The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is soliciting applications for Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation Grants.
Donor Name: Administration for Children and Families
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/18/2023
Size of the Grant: $25,000
Grant Duration: 24 months
Details:
Funds support dissertation research by advanced graduate students working in partnership with Head Start programs and with faculty mentors. These grants focus on building capacity in the research field by:
- addressing questions relevant to early childhood programs that serve children and families with low incomes,
- supporting applied experience with collaboration with participating program partners, and
- fostering mentoring relationships between faculty members and doctoral students.
OPRE is interested in research that directly informs local, state, or federal policies and is relevant to multiple early care and education settings. Applicants must demonstrate an established partnership with their Head Start program partner(s) (and other early care and education program partners, if applicable) that should be apparent throughout the research plan, from development and refinement of the research questions through the proposed data collection or secondary analyses of data, interpretation, and dissemination of findings.
Goals and Requirements of the Head Start Dissertation Grants
- Build capacity in the early care and education field by supporting high-quality dissertation research and student-faculty collaboration and mentorship.
- Conduct rigorous research that has the capacity to inform Head Start/EHS programs, policies, and practices.
- Support active communication, collaboration, and partnerships between researchers and Head Start/EHS programs.
- Foster the exchange of current research, ideas, and information among research, policy, and practice communities.
Priorities
Top topical priorities for the 2023 opportunity include (but are not limited to) improved understanding and building the evidence-base for the following:
- Programs’ methods and processes for reaching, enrolling, and/or sustaining the participation of the hardest to serve populations in Head Start/EHS (e.g., children/families experiencing deep poverty, homelessness, child maltreatment, foster care, children with an incarcerated or justice system involved parent);
- The comprehensive nature of Head Start/EHS and meeting children’s/families’ needs through comprehensive services (e.g., family engagement, family/parenting support services, economic/self-sufficiency support services, health, mental health, and/or disability services);
- Innovative strategies to build, retain, and provide professional development supports for a qualified Head Start/EHS workforce, including strategies to increase compensation and other financial supports; a focus on attracting new candidates to the field of ECE, support ECE staff to obtain degrees/credentials, and promote Head Start/EHS staff wellness;
- Measuring, examining, and improving the features of quality in Head Start/EHS that impact outcomes (e.g., classroom practices, home visiting practices, staff skills/competencies, center, or program-level quality features); and
- Understanding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Head Start/EHS program services, staff, families, and children, including children eligible for services under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, families experiencing homelessness, and families experiencing trauma.
Additionally, other topics of interest for this opportunity include (but are not limited to):
- The use of trauma-informed practices in Head Start/EHS;
- Transitions from Head Start to kindergarten or from EHS to Head Start;
- Tailoring, differentiating, or individualizing services to the unique needs of Head StartS/EHS children/families;
- Continuous quality improvement through the use of data and/or other methods in Head Start/EHS;
- Cost of quality (e.g., cost per child, cost-effectiveness, resource allocation, blending/braiding of funding sources);
- Birth-to-five models and conversion of Head Start slots/programs to EHS;
- Head Start or EHS partnerships and coordination with schools, child care, other state/local ECE programs, state early care and education systems, or other public benefit programs;
- Improving Head Start/EHS programs, policies, and practices with populations, such as:
- infants, toddlers, and their families;
- engaging incarcerated and justice-system involved parents in early learning;
- American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) children and families;
- migrant/seasonal families and their children;
- children with disabilities and their families; and
- dual language learners.
- Leadership and management in HSHead Start/EHS programs; and
- Studies using secondary data to address questions of relevance to Head Start/EHS. Potential projects with secondary data include, but are not limited to, the following:
- the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES)
- the EHS Family and Child Experiences Study (Baby FACES)
- the American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AIAN FACES)
- the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE)
- the Study of EHS-Child Care Partnerships (CC Partnerships)
- the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Study
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $150,000
- Award Ceiling: $25,000
- Award Floor: $20,000
Length of Project Periods
- 12-month project period and budget period
- 24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods
Eligible Applicants
- Small businesses
- Special district governments
- Private institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- State governments
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- City or township governments
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- County governments
- Independent school districts
Additional Information on Eligibility
Applicant eligibility is unrestricted except as noted in this section. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. 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.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
