D.C. Preschool Development Grant — Birth to Age Five

Learn more about our Evaluation Surveys

Members of the Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN) who are based at Georgetown University serve as evaluators and program partners for the District of Columbia’s $10.6 million Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five (PDG B-5) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is overseen by District’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).

The Preschool Development Grant seeks to build a more coordinated and comprehensive early childhood care and education system in the District of Columbia, ensuring every child has the chance to maximize their full potential and lead a successful life.

The District’s grant focuses on delivering equal access to opportunities for several specific groups of children who have been historically underserved, with special attention to those who are:

  •  Experiencing homelessness

  • Have special needs

  • In foster care

  • In families with very low incomes

The ECIN evaluation will help assess the needs of both families and early care and education providers. It will also track the grant’s progress at developing programs that meet the needs of historically underserved children in the District.  

ECIN’s PDG evaluation includes three surveys for key audiences of the grant:

  • A Facility Climate Survey was piloted in the district’s Quality Improvement Network (QIN) in partnership with the Ounce of Prevention. Parents and staff in early care and education centers completed the Early Education Essentials, a measure of organizational capacity. For staff, this included questions about the effectiveness of site directors and how people work together. For parents, questions focused on whether they feel respected and involved in decision making. Learn more about the Ounce of Prevention Essential Organizational Supports for Improvement in Early Education.

  • The PDG Workforce Wellness Survey (Early 2020) asks teachers who work in early care and education settings about their job experiences, sources of stress, and their overall health and wellbeing.

  • The Family Survey (Spring 2020) measures parents’ awareness of the programs and services available for families with young children. It also asks parents how they get the information they need to make early care and education decisions.

 Visit the OSSE website for more information about the program and its ongoing development.