Using Every Student Achieves Act (ESSA) Funds for Early Childhood

Published June 2021
by Foresight Law+Policy, Center for the Study of Education Policy, EducationCounsel, Erikson Institute, and Start Early

This guidance is intended to help districts understand some of the options they have to use federal funds provided under multiple sections of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Investment in early learning as an effective strategy is supported by research from the science of learning and development that shows that early childhood is a critical time for brain development. The quantity and quality of interactions children have with adults at this stage determines the foundation upon which all other educational experiences will build.