Arizona preschool development birth through five (PDG-B-5) - arizona intends to use its PDG B-5 funds to update its comprehensive needs assessment and strategic plan, as well as focus on six…

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded $16.857 million to the Arizona Department of Education on December 31, 2025, under the Preschool Development Grants (CFDA 93.434) program to build a unified, sustainable early childhood education system serving birth through age five children in Arizona.

The award funds six interconnected outcome strategies. The recipient will partner with Read on Arizona and state agencies to update comprehensive fiscal mapping of federal and state funding streams and revise the Arizona ECE Funding Manual to help programs braid funding. It will enhance the Child Care Resource and Referral website in partnership with the Governor's Bright Futures Arizona Initiative by adding real-time vacancy data, quality ratings, and cost transparency for families. The award supports teachers in obtaining ECE certification or literacy endorsements, expands the Arizona Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeship Pathway, and provides literacy coaching. It expands Southwest Human Development's Early Childhood Business Solutions program to serve additional ECE programs and increases access to the First Things First rating-only track. The recipient will sustain and expand regional family engagement and literacy hubs through Project FELT (Family Engagement and Literacy Together). Finally, the award funds work toward an unduplicated count of birth-through-five children by increasing ECE program usage of Arizona's state longitudinal data system.

The award includes updating Arizona's comprehensive needs assessment and strategic plan for early childhood services. Performance occurs in Arizona, with a completion date of December 30, 2026.

Arizona preschool development birth through five (PDG-B-5) - arizona intends to use its PDG B-5 funds to update its comprehensive needs assessment and strategic plan, as well as focus on six interconnected outcome strategies organized to create a unified, sustainable ECE system that maximizes family choice, program quality, and early learning. These strategies are: (1) partner with read on arizona and state agencies to update the comprehensive fiscal mapping of federal and state funding streams and update the AZ ECE funding manual to help programs braid funding across multiple streams; (2) enhance the child care resource and referral (CCR & R) website in partnership with the governor's bright futures AZ initiative with real-time vacancy data, quality ratings, and cost transparency for families; (3) support teachers in obtaining ECE certification or literacy endorsements, expand the arizona early childhood educator apprenticeship pathway, and literacy coaching; (4) expand southwest human development's early childhood business solutions (ECBS) program to serve additional ECE programs and expanding access to first things first rating only track; (5) sustain and expand regional family engagement and literacy hubs, project felt (family engagement and literacy together); and (6) work towards an unduplicated count of B-5 children by increasing ECE program usage of arizona's state longitudinal data system (SLDS).