Recovery.gov - Track the Money

Funding under Preschool Grants supplements funds provided to States under the Grants to States program, which serves children with disabilities aged 3 through 21, including all children served under the Preschool Grants program. Most of the Preschool Grant funds must be distributed by States to local educational agencies to support special education and related services for children with disabilities aged 3 through 5. Preschool Grant funds that may be reserved by the State educational agency may be used to:

(1) provide support services;

(2) provide direct services for children eligible under this program;

(3) conduct activities at the State and local level to meet the goals established by the State for the performance of children with disabilities in the State;

(4) supplement other funds used to develop and implement a statewide coordinated services system designed to improve results for children and families, including children with disabilities and their families; and

(5) provide early intervention services in accordance with Part C of IDEA to children with disabilities who are eligible for services under section 619 of IDEA and who previously received services under Part C of IDEA until such children enter, or are eligible under State law to enter, kindergarten; and

(6) continue, at a State’s discretion, service coordination or case management for families of children with disabilities who are eligible for services under section 619 of IDEA and continue to receive services under Part C of IDEA. The State also may use a portion of its set-aside funds to cover administrative expenses related to the Preschool Grants program and Grants for Infants and Families program (Part C).

The Department has identified the following examples of specific projects that grantees might consider to achieve the objectives of the ARRA:

• Obtaining state-of-the art assistive technology devices and providing training in their use to enhance access by children with disabilities to the general curriculum or other appropriate preschool program activities.

• Providing intensive district-wide professional development for special education and regular education teachers that focuses on scaling-up, through replication, proven and innovative evidence-based school-wide strategies for preliteracy, language, and numeracy skills and positive behavioral supports for students with disabilities.

• Developing or expanding the capacity to collect and use data to improve teaching and learning.

• Expanding the availability and range of inclusive placement options for preschoolers with disabilities by developing the capacity of public and private preschool programs to serve these children.

• Hiring transition coordinators to work with children exiting programs funded under IDEA, Part C, Grants for Infants and Families, to ensure a smooth transition into preschool or other appropriate services.

IDEA sections 616(b) and 642 requires each State to develop and implement a State Performance Plan (SPP) that must be used as a basis for evaluating the State’s efforts to implement the requirements under Part B of IDEA, and that describes how the State will improve its implementation of these requirements. Each SPP must include measurable and rigorous targets for quantifiable indicators in the priority areas described in section 66(a) (3) of IDEA. These priority areas are: providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE); reducing disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic groups in special education and related services, to the extent the representation is the result of inappropriate identification; and ensuring effective general supervision, including child find, transition, and dispute resolution.

In addition, section 616 of IDEA requires each State Educational Agency (SEA) to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) to the Secretary on the State’s progress in meeting its SPP targets for the measures the Department established in each of the priority areas under Part B of IDEA. The preschool measures include early childhood transition, early childhood outcomes, parent involvement, and timely and accurate data. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) issues annual letters of determination and response tables for each State under Part B of IDEA based in large part on the State’s APR data in each of these priority indicator areas. Each State is assigned to one of the following status determinations:

(1) the State meets IDEA requirements,

(2) the State needs assistance in implementing IDEA requirements,

(3) the State needs intervention in implementing IDEA requirements, or

(4) the State needs substantial intervention in implementing IDEA requirements. Under section 616(e)(1) of IDEA, the Department is required to take certain enforcement actions for those States determined to be in “needs assistance” for two or more consecutive years, in “needs intervention” for three or more consecutive years, and any time a State is determined to be in “needs substantial intervention”.

In turn, SEAs must monitor and evaluate local educational agency (LEA) implementation of Part B of the IDEA. Each year, the SEA must publicly report on the performance of each LEA on each of the measures in the SPP and issue a local “determination” using the above categories. Through such reporting, SEAs are responsible for ensuring both the continuous improvement of results and functional outcomes for children with disabilities and the timely correction of noncompliance with IDEA requirements. States must take certain enforcement action against LEAs determined to be in “needs assistance” for two or more consecutive years, “in needs intervention’ for three or more consecutive years, and any time an LEA is determined to be in “needs substantial intervention.”

In addition, the Department conducts on-site monitoring visits (verification/focused monitoring visits) to each State that receives an award under the Preschool Grants program. The State’s systems for general supervision, data collection and reporting and fiscal accountability are examined to ensure that States have the needed internal controls in place. The review of the fiscal system focuses on the following three broad questions:

(1) Does the State have procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure the timely obligation and liquidation of IDEA funds?

(2) Does the State have procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure appropriate distribution of IDEA funds within the State? and

(3) Does the State have procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure appropriate use of IDEA funds? Reports are issued following the monitoring visits and technical assistance is provided to States to assist them in implementing any corrective actions.

The Department provides performance information in the form of State monitoring reports, verification visit letters, and State performance plan and annual performance report letters at the following Web address: http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/index.html. In addition, the Department posts grantee level data (by State), at the following Web addresses: http://www.ideadata.org.

General information about the Preschool Grants program may be obtained from the Department website at http://www.ed.gov/programs/oseppsg/index.html.

Information regarding the FY 2009 Government Performance and Results Act performance plan for Preschool Grants is available at http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2009plan/program.html.

Not Applicable.