Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance Pre-K Capacity Building Grant
Opportunity Overview: Are you a child care center with an EXCELS 3 or higher rating located in a high-need area of Montgomery County? Do you serve or want to serve low-income families and provide quality Pre-K education? The Montgomery County Children’s Opportunity Alliance Capacity Building Grant is here to support you!
What This Grant Offers:
Capacity Building: Comprehensive training and resources to prepare your center to apply for the Maryland Blueprint Pre-K Expansion Grant next year. Our goal is to ensure you're ready to grow and sustain your services with additional state funding in the future. All grant recipients will receive an individualized assessment of your program's readiness to deliver Pre-K programming and a plan to get ready. Depending on your center’s current strengths, goals, and interests, you can also request the following kinds of support through this grant:
Support for staff training at higher credentialing levels: Enhance your staff's skills and qualifications to meet higher standards and understand and support IQR (Instructional Quality Review).
Accreditation support: Get assistance with the accreditation process to ensure your center meets recognized standards of quality.
CLASS training & coaching: Participate in CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) training and coaching to improve teaching practices and classroom interactions.
Program standards support: Receive guidance and support for the alignment of MSDE’s new early learning standards and assessment.
Navigation support: Montgomery County and MSDE offer many resources already – we can help you find different supports that might be a good fit for your program.
Blueprint Pre-K Grant webinars & technical assistance sessions: Access educational webinars and personalized technical assistance to help you understand what Blueprint Pre-K is and how to prepare for it.
Grant preparation and writing support: Get expert help with preparing and writing the Blueprint Pre-K Expansion Grant.
Grant budgeting and management support: Learn how to effectively manage and allocate Blueprint Pre-K grant funds.
Materials expenses: Secure funds to cover certain expenses related to quality improvement related to Blueprint Pre-K, if no fund currently exists in the county (such as for accreditation supports and CDA supports).
Community of Practice: Join a community of practice with new and existing Blueprint Pre-K grantees to facilitatefor shared learning, peer support, and collaboration as you navigate the grant process and strengthen your program.
Why Apply?
Prepare for Blueprint Pre-K Expansion: Get the expert guidance and resources needed to qualify for Blueprint Pre-K Expansion, setting your center up for long-term success. For more information on Blueprint Pre-K Expansion, please visit https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/maryland-pre-k-grant-programs.
Expand your impact: Position your center to serve more children from low-income families, providing equitable with access to quality early education.
Make a difference: Play a vital role in giving children in your community the strong start they deserve.
Who Should Apply?
Child care centers with an EXCELS rating 3 or higher, located in areas of Montgomery County Maryland with a high density of low-income families. Centers must offer at least a 6.5-hour day.
Child care centers that have a teacher(s) with a CDA, associate’s degree in early childhood education, or a bachelor’s degree in any field, or teachers working toward these credentials with anticipated completion before the 2025-2026 school year, who would be the designated Pre-K teacher.
Centers interested in applying for the Blueprint Pre-K Expansion grant in school year 2025-2026. It is a requirement of receiving this Capacity Building Grant that you must apply for the MSDE Blueprint Pre-K Expansion Grant for the 2025-2026 school year.
Timeline: Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis until funds are spent. Accepted centers will start work with their technical assistance support right away, hoping to make enough progress towards preparing for the next Maryland Pre-Kindergarten Expansion Grant cycle in spring 2025. The period of this grant award will be fall of 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Take the Next Step: This is your chance to grow your impact, support more families, and secure your center’s future. Simply fill out our Microsoft Form to share your center’s needs and goals. Apply today to be a part of this exciting opportunity!