Colorado has received a three-year renewal of federal early-childhood funding totaling $33.5 million, the governor’s office announced on Tuesday.

The Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services whose budget is $275 million. The first round of awards to 48 states came in 2018 and funded assessments and planning for early childhood efforts. A previous version of the program that existed prior to the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act differed in its requirements for eligibility, duration, reporting and use of funds.

Colorado received $5.8 million in the first funding year. The state originally asked for $8.1 million and promised to match the amount with an additional $2.5 million. The award would have gone toward a needs assessment, among other purposes.

“According to the Center for American Progress, 27% of non-Hispanic whites live in a child care desert compared to 37% of non-Hispanic black/African American children, and 38% of Hispanic/Latino children, indicating racially disparate access to care,” the state wrote in its application.

With the three-year grant renewal, the state hopes to establish and early childhood mental health consultation line, provide scholarships to 250 early childhood professionals, and create a single hub for parents for early childhood services.

“These important resources will help support my budget proposals to expand pre-school in Colorado and improve the quality of early childhood education,” said Gov. Jared Polis in a press release.