PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 57

Goal 3. Early Learning: 

Improve the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all 

children from birth through 3rd grade, so that all children, 

particularly those with high needs, are on track for graduating from 

high school college- and career-ready. 

Goal Leader: Ann Whalen 

Objective 3.1: Access to High-Quality Programs and Services. Increase access to highquality early learning programs and comprehensive services, especially for children with high 

needs. Objective Leader: Libby Doggett 

Metric 3.1.A: Number of states with Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) 

that meet high-quality benchmarks for child care and other early childhood programs54

Objective 3.2: Effective Workforce. Improve the quality and effectiveness of the early learning 

workforce so that early childhood educators have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary 

to improve young children’s health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes. Objective 

Leader: Libby Doggett 

Metric 3.2.A: Number of states and territories with professional development systems 

that include core knowledge and competencies, career pathways, professional 

development capacity assessments, accessible professional development opportunities, 

and financial supports for child care providers55

Objective 3.3: Measuring Progress, Outcomes, and Readiness. Improve the capacity of 

states and early learning programs to develop and implement comprehensive early learning 

assessment systems. Objective Leader: Libby Doggett 

Metric 3.3.A: Number of states collecting and reporting disaggregated data on the 

status of children at kindergarten entry using a common measure 

 

54 Metric is being removed at the end of the FY 2015 reporting period. Please refer to appendix B for details pertaining to the 

removal and addition of metrics. 

55 Metric is being removed at the end of the FY 2015 reporting period. Please refer to appendix B for details pertaining to the 

removal and addition of metrics. 
PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 58

Goal 3 Discretionary Resources

$0 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

$1,068

$1,103

$933

(Dollars in millions)

Major Discretionary Programs and Activities56 Supporting Goal 3 Performance Metrics 

[Dollars in Millions]

POC Account Obj. Program

FY 2015 

Appropriation

FY 2016 

Appropriation

FY 2017 

President’s 

Budget

OESE I&I 3.1 Preschool development grants 250 250 0

57

OSERS SE 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 Grants for infants and families 439 459 504

OSERS SE 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 Preschool grants 353 368 403

Subtotal 1,042 1,077 907

Other Discretionary Programs/Activities 26 26 26

TOTAL, GOAL 3 1,068 1,103 933

POC = Principal Office Component 

NOTES: Many programs may have sub-activities that relate to other goals. Detail may not add to total due to rounding. 

Public Benefit

Each year, about 4 million children enter kindergarten in the United States. They live in cities, 

suburbs, and rural areas. They speak many languages, come from diverse cultures, and have 

differing abilities, which may require individualized services and supports. Parents and 

caregivers send their children to school believing that one day their children will be able to 

pursue their dreams—whether that is teaching, protecting their communities as police officers, 

making scientific discoveries, or helping companies and organizations succeed. All parents 

hope their child will start school ready for success. And many parents turn that hope into action, 

seeking out supportive and high-quality early learning opportunities. Unfortunately, not every 

 

56 All the programs listed are discretionary programs, as distinct from mandatory programs. These include both competitive and 

noncompetitive programs. 

57 Funds are included in the 2017 President’s Budget for the Department of Health and Human Services.
PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 59

parent finds those opportunities, and access to high-quality early learning opportunities differs 

across states and communities. There are large disparities in enrollment based on geography, 

race, and socioeconomic levels. As a result, too many children enter kindergarten a year or 

more behind their classmates in academic skills and socio-emotional development.58 For some 

children, starting school already behind can trap them in a cycle of continuous catch-up in their 

learning. As a nation, we must ensure that all children, regardless of family circumstance, 

immigration status, the color of their skin, disability, or their zip code, have access to highquality early learning opportunities. 

Advances in education, developmental psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and economics 

have helped to demonstrate the benefits of quality early education for young children and that 

the years from birth to age five are a critical period in children’s learning and development, 

providing the necessary foundation for more advanced skills.59 For example, at kindergarten 

entry, children with bigger vocabularies at an early age have higher reading and mathematics 

achievement and fewer behavior challenges.60 A robust body of research shows that children 

who participate in high-quality preschool programs have better health, social-emotional, and 

cognitive outcomes than those who do not participate. The gains are particularly powerful for 

children from low-income families and those at risk for academic failure who, on average, start 

kindergarten 12 to 14 months behind their peers in preliteracy and language skills.61

Studies also reveal that participating in quality early learning can boost children’s educational 

attainment and earnings later in life.62 Children who attend high-quality preschool programs are 

less likely to utilize special education services or be retained in their grade, and are more likely 

to graduate from high school, go on to college, and succeed in their careers than those who 

have not attended high-quality preschool programs.63 Research also suggests that expanding 

early learning—including high-quality preschool—provides society with a return on investment of 

$8.60 for every $1 spent with half of this benefit from increased earnings and improved health 

outcomes for children when they grow up.64

The Administration began efforts to increase investments in early learning in its first term and 

has continued to request additional funding in each subsequent budget proposal—through Head 

Start, child care, home visiting, IDEA Part C, ELC, and Preschool Development Grants. States 

and local communities have welcomed the opportunity to partner with the federal government 

through these early learning programs. 

From 2011 to 2013, 20 (of the 40 states that applied for ELC) were awarded grants. These 

grantees had committed to align, coordinate, and improve the quality of early learning programs 

 

58 Yoshikawa, Hirokazu, Christine Weiland, Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Margaret R. Burchinal, Linda M. Espinosa, William T. Gormley, 

Jens Ludwig, Katherine A. Magnuson, Deborah Phillips, and Martha J. Zaslow. Investing in our future: The evidence base on 

preschool education. Vol. 9. Society for Research in Child Development and Foundation for Child Development, 2013. 

59 Yoshikawa, H., Weiland, C., Brooks-Gunn, J., Burchinal, M., Espinosa, L., Gormley, W., & Zaslow, M. J. (2013). Investing in Our 

Future: The Evidence Base for Preschool Education. Policy brief, Society for Research in Child Development and the Foundation for 

Child Development. Retrieved from the Foundation for Child Development website: fcd-us.org/sites/default/files/Evidence Base on 

Preschool Education FINAL.pdf 

60 Maczuga, S., Morgan, P., Farkas, G., Hammer, C., Hillemeier, M., & Scheffner, C. 24-Month-Old Children With Larger Oral 

Vocabularies Display Greater Academic and Behavioral Functioning at Kindergarten Entry. Child Development, Volume 86, Issue 5, 

pages 1351–1370, September/October 2015. 

61 Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development. From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early 

Childhood Development. (2000). Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, 

Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 

62 See, e.g., Yoshikawa, et.al., Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education, 2013. 

63 Center for Public Education. (2008). The Research on Pre-K. Alexandria, VA. 

64 White House Council of Economic Advisors. The Economics of Early Childhood Investments, 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/early_childhood_report1.pdf
PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 60

across multiple funding streams supporting children from birth through age 5 and serve as 

model early learning and development systems. By December 2014, nearly 14,000 early 

childhood programs are ranked in the highest quality tiers of the 20 ELC states’ rating 

systems—a 63 percent increase since the states applied for their grants—with significantly more 

children enrolled in the highest quality-rated early learning programs than ever before.65

National technical assistance is also available to help all states in building such systems. 

In 2013, the President’s Budget proposed a landmark investment to expand access to highquality preschool, Preschool for All. The President’s overarching vision has been captured in the 

bipartisan Strong Start for America’s Children Act reintroduced in the 114th Congress. This

legislation would fund voluntary, high-quality preschool for all four-year old children from families 

earning below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line in a state-federal partnership, and 

encourage states to spend their own funds to support preschool for young children with family 

incomes above that income level. The legislation would also expand Early Head Start-child care 

partnerships to help raise the quality of services for infants and toddlers and increase IDEA 

funding for young children with disabilities. 

In addition, Strong Start includes authorization for Preschool Development Grants, which were 

first funded by Congress in 2014. Last year 18 states (of the 36 that applied) were awarded 

grants to create or expand high-quality preschool programs for 4-year-olds in over 200 highneed communities. This program builds on the achievements of ELC by expanding access to 

preschool programs that include the following nationally recognized standards: high staff 

qualifications; professional development for teachers and staff; low staff-child ratios; small class 

sizes; full-day programs; developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive 

instruction and evidence-based curricula and learning environments that are aligned with states’

early learning standards; inclusive programs for children with disabilities; employee salaries that 

are comparable to those for K–12 teaching staff; ongoing program evaluation to ensure 

continuous improvement; strong family engagement; and onsite comprehensive services for 

children. 

Providing children, including children with disabilities and those who are ELs, with quality early 

education experiences is essential to strengthening our nation’s economy. Significant new 

investments to expand access to high-quality early learning, improve the early childhood 

workforce, and support comprehensive assessment systems are necessary to help states, local 

communities, and parents close the school readiness gaps between disadvantaged children and 

their more advantaged peers. Only then can we ensure that all children graduate from high 

school prepared to succeed in college, careers, and life.

 

65 At a Glance: Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge Year 2014 Progress Update http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetopearlylearningchallenge/2014apr/rtt-elc-2014-apr-progress.pdf 
PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 61

Goal 3: Details

U.S. Department of 

Education

Indicators of Success

Baseline

Actuals

Current 

Year 

Target

Current 

Year 

Results

Actual-to-Target

2015 Out-Year Targets Trend Line

(Actuals)

2013 2014 2015 2015

Missed Exceeded

2016 2017

3.1.A. Number of states with 

Quality Rating and 

Improvement Systems 

(QRIS) that meet high 

quality benchmarks for child 

care and other early 

childhood programs66

SY: 2010

17 27 2967 NA 32 NA68 NA NA

0

10

20

30

40

2012 2013 2014

New APG Metric: Percent 

of 4-year olds enrolled in 

state preschool programs69

SY: 2013–

14 

29.1%

NA

SY:

2013–14 

29.1%

NA NA NA 33.0% 35.0%

New APG Metric: Number 

of states with high-quality 

preschool program 

standards70

SY: 2013–

14 

15

NA

SY:

2013–14 

15

NA NA NA 19 21

3.2.A. Number of states and 

territories with professional 

development systems that 

include core knowledge and 

competencies, career 

pathways, professional 

development capacity 

assessments, accessible 

professional development 

opportunities, and financial 

supports for child care 

providers71

SY: 2011

30 30 Not Collected NA 38 NA72 NA NA

 

66 Metric being removed at the end of the FY 2015 reporting period and being replaced with the metric identified as “New Metric” directly below it. If there is no corresponding “New 

Metric” identified, new metric TBD. Please refer to appendix B for details pertaining to the removal and addition of metrics. The proposed FY 2016 and 2017 targets for the metric being 

removed were 35 and 37, respectively. 

67 Metric reported as TBD in the 2014 APR. 2014 actuals show the 2014 target was “Met.”

68 This is an HHS metric and out of the Department's control or influence. Please refer to footnote 66 for additional information. 

69 Metric is aligned with an APG. 

70 Metric is aligned with an APG. 

71 Metric being removed at the end of the FY 2015 reporting period and being replaced with the metric identified as “New Metric” directly below it. If there is no corresponding “New 

Metric” identified, new metric TBD. Please refer to appendix B for details pertaining to the removal and addition of metrics. The proposed FY 2016 and 2017 targets for the metric being 

removed were both NA. 

72 Please refer to footnote 68. 
PERFORMANCE PLAN SUMMARY

FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 62

U.S. Department of 

Education

Indicators of Success

Baseline

Actuals

Current 

Year 

Target

Current 

Year 

Results

Actual-to-Target

2015 Out-Year Targets Trend Line

(Actuals)

2013 2014 2015 2015

Missed Exceeded

2016 2017

New Metric: Number of 

states that require a teacher 

with a bachelor’s degree in a 

state preschool program

SY: 2013–

14

15

NA

SY: 

2013–14

15

NA NA NA 19 20

3.3.A. Number of states 

collecting and reporting 

disaggregated data on the 

status of children at 

kindergarten entry using a 

common measure

SY: 2010

2

3 5

73 1174 9 MET

9

11

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

3.3.A

14 1675

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2013 2014 2015

NA = Not applicable. 

TBD = To be determined. 

Academic Year (AY) is a collegiate year spanning August–May; School Year (SY) spans August–July and is aligned with a P–12 school year; Fiscal Year (FY) corresponds to a federal 

fiscal year; Calendar Year (CY) spans January–December. 

Data Sources and Frequency of Collection: 

3.1.A. Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Report of State Plans with annual updates from states and territories (HHS/Office of Childcare); annually 

3.2.A. CCDF Report of State Plans (HHS/Office of Childcare); biennially 

3.3.A. Race to the Top (RTT)-Early Learning Challenge (ELC) Technical Assistance Center; annually 

Note on performance metrics and targets: These metrics were established as a part of the FY 2014–18 Strategic Plan. Metrics may be updated or revised to 

reflect awareness of more accurate data or clarifications. Such updates or revisions are identified in footnotes. 

 

73 Five ELC states implemented their KEA (OR, KY, VT, MD, and OH) in the 2014–15 school year. One state (DE) had planned to implement its KEA in 2014–15 year, but later 

adjusted its timeline to implement during the 2015–16 school year. As such, the FY14 actual is revised from six to five states. 

74 Eleven ELC states (CA, CO, DE, KY, MD, MA, MI, NC, OH, OR, and VT) are implementing their KEAs in the 2015–16 school year. The remaining eight states that chose to 

implement KEAs (GA, IL, MN, NJ, NM, PA, RI, WA) will begin after the 2015–16 school year. Wisconsin did not select to implement a KEA, but is implementing a statewide literacy 

assessment and is exploring the development and use of a KEA. 

75 There will be difficulty collecting ELC data in out-years because some grantees will no longer be reporting APR data. 
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FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 63

Analysis and Next Steps by Objective

Objective 3.1: Access to High-Quality Programs and Services 

Explanation and Analysis of Progress: 

While states and the federal government both invest in early learning, these efforts have fallen 

short of what is needed to ensure that all children can access a high-quality early education that 

will prepare them for success. Across the nation, 58 percent of 4-year-olds and 85 percent of 

3-year-olds are not enrolled in publicly funded preschool programs through state preschool, 

Head Start, and preschool special education services.76 Even fewer are enrolled in the highestquality programs.77 Overall, during 2011–13, 4.4 million 3- and 4-year-olds were not attending 

any preschool at all, representing more than half (54 percent) of all children in that age group.78 

Children’s access to preschool also varies significantly by family income level and geographic 

region.79 As of the 2013–14 school year, 41 states and the District of Columbia offered

voluntary, state preschool programs for some children.80 In 2015–16, three states (Indiana, New 

Hampshire, and North Dakota) had small pilot programs. Hawaii now has a program reaching 

public school students and their Preschool Development Grant will serve children in the public 

charter school system. Montana’s Preschool Development Grant has provided that state’s first 

state preschool program, which by 2018 will provide high-quality preschool to over 5,000 

children from low-income families in sixteen communities, eight of which are on Indian lands. 

Twenty-nine percent of America’s 4-year-olds were enrolled in a state-funded preschool 

program in the 2013–14 school year. While total enrollment for 4-year-olds increased by 8,535, 

nearly half this increase was required to recoup the loss of 4,000 seats in 2012–13. At the May 

release of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) Yearbook, Secretary 

Duncan noted, “The current pace of change is far too incremental...We have to think about 

transformational change.” In fact, as NIEER researchers observed, “at the 2013–2014 growth 

rate it would take about 75 years for states to reach 50 percent enrollment at age 4 and 

150 years to reach 70 percent enrollment.”

While states enroll a total of 1.35 million 3- and 4-year-olds in state preschool, enrollment in 

individual state programs significantly varies.81 For example, Florida, Oklahoma, Vermont, and 

the District of Columbia served more than 70 percent of their 4-year-olds in state-funded 

preschool, whereas 11 states with programs served fewer than 10 percent of 4-year-olds. These 

states are: Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Delaware; Minnesota; Missouri; Nevada; Ohio; Oregon; 

 

76 Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Squires, J.H., Clarke Brown, K., & Horowitz, M. (2015). The state of preschool 2014: State 

preschool yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research. 

77 Nores, M., & Barnett, W.S. (2014). Access to High Quality Early Care and Education: Readiness and Opportunity Gaps in 

America (CEELO Policy Report). New Brunswick, NJ: Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes. 

78 Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2015). KIDS COUNT data center. Baltimore, MD: Author. http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/aecf2015kidscountdatabook-2015.pdf

79 Cascio, E.U., Whitmore Schanzenbach, D. Expanding Preschool Access for Disadvantaged Children 

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/06/19_hamilton_policies_addressing_poverty/expand_preschool_acc

ess_cascio_schanzebach.pdf

80 Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Squires, J.H., Clarke Brown, K., & Horowitz, M. (2015). The state of preschool 2014: State 

preschool yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research. 

81 Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Squires, J.H., Clarke Brown, K., & Horowitz, M. (2015). The state of preschool 2014: State 

preschool yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research. 
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FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 64

Rhode Island; and Washington. Local Head Start programs serve another approximately half 

million 4-year-olds from the lowest-income families.82 

While Latinos are the fastest growing and largest minority group in the United States, making up 

a quarter of 3- and 4-year-olds, Latinos demonstrate the lowest preschool participation rates of 

any major ethnicity or race with 63 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds not in any preschool 

programs.83 The rates were also low for American Indians (59 percent). More than half of 

African-American and non-Hispanic white 3- and 4-year-olds were not in any preschool 

programs, which was nearly the same for Asian and Pacific Islander children (48 percent). While 

most children who have access to preschool attend moderate-quality programs, African 

American children and children from low-income families are the most likely to attend low-quality 

preschool programs and the least likely to attend high-quality preschool programs.84 About 

one-third of children served by state preschool programs live in the two states with the lowest 

quality standards from the NIEER—Florida and Texas.85 Forty percent of preschoolers—more 

than half a million—attend programs that meet few of the quality NIEER benchmark standards. 

Children with disabilities also have difficulty accessing inclusive preschool programs. In 2013, 

across all states, 55.6 percent of preschool children served under Part B, section 619 of IDEA 

participated in at least 10 hours of a general early childhood program. Fewer than half (43.5 

percent) of preschool children with disabilities received special education services in their 

general early childhood programs.86 

In coordination with the Early Learning Challenge Technical Assistance Center (ELC TA) and 

Preschool Development Grants Technical Assistance Center (PDG TA), the Department, in 

coordination with HHS, is supporting efforts to expand access to high-quality early learning 

programs for the 20 ELC and 18 Preschool Development Grants states, as well as nongrantee 

states, through online early learning communities, technical assistance webinars, briefs, and 

reports. Additionally, OESE’s national comprehensive center, the Center on Enhancing Early 

Learning Outcomes (CEELO) and OSEP technical assistance (TA) centers provide support for 

all states, including around issues of access and quality. 

A critical driver of quality in all early learning and development programs has been the states’

QRIS (or Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (TQRIS) for ELC states). This reform 

metric helps states set progressively higher program standards and provides supports to 

programs so they can meet those higher standards. Once programs are enrolled in a state’s 

TQRIS, the state helps them improve their quality and their ranking. States provide technical 

assistance, professional development opportunities, and program improvement grants that allow 

programs to make the necessary quality improvements. Nearly half of all children who live in 

low-income families in the Unites States reside in the 20 ELC states. ELC states have increased 

the number of early learning and development programs participating in their TQRIS and are 

implementing strategies to improve the quality of those programs. The 20 ELC states’

cumulative state data show that the number of early childhood programs included in the states’

 

82 Head Start Program Facts Fiscal Year 2014. http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/data/factsheets/docs/hs-program-fact-sheet2014.pdf 

83 Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2015). KIDS COUNT data center. Baltimore, MD: Author. http://www.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/aecf2015kidscountdatabook-2015.pdf

84 Center for American Progress. Why We Need a Federal Preschool Investment in 6 Charts. December 9, 2014. 

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/news/2014/12/09/102737/why-we-need-a-federal-preschool-investmentin-6-charts/

85 Barnett, W.S., Carolan, M.E., Squires, J.H., Clarke Brown, K., & Horowitz, M. (2015). The state of preschool 2014: State 

preschool yearbook. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research. 

86 2013 Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Data File. Accessed on 4/17/15 at: 

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/state-level-data-files/index.html
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FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 65

TQRIS has nearly doubled from 38,642 at the start of their grants to 72,281 programs in 2014, 

an increase of 87 percent. 

The 20 ELC states also reported on the number of children in various types of early learning 

and development programs that are in top tiers of their state’s TQRIS in 2014. The report shows 

a 176 percent increase in the number of children with high needs enrolled in state preschool 

programs in the top tiers of their state’s TQRIS from the time the states received their grants. 

More than 200,000 children are now enrolled in these programs, an increase of more than 

127,000 children. As a result of the ELC program, there is a 75 percent increase in the number 

of children enrolled in high-quality programs supported through the Child Care Development 

Fund (CCDF or child care subsidy). 228,760 children with high needs are now enrolled in 

CCDF-funded programs in the top tiers of their TQRIS, an increase of almost 100,000 children. 

151,676 children with high needs are now enrolled in Head Start/Early Head Start programs in 

the top tiers of their TQRIS, an increase of more than 78,000 children. 

In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called upon Congress to expand 

access to high-quality preschool for every child in America, proposing investments that would 

support a continuum of early learning opportunity from birth through kindergarten entry. He 

challenged more Americans—elected officials, business leaders, philanthropists, and the 

public—to help more children access the early education they need to succeed in school and in 

life. On December 10, 2014, the President convened state and local policymakers, mayors, 

school superintendents, corporate and community leaders, and advocates for the White House 

Summit on Early Education, highlighting collective leadership in support of early education for 

America’s children. Leaders shared best practices in building the public-private partnerships that 

are expanding early education in communities across the country. Participants discussed 

effective strategies and programs that support and bring high-quality early childhood education 

to scale. 

Leading private and philanthropic organizations made commits to new actions to spur greater 

access to high-quality early learning programs. Together with federal awards, this amounts to a 

collective investment of over $1 billion in the education and development of America’s youngest 

learners. It includes: 

 Over $340 million in new actions from corporate and philanthropic leaders to expand the 

reach and enhance the quality of early education for thousands of additional children. 

 Up to $750 million in new federal grant awards announced by Secretaries Duncan and 

Burwell, to support early learning for over 63,000 additional children across the country 

for Preschool Development Grants and the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. 

 The launch of Invest in US, a new initiative created by the First Five Years Fund, a 

bipartisan nonprofit organization, in partnership with private philanthropic leaders, in 

response to the President’s call to action. 

 New private and philanthropic resources and support for Early Learning Communities, 

an initiative of Invest in US. Invest in US is working to connect communities and states 

interested in expanding early learning programs and opportunities with 10 leading 

partners that have committed to helping connect leaders with resources, planning 

grants, technical assistance, and other support for their youngest learners. 

Since the Summit, significant progress has been made, and bipartisan cooperation has led to a 

substantial increase in public-private investments in early education. 
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FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2017 Annual Performance Plan—U.S. Department of Education 66

Congress took an important step in 2014 to address inequities in access to high-quality 

preschool by supporting the Preschool Development Grants program, a 4-year, federal-state 

partnership to expand the number of children enrolled in high-quality preschool programs in 

high-need communities. There was significant bipartisan interest from state governors in this 

program. Thirty-five states and Puerto Rico applied and the Department made grants to 

18 states. During the 2015–16 school year, these states are serving approximately 

33,000 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families in more than 200 communities in 

high-quality preschool programs. The diversity of the 18 states that received grants reflects the 

fact that increasing access to preschool is a bipartisan priority across the country. From 

Massachusetts and Montana to Alabama and Hawaii, Preschool Development Grants are 

designed to help states move forward with high-quality preschool, whether that means 

expanding an already successful preschool program or helping to build state-level capacity and 

put in place quality improvements to serve more children in high-quality settings. 

While the Preschool Development Grants will not reach every child in the funded states and 

there remains a huge unmet need, these states will be another step closer to the goal of 

expanding access to high-quality early learning across the country. Over the 4-year grant 

period, and with continued funding from Congress, these states are expecting to enroll an 

additional 177,000 children in high-quality preschool programs, which will help put children on a 

path to success in school and in life. About 285,000 preschoolers could have been served in the 

18 states that did not receive a Preschool Development Grant. For four years, the Obama 

administration has requested formula funding to address the enormous unmet need for highquality preschool and provide preschool for all 4-year-olds from low- to moderate-income 

families. In addition, the Administration’s FY 2017 budget request includes funding for 

continuation grants to support current states, as well as additional dollars to expand Preschool 

Development Grants to more states, the Bureau of Indian Education, tribal educational 

agencies, territories, and the Outlying Areas. 

The Department is also engaging in specific activities to ensure that infants, toddlers, and 

preschool children with disabilities and their families have access to high-quality programs and 

services. OSEP began implementing an RDA system to hold states accountable for both 

improving results for children with disabilities and complying with requirements in IDEA. As part 

of RDA, states are being asked to develop a SSIP to focus and drive their efforts to improve 

results for children with disabilities. Phase 1 of the SSIP was submitted to OSEP in April 2015. 

States were required to submit SSIPs for both Part B and C of IDEA. The SSIPs included a 

measurable child result that states will be working to achieve over the next 5 years, and the 

infrastructure that they will need to have in place to support local programs in delivering highquality services to meet the state-identified child result. Another component of RDA is ensuring 

that determinations reflect state performance on results, as well as compliance. OSEP must 

annually determine if a state “Meets Requirements,” “Needs Assistance,” or “Needs 

Intervention.” In July 2015, OSEP used child outcome data for the first time in making 

determinations for Part C programs. 

In addition to accountability activities, OSEP is supporting states through technical assistance. 

Three of OSEP’s national centers specifically focus on supporting states in enhancing their Part 

C and Part B, section 619 programs, as well as other early learning programs, to increase the 

quality of services provided to children with disabilities and their families. These centers are 

working with Part C and Part B, section 619 programs to develop effective and efficient 

infrastructures, including data and personnel systems, to deliver high-quality services to infants, 

toddlers, and preschool age children with disabilities and their families. The centers have 

developed a systems framework that states can use to assess their infrastructure and work 
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towards improving it. In addition, the centers are working with the Division of Early Childhood 

(DEC) to promote the use of the recently released DEC Recommended Practices, which 

provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the 

learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through age 5, who 

have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities.

The Department and HHS released two major early childhood policy statements. Policy 

Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Practices in Early Childhood Settings was released 

December 10, 2014. The statement has influenced local and state efforts to assist states and 

their public and private local early childhood programs in preventing and severely limiting 

expulsions and suspensions in early learning settings. A second policy statement, Policy 

Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs, released on 

September 14, 2015, supports the goal that all young children with disabilities should have 

access to inclusive high-quality early childhood programs, where they are provided with 

individualized and appropriate support in meeting high expectations. In addition, the Department 

and HHS, in partnership with Too Small to Fail, have created the Talk, Read, and Sing Together 

Every Day tip sheets. Made specifically for families, caregivers and early educators, these 

resources can help enrich a child’s early language experiences by providing research-based 

tips for talking, reading, and singing with young children every day beginning from birth. The 

Departments are also collecting public input on policy statements around family engagement in 

early learning settings and health and wellness promotion in early childhood settings. Each of 

these efforts contributes to the goal of improving the quality of early learning programs. 

In October 2015, the Departments held a three-day annual grantee meeting for the 20 ELC and 

18 Preschool Development Grants states. In addition, nongrantee states were invited to attend. 

In all, over 300 persons participated, and over 35 states were represented. Sessions focused on 

meeting the needs of states around improving quality in programs, measuring child outcomes, 

and supporting birth to third grade systems and other reforms. 

Metrics in Goal 3 are influenced most by actions taken by states or grantees in response to 

state and federal policy initiatives, but they are also influenced by factors that are beyond the 

control of states, LEAs, or the Department of Education. 

Challenges and Next Steps: 

Expanding access to high-quality preschool is critically important to ensuring that every child in 

America has the opportunity for lifelong success. On December 10, 2015, President Obama 

signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), reauthorizing the ESEA. ESSA includes a new 

Preschool Development Grants program designed to improve coordination of early childhood 

programs and expand access to high-quality preschool. It is not certain how many additional 

children will have access to high-quality preschool under the new program. Also in December 

2015, President Obama signed the FY 2016 spending bill, which provides funding for year 3 of 

the Preschool Development Grants. The Departments will be working to secure funding for the 

fourth and final year of the current Preschool Development Grants program in FY 2017. Pulling 

these funds away from states and communities would jeopardize their plans to serve over 

50,000 children in high-quality preschool programs during the last year of the grants.87

 

The President has made it a priority to expand educational opportunity for our nation’s children, 

starting with our youngest learners, and has put forward a vision that would support the healthy 

 

87 This estimate assumes that the elimination of Preschool Development Grants in 2016 would prevent states from serving the 

additional children proposed in their applications for the final two years of the grant. 
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development and growth of children from birth to kindergarten entry. The President’s FY 2017 

Budget builds on the good work underway in states and local communities, and calls for 

expanding support to additional grantees to improve program alignment and coordination and to 

expand access to services. Preschool Development Grants are a critical step toward voluntary, 

universal access to high-quality early learning that gives all children a strong start in school and 

life. 

ELC states face many challenges in developing a rating and monitoring process for their 

TQRIS. Providers must be informed about the process, so as to make them more likely to 

participate. The observation and rating tool must be a true measure of different levels of quality; 

it must give the same rating results in many different settings, and it has to be easy to use. 

Validating the effectiveness of a TQRIS ensures that it is measuring and assessing program 

quality in ways that make sense to state policy makers, early learning and education programs, 

and families with young children. Both the Departments of Education and Health and Human 

Services are providing support so ELC states have the knowledge and best research for 

improving their TQRIS. This technical assistance is provided directly to the states in addition to 

peer learning groups on various topics of interest such as best ways to validate a TQRIS system 

or to ensure families understand the difference in the quality tiers. The Departments are helping 

ELC states to validate their systems, ensure consistency in the reporting of TQRIS ratings, and 

develop data system linkages between their TQRIS and other systems with data on young 

children and the early childhood workforce. As states begin to report on evaluations of their 

TQRIS, there must be a recognition that the systems are still not mature and may not yet reflect 

their true impact. OSEP-funded technical assistance also supports states in thinking about how 

to intentionally include children with disabilities across all levels of the TQRIS system, as some 

states only have optional indicators for children with disabilities, only include children with 

disabilities at some levels of the TQRIS, or do not intentionally include children with disabilities. 

Additionally, IES is also doing a study of the TQRIS systems and plans to make results 

available in 2016. 

The Department committed $5 million in Preschool Development Grants national activities funds 

to add to a multiyear investment by IES funding to expand the work of the network to support 

the work of the Preschool Development Grants states and other states advancing preschool and 

addressing the need for a new quality assessment tool. The Early Learning Network will 

comprise five Research Teams that will conduct in-depth, exploratory research in states, 

regions, cities, or school districts that are providing preschool opportunities for children from 

disadvantaged backgrounds. Each Research Team will conduct three complementary, 

prospective studies: (1) a descriptive study of systems-level policies and practices that support 

early learning; (2) a classroom observation study to identify teaching practices and other 

classroom-level malleable factors associated with children’s school readiness and achievement 

in preschool and early elementary school; and (3) a longitudinal study to identify malleable 

factors associated with early learning and school achievement over time from preschool through 

the early elementary school grades (e.g., kindergarten through third grade). The Research 

Teams will also provide support to the Early Learning Assessment Team in piloting and 

validating a classroom observation tool that is designed for practitioners to use. 

Funding continues to be a challenge for IDEA programs. Part C programs in particular are 

stretched thin as data shows that the number of children receiving services under Part C over 

the years has been steadily increasing. However, federal funding for Part C has not increased at 

the same rate so there has been a decrease in federal per-child funding for Part C services. To 

address fiscal challenges, some states have narrowed or restricted eligibility criteria, 

implemented or increased family fees for services, and reduced provider reimbursements. All of 
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these can reduce access to services for infants and toddlers who could benefit from them. 

OSEP-funded TA centers will provide TA to states on building their state infrastructure, which 

includes their financial system, to support states in using their funding as efficiently as possible. 

Additionally, OSEP-funded TA centers will continue to work with states to enhance the quality of 

services that they provide under IDEA Parts C and B, section 619. 

Objective 3.2: Effective Workforce 

Explanation and Analysis of Progress: 

Securing a well-trained and properly supported early learning workforce is an essential element 

of high-quality early learning programs. Significant headway has been made in describing and 

conceptualizing what teachers do in the classroom that results in learning, which is a critical first 

step in getting teachers into those positions. 

On April 1, 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) released 

Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, which was 

commissioned by both the Departments of Education and HHS and four philanthropic 

foundations. The study explores the science of child development, particularly looking at 

implications for the professionals who work with children birth through age 8. The committee 

found that much is known about how children learn and develop, as well as the qualifications of 

the early childhood workforce and the supports they need. However, this knowledge is not fully 

reflected in the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they 

work, and the qualifications and professional learning that is most effective. 

The IOM/NRC Study outlines a blueprint for action based on 13 recommendations for local, 

state, and national governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropic 

funders, and the business sector to support improvements to the quality of professional practice 

for early learning professionals who work with children from birth through age 8 and the 

environments in which they work. The study makes recommendations on improving the quality 

of the early learning workforce, including higher levels of education such as a bachelor’s degree 

for lead educators, qualifications based more strongly on competencies and knowledge, and the 

use of evidence-based practices and strategies. Additionally, the study recommends fair 

compensation to recognize the professionalization of the workforce, as well as other improved 

supports for educators in their work environments. In the months following the release, 

additional communication materials were developed and distributed to the field through 

conferences, webinars, meetings, and in-service trainings. 

ELC states are creating quality professional development systems to improve the skills of 

current and aspiring early learning teachers, directors, and assistant teachers. Fourteen ELC 

states are specifically working to provide and expand access to professional development 

opportunities that are aligned with their Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework and 

that tightly link training with professional development approaches, such as coaching and 

mentoring (CO, DE, GA, KY, MD, MN, NJ, NM, OH, OR, PA, RI, WA, and WI). These states are 

also using incentives, such as scholarships, compensation and wage supplements, tiered 

reimbursement rates, other financial incentives and strategies to promote professional 

improvement and career advancement. These other strategies include management 

opportunities, and they promote professional improvement and career advancement along an 

articulated career pathway that is based on the state’s Workforce Knowledge and Competency 

Framework. Fifteen ELC states are working to support educators in improving their knowledge, 

skills and abilities (CA, CO, DE, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NM, NC, OR, PA, RI, VT). 
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The Preschool Development Grants program sets a high bar for workforce quality in the 

18 grantee states. High-quality preschool programs require, for example, high staff 

qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a 

bachelor’s degree in any field with a state-approved alternate pathway, which may include 

coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and pedagogy relating to 

early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials. In addition, instructional 

staff salaries are required to be comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff, and 

programs must provide high-quality professional development for all staff. 

Four states (Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, and Oregon) are finishing up working with the OSEPfunded Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC). This work centered on enhancing the 

personnel system within the states to ensure that personnel have the knowledge and skills to 

provide services to young children with disabilities and their families. These states developed 

and are implementing a plan to align their personnel standards with national professional 

organization personnel standards; develop partnerships with universities and community 

colleges to ensure that their curriculum is aligned to state personnel standards and to support 

better alignment between pre-service preparation and in-service professional development; and 

implement evidence-based practices within in-service professional development. ECPC is in the 

process of selecting four more states to work with over the next two years. In addition to 

providing intensive TA with states, ECPC held Leadership Institutes for 20 states. These 

Leadership Institutes provides strategies for Part C and Part B, section 619 coordinators and 

leaders within early childhood agencies to work together to develop the workforce so that they 

have the competencies to serve young children with disabilities and their families. Additionally, 

ECPC has facilitated national professional organizations coming together to identify a set of 

competencies that personnel need to serve young children with disabilities. Those organizations 

include including DEC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), 

the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the American Occupational Therapy 

Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association. Through this work, DEC and 

NAEYC are in the process of developing an agreement to align their personnel standards. 

During the fiscal year OSEP, also funded 7 new awards to universities to prepare personnel to 

work in early intervention and early childhood special education. 

Challenges and Next Steps: 

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed ESSA, reauthorizing the ESEA. ESSA 

includes a new Preschool Development Grants program designed to improve coordination of 

early childhood programs and expand access to high-quality preschool, which may positively 

affect the early childhood workforce with expanded opportunities for professional development 

and improved conditions. ESSA also includes language explicitly stating that Title II dollars can 

be used for early childhood educators. Also in December 2015, President Obama signed the 

FY 2016 spending bill, which provides funding for year 3 of the Preschool Development Grants. 

The Departments will be working to secure funding for the fourth and final year of the current 

Preschool Development Grants program in FY 2017. 

There are challenges in developing an effective early learning workforce. States have hiring 

challenges, due in part to a lack of available well-trained and effective personnel across multiple 

disciplines. Some states have experienced high turnover of early childhood educators and 

consultants due to low wages, attractive offers in other states, challenging financial times, and 

program management. States that can sustain programs for longer periods have less difficulty 

recruiting and retaining strong early childhood educators. 
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The Department and its technical assistance providers are working to address some of these 

challenges through webinars, peer learning, and pointing out promising practices, such as 

mentoring and coaching. For example, a study examining career pathways to be released in FY 

2016 will provide states with an overview of how these systems are working in a handful of 

leading states. Reducing duplication of efforts and promoting promising practices is necessary 

for creating an early learning workforce that can deliver on the promise of these programs. 

ECPC is currently working with Part C and Part B, Section 619 coordinators to identify additional 

states with which to work to improve their personnel systems. A challenge that Part C and Part 

B, section 619 personnel experience is that they are often not included within workforce 

initiatives within states. To address this, ECPC will continue to hold Leadership Institutes as a 

way to provide Part C and Part B, section 619 coordinators strategies to engage and become 

decision makers in workforce initiatives within their states. 

Building on the positive reception from the release of the Transforming the Workforce for 

Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation, the Departments are developing a plan to 

fund additional activities addressing the implementation of the recommendations, including 

funding a study on financing of preschool and convening with IHEs. The study will examine how 

to fund early care and education for 3- and 4-year-old preschool children that is accessible, 

affordable to families, and of high quality, including a well-qualified and adequately supported 

workforce consistent with the vision outlined in the Study. Over the course of 20 months, an ad 

hoc committee will review and synthesize the available research and analysis on the resources 

needed to meet the true costs of high-quality early care and education, including resources for 

improving the quality, affordability and accessibility of higher education; improving the quality 

and availability of professional learning during ongoing practice; and supporting well-qualified 

educators and administrators with adequate compensation through complete wage and benefit 

packages that are comparable across ages and settings. 

The committee will gather information and review the available evidence on funding 

mechanisms that are currently being employed successfully on a large scale as well as 

illustrative examples of funding strategies that are being employed on a smaller scale but have 

promise for expansion. The committee will also take into consideration lessons that can be 

drawn from financing of early care and education in other countries and from workforce 

development in sectors other than education. The committee will produce a report that 

synthesizes the information gathered and, based on their analysis and interpretation, draws 

conclusions about and makes recommendations for concrete, implementable funding strategies 

in the public and private sectors at the national, state, and local levels. 

Objective 3.3: Measuring Progress, Outcomes, and Readiness 

Explanation and Analysis of Progress: 

The Department, in consultation with OMB, has determined that performance toward this 

objective is making noteworthy progress. As part of ELC, 11 states chose to use funds to 

address the use of comprehensive assessment systems, though all ELC states include 

comprehensive assessments as part of their program standards on which their TQRIS is based. 

These states are doing the difficult work of creating coordinated and comprehensive 

assessment systems that organize information to help early childhood educators, families, 

program directors, administrators, and policymakers to make informed instructional and 

programmatic decisions. A comprehensive assessment system coordinates the various types of 

valid and reliable screening, diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments that children 

are likely to receive throughout their early learning years, such as screenings for possible 

developmental delays, assessments of ongoing developmental progress, diagnostic 
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assessments, and measures that examine children’s accomplishments on developmentally 

appropriate standards-based benchmarks. As they create these comprehensive systems, states 

are updating and selecting screening and assessment tools that are valid and appropriate for 

the populations being served; educating users about the purposes of each assessment; 

coordinating assessments to avoid duplication; training early childhood educators to administer, 

interpret, and use the results of assessments; and involving parents in decisions regarding 

learning and development strategies for their children. 

In addition, 19 ELC states are or will be using KEAs that cover all the essential domains of 

school readiness and are aligned with their states’ early learning and development standards. 

Wisconsin did not elect to direct ELC funds toward the development of a comprehensive KEA, 

though they are funding an exploratory study. As part of a KEA, information is collected through 

observations, one-on-one discussions, small group activities, and through the use of 

technology. Results help early childhood educators better understand the status of children’s 

learning and development when they enter kindergarten so the educators can individualize 

instruction. Educators can share information with parents so that they can make informed 

decisions about their children’s education. Educators are using findings from the KEA to inform 

to inform instruction and help close the readiness gap at kindergarten and in the early 

elementary school grades. 

The Department surpassed the 2015 performance target of 9 states collecting and reporting 

disaggregated data on the status of children at kindergarten entry using a common measure. 

Eleven ELC states (CA, CO, DE, KY, MD, MA, MI, NC, OH, OR, and VT) are implementing their 

KEAs in the 2015–16 school year. The remaining eight states that chose to implement KEAs 

(GA, IL, MN, NJ, NM, PA, RI, WA) will begin after the 2015–16 school year. The 18 Preschool 

Development Grants states are required to report on the school readiness of the children 

participating in their high-quality preschool programs, with strong encouragement to use a KEA. 

We expect to have this data in spring 2017 for the second year of the grant. 

On April 7, 2015, ELC TA cohosted a webinar with CEELO and the Council of Chief State 

School Officers (CCSSO) focusing on the essential elements of a comprehensive assessment 

system, promising implementation strategies, key capacity-building considerations, and tools 

that can support this work at the state level. On June 6, 2015, ELC TA held the National 

Working Meeting on Early Learning Assessment in New Orleans, Louisiana. The one-day 

working meeting provided states with the opportunity to work together to address persistent 

problems associated with the implementation of comprehensive early learning assessment 

systems with a specific focus on child assessments, including KEAs. In August, 2015 ELC TA 

released a brief, statewide KEA Data Collection and Reporting in ELC states, in response to a 

request from a ELC state for information about issues that need to be considered in planning 

and implementing a statewide KEA data collection and reporting system. The report includes 

information on practices in five ELC states (Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, 

Vermont and Washington). 

On August 27, 2015, the Department posted EDFacts Data Set: Kindergarten Entry Assessment 

Data Collection through EDFacts Metadata and Process System (EMAPS) as part of the Annual 

Mandatory Collection of Elementary and Secondary Education Data through EDFacts to explain 

the data that will be collected through EMAPS for KEAs in the School Year (SY) 2016–17, 

SY 2017–18, and SY 2018–19 EDFacts package. The team will address public comments 

received, post responses for 30 days, and then post a final regulation. 

In FY 2013, the Department made EAG awards to support the development and enhancement 

of KEAs. Texas and two state consortia, one led by Maryland and the other led by North 
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Carolina, were awarded EAG grants. KEAs under this program should be aligned with state 

early learning standards and cover all essential domains of school readiness. Three additional 

ELC grantees are participating in the Maryland consortium (Massachusetts, Michigan, and 

Ohio) as well as a number of non-ELC states. Eight states are partnering with North Carolina: 

Delaware, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington, 

DC. Together the ELC and EAG programs support 29 states in creating incentives for states to 

implement KEAs. 

On an annual basis through their APRs, OSEP continues to require state Part C and Part B, 

section 619 programs to report on child outcomes for children that received at least 6 months of 

IDEA services. OSEP funds a technical assistance center to support states in collecting highquality data within their outcomes measurement system and in using that data for program 

improvement. 

Challenges and Next Steps: 

Assessment in early learning is in its infancy. Many states are starting from scratch developing 

valid and reliable measures for KEAs. As a result, constructing and testing these instruments 

and implementing them across every school in the state will be challenging and will take time. In 

addition, states will need to ensure that the KEAs are implemented in a balanced way that does 

not result in the loss of a significant amount of instructional time. Additionally, two of the three 

EAG grantees that are consortia may experience challenges coordinating across states due to 

differences in their policies and procedures. Preschool Development Grants states are required 

to report on the status of children in kindergarten served by the grants in the high-need 

communities, but they are not required to use a KEA, and funding may be a challenge at the 

federal, state and local levels. The Departments are working with these grantees to minimize 

these coordination challenges. 

The Departments of Education and HHS will continue to reach out to CEELO, Education 

Commission on the States, CCSSO, NIEER, and other organizations that share our interest in 

advancing quality KEAs, share resources, and develop strategies that might increase our 

collective impact. The Departments are using national activities funds to develop case studies of 

four states’ approaches to KEAs through the Department of Education’s Office of Planning, 

Evaluation and Policy Development Policy. The objectives of this study are to document the 

processes, accomplishments, challenges, and solutions of four states (Maryland, Oregon, 

Pennsylvania, and Washington) implementing KEAs and to share what they have learned with 

federal and state policymakers and the field. Of particular interest was identifying what is 

working well and what lessons have been learned in these states that were early adopters of 

KEAs. Data collection occurred between January and June 2015 in the four case study states, 

12 districts, and 23 schools in the study. The final report is expected in July 2016. CEELO and 

ELC TA will continue to monitor state progress in development and implementation of KEAs and 

highlight best practices through webinars and meetings. 

This year OSEP used Part C child outcomes data in making annual determinations of 

performance based on state performance plans and annual performance reports. OSEP-funded 

TA centers will continue to work with states to support them collecting high-quality child 

outcomes data that is reliable and valid, and using this data for program improvement efforts. 

Selected Strategies to Achieve Goal 3

The Department is using a multipronged approach to improve the health, social-emotional, and 

cognitive outcomes for all children from birth through 3rd grade, so that all children, particularly 
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those with high needs, are on track for graduating from high school college- and career-ready. 

Through technical assistance by Department staff and contractors, technical assistance centers, 

monitoring, research networks and reports, grantee meetings, and use of social media and the 

bully pulpit, the Department expects to reach its goal. One tool that supports the Departments in 

the management of this goal is an electronic monitoring and reporting tool that it uses to assess 

the progress in all ELC and Preschool Development Grants states and deploy specialized 

technical assistance as quickly as possible to ensure progress continues. Further, the 

Departments work with the ELC TA, PDG TA, CEELO, and OSEP-funded TA centers to provide 

targeted technical assistance, establish learning communities and provide webinars, briefs, and 

reports on key topics. The Departments’ annual grantee meeting allows us to highlight key 

promising practices, discuss major challenges, and better understand state and local 

challenges. OSEP will be reviewing states’ Phase II SSIPs for Part C in April 2016 and will be 

supporting them through technical assistance to develop plans that have improvement 

strategies to build or enhance their infrastructure, collect and use high-quality data, and improve 

services to enhance results for young children with disabilities and their families. 

The Department of Education’s efforts are aimed at increasing access to high-quality, effective 

programs—served by an effective early learning workforce—for children from birth to school 

entry and beyond (including children with disabilities and those who are ELs). Comprehensive 

assessment systems will measure our success, helping us to enhance the quality of all early 

learning programs, and reach the ultimate goal of improving children’s outcomes.