Applications for Summer Preschool Funding Are Open Through June 1
Summer Preschool Funding is now available to provide summer preschool for children who were age 4 or 5 on September 1, 2020 and have not yet attended kindergarten. Funds are available for school districts, charter schools authorized to provide early childhood programming, Head Start programs, and Parent Aware Three- and Four-Star rated child care programs. The purpose of Summer Preschool Funding is to support children before they enter kindergarten, and specifically those who have experienced life circumstances that may have prevented them from being able to attend a high-quality early childhood program due to COVID-19.
Summer Preschool Funding Overview and Requirements
- Funds must be used for children who were 4 or 5 years old on or by September 1, 2020, and have not yet attended kindergarten.
- Priority for participation must be given to children meeting one or more of the following criteria:
- Children in foster care, under child protection, experiencing homelessness, tribally enrolled or the children of teenage parents.
- Children at risk for or currently receiving supports and services such as Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) or English learners.
- Children qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch or other public assistance programs that demonstrate a household income of 185 percent or less of the federal poverty guidelines.
- The program must offer a minimum of 100 instructional hours between June 15, 2021, and the first day of kindergarten programming at your local school district/charter school.
- Programming must meet the requirements of your program type’s service delivery model (school readiness, voluntary prekindergarten, school readiness plus, Head Start, or Parent Aware Three- or Four-Star rating standards).
- Programs must submit a final report by October 1, 2021, with enrollment details.
Summer Preschool Funding Details
- For every $4,800 allocated in Summer Preschool Funding, programs must serve at least one child (but may choose to serve more).
- Funding can be used to support tuition, teachers and staff, transportation, food service, interpreter or multilingual support costs, mental health consultants and inclusion specialists, materials/consumables and field trip expenses.
- School districts, charter schools with authorized early childhood programs, and Head Start programs are eligible for a pre-determined funding allocation based on the poverty concentration and children to be served. On May 24, this amount was emailed to Superintendents and an Early Childhood contact for districts and charters, and the Head Start Director for Head Start programs.
- Child care programs will enter site and enrollment details in the application. This information will be used in a formula to equitably distribute funding geographically across the state and to reach the children with priority.
Additional Information
Apply Here:
- 2021 Summer Preschool Application: School Districts, Charter Schools, and Head Start Programs
- 2021 Summer Preschool Application: Child Care
Guidance:
