P-12

Prekindergarten through Grade 12 Education


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Announcement of Funding Opportunity
2021-2022 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant for New Full-Day Placements for Four-Year-Old Students

Recent Updates

Application Guidance- Updated August 24, 2021 and September 10, 2021

  • Extension of Application Due Date to September 17, 2021 for the 2021-2022 Competitive Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant
    The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is extending the due date of applications in response to Request for Proposals GC 21-014, 2021-2022 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant for New Full-Day Placements for Four-Year-Old Students (the “PreK Competitive Grant”).
    • Due to the effects of Hurricane Ida, the application due date for the PreK Competitive Grant has been extended to 5:00 PM Eastern Time on September 17, 2021.
    • Applicants who have already submitted an application may replace the submission with a new application by the revised application due date.
    • As a reminder, only public school districts are eligible to directly apply for the PreK Competitive Grant.
    • The Competitive Grant RFP, Q&A, and related material are posted below.
    • For additional information, please review the RFP documents.
  • Questions and Answers Adobe PDF – Updated 9/10/21
  • Note: The RFP was updated August 24, 2021 to reflect the change from a mandatory to a non-mandatory notice of intent requirement. Please refer to question 2 on page 1 of the questions and answers document.

Grant Application Documents

Grant Application in PDF Adobe PDF (Updated 8/24/21 and 9/10/21) | Grant Application in Word Microsoft Word (Updated 8/24/21 and 9/10/21)
Appendix C: Grant Award Request and Collaboration Calculator Excel
Appendix D: New York State-Administered Universal Prekindergarten Quality Assurance Protocol Microsoft Word
Appendix E: Proposal Evaluation Rubric Excel
Questions and Answers Adobe PDF (Updated 9/10/21)

Legislative Authority and Purpose of Grant Funds

Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2021 appropriates $15 million for additional prekindergarten grants for school districts to establish new full-day prekindergarten placements for four-year-old students in accordance with applicable provisions in Education Law Section 3602-ee governing Statewide Universal Full Day Prekindergarten (§3602-ee).

Purpose of Grant

The purpose of the Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant for New Full-Day Placements for Four-Year-Old Students is for New York State school districts in 2021-2022 to increase the availability of directly and collaboratively implemented prekindergarten programming aligned with applicable New York State Learning Standards along with relevant §3602-ee requirements. In addition to addressing student and community need, proposals must demonstrate innovation and high quality.

Project Period

Initial period: July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

Awards under this grant program will be based on the NYSED-approved number of new full-day placements for four-year-old students served by NYS-certified and uncertified prekindergarten teachers in a 180-day school year.

For the purposes of this grant and pursuant to 8 NYCRR 151-1, during the 2021-2022 school year, awarded school districts will have the option to operate a full-day four-year-old prekindergarten program for a minimum of 90 days. Otherwise, awarded school districts will be able to operate a 180-day program during the 2022-2023 school year.

Prekindergarten programs that operate fewer than 180 school days in the 2021-2022 school year and thereafter will be subject to §3602-e(16) that outlines the proportionate reduction of the total grant payable by 1/180th for each day the prekindergarten program did not operate.

Subject to an available appropriation in the State budget for this purpose, and provided all requirements of this grant and §3602-ee quality standards have been met, all awarded school districts will retain their 180-day maximum grant award in the 2022-2023 school year and thereafter.

Eligible Applicants

All public school districts are eligible to apply.

Multiple school districts are permitted to form a consortium and submit a joint application for the grant program. One school district must be identified as the fiscal agent of the consortium.

Collaboration with Eligible Agencies / Community-Based Organizations (CBOs): Pursuant to this grant and §3602-e, school districts are required to set aside no less than 10 percent of the total grant award to collaborate with high-quality eligible agencies / CBOs who demonstrate best practices for the provision of the prekindergarten instructional program and who meet the standards and requirements of this grant program and 8 NYCRR 151-1.

Potential collaborating eligible agencies / CBOs include providers of approved, licensed and/or registered prekindergarten programs, such as those associated with:

  • Child Care and Early Education;
  • Early Childhood Centers;
  • Family/ Group Family Child Care;
  • Day Care Centers;
  • Head Start;
  • 4410 Preschool Special Education;
  • BOCES
  • Nursery Schools;
  • Charter Schools;
  • Non-Public Schools;
  • Libraries; and
  • Museums.

For purposes of this grant, potential agency / CBO collaborators listed above are not eligible to directly apply for this funding opportunity. They are encouraged to apply to a school district to be considered for contracting collaborative prekindergarten programming.

Due to the highly competitive nature of this grant, in addition to proposal quality, school district applicants’ proposals will be evaluated on several factors, including, but not limited to, the level of existing prekindergarten services in the school district, its plan to expand by identifying and serving its community’s highest need schools and students, the extent to which the school district would prioritize funds to maximize the total number of eligible four-year-old children served in its full-day prekindergarten programs, and the school district’s plan to comply with all applicable rules and requirements pursuant to Education Law §3602-ee.

Amount of Funding

The New York State Education Department will award up to $15 million to fund grants for the 2021-2022 school year.

Grant awards will be based upon the full annualized value of each awarded school district’s approved application. However, in the 2021-2022 school year, payment will be prorated based upon the actual number of students served by certified and uncertified teachers, and the number of full school days out of 180 that the program is in operation. For the purposes of this grant and pursuant to 8 NYCRR 151-1, during the 2021-2022 school year, awarded school districts will have the option to operate a full-day four-year-old prekindergarten program for a minimum of 90 days. Otherwise, awarded school districts will be able to operate a 180-day program during the 2022-2023 school year.

Grant funding will be awarded to school districts to create new full-day placements for four-year-old students that will supplement and not supplant current local expenditures of federal, state, or local funds on prekindergarten programs and the number of placements in such directly or collaboratively implemented prekindergarten programs from such sources.

For purposes of this grant, no school district shall receive an award of more than ten percent (10%) of the total grant funds.

Calculation of grant awards will be dependent on valid New York State teacher certification pursuant to Education Law §3602-ee(8).

  • Grant awards shall equal $10,000 per student served by a teacher of record with New York State teacher certification valid for service in the early childhood grades.
  • Grant awards shall equal $7,000 per student served by a teacher of record without valid New York State teacher certification valid for service in the early grades, but on a study plan to be certified by June 30, 2022.

Grant funds and associated expenditures must be separately accounted for and not commingled with other funds. School district funds must be maintained in, and expenditures made from, a special revenue (special aid) fund account.

Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers Adobe PDF – Updated 9/10/21

Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent

To assist the Department in planning for the grant review process and expediting the announcement of awards, school districts that intend to submit a proposal may submit a Notice of Intent via email to PREKRFP@nysed.gov no later than September 8, 2021.

Application Due Date

Due to the effects of Hurricane Ida, the application due date for the PreK Competitive Grant has been extended to 5:00 PM Eastern Time on September 17, 2021.

Receipt of 1 original and 3 paper copies by 5:00 PM, September 17, 2021 to:

New York State Education Department
Attn: School Year 2021-2022 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Program
Office of Early Learning
89 Washington Avenue
Room 319 EB
Albany, NY 12234

Applications are also required to be received by 5:00 PM, September 17 , 2021 by the Department via email to PREKRFP@nysed.gov. The file format must be in Microsoft Word. The subject line of the email must read as follows: 2021-22 UPK Expansion Grant RFP GC 21-014 and the legal name of applicant school district

Preliminary Notice of Award

Preliminary notices of award and non-award are expected to be issued in mid-November 2021.

Appendices

APPENDIX A: Standard Clauses for New York State Contracts

APPENDIX A-1 G: General Assurances

APPENDIX B: Statement of Assurances

APPENDIX C: 2021-2022 Full-Day Four-year-old Prekindergarten Maximum Grant Award Request & Collaboration Calculator

APPENDIX D: New York State-Administered Universal Prekindergarten Quality Assurance Protocol for Grant Programs Initially Awarded in School Years 2014-2015 and 2021-2022

APPENDIX E: Proposal Evaluation Rubric

Grant Application Documents

Grant Application in PDF Adobe PDF (Updated 8/24/21 and 9/10/21) | Grant Application in Word Microsoft Word (Updated 8/24/21 and 9/10/21)
Appendix C: Grant Award Request and Collaboration Calculator Excel
Appendix D: New York State-Administered Universal Prekindergarten Quality Assurance Protocol Microsoft Word
Appendix E: Proposal Evaluation Rubric Excel
Questions and Answers Adobe PDF (Updated 9/10/21)

Last Updated: September 10, 2021