Summary
New PDG B-5 funding gives states a chance to strengthen early care and education with modern, real-time early care and education systems. Learn how your state can use this grant to expand family access, improve provider data and reporting, and build the integrated infrastructure needed for strategic, long-term ECE planning.
[Estimated read time: 6 minutes]
A fresh wave of PDG B-5 funding could transform your state’s ECE future
State administrators, what future do you want to shape for your state’s early care and education (ECE) ecosystem? New PDG B-5 funding brings a chance to spark real change for families and communities.
We know the challenges you face.
- Families struggle to find available, affordable, high-quality child care
- Policymakers grapple with data gaps when trying to address supply shortages
- Overworked, underpaid providers wrestle with the burden of complicated and redundant reporting for subsidy, licensing, and numerous other systems
Imagine a solution where a few clicks enable families to see available childcare slots in real time. A system that provides precise data on where demand outstrips supply, empowering your leaders with guiding strategic investments. A system which automatically delivers mandatory information to the state, dramatically reducing the administrative burden on providers.
Consider Iowa’s Child Care Connect (C3), a groundbreaking model that provides real-time vacancies, comprehensive provider information, and essential supply and demand insights.
While Iowa leveraged American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds for C3’s launch, the vision behind such a system perfectly aligns with the core goals of the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Systems-Building Grant.
This is your opportunity to apply for federal funding to build your state’s own real-time child care and early education revolution.
Why a real-time system is a game-changer (and perfect for PDG B-5)
The PDG B-5 Systems-Building Grant emphasizes strengthening state-level ECE systems. A real-time vacancy, supply, and demand system directly addresses the following PDG priorities:
- Maximizing Parental Choice and Knowledge: Empower families with immediate, accurate information on available child care options in their community.
- Improving Quality: Connect families to options while data-driven insights better target quality improvement measures.
- Supporting the Mixed-Delivery System: Facilitate seamless data flow and collaboration across diverse ECE providers (centers, homes, Head Start, school-based).
- Strategic Planning and Resource Allocation: Get the granular data needed to identify child care deserts, address specific age-group shortages (e.g., infant/toddler), and direct resources effectively.
A real-time platform goes way beyond just a website to a robust, fully integrated data system that fuels informed decision-making across your entire ECE ecosystem.
Crafting your PDG B-5 application: language to secure funding
When writing your PDG B-5 application, frame your proposal for a real-time system as a foundational component of your state’s ECE systems-building efforts.
Here’s how to articulate your vision and justify the investment, using language that resonates with PDG priorities:
1. Needs Assessment Justification:
Highlight the critical need within your state, emphasizing how current data limitations hinder effective planning and family access.
- Application Language: “Our state’s recent PDG-funded Needs Assessment revealed significant disparities in access to early care and education, particularly for infants/toddlers and in rural communities. A primary barrier to addressing these disparities is the lack of a centralized, real-time data system for child care vacancies and provider capacity. Existing data is often static, incomplete, or siloed, preventing families from efficiently locating available slots and hindering our ability to conduct accurate, dynamic supply-and-demand analysis.”
2. Proposed Activities and Alignment with PDG Goals:
Clearly outline the specific components you plan to build and explicitly link them to PDG B-5 objectives.
- Application Language: “Through this PDG B-5 Systems-Building Grant, [Your State] proposes to develop and implement a comprehensive Real-Time Child Care Connect System. This system will integrate data from diverse ECE sources to achieve the following:
- Public-Facing Parent Portal: Create an intuitive, mobile-friendly platform (similar to Iowa’s Child Care Connect) enabling families to search, filter, and view real-time child care vacancies, provider profiles, quality ratings (if applicable), and subsidy acceptance. This directly addresses the PDG priority of ‘Maximizing parental choice and knowledge of the ECE mixed-delivery system.’
- Provider Management Interface: Develop a streamlined, secure portal for providers to easily update their vacancies, program details, and licensing information, minimizing administrative burden and ensuring data accuracy. This fosters ‘collaboration and efficiency’ within the ECE mixed-delivery system.
- Interactive Supply and Demand Dashboard: Establish a backend analytical dashboard for state administrators, policymakers, and local leaders. This tool will visualize real-time capacity and enrollment trends, identify geographic ‘child care deserts,’ and pinpoint specific needs by age group and program type. This will inform strategic planning, targeted resource allocation (including CCDF funds), and enhance the ‘overall quality’ of ECE programs by directing support where it’s most needed.”
3. Systems Integration and ECIDS Connection:
Emphasize how this new system will either integrate with or lay the groundwork for a robust Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS).
- Application Language: “This Real-Time Child Care Connect System will serve as a critical component of our evolving Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS). It will establish new data exchange protocols with our existing child care licensing, CCDF, and QRIS systems, creating a more cohesive and dynamic data infrastructure. This integration is essential for fostering a comprehensive and interconnected statewide ECE system, a core tenet of PDG B-5 systems-building.”
4. Measuring Success and Sustainability:
Define clear metrics and outline how the system will be sustained beyond the grant period.
- Application Language: “Success will be measured by increased parental engagement with the system (e.g., number of searches, unique users), improved provider data submission rates, and demonstrable shifts in child care supply in identified high-need areas. We anticipate a [X]% increase in families reporting ease of finding care. Sustainability will be ensured through integration with existing state IT infrastructure, ongoing operational funding from [e.g., state general funds, dedicated ECE revenue streams], and a plan for continuous system enhancements based on user feedback and emerging needs.”
Strategic Tips for Your Application:
- Review the NOFO Carefully: Pay close attention to every requirement and scoring criterion in the current PDG B-5 Systems-Building Grant Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Tailor your language precisely.
- Demonstrate Collaboration: Highlight how multiple state agencies, ECE stakeholders, and community partners will be involved in the design and implementation of your system. Strong partnerships are key to PDG success.
- Emphasize Equity: Discuss how a real-time system will improve access for underserved populations, including children from low-income families, children with disabilities, and those in rural or historically marginalized communities.
- Budget Alignment: Ensure your budget clearly allocates funds for system development (IT contractors, software licenses), personnel (project managers, data analysts), provider training, and communication.
- Learn from Others: Reference successful models like Iowa C3 but clearly articulate how your state’s unique context and existing infrastructure will shape your specific approach.
Conclusion: Your state’s opportunity awaits
The PDG B-5 Systems-Building Grant is a remarkable opportunity to invest in infrastructure that will serve your state’s children, families, and providers for years to come. A real-time child care vacancy, supply, and demand system is so much more than a technological upgrade; it’s a foundational step toward a more transparent, equitable, and responsive early childhood system.
Don’t miss this chance to be a leader in ECE innovation.
Review the latest PDG B-5 Systems-Building Grant NOFO today and begin crafting your application to build your state’s real-time child care solution!
