II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1154

To enable States to use Federal funds more effectively on behalf of young

children, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 27, 1999

Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. BAYH, Mr. COCHRAN, and Mr.

DEWINE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To enable States to use Federal funds more effectively on

behalf of young children, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Prenatal, Infant, and Child Development Act of 1999’’.

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for

7 this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Findings.

TITLE I—FUNDS PROVIDED UNDER THE TEMPORARY

ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMILIES PROGRAM
2

•S 1154 IS

Sec. 101. Authority to transfer funds for other purposes.

Sec. 102. Bonus to reward high performance States.

TITLE II—EXPANSION OF THE MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH

SERVICES BLOCK GRANT

Sec. 201. Authority to provide State programs for the development of children

under age 5.

TITLE III—SATELLITE TRAINING

Sec. 301. Short title.

Sec. 302. Revision of part C of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Sec. 303. Satellite television network.

TITLE IV—HEALTHY EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

SYSTEMS OF CARE

Sec. 401. Block grants to States for healthy early childhood development systems of care.

TITLE V—CREDENTIALING AND ACCREDITATION

Sec. 501. Definitions.

Sec. 502. Authorization of appropriation.

Sec. 503. State allotments.

Sec. 504. Application.

Sec. 505. State child care credentialing and accreditation incentive program.

Sec. 506. Administration.

Sec. 507. Credentialing, accreditation, and retention of qualified child care

workers.

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 Congress makes the following findings:

3 (1) Babies are born with all of the

4 100,000,000,000 brain cells, or neurons, that the

5 babies will need as adults.

6 (2) By age 3, children have nearly all of the

7 necessary connections, or synapses, between brain

8 cells that cause the brain to function properly.

9 (3) The pace at which children grow and learn

10 during the first years of life makes that period the

11 most critical in their overall development.
3

•S 1154 IS

1 (4) Children who lack proper nutrition, health

2 care, and nurturing during their first years tend to

3 also lack adequate social, motor, and language skills

4 needed to perform well in school.

5 (5) All young children, and parents and care6 givers of these children, should have access to infor7 mation and support services appropriate for pro8 moting healthy early childhood development in the

9 first years of life, including health care, early inter10 vention services, child care, parenting education, and

11 other child development services.

12 (6) The changing structure of the family re13 quires that States streamline and coordinate healthy

14 early childhood development systems of care to meet

15 the needs of parents and children in the 21st cen16 tury.

17 (7) The Federal Government’s role in the devel18 opment of these systems of care should be minimal.

19 The Federal Government must give States the flexi20 bility to implement systems involving programs that

21 respond to local needs and conditions.
4

•S 1154 IS

1 TITLE I—FUNDS PROVIDED

2 UNDER THE TEMPORARY AS3 SISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMI4 LIES PROGRAM

5 SEC. 101. AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER FUNDS FOR OTHER

6 PURPOSES.

7 (a) TRANSFER OF FUNDS FOR BLOCK GRANTS FOR

8 SOCIAL SERVICES.—

9 (1) ELIMINATION OF REDUCTION IN AMOUNT

10 TRANSFERABLE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2001 AND THERE11 AFTER.—Section 404(d)(2) of the Social Security

12 Act (42 U.S.C. 604(d)(2)) is amended to read as fol13 lows:

14 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT TRANSFERABLE

15 TO TITLE XX PROGRAMS.—A State may use not

16 more than 10 percent of the amount of any grant

17 made to the State under section 403(a) for a fiscal

18 year to carry out State programs pursuant to title

19 XX.’’.

20 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made

21 by paragraph (1) takes effect on October 1, 1999.

22 (b) TRANSFER OF FUNDS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD

23 COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS UNDER THE CCDBG.—

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 404(d) of the Social

25 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604(d)) is amended—
5

•S 1154 IS

1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘para2 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and

3 (3)’’;

4 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as

5 paragraph (4); and

6 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2), the

7 following:

8 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS TRANSFERABLE TO

9 EARLY CHILDHOOD COLLABORATIVE COUNCILS.—

10 The percentage described in paragraph (1) may be

11 increased by up to 10 percentage points if the addi12 tional funds resulting from that increase are pro13 vided to local early childhood development coordi14 nating councils described in section 659H of the

15 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of

16 1990 to carry out activities described in section

17 659J of that Act.’’.

18 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made

19 by paragraph (1) take effect on October 1, 1999.

20 (c) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO ENHANCE CHILD CARE

21 QUALITY UNDER THE CCDBG.—

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 404(d) of the Social

23 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604(d)), as amended by

24 subsection (b), is amended—
6

•S 1154 IS

1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and

2 (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘(3), and (4)’’;

3 (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as

4 paragraph (5); and

5 (C) by inserting after paragraph (3), the

6 following:

7 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS TRANSFERABLE

8 FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF CHILD CARE QUAL9 ITY.—The percentage described in paragraph (1)

10 (determined without regard to any increase in that

11 percentage as a result of the application of para12 graph (3)) may be increased by up to 5 percentage

13 points if the additional funds resulting from that in14 crease are used to enhance child care quality under

15 a State program pursuant to the Child Care and De16 velopment Block Grant Act of 1990.’’.

17 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made

18 by paragraph (1) take effect on October 1, 1999.

19 SEC. 102. BONUS TO REWARD HIGH PERFORMANCE

20 STATES.

21 (a) ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF STATE PERFORM22 ANCE.—Section 403(a)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act

23 (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(4)(C)) is amended—

24 (1) by striking ‘‘Not later’’ and inserting the

25 following:
7

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later’’;

2 (2) by inserting ‘‘The formula shall provide for

3 the awarding of grants under this paragraph based

4 on core national and State-selected measures in ac5 cordance with clauses (ii) and (iii).’’ after the period;

6 and

7 (3) by adding at the end the following:

8 ‘‘(ii) CORE NATIONAL MEASURES.—

9 The majority of grants awarded under this

10 paragraph shall be based on employment11 related national measures using data that

12 are consistently available in all States.

13 ‘‘(iii) STATE-SELECTED MEASURES.—

14 Not less than $20,000,000 of the amount

15 appropriated for a fiscal year under sub16 paragraph (F) shall be used to award

17 grants to States under this paragraph for

18 that fiscal year based on optional, State-se19 lected measures that are related to the sta20 tus of families and children. States may

21 choose to compete from among such meas22 ures according to the policy priorities of

23 the State and the ability of the State to

24 provide data. Such State-selected measures

25 may include—
8

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(I) successful diversion of appli2 cants from a need for cash assistance

3 under the State program under this

4 title;

5 ‘‘(II) school attendance records

6 of children in families receiving assist7 ance under the State program under

8 this title;

9 ‘‘(III) the degree of participation

10 in the State in the head start program

11 established under the Head Start Act

12 (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) or public

13 preschool programs;

14 ‘‘(IV) improvement of child and

15 adult literacy rates;

16 ‘‘(V) improvement of long-term

17 self-sufficiency rates by current and

18 former recipients of assistance under

19 the State program funded under this

20 title;

21 ‘‘(VI) child support collection

22 rates under the child support and pa23 ternity establishment program estab24 lished under part D;
9

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(VII) increases in household in2 come of current and former recipients

3 of assistance under the State program

4 funded under this title; and

5 ‘‘(VIII) improvement of child im6 munization rates.’’.

7 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

8 subsection (a) apply to each of fiscal years 2000 through

9 2003.

10 TITLE II—EXPANSION OF THE

11 MATERNAL AND CHILD

12 HEALTH SERVICES BLOCK

13 GRANT

14 SEC. 201. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE STATE PROGRAMS FOR

15 THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN UNDER

16 AGE 5.

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 501(a)(1) of the Social

18 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701(a)(1)) is amended—

19 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C),

20 and (D) as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respec21 tively; and

22 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A), the fol23 lowing:

24 ‘‘(B) to design programs to address the

25 physical, cognitive, and social developmental
10

•S 1154 IS

1 needs of infants and children under age 5 by

2 providing early child development services, par3 ent education, and other tailored strategies to

4 meet the needs of State and local populations;’’.

5 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Paragraphs

6 (1)(C) and (3)(B) of section 505(a) of the Social Security

7 Act (42 U.S.C. 705(a)) are each amended by striking

8 ‘‘501(a)(1)(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘501(a)(1)(E)’’.

9 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

10 this section take effect on October 1, 1999.

11 TITLE III—SATELLITE TRAINING

12 SEC. 301. SHORT TITLE.

13 This title may be cited as the ‘‘Digital Education Act

14 of 1999’’.

15 SEC. 302. REVISION OF PART C OF TITLE III OF THE ELE16 MENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

17 OF 1965.

18 Part C of title III of the Elementary and Secondary

19 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.) is amend20 ed to read as follows:

21 ‘‘PART C—READY-TO-LEARN DIGITAL TELEVISION

22 ‘‘SEC. 3301. FINDINGS.

23 ‘‘Congress makes the following findings:

24 ‘‘(1) In 1994, Congress and the Department

25 collaborated to make a long-term, meaningful and
11

•S 1154 IS

1 public investment in the principle that high-quality

2 preschool television programming will help children

3 be ready to learn by the time the children entered

4 first grade.

5 ‘‘(2) The Ready to Learn Television Program

6 through the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and

7 local public television stations has proven to be an

8 extremely cost-effective national response to improv9 ing early childhood development and helping parents,

10 caregivers, and professional child care providers

11 learn how to use television as a means to help chil12 dren learn, develop, and play creatively.

13 ‘‘(3) Independent research shows that parents

14 who participate in Ready to Learn workshops are

15 more critical consumers of television and their chil16 dren are more active viewers. A University of Ala17 bama study showed that parents who had attended

18 a Ready to Learn workshop read more books and

19 stories to their children and read more minutes each

20 time than nonattendees. The parents did more

21 hands-on activities related to reading with their chil22 dren. The parents engaged in more word activities

23 and for more minutes each time. The parents read

24 less for entertainment and more for education. The

25 parents took their children to libraries and book-
12

•S 1154 IS

1 stores more than nonattendees. For parents, partici2 pating in a Ready to Learn workshop increases their

3 awareness of and interest in educational dimensions

4 of television programming and is instrumental in

5 having their children gain exposure to more edu6 cational programming. Moreover, 6 months after

7 participating in Ready to Learn workshops, parents

8 who attended generally had set rules for television

9 viewing by their children. These rules related to the

10 amount of time the children were allowed to watch

11 television daily, the hours the children were allowed

12 to watch television, and the tasks or chores the chil13 dren must have accomplished before the children

14 were allowed to watch television.

15 ‘‘(4) The Ready to Learn (RTL) Television

16 Program is supporting and creating commercial-free

17 broadcast programs for young children that are of

18 the highest possible educational quality. Program

19 funding has also been used to create hundreds of

20 valuable interstitial program elements that appear

21 between national and local public television pro22 grams to provide developmentally appropriate mes23 sages to children and caregiving advice to parents.

24 ‘‘(5) Through the Nation’s 350 local public tele25 vision stations, these programs and programming
13

•S 1154 IS

1 elements reach tens of millions of children, their par2 ents, and caregivers without regard to their eco3 nomic circumstances, location, or access to cable. In

4 this way, public television is a partner with Federal

5 policy to make television an instrument, not an

6 enemy, of preschool children’s education and early

7 development.

8 ‘‘(6) The Ready to Learn Television Program

9 extends beyond the television screen. Funds from the

10 Ready to Learn Television Program have funded

11 thousands of local workshops organized and run by

12 local public television stations, almost always in as13 sociation with local child care training agencies or

14 early childhood development professionals, to help

15 child care professionals and parents learn more

16 about how to use television effectively as a develop17 mental tool. These workshops have trained more

18 than 320,000 parents and professionals who, in

19 turn, serve and support over 4,000,000 children

20 across the Nation.

21 ‘‘(7)(A) The Ready to Learn Television Pro22 gram has published and distributed millions of cop23 ies of a quarterly magazine entitled ‘PBS Families’

24 that contains—
14

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(i) developmentally appropriate games

2 and activities based on Ready to Learn Tele3 vision programming;

4 ‘‘(ii) parenting advice;

5 ‘‘(iii) news about regional and national ac6 tivities related to early childhood development;

7 and

8 ‘‘(iv) information about upcoming Ready to

9 Learn Television activities and programs.

10 ‘‘(B) The magazine described in subparagraph

11 (A) is published 4 times a year and distributed free

12 of charge by local public television stations in

13 English and in Spanish (PBS para la familia).

14 ‘‘(8) Because reading and literacy are central to

15 the ready to learn principle Ready to Learn Tele16 vision stations also have received and distributed

17 millions of free age-appropriate books in their com18 munities as part of the Ready to Learn Television

19 Program. Each station receives a minimum of 200

20 books each month for free local distribution. Some

21 stations are now distributing more than 1,000 books

22 per month. Nationwide, more than 300,000 books

23 are distributed each year in low-income and dis24 advantaged neighborhoods free of charge.
15

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(9) In 1998, the Public Broadcasting Service,

2 in association with local colleges and local public tel3 evision stations, as well as the Annenberg Corpora4 tion for Public Broadcasting Project housed at the

5 Corporation for Public Broadcasting, began a pilot

6 program to test the formal awarding of a Certificate

7 in Early Childhood Development through distance

8 learning. The pilot is based on the local distribution

9 of a 13-part video courseware series developed by

10 Annenberg Corporation for Public Broadcasting and

11 WTVS Detroit entitled ‘The Whole Child’. Louisiana

12 Public Broadcasting, Kentucky Educational Tele13 vision, Maine Public Broadcasting, and WLJT Mar14 tin, Tennessee, working with local and State regu15 latory agencies in the child care field, have partici16 pated in the pilot program with a high level of suc17 cess. The certificate program is ready for nationwide

18 application using the Public Broadcasting Service’s

19 Adult Learning Service.

20 ‘‘(10) Demand for Ready To Learn Television

21 Program outreach and training has increased dra22 matically, with the base of participating Public

23 Broadcasting Service member stations growing from

24 a pilot of 10 stations to nearly 130 stations in 5

25 years.
16

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(11) Federal policy played a crucial role in the

2 evolution of analog television by funding the tele3 vision program entitled ‘Sesame Street’ in the

4 1960’s. Federal policy should continue to play an

5 equally crucial role for children in the digital tele6 vision age.

7 ‘‘SEC. 3302. READY-TO-LEARN.

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to

9 award grants to or enter into contracts or cooperative

10 agreements with eligible entities described in section

11 3303(b) to develop, produce, and distribute educational

12 and instructional video programming for preschool and el13 ementary school children and their parents in order to fa14 cilitate the achievement of the National Education Goals.

15 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY.—In making such grants, con16 tracts, or cooperative agreements, the Secretary shall en17 sure that eligible entities make programming widely avail18 able, with support materials as appropriate, to young chil19 dren, their parents, child care workers, and Head Start

20 providers to increase the effective use of such program21 ming.

22 ‘‘SEC. 3303. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING.

23 ‘‘(a) AWARDS.—The Secretary shall award grants,

24 contracts, or cooperative agreements under section 3302

25 to eligible entities to—
17

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(1) facilitate the development directly, or

2 through contracts with producers of children and

3 family educational television programming, of—

4 ‘‘(A) educational programming for pre5 school and elementary school children; and

6 ‘‘(B) accompanying support materials and

7 services that promote the effective use of such

8 programming;

9 ‘‘(2) facilitate the development of programming

10 and digital content especially designed for nation11 wide distribution over public television stations’ dig12 ital broadcasting channels and the Internet, con13 taining Ready to Learn-based children’s program14 ming and resources for parents and caregivers; and

15 ‘‘(3) enable eligible entities to contract with en16 tities (such as public telecommunications entities

17 and those funded under the Star Schools Act) so

18 that programs developed under this section are dis19 seminated and distributed—

20 ‘‘(A) to the widest possible audience appro21 priate to be served by the programming; and

22 ‘‘(B) by the most appropriate distribution

23 technologies.
18

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive

2 a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under sub3 section (a), an entity shall be—

4 ‘‘(1) a public telecommunications entity that is

5 able to demonstrate a capacity for the development

6 and national distribution of educational and instruc7 tional television programming of high quality for

8 preschool and elementary school children and their

9 parents and caregivers; and

10 ‘‘(2) able to demonstrate a capacity to contract

11 with the producers of children’s television program12 ming for the purpose of developing educational tele13 vision programming of high quality for preschool

14 and elementary school children and their parents

15 and caregivers.

16 ‘‘(c) CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.—Programming de17 veloped under this section shall reflect the recognition of

18 diverse cultural experiences and the needs and experiences

19 of both boys and girls in engaging and preparing young

20 children for schooling.

21 ‘‘SEC. 3304. DUTIES OF SECRETARY.

22 ‘‘The Secretary is authorized—

23 ‘‘(1) to award grants, contracts, or cooperative

24 agreements to eligible entities described in section

25 3303(b), local public television stations, or such pub-
19

•S 1154 IS

1 lic television stations that are part of a consortium

2 with 1 or more State educational agencies, local edu3 cational agencies, local schools, institutions of higher

4 education, or community-based organizations of

5 demonstrated effectiveness, for the purpose of—

6 ‘‘(A) addressing the learning needs of

7 young children in limited English proficient

8 households, and developing appropriate edu9 cational and instructional television program10 ming to foster the school readiness of such chil11 dren;

12 ‘‘(B) developing programming and support

13 materials to increase family literacy skills

14 among parents to assist parents in teaching

15 their children and utilizing educational tele16 vision programming to promote school readi17 ness; and

18 ‘‘(C) identifying, supporting, and enhanc19 ing the effective use and outreach of innovative

20 programs that promote school readiness; and

21 ‘‘(D) developing and disseminating training

22 materials, including—

23 ‘‘(i) interactive programs and pro24 grams adaptable to distance learning tech25 nologies that are designed to enhance
20

•S 1154 IS

1 knowledge of children’s social and cognitive

2 skill development and positive adult-child

3 interactions; and

4 ‘‘(ii) support materials to promote the

5 effective use of materials developed under

6 subparagraph (B) among parents, Head

7 Start providers, in-home and center-based

8 day care providers, early childhood devel9 opment personnel, elementary school teach10 ers, public libraries, and after- school pro11 gram personnel caring for preschool and

12 elementary school children;

13 ‘‘(2) to establish within the Department a clear14 inghouse to compile and provide information, refer15 rals, and model program materials and programming

16 obtained or developed under this part to parents,

17 child care providers, and other appropriate individ18 uals or entities to assist such individuals and entities

19 in accessing programs and projects under this part;

20 and

21 ‘‘(3) to coordinate activities assisted under this

22 part with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv23 ices in order to—

24 ‘‘(A) maximize the utilization of quality

25 educational programming by preschool and ele-
21

•S 1154 IS

1 mentary school children, and make such pro2 gramming widely available to federally funded

3 programs serving such populations; and

4 ‘‘(B) provide information to recipients of

5 funds under Federal programs that have major

6 training components for early childhood devel7 opment, including programs under the Head

8 Start Act and Even Start, and State training

9 activities funded under the Child Care Develop10 ment Block Grant Act of 1990, regarding the

11 availability and utilization of materials devel12 oped under paragraph (1)(D) to enhance parent

13 and child care provider skills in early childhood

14 development and education.

15 ‘‘SEC. 3305. APPLICATIONS.

16 ‘‘Each entity desiring a grant, contract, or coopera17 tive agreement under section 3302 or 3304 shall submit

18 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man19 ner, and accompanied by such information as the Sec20 retary may reasonably require.

21 ‘‘SEC. 3306. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.

22 ‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORT TO SECRETARY.—An eligible

23 entity receiving funds under section 3302 shall prepare

24 and submit to the Secretary an annual report which con25 tains such information as the Secretary may require. At
22

•S 1154 IS

1 a minimum, the report shall describe the program activi2 ties undertaken with funds received under section 3302,

3 including—

4 ‘‘(1) the programming that has been developed

5 directly or indirectly by the eligible entity, and the

6 target population of the programs developed;

7 ‘‘(2) the support materials that have been de8 veloped to accompany the programming, and the

9 method by which such materials are distributed to

10 consumers and users of the programming;

11 ‘‘(3) the means by which programming devel12 oped under this section has been distributed, includ13 ing the distance learning technologies that have been

14 utilized to make programming available and the geo15 graphic distribution achieved through such tech16 nologies; and

17 ‘‘(4) the initiatives undertaken by the eligible

18 entity to develop public-private partnerships to se19 cure non-Federal support for the development, dis20 tribution and broadcast of educational and instruc21 tional programming.

22 ‘‘(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall

23 prepare and submit to the relevant committees of Con24 gress a biannual report which includes—
23

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(1) a summary of activities assisted under sec2 tion 3303(a); and

3 ‘‘(2) a description of the training materials

4 made available under section 3304(1)(D), the man5 ner in which outreach has been conducted to inform

6 parents and child care providers of the availability of

7 such materials, and the manner in which such mate8 rials have been distributed in accordance with such

9 section.

10 ‘‘SEC. 3307. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

11 ‘‘With respect to the implementation of section 3303,

12 eligible entities receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative

13 agreement from the Secretary may use not more than 5

14 percent of the amounts received under such section for

15 the normal and customary expenses of administering the

16 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.

17 ‘‘SEC. 3308. DEFINITION.

18 ‘‘For the purposes of this part, the term ‘distance

19 learning’ means the transmission of educational or in20 structional programming to geographically dispersed indi21 viduals and groups via telecommunications (including

22 through the Internet).

23 ‘‘SEC. 3309. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap25 propriated to carry out this part, $50,000,000 for fiscal
24

•S 1154 IS

1 year 2000, and such sums as may be necessary for each

2 of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

3 ‘‘(b) FUNDING RULE.—Not less than 60 percent of

4 the amounts appropriated under subsection (a) for each

5 fiscal year shall be used to carry out section 3303.’’.

6 SEC. 303. SATELLITE TELEVISION NETWORK.

7 Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education

8 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.) is amended by add9 ing at the end the following:

10 ‘‘PART G—SATELLITE TELEVISION NETWORK

11 ‘‘SEC. 3701. NETWORK.

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education and

13 the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall award

14 a grant to or enter into a contract with an eligible organi15 zation to establish and operate a satellite television net16 work to provide training for personnel of Head Start pro17 grams carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

18 9831 et seq.) and other child care providers, who serve

19 children under age 5.

20 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.—To be eligible to re21 ceive a grant or enter into a contract under subsection

22 (a), an organization shall—

23 ‘‘(1) administer a centralized child development

24 and national assessment program leading to recog25 nized credentials for personnel working in early
25

•S 1154 IS

1 childhood development and child care programs,

2 within the meaning of section 648(e) of the Head

3 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843(e)); and

4 ‘‘(2) demonstrate that the organization has en5 tered into a partnership, to establish and operate the

6 training network, that includes—

7 ‘‘(A) a nonprofit organization; and

8 ‘‘(B) a public or private entity that special9 izes in providing broadcast programs for par10 ents and professionals in fields relating to early

11 childhood.

12 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant

13 or contract under subsection (a), an organization shall

14 submit an application to the Secretary of Education and

15 the Secretary of Health and Human Services at such time,

16 in such manner, and containing such information as the

17 Secretaries may require.

18 ‘‘(d) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—The Secretary of

19 Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv20 ices shall enter into a cooperative agreement to carry out

21 this section.

22 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

23 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part

24 $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may

25 be necessary for each subsequent fiscal year.’’.
26

•S 1154 IS

1 TITLE IV—HEALTHY EARLY

2 CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

3 SYSTEMS OF CARE

4 SEC. 401. BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES FOR HEALTHY EARLY

5 CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS OF

6 CARE.

7 (a) BLOCK GRANT.—The Child Care and Develop8 ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.)

9 is amended—

10 (1) by inserting after the subchapter heading

11 the following:

12 ‘‘PART 1—CHILD CARE ACTIVITIES;

13 and

14 (2) by adding at the end the following:

15 ‘‘PART 2—HEALTHY EARLY CHILDHOOD

16 DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS OF CARE

17 ‘‘SEC. 659. PURPOSE.

18 ‘‘The purposes of this part are—

19 ‘‘(1) to help families seeking government assist20 ance for their children, in a manner that does not

21 usurp the role of parents, but streamlines and co22 ordinates government services for the families;

23 ‘‘(2) to establish a framework of support for

24 local early childhood development coordinating coun25 cils that—
27

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(A) develop comprehensive, long-range

2 strategic plans for early childhood education,

3 development, and support services; and

4 ‘‘(B) provide, through public and private

5 means, high-quality early childhood education,

6 development, and support services for children

7 and families; and

8 ‘‘(3)(A) to support family environments condu9 cive to the growth and healthy development of chil10 dren; and

11 ‘‘(B) to ensure that children under age 5 have

12 proper medical care and early intervention services

13 when necessary.

14 ‘‘SEC. 659A. DEFINITIONS.

15 ‘‘In this part:

16 ‘‘(1) CHILD IN POVERTY.—The term ‘child in

17 poverty’ means a young child who is an eligible child

18 described in section 658P(4)(B).

19 ‘‘(2) HEALTHY EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOP20 MENT SYSTEM OF CARE.—The term ‘healthy early

21 childhood development system of care’ means a sys22 tem of programs that provides coordinated early

23 childhood development services.

24 ‘‘(3) EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT SERV25 ICES.—The term ‘early childhood development serv-
28

•S 1154 IS

1 ices’ means education, development, and support

2 services, such as all-day kindergarten, parenting

3 education and home visits, child care and other child

4 development services, and health services (including

5 prenatal care), for young children.

6 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘eligible

7 State’ means a State that has submitted a State

8 plan described in section 659E to the Secretary and

9 obtained the certification of the Secretary for the

10 plan.

11 ‘‘(5) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘Governor’ means

12 the chief executive officer of a State.

13 ‘‘(6) INDIAN TRIBE; TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—

14 The terms ‘Indian tribe’ and ‘tribal organization’

15 have the meanings given the terms in section 658P.

16 ‘‘(7) LOCAL COUNCIL.—The term ‘local council’

17 means a local early childhood development coordi18 nating council established or designated under sec19 tion 659H.

20 ‘‘(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means

21 the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

22 ‘‘(9) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means any of

23 the several States, the District of Columbia, the

24 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States
29

•S 1154 IS

1 Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the

2 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

3 ‘‘(10) STATE COUNCIL.—The term ‘State coun4 cil’ means a State early childhood development co5 ordinating council established or designated under

6 section 659D.

7 ‘‘(11) YOUNG CHILD.—The term ‘young child’

8 mean an individual under age 5.

9 ‘‘SEC. 659B. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro11 priated to carry out this part $200,000,000 for each of

12 fiscal years 2000 through 2004.

13 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds appropriated

14 for a fiscal year under subsection (a) shall remain avail15 able for the succeeding 2 fiscal years.

16 ‘‘SEC. 659C. ALLOTMENT TO STATES.

17 ‘‘(a) RESERVATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not

18 less than 1 percent, and not more than 2 percent, of the

19 funds appropriated under section 659B for each fiscal

20 year for payments to Indian tribes and tribal organiza21 tions to assist the tribes and organizations in supporting

22 healthy early childhood development systems of care under

23 this part. The Secretary shall by regulation issue require24 ments concerning the eligibility of Indian tribes and tribal
30

•S 1154 IS

1 organizations to receive funds under this subsection, and

2 the use of funds made available under this subsection.

3 ‘‘(b) ALLOTMENT.—From the funds appropriated

4 under section 659B for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall

5 allot to each eligible State, to pay for the Federal share

6 of the cost of supporting healthy early childhood develop7 ment systems of care under this part, the sum of—

8 ‘‘(1) an amount that bears the same ratio to 50

9 percent of such funds as the number of young chil10 dren in the State bears to the number of such chil11 dren in all eligible States; and

12 ‘‘(2) an amount that bears the same ratio to 50

13 percent of such funds as the number of children in

14 poverty in the State bears to the number of such

15 children in all eligible States.

16 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the

17 cost described in subsection (b) shall be 75 percent. The

18 non-Federal share of the cost may be provided in cash or

19 in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment or

20 services (provided from State or local public sources or

21 through donations from private entities).

22 ‘‘SEC. 659D. STATE COUNCIL.

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Governor of a State seeking

24 an allotment under section 659C may, at the election of

25 the Governor—
31

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(1) establish and appoint the members of a

2 State early childhood development coordinating

3 council, as described in subsection (b); or

4 ‘‘(2) designate an entity to serve as such a

5 council, as described in subsection (c).

6 ‘‘(b) APPOINTED STATE COUNCIL.—The Governor

7 may establish and appoint the members of a State council

8 that—

9 ‘‘(1) may include—

10 ‘‘(A) the State superintendent of schools,

11 or the designee of the superintendent;

12 ‘‘(B) the chief State budget officer or the

13 designee of the officer;

14 ‘‘(C) the head of the State health depart15 ment or the designee of the head;

16 ‘‘(D) the heads of the State agencies with

17 primary responsibility for child welfare, child

18 care, and the medicaid program carried out

19 under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42

20 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or the designees of the

21 heads;

22 ‘‘(E) the heads of other State agencies

23 with primary responsibility for services for

24 young children or pregnant women, which may

25 be agencies with primary responsibility for alco-
32

•S 1154 IS

1 hol and drug addiction services, mental health

2 services, mental retardation services, food as3 sistance services, and juvenile justice services,

4 or the designees of the heads;

5 ‘‘(F) a representative of parents or con6 sumers;

7 ‘‘(G) representatives of early childhood de8 velopment agencies; and

9 ‘‘(H) the Governor; and

10 ‘‘(2) may, in the discretion of the Governor, in11 clude other members, including representatives of

12 providers.

13 ‘‘(c) DESIGNATED STATE COUNCIL.—The Governor

14 may designate an entity to serve as the State council if

15 the entity—

16 ‘‘(1) includes members that are substantially

17 similar to the members described in subsection (b);

18 and

19 ‘‘(2) provides integrated and coordinated early

20 childhood development services.

21 ‘‘(d) CHAIRPERSON.—The Governor shall serve as

22 the chairperson of the State council.

23 ‘‘(e) DUTIES.—In a State with a State council, the

24 State council—
33

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(1) shall submit the State plan described in

2 section 659E;

3 ‘‘(2) shall make the allocation described in sec4 tion 659F(b);

5 ‘‘(3) may carry out activities described in sec6 tion 659F(c); and

7 ‘‘(4) shall prepare and submit the report de8 scribed in section 659F(e).

9 ‘‘SEC. 659E. STATE PLAN.

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive an allot11 ment under section 659C, a State shall submit a State

12 plan to the Secretary at such time, and in such manner,

13 as the Secretary may require, including—

14 ‘‘(1) in the case of a State in which the Gov15 ernor elects to establish or designate a State council,

16 sufficient information about the entity established or

17 designated under section 659D to enable the Sec18 retary to determine whether the entity complies with

19 the requirements of such section;

20 ‘‘(2) a description of the political subdivisions

21 designated by the State to receive funds under sec22 tion 659G and carry out activities under section

23 659J;

24 ‘‘(3)(A) comprehensive information describing

25 how the State will carry out activities described in
34

•S 1154 IS

1 section 659F and how political subdivisions in the

2 State will carry out activities described in section

3 659J; and

4 ‘‘(B) State goals for the activities described in

5 subparagraph (A);

6 ‘‘(4) such information as the Secretary shall by

7 regulation require on the amount and source of

8 State and local public funds, and donations, ex9 pended in the State to provide the non-Federal share

10 of the cost of supporting healthy early childhood de11 velopment systems of care under this part; and

12 ‘‘(5) an assurance that the State shall annually

13 submit the report described in section 659F(e).

14 ‘‘(b) SUBMISSION.—At the election of the State, the

15 State may submit the State plan as a portion of the State

16 plan submitted under section 658E. With respect to that

17 State, references to a State plan—

18 ‘‘(1) in this part shall be considered to refer to

19 the portions of the plan described in this section;

20 and

21 ‘‘(2) in part 1 shall be considered to refer to

22 the portions of the plan described in section 658E.

23 ‘‘(c) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall certify

24 any State plan that meets the broad goals of this part.
35

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘SEC. 659F. STATE ACTIVITIES.

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A State that receives an allot3 ment under section 659C shall use the funds made avail4 able through the allotment to support healthy early child5 hood development systems of care, by—

6 ‘‘(1) making allocations to political subdivisions

7 under section 659G; and

8 ‘‘(2) carrying out State activities described in

9 subsection (c).

10 ‘‘(b) MANDATORY RESERVATION FOR LOCAL ALLO11 CATIONS.—The State shall reserve 85 percent of the funds

12 made available through the allotment to make allocations

13 to political subdivisions under section 659G.

14 ‘‘(c) PERMISSIBLE STATE ACTIVITIES.—The State

15 may use the remainder of the funds made available

16 through the allotment to support healthy early childhood

17 development systems of care by—

18 ‘‘(1) entering into interagency agreements with

19 appropriate entities to encourage coordinated efforts

20 at the State and local levels to improve the State de21 livery system for early childhood development serv22 ices;

23 ‘‘(2) advising local councils on the coordination

24 of delivery of early childhood development services to

25 children;
36

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(3) developing programs and projects, includ2 ing pilot projects, to encourage coordinated efforts

3 at the State and local levels to improve the State de4 livery system for early childhood development serv5 ices;

6 ‘‘(4) providing technical support for local coun7 cils and development of educational materials;

8 ‘‘(5) providing education and training for child

9 care providers; and

10 ‘‘(6) supporting research and development of

11 best practices for healthy early childhood develop12 ment systems of care, establishing standards for

13 such systems, and carrying out program evaluations

14 for such systems.

15 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATION.—A State that receives an al16 lotment under section 659C may use not more than 5 per17 cent of the funds made available through the allotment

18 to pay for the costs of administering the activities carried

19 out under this part.

20 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—The State shall annually prepare and

21 submit to the Secretary a report on the activities carried

22 out under this part in the State, which shall include details

23 of the use of Federal funds to carry out the activities and

24 the extent to which the States and political subdivisions

25 are making progress on State or local goals in carrying
37

•S 1154 IS

1 out the activities. In preparing the report, a State may

2 require political subdivisions in the State to submit infor3 mation to the State, and may compile the information.

4 ‘‘SEC. 659G. ALLOCATION TO POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS.

5 From the funds reserved by a State under section

6 659F(b) for a fiscal year, the State shall allot to each eligi7 ble political subdivision in the State the sum of—

8 ‘‘(1) an amount that bears the same ratio to 50

9 percent of such funds as the number of young chil10 dren in the political subdivision bears to the number

11 of such children in all eligible political subdivisions

12 in the State; and

13 ‘‘(2) an amount that bears the same ratio to 50

14 percent of such funds as the number of children in

15 poverty in the political subdivision bears to the num16 ber of such children in all eligible political subdivi17 sions in the State.

18 ‘‘SEC. 659H. LOCAL COUNCILS.

19 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The chief executive officer of a

20 political subdivision that is located in a State with a State

21 council and that seeks an allocation under section 659G

22 may, at the election of the officer—

23 ‘‘(1) establish and appoint the members of a

24 local early childhood development coordinating coun25 cil, as described in subsection (b); or
38

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(2) designate an entity to serve as such a

2 council, as described in subsection (c).

3 ‘‘(b) APPOINTED LOCAL COUNCIL.—The officer may

4 establish and appoint the members of a local council that

5 may include—

6 ‘‘(1) representatives of any public or private

7 agency that funds, advocates the provision of, or

8 provides services to children and families;

9 ‘‘(2) representatives of schools;

10 ‘‘(3) members of families that have received

11 services from an agency represented on the council;

12 ‘‘(4) representatives of courts; and

13 ‘‘(5) private providers of social services for fam14 ilies and children.

15 ‘‘(c) DESIGNATED LOCAL COUNCIL.—The officer

16 may designate an entity to serve as the local council if

17 the entity—

18 ‘‘(1) includes members that are substantially

19 similar to the members described in subsection (b);

20 and

21 ‘‘(2) provides integrated and coordinated early

22 childhood development services.

23 ‘‘(d) DUTIES.—In a political subdivision with a local

24 council, the local council—
39

•S 1154 IS

1 ‘‘(1) shall submit the local plan described in

2 section 659I;

3 ‘‘(2) shall carry out activities described in sec4 tion 659J(a);

5 ‘‘(3) may carry out activities described in sec6 tion 659J(b); and

7 ‘‘(4) shall submit such information as a State

8 council may require under section 659F(e).

9 ‘‘SEC. 659I. LOCAL PLAN.

10 ‘‘To be eligible to receive an allocation under section

11 659G, a political subdivision shall submit a local plan to

12 the State at such time, in such manner, and containing

13 such information as the State may require.

14 ‘‘SEC. 659J. LOCAL ACTIVITIES.

15 ‘‘(a) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.—A political subdivi16 sion that receives an allocation under section 659G shall

17 use the funds made available through the allocation—

18 ‘‘(1) to provide assistance to entities carrying

19 out early childhood development services through a

20 healthy early childhood development system of care,

21 in order to meet assessed needs for the services, ex22 pand the number of children receiving the services,

23 and improve the quality of the services, both for

24 young children who remain in the home and young
40

•S 1154 IS

1 children that require services in addition to services

2 offered in child care settings; and

3 ‘‘(2)(A) to establish and maintain an account4 ability system to monitor the progress of the political

5 subdivision in achieving results for families and chil6 dren through services provided through the healthy

7 early childhood development system of care for the

8 political subdivision; and

9 ‘‘(B) to establish and maintain a mechanism to

10 ensure ongoing input from a broad and representa11 tive set of families who are receiving services

12 through the healthy early childhood development sys13 tem of care for the political subdivision.

14 ‘‘(b) PERMISSIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A political subdivi15 sion that receives an allocation under section 659G may

16 use the funds made available through the allocation—

17 ‘‘(1) to improve the healthy early childhood de18 velopment system of care by enhancing efforts and

19 building new opportunities for—

20 ‘‘(A) innovation in early childhood develop21 ment services; and

22 ‘‘(B) formation of partnerships with busi23 nesses, associations, churches or other religious

24 institutions, and charitable or philanthropic or-
41

•S 1154 IS

1 ganizations to provide early childhood develop2 ment services on behalf of young children; and

3 ‘‘(2) to develop and implement a process that

4 annually evaluates and prioritizes services provided

5 through the healthy early childhood development sys6 tem of care, fills service gaps in that system where

7 possible, and invests in new approaches to achieve

8 better results for families and children through that

9 system.’’.

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Part 1 of the

11 Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42

12 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) is amended—

13 (1) in section 658A(a) (42 U.S.C. 9801 note),

14 by striking ‘‘This subchapter’’ and inserting ‘‘This

15 part’’;

16 (2) except as provided in the last sentence of

17 section 658E(c)(2)(F) (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(F))

18 and in section 658N(a)(3)(C) (42 U.S.C.

19 9858l(a)(3)(C)), by striking ‘‘this subchapter’’ and

20 inserting ‘‘this part’’; and

21 (3) in section 658N(a)(3)(C), by striking

22 ‘‘under this subchapter’’ and inserting ‘‘under this

23 part’’.
42

•S 1154 IS

1 TITLE V—CREDENTIALING AND

2 ACCREDITATION

3 SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS.

4 In this title:

5 (1) ACCREDITED CHILD CARE FACILITY.—The

6 term ‘‘accredited child care facility’’ means—

7 (A) a facility that is accredited, by a child

8 care credentialing or accreditation entity recog9 nized by a State or national organization de10 scribed in paragraph (2)(A), to provide child

11 care (except children who a tribal organization

12 elects to serve through a facility described in

13 subparagraph (B));

14 (B) a facility that is accredited, by a child

15 care credentialing or accreditation entity recog16 nized by a tribal organization, to provide child

17 care for children served by the tribal organiza18 tion;

19 (C) a facility that is used as a Head Start

20 center under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

21 9831 et seq.) and is in compliance with applica22 ble performance standards established by regu23 lation under such Act for Head Start programs;

24 or
43

•S 1154 IS

1 (D) a military child development center (as

2 defined in section 1798(1) of title 10, United

3 States Code) that is in a facility owned or

4 leased by the Department of Defense or the

5 Coast Guard.

6 (2) CHILD CARE CREDENTIALING OR ACCREDI7 TATION ENTITY.—The term ‘‘child care credentialing

8 or accreditation entity’’ means a nonprofit private

9 organization or public agency that—

10 (A) is recognized by a State agency, a trib11 al organization, or a national organization that

12 serves as a peer review panel on the standards

13 and procedures of public and private child care

14 or school accrediting bodies; and

15 (B) accredits a facility or credentials an in16 dividual to provide child care on the basis of—

17 (i) an accreditation or credentialing

18 instrument based on peer-validated re19 search;

20 (ii) compliance with applicable State

21 and local licensing requirements, or stand22 ards described in section 658E(c)(2)(E)(ii)

23 of the Child Care and Development Block

24 Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(E)(ii)),
44

•S 1154 IS

1 as appropriate, for the facility or indi2 vidual;

3 (iii) outside monitoring of the facility

4 or individual; and

5 (iv) criteria that provide assurances

6 of—

7 (I) compliance with age-appro8 priate health and safety standards at

9 the facility or by the individual;

10 (II) use of age-appropriate devel11 opmental and educational activities, as

12 an integral part of the child care pro13 gram carried out at the facility or by

14 the individual; and

15 (III) use of ongoing staff devel16 opment or training activities for the

17 staff of the facility or the individual,

18 including related skills-based testing.

19 (3) CREDENTIALED CHILD CARE PROFES20 SIONAL.—The term ‘‘credentialed child care profes21 sional’’ means—

22 (A) an individual who—

23 (i) is credentialed, by a child care

24 credentialing or accreditation entity recog25 nized by a State or a national organization
45

•S 1154 IS

1 described in paragraph (2)(A), to provide

2 child care (except children who a tribal or3 ganization elects to serve through an indi4 vidual described in subparagraph (B)); or

5 (ii) successfully completes a 4-year or

6 graduate degree in a relevant academic

7 field (such as early childhood education,

8 education, or recreation services);

9 (B) an individual who is credentialed, by a

10 child care credentialing or accreditation entity

11 recognized by a tribal organization, to provide

12 child care for children served by the tribal orga13 nization; or

14 (C) an individual certified by the Armed

15 Forces of the United States to provide child

16 care as a family child care provider (as defined

17 in section 658P of the Child Care and Develop18 ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.

19 9858n)) in military family housing.

20 (4) CHILD IN POVERTY.—The term ‘‘child in

21 poverty’’ means a child that is a member of a family

22 with an income that does not exceed 200 percent of

23 the poverty line.

24 (5) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘‘poverty line’’

25 means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of
46

•S 1154 IS

1 Management and Budget, and revised annually in

2 accordance with section 673(2) of the Community

3 Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) ap4 plicable to a family of the size involved.

5 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

6 the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

7 (7) STATE; TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The terms

8 ‘‘State’’ and ‘‘tribal organization’’ have the meaning

9 given the term in section 658P of the Child Care

10 and Development Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.

11 9858n).

12 SEC. 502. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.

13 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out

14 this title, $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000

15 through 2004.

16 SEC. 503. STATE ALLOTMENTS.

17 From the funds appropriated under section 502 for

18 a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot to each eligible

19 State, to pay for the cost of establishing and carrying out

20 State child care credentialing and accreditation incentive

21 programs, an amount that bears the same ratio to such

22 funds as the number of children in poverty under age 5

23 in the State bears to the number of such children in all

24 States.
47

•S 1154 IS

1 SEC. 504. APPLICATION.

2 To be eligible to receive an allotment under section

3 503, a State shall submit an application to the Secretary

4 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor5 mation as the Secretary may require.

6 SEC. 505. STATE CHILD CARE CREDENTIALING AND AC7 CREDITATION INCENTIVE PROGRAM.

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—A State that receives an allotment

9 under section 503 shall use funds made available through

10 the allotment to establish and carry out a State child care

11 credentialing and accreditation incentive program. In car12 rying out the program, the State shall make payments to

13 child care providers who serve children under age 5 to as14 sist the providers in making financial assistance available

15 for employees of the providers who are pursuing skills16 based training to—

17 (1) enable the employees to obtain credentialing

18 as credentialed child care professionals; or

19 (2) enable the facility involved to obtain accred20 itation as an accredited child care facility.

21 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a pay22 ment under subsection (a), a child care provider shall sub23 mit an application to the State at such time, in such man24 ner, and containing such information as the State may

25 require including, at a minimum—
48

•S 1154 IS

1 (1) information demonstrating that an employee

2 of the provider is pursuing skills-based training that

3 will enable the employee or the facility involved to

4 obtain credentialing or accreditation as described in

5 subsection (a); and

6 (2) an assurance that the provider will make

7 available contributions toward the costs of providing

8 the financial assistance described in subsection (a),

9 in an amount that is not less than $1 for every $1

10 of Federal funds provided through the payment.

11 SEC. 506. ADMINISTRATION.

12 A State that receives an allotment under section 503

13 may use not more than 5 percent of the funds made avail14 able through the allotment to pay for the costs of admin15 istering the program described in section 505.

16 SEC. 507. CREDENTIALING, ACCREDITATION, AND RETEN17 TION OF QUALIFIED CHILD CARE WORKERS.

18 Section 658G of the Child Care and Development

19 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858e) is amended—

20 (1) by inserting ‘‘and payments to encourage

21 child care providers who serve children under age 5

22 to obtain credentialing as credentialed child care

23 providers or accreditation for their facilities as ac24 credited child care facilities or to encourage reten25 tion of child care providers who serve those children
49

•S 1154 IS

1 and have obtained that credentialing or accredita2 tion, in areas that the State determines are under3 served’’ after ‘‘referral services’’; and

4 (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘In this

5 section, the terms ‘credentialed child care provider’

6 and ‘accredited child care facility’ have the meanings

7 given the terms in section 501 of the Prenatal, In8 fant, and Child Development Act of 1999.’’.

Æ