Delaware wins Race to the Top-Early Learning grant

Delaware education will get a $50 million jumpstart for the new year after winning the first national Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge, which aims to give young children a head start in development and education.

The U.S. Departments of Education, and Health and Human Services awarded the competitive grant in mid-December to nine states, including California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.

Delaware’s application ranked fourth in the nation out of 37.

“Our ultimate goal will be measured by readiness for kindergarten, but preparing children for success in school starts at birth and has to prioritize physical, social and emotional development as a foundation for later academic skills,” the application said.

Delaware’s application depicted a four-level strategy for improvement, which begins by addressing the health and developmental needs of the whole child. That includes mental health services and the Parents as Teachers program.

Next, Delaware will aim to build a professional and effective early-childhood education workforce. That leads to strengthening the Delaware Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS), which is designed to provide a unified framework for improvement. Stars is a voluntary program used to rate and improve early care and education programs, also providing support to enrolled programs that engage in quality improvement efforts.

Finally, Delaware will set a baseline for school readiness. That will align what children should know, so they can all start kindergarten at the same level.

“It seems to be extremely beneficial to our students,” said David Maull, public relations officer for the Indian River School District. “The grant will help children be more prepared for our school by the time they begin at the age of 5. They’ll have a base there and be ready to learn, and that’s extremely important.”

Although IRSD schools may not receive direct funds from the grant, the district already serves 3- and 4-year-olds with economic or special education needs in Project VILLAGE (Verbally Intensive Literacy and Learning Activities for Growth in Education) and TOTS (Transitioning Our Toddlers To School).

“So we’ve seen the benefits that those types of programs can have,” Maull noted. “This will have benefits for kids years down the line, even in high school.

Two additional goals guided Delaware’s 250-page application: to focus on children, families and programs with the greatest need, and to address the needs of different types of early learning and development programs. Delaware also aims to increase participation for all children, especially those with high needs, in top-tiered programs. That is intended to help close the achievement gap between groups of students at an earlier age.

The State will provide equal attention to each county, said Jim Lesko of Delaware Department of Education (DDOE). Currently, there are more Stars-rated education facilities in New Castle County than in Kent or Sussex, so the DOE is targeting the southern regions. Stars just had an open-enrollment period, with a substantial focus on Kent and Sussex counties, and the new participants will be announced Jan. 15.

The prize will be spread over four years, with the first disbursement in January.

Race to the Top encourages states to compete for funding with the best and most targeted plans. Delaware was one of two winners in the first Race to the Top in early 2010, for grades K through 12.

The national early-learning grant application was released in late August and was due by mid-October. However, Delaware was already working to improve early education in 2010 and had approved an additional $22 million to help build stronger staff and encourage stronger services at early-childhood education centers.

The grant submission was a collaborative effort by Delaware Services for Children, Youth and their Families, DDOE, Health and Social Services, the Governor’s and Lieutenant Governor’s offices and many community organizations, including Rodel Foundation, the Early Childhood Council, the Stars program and Delaware State Education Association.

The full application for the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge can be found online at http://www.doe.k12.de.us/rttt/files/ECCRTTTfinalapplication.PDF.