A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 303

Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities

(CFDA No. 84.173)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, Section 619 (20 U.S.C. 1419) (expires September 30, 1995)

Purpose: To be eligible for the formula grant program, beginning in FY 1991, a State must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all preschool children, ages 3 through 5, with disabilities.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation	Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1977	$12,500,000	1987	$180,000,000
1980	25,000,000	1988	201,054,000
1981	25,000,000	1989	247,000,000
1982	24,000,000	1990	251,510,000
1983	25,000,000	1991	292,766,000
1984	26,330,000	1992	320,000,000
1985	29,000,000	1993	325,773,000
1986	28,710,000	1994	339,257,000

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

In the 1992-1993 school year, 441,089 children with disabilities ages 3 through 5 were counted as the basis for Preschool Grants program funds.

By FY 1991, States had to provide FAPE to all children in this age range or lose eligibility for funding under this program, funding for the same age range under the IDEA Grants to States program and the Chapter 1 Handicapped program, and funding for certain discretionary grants under the IDEA pertaining solely to children ages 3 through 5.

Services

The services provided by States under the Preschool Grants program are special education and related services authorized under Part B of the IDEA needed by preschool children with disabilities consistent with the requirements of Part B of the IDEA. State and local education agencies may, if consistent with State policy, use Preschool Grants funds to provide free appropriate public education to two-year-old children with disabilities who will reach age 3 during the school year,

Program Administration

The program awards formula grants to States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and five Outlying Areas on the basis of their proportionate share of the total number of children ages 3 through 5 who are counted for the Part B child count on December 1 of the fiscal year for which funds have been appropriated. The statute limits the amount of the Preschool grant for each child to a maximum of $1,500. Each child, ages 3 through 5, counted for the Par B child count generates an allocation under the Grants to States program and the Preschool Grants program.

The State education agency administers the Preschool Grants program. States are permitted to set aside up to 20 percent for State activities plus up to 5 percent for administration of the grant. The remaining funds are used for subgrants to local education agencies and intermediate education units, based on their proportionate share of the number of children with disabilities ages 3 through 5 who receive special education and related services.

States are permitted to use up to 20 percent of their set-aside funds to develop a statewide comprehensive service delivery system for children ages birth through 5. These activities may include personnel development, establishing interagency agreements, and designing approaches to meet unique service delivery needs. States also may use funds from the 20 percent set-aside for direct and support services to children with disabilities ages 3 through 5, and at the State's discretion, to provide FAPE to 2-year old children who will reach age 3 during the school year. Children must be 3 years old on December l in order to be counted under Part B.

III. Sources of Information

Fourteenth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 1992).
Program files.

IV. Planned Studies

Early Intervention Effectiveness Institute: the goal of this institute is to determine the long-term effects and costs of early intervention with children with disabilities.
Early Childhood Research Institute-Substance Abuse: this institute, funded through a cooperative agreement, is operated by a consortium of the Juniper Garden's Children Project (JGCP) of the University of Kansas (JGCP will serve as the primary site for the Institute), the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, and the University of South Dakota's University Affiliated Program. Five research projects are underway to address the Institute's objectives. The studies are conceptually integrated, and each informs and provides direction for the studies that follow. The five studies are: (1) Longitudinal Study of Children Prenatally Exposed to Drugs; (2) Longitudinal Study of Children Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol; (3) Development and Validation of New and Adapted Interventions to Meet the Unique Needs of Children Who Were Prenatally Exposed to Drugs and Alcohol; (4) Coordination and Continuity of Services and Care; and (5) Dissemination-Translating Interventions and Increasing the Integrity of Interventions Provided in Diverse Settings.

V. Contacts for Further Informaiton

Program Operations:: James Hamilton, (202) 205-9084
Program Studies:: Barbara Vespucci, (202) 401-3630

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[Grants to States Program for Disabled Children and Youth]

[Handicapped Regional Resources and Federal Centers Program]