Transcript Early Learning Opportunities Act
Early Learning Opportunities Act
History Purpose Allowable Activities Overview of Current Activities
For more information contact any of the following ELOA Project Officers: Carol Gage, 202-690-6243 [email protected]
Valerie Krajec, 202-401-5067 [email protected]
Cathy Overbagh, 202-205-8531 [email protected]
HISTORY of ELOA
• The ELOA was passed by Congress in Fiscal Year 2001 to award grants to States to enable them to increase, support, expand, and better coordinate early learning opportunities for children and their families through local community organizations.
SPECIAL RULE
• SEC. 807. (e): “If funds appropriated to carry out this title are less than $150,000,000 for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants for the fiscal year directly to Local Councils, on a competitive basis, to pay the Federal share of the cost of carrying out early learning programs in the locality served by the Local Council.”
ELOA Funding History
FY 2001 $20,000,000 FY 2002 $25,000,000 FY 2003 $34,000,000 FY 2004 $33,579,313 FY 2005 $36,000,000
Number of ELOA Grantees
FY 2001 26 grantees FY 2002 31 grantees FY 2003 43 grantees FY 2004 40 grantees FY 2005 35 - 50 grantees Project Periods will be September 30, 2005 – February 28, 2007
Purposes of ELOA
1. Increase the availability of voluntary programs, services, and activities that support early effectiveness, and promote the learning readiness to learn; 2. Support parents, child care providers, and activities into the daily lives of young children; 3. Remove barriers to the provision of an accessible system of early childhood learning programs in communities throughout the United States;
Purposes of ELOA, cont.
4. Increase the availability and affordability of compensation for caregivers and child care providers; and 5. Facilitate the development of community delivery models characterized by resource supports, and local planning for services.
Allowable ELOA Activities
• In general, Local Councils may use ELOA funds to pay for developing, operating, or enhancing voluntary early learning programs that are likely to produce sustained gains in early learning.
Eight Allowable ELOA Activities
1. Since FY 2002, ACF requires that all grants include activities for
enhancing early childhood literacy
AND two or more of the following seven allowable activities:
2. Helping parents, caregivers, child care providers, and educators increase their capacity to facilitate the development of cognitive, language comprehension, expressive language, social emotional, and motor skills, and promote learning readiness; 3. Promoting effective parenting; 4. Developing linkages among early learning programs within a community and between early learning programs and health care services for young children;
5. Increasing access to early learning opportunities for young children with special needs including developmental delays, by facilitating coordination with other programs serving such young children; 6. Increasing access to existing early learning programs by expanding the days or times that the young children are served, by expanding the number of young children served, or by improving the affordability of the programs for low-income families;
7. Improving the quality of early learning programs through professional development and training activities, increased compensation, and recruitment and retention incentives for early learning providers; 8. Removing ancillary barriers to early learning, including transportation difficulties and absence of programs during nontraditional work times.
Examples of ELOA Grantees’ Goals/Objectives for Young Children with Special Needs
Increase access to inclusive child care and early learning opportunities Increase knowledge and competence of early childhood providers and caregivers
Provide a variety of supports to parents and caregivers Connect families and caregivers with appropriate resources Increase knowledge and understanding of early childhood development, importance of early years, and literacy
Provide young children with special needs and their families with expanded and enriched opportunities for early care and education through play groups, parent education, and support groups Reduce barriers to early learning opportunities Assist and coordinate early identification, diagnosis, and referral
Increase capacity to support child care providers to provide early learning opportunities Provide access to books, toys, and adaptive equipment to parents of young children with special needs and caregivers
Examples of ELOA Grantees Target Population
Medicaid eligible first time mothers Children served by licensed and un licensed family, friend, and neighbor child care providers Child care centers including faith based
Low-income families Traditionally unserved and underserved groups (e.g., rural, teen parents, unlicensed minority providers) Ethnic and language minorities: Hmong, Russian, Spanish, Somali, American Indian Young children with chronic health and behavioral health needs
ELOA Grantees and Their Partners
Local education agency Maternal and child health program Protective Services Primary care physicians and pediatricians State-wide minority health coalition Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies Libraries & Children’s Museums
State-wide Minority Health Coalition County Child Care Director’s Network United Way, United Cerebral Palsy, YMCA/YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs State Departments of Education Head Start Programs Family Centers Television and Radio Stations
Family, friend, and neighbor providers, child care centers County Literacy Council Mayors, County Executives, State Legislators Council of Churches Businesses: Banks, Hospitals, Chambers of Commerce Community Colleges & Universities Foundations
How are ELOA Grantees accomplishing their goals?
Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration Professional Development Parent Education & Community-wide Events Capacity Building Addressing & Resolving Barriers
Mentoring and Home Visiting Programs Mobile Services (screening, book mobiles, parent education, provider resources) Child Care Quality Improvement Book Distribution Programs Recruitment & Retention Strategies
* * * * *
Lessons Learned
Partner, Partner, Partner No Pain No Gain Providing more activities isn’t the answer if you want long-term results Identify existing resources and build upon them Important to build capacity and strengthen infra-structure to sustain movement and growth
* * * * Minority child care providers want to participate in professional development activities: Build it right and they will come!
You can gain access to Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers FFN providers are referring children to EIP and other appropriate agencies FFN providers want to do more for young children than just “baby-sit”
One ELOA grantee said it like this:
* Success of inclusive child care depends upon quality of program, commitment of administrative staff, access to ongoing opportunities for professional development and supports (mentoring, curriculum, access to specialists/resources) and