The importance of early learning for children's healthy development and positive outcomes in school and the workforce has become a subject of increasing interest to the public, Members of Congress, and the Adm inistration. During recent congresses many bills have been introduced that would provide funding to states aiming to facilitate improvements in the quality of, and access to, early childhood education (ECE) programs. Increased congressional interest in early childhood care and education issues has been driven, in part, by research on the role of ECE programs in raising academic achievement and other desired student outcomes. Results have generally shown that quality early childhood care and education help improve outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students. The effectiveness of ECE programs is usually measured by assessing children's cognitive functioning, school readiness, and/or social behavior. In addition, there is a growing body of research exploring the cost-effectiveness of investments in high quality preschool. The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) estimated the average lifetime benefits of universally available preschool for all three- and four-year-olds to be considerably larger than the costs for two years of prekindergarten. NIEER based its estimates on data from studies of two high quality preschool programs serving low-income children—the Chicago Child Parent Center (CCPC) and the Perry Preschool program. These studies both found that for every dollar invested, the lifetime return on investment equaled seven dollars. Follow-up of the children who participated in the CCPC at age 20 found they were less likely to be held back in school, to have needed remedial help, or to have been arrested. The follow-up study of the Perry Preschool participants found similar benefits. At age 27, Perry Preschool participants had higher monthly earnings and a higher level of schooling, as well as fewer arrests, than the children who did not take part in the program. Currently, access to high-quality preschool programs varies throughout the United States. Nationally, in school year (SY) 2014-2015, 42 states and Washington, DC, supported one or more state-funded preschool program, although the percentage of three- and four-year-olds served, and the number of hours provided by these programs, varied considerably. In SY2014-2015, approximately 29% of four-year-olds and 5% of three-year-olds were enrolled in state-funded preschool nationally. One group that has established benchmarks for use in assessing program quality, NIEER, found that only six states met all 10 of their benchmarks for quality in SY2014-2015. Nationally, less than 4% of the children served in state-funded preschool in SY2014-2015 were enrolled in programs meeting all 10 of the NIEER benchmarks for quality. It is difficult to provide a clear picture of preschool programs in this country. There is no formal, federally mandated system of preschool, and states and localities make their own decisions about whether or not to offer such programs. In the absence of a cohesive public preschool system, a fragmented landscape of private and public providers has emerged, with funding coming from a combination of private, state, local, and federal sources, and with program eligibility and quality varying widely. In part, this fragmentation has led to a lack of comprehensive national data on the supply and quality of existing preschool initiatives and the rules that govern them. This report focuses on two recent early childhood initiatives proposed by the Obama Administration and funded between FY2011 and FY2016: Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants and Preschool Development Grants (PDG). These programs were intended to increase access to high-quality preschool and to help states develop more cohesive ECE systems that better coordinate local, state, and federal preschool programs. Appropriations laws for FY2011, FY2012, and FY2013 provided funds for RTT-ELC grants. Appropriations laws for FY2014, FY2015, and FY2016 provided funding for the Preschool Development Grants program. While funding for these programs is appropriated to the U.S. Department of Education (ED), these programs are jointly administered by ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This report provides background and information on both the RTT-ELC and PDG programs, and on the states that have received a grant from one or both of these programs. Readers should note that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95 ) established a standalone authorization for a new PDG program beginning in FY2017. Despite the shared names, these two PDG programs differ in a number of ways. A full discussion of the new PDG program is beyond the scope of this report. However, some limited information on the newly authorized PDG program, as compared to the current PDG program, is provided in Appendix C . The overarching goal of the RTT-ELC program was to help states build comprehensive statewide systems that improve early learning programs, and increase access to high-quality ECE programs for high-need children. RTT-ELC is focused on five key areas that comprise this early learning reform agenda: 1. " Successful State Systems built on broad-based stakeholder participation and effective governance structures. 2. High-Quality Accountable Programs based on a common set of standards aligning Head Start, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), state-funded preschools, and similar programs to create a unified statewide system of early learning and development. 3. Promoting Early Learning Development Outcomes for Children through the implementation of common statewide standards for young children, comprehensive assessments aligned to those standards across a range of domains, and clear guidelines for improving the quality of programs and services that promote health and engage families in the care and education of young children. 4. A Great Early Childhood Workforce that is supported through professional development, career advancement opportunities, differentiated compensation, and incentives to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities to promote the learning and development of young children. 5. Measuring Outcomes and Progress through the collection, organization, and understanding of evidence of young children's progress across a range of domains, as well as implementing comprehensive data systems and using data to improve instruction, practices, services, and policies." Early Learning Challenge Grants were first considered by Congress during deliberations on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (SAFRA, H.R. 3221 as passed by the House and referred to Senate Committee). This legislation included language that would have authorized a new Early Learning Challenge Grants program (ELC) to provide competitive grants to states intended to improve the standards and quality of state early learning programs serving children from birth to age five. One billion dollars a year in mandatory funding for FY2010-FY2017 was proposed for the program. Subsequently, some provisions from SAFRA, but not Early Learning Challenge Grants, were incorporated into Title II Part A of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA, P.L. 111-152 ). However, Early Learning Challenge Grants were funded through the Race to the Top program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5 ). ARRA provided a total of $4.35 billion in FY2009 funding for the RTT program. ELC did not receive funding in FY2009, and no funding was provided for any RTT program in FY2010. Nonetheless, ELC was subsequently provided RTT funding through appropriations measures in FY2011, FY2012, and FY2013; and the program became known as Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grants. The final FY2011 Continuing Resolution ( P.L. 112-10 ) provided $699 million for Race to the Top. Section 1832 of P.L. 112-10 provided authority for ED to reserve (and administer jointly with HHS) a portion of RTT funding for competitive grants to states for the improvement of early childhood care and education. Of the $699 million provided for Race to the Top in FY2011, ED and HHS ultimately reserved $497 million for RTT-ELC funding. Through subsequent appropriations measures, the program received $133 million in FY2012 funding and $370 million in FY2013 funding (see Table 1 ). FY2013 funding included supplements to six states in addition to six new awards. Each state awarded RTT-ELC funding receives it for a four-year period, beginning the January after their grant award is announced. Certain state agencies are required to participate in the state's RTT-ELC program. State agencies that administer public funds related to early learning and development and are participating in the RTT-ELC State Plan are considered by ED and HHS to be Required Participating State Agencies. Required Participating State Agencies include the agencies that administer or supervise the administration of the following: Section 619 of Part B and Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program; state-funded preschool; home visiting; Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA); the Head Start State Collaboration Grant; and the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant. They also include the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care, the state's Child Care Licensing Agency, and the state educational agency. A state that obtains RTT-ELC funds is required to develop a tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) for the early learning programs licensed and registered with the state that will be participating in the RTT-ELC program. In the RTT-ELC grant program, QRIS are referred to as TQRIS to emphasize the tiered aspect of a Quality Rating and Improvement System.