Washington, DC, June 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After receiving dozens of applications and collecting feedback on them from diverse review teams, the Alliance for Early Success (the Alliance) announced today that 16 states are finalists for Child Care NEXT — a grant program to support transformational change in a state’s child-care system.

State application teams made up of a wide range of stakeholders came together to craft each of the proposals, demonstrating a commitment to build and share the type of power that leads to sustained and transformative change. Teams of reviewers – which included policy professionals, child-care providers, and parents – then assessed the applications for viability and likely success.

Application teams from the following 16 finalist states will advance to the next round of consideration:

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Michigan

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Oregon

Rhode Island

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin

After interviews and additional analysis of the proposals by reviewers, the final Child Care NEXT grantees will be named. These state teams will receive multi-year funding as well as access to national expertise and peer support from other states in the group. Grantees will be announced in July.

At current funding levels, only five states will be selected for Child Care NEXT.

“There has been a growing will to reinvent our child-care system around the needs of 21^st-century families and communities, but there has been little consensus on what that actually looks like,” said Helene Stebbins, Executive Director of the Alliance. “The Child Care NEXT grantees will work to actually implement bold new models in their states as a demonstration –- and a precedent.”

Child Care NEXT is administered by the Alliance and is guided by a steering committee of 15 national policy and grassroots organizations. The concept was originally developed by Elliot Haspel, Program Officer for Education Policy and Research at the Robins Foundation in Richmond, Virginia. Timelines and additional information can be found at www.earlysuccess.org/childcarenext.

About the Alliance for Early Success

The Alliance for Early Success is a 50-state early-childhood advocacy nonprofit that provides connections, expertise, technical assistance, and targeted investments to accelerate and amplify advocates’ effectiveness in achieving state actions necessary for each and every young child to thrive. More information about the Alliance can be found at www.earlysuccess.org.

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CONTACT: Stinson Liles Alliance for Early Success 9016343655 sliles@earlysuccess.org