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Fall 2022 Orleans ECHO Fund Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant Application

Welcome!

Overview of the ECHO Fund
The Early Childhood Opportunity Fund (ECHO) Fund is Agenda for Children’s innovative grant program that seeks to increase access to high-quality early care and education for children from birth through age four by directly funding the needs of early childhood programs.

The ECHO Fund supports early learning programs in our region by investing in increased access,  ingenuity, and quality for our youngest learners. Since the fund’s inception in 2018, Agenda for Children has distributed over 1,000 grants amounting in over $4.8M.

 

Grant Summary
The Fall 2022 Orleans ECHO Fund Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant intends to support licensed Type III Early Learning Programs and Family Child Care Providers with Academic Approval in supporting children with disabilities through direct, one-time financial relief grants.

Grant Timeline

  • Wednesday, November 16th, 2022: LAUNCH

  • Friday, December 2nd, 2022: APPLICATION DEADLINE

  • Friday, December 16th, 2022: AWARD NOTIFICATION
     

Purpose of the Grant
The Fall 2022 Orleans ECHO Fund Seat Augmentation for Children with Disabilities Grant will provide grants in amounts between $1,000 to $20,000 to assist licensed Type III Early Learning Programs and Family Child Care Providers with Academic Approval in Orleans Parish. Grants are intended to provide early learning programs with the resources to craft an appropriate, intentional, and supportive environment in accordance with IDEA law for currently-enrolled children with exceptional physical or medical needs, children with exceptional cognitive needs, and/or children with exceptional behavioral or emotional needs. 

Programs can apply for grants toward expenses related to serving children with disabilities, including, but not limited to: professional development related to serving children with disabilities; part-time staff/teacher(s) to provide extra classroom support; materials and equipment (ex. appropriate chairs, sensory materials, ramps); technical assistance; reimbursements for services paid for by the program since July 1, 2022 or to close the expense gap on services prior to July 1, 2023; and evaluation services. The examples provided here are not the only acceptable use of funding, and are shared only as an example. 

Quality grant applications must provide a compelling narrative, demonstrate need, and clearly and directly link proposed expenses with suitable, feasible, and specific accommodations aligned with meeting children’s exceptional needs within an appropriate time frame. Applications must not include a child’s or their family’s personal identifiable information (ex. name, birthday, social security number).

Grant requests will not be awarded for applications seeking funding for ASQ screening kits, standard curriculum kits, technology with no explicit and defined purposes related to meeting the needs of students with disabilities, CDA/ECAC/CNA tuition, or for materials or environments that are not in accordance with the least restrictive environment as outlined by IDEA law.

All licensed Type III Early Learning Programs and Family Child Care Providers with Academic Approval located in Orleans Parish are welcome to apply. Providers may not submit one application to apply for funds for multiple centers, however, they may submit one application to serve the needs of multiple children within one center, and/or one application per center they operate.

 

The application is split into the following sections:

  • Section I - VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY
    This section is designed to ensure the applicant is eligible.
  • Section I - SITE INFORMATION
    This section is designed for the applicant to provide basic background information for their site.
  • Section III - GRANT REQUEST INFORMATION
    This section is designed to understand what the applicant is applying for and why. 
  • Section IV - FINANCIAL DOCUMENTATION
    Applicants will provide a completed W-9 and a Direct Deposit Form, if desired to ensure timely release of funds should they be awarded a grant.
  • Section V - ASSURANCES
    Applicants will complete an agreement regarding their application and award requirements.
  • Section VI - FEEDBACK (OPTIONAL)
    Applicants will provide feedback on their application experience.