- Cama-i, quyana tailuci!
- (Central Yup’ik)
- "Greetings, thank you for coming!"
Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five
In January 2019, the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) with the Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Birth-5, grant number 90TP0012, in the amount of $2,617,353. The purpose of this grant is outlined in Section 9212 of Public Law 114-95, also known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). There are three main purposes of Section 9212 of ESSA.
- Assist States to 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 designed to prepare low-income and disadvantaged children to enter kindergarten and to improve transitions from such system into the local educational agency or elementary school that enrolls such children.
- Encourage partnerships among Head Start providers, State and local governments, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, private entities (including faith- and community- based entities), and local educational agencies, to improve coordination, program quality, and delivery of service.
- Maximize parental choice among a mixed delivery system of early childhood education program providers.
The following are the outcomes Alaska is working towards through the PDG.
Short-term outcomes
- To increase parent knowledge and maximize early childhood education (ECE) choices
- To improve child transitions into school
- To increase the quality and availability of ECE programs
- To improve teacher preparation and retention
- To have a unified system of programs and data
Long-term outcomes
- To increase the number of low-income or rural children who enter kindergarten ready for success
- To increase number of students who are reading at grade level by third grade
Review the Application Alaska Submitted
The PDG is administered through DEED. The grant is funded from January through December 2019. The following is a list of sub-grantees and contractors who are helping Alaska meet their short and long-term PDG outcomes.
Agency
- Alaska Department of Public Safety
- All Alaska Pediatric Partnerships (A2P2)
- Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB)
- Best Beginnings
- Education Northwest (EdNW)
- Fairbanks Native Association
- Infant Learning Program (AK DHSS)
- Southeast Alaska AEYC
- Thread
- Women’s, Children’s, and Family Health (AK DHSS)
Additional Resources
- Every Student Succeeds Act webpage
- Federal Preschool Development Grant webpage
- Alaska PDG Grantee Applications