What does ELC mean in EDUCATIONAL

The Early Learning Challenge is a federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides funding to states to improve the quality of early childhood education and care programs.

The goals of the ELC program are to:

• Increase the availability of high-quality early childhood education and care programs for low-income and vulnerable children.
• Improve the quality of early childhood education and care programs, by providing training and support to teachers and administrators.
• Promote the integration of early childhood education and care programs with other health and social services, such as health screenings and nutrition assistance.

States and territories are eligible to receive funding from the ELC program. States must submit an application to HHS that describes their plans for using the funds to improve the quality of early childhood education and care programs.

The amount of funding available through the ELC program varies from year to year. In fiscal year 2023, the program received $2.6 billion in funding.

States must meet certain requirements to receive funding from the ELC program. These requirements include:

• Developing a state plan that describes how the state will use the funds to improve the quality of early childhood education and care programs.
• Establishing a state advisory council to provide input on the state plan and the implementation of the program.
• Conducting a needs assessment to identify the areas where the state needs to improve the quality of early childhood education and care programs.
• Developing a plan for evaluating the effectiveness of the program.