U.S. Department of Education: Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Associate Degree Preservice Program

The Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Associate Degree Preservice Program Improvement Grants to Support Personnel Working With Young Children With Disabilities (Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities) program aims to: (1) help address state-identified needs for personnel in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research and experience, to be successful in serving those children.

The program has one absolute priority: To provide associate degree preservice program improvement grants to support personnel working with young children with disabilities. The purpose of the priority is to fund Associate Degree Preservice Improvement Grants and improve the quality of existing associate degree programs so that associate degree-level personnel are well prepared to work with infants, toddlers, preschool, and early elementary school children ages birth through 8 (young children) with disabilities and their families in inclusive early childhood programs and elementary schools. The priority aims to achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:

• Redesigned curricula and increased faculty knowledge and capacity to deliver new content in the curricula that better prepares associate degree students to work with young children with disabilities and their families and support their meaningful participation, development, and learning in early childhood programs and elementary schools
• Increased competencies of associate degree students to work with young children with disabilities and their families and support their meaningful participation, development, and learning in early childhood programs and elementary schools
• Increased numbers of associate degree-level personnel who have the competencies to work with young children with disabilities and their families and support their meaningful participation, development, and learning in early childhood programs and elementary schools
• Refinement and verification of a model to effectively enhance and redesign associate degree programs to prepare associate degree-level personnel to work with young children with disabilities and their families through partnerships with four-year IHEs

The program has one competitive preference priority: Applicants that partner with one or multiple local or State entities, such as schools (including early childhood programs), local educational agencies (LEAs) or state educational agencies (SEAs), state lead agencies, businesses, or nonprofit organizations, to help meet the goals of the project.

Amount: A total of $1,200,000 is available to make up to 8 awards that range from $145,000-$150,000.

Eligibility: IHEs; nonprofit organizations; and for-profit organizations engaged in the preparation of early childhood personnel.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=307067

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