Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2026: Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program Federal Entitlement Grant

Fund Code: 0262

Purpose:

The purpose of this federal special education entitlement grant program is to provide funds to ensure that eligible 3, 4, and 5-year-old children with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education that includes special education and related services designed to meet their individual needs in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are required to ensure that children, aged 3 through 5, who need special education and related services, receive these services through free and appropriate public education (FAPE), in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — (IDEA4 ) — Part B, Section 619 and Massachusetts Special Education laws (M.G.L. c. 71B ) and regulations (603 CMR 28.00).

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is guided by its Educational Vision where:

  • All students in Massachusetts, particularly students from historically underserved groups and communities, will have equitable opportunities to excel in all content areas across all grades.

  • Culturally and linguistically sustaining classroom and school practices will support students to thrive by creating affirming environments where students have a sense of belonging, engage in deeper learning, and are held to high expectations with targeted support.

DESE partners with districts, schools, and programs to:

Cultivate systems to support the whole student and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued, connected, nourished, and ready to learn. Strategic Objective 1 — "Whole Student"

Promote deeper learning so that all students engage in grade-level work that is real-world, relevant, and interactive. Strategic Objective 2 — "Deeper Learning"

Develop and sustain a workforce that is diverse, culturally responsive, well-prepared, and committed to continuous improvement, so that all students have equitable access to effective educators. Strategic Objective 3 — "Diverse and Effective Workforce"

Applicants for this grant opportunity should be intentional in the use of grant funds to support at least one of these strategic objectives.

Priorities:

The priorities of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA4 ) — Part B, Section 619 for children ages 3 through 5 are to:

  1. Serve eligible children, aged 3 to 5 years old, with disabilities through the provision of special education and related services deemed essential for student success;
  2. Ensure services and supports are available for eligible children with disabilities, aged 3 to 5 years old, that are developmentally appropriate and specifically designed for 3 to 5-year old's;
  3. Provide special education services and supports in accordance with the federal IDEA and Massachusetts Special Education laws and regulations;
  4. Ensure young children have available to them FAPE that emphasizes special educational and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for future education;
  5. Support young children with disabilities, aged 3 to 5, in inclusive and natural environments;
  6. Ensure the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected;
  7. Assist localities and educational service agencies to educate all children with disabilities; and
  8. Assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities.

Funds available under this federal early childhood special education entitlement program are intended for use by LEAs in providing eligible students with appropriate special education services and activities to address the priorities as outlined in Section 619, Part B of the federal IDEA. Services and activities supported by this grant for students ages 3 through 5 must ensure compliance with state special education laws (M.G.L. c. 71B ) and regulations (603 CMR 28.00), and the federal IDEA and related regulations (34 CFR Part 300 ).

When considering fund use, each LEA should review: results from its most recent Integrated Monitoring report of Mid-Cycle Review, the LEA performance in relation to the indicators specified in the Massachusetts State Performance Plan specific to early childhood special education and family engagement, and Special Education Determinations. Specifically, consider the ECSE Strategic Areas:

  1. Improving systems to engage effectively with families
  2. Improving systems to assist transition from early intervention to prekindergarten and from prekindergarten to kindergarten
  3. Improving instruction to increase educational outcomes in:
    1. Social/Emotional Skills and Social Relationships;
    2. Acquiring and Using Knowledge and Skills; and
    3. Taking Appropriate Action to Meet Needs
Eligibility:

These early childhood special education entitlement funds are allocated to LEAs with a current, approved Conditions for Assistance: IDEA Part B Funding Certification based on a federal formula as required by Part B of Section 619 of the IDEA4.

Please note DESE reserves the right to require these funds be used to correct areas of identified noncompliance.

The federal IDEA requires each LEA receiving IDEA grant funding (either Fund Code 0240 or 0262 or both) to meet one of two standards of maintenance of effort (MOE) to ensure that each maintains at least the same amount of local or state and local funds for the education of students with disabilities from year to year. MOE is one method of ensuring that IDEA funds are supplementing rather than supplanting state and local funds that would be used for educational services to students with disabilities. LEAs are only required to demonstrate one of the two MOE eligibility standards as part of the eligibility standard as part of the grant application process and condition of approval.

Eligibility Standard: This standard is a forward-looking measure of MOE. Meeting this standard ensures that an LEA has budgeted the same amount of local or state and local funds for educational services to students with disabilities as it did in the last year it met MOE using the same method. If an LEA fails to meet an eligibility standard for MOE (after considering any anticipated exception or adjustment), the LEA is not eligible to receive IDEA funds for that fiscal year.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA: 84.173A

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

  • UGG (2 CFR 200)
  • EDGAR As Applicable
  • EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76
Funding:

FY26 Fund Code 0262 Early Childhood Special Education Allocations will be posted at Grant Allocations & Awards when they become available.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

General Fund Use: All LEAs
IDEA Part B funds are awarded to LEAs to assist them in providing appropriate special education and related services for eligible students and to address the priorities listed above. LEAs are reminded of their obligation to maintain state/local effort in special education.

IDEA also requires LEAs to reserve a proportionate share of its IDEA Part B funds for the provision of equitable services for parentally placed private and home-schooled students. All LEAs with a count of eligible parentally-private and home-schooled students aged 3-5 must complete the required Equitable Services section within the FY26 IDEA Part B (Fund Code 0262) grant application. See the IDEA Equitable Services resources.

Additional Directed Fund Use:

Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS)
A LEA may voluntarily use up to 15% of its special education entitlement grant to develop and implement Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) to support students without disabilities who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment. See 34 CFR § 300.226 . Allowable uses for CEIS include:

  • Providing professional development for teachers and other school staff for the delivery of scientifically-based academic instruction and behavioral intervention, including scientifically-based literacy instruction and instruction in the use of adaptive and instructional software, and
  • Providing educational and behavioral evaluations and supports.

Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CCEIS)
Any LEA identified with significant disproportionality is required to reserve 15% of its IDEA Part B funds (Fund Code 0240 and Fund Code 0262) to provide CCEIS to address factors contributing to significant disproportionality. See 34 CFR § 300.646 . CCEIS activities:

  • May include professional development and educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and support; and
  • Must identify and address the factors contributing to the significant disproportionality, which may include,
    • a lack of access to scientifically based instruction; economic cultural, or linguistic barriers to appropriate identification or placement in particular educational setting;
    • inappropriate use of disciplinary removals;
    • lack of access to appropriate diagnostic screenings;
    • difference in academic achievement levels; and
    • policies, practices, or procedures that contribute to the significant disproportionality.

For more information on CCEIS, please refer to the Significant Disproportionality Fiscal Implications Reference Guide .

If you have any questions related to CEIS and CCEIS, please contact the Office of Special Education Planning and Policy Development at specialeducation@mass.gov .

Project Duration:

Upon Approval* – 9/30/2027**

*The grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable application submission as directed in the Submission Instructions of this RFP. Funds cannot be obligated beyond the project duration end date.

**The obligation end date on these grant funds covers multiple state fiscal years. Grantees should obligate and expend grant funding throughout the grant lifecycle. Grant balances can be liquidated on this award through November 30, 2027, using the reimbursement request form.

Grantees must file a Final Expenditure Report (FER) to close out the grant by December 31, 2027. Grantees may file FERs ahead of this deadline if grant funds have been paid in full across each section of the consolidated grant and/or the obligation end date has passed, whichever comes first. If grant funds are not liquidated by November 30, 2027, the FER filing can be used to claim final balances if it is submitted by December 31, 2027.

Program Unit:

Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning

Contact:

Federal Grant Programs

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Required Forms:

FY26 Federal Grant Assurances — The FY26 Federal Grant Assurances Signature Page (Page 1 only) completed and signed by the Superintendent/Executive Director and uploaded in GEM$ in the LEA Document Library under Assurances, in folder Federal Entitlement Grant Assurances. We cannot approve any federal entitlement grant without a signed, properly dated and uploaded Federal Grant Assurance signature page.

FY26 Conditions of Assistance: IDEA Part B Funding Certifications: Every LEA must submit a new Conditions of Assistance: IDEA Part B Funding Certifications to the Department annually. Completed submissions must be uploaded into GEM$.

Proportionate Share Carryover Questionnaire for FY24 IDEA Funds: If, after the one-year carry-over period, the LEA is unable to expend the entire proportionate share of funds due to exceptional circumstances, the LEA may request to use the unexpended funds to pay for other allowable Part B expenditures by completing the questionnaire.

Written Affirmation of Consultation for equitable services at least three (3) times each year. The signed written affirmation of consultation is required to be uploaded into GEM$.

Additional Information:
GEM$ Submission Instructions:

The FY2026 Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Program Federal Entitlement Grant will be completed and submitted in the Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.

Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level, or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: June 3, 2025

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