Funding Opportunity to Advance Equity- and Family-Centered Early Childhood Developmental Systems  

Funding Opportunity: Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact Center - Implementation Sites 

Eligible Applicants: Organizations in states with a current Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) award, including current ECCS awardees. 

Funding: Three Implementation Sites will be selected, each awarded $125,000 for the start-up phase (July 2023-September 2023). Funding for Years 2, 3, and 4 is anticipated to be $450,000 per year for each site and is dependent upon performance and ZERO TO THREE, the leading organization for the ECDHS: Evidence to Impact Center, receiving the renewal cooperative agreement(s) from the Health Resources and Services Administration. 

Description of Funding Opportunity:

The new ECDHS: Evidence to Impact Center will select and support three (3) Implementation Sites to advance statewide systems of comprehensive early childhood developmental (ECD) promotion, screenings, and interventions that improve outcomes and reduce disparities in ECD health and family well-being for communities with high levels of childhood poverty. Comprehensive developmental promotion, screening and intervention focuses on a full range of child and family strengths and needs, including efforts starting prenatally related to general developmental milestones; early social-emotional and relational health; social determinants of health; and other family, caregiver, and/or community risks and needs.

Implementation Sites will focus on implementing and evaluating strategies that promote the key ingredients of systems that are known to improve early developmental health and well-being, including:

• Advancing a focus on promotion of healthy development, early identification, intervention, and linkage.
• Establishing a continuum of connected perinatal and physical, mental, nutritional health, early childhood education (ECE), and human/social services.
• Advancing equity, inclusiveness, access, and trust in ECD systems supporting responsive caregiving and early relational health through inclusive state/local infrastructure and governance models.
• Building and promoting family and community leadership.
• Supporting integrated cross-sector data systems/analysis strategies that inform policymaking and resource allocation.
• Identifying and making investments that support sustainability.

Ultimately, efforts should advance improvements in early developmental health and well-being (such as child flourishing, school readiness and family resilience, as prioritized by local/state needs) and reduced disparities associated with childhood poverty.

Due Date: 5/15/2023

Pre-Submission Webinar:

A pre-submission webinar was held via Zoom on April 3 to provide an overview of the funding opportunity and the process for applying, as well as to answer questions from potential applicants.  The webinar recording and slides are now available. The questions and answers (answers to questions asked during the webinar) will be available on this site within a week following the pre-submission webinar.

Submission Instructions: 

The webinar recording and slides are now available. The questions and answers (answers to questions asked during the webinar) will be available on this site within a week following the pre-submission webinar.

Applications are due by  11:59 pm ET on Monday, May 15, 2023.  

Below are key details about the application requirements, but please make sure to read the funding opportunity in its entirety before starting the application.

Each applicant is required to create a log-in to complete their application and submit the following:

• A narrative response to the prompts included in the funding opportunity;
• A Letter of Commitment from each proposed Implementation Site Team member identifying a commitment of effort, time, and resources dedicated for achieving the project goals; and
• A budget outlining the scope of work and proposed subaward to team members, if applicable. Teams may determine which entity is best suited to receive the award. A budget template is available for use here.

Note:  If the applicant organization is not the ECCS awardee, a Letter of Commitment from the current ECCS awardee stating the intent to participate actively as a member of the Implementation Site Team is required.  We encourage organizations to coordinate with their states' ECCS Awardee and other interested parties as only one application will be considered per state.

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR APPLICATION

Application Deadline: Monday, May 15, 2023, 11:59 PM EST 

No Deadline Extension

For additional questions, potential applicants may email cbodkin@zerotothree.org; replies will be provided within 3 business days.  

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Award Number - 1 UK2MC46349-01-00. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.