The Prekindergarten Expansion Grants program is now available to both private child care providers and Local Education Agencies, providing $13,000 in funding to each eligible child.
Donor Name: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/13/2023
Size of the Grant: $400,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The Prekindergarten Expansion Grant is a competitive grant program administered by the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). It provides funding for local education agencies (LEAs) and private providers to administer high-quality prekindergarten and school readiness services throughout the State for children and their families in coordination with the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
Purpose
Broaden availability and expand access to high-quality prekindergarten educational programming and school readiness services for three- year-old and four-year-old students from families with household incomes up to 300% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL), students with special education needs regardless of income, students with a home language other than English regardless of income, and students experiencing homelessness regardless of income.
Funding Information
- Funding Amount Available: $26,644,000
- Grant Amount: $400,000 (estimated average grant amount)
- Grant Period: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
Uses of fund
Funds may be used for:
- Salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for teaching staff. State certified teachers must be compensated commensurate with at least the minimum entry salary of the LEA in which the program is located.
- Equipment, materials, and supplies (e.g., classroom furniture, instructional materials including MSDE approved curriculum resources to support the Maryland Early Learning Standards, book supplies for family literacy or math activities).
- Reasonable rental costs are allowable and should be reviewed periodically. Contact the
- Prekindergarten Expansion Grant program contact for this grant program for specific conditions and requirements if property rental costs are included in the budget narrative.
- Technology costs (may not exceed 10% of the total fund request).
- Costs associated with maintaining Maryland or national accreditation status, or Maryland EXCELS rating.
- Costs for contracts to administer screening and intervention services for prekindergarten students.
- Costs associated with evaluation and monitoring of the project (may not exceed 5% of the total fund request).
- Indirect costs (may not exceed 10% of the total fund request).
- Costs for at least one meal per day for students.
- Costs for academic field trips.
- Costs associated with the provision of staff and professional learning activities to support recertification of qualified teaching staff.
Eligibility Criteria
This funding opportunity is designed for those who deliver prekindergarten services and are accredited and participate in the Maryland EXCELS program, including:
- Local Education Agencies (LEAs) or qualified vendors and private providers who:
- hold a valid license.
- have not incurred any serious health or safety violations.
- are Head Start programs.
- Priority will be given to programs with the following Maryland EXCELS ratings (in order of priority):
- Published at Level 5 with a plan to maintain this level;
- Publish at level 4 with a plan to publish at Level 5 by the end of the grant period (if you fall into this criterion, you must include a plan to reach level 5 as part of your application); or
- Published at Level 3 with a plan approved by MSDE to achieve Level 5 within five years (if you fall into this criterion, you must include a plan to reach level 5 as part of your application).
- Priority will be given to high-quality programs that:
- are seeking renewal or expansion of existing programs with a demonstrable track record of success;
- are in areas of the state that have an unmet need for prekindergarten services; or
- include parental/guardian engagement and educational activities beyond the classroom.
For more information, visit MSDE.
