Early Learning Opportunities Act

1. Early Learning Opportunities Act History Purpose Allowable Activities Overview of Current Activities

2. For more information contact any of the following ELOA Project Officers: Carol Gage, 202-690-6243 cgage@acf.hhs.gov Valerie Krajec, 202-401-5067 vkrajec@acf.hhs.gov Cathy Overbagh, 202-205-8531 coverbagh@acf.hhs.gov

3. HISTORY of ELOA • The ELOA was passed by Congress in Fiscal Year 2001 to award grants to States to enable them to increase, support, expand, and better coordinate early learning opportunities for children and their families through local community organizations.

4. SPECIAL RULE • SEC. 807. (e): “If funds appropriated to carry out this title are less than $150,000,000 for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants for the fiscal year directly to Local Councils, on a competitive basis, to pay the Federal share of the cost of carrying out early learning programs in the locality served by the Local Council.”

5. ELOA Funding History • FY 2001 $20,000,000 • FY 2002 $25,000,000 • FY 2003 $34,000,000 • FY 2004 $33,579,313 • FY 2005 $36,000,000

6. Number of ELOA Grantees • FY 2001 26 grantees • FY 2002 31 grantees • FY 2003 43 grantees • FY 2004 40 grantees • FY 2005 35 - 50 granteesProject Periods will be September 30, 2005 – February 28, 2007

7. Purposes of ELOA • Increase the availability of voluntary programs, services, and activities that support early childhood development, increase parent effectiveness, and promote the learning readiness of young children so that they enter school ready to learn; • Support parents, child care providers, and caregivers who want to incorporate early learning activities into the daily lives of young children; • Remove barriers to the provision of an accessible system of early childhood learning programs in communities throughout the United States;

8. Purposes of ELOA, cont. • Increase the availability and affordability of professional development activities and compensation for caregivers and child care providers; and • Facilitate the development of community-based systems of collaborative service delivery models characterized by resource sharing, linkages between appropriate supports, and local planning for services.

9. Allowable ELOA Activities • In general, Local Councils may use ELOA funds to pay for developing, operating, or enhancing voluntary early learning programs that are likely to produce sustained gains in early learning.

10. Eight Allowable ELOA Activities • Since FY 2002, ACF requires that all grants include activities for enhancing early childhood literacyANDtwo or more of the following seven allowable activities:

11. Helping parents, caregivers, child care providers, and educators increase their capacity to facilitate the development of cognitive, language comprehension, expressive language, social emotional, and motor skills, and promote learning readiness; • Promoting effective parenting; • Developing linkages among early learning programs within a community and between early learning programs and health care services for young children;

12. Increasing access to early learning opportunities for young children with special needs including developmental delays, by facilitating coordination with other programs serving such young children; • Increasing access to existing early learning programs by expanding the days or times that the young children are served, by expanding the number of young children served, or by improving the affordability of the programs for low-income families;

13. Improving the quality of early learning programs through professional development and training activities, increased compensation, and recruitment and retention incentives for early learning providers; • Removing ancillary barriers to early learning, including transportation difficulties and absence of programs during nontraditional work times.

14. Examples of ELOA Grantees’ Goals/Objectives for Young Children with Special Needs • Increase access to inclusive child care and early learning opportunities • Increase knowledge and competence of early childhood providers and caregivers

15. Provide a variety of supports to parents and caregivers • Connect families and caregivers with appropriate resources • Increase knowledge and understanding of early childhood development, importance of early years, and literacy

16. Provide young children with special needs and their families with expanded and enriched opportunities for early care and education through play groups, parent education, and support groups • Reduce barriers to early learning opportunities • Assist and coordinate early identification, diagnosis, and referral

17. Increase capacity to support child care providers to provide early learning opportunities • Provide access to books, toys, and adaptive equipment to parents of young children with special needs and caregivers

18. Examples of ELOA Grantees Target Population • Medicaid eligible first time mothers • Children served by licensed and un-licensed family, friend, and neighbor child care providers • Child care centers including faith-based

19. Low-income families • Traditionally unserved and underserved groups (e.g., rural, teen parents, unlicensed minority providers) • Ethnic and language minorities: Hmong, Russian, Spanish, Somali, American Indian • Young children with chronic health and behavioral health needs

20. ELOA Grantees and Their Partners • Local education agency • Maternal and child health program • Protective Services • Primary care physicians and pediatricians • State-wide minority health coalition • Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies • Libraries & Children’s Museums

21. State-wide Minority Health Coalition • County Child Care Director’s Network • United Way, United Cerebral Palsy, YMCA/YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs • State Departments of Education • Head Start Programs • Family Centers • Television and Radio Stations

22. Family, friend, and neighbor providers, child care centers • County Literacy Council • Mayors, County Executives, State Legislators • Council of Churches • Businesses: Banks, Hospitals, Chambers of Commerce • Community Colleges & Universities • Foundations

23. How are ELOA Grantees accomplishing their goals? • Collaboration, Collaboration, Collaboration • Professional Development • Parent Education & Community-wide Events • Capacity Building • Addressing & Resolving Barriers

24. Mentoring and Home Visiting Programs • Mobile Services (screening, book mobiles, parent education, provider resources) • Child Care Quality Improvement • Book Distribution Programs • Recruitment & Retention Strategies

25. Lessons Learned • Partner, Partner, Partner • No Pain No Gain • Providing more activities isn’t the answer if you want long-term results • Identify existing resources and build upon them • Important to build capacity and strengthen infra-structure to sustain movement and growth

26. Minority child care providers want to participate in professional development activities: Build it right and they will come! • You can gain access to Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) providers • FFN providers are referring children to EIP and other appropriate agencies • FFN providers want to do more for young children than just “baby-sit”

27. One ELOA grantee said it like this: • Success of inclusive child care depends upon quality of program, commitment of administrative staff, access to ongoing opportunities for professional development and supports (mentoring, curriculum, access to specialists/resources) and partnering with parents