The Prekindergarten Capacity Building Grant is a competitive grant program administered by the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
Donor Name: Maryland State Department of Education
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 09/08/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $200,000
Grant Duration: 11 months
Details:
This grant provides funding for local education agencies (LEAs) and private providers to build the capacity 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.
The Prekindergarten Capacity Building Grant is a competitive grant program administered by the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). It provides a pathway for new and/or existing programs to prepare to access the Maryland State Prekindergarten grant opportunities.
The purpose of the grant is to build the capacity of new and/or existing programs to meet the requirements to be eligible for Maryland State Prekindergarten grants thereby broadening availability and expanding 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: $10,000,000
- Grant Amount: Up to $200,000 per classroom
Grant Period
August 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 (one-time, one-year grant opportunity)
Uses of funds
Funds may be used for:
- Salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for teaching staff. Lead teachers must be paid a salary commensurate with the LEA in the respective county based upon their education, role and experience level. For a list of minimum teacher salaries for local education agencies in Maryland, see table 3 of the Professional Salary Schedules Maryland Public Schools.
- 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 Capacity Building 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 achieving 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 seeking certification or recertification of qualified teaching staff.
Eligibility Criteria
This funding opportunity is designed for those who will deliver Prekindergarten services, including Local Education Agencies (LEAs) or qualified vendors and/or private providers who:
- hold a valid license.
- have not incurred any serious health or safety violations.
- are Head Start program
Program Requirements
Grant funds must be used to serve three- and four- year-old children from families with an income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level in full-day settings and meet the definition of high-quality Prekindergarten programs. Furthermore, the grant extends eligibility to students with disabilities regardless of income, students experiencing homelessness, and students from homes in which English is not the primary spoken language. Grant funds must be used to provide an educational program designed to provide high-quality learning experiences for children in Prekindergarten. These educational programs are led by highly qualified teaching staff and include curriculum that is:
- Evidence-based and developmentally appropriate
- Aligned with Maryland’s birth-to- three years early learning standards and Maryland college and career ready standards
- Implements formative and summative assessments.
Maryland Prekindergarten programs must have developmentally appropriate classrooms that are wellequipped to address the needs of all children, including those with disabilities, English and multilingual learners, and students experiencing homelessness. Programs are committed to ongoing program evaluation to ensure continuous quality improvement for the children and families they serve.
For more information, visit MSDE.
