NC to get $56 million in fed funds over 7 yrs, early childhood

[littlemissmartypants]

3. Just in case:

"The new funding comes from two competitive federal grant awards to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), including a $40.2 million Preschool Development Grant (PDG) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and up to a $16 million grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The PDG grant invests in the people who shape young children’s healthy development – parents and early childhood professionals. It will help early childhood teachers build the skills needed to support children’s optimal development without having to leave the classroom. By providing job-embedded professional development and coaching, the grant removes barriers that make it difficult for teachers to pursue higher education.

In addition, the grant funds a partnership with the Smart Start network to expand access to Family Connects, a nurse home visiting program for parents of newborns; support for families as their children transition into kindergarten; and expanded access to high-quality child care for infants and toddlers. This is the state’s second PDG grant. In 2018, the NCDHHS was awarded a one-year $4.48 million PDG planning grant.

The grant from CMS aims to improve quality of care and reduce costs for Medicaid-insured children (age 0-20 years) by implementing the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) model. InCK will improve how children receive services by coordinating healthcare and other sectors that support children, such as schools, food, and housing. Medicaid and its partners will design and implement alternative payment models that align incentives for positive health and well-being outcomes for children."