WASHINGTON The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) today announced a new initiative to propel state actions to build comprehensive, coordinated state early childhood systems for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Up to three states will be awarded competitive grants up to $50,000, made possible through support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Head Start Bureau. A fourth state may be selected if additional funding from non-federal sources is received.

Governors and state education leaders are aware of the critical need to address the opportunity gap in the first five years of life as a step toward closing the persistent achievement gap. Building the Foundation for Bright Futures: Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness, offers recommendations for what governors can do to build Ready States that have the leadership, infrastructure and resources necessary to support families, communities and schools in their efforts to ensure all children enter school ready to reach their full potential. Across the country, states are working to build seamless systems to support the comprehensive developmental needs of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. For many states, gubernatorial leadership is critical to success. By supporting governors and raising executive-level attention, the NGA Center seeks to help states capitalize on opportunities and overcome challenges to realize systems change.

Successful proposals will identify system building blocks (e.g., early care and education, family support, health and/or early intervention services); set clear goals, activities and outcomes for participation in the project; describe how the project will add value to current efforts; and offer evidence of gubernatorial leadership to support and sustain system-building efforts beyond the grant period.

Designed to meet states at their current stage of system development, the grants will support continued progress toward self-identified goals in areas such as quality standards, financial assistance, professional development, monitoring and improvement, engagement and outreach and coordinated governance. The grants are intended to fund activities directly related to the project meetings and the states technical assistance needs. The grant period will be August 2006 to November 2008.

The Task Force report demonstrates just how critical the first five years of childrens lives are in the development of fundamental skills necessary to a successful education and life, sad John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. These grants will give governors and states the opportunity to build the support infrastructure critical to ensuring bright futures for the next generation.

Grant proposals must be submitted by governors offices no later than June 16, 2006. A selection committee independent of NGA will select grantees based on a set of criteria, which are included in the Request for Proposals. Grant awards will be announced in July.

NGA, founded in 1908, is the instrument through which the nations governors collectively influence the development and implementation of national policy and apply creative leadership to state issues. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. The NGA Center for Best Practices helps governors and their policy advisors develop and implement innovative solutions to governance and policy challenges facing them in their states. The Center provides tailored technical assistance, tracks and evaluates state innovations and best practices and helps governors and their staff develop cutting-edge solutions to stay ahead of problems. For more information, please visit www.nga.org.

John H. Blacksten
Press Secretary
National Governors Association
444 North Capitol Street  Suite 267
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-624-7787
Fax: 202-624-5825
E-mail: jblacksten@nga.org

The NGA Center for Best Practices offers Building the Foundation for Bright Futures: Final Report of the NGA Task Force on School Readiness and companion piece, Building the Foundation for Bright Futures: A Governor's Guide to School Readiness

LINK

Under the 2002-03 chairmanship of former Governor Paul E. Patton of Kentucky, NGA established a gubernatorial Task Force on School Readiness to identify actions that governors and states can take to support families, schools, and communities in their efforts to ensure that all children are ready for school. The task force continued under the leadership of the 2003-04 NGA chair, Governor Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho. Participating governors included Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, former Governor Bob Holden of Missouri, Governor Bob Taft of Ohio, Governor Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania, and Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina.

Final Report of the Task Force on School Readiness
Entire Document - pdf (9 MB)