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It’s a crowded field: The leaders of 36 states and Washington, D.C. told the Department of Education last weekend that they plan to apply for the , a competition for funding to build coordinated and cohesive early learning systems. More states might jump in and some may bow out; it was not mandatory for governors to submit an “intent to apply.” But it’s likely that many of them could use help writing their applications.

Two non-profit and philanthropic groups have come together to offer assistance, according to an announcement this week.  The Initiative and the have formed the to help states develop strong applications and provide technical assistance to winning states as they implement their early learning plans. By next year, the Birth to Five Policy Alliance will be involved to provide ongoing support.

This move comes in the wake of the Gates Foundation’s support during the original Race to the Top K-12 program. The Gates Foundation gave $250,000 grants to states so that they could hire consultants to develop their plans and write their applications.

After the Obama Administration announced the RTT-ELC in June, there was no visible attempt from early childhood philanthropies to do something similar. (See of Bellwether Education Partners and formerly our director here at the Early Education Initiative.)

It remains to be seen whether the Collaborative will provide the same level of financial support or consulting services, whether in grant form or through direct technical assistance. A that the Collaborative presumably sent to state leaders did not provide that level of detail.  “Private philanthropic dollars will be used to support all interested states, in differentiated ways, to take advantage of this pivotal opportunity to advance high-quality and comprehensive early childhood systems and services,” the letter said.

The Early Learning Challenge’s proposed requirements are just as demanding as the requirements for the Race to the Top- K-12 competition. And states won’t have much time to turn their applications around—only about 8 weeks. Undoubtedly, states will need all the support they can get to develop the high-quality plans the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services are seeking for:

• Statewide early learning standards that align with K-12 standards;
• Kindergarten entry assessments;
• Statewide early learning and childcare program standards;
• A tiered quality rating and improvement system (QRIS);
• Workforce knowledge and competencies with accompanying credentials; and
• Early childhood data that connects to the state’s longitudinal data system.

Ongoing support from the Collaborative won’t be limited to states that win Race to the Top grants, according to a of the program. The group wants to support the ongoing early learning system-building efforts of other promising states. The Collaborative also intends to share resources, information and lessons learned with all the states.

See our on the Race to the Top- Early Learning Challenge for continuing coverage.