Arizona has received an $8.4 million grant to serve early education, from birth through 5 years old. The money will help refine and improve the state’s current early childhood education systems and programs.
The systems-building-grant comes out of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Read On Arizona, the state’s early literacy initiative, is one of the leaders of the grant. Its director of Early Learning, Lori Masseur, says there are several different focuses of the grant including supporting regional family engagement hubs.
“Families can get information about how to improve their child’s literacy. They’re building their own compass and efficacy around supporting their child’s literacy development," Masseur said.
The grant also will help support Arizona in developing a strategic finance plan.
“So there has not been a coherent strategic finance plan in Arizona when it comes to supporting and funding early childhood, so how do we do that at the state level?” Masseur said.
Some other focuses of the federal grant include the development of a more accurate count on the number of students in quality early education programs.
Education Forward Arizona says only about a third of the state’s 3- and 4-year-olds are in quality early learning settings. Masseur says that education is a key to improving early literacy rates.
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The statute, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Carine Werner, requires DCS to identify a liaison for each tribe, who is then responsible for providing technical assistance and coordinating communication. The agency will also share best practices, policies, training materials and operational standards.
