A bill to amend the Head Start Act to provide grants to Tribal Colleges and Universities to increase the number of post-secondary degrees in early childhood education and related fields earned by Indian Head Start agency staff members, parents of children served by such an agency, and members of the community involved.

Summary: Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership Act - Amends the Head Start Act to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants of at least five years duration to Tribal Colleges and Universities to: (1) implement education programs that include tribal culture and language and increase the number of associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early childhood education and related fields that are earned by Indian Head Start agency staff members, parents of children served by such an agency, and members of the tribal community involved; (2) develop and implement such programs in technology-mediated formats; and (3) provide technology literacy programs for Indian Head Start agency staff members and children and families of children served by such an agency.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Tribal Colleges and Universities 
Head Start Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Head Start Act requires that 50 percent or more of 
        teachers nationwide in center-based Head Start programs must 
        have at least an associate degree in early childhood education, 
        or a field related to early childhood education, by 2003.
            (2) A goal of the Head Start Act is to ensure that all Head 
        Start programs nationwide will provide accredited continuing 
        education for Head Start staff that provides college or 
        university credit for such staff. However, Indian Head Start 
        programs are generally located in areas isolated from 
        mainstream colleges or universities where such credit can be 
        earned.
            (3) The vast majority of the Nation's 34 Tribal Colleges 
        and Universities have early childhood education programs and, 
        of these, 32 are accredited, or designated candidates for 
        accreditation, by national accrediting associations.
            (4) Tribal Colleges and Universities were created by 
        Indians for Indians primarily on rural and remote Indian 
        reservations, which were virtually excluded from the Nation's 
        system of higher education.
            (5) Tribal Colleges and Universities are engaged community 
        institutions, offering higher education and continuing 
        education opportunities to individuals who otherwise might find 
        attaining such education impossible due to family 
        responsibilities, and financial and geographic barriers.
            (6) Tribal Colleges and Universities have been more 
        successful than any other institutions of higher education in 
        educating Indians and helping to retain Indians in high-need 
        fields such as nursing and teaching. According to a 2000 
        survey, over 80 percent of Tribal College and University 
        graduates go on to further higher education or become employed 
        in the local community.
            (7) Through partnerships developed between Tribal Colleges 
        and Universities and Head Start programs nationwide--
                    (A) Indian Head Start agency personnel can gain 
                greater access to accredited college and university 
                programs in their career field;
                    (B) the knowledge, skills, and aptitude of those 
                working at Indian Head Start agencies will be 
                increased, thus enabling them to provide high quality 
                and comprehensive services to Indian children and their 
                families; and
                    (C) the health, early childhood development, and 
                school readiness of Indian children will be improved as 
                a result of increased staff knowledge, skills, and 
                aptitude.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) promote social competencies and school readiness in 
        Indian children; and
            (2) provide high quality, accredited educational 
        opportunities to Indian Head Start agency staff so that they 
        can better deliver services that enhance the social and 
        cognitive development of low-income children through the 
        provision of health, educational, nutritional, social, and 
        other services to low-income children and their families.

SEC. 3. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY-HEAD START PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

    The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 648A the following:

``SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY-HEAD START PARTNERSHIP 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Tribal College or University-Head Start Partnership 
Program.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants, 
        of not less than 5 years duration, to Tribal Colleges and 
        Universities to--
                    ``(A) implement education programs that include 
                tribal culture and language and increase the number of 
                associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early 
                childhood education and related fields that are earned 
                by Indian Head Start agency staff members, parents of 
                children served by such an agency, and members of the 
                tribal community involved;
                    ``(B) develop and implement the programs under 
                subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated formats; and
                    ``(C) provide technology literacy programs for 
                Indian Head Start agency staff members and children and 
                families of children served by such an agency.
            ``(2) Staffing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        American Indian Programs Branch of the Head Start Bureau of the 
        Department of Health and Human Services shall have staffing 
        sufficient to administer the programs under this section and to 
        provide appropriate technical assistance to Tribal Colleges and 
        Universities receiving grants under this section.
    ``(b) Application.--Each Tribal College or University desiring a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary, 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require, including a certification that the Tribal 
College or University has established a partnership with 1 or more 
Indian Head Start agencies for the purpose of conducting the activities 
described in subsection (a).
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            ``(2) Tribal college or university.--The term `Tribal 
        College or University' means an institution--
                    ``(A) defined by such term in section 316(b) of the 
                Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)); and
                    ``(B) determined to be accredited or a candidate 
                for accreditation by a nationally recognized 
                accrediting agency or association.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 
2004 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 
through 2008.''.