Preschool Development Grant

Strengthening NC’s System of Early Childhood Supports
Since 2018, NCDHHS' Division of Child Development and Early Education has been awarded more than $75 million from the Administration for Children and Families as part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five.

This includes:

  • A $4.5 million planning grant (FY 2019)
  • A $40.5 million renewal grant (FY 2020-2022)
  • A $4 million planning grant (FY 2023)
  • A $27 million renewal grant (FY 2024-2027)

What is the Preschool Development Grant?
The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care.

The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) grants are available to states and territories to support early childhood services for children birth to age five. Funds support a needs assessment, strategic planning, family engagement, quality improvement, workforce compensation and supports, and the creation of seamless learning experiences from birth to elementary school. 

PDG B-5 grants support improved collaboration among existing programs as well as a mixed delivery system that includes child care and family child care providers, Head Start, state pre-kindergarten and home visiting.

See a list of current awardees.

NC’s Current Preschool Development Grant Birth-Five Initiatives
North Carolina's FY2024 PDG B-5 Renewal Grant builds on past successes to enhance our early care and learning network. Designed to support implementation of the revised Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS), this grant encompasses strategic initiatives aligned with the Birth-Five Strategic Plan and the Child Care Development Fund Block Grant. It includes strategies to support the early childhood education workforce, increase family involvement in early childhood education programs, improve early childhood education program quality and expand access to early childhood services.

A Program Performance Evaluation Plan is being implemented to ensure successful evaluation, monitoring, and continuous quality improvement of all grant activities.

The Preschool Development Grant funding supports these initiatives in North Carolina:

  • Building Bright Futures Apprenticeship Initiative
  • Child Care Academies
  • Child Development Assessment for NC Pre-K And Beyond
  • Collaborative Model for Family Child Care Homes Quality and Family Engagement
  • Competency-Based Evaluation
  • Expand Adult Mental Health First Aid Training for Child Care Programs
  • Increase Compensation for Family Child Care Home Providers
  • Program Performance Evaluation Plan
  • QRIS Support and Supplement Study

Learn more about these PDG initiatives.

PDG Partners
The DCDEE partners with several North Carolina-based and national groups to complete the PDG projects, including NC Committee for Business Education, 16 two and four year colleges and universities, North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project (NCRLAP), Teaching Strategies, the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Acelero Learning, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work and Child Trends.

Contact
PDG B-5 Program Coordinator: Nicole Boone, nicole.boone@dhhs.nc.gov, PDG B-5 Grant Manager: Katherine Falen, katherine.falen@dhhs.nc.gov

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