NAEYC Update

New Federal Grants: Head Start Research and Early Reading First Grants

March 11, 2002

New Head Start Research Grants:
The Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services has announced the availability of funds and request for applications for research by university faculty or other nonprofit institutions and doctoral level graduate students in partnership with Head Start programs for research activities to develop and test models that use child outcomes to support continuous program improvement in local Head Start programs; Early Head Start-University Partnerships for research activities to support the development of infant-toddler mental health; and Graduate Student Research Grants to support field-initiated research activities. DATES: Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) May 3, 2002. Applications received after 5:00 p.m. on the deadline date will be classified as late. or more information, go to: http://www2.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/announce/fund/hsuniversity.htm

Get Ready for Early Reading First Applications:
The U.S. Department of Education will publish a notice of applications for the new Early Reading First grants around the second week of April. (See on NAEYC's Children's Champions a summary of the new grant program). Early childhood programs served by this grants must be located in low-income school districts, and a list of such areas is being generated now and will be posted on the Department's web site in the next two weeks. There will be several stages before awarding Early Reading First grants. The Department anticipates making up to 175 grant awards ranging in size from $250,000 to $1.5 million per award. There will be several stages to the application process. Here is an estimated timeline:

• Applications will be available mid-April, 2002

• Pre-applications will be due by the end of May

• Invitations to submit a full application from the pool of pre-applications will be early July

• Full applications will be due in early September

• Possible site visits will be conducted in October and November

• Grants will be award in December

Preference will likely be given to partnership applications by organizations and agencies on behalf of early childhood programs (this child care and Head Start) such as resource and referral agencies and AECYs and local school districts. If a state organization or agency applies, separately or as part of a partnership, it should show that it would use these funds on concentrated efforts in a few programs rather than disbursing the funds and activities across the state.

Reading First (grades K-3) is a formula program of grants to state educational agencies and then to eligible local school districts.