Preschool Development Grant - Renewal FAQs

Developed after Quality Counts California (QCC) Preschool Development Grant Renewal (PDG-R) Guidance Webinar on Thursday, May 6, 2021

Grant Period: January 1, 2021 through December 30, 2022

Preschool Development Grant-Renewal

• What is PDG-R funding?

The PDG-R funding comes from the renewal of the federal Preschool Development Grant administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care. California will receive $13.4 million each year for three years for a total of $40.2 million through December 30, 2022.The Governor appointed California Health and Human Services Administration as the Lead Agency for the Grant, in collaboration with the California Department of Education (CDE). The intention was to include this funding within the Quality Counts California (QCC) Local Consortia and Partnership Grant Request for Applications (Unified RFA) but was delayed due to the receipt of funding.

• What is the grant period?

The grant period is January 1, 2021 through December 30, 2022

• Does PDG-R span across three fiscal years?

Yes, the PDG-R grant runs from January 1, 2021 through December 30, 2022. The three fiscal years are broken down as follows:

• January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021
• July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022
• July 1, 2022 through December 30, 2022
  
  
• When will the PDG-R funding be added to the QCC Reporting Portal?

The PDG-R reporting will not be done through the QCC Reporting Portal. Instead, reports will be sent to PDG-R@cde.ca.gov.

• Can you give more detail about Objective 4: Align and redesign quality standards and monitoring processes?

Activity 5D of PDG-R: Redesign Systems for Quality Improvement is one of the three PDG-R activities the CDE is leading. The goal for this activity is to redesign systems for quality improvement, quality assurance, and system equity to support for continuous improvement for all providers and programs. The CDE plans to launch a stakeholder workgroup develop a unifying framework to define, unify, and align program standards across all of the state’s early learning and care (ELC) programs, supporting the actionable quality improvement plan being developed under the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care. More details of the activity, including stakeholder engagement, are to come.

• Is there any guidance on how this PDG-R grant should be leveraging resources with the R&R?

These PDG-R efforts are in no way meant to be lifted up by one agency within your consortium. As you work within your local consortium, communication among your consortium is key for understanding roles and responsibilities and aligning efforts.

Grant Award Notification, (GAN), Preschool Development Grant-Renewal

• Why are there three amounts on my Grant Award Notification (GAN) under the “Original/Prior Amendments” column?

The three amounts on your GAN are a guideline of the funding to use for each of the three fiscal years that the PDG-R grant cycle covers.

• Does the total from our PDG-R GAN include our current funding from the QCC PDG-R Block Grant?

No, the PDG-R funding is new funding. It comes from the federal PDG-R Grant that California was awarded in December of 2019. The QCC Block Grant amounts to $12.8 million each year.

• Is the GAN for the entire amount of the grant and the entire time period?

Yes, there is only one, multi-year GAN. This GAN reflects the total amount and the entire three-year time period, however funding will be released annually.

Preschool Development Grant-Renewal Funding

• What if I am unable to spend the suggested amount for the 2020–21 fiscal year?

Funding for 2020–21 can be retroactively applied to activities conducted between January 1 and June 30, 2021. Please provide the budgeted amount for each year to reflect the anticipated actual expenditures.

• Is there a minimum amount that we have to spend for each fiscal year, or can we spend the entire amount in just one or two of the fiscal years?

There is not a minimum amount that you need to spend per fiscal year. However, the specific objectives of the PDG-R activities must be met over the course of the funding period.

• If we plan to use all the funding in years two and three, can we include that in our May submission, or will we have to go through a revision process?

Once you have inserted the amounts by fiscal year on the Summary tab of the budget template, lead agencies can populate their budget with their anticipated spending. An annual budget revision process will be available should changes need to be made to your budget or plan. More details on that process will be shared in summer 2021.

•  Will there be a separate allocation for the PDG-R Supplemental Grant funding?

The Supplemental funding amount has been added into the total grant award and grantees are able to develop their plan and budget for the activities accordingly.  A separate allocation will not be issued for the lead agencies that were approved for the Supplemental funding.

• Will the QCC Block Grant be renewed?

Yes, however, the QCC Block Grant will be administered by California Department of Social Services (CDSS) beginning in fiscal year 2021–22.

Preschool Development Grant-Renewal Required Documents

• Why are there three different tabs on the budget?

The three fiscal year tabs on the budget are for each of the three fiscal years the grant cycle covers.

• How do we separate out Supplemental funding on the Budget Template?

There is no need to separate the Supplemental funding on the budget template.

• Can we use the signature pages from a previous grant for PDG-R?

No. The purpose of the signature page is to ensure that each grantee’s plans for the PDG-R funding are shared with the grantee’s stakeholders. New signatures are required for this grant.

• Are electronic signatures acceptable for the PDG-R Partner Signature Page?

Electronic, as well as, wet signatures are acceptable for the Signature Page. Grantees may also send out separate signature pages to stakeholders as needed and turn in multiple pages on their submission. This way, signatures can be collected simultaneously and more efficiently.

• Do we need to mail in our submissions?

No, please submit the required grant documents electronically to the PDG-R@cde.ca.gov.

• Can we attach a separate sheet with the Narrative information?

Please utilize the Budget Narrative and Plan document emailed to QCC PDG-R grantees from the PDG-R@cde.ca.gov mailbox. Within this document, you can add additional pages as necessary to complete the narrative response.