On June 14, 2016, the Bold Goals Education Early Learning Action Network launched the Expanding Pre-K Access project. Approximately one year later, we are excited to announce that one of the childcare centers participating in the project received an Alabama First Class Pre-K Grant.
The Office of the Governor announced the funding awards in a press release last week celebrating the addition of 122 new pre-k classrooms. Joshua Learning Tree Pre-K, an Expanding Pre-K Access project participant, is one of 17 new pre-k classrooms in Jefferson County.
The project’s goal was to create a support system that helps more childcare centers successfully complete applications for Alabama’s First Class Pre-K funding – and improve the quality of childcare in the process. The first year of the project concluded with grant-writing workshops, a budgeting session, classroom assessments, individual technical coaching and a rigorous application review. It is through the side-by-side work of the network partners such as Childcare Resources, Alabama Public Television and United Way’s Success By 6 that the quality of early childhood education has increased in numerous childcare centers across Jefferson County
As we look forward to the project’s second year, the Early Learning Action Network will use the evaluation conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Public Health to continuously improve the process of the project and increase the quality of early childhood education in our Central Alabama region. More information about Year 2 will be released in the coming months.