This August, the US Department of Education revealed the Obama administration’s Preschool Development Grant Program, which – for the first time – now includes the arts as a required activity for early childhood education programs.  This great addition of the arts into preschool curricula is in large thanks to the Grantmakers in the Arts’ Arts Education Funders Coalition (AEFC) – and Americans for the Arts as an advisory committee member – who worked to advocate that the arts are essential to childhood development and learning.  The Preschool Development Grant Program not only includes the arts as a part of preschools’ curriculum but provides the opportunity for local preschool programs to work with local arts organizations as a means of achieving this new requirement.

While the USDOE Preschool Development Grant Program is wide-reaching and covers everything from language and literacy, to motor development and physical education, to general knowledge, the arts are specifically included in the “Approaches to Learning” section that state early education programs will have to address if they are awarded one of these grants.  In advocating for this addition of the arts, the AEFC wanted to ensure first that young children in preschool programs were “taught with and had exposure to the arts,” and that such educational opportunities would help all young children – especially those living below the poverty level.  In addition, the AEFC also sought to ensure such an expansive grant program would provide opportunities for coordination between local arts organizations and preschool programs. 

There are two different kinds of grants available through this program – one for states “with robust early childhood development programs” and one for states seeking to initiate such a plan.  For those in the arts education arena, specifically state and local arts agencies, this grant program presents an opportunity to reach out to governors, state education departments, and early childhood councils to offer assistance in program design, curriculum building, and more.