Today, the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 competitions for the Ready to Learn Program and the Promise Neighborhoods Program. These competitions represent the next step in the Trump Administration’s efforts to realign family engagement and school support programs to better serve students by investing in evidence-based literacy, high-impact tutoring, and programs that leverage families and communities to meet students’ needs.
This announcement kicks off the Family Engagement and School Support partnership between ED’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, with additional grant competitions to follow later this spring. As ED and HHS deepen their partnership to enhance support to students, families, and communities, awards for these competitions will be issued through HHS.
“These grant competitions mark an important milestone in our efforts to engage families and communities by partnering with agencies best positioned to administer services,” said Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler. “By investing in family engagement and early childhood development, we are empowering the systems closest to students – families and communities. Together with the Department of Health and Human Services, we are prioritizing this collaboration to support our earliest learners, their families, and the communities that help them thrive.”
“The Department of Health and Human Services is committed to aligning federal resources to better serve children and families,” said Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families Alex J. Adams. “Through our partnership with the Department of Education, we are creating efficiencies across our grant portfolio that will strengthen early learning, promote school readiness, and equip families with practical tools to reinforce student learning.”
Under the previous Administration, these competitions prioritized grantees who focused on promoting race- and identity-based programs rather than promoting early childhood development, school readiness, and community and family engagement strategies that improve student outcomes. Now, the Trump Administration is utilizing Secretary McMahon’s Supplemental Priorities to support grantees who will focus on evidence-based literacy and meaningful learning opportunities for students, including career-connected learning and support for families to provide at-home learning.
Background:
To date, ED has announced 10 Interagency Agreements (IAAs) with five agencies to break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs, and move closer to fulfilling the President’s promise to return education to the states. Learn more about the efforts to return education to the states here .
The ED-HHS partnership was formalized through an IAA, a tool routinely utilized by government agencies to procure services, share resources, and ensure efficient service delivery. Under this partnership and in accordance with 31 U.S.C. § 1535, HHS will help manage grant funds, provide technical assistance, and integrate ED’s community and family engagement programs with the suite of programs that HHS already administers.
ED and HHS will continue to provide grantees with additional guidance as these efforts are implemented.