GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES MASSACHUSETTS AWARDED $15 MILLION FOR EARLY EDUCATION INITIATIVES

GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES MASSACHUSETTS AWARDED $15 MILLION FOR EARLY EDUCATION INITIATIVES 
Federal Grant Funds Will Increase Access to High Quality Early Education in Five Communities Across the State

BOSTON – Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – Governor Deval Patrick today announced that Massachusetts is one of 13 grant award winners in the federal Preschool Development Grant: Expansion Grant competition, and will receive significant funding to expand high quality preschool programs in five high-needs communities across the state. These communities are Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell and Springfield. 

Massachusetts applied for up to $60 million over four years under the federal Preschool Development Grant: Expansion Grant program.  The U.S. Department of Education announced today that Massachusetts will receive its full request for $15 million in the first year of the grant. 

“I am extremely proud of all that Massachusetts has accomplished in education innovation, and of our state's continued leadership as a national trailblazer in early education," said Governor Patrick. "This award will allow the Commonwealth to further advance its achievements in providing high-quality educational opportunities for all children that puts them in a path for a lifetime of success."

The federal Preschool Development Grants competition supports states in building and expanding the delivery of high-quality voluntary preschool programs.  The Expansion Grant funds are focused on increasing the availability of high-quality preschool programs in targeted communities within a state that will serve as models for expanding preschool to all 4-year-olds from low-income families in that state.

The five communities partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care for this program will develop public school district and community-based provider partnerships for expanded preschool programming.  Together, these partnerships will provide a year of high-quality preschool programming for approximately 750 four-year-olds in the participating communities during the first year of the grant.  The funding will also support quality improvements in outreach and coordination of comprehensive services, assuring that young children's development is supported and advanced in their home environments as well as in preschool settings.

"Early education is a powerful investment that helps kids grow and succeed,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren. “This federal grant will give more Massachusetts families a chance at high-quality early education for their kids by expanding and strengthening preschool programs in communities across the Commonwealth.”

“Every child in Massachusetts deserves access to a great education,” said Senator Edward J. Markey. “This federal funding will support high-quality early learning programs in Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell and Springfield to prepare more students to succeed. Children who have access to early learning programs are more likely to continue in their education and become productive members of society, and I congratulate Governor Patrick and the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care for their leadership.”

“Massachusetts has long led the nation in quality public education,” said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. “The announcement of new federal funding through the preschool expansion grant competition is recognition of the Commonwealth's longstanding investment in our young students, and of the innovative work done by our teachers and administrators. My colleagues and I advocated strongly on behalf of Massachusetts receiving this funding because high quality early childhood education helps build a strong foundation for future learning. This funding will enable Third District communities to open more seats for our youngest learners and give more families access to this early learning opportunity, which is critical to improved childhood development. It is a strong investment in our future.”

Massachusetts was eligible to apply for an Expansion Grant as a recipient of a Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant, which Massachusetts won in 2011.  Under the RTT-ELC grant, the Commonwealth received $50 million to implement a bold and comprehensive plan for improving the quality of early learning programs across the state. 

Key components of the Commonwealth’s plan for use of the Preschool Development Grant: Expansion Grantfunding include: 

• Expanding access to high quality classroom learning environments by offering inclusive full-day and full-year programming with low child to teacher ratios (10:1 or less) and supporting children and their families through school transition;
• Providing workforce development supports including individualized growth plans and joint professional development between the school district and community early education programs on topics such as developmentally-appropriate curricula, instruction and assessment practices, and leadership development;
• Implementing a system to use data for strategic planning and continuous program quality improvement, measuring children's development across multiple domains, and for regular public reporting and accountability; and
• Having highly credentialed educators supported through coaching and mentoring from Master Teachers and compensated at a rate comparable to public school district salaries.

The Preschool Development Grant: Expansion Grant award will advance the Patrick Administration’s goal of ensuring that all children, particularly high-needs children, have access to quality pre-K education and experiences that will put them on an early path to success and builds on the Administration’s efforts to build a more aligned, statewide early learning and development system.

“Investments in early education is among the best we can make in public education. The critical work that happens in these early formative years has a profound impact on student success well into a child’s high school years,” said Education Secretary Matthew Malone. “These grants will help Massachusetts build stronger early learning programs across the Commonwealth.”

"Massachusetts is grateful for the opportunity that this funding will provide in allowing more children to have access to a high-quality preschool program that will support their learning and readiness for school success," said Early Education and Care Commissioner Thomas L. Weber. "We look forward to working with our partner communities in furthering the progress we have made in building a system of high-quality, universally-accessible early education and care for all children in the state."

"Investing in our youngest students lays the groundwork for their long-term success,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “In Boston, our high quality pre-kindergarten programs have been proven to be among the most effective in the nation at eliminating achievement gaps for all students, which is why expanding these programs to reach even more families is one of our top priorities. I want to thank the Governor for his leadership in putting together this statewide effort, the Congressional Delegation for their advocacy, and the Obama Administration for making these awards possible."

“For all the challenges we face, this grant reinforces that Massachusetts’ education system is on the leading edge of solving some of today’s toughest problems,” said State Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz. “We could cut our unemployment rate in half if in the future we could match all those who are unemployed with positions that are currently going unfilled in our state. A better education system is the key to that. And robust, universally accessible early education is one of the best tools in our toolbox for improving education outcomes. I’d like to give a public high-five to the Department of Early Education and Care for submitting such a rigorous and well-rounded plan and winning this money for our state.”

"I am pleased that Massachusetts was selected as a winner of this federal grant," said State Representative Alice Hanlon Peisch. "This funding gives our Commonwealth the opportunity to provide high quality early education to more children who need it, as well as the chance to work collaboratively toward that goal with public school districts and current providers."

"This grant award provides a phenomenal opportunity for the Commonwealth to innovate in advancing partnerships that leverage the strengths of our diverse early education and care field for the benefit of our young children and families," said Board of Early Education and Care Chair Jay Gonzalez. "These additional resources to support quality provider and program enhancements and to give more children access to such critical resources during their most formative years will help strengthen our communities and support our collective future prosperity."

Massachusetts' full Preschool Development Grant: Expansion Grant application is posted at: http://www.mass.gov/edu/researchers/early-education-and-care/