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- 🌱 Quick Quick...A New Grant Opportunity
🌱 Quick Quick...A New Grant Opportunity
PLUS: The Deregulation Debate & Grandparents Taking Control
Today's Issue: New Wild Cat Discovery 🐾 | Head Start NPRM — Comment Deadline in 7 Days 🚨 | Nature in the Classroom 🌿 = 1.5 cups of coffee ☕
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For the first time in over 100 years, scientists have identified a brand-new wild cat species, and it started with a 3-pound fluffball named Tigrino.
About 10 years ago, a Bolivian family found a tiny spotted cat in their cloud forest. They thought: house cat. But after a year, they realized Tigrino wasn't exactly a lap cat. Off to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary he went.
That's when Dr. Paola Nogales Ascarrunz looked closer. His spots were different. His DNA was different. She compared samples from 38 South American tiger cats and made a stunning discovery, there aren't two or four species of South American tiger cat. There are FIVE.
Tigrino is the star: Leopardus tilcayo, the first new cat species named in over a century. 🐾
We thought we'd mapped every corner of the animal kingdom. And yet, the world still surprises us. What a gift to stay curious.
🗳️ QUICK POLL: Does Your Classroom Have a Pet?
Tigrino got us thinking... what's living in YOUR classroom? |
🚨 NEW GRANT ALERT
New money is on the table — and the window is shorter than you think.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) just dropped a new funding opportunity through the Preschool Development Grant Birth-5 (PDG B-5) program: SMART Grants (Strategic Measurement, Analytics, and Results using Technology). These are competitive, one-year federal grants designed to help states and territories use technology and data to build stronger early childhood systems.
🔹 Grant Type: PDG B-5 SMART Grant (Competitive Federal Grant) 🔹 For: Technology infrastructure, data systems, and analytics to strengthen early care and education programs 🔹 Who's Eligible: All states and territories (10 states + D.C. still completing current PDG B-5 Renewal Grants are excluded) 🔹 Award Range: $500,000 – $15 million per award (~25 grants expected) 🔹 Application Deadline: November 20, 2026 ⏰ 🔹 Info Webinar: TODAY — September 29, 2026
📌 HEADS UP: The Head Start NPRM Comment Window Closes October 6
The federal comment period on the 2026 Head Start NPRM closes October 6, 2026, and if you work in ECE, this one is personal.
The proposed rule would overhaul Head Start's Program Performance Standards, replacing decades of protections with a shorter, more flexible, but potentially less protective, framework. First Five Years Fund (FFYF) just released a Feedback Guide breaking down exactly what's at stake and how to weigh in, in plain language.
Three areas that will directly impact your programs:
🔹 Staff-Child Ratios: Federal ratio standards would be eliminated entirely. Programs would only need to meet state minimums — a significant step back for the children who need the most attention, including dual language learners, kids under three, and those with developmental delays.
🔹 English-Only Instruction: The NPRM would require all classroom instruction be conducted in English. Here's the problem: over a third of Head Start children are dual language learners — and research clearly shows this approach can slow English acquisition, not speed it up.
🔹 Admin Cost Cap Cuts: The current 15% administrative cost cap would drop to just 5%. Here's the kicker: only 3.7% of Head Start programs currently operate at or below 5%. Translation: the staff, HR teams, and financial systems keeping programs running get gutted.
📊 Key NPRM Proposed Changes at a Glance
Issue | Current Standard | Proposed Change | Who It Affects Most |
|---|---|---|---|
Staff-Child Ratios | Federal floor required | Defer to state licensing minimums | DLL children, infants/toddlers, kids with delays |
Language of Instruction | Home-language support encouraged | English-only classroom instruction | 35%+ of Head Start kids (dual language learners) |
Admin Cost Cap | 15% of total program costs | 5% of total program costs | 96.3% of programs currently above 5% |
Homeless Protections | Specific policies + self-attestation | Single eligibility sentence, no self-attestation | 60,000+ children experiencing homelessness |
Comprehensive Services | Health, mental health, nutrition, family support required | General, minimal standards | All enrolled children and families |
Source: First Five Years Fund — FFYF Feedback Guide & NPRM Analysis, 2026
Your comment can shape what happens next. The deadline is 7 days away.
📰 ECE In The News
🌿 2,000 Teachers Say Nature Matters — But Funding Doesn't Match the Mission: The Smithsonian surveyed 2,560 early childhood educators on nature-based learning, and the results are eye-opening. Educators love it. They value it. They want more of it. But funding gaps and limited training keep getting in the way. Public-school educators are the least likely to incorporate nature-based learning, and kids ages 3–5 are the most underserved. The Smithsonian's Growing Together Cohort is working to close that gap, with free educator resources coming nationwide. Worth the read. Read it HERE!
🌐 The Internet is a Playground
📅 On This Day in History: On September 29, 1988, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Discovery — the agency's triumphant return to spaceflight after the heartbreaking Challenger disaster of 1986. After nearly three years of silence, America went back to space. 🚀 Classroom tip: Ask your kids what they would do if something they loved felt too scary to try again. Resilience is one of the best lessons we can teach.
YOUR VOICE COUNTS
Is there a topic you want more info on or want to share a funny story? Then let us know! Shoot us a quick email at [email protected]. This newsletter is for you, and well, you should have a say, don't’ you think?
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