The Babysitter’s Club: 5 Challenges for Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge
Last week, the Department of Education released draftguidelines of the selection criteria for the long-awaited Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC). The $500 million competition is part of $700 million in new Race to the Top funding from the 2011 budget. States are eligible for $50 – $100 million, depending on population. Applications will be due in October, with awards distributed by the end of the year.
When I say that the competition is long-awaited, I mean it. As someone who worked in early childhood education, I know that early childhood usually plays second fiddle to K-12. Programs are not coordinated between agencies, funding is always scarce, and basic care is too often accepted rather than high-quality
