Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that funds high-quality pre-kindergarten programs for three- and four-year-olds at risk of school failure. Created in 2007, the program provides awards ranging from $10,000 to $500,000 to school districts, Head Start grantees, and licensed child care centers holding a Keystone STAR 3 or 4 rating. The upcoming deadline is April 10, 2026.

Funded organizations must deliver evidence-based early learning experiences aligned with Pennsylvania's standards for early childhood education, helping close opportunity gaps before children enter kindergarten.

PA Pre-K Counts How To Apply - The Pennsylvania Key Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More.

> OCDEL on the PA Department of Human Service’s website OCDEL on the PA Department of Education website Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs) Professional Development Organizations (PDOs) State Advisory Council (SAC) Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP) PA Head Start Collaboration Office (HSCO) Directory: Preschool Program Specialists Infant Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Consultation School Age Child Care (SACC) Mental Health Consultation Bright Start: Supporting Social-Emotional Development Directory: IECMH Consultants Curriculum and Child Assessments Directory: Preschool Program Specialists Home Visiting/Family Centers Program Quality Assessment (PQA) Certification Impact Project Child Care Staff Recruitment and Retention (CCSRR) Program Creative Child Care Solutions (CCCS) Curriculum and Child Assessments Resources Dual Language Learners (DLL) Healthy Minds @Work Program Health Trends in Early Childhood Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Award Let’s Talk Quality: Program Quality Assessment (PQA) in Pennsylvania OCDEL Funded DC 0-5™ Training Initiative for Pennsylvania’s Birth to Five System OCDEL Funded Foundations of Reflective Supervision Training Initiative for Pennsylvania’s Birth to Five System Leaders Pennsylvania’s 2025 Child Care Market Rate Survey Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Promoting Inclusion & Reducing Expulsion and Suspension Transition To Kindergarten Updated OCC Compliance Announcements Workforce Development Bulletin (WDB) ARPA Stabilization Grants Workforce Support Grant 2.

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Eligible Applicants interested in applying for future Pre-K Counts funding should: Become familiar with program requirements by reading PA Pre-K Counts 2024 Regulations & Guidance Document , and Obtain and/or update the following which will be necessary to apply: Vendor Number aligned with Tax ID#/FEIN AUN aligned with Tax ID#/FEIN MPI aligned with Tax ID#/FEIN eGrants electronic signature, if eligible (see more info under this section) Convert eGrants account to MyPDESuite (see more info under this section) Eligible Applicants are encouraged to obtain and/or update the above requirements ahead of announcements being released.

§ 405. 11. Eligible Provider An eligible provider may apply for a grant alone or in combination with other eligible providers as a joint applicant, in which case the entity that applies for the grant shall be the lead agency in a partnership, as defined in § 405.

2 (relating to definitions). Guidance and Clarifications The following entities may operate Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts classrooms.

PDE Licensed nursery schools; Child care centers and group child care homes designated a Keystone STAR 3 or STAR 4; and A third-party entity may apply for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts funding and administer the lead agency responsibilities for entities that are eligible to provide the classroom services under the categories listed above.

Vendor Number (SAP Number) The supplied vendor number MUST align with the legal name and address provided in the application. A vendor number and account can be set up by registering at Vendor Number Registration . All agencies applying for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PKC) grants must be pre-registered.

The Central Vendor Management Unit is a storage database. The Comptroller uses this account to store direct deposit information. If you have any questions about vendor numbers, please contact Jordan Arment ( jarment@pa.

gov , (717) 346-1117) or Brian Bell ( bribell@pa. gov , (717) 346-0038) at OCDEL. Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts applicants will need to supply a valid AUN number within the REQUIRED Letter of Intent and application.

To verify your AUN number or to check to see if you have one assigned to your agency, visit edna. pa. gov .

If you are an intermediate unit, select Search for Intermediate Units. If you are not an intermediate unit, select Advanced Search and search for your agency. Applicants that are not already licensed by PDE and therefore do not have an AUN number should contact Brian Bell ( bribell@pa.

gov , (717) 346-0038) or Jordan Arment ( jarment@pa. gov , (717) 346-1117) at the Office of Child Development and Early Learning. Master Provider Index (MPI) Number Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts applicants will need a Master Provider Index (MPI) number during the application process.

MPI numbers are used across the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to identify legal entities and service locations that participate in any of its programs.

As such, they are used in DHS’s data system as a common identifier for all of the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s (which is a joint office between PDE and DHS) programs, including Child Care Licensing, Early Intervention, Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, and Keystone STARS. Legal entities are assigned a unique 9-digit MPI number.

In addition, service locations are assigned a unique 13-digit MPI number, which is created by adding a 4-digit extension to the 9-digit MPI of the legal entity. Legal entities and service providers currently participating in any of these programs should have an MPI number.

Applicants that are not currently participating in any of these programs should contact the Early Learning Network (ELN) Help Desk at (877) 491-3818, option 2 and provide their Federal Tax ID to determine their MPI numbers. MPI numbers will not be able to be provided without a Federal Tax ID.

Agencies who the ELN Help Desk determines do not have an MPI assigned, will be directed to include zeros within the application when MPI is requested. If awarded, these agencies will be provided an MPI at time of contracting. Tax ID Number or Federal ID Number This is the number that an agency uses on its federal W-9 form.

Applicants for Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts funds should consult with the person who handles tax, legal or accounting matters for the agency to determine the federal ID number when you check on your legal name and address. This number is often referred to as the “FEIN number” by OCDEL staff.

eGrants Electronic Signature (eSignature) OCDEL recommends the use of an electronic signature (eSignature) on all grant agreements for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and community agencies with a Board of Directors. This option is not a requirement, and a print, sign and upload option is always available regardless of agency type.

The use of an eSignature allows grants to proceed through the approval process faster and helps with expediting payments. School Districts, Intermediate Units, and community agencies with a Board of Directors can use eSignature. If the agency does not fall under one of these categories they may not be eligible for this option and will have to print, sign and return contracting documents.

View instructions for the eSignature Resolution process (PDF) Access the eSignature resolution form (PDF) NOTE: To check if your agency has eSignature, the Agency User Administrator can look at their users within the eGrants system in the User Management tab to see if their signatory has eSignature. Go to the “ Administration Tab ”. Click on “ User Management ”.

If a user has eSignature, a person icon will appear in the “ E Sig ” Box. A User can go to the “ blue snowman ” to look at their profile and user roles. This can be found in the “ upper right hand corner ” of the page.

If you have specific questions related to eSignature please contact Winnie Richards via email winrichard@pa. gov or call (717) 772-4849. eGrants migration to MyPDESuite The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s eGrants Grants Management system provides licensed education agencies and community-based programs with online access to grant applications.

To access eGrants, login to MyPDESuite to gain access to your eGrants Account. Download eGrants to MYPDESuite Conversion Instructions (PDF) Download Information on how to access MyPDESuite for various PDE data collection applications including eGrants (PDF) NOTE: The Pennsylvania Key website and documents below are best viewed in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox .

Both browsers are free for download and other browsers are not recommended.

2024 PA Pre-K Counts Statute, Regulations & Guidelines Document PA Pre-K Counts Fiscal Supplement Line Item Budget Template 2025 Annual Federal Poverty Guidelines Current OCDEL Approved Curricula and Assessment Educator Effectiveness ACT 13 | Pennsylvania Department of Education ACT 13: Possible examples of how the Framework For Teaching could apply to Early Childhood Teachers Recorded Webinars Getting To Know PA Pre-K Counts Child Eligibility, Enrollment, & Attendance Classroom Instructional Report Community Needs Assessment & Partnerships New Administrator Orientation Personnel Qualifications & Professional Development Program Requirements & Grant Basics 200 North 3rd Street, 2nd Floor The Pennsylvania Key website is best viewed in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox .

Both are free for download. Other browsers are not recommended.