Preschool children may need grants to have access to adequate education.
With the exception of kindergarten teachers, preschool teachers comprise the lowest percentage of educators, as shown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Part of the reason for this is the lack of funding for preschool education programs. Grants are available that support preschool education, although they may not be as prevalent as other types of education grants. Applying for these grants requires that you first locate the grants from government agencies.
Instructions
1. Visit ed.gov, the main website for the U.S. Department of Education. Click on the "Grant Opportunities" link in the upper right of the main page. Select "Grant Opportunities" from the pull-down menu in the new page that loads. This brings up a list of grants currently open for application. Search through the list for grants applicable to preschool education.
An example of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education website is the Charter Schools Program Grant. This grant is available to non-state educational facilities for planning and developing charter schools, including those that offer preschool courses. This program closes applications in August (as of 2010) and accepts applications through the U.S. Department of Education.
2. Go to federalgrantswire.com. Click "By Subject Area" in the browse link options on the left side of the homepage. Select "Education Federal Grants" in the new page that loads and browse through the results for preschool grants. Alternately, you can search for preschool education grants through the search feature.
Examples of preschool grants from Federal Grants Wire include the Early Reading First, Education for Homeless Children and Youth, Head Start and Ready to Learn Television. These grants range from as little as $6,000 to as much as $12 million (as of 2010). They apply to organizations that are eligible for the grants through the U.S. Department of Education.
3. Get in touch with your district's Board of Education. They will be able to tell you what organizations are offering financial assistance to your district. Some of these organizations may work with preschool programs, so you can contact these organizations with proposals. The grants available through this method will vary based on monies available through your local government and the needs of your community.
4. Contact your state's Department of Education. They should be able to provide you with a list of state-funded preschool grants. They also should be able to provide you with information about additional federal programs that might not have shown up on website searches. Links to the Department of Education for each state are available from the National Center for Education Statistics, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Services.
One grant offered on the state level is the Even Start-State Educational Grant. These grants are offered only to state educational institutions and have an average amount of around $1 million. You can contact your state Department of Education to apply. The grants are awarded in July (as of 2010).
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