About the Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant 

The Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant (ELA Mini Grant) provides up to $5,000 funding to Georgia child care programs and public elementary schools seeking to vertically align innovative literacy practices. Specifically, the grant funds strategic partnerships between child care providers and local public elementary schools as they engage in collaborative professional learning to align their literacy practices and facilitate a smooth transition for rising pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. The ELA Mini Grant is made possible through the generous donations to the Georgia Foundation for Early Care & Learning. 

About the Georgia Foundation for Early Care + Learning 

Founded by Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Assembly in 2017, the Georgia Foundation for Early Care & Learning makes strategic investments to improve and expand high-quality early education to help ensure all children in Georgia are prepared to success when they enter kindergarten regardless of family income or location. 

You are eligible to apply for an ELA Mini Grant if you meet all the following criteria:

• You are the administrator (Principal or Assistant Principal) of a Georgia public elementary school or child care program (Owner or Director)
• (For Elementary Schools) You are partnered with a local child care provider that has received a Quality Rating. As part of the application, you must submit a signed letter of support from the child care provider acknowledging their active participation in the program.
• (For Child Care Programs) You are partnered with your local elementary school. As part of the application you must submit a signed letter of support from an administrator from the elementary school acknowledging their active participation in the program.

Priority Points Eligibility

You are eligible for one (1) priority point for meeting each of the following criteria for a possible total of two (2) extra points:

• Your school is located in a rural county defined as a county with a population of 35,000 or less; or your school is located in an under-resourced urban area.
• All partnering child care programs you have identified have received a Quality Rating of one (1) or two (2) stars. 
• All partnering child care programs serve children who receive Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) scholarships. 

Requirements

The Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant Program must include the following features: 

• Childcare and Local School System Partnership: This grant program requires a partnership between at least one local elementary school and at least one child care provider. Child care program partners must be located within the feeder LEA for the partnering elementary school. As part of the application, you must submit a signed letter of support from your partner school and/or child care program, acknowledging active participation in the program.
• Professional Development: The program must include a collaborative professional development component centered on early literacy in which both staff from the child care program(s) and faculty from an elementary school located in the feeder LEA participate. The structure of the program and selected professional development program is determined by the Local School System (i.e., the applicant) and is subject to approval from the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. 
• Literacy Focus: The selected professional development program must have an early literacy focus that will strengthen vertical alignment in literacy instruction at the child care center and the elementary school, ensuring rising pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students are entering elementary school with strong foundational literacy skills. This professional development must be based on the Science of Reading. 

Allowances

The ELA Mini Grant will provide up to $5,000 over a six-month period to support teachers as they engage in collaborative professional learning to vertically align their literacy practices. You may use ELA Mini Grant Funds for the following purposes:

• Professional development;
• Meals for participation in professional development (must be reasonable);
• Mileage and travel to participate in the professional development;
• Supplies to support the implementation literacy practices in the classroom; and 
• Other allowances not otherwise stated that are for the original purposes of the program.

How to Select Potential Trainings Using the DECAL Literacy Lab

• It is strongly recommended that applicants select training from the DECAL Early Language & Literacy Lab for this grant opportunity. Selection of another training opportunity will not prevent an applicant from being considered for funding. 
• To access resources from the DECAL Early Language & Literacy Lab that can inform training selection for your Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant application, begin by visiting the DECAL Literacy Lab webpage at decal.ga.gov/literacy.aspx. This online hub offers high-quality, evidence-based training focused on the Science of Reading, designed to support early learning professionals. 
• To explore and register for trainings, log into your GaPDS account, where you can search for approved courses under the Early Language and Literacy Lab. For more information on how to create a GaPDS account, please review the following link: GaPDS Help.
• It is intended that grantees use the Early Language and Literacy Lab or other similar resources to design collaborative professional development activities aligned with the Science of Reading.

Submission Instructions

To participate in the Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant, please follow the steps below:

1. Watch the “Grant Writing 101” Webinar (recommended, but not required).
2. Carefully review this document, including the eligibility requirements, application components, and the scoring rubric.
3. Complete an application using the link provided by the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning, as directed on the grant application document. 
4. Submit your application online on or before December 1, 2026. 

If you have any questions during the application process, please contact:

How long will the Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant last?

Early Literacy Alignment Mini Grant recipients have up to six months from the grant award date to use their funds. 

If I receive an Early Literacy Mini Grant, what are the expectations?

Here are the expectations for ELA Mini Grant grantees:

• The ELA Mini Grant will be awarded up front.
• ELA Mini Grant winners are responsible for tracking the outcomes of the project or program. We will request one mid-point report, and one final evaluation report. The evaluation reports are the grantee’s opportunity to share the project’s progress, outcomes, lessons learned, and best practices. Grantees will the final evaluation report at the completion of the program using the ELA Mini Grant Evaluation Template.
• ELA Mini Grant winners will distribute a survey to participants of the professional development to glean overall takeaways and impact from the program. The GFEC+L will provide a link to the survey to distribute to participants of the programming by January, 2027. 
• When appropriate, representatives from the GFEC+L may request an in-person or virtual site visit to observe the program/project. Grantees may also request site visits to showcase the work or if course correction is needed. 
• The GFEC+L request that grantees recognize the Foundations as the funder of the work at least two times throughout the grant year, or when applicable. Any media or social media posting should include the GFEC+L logo, social media handles, and be shared with the GFEC+L.