Vermont Applies for Childhood Education Funds
BENNINGTON — Vermont is preparing to apply for up to $50 million in federal funds to improve the quality of early childhood learning programs in the state.
The money, through the Department of Education’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, would be a “game changer” in early education, said Dave Yacovone, commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families, which will lead the grant application process.
The federal government expects to release the criteria it will use to determine the awards in August, after which states will have two months to submit applications. Grants are expected to be awarded in December.
Thirty-seven governors, including Gov. Peter Shumlin, have announced their intent to submit applications for the competitive grants.
The federal DOE and Department of Health and Human Services will distribute money to states that “develop bold and comprehensive plans for raising the quality of early learning programs across America,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a release.
Yacovone said he’s “very excited and encouraged” from preliminary information he’s received about priority areas the federal government may identify in the application that align with what is already done in Vermont.
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