Proposals To Innovate Financial Systems To Build Capacity For Increased And Sustainable Early Childhood Education (Ece) Compensation

Overview

The Early Educator Investment Collaborative (The Collaborative) is currently accepting proposals for a limited number of grants to state/local/municipal/territory/tribal governments to innovatively build systemic and structural capacity to support sustainable and equitable early childhood education (ECE) workforce compensation (wages and benefits) increases. Via this funding opportunity, The Collaborative will support partnerships among fiscal/budget agencies and program agencies to engage in efforts to catalyze transformative change for ECE workforce compensation. The Collaborative is committed to supporting efforts that promote diversity and inclusion in the ECE workforce. To that end, The Collaborative will prioritize funding for applicants that center principles of equity to support the racial, ethnic, linguistic, and/or socioeconomic diversity of the field by advancing durable workforce compensation.

The Early Educator Investment Collaborative (The Collaborative) is currently accepting proposals for a limited number of grants to state/local/municipal/territory/tribal governments to innovatively build systemic and structural capacity to support sustainable and equitable early childhood education (ECE) workforce compensation (wages and benefits) increases. Via this funding opportunity, The Collaborative will support partnerships among fiscal/budget agencies and program agencies to engage in efforts to catalyze transformative change for ECE workforce compensation. The Collaborative is committed to supporting efforts that promote diversity and inclusion in the ECE workforce. To that end, The Collaborative will prioritize funding for applicants that center principles of equity to support the racial, ethnic, linguistic, and/or socioeconomic diversity of the field by advancing durable workforce compensation.

This grant will support governments in the implementation of innovative financing approaches centered on the use of multiple funding streams to fund increased compensation in the immediate and long-term future.

Additionally, this opportunity will specifically support governments in the use of typical funds, atypical funds, one-time competitive grant funds, education funds, and new revenue, to promote high-quality ECE and increased compensation8. Some examples of typical funds where ECE is a primary use include the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF). Some examples of atypical funds include Medicaid, and Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds. An example of a one-time competitive grant fund is the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5). Education funds that can be used to support ECE include Every Student Succeeds Act, Head Start Act, Higher Education Act, and other state/local/municipal/territorial/tribal funding designated for education. New revenue includes revenue generated by the state/locality/municipality/territory/tribe that may support early education and workforce issues. The funding streams and revenue sources that are identified and acted upon as part of this grant may differ depending on the context of the geography. 

Commitment to Transforming Systems  Applicants should propose solutions that are systemic, innovative, and equitable. 

• By systemic, we mean solutions that catalyze transformative structural and policy change in the ECE workforce system, with a focus on increasing wages and benefits, across the continuum of professional roles, early learning settings, and children's ages. 
• By innovative, we mean strategies that are not typically implemented, for example the utilization of atypical funding sources to support ECE compensation initiatives. The innovation itself could also be expanding and linking previously existing yet disparate efforts across siloed elements of early educator compensation, coupled with new strategies.  
• By equitable, we mean solutions that seek to eliminate racial disparities in compensation among the current ECE workforce which is disproportionately composed of women of color who are being paid unjust wages. Prospective applicants are encouraged to explore and embed the principles, conceptual frameworks, and strategies included in the resource list in Appendix A of this document. 

The Collaborative welcomes proposals that benefit a range of ECE professional roles, including teaching staff and administrative staff, in the variety of settings in which early care and education occur. All viable proposals must include lead teachers, including infant/toddler teachers and family child care providers, in settings that serve children ages birth to five, acknowledging the persistent disparities in compensation among those that work in community-based birth to five settings and those who work in public settings serving older children.

To be eligible to apply for this opportunity, applicants must meet the following criteria:  

Applicants may apply from any state, locality, municipality, territory, or tribal community. We acknowledge the varied governance structures in tribal communities and will entertain proposals that reflect the relevant context needed to accomplish the grant goals.

Applicants must apply as a partnership that includes a Core Implementation Team that must include leadership and/or senior staff from the following governmental agencies/entities or their applicable equivalents in the applicant’s context:

• The fiscal entity that controls the administrative budget such as the Office of Management and Budget (or equivalent)
• The administrative entity with authority over child care funding
• The administrative entity with authority over public education funding
• The administrative entity with authority over preschool/pre-kindergarten programs and funding
• The administrative entity with authority over higher education programs and/or funding
• The administrative entity with authority over any Special Revenue Funds (if applicable) 

Applicants must identify an advisory body, such as a Workforce Council or State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (SAC), or equivalent, constituting representatives of early educators, employers, higher education institutions, and other community members that will inform the project design and implementation.  

Applicants must meet the 10% matching funds requirement.

Grants will vary in size according to identified need and the proposed reform’s stage of development, with minimum total grant awards ranging from approximately $400,000 to $800,000 and maximum awards ranging from approximately $2 million to $4 million. Proposals should reflect the true cost of the anticipated work.

Applicants may propose grant terms of up to three years.