The document summarizes the Early Learning Challenge, a federal initiative that helps states improve early learning systems for young children. It describes the vision to increase quality and access to produce better education and life outcomes. States compete for grants to build coherent systems through a quality rating system, aligned standards and assessments, a qualified workforce, and progress monitoring. The five required areas address successful state systems, high-quality programs, child outcomes, workforce development, and outcome measurement.
13. How it Works: Priorities, Requirements, & Selection Criteria Early Learning Challenge Points Overview Points Available Percentage 1. Successful State Systems 65 23 2. High-Quality, Accountable Systems 75 27 3. Promoting Early Learning & Development Outcomes for Children 60 21 4. A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce 40 14 5. Measuring Outcomes and Progress 40 14 Total points available for selection criteria 280 100 Competitive Priority 1: Including all early learning & development programs in the QRIS 10 Competitive Priority 2: Understanding status of learning & development at Kindergarten entry 10 Grand Total 300
The Early Learning Challenge is about systems change. It is not about program expansion: it’s about improving, linking, and aligning programs and services to lead to increased access to high quality experiences for vulnerable children. The ELC creates an incentive that will lead to increased gubernatorial leadership for 0-5 systems. FROM THE FEDERAL GUIDANCE- USE AS COMMENTARY: Federal Perspective (from the guidance) Does not: create new early learning and development program maintain the status quo Does: support integration & alignment of all early learning and development resources & policies across all State agencies provide incentives to support high-quality early learning and development programs statewide.
If this were just about dollars, it wouldn’t be a victory. We have lost federal dollars in early childhood…as have most budget areas…The victory is the federal acknowledgment and investment in changing the game. This is something EC funders have sought for more than a decade: federal funding that invests in systemic change and infrastructure development to create and fuel a system over time. Potential to transform educational opportunities for our youngest children—and those most at risk Not just a little more money for one program or another, but a chance to redesign, rethink, plan, and build the necessary infrastructure for quality, access and sustainability. Supports states’ focus on quality as a basis for public investment is a critical role for the Challenge. Helps states strengthen infrastructure for quality early childhood education including standards, assessment, and data systems. Quality Rating and Improvement Systems can provide a mechanism for defining and supporting quality and accountability. By linking a professional development system to QRIS we help build an effective, high quality workforce.
http://www.heckmanequation.org/ has extensive backgrounders and videos if you need more information to bolster these points.
As a state, presence of assertive leadership coherent organizational structure entrepreneurial commitment to high quality intentional focus on high-needs children commitment to systems that provide high-quality programs and services THIS IS ALSO A GOOD PLACE TO PUT IN YOUR MISSION STATEMENT IF YOU HAVE ONE.
You may delete the funding levels except for your own state, if you wish.
If you would like, use this section to explain how the application will be scored: Our application must address the absolute priority throughout our application in order to receive funding. We’ll go into deeper details on all of these during the presentation, but this chart outlines the points available for each area we must address in our application. We’ll also have the opportunity to gain extra points by addressing competitive priorities.
This competition has an absolutely priority, meaning that our state must address it throughout our entire application. As we look at the next slides, we can see the rest of the requirement that will show us how we will start to address this, within the context of our own vision of course!
We must address each of these five areas in our application: successful state systems, high-quality, accountable programs, promoting early learning and development outcomes for children, a great early childhood education workforce, and measuring outcomes and progress. The federal government calls these areas “focal points” and “selection criteria.”
We must address Successful State Systems in our application and we must address each of the four items to do so.
In Area 2, we must address all five elements that are included by the Challenge. Let’s go through them.
Programs that should participate include those funded by Title I, CCDF, state preschool, Head Start/Early Head Start, and IDEA Parts B/619 and C.
In Area 3, we must address at least two of the four items and can address all of them. We have to provide our rationale for our choice here. “ High-quality early learning and development standards” are defined as a set of guidelines describing what children should know and be able to do.
In Area 4, we can address either one or both of two elements.
In Area 5, we can address either one or both of two elements.
There are two competitive priorities. Either- here is how we are thinking about them now. Or, what do you think about addressing these? We get extra points for addressing competitive priorities- 10 points for each competitive priority for a total of 20 extra. The grand total of points available for the full application is 300.
Invitational priorities will not be scored, but they are of interest to the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
Add additional slides as necessary to outline your perspective on how you will proceed
Insert state contact and follow up information for your state here, as relevant.