Resource Library

This brief, created in partnership with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA), provides information and resources about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA) two early childhood programs, early intervention services for infants and toddlers, and early childhood special education services for preschoolers. The brief also describes examples of how IDEA state staff and staff from other early care and education programs can work together to build a coordinated state system that will improve results for young children with disabilities and their families. Links to several helpful resources related to IDEA are included throughout the brief.

During the opening session for A Strategic Approach to Governing and Financing the ECE System strand , presenters provided an overview of key issues that affect the governing and financing of the early care and education system. Presenters shared their experiences with system reform and noted that financing is key to cross-sector system redesign efforts and described innovations in their states.

Creating and sustaining a coordinated early childhood system requires a focus on sustainable financing. This toolkit is a collection of tools, guidance, and resources for state early childhood leaders who want to learn more about different aspects of financing. It is curated to provide state leaders the guidance and support they need as they develop a more comprehensive and aligned fiscal system in multiple early childhood settings.

This webinar  focuses on strategies to use new federal funds to sustain a mixed delivery system. Elizabeth Gaines, executive director of the Children’s Funding Project gives an overview of federal funding. This webinar provides recommendations on processes and strategies to take regarding federal funds and features a panel of state leaders who discuss their strategies and experiences.

The PDG B-5 TA Center reviewed applications from the 23 awardees of PDG B-5 renewal grants to synthesize the birth through five system funding strategies, including how multiple funding streams interact and flow to providers, children, and families. A Review of Fiscal Strategies in PDG B-5 Renewal Grants highlights specific state funding examples and how these strategies support the overall goals of the PDG B-5 grant. This report also includes insights from state leaders on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the second year of federal PDG B-5 funding. 

This webinar  discusses state-level policies and practices that can facilitate the blending, braiding, and layering of funds and enhance the sustainability of effective state programs, practices, and services. State panelists share strategies, examples, and resources to assist state and local leaders. The webinar, designed for early childhood program staff and partners from all states and territories, provides participants with a better grasp of blending, braiding, and layering financing strategies.

During the opening session for Developing and Maintaining Strategic Partnerships strand , presenters provided a broad and historic overview of strategic partnerships in early childhood systems across the country and presented a vision for what it might look like in the future.

This toolkit of curated resources contains introductory information for those who are initially considering a focus on governance by providing definitions, a short overview, and materials about key facets of governance including varying approaches and models. For those who are already considering governance reforms, we provide more in-depth materials that include a guide for those looking at governance structures and deeper dives examining different aspects of governance in states. The concluding section provides information on systems frameworks, as a reinforcement that governance is one of several critical elements for achieving an equitable early childhood system at the state level.

This report analyzes the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) renewal applications from 23 states that received federal funding to support state efforts to expand access to high-quality early learning experiences. These experiences occur in a wide range of settings, including centers, family child care homes, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, state preschool programs, and home visiting services. This analysis specifically focuses on the role of partnerships in Grantee states’ proposals. All 23 states proposed partnerships—with a range of organizations from advocacy organizations to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and for multiple purposes.

This state highlight examines how Georgia and Kansas—states with different forms of governance for comprehensive early childhood care and education (ECCE)—incorporated intragovernmental partnerships into their state processes. It describes how those partnerships were leveraged to address system gaps, increase access, strengthen program alignment, and effectively respond to challenges identified in their comprehensive ECCE needs assessments.