**Development Grants**

Preschool Development Grants --**Development Grants Webinar**

August 26, 2014

**Linda Smith:**Thank you. This is Linda Smith, and I'm the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood at the Department of Health and Human Services, and, with my colleagues from the Department of Education today, we want to welcome you and thank you for joining us on this Preschool Development Grants webinar, focusing on the Development Grants.

Today's webinar is intended to provide technical assistance to the State applicants who will be submitting an application to the Preschool Development Grants Program. This is a discretionary grant competition, as you know, and those States that are eligible to apply for the Development Grants are as follows: Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Hawai’i; Idaho; Indiana; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nevada; New Hampshire; North Dakota; South Dakota; Utah; Wyoming and Puerto Rico, and we're very thrilled to have so many of these States on today's webinar.

This webinar is designed to help you all in understanding the content of the application. We're going to discuss the application's specific selection criteria, priorities, requirements and definitions. During the webinar, we will explain how applicants might develop the budget section based on the criterion and the budget narrative requirements. We'll discuss the Excel Spreadsheet that reviewers will use to understand the application, and assist them as they review, comment, and score the narrative, performance measures and tables. And finally, we'll provide a few tips on how to access and use Grants.gov, the system all applications will be uploaded into. We'll review technical, clarifying and logistical questions for those participating in the webinar today.

So, as you know, the applications are due on or before October 14th, 2014, and I might just add a personal thing on these, as we have just finished the Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships, and you should not wait until the very last minute to go into Grants.gov and try to upload your documents. Be prepared, and try to make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to do that.

Before I turn it over to the other folks who are going to be presenting on this, I just want to take a few minutes to thank all of our colleagues at the Department of ED., and those here at the Department of Health and Human Services who, believe me, have worked very long and hard on these applications, and want to see everyone out there on this call walk away from this webinar with the information they need to apply, because we want to see every State take advantage of the opportunities here.

We know that many of the States out there already have exciting initiatives going on in their States, and we want to see you take advantage of the funding that will allow you to do even more. And just remind everyone that this initiative is one piece of the broader President's Early Learning Initiative that is one that is supporting and trying to build a comprehensive early learning system, beginning at home visitations and the infant-toddler ages, on into the earliest grades in our schools.

As we said, we want to thank Congress for supporting this initiative and providing the funds for this grant program, and we want to make sure that at the end of the day you have what you need to write the strongest application possible, keeping in mind that our goals with this project are, again, that continuum and alignment of our preschool programs for children, birth through school entry, to create strong partnerships between public and private schools and Early Learning Providers, and that we all are committed to the highest quality of programs for our youngest citizens. 

So I want to encourage everyone to listen very carefully and to submit their applications for this and to be sure to write down your questions and send them to us, so that we can get you the information you need to be successful.

So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Chrisanne Gayl, who is going to walk you through some housekeeping duties, before we get started on the content. Chrisanne.

**Chrisanne Gayl:**Great. Thank you so much, Linda. I would like to go over a few housekeeping items. First of all, the Development Grant application is available for downloading at the Preschool Development Grants website, on the ed.gov site. There you can find the application, the Executive Summary, the Notice Inviting Applications and Frequently Asked Questions documents that had been posted since August 13th.  And the Notice Inviting Applications, we often refer to it as the NIA, was published in the Federal Register on August 18th. We hope that you have downloaded and read at least some of these before today's presentation, and we will be referring to them throughout the course of this webinar.

During this presentation all phone lines will be placed on mute to avoid feedback during the presentation. Please use the chat feature to submit questions, which we will answer at the end of today's presentation. Additional questions may be submitted to Preschool Development Grants -- that's plural -- .competitions@ed.gov. Also, the slides, transcript and recording from today's presentation will be posted next week on the Preschool Development Grants website.

We want to remind you that Grants.gov submission procedures and Tips for Applicants may be found on page 24 of the application package. To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, the Tips section includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the Departments.

As Linda said, please register early at Grants.gov. Registration involves many steps, including registration on SAM, which may take approximately one week to complete, but it could take upwards of several weeks.

You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the registration steps are complete. So please, do register early.

Applicants should submit their application a day or two in advance of the closing date, as detailed in the Federal Register notice, and if you have any questions regarding this matter, please email Grants.gov contact center at support@Grants.gov, or you can call the 1-800 number, which is 1-800-518-4726.

So I'd like to just go briefly over the agenda for today's call. We will be outlining the information contained in the Notice Inviting Applications for the Development Grants. Throughout the call, you'll be able to ask questions in a chat feature, as I noted, and we will attempt to answer these at the end of the call, and any unanswered questions during today's webinar may be followed up with additional guidance.

We will be providing a big-picture overview. We'll also get into how to develop a quality application. We'll talk about selection criteria. We'll also discuss other considerations, such as the Competitive Preference Priorities, 1, 2 and 3, the application requirements and the program requirements. We'll talk about next steps, and finally some contact information that you should be aware of.

So let's go ahead and get started with some of these big-picture facts on Development Grants. As you're hopefully aware of by now, there will be approximately $80 million available this year for Development Grants. These State awards will range from $5 million-$20 million per year, or between $20 and $80 million over the four year grant period.

States eligible to apply for Development Grants currently serve less than 10% of their four-year-olds in State-funded preschool, and have not received a Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant. As Linda mentioned, the States that are eligible for Development Grants are Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and also Puerto Rico.

The amount of funding that an actual State will receive is based on their population of four-year-olds from families at 200% of the Federal poverty level and below, and we have grouped States and relative funding bands as you can see in the Notice and application.

If you have further questions or would like to look at further information on the award ranges, and your State's specific cap, that can be found in the application materials.

And now let's take a look at an overview of the Notice Inviting Applications. First of all, application requirements list the elements that must be included in a complete application. Specifically, you need to have the signature of the Governor and the lead agency, or the lead agency, a letter of support from your State advisory council, you'll need to complete Excel spreadsheets, and you'll need to provide an ambitious and achievable plan.

Program requirements specify what applicants must do if they actually win a grant. These include reporting and participating in technical assistance activities, publishing your findings, information concerning scopes of work, collaborating with special needs programs, and also developing longitudinal data systems.

And finally, applications will be scored or evaluated based on seven Selection Criteria, the Absolute Priorities and, if the applicant chooses, to write to these, three Competitive Priorities. These are listed on the right-hand of your screen. We will have Selection Criteria A-G, the Absolute Priority, building capacity to deliver and increasing access to High-Quality Preschool Programs, and then the three Competitive Preference Priorities. And we’ll go through each one of these on today's webinar.

Please note that on each slide we may not list all of the text from the actual Notice Inviting Applications. Please refer to the text in the notice. Applicants will be held responsible for the complete text.

Also, there are many defined terms throughout the Notice Inviting Applications, and application itself. Defined terms are indicated by capitalization. Some of these defined terms that we will highlight throughout today's presentation are Early Learning Providers, Eligible Children, Eligible Children with Disabilities, High-Need Communities, High-Quality Preschool Programs, and Subgrantees. All of these definitions, again, can be found in the application, and we encourage you to look very closely at the wording of each of those definitions.

So now we'll get into developing a quality application. In developing a quality application we encourage States to first be sure to address the Absolute Priority throughout the entire application. Also, you'll need to demonstrate your State's commitment to High-Quality Preschool Programs. You will need to provide Ambitious and achievable plans, and finally, as mentioned, there will be Excel spreadsheets and tables which can be downloaded, that you will need to complete.

So let's look more closely at the Absolute Priority. For this competition there is one Absolute Priority. Absolute Priority 1 is the focus of the competition, and an applicant must meet this in order to receive a grant award. For this competition, the Stated Absolute Priority is to build the capacity to deliver and increase access to High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children. In order to meet this priority, the State's application must describe how it will increase access to high-quality preschool for Eligible Children by having an ambitious and achievable plan. 

Two, they must begin serving Eligible Children no later than year 2 of the grant period. The State must subgrant at least 65% of its Federal grant funds received over the grant period, so over the four-year period, to one or more subgrantees, to implement and sustain voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children, in one or more High-Need Communities in the State, and the State can use no more than 35% of its Federal grant funds received, again, over the grant period, to develop or enhance State preschool program infrastructure, and to make quality improvements at the State level. And there's some examples of those that are described in Selection Criteria C-1. 

Notice that the term "ambitious and achievable" is highlighted in red font. This term, found in application requirement E, delineates the elements of an ambitious and achievable plan.

So let's look at the next slide, to become familiar with the eight elements of an ambitious and achievable plan. I would also like to remind folks to use the chat feature if you have any questions, and we will try to address those at the end of the webinar.

So in determining whether a State has an ambitious and achievable plan, reviewers will examine the State’s goals or targets in the context of the State's plan, and the evidence that they submit, if any, in support of the plan. Reviewers will not be looking for any specific targets. Nor will they necessarily reward higher targets above lower ones, with higher scores. Rather, reviewers will reward States for developing goals and targets that, in light of each State's plan and the current context of its plan, and the status of the work in that State, are shown to be ambitious and achievable.

We use this term repeatedly in the notice. So it's critical for applicants to understand it, and reviewers will also use it in guiding their scoring. In determining the quality of the State's plan for a given Selection Criteria or Competitive Preference Priority, reviewers will assess the extent to which the plan is ambitious and achievable, including whether it is feasible and has a high probability of successful implementation, and must contain the following components, or elements, at a minimum. 

First, the plan must contain the key goals of a plan. It must also describe the key activities to be undertaken, the rationale for these activities, and, if applicable, where in the State the activities will be initially implemented, and where and how they will be scaled up over time. It must also include a realistic timeline, including key milestones for implementing each key activity. Fourth, the party or parties responsible for implementing each activity must be identified, and other key personnel assigned to each activity. There must be appropriate financial resources to support successful implementation and sustainment of the plan.

The information requested as supporting evidence, if any, together with any additional information the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers must be included for the viewers to judge the credibility of the plan. Seven, the information requested in the performance measures must be included, and finally, how the State will address the needs of Eligible Children, including those who may be in need of additional support, such as children who have disabilities or developmental delays, who are English learners, who reside on Indian lands, as that term has been defined in ESEA., who are migrant, who are homeless or whose families are involved in the child welfare system, who reside in rural areas, who are from military families, and other children as identified by the State as applicable.

The Absolute Priority is first time we ask you to use Excel spreadsheets, which you would have downloaded from our website. When you submit your application, you will upload these in the Excel format. The other attachments that you will upload must be in PDF format. There are five tables to fill out in the Excel spreadsheets. During the webinar, we will show you where each of these fits in the application. We include tables in the application for two reasons:  First, to clarify to applicants what data they need to provide, and also to assist our reviewers.

Note that you should not feel constrained by these tables. You must provide the requested information, but also feel free to provide additional information that you think may be helpful. Tables are not everything. Remember to write a strong narrative and to refer back to the criterion to make sure you are fully addressing it.

Let's take a look at one of these tables. On the first tab of the Excel spreadsheet there's a tab for instructions for all of the tables. There are also tabs for Table A, B, Competitive Priority 1, Table D-4 and the Budget Table. Additionally, there's an example of Table A, with fictional data to illustrate how Table A calculates the inserted numbers for the applicant. Table A includes information for Absolute Priority 1. 

Here are the general instructions for Table A. First of all, the Table is divided into three sections, which correspond to different areas of the application - Absolute Priority 1, as mentioned.  It also includes information on Competitive Priority 1 and Selection Criteria D-4.

To reduce the burden on States, many of the cells contain formulas that calculate additional information, such as percentages and totals. These cells are locked, and you cannot edit them. You should only enter information into cells that are light red, and once you put in your information into the cells, they will turn light orange.

Finally, this table should serve as a planning tool. Therefore, you should input your best estimates for future funding levels. These estimates should be supported with evidence in the narrative portion of your application. The Excel spreadsheet file may be downloaded again at the Preschool Development Grants website at ed.gov.

If we look specifically at Part I of Table A, which is Absolute Priority 1, note that you will complete the red cells only. The others are not to be completed, and will self-populate, as mentioned. 

The table is divided into four years. For years one through four, fill out the expected amount of Federal funds that will be allocated for State-level infrastructure on line 1, and as you recall, you can allocate no more than 35% over the course of a grant for State-level infrastructure. You'll also fill out new preschool slots on C-1, and improved preschool slots on D-1. State-level infrastructure should account, again, for no more than 35% of the cumulative funds for all four years. Nothing else in this section should be filled out. As I mentioned, some of the cells will self-populate, based on previous entered formulas.

And I know we have received some questions about the differences between a new preschool slot and an improved preschool slot, and that's one of the questions that we will get to at the end of this webinar.

Now let's look at the specific Selection Criteria for the competition, and how they will be scored. Please note that, again, for presentation purposes, we sometimes may paraphrase Selection Criteria, application requirements, etc., and other parts of the Notice Inviting Applications, but applicants are responsible for what the entire Notice Inviting Application and applications require.

Here's an overview of the points for the competition. Both this overview and scoring chart are located on page 72 in the application. As you can see, Selection Criteria A, Executive Summary, is worth 10 points. Selection Criteria B, Commitment to High-Quality Preschool Programs, is worth 20 points. And it goes through all of the Selection Criteria, until Selection Criteria G. The total Selection Criteria points available are 200 points. In addition, there are three Competitive Preference Priorities, each which are worth 20 points, for a combined total of eligible points of 230 overall points.

The scoring rubric will be used to guide the reviewers in scoring Selection Criteria and priorities. We invite you to look at the general notes about scoring, located on page 165 of the application, for more information on how the reviewers will assess ambitious and achievable plans. For a high-quality response, reviewers will award 80 to 100% of the possible points eligible. For a medium- to high-quality response, reviewers will award 50 to 80% of the possible points, and for medium- to low-quality response, reviewers will award 20 to 50% of the possible points. Low-quality responses will be awarded between 1 and 20% of possible points.

There are, however, two exceptions to this rubric: Competitive Priority 1 on matching has its own separate rubric for the amount of points that will be awarded, based on the percentage of matching funds that a State contributes.  And, for Competitive Priority 3, an applicant will either be awarded all 10 points or no points at all.

Let's look at how these pieces all fit together. On page 26 of the application you will find how to write responses to the Selection Criteria that will be scored. First, there will be a narrative section. All Selection Criteria include a narrative section. This is where you will write your response to the criterion. We ask that you please type your narrative into the text box provided in the application.

There's also evidence. Some Selection Criteria ask you to provide specific evidence. This is indicated in the application. You may provide additional evidence for any criteria if you think that it will be helpful to reviewers in evaluating your application. Keep in mind that too much additional information could have the effect of distracting reviewers from what is critical.

Note that you can also provide evidence as part of your narrative response to the Selection Criteria, or include it as an attachment in the appendix. If you do put it in the appendix, you must provide a clear reference to the appendix within your narrative.

As mentioned, many Selection Criteria ask you to provide specific evidence, including baseline data and annual targets for key outcomes that the State will deliver over the term of the grant, in data tables, and again, these tables are part of the Excel spreadsheet that will need to be uploaded to Grants.gov in Part 5. The tables provide you with a framework for presenting information, and provide reviewers with a consistent way to look at this information. You must complete the tables as part of your response. 

Feel free to provide additional data in the form of graphs, tables or diagrams if you think it will help reviewers understand critical facts about your State. You may also use the narrative to explain and describe the significance of the data, as it relates to your State plan.

Note that some of the tables ask you to set targets around key outcomes that you would expect to achieve during the grant. These tables generally include baseline data and annual targets. You may provide additional baseline data targets for any criteria you choose. Peer reviewers will consider, as part of their evaluation of the State's application, the extent to which the State has set ambitious and achievable annual targets. These States will be held accountable for achieving these targets, should it win a grant.

If your State does not have data that are requested in the data tables or in the baseline performance measures, indicate "not available" in the table.  Use your narrative to provide any additional explanation that may be necessary to make your point.

And now I'd like to turn it over to my colleague at the Department of Health and Human Services, Richard Gonzales.

**Richard Gonzales**: Thank you Chrisanne. We're going to take a look at the Selection Criteria now. So the first Selection Criterion is Selection Criterion A, and here we ask applicants to provide an Executive Summary of the ambitious and achievable plan. Section A is worth 10 points. Applications will be evaluated on the extent to which the State includes an ambitious and achievable plan for expanding access to High-Quality Preschool Programs that clearly articulate how the plans proposed under each Criterion in this section, when taken together, will do the following: build on the State's progress to date, as demonstrated in Selection Criterion B; provide voluntary, High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children through subgrants to each Subgrantee, in one or more high-need community, and increase the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in High-Quality Preschool Programs during each year of the grant period, through the creation of new, and the improvement of existing, State preschool program slots, as applicable.

Note the FAQ bubble in the bottom left-hand corner. Periodically, we will reference where you can find an FAQ regarding the information on the slide. Note, High-Quality Preschool Programs is capitalized, and we have bolded it in red. High-Quality Preschool Programs is a defined term. We have a very specific definition for this term, and programs funded through the preschool Development Grants must meet this definition. So let's look at the definition on the next slide. 

Looking at this definition, we can see that High-Quality Preschool Program means an early learning program that includes structural elements that are evidence-based and nationally recognized as important for ensuring program quality, including, at a minimum, high staff qualification, 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, evidence of knowledge of content and pedagogy relating to early childhood, and also teaching assistants with appropriate credentials. It also may include high-quality professional development for all staff, a child-to-instructional-staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1, a class size of no more than 20, with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications, as outlined in paragraph A of this definition: a full-day program; inclusion of children with Disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities; developmentally appropriate culturally and linguistically-responsive instruction in evidence-based curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State early-learning and development standards for at least a year prior to kindergarten entry; also, individualized accommodations and supports, so that all children can access and participate fully in learning activities; instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff; program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; on-site or accessible comprehensive services for children and community partnerships that promote families' access to services that support their children's learning and development; and evidence-based health and safety standards. At a minimum, these are the elements that must be part of your High-Quality Preschool Program.

Going back to Selection Criterion A, the Executive Summary, we can see that applications will be reviewed on how the plans have all the characteristics specified in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs, set expectations for the school readiness of children upon kindergarten entry, and are supported by a broad group of stakeholders, including early learning intermediary organizations, and if applicable, State and local early learning councils.

Also, continuing on the Executive Summary, it should address how the plans proposed under each criterion will allocate funds between activities to build or enhance State preschool program infrastructure using no more than 35% of the Federal grant funds received over the grant period on State-level infrastructure, including, but not limited to, monitoring and evaluation and other quality-enhancing activities that improve the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children, and allocate funds between subgrants to Early Learning Providers to implement voluntary High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children in one or more High-Need Community, including how it will provide High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children no later than the end of Year 2 of the grant, subgrant at least 65% of its Federal grant funds to its Subgrantee, or Subgrantees over the grant period, and support each Subgrantee in culturally- and linguistically-appropriate outreach and communication efforts, in order to ensure that all families, including those who are isolated or otherwise hard-to-reach, are informed of the opportunity and are encouraged to enroll their children in available programs.

Here we have two other defined terms: Eligible Children and Subgrantee. So let's take a look at those definitions. Eligible Children means four-year-old children from families whose income is at or below 200% of the Federal poverty line. Moving on, Subgrantee is also a defined term. Subgrantee means an Early Learning Provider serving at least one High Need Community that is receiving a subgrant from the State, and is participating in the State's ambitious and achievable plan, and within this defined term, we have yet another defined term: Early Learning Provider.

We can see on the next slide that Early Learning Provider means an entity that carries out an early childhood education program, including an LEA, charter school, educational service agency, Head Start program, licensed childcare provider, a municipality or other local government agency, tribe or Indian organization, institution of higher education, library, museum or other eligible licensed provider, as defined by the State, or a consortium thereof.

At the end of each Selection Criterion is the list of evidence that applicants need to provide. The parentheses, letter and number tie back to the sub-criteria for that Selection Criterion. The evidence needed for Selection Criterion A is as follows: for Sub-Criteria A3 and A7, information contained in Table A for the number of Eligible Children to be served each year of the grant, and the number and percentage of State preschool program slots, and if you go back, when you go back to Table A, you'll see this in the Excel spreadsheet.

For Sub-Criterion A4, you will need documentation of the structural elements and the definition of High-Quality Preschool Program; for A5, the set of expectations for school readiness; for A6, letters of support from stakeholders, including early learning intermediary organizations; and if applicable, State and local early learning councils as well as any other supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to the peer reviewers. For A3 and A7, the information will be entered in Table A from the Excel spreadsheet. Selection Criterion A3 and A7 asks for information contained in Part 3 of Table A. 

Looking at this slide, you'll see that line 3A shows the number of Eligible Children to be served each year of the grant. The table also shows the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in State preschool program slots.

Part 3 is specifically for Selection Criterion D4, but you will discuss the new and improved slots that are created in the Executive Summary as well.

Selection Criterion B is worth 20 points and is where the State discusses its commitment to High-Quality Preschool Programs, as evidenced by such things as the State Early Learning and Development standards, the State's financial investment, if any, and the number and percentage of children, including Eligible Children, served in State-funded preschool programs over the last four years, and enacted and pending legislation, policies and all practices that demonstrate the State's current and future commitment to increasing access to High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children.

Other ways in which the State might demonstrate its commitment to High-Quality Preschool Programs are the quality of existing early learning programs, the State's coordination of preschool programs and services, and the State’s role in promoting coordination of preschool programs with other sectors. You may wish to include other items as evidence of your State's commitment, and you are free to do so.

As with Criterion A, Selection Criterion B has evidence that must be included in the application. Specific evidence is listed for Sub-Criteria B1, B2 and B3, from Selection Criterion B. Other supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers can also be provided.

For B2, the table is also provided. 

As with the other tables, specific instructions are also provided, and you will fill in the red cells. For each of the columns, fill out the required information for the years 2010 to 2013. For Columns 1 to 3, fill out past funding sources for State preschool programs. For Columns 4 and 5, fill out the total number of four-year-old children in the State and those who are at or below 200%, respectively. For Column 6 and 7, fill out the total number of four-year-old children served in State preschool programs and the total number of four-year-old children at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level served in the State's preschool program. The percentages will calculate automatically.

Under Criterion C, applicants would need to demonstrate how they will ensure program quality. For example, how they will use grant funds for program infrastructure and quality improvements at the State level, how they will implement the system for monitoring the Subgrantees that are receiving funds to implement preschool services, and how the State will measure the outcomes of participating children, using an assessment. Selection Criterion C is worth 30 points, and points will be awarded based on the extent to which the State has an Ambitious and achievable plan to ensure program quality, including a description of how the State will use no more than 35% of the funds received over the grant period for State preschool program infrastructure and quality improvements at the State level, through such activities as enhancing or expanding early learning and development standards, implementing program standards consistent with a High-Quality Preschool Program, supporting programs and meeting the needs of children with Disabilities and English learners, including in workforce development. 

And if we continue on the next side, you'll see that based on the extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan, using no more than 35% of the funds over the grant period, you'll see such infrastructure and quality improvements as conducting a needs assessment to determine the current availability of High-Quality Preschool Programs, including private and faith-based provider and Head Start programs, establishing or upgrading preschool teacher education and licensure requirements, improving teacher and administrator early education training programs and professional development, implementing a Statewide Longitudinal Data System to link preschool and elementary and secondary school data.

Continuing on, a State might also use these quality improvement funds to implement a comprehensive early learning assessment system, build preschool program capacity to engage parents in decisions about their children's education and development, help families build protective factors and help parents support their children's learning at home. It might also build State and community-level support for High-Quality Preschool Programs through systemic linkages to other early learning programs and resources to support families, such as child health, mental health, family support, nutrition, child welfare and adult education and training sectors. And you might also have other activities that would support the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs that you may think of adding as well.

The second subsection in Selection Criterion C is about monitoring and support for continuous improvement. States will include a description of how they will implement the system for monitoring and supporting continuous improvement for each Subgrantee to ensure that each Subgrantee is providing High-Quality Preschool Programs, which may be accomplished through the use of leveraging a TQRIS. and other existing monitoring systems, including the extent to which the State has the capacity to measure preschool quality, including parent satisfaction measures, and provide performance feedback to inform and drive State and local continuous program improvement efforts, the extent to which the State is using those Statewide Longitudinal Data System that is able to track student progress from preschool through third grade, and the extent to which the State clearly specifies the measurable outcomes, including school readiness, to be achieved by the program.

Finally, as part of Selection Criterion C, the State will describe how it will measure the outcomes of participating children across the five essential domains of school readiness during the first few months of their admission into kindergarten, using an assessment or assessments, such as a kindergarten entry assessment, to achieve the purposes for which the assessment was developed and that conform with the recommendations of the National Research Council Report on Early Childhood Assessments.

Here we can see the evidence required for Selection Criterion C.  For C2A, evidence of a monitoring protocol used to drive continuous program improvement, for C2C, evidence of State targets with measurable outcomes, including school readiness achieved by the program. In addition, the State may provide any other supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers.

Selection Criterion D is expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in each High-Need Community. Applicants may earn up to 56 points, or up to 60 points, depending upon if they have selected their High-Need Communities, or will select their High-Need Communities. Applications will be evaluated on the extent to which the State articulates an ambitious and achievable plan for expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in one or more High-Need Communities, including a description of how the State has selected each High-Need Community that will be served, including a description of each High-Need Community and its geographic diversity, such as whether the community is located in rural and tribal areas, or how it will select each High-Need Community that will be served, including a description of how the State will ensure their geographic diversity, such as whether the community is located in a rural or tribal area.

Note the difference here. Applicants should address either D1A or D1B. Applicants may receive up to eight points for addressing D1A, those High-Need Communities they have selected, or up to four points for addressing D1B, the High-Need Communities that they will select.

Selection Criterion D uses another defined term also: High-Need Community. Let's look on the next slide for how we define that term. You can see here the High-Need Community means a geographically-defined area, such as a city, town, county, neighborhood, District, rural or tribal area, or a consortium thereof, with a high level of need, as determined by the State. Again, you will either describe how you selected each High-Need Community, from which you may receive up to eight points, or describe how you will select each High-Need Community for which you may receive up to four points.

The next two sub-criteria of Selection D have to do with the extent to which the State, each High-Need Community is currently, can describe to what extent each High-Need Community is currently underserved, including the number and percentage of four-year-olds in State preschool programs and other publicly-funded preschool programs, as well is the State-conducted outreach, including consultation with tribes, if applicable, to potential Subgrantees and the process used in selecting each Subgrantee.

D4 is about how the subgranted funds will be divided among new and improved slots. The State will subgrant at least 65% of its Federal grant award over the grant period to which Subgrantee or Subgrantees, to implement and sustain voluntary High-Quality Preschool Programs in one or more High-Need Community, and set ambitious and achievable annual targets for the number and percentage of additional Eligible Children to be served during each year of the grant period. These are the targets you will enter in Table A.

For Selection Criterion D, Sub-Category B, it allows the State to incorporate in its plan ambitious expansion of the number of new slots in State preschool programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Program, and ambitious improvement of existing State preschool program slots to bring them to the level of the High-Quality Preschool Program by extending programs from half day to full day, limiting class size and decreasing child-to-staff ratios, employing and compensating a teacher with a Bachelor's degree, providing in-service, evidence-based professional development such as coaching, or providing comprehensive services.

Note that applicants may receive up to the full 12 points if they address only D4 B1, or B2, or if they address both D4 B1 and B2. So any combination of new and improved slots is acceptable and will be up to the State to determine.

And finally, as part of Selection Criterion D, the State will present its plan for sustainability, which is also addressed in the Budget section for Selection Criteria G. The State will describe in its application how the State, in coordination with each Subgrantee, intends to sustain High-Quality Preschool Programs after the grant period, including any non-Federal support that the State or each Subgrantee commits to contribute.

On this slide we see the evidence for Selection Criterion D. Note, in the bottom left-hand corner an FAQ that addresses the first bullet on MOUs, FAQ E7: States applying for Development Grants are not required to submit MOUs as part of their applications. However, as explained in Selection Criterion D1, a Development Grant applicant that has already selected each High-Need Community to be served, and presents evidence of its Subgrantees' participation through a letter of support or preliminary MOU will be eligible for additional points. Other evidence is entered in Table A and Table D4 on the Excel spreadsheet.

Here are the instructions for Table D4. The information on improved slots will be transferred to Table A. Remember, there are five ways in which a State may use funds to improve State preschool slots: extending programs from half-day to full-day; limiting class size and decreasing child-to-staff ratios; employing and compensating a teacher with a Bachelor's degree; providing in-service, evidence-based professional development such as coaching, or providing comprehensive services. The instructions for completing Table D4 can be found on the first tab of the Excel spreadsheets. In consultation with Subgrantees, States should provide information on the way they plan to improve slots and the estimated costs associated with the improvement.

For each Subgrantee, you will fill out how the slots will be improved each year, how many children will be served, and the total estimated cost. Leave any unneeded rows blank. Add additional rows as needed. To do so, follow the directions provided, if you are unfamiliar with Excel.

In line 3A on this slide, you will fill out the total Eligible Children for each year. These are based on estimates. Next you will fill out 3B for the number of Eligible Children served in new preschool slots, and 3C for the per-pupil expenditure or per-pupil expenditure for each slot.  3-D for the estimated cost, and 3E are the percent of Eligible Children served in new preschool slots, will be calculated for you. The estimated cost should roughly correspond to the amount your State has available for new preschool slots for each year and in total, which is also shown in 2H in the green Total Section, in Part 2.

Next, fill out 3F for the children served in improved preschool slots, and 3G for the per-pupil expenditure, or per-pupil expenditure for each slot. These numbers should be based on averages across all the different ways you plan to improve preschool slots. In addition, they should be based on the evidence presented in your narrative, 3H for the estimated cost and 3I, or the percent of Eligible Children served in improved preschool slots will be calculated for you. The estimated cost should roughly correspond to the amount your State has available for improved preschool slots for each year, and in total, which is also shown in line 2I, in the green Total Section in Part 2.

So we've given you a lot of information, and we do appreciate your attention up to now. We're going to take a five-minute break, after which we will come back and answer a few questions, and then continue with the final part of our presentation.

**Chrisanne Gayl:**Thank you again for joining us. This is Chrisanne Gayl at the U.S. Department of Education, and I'd like to take this time to answer a few questions that we've received throughout the course of this webinar. One question is, "We're interested in incorporating home visiting, and would like clarification on home visiting being a part of the preschool system. Specifically, can home visiting be counted as preschool in our continuum from birth to third grade?"

Home visiting can't be included or counted as preschool, but it could be, and is part of the continuum of care for kids from birth through grade 3. Applicants could get points under Competitive Preference Priority 2 for integrating support and interventions for Eligible Children from birth through third grade, and that can include home visiting, but their plans for a High-Quality Preschool Program have to meet the definition that we've outlined for High-Quality Preschool Program. 

Also, if you take a look at Selection Criteria F1, there's also an additional opportunity to align your High-Quality Preschool Program with other programs and services for children from birth through five. So home visiting could also be mentioned and incorporated in that Selection Criteria.

Another question: "Do all children served within the classroom have to be from families at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level?"

You can only use Preschool Development Grant funds for new or improved slots for Eligible Children, and those Eligible Children must be 200% of poverty or below. However, children in mixed-age or mixed-income classrooms, there can be four-year-old Eligible Children in mixed-age and in mixed-income classrooms, as long as the program meets the definition of a High-Quality Preschool Program, and these specific grant funds are only used to serve the eligible four-year-old children at or below 200% of the poverty level. 

So in that particular instance you might have a classroom of 20 students. You may have a mixed-age classroom where half of them are three-year-olds, half of them are four-year-olds. Preschool Development Grant funds could only be used if that program was a High-Quality Preschool Program that meets that definition, and could only be used for those four-year-old slots, and similarly for a mixed-income setting.

Another question: "In a State fiscal year, if it began July 1st of 2013, and for example, $3 million was appropriated that year, could that count towards the Competitive Preference Priority for the match? And if not, if the State had appropriated $3 million in 2014, could that count towards the match?"

Well first of all, we're not allowed to specifically comment on a specific State's numbers or allocation, but in this particular example, you have the same amount of money in fiscal year '13 and '14 being appropriated. So you actually don't have an increase in State appropriation, and it's only an increase in State appropriation for the preceding grant year that can count towards the match. If, for example, the State in 2013 had not provided any funding for preschool, and then in 2014 provided $3 million, then that would be a $3 million increase in the year preceding the grant, and that would count towards the State's match. We anticipate that most State fiscal years preceding the first year of the grant is going to be the State fiscal year from 2014.

Next question: "Do all programs used toward competitive preference have to meet the definition of a high-quality program?" 

I think the best answer for this is that the only slots that can count towards the Absolute Priority or the Competitive Preference Priority are slots that meet the definition of a High-Quality Preschool Program, and have to meet all those elements that we outlined in the definition.

We have received a couple of other questions that have come in via email that I'd like to mention, that could be very useful. One is: "When you say that teacher salaries must be comparable to the local K-12 salaries, do you mean hourly salary or an annual salary?"

And here the State must justify how they are comparable, and they would include that in their ambitious and achievable goal plan. We do not specifically State annual or hourly.

Another question: "Can States allocate a higher per-child allocation for pre-K slots offered in community-based setting in order to incentivize school Districts to offer pre-K in these settings?"

Again, the State will propose a plan that best meets the needs of their High-Need Communities, and the program will not have a set reimbursement rate. The State should submit a credible plan, and the cost it outlines for services must be reasonable and necessary.

We did receive a question asking if institutions of higher education are eligible as Subgrantees. And yes, they are as stated in the definition of an early learning provider.

"Can you clarify expectations for school-readiness cut scores?” In the Executive Summary, Sub-Criterion 5 does indicate that the State should set expectations for school readiness of children upon kindergarten entry and include that in their application. The State would set the expectations in a manner which the State chooses. This would be a State decision, and is not defined within the grant application.

"Can funding for additional slots within communities already funded in the existing State preschool program count toward the States matching funds?” If these are already slots that are already funded in an existing State preschool program, that amount would not count towards the States match, unless those slots were due to an increase in State funding that was appropriated in the previous fiscal year, prior to the first year of the grant period, and matching funds could be comprised of State funds, local funds and philanthropic funds.

I think we'll go ahead and stop there, and we can take some more questions at the end of the webinar. So now I'm going to pass it over to my colleague at the Department of Education, Steven Hicks.

**Steven Hicks:** Great. Thank you Chrisanne.

Selection Criterion E is collaborating with each Subgrantee and ensuring strong partnerships. This criterion is worth 50 points, and there are 10 sub-criteria. Applications will be evaluated on the extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan to ensure that each Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs, including a description of:

1) the roles and responsibilities of the State and Subgrantee in implementing the project plan; 

2) how the State plans to implement High-Quality Preschool Programs, including the organizational capacity and existing infrastructure of the Subgrantee to provide High-Quality Preschool Programs, either directly or indirectly, through an early learning provider or providers, and coordinate the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs;

3) how the State will ensure that each Subgrantee minimizes local administrative costs; 

4) how the State and Subgrantee will monitor the early-learning providers, to ensure they are delivering High-Quality Preschool Programs; 

5) how the State and the Subgrantee will coordinate plans related to assessments, data sharing, instructional tools, family engagement, cross-sector and comprehensive service efforts, professional development and workforce and leadership development; 

6) how the State and Subgrantee will coordinate, but not supplant, the delivery of High-Quality Preschool Programs funded under this grant with existing services for preschool age children including, if applicable, State preschool programs and programs and services supported through Title I of the ESEA - that's the Elementary and Secondary Education Act - Part C and Section 619 of Part B of IDEA, Subtitle 7B of the McKinney-Vento Act and the Head Start Act, and the Childcare and Development Block Grant Act; 

7) how the Subgrantee will integrate, to the extent practicable, High-Quality Preschool Programs for Eligible Children within economically-diverse, inclusive settings, including those that serve children from families with incomes above 200% of the Federal poverty line; 

8) how the Subgrantee will deliver High-Quality Preschool Programs to Eligible Children, including Eligible Children who may be in need of additional supports, such as those who have disabilities or developmental delays, who are English learners, who reside on Indian lands as that term is defined by Section 80137 of the ESEA, who are migrant, who are homeless as defined in Subtitle 7B of the McKinney-Vento Act, who are in the child welfare system, who reside in rural or tribal areas, who are from military families, and other children, as identified by the State; 

9) how the State will ensure the Subgrantee implements culturally- and linguistically-responsive outreach and communication efforts to enroll children from families with Eligible Children, including isolated or hard-to-reach families, helps families build protective factors, and engages parents and families, e.g., builds capacity to support children's learning and development as decision-makers in their children's education.

Finally, States will describe how the State will ensure strong partnerships between each Subgrantee and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate, including a description of how the State will ensure that each Subgrantee A) partners with LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate, to carry out activities that provide children and their families with successful transitions from preschool into kindergarten, and B), coordinates and collaborates with the LEAs, or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate, in: 

1) providing opportunities for early educators to participate in professional development on early learning and kindergarten standards, assessments, curricula and culturally- and linguistically-responsive strategies to help families build protective factors, build parents' capacity to support their children's learning and development, and engage parents as decision-makers in their children's education; 

2) providing family engagement, support, nutrition and other comprehensive services, and coordinating with other community partners to ensure families' access to needed supports; 

3) supporting full inclusion of Eligible Children with Disabilities and developmental delays, to ensure access to and full participation in the High-Quality Preschool Program; 

4) supporting the inclusion of children who may be in need of additional supports, such as children who are English learners, who reside on Indian lands as that term is defined by Section 80137, of the ESEA, who are migrant, who are homeless as defined in Subtitle 7B of the McKinney-Vento Act, who are in the child welfare system, who reside in rural areas, who are from military families, and other children, as identified by the State; 

5) ensuring that High-Quality Preschool Programs have age-appropriate facilities to meet the needs of Eligible Children; 

6) developing and implementing a systematic procedure for sharing data and other records consistent with Federal and State law, and 

7) utilizing community-based learning resources such as libraries, arts and arts education programs and family literacy programs.

There is no specific evidence asked for here, so applicants can provide any supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers.

Selection Criterion F is about alignment within a birth through third grade continuum. This has two sections: birth through age 5, and K through third grade, but it should be seen as a continuum of birth through third grade. Applications will be evaluated on the extent to which the State has an ambitious and achievable plan to align High-Quality Preschool Programs supported by this grant with programs and systems that serve children from birth through third grade to, among other things, improve transitions for children across this continuum.

The first section is for birth through age 5 programs, and these activities include: A) coordinating with other early education and care programs and childcare, family service providers, supported through Federal, State and local resources, to build a strong continuum of learning for children from birth through age 5 and their families that expands families' choices, facilitates or improves their access to programs and supports in their communities, and engages all families with Eligible Children, including isolated or hard-to-reach families that might not otherwise participate; and B) ensuring that the provision of High-Quality Preschool Programs will not lead to a diminution of other services or increased costs to families, for programs serving children from birth through age 5.

A part of Criterion F is for kindergarten through third grade. These activities may include: A) ensuring that Eligible Children are well-prepared for kindergarten; B) sustaining the educational and developmental gains of Eligible Children by, 1) promoting collaboration between preschool and kindergarten teachers; 2) expanding access to full-day kindergarten, and 3) increasing the percentage of children who are able to read and do math at grade level by the end of third grade; and C) sustaining a high level of parent and family engagement, as children move from High-Quality Preschool Programs into the early elementary school years; D) taking steps, or building upon the steps it has taken to align, at a minimum, 1) child learning standards and expectations, 2) teacher preparation, credentials and workforce competencies: 3) comprehensive early learning assessment systems; 4) data systems, and 5) family engagement strategies. Again, applicants may provide any supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers.

Selection Criterion G is budget and sustainability. Reviewers will evaluate applications, based on the extent to which the budget narrative and budget tables demonstrate that the State will use the funds from this grant and any matching contributions to serve the number of children described in its ambitious and achievable plan, for each year, including using the funds for the projected per-child cost for new and improved State preschool program slots that are reasonable and sufficient, and that the projected per-child cost for new and improved State preschool program slots are reasonable and sufficient to ensure High-Quality Preschool Programs.

Also, coordinate the use of existing funds from Federal sources that support early learning and development, such as Title 1 of the ESEA., Part C in Section 619 of Part B of IDEA, Subtitle 7B of the McKinney-Vento Act, the Head Start Act and the Childcare and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, and State, private, local, foundation or other private funding sources, for activities and services that help expand High-Quality Preschool Programs.

And finally, sustained a High-Quality Preschool Program supported by this grant, after the grant period ends, to ensure that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

The evidence for Selection Criterion G is a budget narrative and tables, found in the Excel spreadsheets, and any other supporting evidence the State believes will be helpful to peer reviewers. The State should use its budgets and budget narratives to provide a detailed description on how it plans to use Federal Preschool Development Grant funds and funds from other sources, Federal, State, private and local, to support projects under the State's plan.

The State's budget tables and narratives, when taken together, should also address the specific elements of Selection Criterion, including by describing how the State will effectively and efficiently use funding from this grant to achieve the outcomes in the States plan, and do so in a manner that is adequate to support the activities described in the State's plan, includes costs that are reasonable and necessary, in relation to the objectives, design and significance of the activities described in the State's plan, and the number and percentage of children to be served, and details the amount of funds budgeted for Subgrantees and other partners, and the specific activities to be implemented with these funds, consistent with the State's plan, and demonstrates that a significant amount of funding will be devoted to the local implementation of the State's plan. The budget narratives should be of sufficient scope and detail for the Departments to determine if the costs are necessary, reasonable and allowable.

The following information must be included in the State's budget. First is the budget summaries. In this section, the State provides overall budget summary information by budget category, Subgrantee and project. Budget Table 1, Budget Summary, or A, but Budget Summary by Budget Category is a budget table in the Excel spreadsheet. This is the cover sheet for the budget. States should complete this table as the final step in their budget process and include this table as the first page of the State's budget. This is Budget Table 1.

Second is the budget narrative. In this section, the State describes the overall structure of the State's budget for implementing the State's plan, including for each project the designation of the Selection Criterion or Competitive Preference Priority the project addresses, an explanation of how the project will be organized and managed in order to ensure the implementation of the State's plan, described in the Selection Criteria, or Competitive Preference Priorities, and any information pertinent to understanding the proposed budget for each project.

The next piece of information is very important. On page 41 of the application package it states: "Attention. These ED budget forms do not need to be completed, as we will capture this information in the Excel spreadsheets under Part V, Other Attachments Form. Please note that in order to submit your application, you must enter either N/A or the number zero. You are probably familiar with the standard budget forms. Ours is a bit different. So instead of using the form on Grants.gov, we will capture this information in the Excel spreadsheet under the tab labeled 'Budget Table.' You will provide this in the Excel spreadsheets you upload in your application."

Now we are going to go over some other pieces of the application: competitive priorities, application requirements, and program requirements. There are three Competitive Preference Priorities where applicants may earn additional points if they choose to address them. The first Competitive Priority is for matching funds, which may include State, local and philanthropic funds. States that commit to matching 50% of Federal funds will be eligible for up to the maximum amount of points, which is 10, and applicants that match less than 50% will be eligible to receive points based on a sliding scale. Note that the applicant must submit evidence of a credible plan, in order to receive any points. FAQ Section F has many questions regarding matching funds.

In the Excel spreadsheets applicants will find the table Competitive Priority 1 Table to calculate the match. The instructions tab has directions for completing this table. For FY 2014 investments, fill out the total matching funds provided by the State in FY 2014. Do not enter funds under "Local," "Philanthropic" or "Other" in this column. This is only for State funds.

For years one through four, fill out the expected amount of matching funds coming from State, local, philanthropic and other sources. The totals for each year will self-populate. You cannot edit the cell in the overall match line.

Finally, the last line serves to check that the numbers in this table are the same as those entered into you Master Table or Table A. Sometimes we refer to Table A as the Master Table. If they are the same, the cell below the total will read "Correct." If there's a problem it will read, "Please verify numbers." Before moving on, please make sure all of the cells are correct. Again, these instructions are located on the first tab of the Excel spreadsheets.

In Table A, Part 2, information about any matching funds should be inserted. Again, step-by-step instructions have been provided in the Excel spreadsheets on the first tab. For each year, fill out the expected matching funds allocated for lines 2A, which is the State level infrastructure, 2C, for new preschool slots, and 2D for improved preschool slots. Cumulative State-level infrastructure need not be 35% of the total matching funds, as that limit applies only to Federal funds. For line 2E, or State matching funds, fill out the total funds spent on preschool during the State fiscal 2014 only.

The green Total Section, containing lines 2F through 2J, will self-populate, using information from Parts 1 and 2, and is there for your reference.

In the second Competitive Preference Priority, the applicant could earn up to 10 Competitive Preference points for supporting a birth through grade 3 continuum, by demonstrating how it will integrate High-Quality Preschool Programs within a broader continuum of support and interventions for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of Eligible Children within each High Need Community. The State must describe how it will foster partnerships and leverage resources from existing community agencies that provide early childhood services, and how it will ensure smooth transitions for children and families. 

Note that this is different from Selection Criterion F. This priority is focused on supports and interventions for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of Eligible Children within each High-Need Community.

In the third Competitive Preference Priority an applicant could earn zero or 10 points, based on whether a State proposes to use at least 50% of its Federal grant award to create new State preschool program slots, increasing the overall number of new slots in State preschool programs, meeting the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. Note, for this priority it is all or nothing points.

As a reminder, application requirements list the elements that must be included in a complete application. The application must be signed by the Governor or authorized representative and the lead agency. A letter of support from the State advisory council or similar council must be included.

A budget narrative that details how these and other funds will be used to achieve the goals and targets must be included in the application, along with the completed Excel spreadsheets. The State must provide for each Selection Criterion or Priority in this notice that solicits an ambitious and achievable plan, a description of the eight elements we discussed earlier: key goals; key activities; a realistic timeline; the party or parties responsible for each activity, with key personnel; financial resources to support and sustain the plan; supporting evidence; information requested for performance measures, where applicable, and how the State will address the needs of Eligible Children, including those needing additional supports.

Program requirements, remember, specify what applicants must do if they win a grant, for example, reporting participating in technical assistance activities, publishing findings. Program requirements must be met during the four years of the grant period. The State must continue to participate in the early childhood programs listed here: IDEA. Part C and B; Section 619 TCDF; Section 418 of the Social Security Act; Home Visiting; and McKinney-Vento.

States and Subgrantees must supplement, not supplant. States must participate in ED and HHS technical assistance activities, and the State and each Subgrantee must participate in any evaluation at an HHS fund.

The State and Subgrantees must also comply with privacy laws and applicable Federal, State and local laws. The State and each Subgrantee must provide researchers with access to available data regarding the enrollment and school readiness of Eligible Children in State preschool programs.

In addition, for program requirements, State's work that's developed under this grant must be freely available to the public. The State must have a Statewide Longitudinal Data System that links early childhood data with the State's kindergarten through grade 12, K-12, data system, by the end of the grant period, and the State must ensure that the State advisory council or early childhood education and care indicated includes the State's CCDF administrator, State agency coordinators from both Part B and Section 619 of B of IDEA, the State Title I director, the State coordinator of education for homeless children and youth, State agency representatives responsible for health and mental health, and parent representatives.

There is a program requirement for serving Eligible Children with Disabilities. The State must establish policies and procedures that ensure, first, collaboration between each Subgrantee and programs authorized by Sections 619 of B of IDEA, so that Eligible Children with Disabilities in the high-need community are being appropriately identified and served in the least-restrictive environment, and secondly ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children with Disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage of four-year-old children, served Statewide through Part B, Section 619 of IDEA, or the current national average, whichever is greater.

The current percentage is 6.4%. And there is a prohibition on spending funds including matching funds on construction, renovation, modernization or related services.

You'll notice that we have another defined term here: Eligible Children with Disabilities. The defined term "Eligible Children with Disabilities" means Eligible Children who have been determined by the local education agency to be eligible for special education and related services under Section 619 of the IDEA. In the notice, the entire phrase should have been capitalized, per our convention of capitalizing all defined terms. You'll notice an error here in the notice, in that we mistakenly did not capitalize the word "disability," but it should be capitalized here. Eligible Children with Disabilities is a defined term.

Continuing this program requirements, funds for improving slots must be limited to the five we discussed: extending programs from half-day to full-day; limiting class-size and decreasing child-to-staff ratios; employing and compensating a teacher with a Bachelor's degree; providing in-service, evidence-based professional development, such as coaching; or providing comprehensive services.

MOUs are due within 180 days of receipt of an award.

Scopes of work from the State are due in 90 days, from the State, and in 180 days from Subgrantees.

A little bit about submitting your application. You may access the Electronic Grant Application for Preschool Development Grants, Development Grants, at www.Grants.gov. Search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. The Grants.gov site has information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation. We have also posted a document on the Preschool Development Grants website that you will find helpful.

Applications received by Grants.gov are date- and time-stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded, submitted, and must be date- and time-stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington D.C. time, on October 14th, 2014. The amount of time and can take to upload an application will vary, depending on a variety of factors, including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov. You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms, the application for Federal assistance, the Department of

Education supplemental information, budget information, non-construction programs, and all necessary assurances and certifications.

You must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in a PDF, read-only, non-modifiable format. Do not upload an interactive or fillable PDF file. If you upload a file type other than the read-only, non-modifiable PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not review the material. Additionally, detailed information on how to attach files is in the application instructions.

The Excel spreadsheets should be uploaded in Excel. After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov and automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Departments. The Departments then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by email. This second notification indicates the Departments have received your application and have assigned your application a PR award number, a specific identification number, unique to your application.

If you experience problems submitting your application to Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov support desk, toll-free at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov support desk case number, and must keep a record of it. If for some reason you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, and you receive a Grants.gov support desk case number, Grants.gov will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington D.C. time, the following business day, to enable you to translate your application electronically or by hand delivery.

Before closing, I want to share with you a bit of the timeline. We are hoping that States and communities will seize this opportunity to begin thinking of forming their partnerships and drafting their applications. States have 60 days to write their applications and submit them by October 14th. We have tried to allow for the maximum possible time for States to write their applications, but it would be good to begin the writing process early. Also, we want to remind you, please register for Grants.gov early.

Please do submit your Intent to Apply, as well, so we can properly plan for the competition. There will be directions explaining how to provide your Intent to Apply in the Notice Inviting Applications.

Thank you for joining us today. Here's important contact information on where to make comments, how to contact us through email and where to go to sign up for the ED and HHS email lists to receive updates. 

For those of you who have submitted comments, we're going to see if we can address some of those now. Others we will consider in additional guidance we provide.

**Chrisanne Gayl:** All right. We're going to go ahead and answer a couple of additional questions that have come in, and again a reminder, if you have a quick question, type it into the chat box.

One question is: "Has a specific hour requirement been identified to define all-day pre-K?"

We use the term "full-day pre-K," and we do have a definition for that. A full-day pre-K program would be equivalent to a full school day at a public elementary school in the State, and cannot be fewer than five hours duration. 

We also received another question: "Can you please review again the definition of High Needs Community? Can an LEA be considered a High Needs Community?"

Again, the definition of High Need Community means "a geographically defined area, such as a city, town, county, neighborhood, District, rural or tribal area, or consortium thereof, with a high level of need, as determined by the State." We do not specifically enumerate an LEA in that definition. One is imagining that you might be able to make a case that an LEA could fit that definition. So I wouldn't want to exclude that, but it's not particularly enumerated in that definition.

Another question that we received earlier on is, "What specific data will researchers have asked us to?"  And as we State in the Program Requirement G, the State and the Subgrantees must provide researchers with access consistent with the requirements of all of the Federal, State and local privacy laws, to available data regarding the enrollment and the school readiness of Eligible Children in the State preschool program.

We also received a question about new slots. “Does a new slot means a new student through the door, or could it mean a slot expanded from half-day to full-day?"

And for this answer I, in particular, draw your attention to our FAQs E1 and E2, which discuss the funds associated with the costs of the new slot and an improved slot, and there you'll see that a State preschool program slot that's been expanded from half-day to full-day would count as an improved slot.  And I would just note as well that other types of slots that will count as an improved slot would be a slot where the class size has been limited or the child-to-staff ratio has decreased, or one in which the teacher is now being employed and has been compensated as a teacher with a Bachelor's degree, and there's a couple of other examples in E2.

Another question on, "If children live in designated high-poverty neighborhoods, a Title I school, can that qualify them to enroll in a preschool grant program?" And again, the only children that can be served in the High-Quality Preschool Program, that are specifically children that are funded through preschool Development Grants are those that meet the Eligible Children definition, which are four-year-old children from families whose income is at or below 200% of the Federal poverty line. Although, as I've stated before, those children could still be in classrooms with other types of children, provided that those classrooms meet the definition of a High-Quality Preschool Program.

And another question: "Can you provide a list on the website of the States which have applied, and who the lead agency is, so that we know to approach within the State?"

After the competition is completed and the awards have been announced, that is when we will be posting the applications on our website, but I would note that in every State the application has to originate, in some way, from the Governor's office. So that would be the point of contact that you first want to reach out to.

I believe those are all the questions that we have received at this point. Steven, let me go ahead and send it back to you, to just wrap up.

**Steven Hicks:**Great. Thanks so much, Chrisanne, and thank you all for joining us for this webinar. If you are a State that's eligible for an Expansion Grant, tomorrow we will be having a webinar for Expansion Grant eligible States. Again, if you have additional questions, please do reach out to us at PreschoolDevelopmentGrants@ED.gov to ask any other questions. We have a lot of information on our website at the Preschool Development Grants homepage, with complete FAQs. So please do look at those first before submitting any questions. A lot of the questions have been answered there already.

Thank you again, and we really appreciate your support and look forward to receiving your applications. Have a good afternoon.

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