The Federal Preschool Development Grant from Birth through 5 yrs old (aka PDG B-5) is a grant that has been awarded to states that after a comprehensive state-by-state assessment were found to be falling behind in preschool readiness. Our state, Idaho, was one of those states that was awarded the grant to the tune of 6,000,000.00.
The PDG B-5 grant was started during the Trump Administration. This is important only because of a popular but false narrative that wrongly suggest that it is a Biden Administration project to forward a partisan agenda to indoctrinate preschoolers, and that the funds would be used for that purpose.
Instead, the PDG B-5 grant was created in the last couple years for the purpose:
- “to strengthen state and local efforts to build, develop and expand high-quality preschool programs so that more children from low- and moderate-income families enter kindergarten ready to succeed in school.” – https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/early-learning/preschool-development-grants
It being used to create and disseminate curricula is a valid concern worth addressing.
Therefore, the Idaho legislature therefore (and other states are doing the same) have drafted a bill to address that concern, which has already passed the Senate, that explicitly states:
- “Moneys appropriated in Section1 of this act for the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Renewal shall not be used to dictate curricula for use by local collaboratives.” – https://legislature.idaho.
gov/sessioninfo/billbookmark/? yr=2021&bn=S1193
Also the bill explicitly designates that the funds will help support startups, such as our venture, PreschoolClick, to develop ways in which preschoolers can have easier and more accessible access to preschool training.
If PreschoolClick is not developed and not put into the hands of rank-and-file preschool teachers, the funds can be monopolized by large institutions who can dominate the preschool curricula, however PreschoolClick is here to make sure that does not happen.
Please tell your elected officials to support efforts to fund preschool development as it pertains to independent preschool teachers, like PreschoolClick supports. We believe these grants do support that. It means more money for independent preschool teachers, and more choice and opportunities for your preschoolers.
To tell your Idaho Rep to vote for this please go here: https://legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership/ and tell them to vote for S-1193. Please also let them know you want those funds to go to support developing preschool for independent preschool teachers, such as the capabilities enabled by PreschoolClick.
Thanks!
Melissa and Dave