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Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five
In December 2018, Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) funds were awarded to 46 states and territories. The PDG B-5 grants are designed to fund states and territories to conduct a comprehensive statewide birth through five needs assessment, followed by in-depth strategic planning, while enhancing parental 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 programs, state prekindergarten programs, and home visiting service providers across the public, private, and faith-based sectors.
Specifically, PDG B-5 grants support states and territories to do the following:
- Develop, update, or put in place a strategic plan—based on what is learned from their thorough, statewide B-5 needs assessment—that supports collaboration and coordination among existing early childhood care and education (ECE) programs within a statewide mixed-delivery system to prepare infants, toddlers, and young children from low-income and disadvantaged families to enter kindergarten.
- More efficiently use existing federal, state, local, and nongovernmental resources to align and strengthen the delivery of existing programs; coordinate delivery models and funding streams within the state or territory’s mixed-delivery system; and develop recommendations to better use existing resources.
- Encourage partnerships among Head Start programs, child care and prekindergarten providers, state and local governments, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, private entities (including faith- and community-based entities), and school systems.
- Improve transitions between early childhood and school systems.
- Maximize parental choice and knowledge about the state and territory’s mixed-delivery system of early childhood education program providers.
States and territories were invited to be innovative in planning, designing, enhancing, and evaluating their ECE mixed-delivery systems. They were also strongly encouraged to engage and develop their application jointly with a full range of early childhood stakeholders, including partners at the local community level and parents, to engage in system design and development that best meets the needs of families and their young children, particularly children from low-income and disadvantaged families.
Grant awards range between $538,000 and $10,620,000, depending on state and territory proposed plans. The grant performance period runs from December 31, 2018 through December 30, 2019.
PDG B-5 Needs Assessment
PDG B-5 grantees are required to conduct or update a periodic, statewide birth through five (B-5) needs assessment of the availability and quality of existing programs in the state or territory, including programs serving the most vulnerable or underserved populations and children in rural areas; to the extent practicable, the unduplicated number of children being served in existing programs; and, to the extent practicable, the unduplicated number of children awaiting service in such programs. The intent of this needs assessment is to provide states and territories an opportunity to engage a strong stakeholder base; bring together data identifying strengths and gaps in populations, services, and supports; and examine the extent to which state or territory agencies and systems are working together collaboratively and effectively on behalf of young children at risk and their families. The desired outcome of this effort is a comprehensive perspective on what works on behalf of the populations needing services, where gaps exist, what related needs look like, and where grantees can best focus funding and support.
The following set of resources was created to support PDG B-5 grantees in their work establishing and carrying out the needs assessment process:
Needs Assessment Community of Conversation (CoC) Part 1
Needs Assessment Community of Conversation (CoC) Part 2
PDG B-5 Strategic Plan
PDG B-5 grantees are required to develop or revise a strategic plan that supports collaboration and coordination among existing ECE programs in a mixed delivery system with a state or territory. The plan will focus on establishing and maintaining an ECE system designed to support all children and their families, but particularly those identified as most vulnerable by their state or territory. Each state or territory’s PDG B-5 Strategic Plan will identify goals and action steps to directly address the specific areas for improvement identified in the needs assessment and reflect a comprehensive systems-plan approach. Grantees have the opportunity to create their strategic plan in a way that best fits their needs, and should establish the strategies that fit the needs of the participants involved in the work and invested in the outcome.
The following set of resources was created to support PDG B-5 grantees in creating strategic plans for comprehensive, mixed-delivery systems for children and families.
Strategic Plan Community of Conversation (CoC) Part 1
Strategic Plan Community of Conversation (CoC) Part 2
Additional Tools and Resources
PDG B-5 grants support states and territories in their efforts to analyze the current landscape of their ECE mixed delivery system, and to carry out changes to the system that maximize the availability of high-quality ECE options for low-income and disadvantaged families across providers and partners, improve the quality of care, streamline administrative infrastructure, and improve state- and territory-level ECE funding efficiencies. There are a number of resources available to help guide grantees in their work. Below are just a few of the resources developed by the PDG B-5 team.
Maximize parental choice and knowledge about your state’s mixed delivery system of existing programs and providers by ensuring that parents are provided information about the variety of early childhood care and education programs for children from birth to kindergarten entry. This document provides a resource list to support to grantee activities and strategies when working to maximize parental choice and knowledge.
For a project to meet its goals, stay on budget, and adhere to deadlines, there must be a strong plan in place for management and accountability of project activities. In projects such as the PDG B-5 grant, with different activities and a multitude of tasks and components within each, many grantees have found a need for a tool to help them track project work. This document provides a breakdown of some of the project management tools available that may be able to support grantees in their work, along with brief descriptions for each. These tools are not being endorsed by PDG B-5. Each grantee must identify the functions and tools that best align with their project work.
Additional Webinars and Communities of Conversation
Fundamentals of Data Integration
In partnership with AEM Corporation
Data Governance Community of Conversation (CoC)
A foundational aspect of data sharing and integration is data governance. It is at the core of all data sharing capability and processes. Establishing a data governance process sets the foundation for work among agencies and communities to share critical information. This session will assist with understanding the key elements of data governance and strategies for establishing a strong data governance framework.
Single ID Community of Conversation (CoC)
One of the immediate challenges organizations face with the integration of data in the early learning space is how to share information across agencies. A key component for that to occur is the identification and assignment of unique individual identifiers and a common sharing process. A first step is to ensure all involved agencies are using the same definitions of the data elements intended for sharing. A second step is to create a process that enables systems to more easily share information including common identifiers with the same definitions. This session will explore both issues.
Data Privacy Community of Conversation (CoC)
This session will include experts in U.S. Privacy Laws including FERPA, HIPPA, the Confidentiality rules under IDEA and the Protections for the Privacy of Child Records under the Head Start Regulations and will guide grantees through crucial discussions, considerations, resources, exemplar practices and pitfalls to avoid when it comes to the sharing of data across data systems and organizations.
Data Integration Community of Conversation (CoC)
This session will focus on the value, challenges, lessons learned, and existing resources related the integration of data from multiple partners, systems, programs and agencies. A specific focus will be placed on the value of an Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS).
Program Performance Evaluation
The Program Performance Evaluation (PPE) was a component of the PDG B-5 funding opportunity awarded to states. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly with the Department of Education (ED) (the Departments) requested grantees develop a plan for conducting PPEs that will allow them to monitor progress toward their state’s early care and education plan and program goals and objectives and use the resulting information to inform continuous quality improvement. This initial guidance attached provides an introduction to PPE and recommendations for grantees to consider as they develop their individualized PPE plans. Grantees should tailor their PPE plans and activities according to what is reasonable and feasible for their program. Plan or activity components’ application and appropriateness depend on grantees’ goals, objectives and PPE readiness. A secondary guidance document with a more detailed and in-depth discussion of strategy and approach considerations is also forthcoming.
Increasing Access, Quality, and Affordability of Early Care and Education through Systems Building and Building and Change Management
In partnership with BUILD
Overwhelming evidence speaks to the critical nature of creating a comprehensive system of early care and education to achieve measurable and long-term outcomes for children and families. Showcasing the journey of three states - Connecticut, Washington, and New York - and their lessons learned, this webinar will highlight activities states can engage in through their PDG B-5 grants to create a common understanding and formalized coordination across agencies, such as:
- Statewide action sessions/stakeholder convenings
- Shared services, trainings, referrals, and community partnerships
- Capacity building for data collection and analysis
Early Childhood Health and Mental Health
Hosted by Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC)
Infant-toddler mental health was identified by PDG B-5 states as an important component to their state’s comprehensive mixed delivery system. For many grantees and communities, supporting infants and toddlers is a new initiative and necessitates acquiring new perspectives and skills. Understanding infant-toddler and preschool mental health and how to effectively support families and practitioners across a wide array of early childhood service providers and settings is a critical competence addressed through Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC). IECMHC programs are in the unique position to effect widespread change by engaging early childhood stakeholders, providers and families across systems.
Early Childhood Data Analytics: Distinct Count of Children Served
Hosted by Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS)
This webinar covers key factors for defining a distinct count of children from Early Childhood Integrated Data Systems (ECIDS) for states to analyze and answer key program and policy questions, particularly as it relates to the PDG B-5 comprehensive needs assessment requirement. Panelists from Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina shared how their ECIDS creates an unduplicated count of children, how that information has been used to date to make data-informed decisions to support the children and families they serve, and how the distinct count is currently being used in their PDG B-5 needs assessments.
Additionally, if a state/territory has not already done so, we suggest finding out if your state/territory has a SLDS grant and who is working on that plan.
Engagement Strategies
Strategies to Engage Families as Partners that are often Difficult to Reach
Engaging families as partners in the early learning process is imperative. This includes engaging them as co-partners in both the assessment of needs in their communities and in planning strategically for state and community early learning strategies. This presentation will leverage the experience and expertise of the presenters in large and small scale early learning community engagement and communication strategies and will offer best practices to successfully connect with traditionally difficult to reach families. This will include lessons learned directly from communities that have lived such strategies and practical and accessible ways to assess and integrate best practices locally. An opportunity to engage in Q&A will also be offered with ACS leadership as well as other states.
Strategies to Engage Family Child Care Providers as Partners in Planning
Engaging providers as partners in the early learning process is imperative. This includes engaging them as co-partners in both the assessment of needs in their communities and in planning strategically for state and community early learning strategies. This presentation will leverage the experience and expertise of the presenters in large and small scale early learning community engagement and communication strategies and will offer best practices to successfully connect with traditionally difficult to reach families. This will include lessons learned directly from communities that have lived such strategies and practical and accessible ways to assess and integrate best practices locally. An opportunity to engage in Q&A will also be offered with ACS leadership as well as other states.
Developmental Screening Community of Conversation
In partnership with CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early.
This webinar/CoC will focus on the utilization of Developmental Screening within Early Childhood. The presentation will feature the work of four PDG B-5 states: Alabama, Alaska, New Hampshire, and Texas. These states have partnered with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program. CDC supports Act Early Ambassadors who are state and territory point of contacts and who serve as liaisons to the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program. CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. Program aims to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities or delays so that children and families get connected to needed services and supports. These Act Early Ambassadors support states in addressing developmental screening, developmental monitoring and referral to services.
During this webinar/CoC, Act Early Ambassadors will discuss their state’s goals for improving developmental screening, monitoring and referral as well as their progress in leveraging Help Me Grow programs, collecting needs assessment data, and conducting trainings. The CoC will also highlight resources to help strengthen developmental screening and monitoring.
Using IDEA Part C and 609 Data in the PDG B-5 State Systems Needs Assessment
In partnership with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) and The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center)
States awarded PDG B-5 are actively engaged in assessing the current needs for children and their families identified as vulnerable. States are taking a comprehensive approach to exploring needs and are tasked with bringing together key partners to strengthen the diversity of input and contributions to the process. The identification and inclusion of diverse data sources adds strong value to the assessment process. The IDEA 619 and Part C systems bring rich sources of data useful for states and communities in their continuous assessment and improvement processes.
This presentation will highlight the types of data collected by states IDEA 619 and Part C and where the data is located. Discussion will focus on collaboration with state partners to integrate these sources into the broader state picture of how children and families are being supported. Included will be suggestions for how the data can be used and analyzed for effective decision making.
An Overview of the Early Childhood Systems Building Resource Guide
Hosted by the Child Care State Capacity Building Center
This webinar provides an overview of the Early Childhood Systems Building Resource Guide, which is designed to support Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Administrators and other state-level leaders in their pursuit of system-building initiatives. The guide provides practical examples and links to key resources to inform CCDF Administrators' efforts to apply key concepts and translate them into steps to build and sustain effective early childhood systems.
With CCDF as a key partner in PDG B-5 work, SCBC staff walk through how to access this resource and others to help PDG B-5 grantees and partners understand what is available through the Early Childhood Training and Technical Assistance System website.
