Applicant Information

Purposes of the PDG B-5 Initial Grant

  • Develop, update, or implement a strategic plan that facilitates collaboration and coordination among existing programs of early childhood care and education in a mixed delivery system across the State;
  • More efficiently use existing Federal, State, local, and non-governmental resources to align and strengthen the delivery of existing programs;
  • Encourage partnerships among the wide range of ECE programs and service partners that make up the B-5 Early Childhood State System;
  • Expand parental choice and knowledge about existing programs; and
  • Enhance school readiness for children from low-income and disadvantaged families, including during children’s transition into elementary school by sharing best practices between and among ECE providers.

Five Required Activities

  • Activity One: Conduct or update a thorough statewide birth through five needs assessment of the availability and quality of existing programs/services in the State.
  • Activity Two: Develop or update a strategic plan, based on needs assessment results, that recommends collaboration, coordination, and quality improvement activities among existing programs.
  • Activity Three: Maximize parental choice and knowledge; promote and increase involvement by parents and family members in the development and transition of their children.
  • Activity Four: Share best practices among early childhood care and education program providers in the State to increase collaboration and efficiency of services, including to improve transitions from such programs to elementary school.
  • Activity Five: After activities one and two are completed, improve the overall quality of early childhood care and education programs in the State.

Purposes of the PDG B-5 Renewal Grant

  • Build upon initial grant work.
  • Implement more effective collaboration and coordination among existing programs of early childhood care and education in the State’s mixed delivery system.
  • More efficiently use existing Federal, State, local, and non-governmental funding streams and other resources to align and strengthen the delivery of existing programs.
  • Expand and strengthen partnerships among the wide range of ECE programs and service partners that make up the B-5 Early Childhood State System;
  • Expand parental choice and knowledge about existing programs; and
  • Enhance school readiness for children from low-income and disadvantaged families, including during children’s transition into elementary school by sharing best practices between and among ECE providers.

Six Required Activities

  • Activity One: Refine/enhance thorough statewide birth through five needs assessment of the availability and quality of existing programs/services in the State.
  • Activity Two: Implement strategic plan, based on needs assessment results, improving collaboration, coordination, and quality improvement activities among all programs.
  • Activity Three: Maximize parental choice and knowledge; promote and increase parent and family engagement in assessment, planning and implementation in areas affecting families.
  • Activity Four: Expand efforts to share best practices among early childhood care and education program providers in the State to increase collaboration and efficiency of services.
  • Activity Five: Improve the overall quality of early childhood care and education programs in the State; may use a portion of funding to award subgrants that assist the state in achieving strategic plan objectives.
  • Activity Six: Monitor, evaluate, and use data for continuous quality improvement in all areas.

PDG B-5 Applicant Information

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly with the Department of Education (ED) solicited applications from eligible states to carry out the activities of the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Initial Grant. The PDG B-5 grant empowered state governments to better leverage federal, state and local early care and education investments. States were not to create another early childhood program, but rather help coordinate early childhood programs and services that already existed in the state according to the identified needs of the state.

This grant assisted states in helping low-income and disadvantaged children enter kindergarten prepared and ready to succeed in school and to help improve the transitions from the early care and education setting to elementary school. The PDG B-5 grant assisted States in the coordination of their existing early childhood services and funding streams for the purpose of improving services to children birth through age six in a mixed delivery system.

States developed statewide Birth-5 needs assessments of the availability and quality of existing programs in the state, including such programs serving the most vulnerable or underserved populations and children in rural areas.  States also developed or updated strategic plans that recommends collaboration, coordination, and quality improvement activities among existing programs in the state and local educational agencies. Such a plan includes information that identifies opportunities for and barriers to collaboration and coordination among existing programs in the state, including state, local, and tribal agencies responsible for administering such programs.

Additional information about PDG Birth-5 Initial grant program purpose can be found here:

FOA Renewal Grant

FOA Initial Grant

Needs Assessment Grant Requirement

Conduct or update a periodic, statewide birth through five (B-5) needs assessment of the availability and quality of existing programs in the state/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 needs assessment must:

  • Describe how the state/territory defines key terms, including quality early childhood care and education, availability, vulnerable or underserved, and children in rural areas.
  • Describe the populations of children who are vulnerable or underserved, and children in rural areas.
  • Identify the current quality and availability of early childhood care and education, including availability for vulnerable or underserved children and children in rural areas.
  • Identify, to the extent practicable, the unduplicated number of children being served in existing programs and the unduplicated number of children awaiting service in such programs.
  • Identify gaps in data or research about the quality and availability of programming and supports for children B-5, considering the needs of working families, as well as those who are seeking employment or in job training.
  • Describe the gaps in data or research that are most important for the state/territory to fill in order to meet the goals of supporting collaboration between programs and services and maximizing parental choice.
  • Describe the state/territory’s current measurable indicators of progress that align with the state/territory’s vision and desired outcomes.
  • Describe key concerns or issues related to ECCE facilities.
  • Include an analysis of barriers to the funding and provision of high-quality early childhood care and education services and supports, and identify opportunities for more efficient use of resources.
  • Describe transition supports and gaps that affect how children move between early childhood care and education programs and school entry.

Strategic Plan Grant Requirement

To develop or revise a strategic plan that supports and facilitates collaboration and coordination among existing programs of ECE in a mixed delivery system with a state/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/territory.

The strategic plan must:

  • Identify the full range of stakeholders meaningfully impacted by the work and how these stakeholders were engaged in the strategic plan development/updates.
  • Clearly lay out a plan with goals and action steps that establish a comprehensive ECE system.
  • Identify the partnerships, collaborations, coordination, and quality improvement activities that will be used to leverage policy alignments and program quality and service delivery across ECE settings in the birth through five (B-5) system.
  • Identify activities that address improving transitions of children from ECE programs into elementary schools.
  • Delineate how the plan will build on and support improved coordination and collaboration among ECE programs.
  • Provide a strong framework for laying out how the state/territory will increase the overall participation of children in high-quality ECE programs, services, and settings within and across a mixed delivery system.
  • Assess current federal, state, and local statutory requirements and identify any potential barriers or roadblocks that these requirements put on future coordination.
  • Identify how the state/territory will use indicator data to assess progress, assess key desired outcomes, inform cost and resource efficiency, and support continuous quality improvement.
  • Describe how the state/territory will continue to involve the State Advisory Council in the implementation of the strategic plan.