Delaware’s Lieutenant governor will lead efforts to collect data, track progress, and expand early childcare in Delaware.
The Interagency Resource Management Committee (IRMC) was initially created in 2015 and restructured in last year with legislation that put Lt. Gov. Kyle Evans Gay at the helm of its work.
The Lieutenant governor and the rest of the IRMC will meet this month to talk about opportunities to collaborate on early child education expansion.
It received $11.3 million from Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Systems-Building Grant (PDG B-5 Grant), a which has to spend this year.
The federal grant requires states to use the money for needs assessments and coordination of services and programs. It also allows spending to help vulnerable families and kids prepare for school.
Gay said federal money and a boost from the state will enable her office to get a handle on big picture issues to address in Delaware.
“We don't have time to waste, and we've already started reaching out to potential partners who will help us build these systems,” she said. “And over the next quarter, we're going to be laying the groundwork, making sure that stakeholders are involved and have a seat at the table, making sure that the IRMC is having robust conversations and discussions.”
The IRMC will evaluate the state’s early childhood care system, Gay said. In order to expand services, “we have to make sure our house is in order.”
Gay said the plan in the next few months in to reach out to educational and economic stakeholder groups for input on childcare needs.
These investments include $25.3 million in childcare subsidies, $8 million for early literacy investments, and $8 Million for Early Education Alliance.
Delaware previously received money from a federal grant in 2022, which it used to create nearly 600 new slots for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children in its state-funded childcare program.
