OSERS: OSEP: Preservice Improvement Enhancement Grants to Support Related Service Providers to Effectively Serve Children with Disabilities and Their Families

Overview

Purpose of Program: The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants, toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children. 

This competition includes one absolute priority, which includes one competitive preference priority within the absolute priority. 

Absolute Priority: We consider only applications that meet this priority. This priority is: Preservice Improvement Enhancement Grants to Support Related Service Providers to Effectively Serve Children with Disabilities and Their Families.

Priority: The purpose of this priority is to fund Preservice Improvement Enhancement Grants to Support Related Service Providers to Effectively Serve Children with Disabilities and Their Families to achieve, at a minimum, the following (see Full Proposal for details): 

1. Increased number of related services providers, including those who are multilingual and from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, equipped with the competencies necessary to deliver services to children with disabilities and their families in early intervention, early childhood, and school-based settings. 
2. Increased number of institutions of higher education (IHEs), including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), with related services personnel preparation programs at the associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, educational specialist, or clinical doctorate degree level that include sufficient coursework, assignments, and clinical experiences in early intervention, early childhood, and school-based settings to support students in developing competencies to serve children with disabilities and their families. 
3. Increased capacity of related services faculty to design and implement enhanced degree programs at the associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, educational specialist, or clinical doctorate degree level that prepare related services providers to deliver services to children with disabilities and their families in early intervention, early childhood, and school-based settings. 

Competitive Preference Priority: Applications from HBCUs, TCCUs, and other MSIs, and private nonprofit organizations that have legal authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements with the Federal government on behalf of an HBUC, TCCU, and other MSI.

N/A

Estimated Range of Awards: $125,000 to $150,000 per year. 
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $135,000 per year.
Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $450,000 per project for a project period of 36 months. Note: Applicants must describe, in their applications, the amount of funding being requested for each 12- month budget period.