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Preschool Development Grant

Preschool Development Grant in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Early Childhood Education (ECE) believes that every family should have an opportunity to choose a high-quality early care and education setting that promotes positive development of their child. Scientists, economists, and educators recognize that research suggests early care and education beginning at birth is an investment that pays dividends as children enter kindergarten, move through the early elementary grades, transition to college or a career, and become adult citizens in their community. Families that choose early care and education programs for their children do so for a variety of reasons and should have options for programs that are high quality, are available where families live and work, and are affordable. 

Overview

In December 2022, Arizona was awarded the Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 (PDG B-5) Renewal Grant. This is a 3-year grant with a total of $42 million in funding. Grant initiatives include increasing access to high-quality early learning programs for children Birth-5 years old, building early childhood educator capacity, supporting family engagement, and increasing inclusive settings for children with disabilities. Arizona's PDG Application outlines the priorities and goals of the grant, and the official federal announcement highlights PDG B-5 allocations by state.

Informational Webinars & Slides

Timeline

PDG B-5 Grant Timeline - Cohort 2 (Year 1)

Jan/ Feb 2024

PDG informational webinars for the Cohort 2 competitive application process

Feb/ Mar 2024

Cohort 2 subgrant application open in Grants Management Enterprise (GME)

*Application closes March 29, 2024

APR 2024

Notification of Award for Startup/Expansion and Slot funding (Cohort 2)

May 2024

2-day mandatory Subgrantee Onboarding (Cohort 2)

June/ July 2024

Subgrantee program implementation preparations begin

Begin hiring process (if needed)

Aug/ Sept 2024

Classroom set-up and staff hiring (Cohort 2)

*Slot-funded classrooms must be fully operational by Sept. 30, 2024

Oct/ Nov  2024

Initial site visits begin for Slot-funded subgrantees

Mar/ Apr  2025

Initial site visits begin for Startup/Expansion subgrantees

PDG Eligibility

Please click on the link below to download and view a list of sites that are pre-identified as eligible to apply for PDG B-5 Subgrant funding.*

PDG Eligibility List

Eligibility criteria include**:

  • Rural communities
  • Tribal communities
  • Opportunity zones
  • Child care  or preschool gap (greater than 25%)
  • Current capacity for serving infants/toddlers
  • Early childhood assessment data below proficient scores
  • District ELA minimally proficient average score
  • Percentage of population below 300% of federal poverty level

*This is a highly competitive grant and there is no guarantee of award, even for sites on the eligibility list. 

**Please note that when completing the Eligibility Questionnaire in Grants Management, programs that meet any of the above criteria are eligible to apply.

PDG Application Process

UPDATED! A full guide on the PDG application process can be found here:

PDG Application Guide

 

The rubric used during the application review process can be found here:

Application Rubric

Step 1: SAM.gov. Registration/Renewal

Your organization must have an active SAM.gov registration prior to submitting a Preschool Development Grant B-5 (PDG B-5) application. Upon successful completion of a SAM.gov registration, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number will be issued to your organization.

The SAM.gov UEI registration process can take up to 10 business days to complete.

Start a new SAM Registration or Renew an Existing Registration.

SAM Home Page Screenshot

 

Step 2: Apply for Entity ID with Arizona Department of Education

To allow time for processing prior to the application close date, the deadline to request a new Entity ID is March 15, 2024.

Documentation Required for Entity ID

  • Unique Entity Identifier (see Step 1 above)
  • Entity Information
  • License/Certificate
    • AZ Department of Health Services License
    • DES Family Child Care Provider Certificate

Submit the completed form and license/certificate to [email protected].

Step 3: Apply for Entity administrator access in ADEConnect

Request Access for Entity Administrator in ADEConnect

Request Access for Entity Administrator

Monitoring and Fiscal Requirements

Reimbursement

The PDG is a cost-reimbursement grant, a type of grant under which ADE ECE will reimburse the sub-grantee for work performed and/or costs incurred by the sub-grantee up to the total amount specified in the grant and contingent upon allowable use of funds. PDG reimbursement requests will be made using the ADE electronic Grants Management Enterprise (GME) System. For frequently asked questions, documentation, and fiscal processes associated with the Grants Management Enterprise system, please visit the interactive Grants Management Resource Library.

Document Templates

PDG Slot Funding Awardees can use the following document templates for enrollment and monitoring.

State Fiscal Year 2025
FY25 Child/Family Application
FY25 Most In Need Form
FY25 Child Age Verification Form
FY25 Family Income Verification Form
FY25 Teacher Education Verification Form
FY25 Teacher Education Attainment Plan
FY25 Waitlist Sharing Protocol
FY25 Family Engagement Self-Assessment
FY25 Kindergarten Transition Plan
State Fiscal Year 2024
Child/Family Application
Most In Need Form
Child Age Verification Form
Family Income Verification Form
Teacher Education Verification Form
Teacher Education Attainment Plan
Waitlist Sharing Protocol
Family Engagement Self-Assessment
Kindergarten Transition Plan

EMAC

With the exception of budget documentation/reimbursement requests noted above, PDG monitoring documents will be summitted via the EMAC platform through ADEConnect.

Videos:

Guidance Documents:

PDG B-5 Awarded Sites

The following sites have been awarded the PDG Grant. These sites will utilize the grant to provide high-quality infant, toddler, and/or preschool programming to their communities' youngest learners. Congratulations to the PDG awardees!!

Cohort 1- Continuation

City

A New Leaf Phoenix DayMesa
Aleph Bet Preschool & KindergartenPhoenix
Alhambra Elementary District/Cordova Elementary SchoolPhoenix
Benson Primary SchoolBenson
Colorado City Unified District/ Cottonwood ElementaryColorado City
Creighton Elementary District/ GatewayPhoenix
Creighton Elementary District/ Larry C KennedyPhoenix
Heartwood MontessoriMesa
Kindertots IncPhoenix
Page Unified School District #8Page
Tolleson Elementary District/ Desert OasisTolleson
Valley of the Sun YMCA/MaryvalePhoenix
Yuma Elementary District/Mary Otonodo ElementaryYuma

Awarded Sites- Cohort 2

City

Acorn Christian Montessori School-North CampusPrescott Valley
Avondale Elementary District/Centerra MirageGoodyear
Avondale Elementary District/Desert StarGoodyear
Benson Unified School District/ Benson Primary SchoolBenson
Cartwright Elementary District/ Cartwright Early Childhood CenterPhoenix
Gadsden Elementary District/ San Luis PreschoolSan Luis
Glendale Elementary District/ Desert Garden Elementary SchoolGlendale
Littleton Elementary District/ Littleton Elementary SchoolAvondale
Osborn Elementary District/ Longview Elementary SchoolPhoenix
Osborn Elementary District/ Solano SchoolPhoenix
Prescott Unified District/ Discovery Gardens PreschoolPrescott
United Cerebral Palsy Association of Central Arizona, Inc.Phoenix
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ Chris-Town YMCAPhoenix
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ Lincoln Family Downtown YMCAPhoenix
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ Northwest Valley Family YMCAPhoenix
Wilson Elementary District/ Wilson Primary SchoolPhoenix
Yuma Elementary District/ James B Rolle SchoolYuma
Yuma Elementary District/ Pecan Grove Elementary School Yuma

Awarded Sites- Cohort 1

City

A Kiddie's KingdomPhoenix
A New Leaf Phoenix DayMesa
Aleph Bet Preschool & KindergartenPhoenix
Alhambra Elementary District/Cordova Elementary SchoolPhoenix
Benson Primary SchoolBenson
Colorado City Unified District/ Cottonwood ElementaryColorado City
Creighton Elementary District/ GatewayPhoenix
Creighton Elementary District/ Larry C KennedyPhoenix
De Colores Daycare, LLCTucson
Estrellita Child Care Center, LLCSan Luis
Heartwood MontessoriMesa
Immanuel Care for ChildrenPhoenix
Kindertots IncPhoenix
Lil' Einsteins Academy LLCSan Tan Valley
Little Scooters Preschool LLCBullhead City
Page Unified School District #8Page
Preschool Express, LLCYuma
Sage Child Development Center, LLCSurprise
Skull Valley Elementary DistrictSkull Valley
Tolleson Elementary District/ Desert OasisTolleson
Treehouse Kids' ClubYuma
Treehouse Preschool, IncYuma
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ Chris-TownPhoenix
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ LincolnPhoenix
Valley of the Sun YMCA/ MaryvalePhoenix
Yuma Elementary District/ Mary Otonodo ElementaryYuma

Resources

The official announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Early Childhood Development, regarding PDG awards can be found on the HHS Website. 

PDG Announcement

UPDATED! A full guide on the PDG application process can be found here:

PDG Application Guide

Disclaimer Statement

This website is supported by Grant Number 90TP008703 from the Office of Early Childhood Development within the Administration of Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Neither ACF nor any of its components operates, controls, is responsible for, or necessarily endorses this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the Arizona Department of Education and do not necessarily reflect the views of ACF and the Office of Early Childhood Development.