ACF: Secondary Analyses of Child Care and Early Education Data

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) plans to solicit applications for Secondary Analyses of Child Care and Early Education data grants. These grants aim to support researchers conducting secondary analyses of data to address key questions of relevance to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

Donor Name: Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

State: All States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 05/04/2022

Grant Size: $ 100,000

Grant Duration: 18 months

Details:

CCDF is the primary federal funding source for child care subsidies and aims to help eligible low-income working families access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. CCDF also aims to improve the quality of care and promote children’s healthy development and learning by supporting child care licensing, quality improvement systems to help programs meet higher standards, and training and education for child care workers. Analyzing existing data sets may provide researchers an efficient and cost-effective method for answering critical research questions of relevance to CCDF. Findings from these grants are intended to inform policy, program administration, and future research. Topics of particular interest to ACF may include, but are not limited to the following: recruiting and retaining a qualified early care and education workforce; reducing barriers to access and/or improvements in access to ECE, particularly for those most in need of services; consumer education, COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery, building the supply of high-quality care and education; improving teacher and caregiver competencies through professional development; supporting workforce well-being; and approaches to engage, support, and meet the needs of families. Data sets of particular interest to ACF may include, but are not limited to, the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education and state or territory-level workforce registry, subsidy, Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), licensing, monitoring, child care resource and referral, or Preschool Development Grants Birth-5 data.

ACF makes substantial investments to deliver these high-quality child care and early education programs to young children and their families, and there is a robust and growing body of research to inform those investments. However, many critical questions remain about how to most effectively and efficiently support the well-being of young children and their families, particularly those with low incomes and at-risk for economic insecurity. The specific goals of the grants are as follows:

Produce new evidence of relevance to the goals and outcomes of CCDF;
Encourage active communication, networking, and collaboration among prominent child care and early education researchers and policymakers; and
Build the capacity of child care and early education researchers to rigorously analyze existing data sets and disseminate their findings to multiple audiences.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Funding: $1,500,000
Award Ceiling: $ 100,000 Per Project Period
Award Floor: $90,000 Per Project Period
Length of Project Periods: 18-month project period and budget period

Eligibility Criteria

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
County governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
State governments
City or township governments
Private institutions of higher education
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Special district governments
Small businesses
Independent school districts
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Eligibility is open to organizations/entities that apply on behalf of researchers who hold doctorate or equivalent degrees in their respective fields, conduct research as a primary professional responsibility, and have been first or second author on publications in peer-reviewed research journals. Applicant organizations/entities may submit more than one application, on behalf of more than one researcher. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of this part and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., the Department will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity announcement. Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise.