Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative

Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative is sponsored by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (in collaboration with MA Department of Early Education and Care). Supports Massachusetts district teams to develop strategies for delivering IEP services in community‑based settings—including Head Start, child care, family child care—through partnership development, professional development, and coaching.

FY2026 Fund Code 0612: Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative - Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs Educational Collaboratives Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE Budget Inter-District School Choice School Finance Regulations Chapter 74 Nonresident Tuition FY2026: Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative The purpose of this competitive grant program is to support 10–15 Massachusetts district teams to develop strategies for supporting preschool students to receive their Individualized Education Program (IEP) services in Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) licensed community-based settings 1 , including Head Start, child care and family child care.

Support for participation in this initiative includes professional development, coaching, and resources.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE's) Early Learning Team, in collaboration with the Office of Special Education Planning and Policy and the MA Department of Early Education and Care, will host the piloting of the Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative during the 2025-2026 school year.

The initiative is designed for district teams consisting of early childhood administrators, special education administrators, community-based preschool providers, public school and community-based preschool educators, Early Intervention and families to come together to plan for the delivery of IEP services in community preschool settings, including but not limited to: Partnership development between the public school district and community partners; Professional development; Sustainability and financial planning/cost analysis.

The initiative will include in-person professional development for the awarded teams (anticipated to begin in late winter), monthly coaching for the community team (anticipated to begin in early spring and last throughout the summer) and virtual and/or in-person networking opportunities with communities that have implemented the itinerant team model.

The main priority of this competitive grant program is to select 10–15 district/community teams, consisting of district, community-based preschool program and Early Intervention administrators/staff, that are prepared to collaborate with one another to develop a local itinerant team model to ensure that preschool children with IEPs have access to inclusive settings with their peers.

Priority will be given to districts and schools that: Are in the strategic transformation region; Are below the 95% threshold for Indicator 12 and have a rating of zero or one for Indicator 6 ; and/or have a rating of a zero for Indicator 6. Massachusetts public school districts, including charter public schools providing inclusive preschool programs, are eligible to apply.

The receipt of grant funds is contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G. L. c.

40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act. Compliance with the MBTA Communities Act is determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Federal grant funds must adhere to: EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76 The receipt of grant funds is contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.

L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act.

Compliance with the MBTA Communities Act is determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Approximately $250,000 is available. Applicants can apply for up to $20,000 to cover expenses related to participation in this initiative.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

Applicants should propose a budget that includes (where needed) expenses related to: Substitutes and/or stipends for in-person professional development, coaching sessions and debriefs as well as in-person/virtual networking opportunities sponsored by DESE and/or a DESE approved vendor; Other professional development that the team may want to offer related to supporting the special education needs of children in community-based programs; Travel for in-person professional development and networking (location to be confirmed); and Resource development, including but not limited to development of family engagement materials, outreach materials, needs assessment and a cost analysis Since details about professional development will be determined after grants are awarded, applicants should propose estimated budget expenditures.

Awarded applicants can adjust their budgets through an amendment as needed. Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change.

If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Funds may be used to support participation of team members in the: in-person professional development; development of an action plan related to the development of a Preschool Itinerant Team that could be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year; and development of resources that may be needed related to the implementation of a Preschool Itinerant Team model, including but not limited to outreach materials, training materials, a needs assessment and a cost analysis.

Fund use can include coordinator time, travel to in-person professional development, other professional development needs, site visits to communities currently implementing a preschool itinerant team model, stipends, substitutes and resource development. Funds cannot be used for equipment, building/construction projects and/or purchase of curricular programs.

Upon Approval – 9/30/2026 Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year 2027 beginning 10/1/2026 (school year 2026-2027). Office of Student and Family Support Donna Traynham , Early Learning Team Lead Friday, February 6, 2026* Proposals must be received at the Department by 12:00 p. m.

Eastern on the date due. Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP.

All responses must be submitted through proper steps and received by the due date/time listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not received on time will not be reviewed.

Applicants applying after the due date may be notified their application was received late and will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions below. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed on this funding opportunity. For the purposes of this competitive application, an itinerant team includes but is not limited to a preschool special education teacher, a speech/language therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a behavior specialist.

Additional itinerant team members may also include an inclusion coach. Awarded districts are not expected to implement an itinerant team model in the 2025-2026 school year; this competitive grant opportunity is designed to support districts to develop a plan that can be implemented in future school years.

If a continuation grant is available, partial or full implementation of the preschool itinerant team model may be expected in order to receive the funds. The Department will host a bidder's conference on January 15, 2026 from 8:00–9:00 and January 21, 2026 from 8:30–9:30. The bidder's conference will provide information on this competitive grant opportunity along with the opportunity to ask questions.

To register for a bidder's conference, please use this registration link . Additionally, questions can be submitted to achievement@mass. gov .

When emailing questions, please make sure the subject of the email is Preschool Itinerant Team Competitive Grant. Department staff will post answers to questions asked in GEM$ 1–2 times per week. Use of Multiple Funding Sources and Fiscal Accountability: Applicants may propose to use multiple funding sources, including federal, state, local, private, and in-kind contributions, to support the activities outlined in this RFP.

If multiple funding streams are proposed, the Proposer must demonstrate a clear and robust fiscal management plan that complies with all relevant federal, state, and local regulations. All federal funds must be managed in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR Part 200).

Braided Funding: Separate Accounting Required For all braided funding models, the applicant must maintain a separate accounting of each funding source. While the funds may be used to support a single initiative, each funding stream must retain its unique identity and be tracked independently. Establish and maintain separate accounts or sub-accounts within its accounting system for each individual funding stream.

Develop a cost allocation plan that details how shared program costs (e.g., personnel, supplies, overhead) will be distributed equitably and consistently among the different funding sources. Demonstrate the ability to report on each funding source separately, detailing expenditures and programmatic outcomes specific to that source.

Ensure that all compliance requirements, including eligibility criteria and reporting deadlines, are met for each respective funding stream, regardless of how they are used in coordination with others. The FY26 0612 Building Early Childhood Partnerships: A Preschool Itinerant Team Initiative will be submitted in our new GEM$ system.

GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants. Grants for Education Management System (GEM$) New organizations that do not have an established LEA with DESE skip to Step 3. Step 1: Establish and assign proper roles before the grant due date/time.

Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms.

The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system. Step 2: Submit the grant through all LEA steps in GEM$.

There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding: LEA Fiscal Representative Approved LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved Competitive grant applications are considered submitted once the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$.

In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP. Please plan accordingly. The Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved Step allows for the organization lead to review and approve the grant application.

Removing the requirement for the Part I Standard Contract Form, this step signifies Superintendent /Chief Executive sign off. Any grant budget changes requiring signature, will re-execute this step when amended signifying the organization lead is approving these changes. Step 3: (If applicable) New organizations request temporary organization access.

New organizations are entities that have not been established as an LEA in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization established in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access. Temporary Access will need to be created by DESE before you can then assign the proper roles and submit the grant as outlined in Steps 1 and 2.

Failure to provide DESE with GEM$ Temp Organization Access Request at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date. 1 For the purposes of this initiative, a community-based preschool program is one that is licensed by the MA Department of Early Education and Care, serves children who are 2.

9 years of age to kindergarten age-eligibility and does not operate in conjunction with or as part of private elementary or secondary schools. Last Updated: January 6, 2026 This link will take you to an external website which may or may not be accessible and WCAG 2. 1 compliant