Preschool Development Grants and Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grants: A Primer

Summary

The importance of children’s early learning experiences to their development and later success in school and the workforce has become a subject of increasing interest to the public, Members of Congress, and the Administration. During recent congresses many bills have been introduced that would provide funding to states aiming to facilitate improvements in the quality of, and access to, early childhood education programs.

This report focuses on two early childhood initiatives—Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants and Preschool Development Grants (PDG). Both programs are administered jointly by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In addition to background and information on these programs, the report provides data on states that received grants under one or both of these programs.

PDG is a new program that is intended to build on the RTT-ELC grants program. The PDG program focuses specifically on expanding access to high-quality preschool for four-year-olds from low-income families; in contrast, the RTT-ELC program focuses more broadly on building comprehensive statewide systems to support high-quality preschool, as well as increasing access to preschool for high-need children.

The Administration has requested $750 million in FY2016 funding for PDG; it received funding of $250 million in both FY2014 and FY2015. In its FY2016 budget request the Administration stated that this FY2016 investment would build on FY2014 and FY2015 funding by helping to lay the groundwork to ensure that states are ready to participate in the Administration’s planned larger Preschool for All initiative—which is intended to provide high-quality preschool to all low- and moderate-income children.

Prior to the start of the PDG program, ED and HHS awarded three rounds of RTT-ELC grants in December 2011 ($500 million), 2012 ($133 million), and 2013 ($370 million). Nine states received RTT-ELC grants in 2011 (Phase 1), five states in 2012 (Phase 2), and six states in 2013 (Phase 3).

On December 10, 2014, ED and HHS awarded PDG grants to 18 states from FY2014 funding. Grants are divided into two separate funding streams. States with fewer than 10% of their four-year-olds in state-funded preschool that have not received an RTT-ELC grant were eligible to apply for FY2014 PDG-Preschool Development Grants. Five states received these grants. States with more than 10% of their four-year-olds in state-funded preschool or that had received an RTT-ELC grant were eligible to apply for FY2014 PDG-Preschool Expansion Grants. Thirteen states received these grants.