MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews) – Alabama is one of four states chosen for a new program to involve family child care (FCC) providers in state-funded pre-K education.
The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education is part of the Enriching Public Pre-K Through Inclusion of Family Child Care (EPIC FCC) initiative, led by the National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) and Home Grown. This program aims to help local and state leaders include home-based child care providers in pre-K systems.
Family child care settings serve over 750,000 children nationwide, often in urban areas with high poverty rates. Alabama was selected for its long-standing success in meeting NIEER’s high standards for early education.
Through this program, Alabama will work with other states to share ideas and learn about pre-K program design, funding, and standards. Participants will also receive expert guidance and tools to support implementation. Each state can receive a $25,000 grant to support these efforts.
This initiative is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund.
