colorado, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Wisconsin. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, supplemental state funding is awarded to federal Head Start grantees to serve more children. States can review and strengthen their program standards for early childhood initiatives, for example through the use of economic recovery funds.

Head Start and Early Head Start ARRA funds available

Today, the federal government announced a total of $2.3 billion being made available to support Head Start and Early Head Start programs and services. Head Start and Early Head Start received a total of $2.1 billion in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). [$1.1 billion in ARRA funds are dedicated specifically for Early Head Start expansion and $1 billion in ARRA funds will flow through the Head Start formula, which was revised in the 2007 reauthorization.] The program also received $235 million in increased funding for FY 2009.

According to a press release and guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services, the funds from the ARRA and increase for FY 2009 combined include:

• $220 million for expansion of Head Start (including American Indian/Alaskan Native Head Start programs and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs),
• $1.3 billion for expansion of Early Head Start, 
• $326 million for grantees for cost of living adjustments, 
• $354 million for quality improvements, and
• $141 million for training and technical assistance. 

Current grantees will be notified soon regarding the COLA amount and quality improvement allocation for which they may apply.

The Head Start expansion funds are intended to serve an additional 16,600 children and families. The expansion funds for Early Head Start are intended to serve 55,000 additional infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. Early Head Start expansion funds will be awarded through an open competition with applications available in coming weeks. Both existing grantees and new programs will be eligible to compete. 

The funds also include $100 million for state early childhood advisory councils. Additional guidance on Early Head Start expansion and state advisory councils is expected soon.

CLASP testimony on the importance of Head Start

Today, the Labor, Health, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on issues that fall under their jurisdiction in the federal budget appropriations process. Danielle Ewen of CLASP testified as a public witness about the importance of growing federal investments in Head Start and Early Head Start, in order to support our most vulnerable infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families. Read the testimony here.

Last month, President Obama released a budget blueprint outlining his priorities for the federal budget, which include expansions in early childhood education. The House and Senate budget committees are crafting the Congressional Budget Resolution that will establish the overall spending limits for discretionary programs, including Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), that are funded through the annual appropriations process.

Expanding early education services in Montgomery County Public Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland recently announced its plan for using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The plan includes major expansions in special education services and greater support to schools serving disadvantaged students, otherwise known as Title I schools. The county will receive $21.4 million from the ARRA, of which $15.3 million will be targeted for special education services and $6.1 million for Title I schools. In an overwhelming show of support for the new investments, the funding plans were unanimously passed by the Montgomery County Board of Education as part of its FY 2010 operating budget. With the Title I funding, the county intends to increase the number of full-day Head Start classrooms from 13 (in 10 schools) to 21 (in 18 schools). In addition, the county plans to preserve small class sizes, increase math and reading support, and improve services for English Language Learners.

Title I funds may be used for a range of services that support quality early education. Many districts layer Title I funds with other federal, state and local funding, as Montgomery County uses Title I to extend the day for children in Head Start. The district based their decision in part on results of a recently released study, Impact of Full-Time Prekindergarten Program on Student Academic Performance. The district began using Title I to expand their part-day Head Start programs into full-day programs in ten elementary schools in 2007. The study found that children who were enrolled in full-time Head Start programs made significant gains in skills, such as reading, compared to children in half-day Head Start and prekindergarten programs. Gains were especially large for female and Hispanic students, as well as children who received English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services in the full-day Head Start classes.

Montgomery County’s experience demonstrates the importance of providing full-day services to benefit both young children and their working families. Title I funding included in the recovery act can provide the resources for more school districts to follow Montgomery County’s example.