• Pre-K Now Resources
• State Strategy Showcase
• Recommended General ARRA Resources
• Federal and State Government Resources
• Facilities
• Title I
• State Advisory Councils
• Data Systems
• IDEA
• English Language Learners
• Blending and Braiding Funds

• Weekly Calls

• ARRA Overview
• Pre-K Now matrix of relevant ARRA provisions
• Using Title I Funds in the Stimulus Package for Pre-K: Making the Case talking points
• Timeline for distribution of education funds under ARRA
• Early education excerpts from Department of Education initial guidance
• Charts of relevant stimulus funds

• NEW! In Georgia, pre-kindergarten classrooms are marked to receive $1.7 million in federal stimulus funds.
• The Association for Children of New Jersey has recently published ARRA and New Jersey's Preschool Initiative: "Not Perfect Together" as well as Preschool Expansion Update: Despite Limited Funding, Still Moving Forward – the briefs analyze New Jersey's experience with ARRA education funds.
• In Kentucky, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence sent memoranda to all superintendents in the state recommending the uses of ARRA funds for pre-k and parent engagement.
• In Oregon, a partnership of six groups, called Equip, will use nearly $3 million in federal stimulus dollars, as well as private donations, to provide incentives to early child care and education workers who complete college courses or training. Featured in The Oregonian.
• The Illinois Early Learning Council submitted recommendations to the State Board of Education; to facilitate its use, the Council wrote the document in such a way that the SBE could easily turn it into a guidance for school districts on using ARRA funds for early education.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a guide to school districts on strategically investing federal stimulus funds, featuring early childhood education and early learning facilities on pages 11-13.
• Winning Beginning NY developed a set of recommendations on the uses of ARRA funds in New York and shared the document with its coalition to aid in state advocacy efforts.  
• Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools is featured in an article that looks at how the district used Title I funds for its pre-k program (subscription to Education Weekly is required to view article).
• The Association for Children of New Jersey convened 45 early education stakeholders to discuss ARRA and developed a letter to Governor Corzine.
• In its blog, Pre-K Vermont highlights its unique strategy for using ARRA funds to improve the quality of the state’s early education settings.

• NEW! ARRA Idea Development Worksheet - a tool intended to help teams of school district staff make decisions about investing ARRA funds (Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory)
• Early Learning in State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Commitments - recommendations for state leaders thinking through including early learning in the four Stabilization Fund commitments, with specific analysis of key principles and guiding questions in each of the four policy areas (EducationCounsel, LLC)
• Maximizing Reform in the Stimulus Bill: Supporting Effective Early Education - briefing memo (Education Commission on the States and New America Foundation)
• Building a Solid Foundation - issue brief for states and school districts on using recovery funds to drive pK-3 reform (New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative)
• ARRA blog – where you can post your questions (Birth to Five Policy Alliance)
• Education Recovery and Reinvestment Center (Learning Point Associates)
• Summary of ED Initial Guidance and ARRA implementation timeline (EducationCounsel, LLC)
• ARRA brief on early childhood (National League of Cities)
• ARRA resource page (NAEYC)
• Using the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act to Advance High Quality Professional Development for Early Childhood Educators (NAEYC)

• Economic Stimulus Briefing Room (NACCRA)
• Interactive Stimulus Tool (ZERO TO THREE)
• “Where is My Stimulus Money?” (New America Foundation’s Early Ed Watch Blog)
• Stimulus Package Guidance (PolicyForResults.org, Center for the Study of Social Policy)

• Recovery.Gov – the official White House site dedicated to ARRA
• State Recovery Sites on Recovery.gov – find your state’s recovery page and see how others are spending the stimulus funds
• Education Department ARRA information page – includes links to information on the Fiscal Stabilization Fund, school modernization, and budget news
  • NEW! Recovery Act State Fact Sheets – see how much recovery funding your state has received for education, as of August 19, 2009.
  • NEW! Race to the Top Fund - information page on the $5 billion competitive grant program launched July 24, 2009.
  • Education Department ARRA Guidance and Applications:
    • Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Application
    • School Construction Bonds information
    • State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Guidance
    • State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Application
    • Title I Guidance
    • IDEA Part B Guidance
    • IDEA Part C Guidance  
  • Using ARRA Funds to Drive School Reform and Improvement (early education portions highlighted)
  • Slide show presentation on the principles and basics of ARRA (Department of Education)
  • Title I, IDEA, State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and ARRA in general fact sheets (Department of Education)
  • ED Daily News Roundup

• Department of Health and Human Services recovery page – check here for Head Start and Child Care guidance
• NEW! State Advisory Councils: Application Content and Format. Information on applying for State Advisory Council start-up funds that became available through ARRA Head Star allocation. Application deadline: August 1, 2010
• Application for Early Head Start expansion funds is available. Application deadline: July 9, 2009.
• Application for Head Start funds is available for current federally-funded Head Start agencies. Application deadline: June 23, 2009.
• HHS announced the release of $2 Billion Head Start and Early Head Start funds.
• The Office of Head Start released a Program Information Notice on the Head Start Funding Increase, ACF-PI-HS-09-06. It includes estimated state allocations for Quality Improvement Funds and COLA
• HHS announced the availability of up to an additional $5 billion in emergency funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
• HHS announced the release of $2 billion in Child Care Development Fund.
• View a map of Child Care Recovery funding for your state.
• See Child Care Recovery funding for all states.

• Council of State Governments compiled state-specific notes on ARRA education funds.

• Summary and analysis of education funding including state-by-state estimates (Education Commission on the States)

“To the extent LEAs use funds for modernization, renovation or repair, they should consider the use of facilities for early childhood education and for the community…” (U.S. Department of Education, State Fiscal Stabilization Act Fact Sheet, 3-6-2009)

• Federal Stimulus Funding for School Modernization information (NCEF)
• Administration Urges States and School Districts to Invest in Early Education Facilities (Sara Mead, New America Foundation’s Early Ed Watch blog)

“Congress in its ARRA conference report indicated its intent that grantees use some of their Title I funds for early childhood programs and activities. The Administration is committed over the long term to expanding early childhood educational opportunities and creating a more seamless web of high-quality services for parents and children.” (U.S. Department of Education, Title I, Part A Fact Sheet, 3-6-2008)

• Investing Title I Funds in Pre-K a national conference call featuring Dr. Jerry Weast, Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland, hosted by Pre-K Now and the American Federation of Teachers on May 6, 2009.
• Serving Preschool Children Under Title I – background resource, comprised of selected excerpts from a 2004 Education Department guidance
• Press release on Title I in ARRA from Montgomery County Public Schools and related report on MCPS full-day pre-k
• Education Department ARRA page on estimated Title I allocations to LEA’s
• CLASP presentation on Title I and Pre-K and CLASP brief on Title I

• State Advisory Councils: Application Content and Format and Governors' Letter: Head Start Funds for State Advisory Councils on Early Education and Care (Department of Health and Human Services)
• "Creating a Comprehensive State Early Childhood Advisory Council" (NGA Center for Best Practices)
• "Staffing Office of Child Development and Early Learning Councils, Committees, Workgroups, and Task Forces" (Stacie Goffin for PA OCDEL)
• Background on State Advisory Councils and Birth-to-Five Framework (EducationCounsel LLC)
• “The Dawn of a New Era” (Dr. Joan Lombardi)
• “State Advisory Councils: Creating Systems of Early Education and Care” whitepaper and memo (Pre-K Now)

“As part of its application [for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund] initial funding, the state must assure that it will take actions to: establish and use pre-K-through-college and career data systems to track progress and foster continuous improvement…” (U.S. Department of Education, State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Fact Sheet, 3-6-2008)

• Briefing Memo on Promising Practices: Race to the Top (Education Commission on the States)
• “Opportunities in the ARRA to Build and Support the Use of State Longitudinal Data Systems” (Elizabeth Laird, DQC)
• Next Step – a document outlining DQC’s focus over the next three years, including linking P-20 systems (DQC)
• Early Learning Data Systems (DQC)
• IES State Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program and the contact information of state data managers and other DQC allies
• “Maximizing Resources from the Stimulus Package: Possible strategies for funding QRIS” (Build Initiative)

“Expand the availability and range of inclusive placement options for preschoolers with disabilities by developing the capacity of public and private preschool programs to serve these children.” (U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Recovery Funds Fact Sheet, 3-6-2008)

• How the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Impacts Special Education and Early Intervention (Council for Exceptional Children (CEC))
• ARRA: Summary of Selected Provisions (IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association and the Division for Early Childhood of the CEC)
• Stimulus Q&A and webinar series (CEC)
• Background on IDEA Section 619 Preschool Grants Program from National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC)
• Focus on Young Children (Easter Seals)

• Recommendations on ways ARRA funds can be used to address the needs of ELL children (ELL Working Group). The group targets specific opportunities for improving ELL outcomes through allocations to Title I, IDEA special education, technology, data systems, teacher grants, early childhood education, the National Science Foundation, and state stabilization grants.
• Transforming Early Learning: Educational Equity for Young Latinos (Latino Policy Forum)

• "Funding the Future: States' Approaches to Pre-K Finance"
  Updated just in time to meet 2008's tough fiscal constraints, this report highlights strategies and sources that states – and some cities – are tapping in order to expand and supplement current pre-k funding.
  
• "Better Outcomes for All: Promoting Partnerships between Head Start and State Pre-K"
  How can Head Start and state pre-kindergarten programs work together to better serve young children and their families? This report offers answers, drawing on research and in-depth interviews with state pre-k program directors, Head Start collaboration coordinators, and providers of both Head Start and state pre-k programs.
  
• "A Center Piece of the Pre-K Puzzle: Providing State Prekindergarten in Child Care Centers" (National Women's Law Center)
  The authors say: "As state-funded prekindergarten investments continue to grow across the country, it is more important than ever that policy makers take advantage of existing child care and other early childhood settings to offer families - especially families with parents in the workforce - options that can meet their diverse needs."
• "Making Use of the Economic Recovery Funds: Child Care Options for States (CLASP)

• "CCDBG: What’s in the law?" – lays out what the Child Care and Development Block Grant law requires of states (CLASP)

To keep our partners current on stimulus funding developments, Pre-K Now has hosted a series of weekly calls featuring guest experts on various topics. Please listen to our conference call recordings below by downloading the recording to your computer (To save the MP3 file to your computer, right-click the link and choose "Save Target As...").

• Title I (March  4)

With Danielle Ewen, senior policy analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and Jana Martella, executive director, National Association of Early Childhood Specialists at State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE)

• State Advisory Councils (March 11, 2009)

With Dr. Joan Lombardi, Director of The Children’s Project, Research Professor at Georgetown Public Policy Institute, and Elliott Regenstein, Partner, EducationCounsel LLC

• Statewide Data Systems (March 18, 2009)

With Elizabeth M. Laird, program manager, Data Quality Campaign

• IDEA (March 25, 2009)

With Katy Beh Neas, government relations vice president at Easter Seals, and Sharon Walsh, governmental relations, Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA)

• State Strategies (April 1)

With Nancy Shier, the director of Kids Public Education and Policy Project at The Ounce of Prevention Fund will discuss the progress in Illinois. Mary Barrosse Schwartz, early childhood policy activist and consultant, will share the approaches taken in Vermont.