The First Five Things to Know About: Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5)

PDG B-5 grants help maximize parental choice. While all parents want their young children cared for in a safe and caring environment, they have varied needs and preferences. PDG B-5 grants help states build out these choices. 

• Oregon is using their current funding to develop a cohesive early education system that maximizes family choice, using data gained through a needs assessment originally funded by a 2020-23 PDG B-5 grant. The consistency and longevity of PDG B-5 enabled the state’s ability to renew funding and build long-term infrastructure.
• Michigan is expanding the state’s existing Pre-K For All program to include home-based child care providers, offering working families an option with more flexible hours, individualized support, and community relationships.

PDG B-5 grants help states collect data, so they can make programs work more effectively and efficiently. Strong data collection allows states to identify what’s working, what’s not, and what to do about it.

• PDG B-5 is supporting Alabama’s efforts to design strong analytical systems that would inform policy and services across agencies.
• Oklahoma is using their funds to develop a better data collection system that would guide programming related to system alignment, efficacy, and expansion.
• A 2022 PDG B-5 grant helped Kansas develop their All in for Kansas Kids Strategic Plan, including a comprehensive dashboard to publicize data and collaborate across providers.

PDG B-5 grants help states collaborate across multiple programs, systems, and agencies. Within a state, child care and early learning systems may work with different state agencies, nonprofits, or private systems. PDG B-5 allows these systems to coordinate efficiently.

• Delaware is employing the funds to improve program coordination across the state in collaboration with educational and economic advisors.
• Hawaii is using PDG B-5 to support coordination across agencies and service providers, bolstering statewide program quality.
• A 2022-2024 PDG B-5 grant supported New York in improving their New York Family Guide to New York State Early Childhood Services, aiming to increase parents’ awareness of the mixed-delivery system and ease of access to services.

PDG B-5 grants help states improve quality and safety across child care programs. High-quality child care has wide-ranging benefits for children socially, emotionally, and academically.

• PDG B-5 funds are helping Ohio launch a technology and research initiative that will improve curriculum development and professional learning opportunities, resulting in a more informed workforce.
• Vermont is using its newest grant to collect data across its recently expanded child care workforce, including a more efficient background-check system and professional development opportunities.

Continued federal funding for PDG B-5 grants is essential. Forty-nine of the 50 states as well as Washington, DC and four territories have benefitted from PDG B-5 funding, which has given them the ability to support the data collection, research, infrastructure development, and quality initiatives that can make their child care and early learning programs operate more effectively. Most states have applied for multiple rounds of funding to continue to meet ongoing needs.