" ! SENATE 110TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

110–49 

Calendar No. 104 

HEAD START FOR SCHOOL READINESS ACT 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HEALTH, EDUCATION, 

LABOR, AND PENSIONS 

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 556 

APRIL 10, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 


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HEAD START FOR SCHOOL READINESS ACT 

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1 

59–010 

" ! SENATE 110TH CONGRESS

1st Session 

REPORT

2007

110–49 

Calendar No. 104 

HEAD START FOR SCHOOL READINESS ACT 

R E P O R T 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

HEALTH, EDUCATION, 

LABOR, AND PENSIONS 

TO ACCOMPANY

S. 556 

APRIL 10, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 


mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARINGE:\Seals\Congress.#13
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

Calendar No. 104 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 110–49 

HEAD START FOR SCHOOL READINESS ACT 

APRIL 10, 2007.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. KENNEDY, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

and Pensions, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 556] 

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

which was referred the bill (S. 556) to reauthorize the Head Start 

Act, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports 

favorably thereon with an amendment in the nature of a substitute 

and recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose and Summary of the Bill ................................................................ 1 

II. Background and Need for Legislation .......................................................... 2 

III. Legislative History and Committee Action .................................................. 4 

IV. Explanation of Bill and Committee Views ................................................... 7 

V. Cost Estimate ................................................................................................. 43 

VI. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch ............................................. 45 

VII. Regulatory Impact Statement ....................................................................... 45 

VIII. Section-by-Section Analysis .......................................................................... 46 

IX. Changes in Existing Law .............................................................................. 54 

I. PURPOSE AND SUMMARY OF THE BILL

The Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 reauthorizes 

and makes improvements in the Head Start program in order to 

ensure that children in the program make measurable progress toward developing the skills they need to enter school ready to learn. 

To accomplish this, the bill focuses on five areas: (1) improved academic, developmental, and educational outcomes for children; (2) 

improved teacher competencies and high quality opportunities for 

professional development; (3) better coordination and collaboration 

with other programs in the State (including child care, State preschool programs, and the local public schools); (4) greater accountmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

2 

ability for the management of Head Start programs; and (5) enhanced support for infants and toddlers through the Early Head 

Start program. The bill authorizes $7.35 billion for fiscal year 2008, $7.65 billion for fiscal year 2009, $7.99 billion for fiscal year 2010, and such 

sums as may be necessary for subsequent years. Each year, 13 percent of Head Start funding is set-aside for the Secretary to allocate 

funds for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, Indian Head 

Start programs, training and technical assistance for Head Start 

grantees, improvement in the PRISM reviews through increased 

inter-rater reliability training, and other purposes. For research 

and evaluation each year, $20 million is reserved. The set-aside for 

Early Head Start is increased from the current 10 percent to 20 

percent in fiscal year 2012. 

II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Head Start was created in 1965 and today stands as one of the 

Nation’s most well regarded domestic programs. Head Start’s mission to promote school readiness among the Nation’s low-income 

children reflects a comprehensive approach to supporting children 

and families. Because school readiness depends upon the interdependent relationship between cognitive, intellectual, physical, social and emotional, and other areas of early childhood development, 

Head Start programs provide a broad array of services determined 

to be necessary, based on an assessment of the children and families’ needs. 

Children in Head Start enter the program with a number of factors that put them at risk of school failure, such as extreme poverty, family economic and housing instability, and limited family 

education attainment. The overwhelming majority of Head Start 

children are from families earning less than 100 percent of the 

Federal poverty level, $20,650 for a family of four (2007 HHS Poverty Guidelines), and in most Head Start families, neither parent 

holds more than a high school degree or general equivalency degree 

(GED). Research shows that Head Start clearly makes a difference 

for children living in poverty, yet experience has shown that the 

program itself cannot eradicate the overwhelming effects of poverty 

on children and their families. 

By its nature, Head Start requires community input in order to 

be responsive to community needs. Head Start programs have successfully reached out to community partners to help foster school 

readiness and successful transitions to elementary school, provide 

health care, increase access to social services for families, and provide full-day, full-year services to children. Local programs may 

adapt their services to serve Indian tribes or migrant and seasonal 

farm worker communities, target homeless children or children of 

drug-addicted parents, or help families transitioning off welfare. 

Built on the premise that effective intervention in the lives of children can be best accomplished through family and community involvement, Head Start attempts to involve communities and families in both the design and implementation of the program at the 

local level. 

Today, Head Start provides educational and other comprehensive 

support services to almost 1 million low-income preschool children 

to help Head Start participants prepare for and succeed in school. 

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The Head Start program currently provides services to children 

from a diverse population of eligible families, including migrant 

and Native American children, through nearly 19,800 centers and 

more than 800 home-based programs in all 50 States, the District 

of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. The committee 

encourages continued emphasis on serving all children to meet the 

goals of Head Start programs. 

Unlike other Federal social service programs that are funded 

through States, the Department of Health and Human Services 

awards Head Start grants directly to local agencies, called grantees, which deliver program services. Grantees, numbering 1,604 

nationwide, may contract with other organizations, called delegate 

agencies, to run all or part of their programs. Grantees had contracts with 604 delegate agencies in fiscal year 2006. Grantees and 

delegate agencies include public and private school systems, community action agencies, faith-based organizations, private, nonprofit and for profit organizations, local governments, and Indian 

tribes. 

Since the inception of the program, Head Start has continuously 

improved the quality of the services it provides. As the needs of 

children and families changed, so has Head Start. Head Start was 

first enacted into law in 1965 as a summer program with a budget 

of $352 million. In 1995, an appropriation of $3.3 billion allowed 

more than 2,000 locally-run Head Start programs to serve more 

than 730,000 children and their families. By fiscal year 2006, Head 

Start was funded at more than double that of 1995, when it received $6.8 billion in funding and supported programs in every 

State, serving more than 900,000 children and their families. 

The committee also recognizes that the face of poverty has 

changed dramatically since Head Start was created 40 years ago. 

Single parent families headed by women accounted for about onethird of the poor in 1966; now they represent more than half of 

those living in poverty. Children have now replaced the elderly as 

the group most likely to be poor. Nationally, one in five children 

under the age of five in the United States live in poverty. Disadvantaged children who are part of a racial or ethnic minority 

group face even harsher realities; 37.9 percent of all African-American children and 31.4 percent of all Hispanic children come from 

families earning less that the Federal poverty threshold (U.S. Census, 2006). 

Recognizing the negative correlations of poverty to later educational attainment, it is critical we prepare all children to enter 

school ready to learn in order to provide for their later success in 

school and life and to close the achievement gap. Studies document 

a wide gap between lower and higher-income children before they 

enter kindergarten which, if unattended, often persists into later 

years in schooling. Despite significant Federal investment, this gap 

persists. Research also shows that lower-income children are far 

less likely than their higher-income peers to participate in early 

childhood education programs before beginning elementary school. 

If we do not prepare all children to succeed and become lifelong 

learners, our global competitiveness in the 21st century economy 

may be compromised. 

The research shows that, on average, Head Start helps to narrow 

the achievement gap between our Nation’s poorest children and 

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their more affluent peers. The committee believes that the program 

can be strengthened to build upon that success and lead to improved outcomes for Head Start children. Long-term positive outcomes and cost-savings include: improved school performance, more 

positive behavior, reduced special education placement, lower ingrade retention and dropout rates, and increased lifelong earnings 

potential. 

In 1993, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala 

appointed an Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion to examine closely the Head Start program and to make 

recommendations for the future. The recommendations of the Advisory Committee focused on three important areas: (1) the need to 

improve quality; (2) the need to expand services; and (3) the need 

to forge partnerships with other community providers, including 

closer coordination with elementary schools, States, and locallysponsored programs, and including cooperating with the private 

sector and linking Head Start with other National initiatives. Reauthorizations of the Head Start Act in 1994 and 1998 enhanced 

teacher qualifications, increased attention to cognitive areas of 

early childhood development, created the Early Head Start program, and led to program standards and the Outcomes Framework 

that guide Head Start programs in their curricular planning, instruction, and delivery of services, as well as in the ongoing assessment of the progress and accomplishments of children. 

The Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 builds on the 

original foundation of the Head Start program and on past reauthorizations, by increasing the focus on continued program quality 

and the achievement of important educational and other outcomes 

for children across the range of developmental domains critical to 

ensuring their school readiness. 

III. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND COMMITTEE ACTION

On May 25, 2005, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions met in executive session and favorably reported the bill unanimously with an amendment in the nature of 

a substitute. The reported bill was not considered by the full Senate during the 109th Congress. 

On February 14, 2007, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions met in executive session and favorably 

reported the bill, S. 556, The Head Start for School Readiness Act, 

unanimously with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The 

committee’s work on S. 556 was informed by hearings held during 

the 108th and 109th Congresses. 

HEARINGS AND TESTIMONY—SUMMARY OF WITNESSES

Hearings in the 108th Congress 

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on July 23, 2003 at 10 a.m. entitled Reauthorizing Head Start: Preparing Children to Succeed in School and in 

Life. A panel of five witnesses testified on topics related to improving the school readiness of Head Start children, promoting State 

coordination and collaboration, strengthening the Head Start workforce and determining the effectiveness of Head Start. The witnesses included: 

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• Windy Hill, Associate Commissioner for the Head Start Bureau 

• G. Reid Lyons, Ph.D. Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and 

Human Development 

• Marnie Shaul, Ph.D, Director, Education, Workforce and Income Security Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office 

• Amy Wilkins, Executive Director, Trust for Early Education 

• Janis Santos, Executive Director of the Holyoke-ChicopeSpringfield Head Start Center, Springfield, MA. 

Hearings in the 109th Congress 

The Subcommittee on Education and Early Childhood Development held a hearing on April 5, 2005, at 9:30 a.m. entitled Head 

Start: Ensuring Dollars Benefit the Children. The hearing focused 

on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report entitled 

Head Start: Comprehensive Approach to Identifying and Addressing Risks Could Help Prevent Grantee Financial Management 

Weaknesses. The GAO study was requested in late 2003 by Senator Enzi, Senator Alexander, Senator Gregg, Congressman 

Boehner, and Congressman Castle following reports of alleged financial impropriety by Head Start executives in more than a dozen 

cities across the United States. 

Between January 2003 and the first months of 2005, multiple accounts from numerous communities across the country alleged serious financial abuses and irregularities by local individuals and/or 

entities entrusted with the responsibility of managing Federal 

Head Start funds meant to serve poor and at-risk children. The incidents identified involved the use of tens of millions in Federal 

Head Start funds that were intended to serve more than 10,000 

disadvantaged U.S. children. The GAO report on the program 

found that a significant percent of local Head Start operators surveyed in 2000 had some form of financial irregularity, a portion of 

which were serious deficiencies. Three years later, the GAO found 

that more than half of those operators still had recurring financial 

management problems, and recommended more timely follow up 

and enhanced training and technical assistance to develop the capacity of agencies to address such problems. The GAO urged the 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a better system to identify local centers with financial problems. HHS 

has the oversight responsibility for Head Start grantees. This is a 

challenge considering there are almost 1,700 grantees, with over 

20,000 centers containing more than 48,000 classrooms. HHS’s current system of accountability may not have the capacity for this 

oversight and the committee examined ways to improve program 

monitoring by HHS and what other oversight and accountability alternatives exist. 

The following witnesses testified: 

Dr. Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary for the Head Start Bureau 

Administration for Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, discussed 

strengthening the education component of Head Start and improving coordination and integration of State and local childhood services in support of President Bush’s proposal. Additionally, he testified about the importance of monitoring to measure the quality of 

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Head Start programs. He also described several efforts HHS had 

implemented to improve monitoring and accountability. 

Dr. Marnie S. Shaul, Director of Educating and Protecting Children, United States Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC, testified in regard to the GAO’s recent report on Head 

Start risk management which the committee had requested. She 

discussed the Administration on Children and Families’ (ACF) 

processes to assess financial risks, specifically regarding how these 

processes could be improved to ensure accuracy and reliability. In 

addition, she discussed the effectiveness of approaches ACF uses to 

make sure Head Start grantees address any financial management 

weaknesses in a timely manner. The GAO had many recommendations including a suggestion that ACF take steps to recompete 

grants if a grantee fails to meet programmatic or financial management requirements. 

Mayor A.C. Wharton, Mayor of Shelby County, Memphis, Tennessee, testified on Shelby County’s ongoing efforts, as well as 

some of its planned efforts, to improve program oversight and stewardship. He testified about the need to improve accountability for 

the Head Start program and ensure that there was a clearly defined entity that was legally and financially responsible for the program. Several of the GAO’s findings mirrored weaknesses Shelby 

County had identified and which it was actively working to resolve 

in its local Head Start programs. 

Yvonne Gates, Clark County Commissioner, Las Vegas, Nevada 

discussed the promise of the Head Start Program and its goals to 

erase inequities among children and to give all children a level 

playing field for their future academic success. Therefore, she recommended that the committee expand local oversight of grantees. 

She testified about the importance of local governments and the 

need for them to be more actively engaged in the local review and 

evaluative process for these Federal programs. She also testified 

that because local government is closer to the people, it is better 

positioned to provide technical assistance to local agency partners. 

By coordinating with other local resources, the scope of these services could be expanded. 

Jim Caccamo, Director Metropolitan Council on Early Learning, 

Kansas City, Missouri, testified about the financial and governance 

problems with the Kansas City Head Start grantee KCMC. The financial and governance problems at KCMC began to surface in 

April 2001. The Controller/Chief Financial Officer was engaged in 

a kickback scheme and in February of 2002 pled guilty to bribery 

and money laundering. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison 

and ordered to pay over $800,000. Mr. Caccamo suggested that the 

fiscal mismanagement, excessive salaries, and the employee kickback problems could have been avoided with tighter oversight on 

the part of the Executive Director and Board. 

Olivia Golden, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, Washington, 

DC, testified primarily on effective strategies for building the 

strongest possible Federal oversight role to support high-quality, 

fiscally accountable, programmatically successful, and well-managed Head Start programs across the country. She described the 

GAO’s recommendations as practical and thought they would be 

useful and that thoughtful implementation of these recommendations would help Head Start programs attain the highest level of 

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accountability. Additionally, Ms. Golden discussed the GAO report 

findings that contributed to this effort by identifying gaps in Federal oversight particularly in regard to Federal monitoring. 

IV. EXPLANATION OF THE BILL AND COMMITTEE VIEWS

ENHANCING THE SCHOOL READINESS OF HEAD START CHILDREN

School readiness has always been central to Head Start’s mission 

and should continue to be a primary goal of Head Start programs. 

The committee’s intent in the Head Start for School Readiness Act 

is to assist Head Start programs with further meeting the goal of 

promoting school readiness and closing the achievement gap among 

Head Start children. 

According to the National Institute for Child Health and Development and other experts, school readiness consists of a broad set 

of competencies such as cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and 

language development, motivation and approaches to learning, as 

well as discipline-specific domains including the literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts. Researchers at the 

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, at the University 

of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have defined school readiness as 

the condition of children when they enter school, and the capacity 

of schools to educate the children enrolled. According to its research, ‘‘the readiness puzzle can only be solved if the two pieces 

fit together’’ (Bailey, 1999). 

The academic, cognitive, and social competencies that define 

school readiness begin developing long before children enter the elementary classroom. Knowledge about children’s development and 

learning has increased greatly during the past two decades. Research in the neurobiological and behavioral sciences suggests the 

importance of a child’s experience during the first years of life for 

healthy brain development, the importance of early intervention for 

at-risk infants and their parents, and the opportunity presented in 

early infancy for strengthening families. From birth through age 

five, children rapidly develop the capabilities on which subsequent 

development builds. According to child development expert T. Berry 

Brazelton, M.D, ‘‘A child’s experiences in the first months and 

years of life determine whether he or she will enter school eager 

to learn or not.’’

The committee recognizes that the areas of a young child’s development are strongly correlated with later school success and are 

foundational in nature. Standards for early learning should, as 

much as practicable, seek to address the cognitive, social, emotional, physical, language development, and motivation influencing 

a young child’s development. To accomplish this goal of ensuring 

that children participating in the Head Start program develop the 

cognitive, social, and emotional competencies necessary to succeed, 

the Head Start for School Readiness Act significantly enhances 

Head Start’s emphasis on positive outcomes for school readiness in 

all domains, especially in cognitive development, while retaining 

the commitment to providing comprehensive social services. 

Studies indicate that children enrolled in Head Start make 

progress while in the program. Based on data from the 2000 Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), children enter Head 

Start with cognitive, social, and emotional skills well below the namstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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tional norm of most children their same age. Key findings from 

FACES reveal that participation in Head Start narrows the gap between Head Start children and the general population of preschoolaged children in domains representing key components of school 

readiness. With only 9 months of participation in the program, 

FACES data demonstrate a reduction in the school-readiness gap 

between disadvantaged children and their peers with meaningful 

gains in their vocabulary, letter recognition, and writing skills. 

Children also improved in other cognitive, social, and emotional 

skills, demonstrating a reduction in problem behaviors, aggressive 

behaviors, hyperactive behaviors, and withdrawn behaviors. Physically, children showed high rates of immunizations, health 

screenings, interventions and supports for disabilities, and enrollment in health insurance plans. As Head Start continues to evolve, 

outcomes for children participating in the program continue to improve. Data from FACES show that, as compared to 1997, Head 

Start children show greater gains in book knowledge, letter recognition, and print conventions. According to such data, children 

previously participating in Head Start programs meet national 

norms by the end of their kindergarten year. 

Despite these gains, however, data show Head Start children still 

lag behind the national average in school readiness when they 

enter kindergarten. A 2003 publication by HHS, Strengthening 

Head Start: What the Research Shows, provides an analysis of outcomes for children and families served by the Head Start program. 

The HHS analysis concludes that both lower and higher-achieving 

Head Start children have low scores on school readiness evaluations overall and show some limited progress after completion of 

the Head Start program. In other words, Head Start children enter 

and leave the program with below-average skills and knowledge 

levels (HHS, 2003). 

The first year preliminary findings for the Head Start Impact 

Study released in June of 2005 provide further evidence of the importance of Head Start for low-income children and families. The 

study found that 3-year-olds in Head Start received the most benefits from the program. Results found that within 6 to 8 months, 

both 3- and 4-year-olds showed small to moderate improvements in 

pre-reading, pre-writing, vocabulary, and literacy skills as compared to children not enrolled in Head Start programs. The committee is encouraged that within a year Head Start was able to cut 

in half the achievement gap that would have been expected if the 

children had not attended a Head Start program. The Impact 

Study follows children until they complete the first grade, and the 

committee is waiting for the final report in 2007 and hopes to see 

that the reduction in the achievement gap continues for the participants in the study. 

Because data indicate that many Head Start children enter kindergarten without the knowledge and skills proven to be strong 

predictors of school success, the committee seeks to ensure that all 

children participating in Head Start receive the maximum benefit 

of its programs and services. The challenges that so many Head 

Start children face later in their academic careers begin well before 

they enter school. As such, the committee recognizes the importance of Head Start’s comprehensive services in helping children 

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make gains toward achieving academic parity with their peers and 

enter school ready to learn. 

Early literacy is one facet of children’s learning and development 

that is critical to school readiness. The committee recognizes and 

applauds the work of Head Start programs to provide a more enriched literacy experience and instruction to children. Children who 

read well in the early grades are far more successful later in 

school, and scientifically-based research demonstrates the importance of a strong foundation for children before they are given formal reading instruction in kindergarten and first grade. Head 

Start’s attention to the development of early language and literacy 

skills is essential to helping children advance their reading skills 

in the later grades. 

Head Start programs should provide children from low-income 

families a high quality oral language and literature-rich environment, and establish appropriate literacy goals for children that are 

tied to instructional strategies adapted to their individual level of 

learning and development. The committee encourages Head Start 

to continue its pivotal role in promoting early literacy, consistent 

with scientifically-based research, such as is employed in the Early 

Reading First initiative. In addition to caring for the emotional and 

social needs of children under their care, Head Start programs 

must also encourage and promote high-quality professional development for teachers and staff based on scientifically-based research 

in reading. 

Children who have limited pre-literacy skills (e.g., weak phonological and phonemic awareness) are more likely to struggle in attaining age-appropriate reading proficiencies. For example, if children can correctly and consistently identify letters of the alphabet 

before they enter kindergarten and understand that letters represent sounds that make up words, it is more likely that they will 

learn to read words in school faster than children who do not possess this knowledge. Research consistently confirms that children’s 

knowledge of the alphabet is a strong predictor of their later 

progress in learning to read words accurately, quickly, and automatically. Professional development and instructional strategies for 

Head Start teachers should be designed to strengthen phonological 

awareness and instruction to help children understand that words 

are made up of letters which correspond to sounds. 

The committee also recognizes the importance of other skills critical to the school readiness of young children. For example, promoting pre-mathematics and pre-science knowledge and skills is an 

important component of school readiness. These competencies may 

be promoted through early science and math experiences, including 

observing with senses, predicting, inferring, defining and controlling variables, working in teams, and communicating discoveries. 

Examples of science and math experiences may include planting 

different seeds, with various types of growing medium, light, and 

water; building towers with various block sizes; employing ramps 

and different balls; and watching ice melt in different environments. 

The Head Start for School Readiness Act updates the Head Start 

program quality standards and performance measures to reflect the 

areas of competence fundamental to children’s school readiness. 

Head Start grantees are required to demonstrate the capacity to 

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serve eligible children with scientifically-based programs that promote school readiness and meet quality standards. Stronger quality 

standards will help facilitate children’s development of the following: language skills; pre-literacy knowledge, including an interest in and appreciation of books, reading and writing either alone 

or with others; pre-mathematics knowledge, such as recognition of 

numbers and counting; cognitive abilities related to academic 

achievement; and social development important for environments 

constructive for child development, early learning, and school success. The committee bill continues to require Head Start grantees 

to further develop the language skills of limited English proficient 

(LEP) children, such as making progress toward the acquisition of 

the English language, while also focusing on the other requirements for children in the program. 

The statutory improvements of the committee bill are expected to 

promote the acquisition of skills and competencies Head Start children need to enter school ready to learn. The committee also requires that the results-based performance measures be reviewed 

and updated as needed, no less than every 4 years, based on advances in the science of early childhood development. 

HEAD START ALIGNMENT WITH K–12 EDUCATION

An alignment of goals and expectations extending from the early 

years into later schooling can support better transitions from infant 

and toddler care through preschool programs to kindergarten and 

into the primary grades, as teachers work within a consistent 

framework across educational settings. Comprehensive standards, 

curricula, teaching practices, and assessments must be age, developmentally, and linguistically appropriate for young children. 

These standards, curricula, teaching practices, and assessments 

must be supported by comprehensive services for children and by 

the professional development for staff to support each child’s positive development and educational growth. Care must be taken to 

ensure that curricula and other practices used in Head Start programs serve as a foundation for later learning in school. 

Studies show that many children, especially children from lowincome families, enter school without the necessary skills and abilities to succeed. States report that between 20 percent to nearly half 

of all children entering school are not prepared to succeed in 

school. Evidence further suggests that children who start behind 

tend to stay behind. For these reasons, the committee recognizes 

the importance of building on Head Start’s mission of school readiness to ensure that the program provides the foundation children 

will need to reach high standards later in school. The committee 

urges greater coordination between programs serving infants, toddlers, and children (including Head Start) and local educational 

agencies to appropriately plan and align expectations and curricula 

and facilitate a smooth transition into school. 

Because many children in Head Start enter the program with 

less exposure to print and to a wide-ranging vocabulary, Head 

Start’s attention to all domains of child development and learning 

is necessary to ensure positive gains in cognitive development, including early literacy. Early development of language and literacy 

skills provide children with the foundation needed to later become 

proficient readers in the elementary school grades. The committee 

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intends to strengthen the ability of Head Start, local schools, and 

other preschool programs to provide a positive continuum of early 

literacy experiences and instruction. 

Like other complex skills, reading and writing are outcomes that 

result from the continual interaction of development and learning, 

and therefore a range of individual variation is to be expected in 

the rate and pace at which children gain literacy skills. The committee recognizes that children in Head Start programs can make 

demonstrable gains in early learning when provided with a quality 

preschool experience that includes an effective curriculum, intensive teacher training, and on-site monitoring and support of teacher instruction and interaction with children. The committee acknowledges that effective curricula and training programs are 

available that promote the development of language and early literacy knowledge and skills among Head Start children, and encourages Head Start programs to make use of such materials and practices. The committee intends, to the extent possible, that programs 

make use of scientifically-based curricula and training programs 

that are developmentally and linguistically appropriate for children 

and that reflect all necessary domains of child development and 

learning. 

The committee recognizes the benefits of Head Start’s comprehensive services and mission to prepare the Nation’s most disadvantaged children to enter and later succeed in school. Therefore, 

the Head Start for School Readiness Act promotes alignment of 

Head Start services and curricula with the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and, as appropriate, State early learning standards. The act also promotes better linkages between Head Start 

agencies and other child and family agencies providing necessary 

health, mental health, and other support services to children. 

In referencing the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework and 

Indicators (2000), the committee recognizes the quality and scope 

of Head Start services and acknowledges the researched-based 

standards and outcomes (developed by independent experts and 

practitioners) to help guide teachers and staff with curricula, assessments, and services in all domains of child development. Research reports of the National Research Council such as Preventing 

Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Eager to Learn: Educating 

Our Preschoolers, and From Neurons to Neighborhoods state that 

standards and outcomes for young children must address a wide 

range of domains—cognitive, social, emotional, physical, language 

development, approaches to learning, as well as content areas of 

arts, literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies. The committee intends that Head Start curricula, assessments, and services continue to be aligned to address all such domains, consistent 

with the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework. 

The committee also makes changes in the Head Start for School 

Readiness Act to ensure appropriate and greater alignment of Head 

Start services to early learning standards for preschool age children in respective States in which Head Start programs operate. 

The committee recognizes the benefits of alignment to State early 

learning standards and acknowledges that many States have developed early learning standards for preschool age children. However, 

because some State early learning standards do not cover the full 

range of child development and learning, the committee intends to 

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promote alignment to such standards only in the most developmentally-appropriate context, to best address the needs of Head 

Start children. 

In providing for the appropriate alignment under the act, it is 

the committee’s view that any alignment of standards to Head 

Start should recognize the continuity between early learning standards and standards for elementary and secondary grades. Curricula 

and assessments for preschool age children should be consistent 

with developmental and age-appropriate standards and address all 

areas of children’s development and learning. 

The committee bill helps to ensure a seamless system of education for children of all ages by requiring States to consult with 

their Chief State School Officer, local educational agencies, and 

local Head Start agencies when developing or reviewing early childhood standards and general plans for the enhanced delivery of 

early care and education services at both the State and local level. 

INCREASED NEED FOR COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION

Head Start has a long history of coordinating with other programs to provide comprehensive child development and support 

services to young children and families with incomes at far below 

the poverty level to receive the health, nutrition, and educational 

supports that they need to be successful and prepared to enter 

school ready to learn. The committee anticipates that over time 

Head Start and Early Head Start programs will increase coordination with schools, child care, and other preschool programs to help 

meet the needs of low-income children and their families. 

In recent years, States have begun to expand their own early 

childhood development initiatives. The National Institute for Early 

Education Research (NIEER) reported in March 2007, using data 

from the 2005–2006 school year, that 16 States used their own 

funds to supplement Head Start. States sponsoring preschool programs have expanded greatly over the past 30 years. In 1970, only 

seven States funded preschool programs. According to NIEER 38 

States and the District of Columbia had some form of State-sponsored pre-kindergarten program in the 2005–2006 school year. 

These States provided early education to 942,766 or 20 percent of 

the Nation’s 3- and 4-year-olds in pre-kindergarten programs, and 

spent nearly $3.3 billion to finance these programs. 

With so many different early childhood programs providing services to the same target population, some States have sought to improve coordination and collaboration among the programs in order 

to create a coherent system that is more responsive to the needs 

of low-income parents, and supports opportunities for children to 

participate in high-quality programs that involve communities in 

the planning and implementation of service delivery. The committee is concerned that a fragmented service delivery system and 

uncoordinated programs can hinder program improvement and prevent needy children and families from obtaining the full array of 

available services for which they qualify and could benefit. 

The committee has enhanced and clarified the current role of the 

Head Start Collaboration Director and State Advisory Councils. 

The committee intends to strengthen the role of the Collaboration 

Director in each State to also promote alignment of Head Start 

services with State early learning standards and the Head Start 

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Child Outcomes Framework. Each Head Start State Collaboration 

Office will conduct a needs assessment of Head Start agencies in 

the State with respect to the collaboration and coordination of services for children, the professional development opportunities for 

Head Start staff, and the partnerships between Head Start and 

other organizations. With these changes, the committee also intends to reduce the duplication of services, prevent under-enrollment, and more address gaps in services for Head Start children 

and families. 

The committee feels strongly that the Head Start Collaboration 

Director should be a position of significant authority, appointed by 

the Governor and preferably located within the Office of the Governor. This centralized authority will allow for a more comprehensive coordination of services statewide, which will assist in providing ‘‘wrap around’’ child care services, health care, and employment services that are critical to low-income working families. 

In an effort to engage all community stakeholders, the committee 

bill specifies that a variety of new entities participate in State collaboration activities. Some of these entities include: State and local 

educational agencies, State Departments of Health and Human 

Services, representatives of the State Head Start association, representatives from the State network for child care resource and referral agencies, and community and faith-based organizations. The 

addition of these entities will allow all States to develop a more 

seamless system for the provision of services to needy children and 

families, as well as leverage the experience, expertise, and resources of a variety of organizations and individuals. 

The committee encourages the Secretary, in awarding collaboration grants to States, to award funds for designation of a Migrant 

and Seasonal Farmworker Collaboration Project Director and an 

Indian Head Start Collaboration Project Director. Such positions 

should be assigned the same responsibilities assigned to the State 

Directors of Head Start Collaboration. While it is important that 

the State Directors of Head Start Collaboration engage with the 

migrant and Indian populations in their respective States, these 

special Project Directors will ensure that the specific issues faced 

by children and families served by Migrant and Seasonal Head 

Start and Indian Head Start programs are addressed. These positions will also serve as a conduit for knowledge and understanding 

of these special populations served by the Head Start and Early 

Head Start programs. 

In the context of greater collaboration, the committee also recognizes the important role of partnerships between Head Start programs and school and public libraries in increasing the pre-literacy 

skills of Head Start participants. Many librarians have worked extensively in the area of improving family literacy and achieved success in integrating research-based literacy practices into their work 

with families with pre-kindergarten children. Some Head Start programs across the country have long had library partnerships, 

through which librarians provide literacy training to Head Start 

staff; utilize a lending library, mobile library van, or other efforts 

to provide books to children; foster greater parental involvement 

through reading programs; and offer outreach and programs for 

LEP populations. The committee is encouraged by these practices 

and urges their continuation and expansion. 

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STATE ADVISORY COUNCILS

The committee recognizes the importance of bolstering coordination and collaboration among Head Start and other early childhood 

education programs through the establishment of a new State Advisory Council in each State that receives a Head Start collaboration grant. 

In many States, as well as at the local level, there has been 

movement to enhance coordination among the variety of early 

childhood education programs through formal and comprehensive 

State coordination arrangements. In some States, significant coordination already exists among Head Start, Early Start, child 

care, and State pre-kindergarten programs and public schools. In 

some cases, such coordination efforts have taken the form of Councils or Governors’ Cabinets. 

In keeping with a desire for greater collaboration among Head 

Start, early learning programs, and other related programs serving 

young children in the State, the committee has attempted to formalize coordination efforts in all States in a highly inclusive way 

across the sectors and settings of early childhood programs. In such 

efforts, the committee intends to bring together a diverse and wide 

array of agencies, organizations, and early childhood professionals, 

including, but not limited to, Head Start, family and center-based 

child care, and State pre-kindergarten programs. For States with 

similar pre-existing councils or entities, the committee urges inclusion of additional members—to the maximum extent practicable—

in order to meet the list of members suggested by the Committee 

to serve on the State Advisory Council. 

While the Head Start State Collaboration Director is charged 

with assisting and improving the efforts of Head Start agencies in 

the State, the committee intends for the State Advisory Councils to 

encourage greater State level coordination of efforts and understanding of shared goals for young children from birth until school 

entry. In particular, the Council is charged with developing a strategic report, based on a statewide assessment of early care and 

education programs for children from birth to school entry, which 

includes plans for identifying barriers and opportunities for collaboration between entities carrying out existing early care and education programs; creating a professional development system and 

career ladder for early childhood educators in the State; making 

recommendations for a statewide, unified data collection system; 

assisting institutions of higher education to develop model programs for early childhood educators; and undertaking efforts to develop and improve State early learning standards. The committee 

requires each State Advisory Council to provide opportunities for 

public input in both its needs assessment and its recommendations, 

as well as to meet with sufficient regularity to review and revise 

its plans and recommendations. 

The committee also makes available $100 million for the purpose 

of awarding one-time incentive grants to States that choose to further develop and implement the recommendations and plans for 

which the State Advisory Council is responsible. Such grants shall 

be disbursed for a 3-year period and will be used to facilitate the 

development of a high-quality system of early care and education. 

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The committee recognizes the use of nationally established data 

fields for collecting data on the supply of child care. Utilizing the 

data collected would strengthen the coordination of early childhood 

education and maximize the existing capacity of early childhood 

education in the United States. Efforts to develop a unified State 

data collection system for early care and education should incorporate child care data systems, such as those of child care resource 

and referral agencies. 

The committee intends to work further to strengthen the coordination and collaboration of early care and education programs and 

to enhance the quality of such programs for all needy children and 

families. 

TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

The committee bill changes the training and technical assistance 

set-aside from at least 2 percent in current law to 2 percent. The 

committee directs that half of those funds be sent to local grantees 

so that programs have a reliable source of funding for training and 

technical assistance activities. The remaining 50 percent provides 

the Secretary with adequate flexibility to conduct appropriate Federal training and technical assistance activities to help individual 

programs meet the Head Start quality standards. The committee 

encourages the Secretary to maintain the long-standing set-aside 

for training and technical assistance activities related to providing 

services to children with disabilities. 

The committee bill allows training and technical assistance funds 

to support a regional or State system of early childhood education 

training and technical assistance. The committee encourages the 

Secretary to include assistance in HHS’ regional system for the Migrant Seasonal Head Start program and the American Indian/Alaska Native programs. The committee encourages the Secretary to 

provide the training and technical assistance for these two programs through national awards by contractors with knowledge of, 

and experience in, working with the populations served by these 

programs. 

The committee bill also restricts the use of training and technical 

assistance funds for travel expenditures associated with attending 

conferences when similar training and technical assistance is available locally. It is the committee’s view that occasional travel to conferences and events may be necessary but only as such conferences 

relate to the overall effectiveness and quality of Head Start programs and outcomes. Excessive travel to Head Start conferences 

and events, especially those outside the continental United States, 

is not an appropriate use of Federal training and technical assistance funds. Whenever possible, Head Start programs should utilize 

local or regionally-based training opportunities and should limit 

travel to occasions when an identified training need cannot be met 

through local or regional resources. Recognizing that some States 

encompass a significant geographic area, the committee does not 

intend for the prohibition on long-distance travel expenses to prevent travel within a State, regardless of the distances incurred 

within the State. The committee urges the Secretary to ensure that 

expenditures are consistent with the needs identified in a grantee’s 

annual plan for training and technical assistance. 

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The committee believes that better information is needed on how 

funds for training and technical assistance are spent by both Head 

Start agencies and HHS. The committee urges HHS to require better data reporting on the use of training and technical assistance 

dollars so that Congress has access to more complete information 

when assessing the amount of funds needed for this purpose. Better data reporting also will help HHS and Congress identify the 

most effective uses of these funds so that Head Start instructors 

and administrators are gaining the knowledge needed to improve 

program management and the delivery of services to children and 

their families. 

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

The Head Start for School Readiness Act provides greater support for improving program quality by significantly increasing the 

percentage of new dollars that must be spent on quality improvement. After funds have been allocated to maintain grantees’ current funded enrollment levels, the committee intends that 30 percent of remaining funds for fiscal year 2008, and 40 percent for 

each of fiscal year 2009 through 2012 be set aside for quality improvement. 

Quality Head Start programs contribute significantly to children’s development. There is growing recognition that participation 

in high-quality early childhood education and care programs are 

important indicators of success in school and in life. This is due in 

part to the fact that these programs affect children precisely at the 

point when children’s development is rapid, dramatic, and multidimensional. Research has demonstrated that the experiences of 

young children greatly affect all aspects of their development, including cognitive development. The level of commitment to quality 

improvement demonstrated in the committee bill is critical if Head 

Start is to succeed in improving the school readiness of participating children. 

These funds are an effort to ensure that Head Start programs 

are of the highest possible quality and to ensure that funds are 

available to assist Head Start programs to reach new goals for 

teacher quality. The bill begins to address this need by ensuring 

that of the funds reserved (beyond those funds necessary to adjust 

programs for inflation) not less than half of all quality funds must 

be used to increase teacher salaries and assist programs in recruiting and retaining quality staff. 

Funds may also be spent on other functions that have been determined to improve program performance, such as providing ongoing professional development based on the latest early childhood 

research on curriculum and teaching methods, or improving outreach to families and external partners. 

The committee bill also includes an opportunity for a small number of Head Start programs to receive incentives for innovative approaches that expand and improve services for Head Start children 

and families. Under these provisions, grantees may retain a limited 

percentage of the administrative portion of their grant on an ongoing basis, if the grantee is able to serve more children while also 

improving program quality and outcomes. 

While program quality depends on the availability of quality materials, equipment, and community partners to provide comprehenmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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sive services, the quality of Head Start programs is primarily dependent upon staff quality. Therefore, staff development continues 

to be a high priority of this committee. Quality improvement funds 

may be used to provide assistance for staff completing postsecondary coursework and for other staff development and training. 

The committee recognizes that a well designed Head Start classroom with an effective pre-literacy program delivered by a competent teacher is vital for later reading proficiencies and school 

readiness. Head Start teachers must be equipped with an understanding of how oral language, pre-literacy, and early literacy develops in children and how parental and classroom instruction and 

involvement can optimize that development. Teachers need professional development throughout their careers to strengthen their 

knowledge and skills for promoting children’s language, pre-literacy, and early writing, as well as other cognitive areas. 

The committee feels that another important use of quality improvement funds is in training staff to address the challenges of 

children participating in Head Start programs. Quality improvement funds should be utilized to conduct outreach to these low-income populations including homeless families, migrant and seasonal farmworking families, and families with LEP children, and in 

developing partnerships with institutions of higher education to recruit and train individuals who may serve as mentors to Head 

Start children. 

HEAD START RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENTS OF YOUNG

CHILDREN

There is an ongoing need for high-quality research about the effectiveness of Head Start. During the 1998 reauthorization, Congress took a giant step forward by commissioning a National study 

on the impact of Head Start services to provide valuable data comparing the outcomes of children in Head Start programs with similar children who do not participate in the program. In June 2005, 

HHS published the first year preliminary findings of the Head 

Start Impact Study. The committee looks forward to the final report of the Head Start Impact Study in 2007, which will help inform reform efforts so that all grantees can have a positive effect 

on children in the program. 

In 1997, Head Start launched the Family and Child Experiences 

Survey (known as FACES) to provide valuable information on child 

outcomes and program performance quality over time. FACES is a 

study of a national random sample of Head Start programs, but is 

not designed to compare Head Start participants to other children 

in other preschool programs serving a similar population. HHS continues data collection efforts for the FACES study. In addition to 

current research, with input from the Head Start community, research needs should be continually assessed so that Congress can 

identify ways in which Head Start programs can be strengthened 

to best meet the needs of the children it serves. 

The committee notes with some concern the insufficient research 

focusing on American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start programs, thus limiting the availability of scientifically-based research 

on these programs. The committee strongly recommends that the 

Secretary undertake a study or set of studies designed to focus on 

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ment, availability and need for services, appropriate research 

methodologies and measures for these populations, and best practices for teaching and educating American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start program participants. Furthermore, the committee 

underscores the importance of providing tribes and tribal organizations (such as the National Indian Head Start Directors Association) the opportunity to contribute to and collaborate on this research, with tribes retaining as much local control over this process 

as is practicable. 

The committee strongly supports the efforts of the National 

Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review the current body of early 

childhood research through the Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children. Because academic outcomes and assessments for young children are emerging areas of knowledge and 

practice, the act also includes a review of Head Start outcomes by 

the NAS, to facilitate greater information and recommendations on 

their further development, appropriateness, and application. Once 

the NAS completes its report and recommendations, HHS will use 

the results of such study to develop, inform, and revise Head Start 

outcomes and any appropriate assessments. As such, any guidance 

or mandates for new outcomes will be grounded in independent research and informed by experts and practitioners in the child development and early care and education fields. 

This review is needed to provide recommendations on age and 

developmentally-appropriate academic standards and measurable 

benchmarks for achievement, the types of services (including classroom instruction) necessary to ensure school readiness, and appropriate methods to assess child progress in preparing for school. 

This study also is needed to ensure a well-informed approach to developing school readiness standards and will assist States in the 

process of developing and/or implementing such standards. The 

committee hopes that recommendations of this panel will be used 

by the Secretary to inform and guide the development and implementation of the recommended educational standards for Head 

Start program participants. 

Recent research on child development and learning has shown 

that integrating a child’s cognitive development with his or her social, emotional, and physical development promotes greater school 

readiness. Consistent with that research, Head Start programs are 

currently guided in their curriculum and program practice by the 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, which provides guidance 

toward an integrated approach of child development and learning, 

with a variety of indicators within each area of child development 

(e.g., social, emotional, physical, cognitive). The Framework also is 

helpful to programs in their efforts to analyze and use data on 

child outcomes in program self-assessment and continuous improvement. 

Recent reports conducted by the NAS, such as Neurons to Neighborhoods and Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers, have 

demonstrated the need to consider carefully the variation in each 

child of his or her development and background in developing 

standards for Head Start programs, expected outcomes for Head 

Start children, and effective and appropriate pedagogy and assessment. 

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The committee believes that educational assessments are an essential component of program evaluation and improving student 

achievement. Through valid and reliable assessments much can be 

learned about program strengths and weaknesses, what a child has 

or has not learned, and which instructional techniques work best 

with different children. 

Currently, Head Start programs use locally-designed assessments to monitor child development and growth and to improve instruction and services to maximize children’s learning. The committee bill acknowledges the importance of assessments in Head 

Start and includes a requirement that agencies establish effective 

procedures and provide for the regular assessment of Head Start 

children, such as observational assessments, direct formal assessments, or parent and provider interviews, taking into consideration 

the age of the child. Because academic outcomes and assessments 

for young children are emerging areas of knowledge and practice, 

the committee recognizes the ongoing need to consult and rely on 

recommendations from independent experts in the development 

and application of such outcomes and assessments. The committee 

expects that Head Start agencies will have a process to assess each 

of the elements important to a child’s school readiness and later 

performance in school, including cognitive abilities and motor and 

sensory development. The Head Start agency may choose the assessment so long as it is valid and reliable and meets recognized 

technical standards. 

The committee is very aware of the need for better information 

about the readiness of Head Start students to enter school and to 

measure young children’s learning and development. However, the 

committee has concerns about the current National Reporting System (NRS). The committee believes that the existing NRS is inappropriate for use in the Head Start program and accordingly requires the Secretary to halt the implementation and any further 

development of the NRS. The Secretary is required to incorporate 

the findings of the NAS review into any new assessment or assessment system developed for the Head Start program and may not 

reinstitute the NRS in its current form. 

LITERACY IN HEAD START PROGRAMS

Efforts to improve family literacy are an important component of 

the Head Start program. Family literacy activities, including financial literacy services, enhance parental involvement in their child’s 

education, which is significantly challenged if parents themselves 

cannot read. In keeping with the goal of improving school readiness 

and valuing the role of parents in their children’s education, the 

committee bill renews its support for training and technical assistance in the area of family literacy services. 

Since the 1998 reauthorization of Head Start nearly 50,000 children’s books have been placed in Head Start classrooms. In addition, nearly 2,000 Head Start parent-mentors have received training to better prepare them to support their child’s language and literacy development and to encourage other parents to do the same. 

The committee commends the work of the Head Start Bureau and 

the National Center for Family Literacy in its conduct of the Head 

Start Family Literacy Project. Not only have program grantees 

found the project’s training and technical assistance useful, but 

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evaluations have proven the merit of this important work. The 

committee encourages the Secretary to ensure the continuity of 

these important services so that Head Start children will be better 

prepared for school and Head Start parents will be better able to 

fulfill their role as their child’s first and best teacher. 

The committee views a literacy rich environment for children as 

an important priority for Head Start programs. To further expand 

the availability of books in Head Start classrooms, the committee 

bill recommends that State Head Start Collaboration offices promote partnerships between Head Start agencies and other organizations to enhance the Head Start curriculum, including partnerships to promote more books in Head Start classrooms. 

The committee encourages the Secretary to disseminate to Head 

Start centers information on best practices for infusing literacy and 

print activities into Head Start classrooms and getting books into 

children’s hands. It is vitally important for young children’s literacy 

development that a large number and variety of high-quality, printrich books be maintained in each Head Start center and classroom 

and be easily accessible to all children. The committee urges the 

Secretary to provide best practices for Head Start professional development to emphasize the importance of pre-k in establishing a 

foundation for literacy and pre-reading skills; to encourage the creation of physical environments that engage children in print activities, entice children to play with, use and read books, and that provide children better classroom (e.g., book nooks and library corners) 

and out-of-classroom access to books (e.g., classroom lending library); to train teachers in effective read-along techniques and the 

selection of age appropriate books; and to encourage Head Start 

programs to make books and story reading a constant presence in 

everyday classroom activities. 

The committee also recognizes the importance of enhancing linkages between Head Start programs and libraries. As such, the bill 

encourages Head Start programs to collaborate with local libraries, 

where available, that are interested in such collaboration, to develop innovative programs to excite children about the world of 

books. Such programs may involve taking children to the library 

for story hour; promoting use of library cards for families so that 

children can bring books home; developing a lending library or 

using a mobile library van; supplementing a center’s collection with 

books on various themes of the week or providing fresh books in 

the classroom on a regular basis; and carrying out other activities 

through partnerships to promote literacy and excitement about the 

world of print. 

UNDERSERVED AND AT-RISK POPULATIONS

While all children served by the Head Start program are economically in need, there are some subgroups of the eligible Head 

Start population who are particularly at risk and often underserved. According to a study conducted by the HHS in 2001, less 

than 19 percent of the eligible children of migrant and seasonal 

workers received Head Start services. Similarly, the Indian Head 

Start program served only 16 percent of eligible children. The committee bill attempts to increase the participation of these children 

by increasing the percentage set-aside for Indian Head Start and 

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for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start to 4 and 5 percent respectively. 

In an effort to address the unique challenges faced by American 

Indian and Alaska Native children, the committee bill includes representatives of Tribal Head Start programs serving large numbers 

of American Native and Alaska Native children as participants in 

State level collaboration and coordination of services and requires 

annual consultation with the Secretary. The committee believes 

that increased input from tribal programs that serve large numbers 

of American Indian and Alaska Native children will allow for a better understanding of these children’s unique needs. 

Through the comprehensive services provided to young children 

and their families, Head Start and Early Head Start programs can 

play an important role in preventing the abuse and neglect of children and in protecting children and ameliorating the affects of maltreatment they may have already suffered. 

Ensuring that children are ready to learn means ensuring that 

children are safe at home and receive the kind of nurturing and 

care that all children deserve. 

Research shows that abused and neglected children are more 

likely to have poor prospects for success in school; that sexually 

abused and neglected children are at a higher risk for academic 

failure; that maltreatment appears to be an additional factor over 

and above poverty that affects the academic achievement of children; and that a higher frequency of academic difficulties and 

school behavior problems is reported among abused children. 

The committee recognizes that abused and neglected children 

and children at risk of maltreatment are in need of preventive 

services and may benefit from Head Start and Early Head Start 

services. The committee bill builds upon provisions already existing 

in the Head Start statute that provide for (1) home based services 

to Head Start children and their families; (2) staff training in 

working with children who experience violence; (3) training to parents in parenting skills and basic child development; and (4) collaboration with other agencies and organizations involved in child 

and family services. 

The committee also recognizes the need for Head Start programs 

to support children from immigrant, refugee, and asylee families. 

In addition, consideration is given in the bill to children from families in crisis, children in foster care and those referred to Head 

Start by child welfare services, and children who are exposed to 

chronic violence or substance abuse. The committee specifically directs that Head Start staff be adequately trained in addressing the 

challenges of these children. 

HOMELESS CHILDREN IN HEAD START PROGRAMS

Over 40 percent of children living in homeless shelters are under 

the age of 5 and are at an age when early childhood education can 

have a significant, positive effect on their development and future 

academic achievement. Homeless children experience more developmental delays, health problems, and other challenges, which make 

enrollment and access to Head Start programs important for success in school. 

The Department of Education’s fiscal year 2000 Report to Congress on the Education of Homeless Children and Youth identified 

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limited program capacity and availability, transportation, and immunizations and residency requirements as representing significant barriers within the Head Start program for homeless children 

to access Head Start services. The committee bill addresses this 

issue by increasing efforts to conduct outreach to homeless families 

and by leveraging the experience of the homeless liaisons in public 

schools required under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education 

Improvement Act. This coordination assists in identifying barriers 

to serving homeless children and facilitates a smooth transition 

when homeless children move from Head Start to elementary 

schools. 

The Head Start for School Readiness Act encourages enrollment 

of homeless children by providing categorical eligibility for homeless children, as well as addressing the other barriers limiting the 

access and participation of homeless children. To overcome barriers 

such as high mobility, documentation requirements, transportation 

challenges, and lack of service coordination with other social service programs, the committee urges Head Start grantees to increase 

their outreach, recruitment, and enrollment of families in homeless 

situations; to provide appropriate services to meet their needs; and 

to collaborate with relevant community agencies. 

The Head Start for School Readiness Act includes many provisions specifically designed to increase the participation of homeless 

families in Head Start programs. It is the committee’s intent that 

when the Secretary issues regulations to implement these provisions of the Act that consideration is given to procedures that will 

eliminate and address barriers to homeless families’ participation 

in Head Start programs. The committee recognizes the Head Start 

Bureau’s historical encouragement of local Head Start grantees to 

target homeless families whenever possible to address the challenges homeless families experience when enrolling and maintaining enrollment in Head Start programs. Research has demonstrated the importance of early childhood education for homeless 

children, offering the stability and supports needed for a child to 

cope with his or her situation. 

In general, when a grantee works on its community needs assessment, it should ensure that it accounts for homeless families. The 

mean income of homeless families is 46 percent of the poverty line; 

homeless families are often so poor and so mobile that they are not 

accounted for in standard Census measures. For this reason, extra 

efforts should be made to include homeless families in calculations 

of the concentration of low-income families in a geographic area. 

The Secretary may require that grantees in their community needs 

assessment take into account the percentage of homeless pre-school 

age children in the service area. Grantees should be particularly 

cognizant of all underserved populations in their community such 

as homeless children, children in foster care, and children with disabilities. The Secretary should ask grantees to report on efforts to 

remove barriers, facilitate enrollment, and prioritize children who 

are most in need of Head Start services in their community. Family 

transportation needs of underserved populations should also be addressed in Head Start planning efforts. 

The goal of reducing under-enrollment should not discourage 

grantees from serving underserved populations, including homeless 

children. Therefore, regulations should clarify that provisions demstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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signed to reduce under-enrollment are not meant to prohibit or discourage Head Start grantees from serving homeless children. If a 

homeless child moves out of a program’s service area, to the extent 

feasible and at the request of the parent, the child can continue to 

participate in such program. 

Documentation for homeless children continues to be a barrier. 

The committee recognizes the difficulty in securing documents (e.g., 

proof of age, proof of residency, birth certificates, and immunization 

and other medical records) for homeless children. The Head Start 

for School Readiness Act models provisions in the No Child Left 

Behind Act that allow homeless children to enroll in Head Start 

while those documents are being obtained. Homeless families, if 

necessary, should be allowed to produce alternative proof of residency and evidence of such documents. To facilitate effective transitions, grantees should request records from previous service providers and transfer the records of former program participants in 

a timely manner. The committee encourages States and localities 

to review laws, policies, and regulations that act as barriers to the 

enrollment of homeless children in Head Start programs, in particular with respect to relevant documentation and records. It is 

the committee’s intent that when the Secretary develops regulations, the Secretary consider such State or local reviews, especially 

with respect to documentation policies. 

It is important to the committee that better and more consistent 

data relating to homeless children and families are obtained. 

Therefore, the committee urges the Secretary to include a specific 

analysis of the status of homeless children and children in foster 

care in the report on the status of children participating in Head 

Start programs. 

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Approximately 28 percent of the children served by Head Start 

speak a language other than English at home and come to Head 

Start centers with limited English skills. These children speak over 

140 languages. After English, the most common languages spoken 

by Head Start children are Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, and Vietnamese. Given demographic projections for the immigrant community, the number of children who will come to the Head Start program speaking a language other than English will only increase in 

the foreseeable future. 

During this reauthorization of Head Start, the committee 

prioritized improving the delivery of services for LEP children and 

their families. The bill establishes a requirement that grantees set 

policies to identify and serve LEP children through linguistically 

appropriate approaches so that such children and their families 

have a meaningful opportunity to participate in Head Start programs, including the provision of information to parents in an accessible manner. The committee urges the Secretary and the Head 

Start Bureau to continue and enhance activities to ensure that 

LEP children are served by high-quality Head Start programs, including activities to assist Head Start grantees to adopt teaching 

strategies that provide language-rich learning environments, literacy development, and materials appropriate for LEP children. 

The committee recognizes the development of native language 

immersion and cultural programs as an important strategy for 

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meeting the needs of children served by Indian Head Start programs, guided by the discretion of the individual Tribal grantees. 

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Head Start grantees are required to enroll and provide comprehensive educational, medical, and social services to children 

with disabilities, as defined under Part C and Section 619 of the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and their families. Since 1974, Congress has required that no less than 10 percent of the children a grantee serves are children with disabilities. 

Currently, children with disabilities comprise about 13 percent of 

the total Head Start population; 10.6 percent of enrolled Head 

Start children receive services under IDEA. 

Today, nearly 132,000 children with disabilities, including over 

114,000 children eligible for services under IDEA, participate in 

Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including children 

with speech and language impairments, autism, orthopedic impairments, mental retardation, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. Within Head Start, children with disabilities receive individualized services in an inclusive, integrated environment that 

prepares them to enter elementary school. 

The committee recognizes the important role that Head Start 

plays in seeking out and identifying and serving low-income children with disabilities. Therefore, it encourages grantees to maintain current strategies delineated in Federal performance standards for comprehensively addressing the needs of children with disabilities. Grantees must continue outreach to identify and enroll 

children with disabilities; refer children to local educational agencies for evaluation and determination of eligibility for IDEA services; collaborate with local educational agencies to provide comprehensive educational, medical, and social services to children 

with disabilities; coordinate programs and systems (such as IDEA 

and Medicaid/EPSDT programs) to ensure that a wide range of 

needs are met; and provide funding for training and technical assistance specifically related to those who care for children with disabilities. 

It is important to the committee that better and more consistent 

data relating to children with disabilities are obtained. Therefore, 

the committee urges the Secretary to include a specific analysis of 

the status of children with disabilities in the report on the status 

of children participating in Head Start programs. 

TEACHER QUALITY AND STAFF QUALIFICATIONS

The committee believes that well-educated and skilled teachers 

are a key element to early childhood program quality and better 

outcomes for children. Research consistently demonstrates a link 

between the achievement of children and the knowledge, skills, and 

competencies of classroom teachers. Teachers in Head Start programs must be adequately trained and educated, particularly in effectively providing pre-literacy, language, and pre-mathematics instruction, as well as social, emotional, and physical development 

and approaches to learning. 

Nationally, over 70 percent of Head Start program teachers have 

at least an Associate’s degree (AA); of the teachers with degrees, 

over 50 percent have Bachelor’s (BA) or advanced degrees. To promstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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mote the highest quality instruction and learning environment as 

possible, the committee has taken a number of steps to strengthen 

the educational goals for Head Start teachers. 

Over the next 5 years (by September 30, 2012), it is a goal for 

all Head Start teachers in center-based programs to have at least 

an AA degree relating to early childhood development or an AA degree in a related educational area with coursework related to early 

childhood development and demonstrated teaching competencies as 

determined by the Head Start director. 

Over the next 3 years (by September 30, 2010), it is a goal for 

all Head Start curriculum specialists and education coordinators in 

center-based programs have a BA degree relating to early childhood development or a BA or advanced degree and coursework 

equivalent to a minor relating to early childhood development. 

Over the next 3 years (by September 30, 2010), it is a goal for 

all Head Start assistant teachers in center-based programs to have 

a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or be enrolled in 

a CDA program to be completed within 2 years. 

Over the next 6 years (by September 30, 2013), the goal is for 

at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers in each State to have 

a BA degree relating to early childhood education or a BA degree 

with specialized training for pre-kindergarten and demonstrated 

teacher competencies. Currently, 38 percent of Head Start teachers 

have at least a BA degree, and teachers and programs across the 

Nation are striving to achieve this goal. 

Each Head Start agency must report to the Secretary annually 

on its progress toward meeting the goals of increasing the educational attainment of Head Start staff. The Secretary shall document the increasing percentages of Head Start staff making 

progress toward these goals and compile and submit a summary of 

the reports to Congress. 

The committee strongly believes that continuing professional development is also an important element to improving the Head 

Start teaching workforce. Each Head Start teacher shall have at 

least 15 clock hours of professional development per year. Such 

professional development shall be high-quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting 

effect on classroom instruction. 

The committee believes that encouraging current Head Start 

staff to return to school is an important goal. If Head Start funds 

are used to provide financial assistance to pursue a degree in higher education, the Head Start employee must remain employed with 

Head Start for at least 3 years after receiving the degree or repay 

the total or prorated amount. 

The committee recognizes the importance of recruiting and retaining high quality teachers to the Head Start program and that 

successful recruitment and retention mechanisms include a myriad 

of incentives approaches. The committee views differential and 

merit based programs and scholarships as examples of such incentive programs. 

The committee understands that there are State and Federal student financial aid programs available to Head Start personnel to 

pursue higher education degrees. It is the committee’s intent that, 

to the extent possible, these sources of financial aid should be 

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accessed to assist Head Start personnel to meet the teacher quality 

and staff qualification requirements under this act. 

The committee’s primary objective is to improve outcomes for 

children in Head Start programs by strengthening the quality of 

the programs serving these children. According to NIEER, ‘‘teachers who have earned a BA are better equipped to provide high 

quality preschool education than are teachers with a 2 year degree 

(AA), Child Development Associate (CDA) certificate, or High 

School diploma (even when these teachers have had training in 

child development).’’ The committee understands that the goals set out in the legislation for the number of individuals with BA degrees may be challenging for certain grantees, States, and regions. The challenges in 

securing and maintaining teaching staff with advanced degrees is 

particularly acute for Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs, 

Indian Head Start programs, programs that require bilingual 

teaching staff, and rural grantees. The committee acknowledges 

that many of the challenges faced by these programs are systemic 

by virtue of how and where they operate and urges the Secretary 

to assist grantees in meeting these challenges. 

The committee also notes the challenge facing Indian Head Start 

programs which are often located in remote and isolated areas 

without access to post-secondary institutions. It is the committee’s 

hope, however, that these challenges can be addressed by additional access to distance education. The committee bill includes a 

provision to provide additional funding to Tribal Colleges and Universities. The committee intends for this funding to help the staff 

of Indian Head Start programs attend Tribal Colleges and Universities where such institutions exist to meet the teacher requirements of this legislation in a way that respects the traditional values of Native American tribes. 

Finally, the committee views the teacher development goals as 

important for all Head Start programs. However, in implementing 

the requirements of this section, the Secretary shall not impose 

penalties or sanctions on individual Head Start programs or staff 

in the Head Start monitoring process as a result of failing to meet 

the levels of teachers holding such credentials prescribed under 

this section. 

EARLY HEAD START

The science of early childhood education and development demonstrates that during the first 3 years of life, the brain undergoes 

its most dramatic development and children acquire the ability to 

think, speak, learn, and reason. According to many brain researchers, the development between the prenatal period and the first 

years of life is more extensive than previously thought and susceptible to long lasting early environmental influences (Moughty, 

2003). The groundbreaking report Starting Points: Meeting the 

Needs of Our Youngest Children states that ‘‘Babies raised by caring, attentive adults in safe, predictable environments are better 

learners than those raised with less attention in less secure settings.’’ (Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1994). 

The critical development which occurs during the first 3 years of 

a child’s life is well documented: all infants and toddlers need positive learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social, and 

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emotional development and to lay the foundation for later school 

success. Infants and toddlers living in high-risk environments need 

additional supports to promote their healthy growth and development. Disparities in children’s cognitive and social abilities become 

evident well before they enter Head Start or pre-kindergarten programs at age 4. 

The Early Head Start program minimizes these disparities and 

ensures that children enter school ready to learn. The National 

Evaluation of Early Head Start—a rigorous, large scale, randomassignment evaluation—concluded that the Early Head Start program is making a positive difference in areas associated with children’s success in school, family self-sufficiency, and parental support of child development. 

The committee believes that, given the importance of the early 

years for healthy brain development and the demonstrated effectiveness of the Early Head Start program, increasing the number 

of infants and toddlers served by Early Head Start is important for 

reducing the gap disadvantaged children face when they enter preschool. Accordingly, the committee has added amendments to expand the Early Head Start program which currently serves 3 percent of eligible children, increasing the current 10 percent set-aside 

of total Head Start appropriations to at least 20 percent by 2012. 

The committee provides for such increase, so long as these increases will not reduce services for preschool age children in the 

Head Start programs. 

The committee has also included provisions to allow programs to 

convert funds used for preschool age children to serve infants and 

toddlers under certain conditions and when a community needs assessment indicates that such a conversion is warranted. The committee is concerned that services provided as a result of this conversion be of the same high quality as those provided through existing Early Head Start programs, and therefore directs the Secretary to condition the approval of such conversions on ensuring 

that the eligibility criteria and standards required under section 

645A of the Head Start Act are met. 

Services for parents to support their role as parents are a critical 

component of the Early Head Start program. According to the NAS, 

considerable evidence supports the notion that programs that combine child-focused educational activities with explicit attention to 

parent-child interaction patterns and relationship building have 

the greatest impact for at-risk children. The National Evaluation 

of Early Head Start concluded that Early Head Start parents were 

more involved and provided more support for their child’s language 

development and learning than control group parents. This clearly 

shows that the two-generation focus is critical to the achievement 

and success of Early Head Start. 

The committee expects that Early Head Start programs will continue to offer required services to parents to support their role as 

parents and will continue to be responsible for the provision of 

services to parents that meet the Head Start Performance Standards. These services may continue to be provided either directly by 

the Early Head Start programs or through formal partnerships 

with community agencies. Early Head Start programs will continue 

to encourage parent participation in these services. 

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Because so many infants and toddlers are in the care of relatives, 

friends, or neighbors, the committee intends that Early Head Start 

programs provide home-based services to family child care homes 

and kith and kin caregivers caring for infants and toddlers who 

also participate in Early Head Start services. These home-based 

services will enhance the ability of kith and kin caregivers to provide continuity in supporting children’s physical, social, emotional, 

and intellectual development. The committee intends that Early 

Head Start should be able to implement successful models for kith 

and kin care emerging from HHS’ Enhanced Home Visiting Project. 

The committee also feels that while training and services may be 

provided directly to other caregivers when parents are unable to attend, services under this section should also continue to be provided to children’s immediate families. 

Given the changes in the committee bill to expand and enhance 

the Early Head Start program, the committee supports the maintenance of an Early Head Start director position within the Federal 

Office of Head Start, to provide leadership to all Early Head Start 

programs on essential issues of prenatal development, infant and 

toddler development, and Early Head Start programming. 

The committee also intends for Early Head Start programs and 

staff to continue to receive the ongoing training opportunities and 

technical assistance necessary from organizations with specialized 

expertise relating to infants, toddlers, and families. To sustain the 

positive outcomes and gains generated by Early Head Start, the 

committee believes that it is critical for Early Head Start programs 

to access a continuum of relevant training. Such organizations offer 

the demonstrated capacity needed to provide direction and support 

to the Head Start national and regional training and technical assistance system to better serve Early Head Start grantees. 

Further, it is critical that training for Early Head Start programs 

focus on the unique social and emotional development of infants 

and toddlers. Research demonstrates that attending to the social 

and emotional development of very young children is just as important as attending to components of linguistic and cognitive competence and is essential to children’s overall functioning, their ability to form and maintain relationships, their ability to learn, and 

their future success in school and life. 

DESIGNATION AND COMPETITION OF HEAD START AGENCIES

It is the committee’s intent with this bill to improve the accountability, quality, and outcomes of Head Start programs for children 

and their families. This goal is accomplished in two ways: (1) by 

ensuring that the funding for those grantees with significant or recurring deficiencies is suspended or terminated; and (2) by assisting grantees in improving their performance through training and 

technical assistance. 

All grantees, even those with priority designation, are required 

to submit an application for funding every 5 years. For initial designation as a Head Start grantee, an entity must demonstrate the 

power, authority, and capability to administer a Head Start program and shall establish program goals for improving the school 

readiness of Head Start children. Current grantees that are eligible 

to apply are those that have met or are making progress toward 

meeting program goals, the Head Start performance standards, and 

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the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework. However, only those 

high-performing grantees that are currently receiving funding, 

have met or exceeded program and financial requirements, have no 

unresolved deficiencies, and can demonstrate active collaboration 

with other State or local providers of services to children, are eligible to receive priority designation. The committee believes expanding the universe of organizations eligible to compete and operate 

Head Start programs may result in improved program performance 

and stronger Head Start programs overall. The committee recognizes that all grantees, even high-performing grantees, and ultimately the children will benefit from ongoing, continuous improvement of the program. 

The committee understands the significance of a priority designation for grantees in the open competition process. Therefore, language in the bill clearly defines what constitutes a deficiency and 

an area of unresolved noncompliance. A deficiency is defined as a 

systemic or substantial material failure of an agency in an area of 

performance that the Secretary determines involves a threat to the 

health, safety, or civil rights of children or staff; a denial to parents 

to exercise their full roles and responsibilities related to program 

operations; a failure to comply with standards related to early 

childhood development and health services, family and community 

partnerships, or program design and management; the misuse of 

Head Start funds; loss of legal status or financial viability, loss of 

permits, debarment from receiving Federal grants or contracts, or 

the improper use of Federal funds; or the failure to meet any other 

Federal or State requirement that the agency has shown an unwillingness or inability to correct after notice from the Secretary. 

An agency can also be deemed deficient by a systemic failure of 

the board of directors, if it fails to fully exercise its legal and fiduciary responsibilities; a substantial failure of an agency to meet the 

administrative requirements; or having an area of unresolved noncompliance. In addition, an agency may be deemed deficient for a 

failure to demonstrate that it has attempted to meet the coordination and collaboration requirements with other entities providing 

early childhood programs and services. By using the term ‘‘systemic’’ or ‘‘substantial in nature’’, a deficiency is reserved for serious failure to conform to Head Start performance standards. 

The committee was very concerned with some of the findings of 

the GAO’s February 28, 2005, report entitled Head Start: Comprehensive Approach to Identifying and Addressing Risks Could 

Help Prevent Grantee Financial Management Weaknesses. This report determined that 53 percent of grantees identified with noncompliance were again cited for noncompliance in their next reviews. 

The committee recognizes that a noncompliance is not the same 

level of severity as a deficiency. However, it is unsatisfactory to the 

committee that programs failed to correct a noncompliance finding 

in a timely manner. The committee defined the term ‘‘unresolved 

area of noncompliance’’ as a failure of a program to correct a noncompliance within 120 days or within additional time as authorized 

by the Secretary. A program failing to resolve an area of noncompliance within 120 days will be deemed deficient. 

The committee recognizes that some noncompliance findings are 

procedural in nature and as such cannot be ‘‘undone.’’ In these 

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cases, the committee expects that resolution of the noncompliance 

finding will involve the implementation of policies and procedures 

that will ensure future compliance with the Head Start statute and 

regulations. 

All grantees with a current deficiency will be subject to an open 

competition without priority designation. Any eligible grantee that 

has had a deficiency is encouraged to compete for designation. If 

a Head Start agency resolves deficiencies and areas of noncompliance within the timeframe of the quality improvement plan, such 

agencies shall be redesignated. The committee also expects that the 

current practice of self-certification regarding the resolution of findings of noncompliance will be continued. 

The committee anticipates high-performing grantees will be 

awarded a subsequent grant for 5 years and remain Head Start 

grantees because consistency is very important for the Head Start 

program, especially for the children served by these grants. The 

committee also recognizes that many Head Start grantees are 

doing a very good job administering their grants. In the case of Indian Head Start programs, the committee intends that any grant 

awarded for these purposes will go to an Indian Head Start grantee. In the event that an eligible Indian Head Start grantee is not 

available, children shall continue to receive services until an Indian 

Head Start grantee becomes available and designated. 

HEAD START PERFORMANCE STANDARDS, EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

AND MEASURES

As a National laboratory for early childhood development, the 

Head Start program has always been concerned with the quality of 

its programs and its effects on children and families. Head Start 

performance standards are critical to maintaining the highest quality of services in Head Start centers. Such standards include mandatory regulations for Head Start grantees and prescribe the characteristics of a quality Head Start program. Beyond defining the 

process for providing services to children in the program, the Head 

Start Program Performance Standards guarantee comprehensive 

services such as immunizations, health services, nutrition, education, and the involvement of parent programs. The committee 

recognizes that the gains in development and school readiness outcomes made by Head Start children are closely associated with 

Head Start performance standards. 

The committee bill makes several additions to Head Start educational performance standards to ensure that such standards reflect the following essential areas of child development: language 

skills related to listening, understanding, speaking, and communicating; pre-literacy knowledge and skills; pre-mathematics knowledge and skills; scientific abilities; social and emotional development; physical development; and general cognitive abilities related 

to development and achievement. The committee views each of 

these areas as critical to the later academic success of Head Start 

children in school and directs the Secretary to adopt these additional educational standards for Head Start programs, consistent 

with findings of the forthcoming report by the NAS Panel on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children. 

In 1995, Head Start joined efforts throughout the Federal Government to develop performance measures to promote accountmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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ability through the assessment of program quality and outcomes. 

These performance measures have assisted efforts by Head Start 

agencies to shift focus from process to outcomes and results-oriented evaluation in accordance with the Government Performance 

and Results Act of 1993 (P.L. 103–620), the recommendations of 

the 1993 Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality and Expansion, and the mandate of Section 641A(b) of the 1994 Reauthorization of the Head Start Act. 

The performance measures developed in response to enhanced 

educational focus are providing methods and procedures for assessing, annually and over long periods, the quality and effectiveness 

of programs operated by Head Start agencies. The committee bill 

directs the Secretary to ensure that these measures assess characteristics that are strongly predictive of children’s readiness for and 

later performance in school and intends for such measures to be 

updated periodically based on advances in the science of early 

childhood development. The committee views these measures as essential to promoting the success and assisting in the continual improvement of Head Start programs. 

TRANSITION

Successful transition from preschool into the K–12 education system is one of Head Start’s primary objectives. The committee has 

long recognized that transition activities are a partnership in 

which the Head Start agency and local educational agencies must 

cooperate; therefore, compatible transition requirements are outlined both in the Head Start statute and in the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act. 

Previously, the committee provided a set-aside to fund 31 demonstration projects designed to identify and replicate best practices 

for extending a Head Start-like model of comprehensive services 

into kindergarten and the first three grades of elementary school, 

thereby facilitating the transition of Head Start children into their 

local school systems. Based on the success of this initiative, two information memos were disseminated to all Head Start grantees 

that shared project results from successful demonstration projects. 

In addition, three training guides have been developed and numerous training opportunities made available to assist grantees in incorporating best practices identified by this effort. 

These demonstration projects were discontinued in fiscal year 

1996 consistent with the terms of their original awards. However, 

the committee feels strongly that effective transition activities 

should be an integral part of every Head Start program. 

The committee commends the Administration’s efforts to foster 

an environment in which transition activities are integrated into 

program operations in a manner similar to each of the other vital 

services provided to families. It is the committee’s intent that those 

efforts continue and that grantees be provided continued training 

and technical assistance to make that goal a reality. 

ACCOUNTABILITY

The committee recognizes that, according to the latest monitoring 

report issued by HHS, the majority of current Head Start grantees 

are providing quality services. However, there are some grantees 

that are not fulfilling their obligation to ensure that our Nation’s 

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neediest children enter school with the skills and knowledge they 

need to succeed. Over the past 10 years HHS has terminated 170 

Head Start grantees. 

The committee believes that HHS should continue to improve the 

current Head Start monitoring system to ensure that programs are 

consistently delivering the level of high-quality services necessary 

for children to advance in all areas of development. Evidence that 

program quality varies greatly is a concern of Congress and of 

high-performing grantees that are negatively affected by the poor 

quality of lower-performing grantees. It is the committee’s view 

that the scheduled triennial review process, coupled with an automatic renewal of grants on an annual basis, does not provide adequate assurances to the Congress and the public about the quality 

of Head Start program operations. Therefore, the committee bill requires that grantees develop annual program goals and demonstrate that they have met or are making progress toward meeting these goals as a condition of receiving priority in designation 

of their Head Start grant. All grantees are required to reapply 

every 5 years consistent with the terms for financial assistance 

under the Head Start for School Readiness Act. 

GOVERNANCE

The committee believes that Head Start agencies need strong 

governance structures to ensure fiscal and legal compliance as well 

as strong program operations and oversight. Under current Head 

Start regulations, the Governing Body has fiscal and legal liability 

for Head Start programs. The committee believes that by establishing the roles and responsibilities of the Governing Body in the 

Head Start statute, the structure of grantees will be strengthened 

and clarified. Policy Councils do not currently have fiscal and legal 

liability, and the committee agrees that they are not the appropriate entity for such responsibilities. The Head Start for School 

Readiness Act takes a number of steps to ensure that Head Start 

agency has a Governing Body that is actively engaged and can provide more effective oversight, which the committee believes is an 

important role given their fiscal and legal responsibility and liability for the program. 

The bill makes additional requirements regarding the composition of the Governing Body. The Governing Body must reflect the 

community being served and include at least one person with experience in fiscal management, at least one person with experience 

in early childhood development, and a licensed attorney with experience in matters that come before the Governing Body. The Governing Body must also include at least one individual with knowledge of the Head Start program and its performance standards. In 

the event that individuals with such experience are not serving on 

the Governing Body, the Governing Body is encouraged to obtain 

assistance in these areas from consultants. The committee also intends that public agencies operating Head Start programs be permitted to make use of existing employees who have such expertise. 

The committee also requires that no member of the Governing 

Body have a conflict of interest with the Head Start agency or delegate agencies and that no member of the Governing Body receive 

compensation for his or her participation as a member. 

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The committee also encourages parents and others in the community in which Head Start operates to actively serve on the Governing Body. 

The committee believes that the Governing Body is responsible 

for developing internal controls to safeguard Federal funds and to 

comply with all applicable laws and regulations. The Governing 

Body’s role is to establish policies and procedures to detect or prevent program noncompliance. Together with the Policy Council, the 

Governing Body must develop procedures to facilitate meaningful 

consultation and collaboration between the two entities. 

By strengthening the role of the Governing Body in Head Start 

programs, the committee by no means is abolishing the Policy 

Councils and intends for Policy Councils to continue in their role 

and capacity of support for quality Head Start programs. Parents 

have long played a key and central role in the operations of Head 

Start programs. The committee is clear in its intent by requiring 

the Governing Body to consult and collaborate with the Policy 

Council in the areas set forth in the act, as well as for the Policy 

Council to have its own appropriate roles and responsibilities. The 

committee expects the Governing Body to consult and collaborate 

with the Policy Council and has prescribed impasse procedures for 

when the Governing Body and the Policy Council disagree, in order 

to resolve such disputes. 

As with the Governing Body, the committee believes it is important to strengthen and clarify the role of the Policy Council for 

Head Start agencies. The committee is clear that the majority of 

the members of the Policy Council shall be parents of children who 

are currently enrolled in Head Start and who are elected by parents of currently enrolled children. The remainder of the Policy 

Council shall consist of members of the community which the Head 

Start agency or delegate agencies serve, which could include parents of children who were previously served by the Head Start 

agency. The committee is clear that individuals serving on the Policy Council shall not have a conflict of interest or be compensated 

to serve on the council. 

The committee intends that the Policy Council will be responsible 

for program planning, including program design and recruitment 

and budget planning. The Policy Council will also be responsible 

for program operation and programs that support parent involvement. 

To facilitate oversight and Head Start agency accountability, the 

Governing Body shall receive regular and accurate information 

from the Head Start agency about program planning, policies and 

operations, including Program Information Reports (PIR) and audit 

reports. 

The committee intends for training and technical assistance to be 

provided to the members of the Governing Body and Policy Council, 

if appropriate, to ensure that they understand their oversight responsibilities and can effectively oversee the programs. 

The committee also requires each delegate agency to establish a 

policy committee. Each policy committee will be comprised of members from the community the agency serves, including parents of 

children who are currently enrolled at the agency. The purpose of 

each policy committee is to serve in an advisory capacity to the delmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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egate agency for the purposes of program planning and operation 

and parent involvement. 

OVERSIGHT AND MONITORING

The committee believes that oversight by the Secretary of HHS 

is an important factor in ensuring that Head Start grantees meet 

the guidelines established for their program. Appropriate oversight 

ensures that program effectiveness can be assessed and measured, 

that only qualified programs continue to receive Federal funding, 

and that inefficient or abusive use of Federal funds is halted. 

The committee intends for Head Start programs to continue to 

address all domains of child development while addressing specific 

educational outcomes necessary for children to enter school ready 

to learn. The committee bill adds educational standards, based on 

the recommendations of the NAS to ensure that Head Start curricula meet appropriate criteria and children show progress toward 

meeting educational outcomes related to all of the domains of child 

development. The additional educational standards relate to language skills, pre-literacy knowledge and skills, pre-mathematics 

knowledge and skills, scientific abilities, and general cognitive 

abilities. Furthermore, the committee bill emphasizes the social 

and emotional development and physical development of Head 

Start children as they relate to early learning and school success. 

In the case of LEP children, the committee also adds standards related to progress toward acquiring the English language. 

The committee clarifies the standards related to facilities for 

Head Start programs in relation to compliance with State and local 

licensing and other requirements and accessibility by State and 

local authorities for monitoring such compliance. 

The committee believes that in developing standards the Secretary must consult with experts regarding promising practices in 

early childhood education and development in relation to all aspects of Head Start services. In addition, the Secretary shall consider demographic changes and unique challenges facing Head 

Start agencies such as changes in family structure or language 

background, children with disabilities, children in foster care, 

homeless children, and children in rural areas who may be served 

by the seasonal programs when developing standards for Head 

Start agencies. 

Many Head Start grantees or agencies oversee delegate agencies 

for which they are ultimately responsible. The committee bill requires that each Head Start agency establish procedures for evaluating delegate agencies, informing them of any deficiencies, remedies to ensure corrective action including defunding delegate agencies, and a process for delegates to appeal defunding decisions. An 

agency may initiate monitoring visits or pursue other actions until 

deficiencies are corrected, but may not terminate a delegate agency’s contract without showing cause. 

At least once every 3 years, each Head Start and Early Head 

Start agency receives a comprehensive on-site review by HHS. 

These monitoring reviews play a vital role in assuring that Head 

Start agencies are providing high-quality services. The committee 

intends that reviews reflect an assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the program, as well as how well the program has addressed family and community needs. 

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The PRISM monitoring of Head Start grantees undertaken by 

HHS is critical to realizing the goals of adequate oversight of the 

program. The committee believes that the PRISM reviews need to 

be conducted, to the greatest extent possible, in a consistent and 

reliable manner. It is the committee’s intent that the conduct of 

such reviews of Head Start grantees provide for greater consistency 

across all variables such as time, reviewers, and geographical location. 

The committee recognizes that the monitoring process has consequences associated with it. In order to ensure the integrity of the 

monitoring process by HHS, the committee has added provisions 

regarding inter-rater reliability, which means the extent to which 

two or more independent reviewers consistently obtain the same result when using the same assessment. 

The committee believes employees of HHS should, to the extent 

practicable, continue to be included on teams sent out to monitor 

and evaluate Head Start programs. Additional members of the review team shall also include individuals knowledgeable about Head 

Start and other early childhood programs. The committee bill establishes provisions for training of supervisors and members of review teams to ensure the quality and consistency of the review 

process. 

Due to strong concerns about the health and safety of children 

in Head Start programs, the committee requires unannounced site 

inspections of Head Start Centers for health and safety reasons 

and prompt follow-up reviews for agencies with findings of deficiencies. The committee clearly articulates the definition of a deficiency and describes the serious violations of health and safety, 

legal and fiscal standards, or program failures that are considered 

a deficiency. The monitoring process allows for programs to correct 

areas of noncompliance with program standards and if uncorrected 

to become a deficiency. 

The committee bill allows programs time to correct deficiencies 

and stipulates that only programs with unresolved deficiencies will 

be subject to recompetition. The Secretary shall provide technical 

assistance to programs found to have a deficiency. The reports on 

the findings and the plans for correcting deficiencies shall be made 

available to the public. 

The committee believes that the self-assessment is an essential 

tool for program improvement. Therefore, each Head Start agency 

is required to conduct a comprehensive self-assessment annually in 

consultation with the policy council (and, if applicable, the policy 

committee), and community members in order to assess progress in 

meeting program goals and objectives and complying with Head 

Start program performance standards. The findings, including program strengths and weaknesses, shall be reported to the governing 

structures of the program and the HHS regional office. Each agency shall also develop an improvement plan to strengthen any areas 

of weakness identified in the assessment and establish procedures 

for the ongoing monitoring of their programs. Training and technical assistance funds may be used to assist agencies in conducting 

self-assessments. 

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UNDER-ENROLLMENT

As a general requirement of the Head Start Act, agencies are expected to fully meet their funded enrollment and to maintain a 

waiting list. However, it has come to the committee’s attention that 

some Head Start grantees have experienced problems achieving 

and maintaining their full funded enrollment while others experience shortfalls in their capacity to provide or maintain services to 

eligible children. The committee recognizes the existing efforts by 

the Secretary to address this issue in regulation, yet believes a 

statutory approach to addressing under-enrollment is warranted 

given the significance of the issue. 

The committee bill has been carefully drafted to provide for 

shared accountability in addressing issues of enrollment of Head 

Start children. The bill requires each Head Start program to report 

on a monthly basis to the Secretary a figure which reflects the program’s actual enrollment, including a description of an enrollment 

shortfall if such actual enrollment is less than the funded enrollment prescribed by the grant held by the Head Start agency. The 

bill also requires the Secretary on a semi-annual basis to determine 

which Head Start agencies are under-enrolled, and directs the 

agency, in collaboration with the Secretary, to provide for a plan 

and timetable in which to address issues of under-enrollment in 

agencies operating with less than 95 percent of enrollment. 

In reviewing enrollment data, the committee bill directs the Secretary to take into consideration the quality and extent of outreach, 

recruitment, and community needs assessments, changing demographics, mobility of populations, and the identification of new underserved low-income populations; facilities related issues that may 

affect enrollment; the ability to provide full-day programs, where 

needed, through Head Start funds or through collaboration with 

other funds or programs; the availability and use by families of 

other preschool and child care options, including parental care, in 

the local area; and agency management procedures that may affect 

efficient enrollment. Agencies identified by the Secretary shall be 

provided timely and on-going technical assistance to reduce underenrollment, but are considered to be out of compliance immediately. 

Upon receipt of technical assistance, the Head Start agency will 

implement its plan to address under-enrollment. If after 9 months, 

a Head Start agency is still operating with an actual enrollment 

that is less than 95 percent of the agency’s funded enrollment, the 

Secretary may designate such agency as chronically under-enrolled 

and recapture, withhold, or reduce the base grant by a percentage 

equal to the percentage difference between funded and actual enrollment for the most recent year in which the agency is determined to be under-enrolled. In such cases, the Secretary shall use 

funds recovered from the grantee to distribute to other Head Start 

agencies within the State prepared to increase enrollment in their 

respective programs. 

If the Secretary, after implementation of the plan, finds that the 

causes of under-enrollment are beyond the agency’s control; the 

shortfall can reasonably be expected to be temporary; or the number of slots allotted to the agency is small enough that under-enrollment does not constitute a significant shortfall, the Secretary 

may waive or reduce the percentage reductions in the base grant. 

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FINANCIAL AUDITS

In addition to conducting on-site inspections, regional HHS staff 

also monitor grantees’ compliance with regulations by annually reviewing their financial audit reports. Auditors may select and review samples of financial transactions to determine whether a 

grantee has followed established procedures and program regulations. If a grantee administers more than one Federal grant, as is 

often the case with large nonprofit agencies, school districts, and 

municipalities, relatively small grants may not be reviewed in 

much detail. 

In addition to a lack of detail, financial audit reports may not 

provide timely information for monitoring current grantee operations. Grantees have 9 months to submit financial audit reports 

for any given year. It may take several additional months before 

officials in the HHS Office of Inspector General review the audit 

report, summarize the findings, and submit the findings to the appropriate regional officials. Grantees that are classified as ‘‘high 

risk’’ do not face termination of their funding unless they are also 

classified as deficient, which usually involves an on-site inspection. 

As a result, HHS may wait up to 3 years until the next regularly 

scheduled triennial inspection before it classifies a high-risk grantee as deficient and requires it to develop a quality improvement 

plan and face possible termination from the program. 

The committee is very concerned about this process and has 

therefore added to the bill a requirement that the Secretary conduct an annual review of grantee financial status. The committee 

believes grantees must be accountable for their financial management and requires each center to maintain and submit a complete 

accounting of its administrative expenses, including salaries and 

compensation, to the Secretary. 

COMBAT PAY INELIGIBILITY

The committee feels strongly that as our soldiers are overseas 

fighting to defend our freedom, it is our responsibility to look out 

for their children and families. When soldiers receive combat pay 

because they are working in dangerous situations, this extra income should not adversely affect their family’s eligibility for programs such as Head Start. During the 108th Congress, the Subcommittee on Children and Families held a series of joint hearings 

with the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel on issues affecting military families. The committee included language to address the problem of soldiers not being able to access certain benefits, such as Head Start, due to income ineligibility when such parents receive combat pay. This language is intended to ensure that 

families in the military receiving combat pay and who would otherwise be eligible for Head Start would not be deemed ineligible because of that income supplement. 

DELEGATE AGENCIES

This legislation includes language that would strengthen the 

ability of Head Start grantees to defund delegate agencies that 

have serious deficiencies. Head Start grantees, in addition to the 

oversight already conducted by the Secretary, are asked to clearly 

define procedures for defunding a seriously deficient program as 

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well as that program’s appeals process. It is the intent of the committee that such procedures be fair to all parties but not unduly 

cumbersome or time-consuming. 

Grantees are expected to clearly define their procedures for evaluating delegate agencies to minimize the circumstances that would 

necessitate defunding and ensure that all of their delegate agencies 

are held accountable for performance and successfully address any 

deficiencies in a timely manner. 

Any delegate agency found seriously deficient must be notified of 

the possibility of termination. During the notice period, monthly 

monitoring visits and technical assistance may be provided by the 

Head Start grantee. The grantee could also elect to release funds 

on a reimbursement basis instead of in advance, particularly in the 

event of questionable fiscal practices by the delegate agency. After 

a reasonable notice period, if deficiencies are not corrected, termination will take effect. The grantee is then responsible for ensuring 

the continuity of Head Start services for the children and families 

affected. 

CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE

The committee bill includes the Centers of Excellence in Early 

Childhood as a separately authorized program to recognize outstanding performance and promote the successes of effective Head 

Start programs so that other Head Start programs, and others, can 

learn from their peers. 

The committee supports the underlying goal of giving grants to 

Head Start programs that are exemplary and leveraging excellent 

programs to model best practices so that other programs can 

achieve excellence. The legislation authorizes the Governors to 

nominate and the Secretary of HHS to create a nationwide network 

of 200 Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood built around exemplary Head Start programs. 

All Head Start centers need to excel in school readiness, accountability, and coordination of services; improving the performance of 

all centers in these areas is the focus of this legislation. States 

have primary responsibility for setting standards for and funding 

public education. A child who arrives at school too far behind the 

starting line may never catch up. In addition, the State is in the 

best position to help coordinate the variety of public and private 

programs that have been created since Head Start was established. 

In order to increase coordination between Head Start and the public school system and other State-run social service programs, such 

as Medicaid and the Child Care and Development Block Grant 

(CCDBG) program, centers that have the potential to drive effective collaboration within their State would be nominated by their 

Governor. 

The Secretary of HHS would select 146 Centers of Excellence 

from among nominations submitted by the Governors. The Secretary would name an additional 54 centers, so that there is at 

least one Center of Excellence in each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It is also the committee’s intent that one or 

more Indian Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs will be recognized as Centers of Excellence. The bill permits 

exemplary Indian Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal 

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Head Start programs to be nominated by their respective regional 

office (region 11 and region 12) instead of by a State Governor. 

In addition, it is the committee’s intent that Governors are encouraged to look to Head Start centers offering Early Head Start 

programs. The significance of years 0–3 in child development is 

now widely understood, and it is important for Centers of Excellence to be able to encourage best practices in serving the very 

young. 

When making bonus grants, the Secretary shall give a priority 

to programs that demonstrate that they are of exceptional quality 

and would serve as exemplary models for programs in their geographic region. The Secretary may also consider the population 

served by the applicant, especially if they are serving an underserved population. Programs that have a record of doing an exceptional job of serving underserved populations should be given this 

priority as well. 

Head Start programs identified as Centers of Excellence would 

receive a Federal bonus grant of at least $200,000 and up to 

$500,000 in each of 5 years (in addition to its base funding). It is 

the committee’s intent that bonus grant funding for the Centers 

would vary depending on the number of children served at a Center of Excellence. It is the hope of the committee that as we continue to work through the legislative process and when new money 

is available some of this money will be designated for the Centers 

of Excellence. 

The Centers of Excellence bonus grants will be used for centers 

to: 

1. work in their community to model the best of what Head Start 

can do for at-risk children and families, including getting those 

children ready for school and ready for academic success; 

2. coordinate all early childhood services in their community; 

3. offer training and support to all professionals working with atrisk children; 

4. track these families and ensure seamless continuity of services 

from birth to age 8, with an emphasis on working in partnership 

with public schools to ensure that Head Start children succeed in 

school; 

5. become models of excellence by all performance measures and 

be willing to be held accountable for good outcomes for our most 

disadvantaged children; and 

6. have the flexibility to serve additional Head Start or Early 

Head Start children or provide more full-day services to better 

meet the needs of working parents. 

The committee intends that a Center of Excellence that uses its 

bonus grant for activities related to infants and toddlers must demonstrate existing expertise in providing services to this age group. 

The developmental needs of infants and toddlers are unique and 

require teachers that have knowledge of infant and toddler development. 

The committee has included Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and Indian Head Start programs as participants 

in the Centers of Excellence Program. The committee feels that all 

Head Start programs could benefit greatly by the exemplary practices modeled in Early Head Start programs for infants and todmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

40 

dlers, as well as practices tailored to the needs of children in Indian, Migrant, and Seasonal Head Start programs. 

FUNDING

The committee bill authorizes the Head Start program at $7.350 billion for fiscal year 2008, $7.650 billion for fiscal year 2009, 

$7.995 billion for fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2011 and 2012. The committee’s incremental 

increases in the authorization level of the Head Start program affirms a commitment to improving and enhancing program quality 

while also reasonably expanding the program to reach additional 

eligible children and families living in poverty. 

The committee bill provides any remaining funds after maintaining required reservations in Section 640 and adjusting current 

Head Start programs for inflation shall be used for quality improvement funds. In fiscal year 2006, 30 percent of such funds 

shall be used for quality improvement activities and 40 percent 

shall be used for each fiscal year 2007 through 2010 for these purposes. The committee intends the remaining percentages be used 

for program expansion grants. 

In allocating expansion funds, the committee recognizes the apparent discrepancy in the allocation of Head Start dollars among 

the States and takes affirmative steps to address this policy. The 

change in the committee bill responds to the inclusion of a 1978 

hold harmless provision that—since recent shifts in demographics 

and poverty—has resulted in a disparity in the allocation of resources to high-growth States, despite past increases in Head Start 

appropriations. 

In order to begin to remedy this situation, the Committee has included the requirement that 65 percent of new program expansion 

funds for Head Start would be allocated to those States serving less 

than 60 percent of Head Start eligible children, ages 3 or 4, living 

below the poverty line. In establishing this policy, the committee 

intends for the Secretary to prioritize funding to the 30 States adversely affected by the 1978 hold harmless provision. The remaining 35 percent of expansion funds shall be allocated among all 

States, based upon their relative share of Head Start eligible children less than 5 years of age living below the poverty line. The 

committee acknowledges these policy changes as only an initial 

step toward addressing the funding discrepancies between States 

in the Head Start program. 

PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS

The committee recognizes that children from some low-income 

families earning a little above the Federal poverty level would benefit from Head Start services are not able to participate in the program because they are not income eligible. Furthermore, the high 

cost of living in many States indicates that even those slightly 

above the federal poverty level still require assistance. The committee felt it was important to retain the 100 percent Federal Poverty level in determining the formula allocation to States under the 

Head Start Program. However, the committee has raised the eligibility level from 100 percent to 130 percent of the Federal poverty 

level consistent with eligibility for the free school lunch, school 

breakfast, and special milk programs. The committee intends for 

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such policy to help families, whose incomes may increase as they 

move from welfare to work or attain better employment, to continue to access the Head Start program and to provide additional 

opportunities for participation of low-income working families in 

Head Start programs. The 130 percent eligibility level would not 

count toward the 10 percent of over-income children served by programs under current law. The committee does not intend that the 

130 percent be taken into account when determining eligible children for the purpose of the formula or allotment of funds. The committee intends for programs to first serve families at 100 percent 

of the Federal poverty level and to give programs to serve families 

with incomes of up to 130 percent, if they have sought to serve all 

families with incomes below that level. 

The committee also recognizes the particular needs of homeless 

children and deems homeless children categorically eligible for 

Head Start services. The needs of military families are also recognized and the bill clarifies that special pay for housing for any 

member of the uniformed services shall not be considered income 

for purposes of eligibility. 

The committee believes that Head Start agencies should have 

flexibility to respond to changing community needs. For this reason, Head Start agencies are permitted to apply to the Secretary 

to convert part-day sessions to full-day sessions and to use grant 

funds to serve additional infants and toddlers, consistent with rules 

and standards for Early Head Start. The communitywide needs assessment which programs currently conduct shall be used to determine eligibility for such conversions. 

MIGRANT AND SEASONAL HEAD START PROGRAMS AND INDIAN HEAD

START PROGRAMS

The committee has included several provisions to improve access 

to Head Start services by children of migrant and seasonal farm 

workers, as well as by Indian children. 

According to a study conducted by HHS in 2001, the Migrant and 

Seasonal Head Start programs have consistently received less than 

4 percent of the Head Start annual appropriation, enabling them 

to serve only 19 percent of eligible migrant and seasonal children, 

compared to 50 percent of the eligible population served by the regular Head Start program. The current Migrant and Seasonal Head 

Start Program at present serves nearly 37,000 migrant children 

and nearly 2,500 seasonal children annually, operating in 40 

States. 

Indian Head Start programs serve over 23,000 children each 

year; however, that number represents only 16 percent of eligible 

children. Only 188 of the federally recognized tribes have Head 

Start programs. The committee recognizes the need to expand services to additional eligible children. In addition, the committee bill 

requires the Secretary to engage in meaningful consultation and 

data collection related to the Indian Head Start programs. The 

committee bill directs the Secretary to consult with Indian tribes, 

American Indian and Alaska Native experts in early childhood development, and related organizations in reviewing and promulgating program standards and measures. 

The Committee has taken steps to address this issue by directing 

the Secretary to allocate not less than 5 percent of the funds remstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

42 

served under Section 640a(2) to Migrant and Seasonal Head Start 

programs. The committee has also directed the Secretary to allocate not less than 4 percent of the reserved funds to Indian Head 

Start programs. The committee intends that the Secretary shall not 

use funds appropriated under this subchapter to create additional 

slots or services in non-Indian or non-migrant and seasonal programs until the 4 and 5 percent allocations are achieved. The committee ensures that additional funding for these programs does not 

reduce the number of children served in existing Head Start programs. The committee further intends that funding increases allow 

current programs to expand the number of children served, as well 

as establish new programs in areas that lack services to these populations of children. 

HHS has not collected data on the demand and availability of 

Head Start services for migrant and seasonal families since the 

aforementioned 2001 study. Therefore, the committee bill directs 

the Secretary to work with the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start 

community to develop a system that on an ongoing basis can adequately account for the number of seasonal and migrant children 

who are eligible for Head Start and determine how many of these 

eligible children are receiving services. The bill also directs the Secretary to work with the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start community and other public and private stakeholders to identify the barriers that prevent eligible children from accessing services. In addition, the Secretary is called upon to develop a system through 

which Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs can effectively 

work with children and their families to track health records and 

educational documents as a child moves from State to State. 

TRANSPORTATION

The committee requires the Secretary to improve the safety and 

security of Head Start children that use Head Start transportation 

to get to the program. When a Head Start agency develops a contract with a provider of transportation services, the Committee requires that the contract include requirements for background 

checks for individuals employed by the company. Head Start children are young and vulnerable and we must ensure their safety. 

The committee has been made aware of difficulty in at least one 

State in complying with safety requirements for the transportation 

of Head Start students that were initially promulgated by Secretary Donna Shalala on January 18, 2001. The committee provides an additional two years for Head Start grantees to come into 

compliance with safety requirements for transportation of Head 

Start students if their currently owned and operated vehicles do 

not meet the necessary and appropriate requirements for a rear 

emergency door. While the committee recognizes the validity and 

necessity of those requirements, it is apparent that a few grantees 

have not been able to meet those standards and need more time 

to do so. The committee does not provide any additional authority 

for new, leased, rented, or manufactured vehicles that fail to meet 

the rear emergency door requirements to be used to transport Head 

Start children. The Committee intends this to be the final waiver 

authorized by Congress on this issue and will not support any efforts to extend this waiver again. 

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The committee also orders the Secretary to modify Head Start 

regulations, as appropriate and necessary, to reflect the findings of 

the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and its currently pending study on Federal seat spacing requirements and child restraint 

systems. If the FTA finds that its current standards can be modified and that small, vulnerable children can be allowed to be transported in different alternative vehicles with appropriate child restraint systems, the Secretary shall modify their regulations on 

this issue. However, if the FTA finds that its current standards are 

appropriate and necessary for the safety and welfare of small children, the Secretary shall not modify the regulations, and all Head 

Start grantees will immediately comply with the regulations regarding the transportation of Head Start children. 

V. COST ESTIMATE

S. 556—Head Start for School Readiness Act 

Summary: S. 556 would reauthorize the Head Start program 

through 2012 and authorize two new, related grant programs. 

Head Start was authorized through 2003 by the Coats Human 

Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–285) and has 

since been extended through annual appropriation acts. 

CBO estimates that the bill would authorize additional appro- priations of $6.1 billion in 2008 and $38.6 billion over the 2008– 2012 period, assuming that annual authorizations are adjusted for 

inflation when specific annual appropriation levels are not provided. (Without such inflation adjustments, the authorizations 

would total about $38.1 billion over the 2008–2012 period.) CBO estimates that appropriation of the authorized levels would result in 

additional outlays of $34.5 billion over the 2008–2012 period, as- suming annual adjustments for inflation (and about $34.2 billion 

without adjustments for inflation). Enacting S. 556 would not affect 

direct spending or receipts. 

S. 556 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). Any 

costs to state, local, or tribal governments would result from complying with conditions for receiving federal assistance. 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of S. 556 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services). 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Head Start Spending Under Current Law: 

Budget Authority 1 ............................................................... 6,889 1,389 0 0 0 0 

Estimated Outlays ............................................................... 6,846 3,751 761 97 14 0 

Proposed Changes: 

Head Start: 

Estimated Authorization Level .................................... 0 5,961 7,650 7,995 8,147 8,307 

Estimated Outlays ...................................................... 0 3,398 6,745 7,736 8,054 8,230 

Bonus Grants to Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood: 

Authorization Level ..................................................... 0 90 90 90 90 90 

Estimated Outlays ...................................................... 0 5 51 87 89 90 

Administrative Costs of Centers of Excellence in Early 

Childhood: 

Authorization Level ..................................................... 0 1 1 1 1 1 

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By fiscal year, in millions of dollars—

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

Estimated Outlays ...................................................... 0 * * * * 1 

Research Activities for Centers for Excellence in Early 

Childhood: 

Authorization Level ..................................................... 0 2 2 2 2 2 

Estimated Outlays ...................................................... 0 * 1 2 2 2 

Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership: 

Estimated Authorization Level .................................... 0 10 10 10 11 11 

Estimated Outlays ...................................................... 0 1 8 10 10 10 

Total Proposed Changes: 

Estimated Authorization Level ........................... 0 6,064 7,753 8,098 8,250 8,410 

Estimated Outlays ............................................. 0 3,403 6,806 7,836 8,156 8,333 

Total Spending Under S. 556: 

Estimated Authorization Level ............................................. 6,889 7,453 7,753 8,098 8,250 8,410 

Estimated Outlays ............................................................... 6,846 7,155 7,567 7,932 8,170 8,333 

1 The 2007 level is the amount appropriated for the Head Start program, including an advance of $1.389 billion for the 2006–2007 academic year. The 2008 level is the amount appropriated in an advance appropriation for the 2007–2008 academic year. 

Notes.—Components may not sum to totals because of rounding. * = less than $500,000. 

Basis of estimate: S. 556 would reauthorize the Head Start program through 2012. The program is currently authorized through 

September 30, 2007, by the Revised Continuing Appropriations 

Resolution, 2007 (Public Law 110–5). For this estimate, CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted before the start of fiscal year 

2008, that the estimated amounts shown in the table will be appropriated for each year, and that outlays will generally follow historical spending patterns. 

Head Start 

S. 556 would revise and reauthorize the Head Start program 

through 2012. The Head Start program provides comprehensive 

child development services to low-income children. Services include 

education, health, nutrition, and social services with the goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. 

The bill would authorize the appropriation of $7.350 billion in 

2008 (which includes the $1.389 billion already appropriated for 

that year), $7.650 billion in 2009, $7.995 billion in 2010, and such 

sums as may be necessary in 2011 and 2012. CBO estimates that 

the total authorizations of additional appropriations for the 2008–

2012 period would be $38.1 billion, assuming adjustments for inflation in 2011 and 2012, with resulting outlays of $34.2 billion over 

those five years. 

Funding for this program for a given fiscal year is provided by 

both a regular appropriation for that fiscal year and an advance 

appropriation provided earlier. Although the program has been 

funded by two separate appropriations since 2001, funding does not 

need to be authorized separately because all of the funds for a fiscal year could be provided in one appropriation. 

Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood 

S. 556 would authorize appropriations of $92.5 million a year for 

a new Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood grant program. 

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) could designate as many as 200 exemplary Head Start agencies as such Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood. Those centers would receive 

bonus grants to carry out various activities, including enrolling admstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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ditional children and providing training to teachers. The Secretary 

also would be authorized to make a grant to an independent organization to conduct research on the ability of those centers to improve school readiness of the children receiving Head Start services 

and to measure the success of the centers. The bill would authorize 

$90 million a year for bonus grants, $0.5 million annually for HHS 

administrative costs, and $2 million a year for research. CBO estimates that providing these amounts would result in outlays of $331 

million over the next five years. The outlay estimate reflects the assumption that spending for these new centers would occur over a 

two-year period rather than the four-year span for current Head 

Start centers. 

Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership 

S. 556 would create a new Tribal Colleges and Universities Head 

Start Partnership program and authorize the appropriation of $10 

million in 2008 and such sums as may be necessary from 2009 

through 2012. The bill would authorize the Secretary of HHS to 

award grants for not less than five years to tribal colleges and universities to create education programs on tribal culture and language, to increase the number of Indian Head Start staff members 

and parents with advanced degrees in early childhood education 

and related fields, and for other purposes. CBO estimates that providing the authorized amounts would result in outlays of $39 million over the 2008–2012 period. The projected rate of spending is 

the average of the rates for two similar programs, Child Welfare 

Training and University Centers for Excellence in Developmental 

Disabilities. 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 556 contains no 

intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined by 

UMRA. Grant funds authorized by the bill would benefit state, 

local, and tribal governments that participate in the Head Start 

and Early Head Start programs. Any costs they incur from complying with increased management and oversight responsibilities or 

from implementing standards for educational performance would 

result from complying with conditions for receiving federal assistance. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Jonathan Morancy. Impact 

on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Lisa Ramirez-Branum. 

Impact on the Private Sector: Paige Shevlin. 

Estimate approved by: Robert A. Sunshine, Assistant Director for 

Budget Analysis. 

VI. APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104–1, the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) requires a description of the application of 

this bill to the legislative branch. This bill does not amend any act 

that applies to the legislative branch. 

VII. REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

The committee has determined that there will be minimal increases in the regulatory burden imposed by this bill. 

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VIII. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Sec. 1. Short title 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Head Start for School Readiness 

Act.’’

Sec. 2. Statement of purpose 

This section modifies Section 636 by revising the statement of 

purpose to read 

It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the school readiness of low-income 

children by enhancing their cognitive and social development—

(1) with a learning environment that supports cognitive development (including 

the growth of language, pre-literacy, and premathematics skills) and the growth of 

social, emotional and physical skills. 

(2) through the provision to low-income children and their families of health, educational, nutritional, social and other services that are determined, based on family 

needs assessments, to be necessary. 

Sec. 3. Definitions 

Amends Section 637 by adding community-based organizations to 

the definition of potential delegate agencies, and adds financial literacy as a component of family literacy services. Section 637 is 

amended to remove the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau from the definition of ‘‘State.’’ Section 637 also defines ‘‘homeless child’’ ‘‘limited 

English proficient’’ children, ‘‘institution of higher education.’’ The 

term ‘‘deficiency’’ and ‘‘unresolved areas of non-compliance’’ are defined and later referred to in section 641A(d). The term ‘‘interrater 

reliability’’ is defined in relation to the Head Start monitoring process. 

Sec. 4. Financial assistance for Head Start programs 

Amends Section 638 to authorize grants to Head Start agencies 

for a 5-year period. 

Sec. 5. Authorization of appropriations 

Reauthorizes the Head Start Act at $7.35 million for fiscal year 

2008, $7.65 million for fiscal year 2009, $7.995 million for fiscal 

year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2011 

and fiscal year 2012. From the amount appropriated, the Secretary 

can make available up to $20 million for fiscal year 2008 to carry 

out research, demonstration, and evaluation activities including 

longitudinal studies under Section 649, and such sums for fiscal 

years 2009–12, 

Sec. 6. Allotment of funds 

This section amends Section 640 by requiring the Secretary to reserve a sum each fiscal year for Indian Head Start and migrant 

and seasonal Head Start programs that is the total of not less than 

4 percent of the amount appropriated for Indian programs under 

Section 639 for that fiscal year and not less than 5 percent of that 

appropriated amount for migrant and seasonal programs, except 

that if reserving such percentages would reduce the number of children served by Head Start programs relative to the number of children served upon the date of enactment of this act. After ensuring 

that each grant recipient for Indian and migrant and seasonal 

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Head Start programs have received 4 percent and 5 percent respectively, the Secretary shall distribute 65 percent of the remaining 

funds to priority grant recipients in the States serving the smallest 

percentages of eligible children and distribute the remaining 35 

percent on a competitive basis. 

Section 640(a) is amended to provide not less than 2 percent of 

the amount appropriated under section 639 for training and technical assistance activities, of which 50 percent shall be made available for Head Start agencies to use directly for various activities, 

and of which 50 percent shall be made available to the Secretary 

to provide directly, or support a system of, early childhood education training and technical assistance. Not less than $3 million 

of these funds shall be made available to carry out activities described in section 648(d)(4). 

Subparagraph 640(a)(3)(A) stipulates Head Start quality improvement funds, and is amended to provide an amount equal to 

30 percent of such excess amounts in fiscal year 2008, and 40 percent of such excess amounts in fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 

2012. Subparagraph 640(a)(3)(B) is amended to provide greater detail regarding the goals for which such quality improvement funds 

shall be used. 

Subparagraph 640(a)(5) is amended to require the Secretary to 

award a collaboration grant to each State and each national administrative office serving Indian Head Start programs and Migrant 

and Seasonal Head Start programs to facilitate collaboration between Head Start agencies and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low-income families and children. Grants shall be 

used to encourage Head Start agencies to collaborate with other entities, coordinate with other State agencies, promote alignment of 

Head Start with State early learning standards, and promote better linkages between Head Start and other child and family agencies. The State Director of Head Start Collaboration shall conduct 

an assessment that addresses the needs of Head Start agencies in 

the State, and shall develop a strategic plan to address such needs. 

As a condition of receiving a grant under Subparagraph 

640(a)(5), each State shall designate or establish a State Advisory 

Council on early childhood care and education, comprised of a diverse membership, which shall: conduct a statewide needs assessment concerning early childhood care and education; identify barriers to and opportunities for collaboration; develop recommendations regarding data collection in early childhood programs; develop 

a professional development plan for the early childhood workforce; 

assess the availability of pre-kindergarten services for children; 

and assist institutions in developing model early childhood education programs. The Secretary shall reserve $100 million for fiscal 

year 2008 to award competitive, one-time start-up grants to states 

to further develop and implement plans for a high-quality system 

of early childhood care and education. These funds shall remain 

available for obligation through fiscal year 2012. 

Subparagraph 640(a)(6) is amended to reserve amounts not less 

than 12 percent for fiscal year 2008, 14 percent for fiscal year 2009, 

16 percent for fiscal year 2010, 18 percent for fiscal year 2011, and 

20 percent for fiscal year 2012 for the Early Head Start program. 

Section 640(l) is amended to address the needs and provide access to Head Start services for Indian children and children of mimstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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grant and seasonal farmworkers. Section 640(m) instructs the Secretary to issue regulations to facilitate the enrollment and participation of homeless children in Head Start programs. 

Section 640(f) is amended to require the Secretary to establish 

procedures for the conversion of part-day programs to full-day programs as well as serving additional infants and toddlers pursuant 

to Section 645(a)5. 

Subparagraph 640(i)(1) requires background checks for individuals transporting Head Start enrollees. Subparagraph 640(i)(2) provides for limited exceptions to the Vehicle Safety Requirements. 

Sec. 7. Designation of Head Start agencies 

Section 641(a) provides the Secretary authority to designate any 

local public or private non-profit or for-profit organization within a 

community, including community-based organizations, as a Head 

Start agency. To be so designated, such agency must establish 

goals to meet Head Start’s performance standards and improve the 

school readiness of children participating in Head Start programs. 

Such agency must also establish a governing body with legal and 

fiscal responsibility for administering and overseeing programs, 

and a policy council with decision-making responsibility for program planning and elements of program operation. Section 641(a) 

is further amended to specify the composition and responsibilities 

of the governing body and policy council, including policies for information sharing between these two entities and shared responsibility for establishment of processes to resolve internal disputes. 

The composition of both entities must include members of the community to be served, including parents. 

Section 641(c) is amended to redesignate any Head Start agency 

or delegate agency receiving assistance under this subchapter, that 

is high-performing as determined by meeting or exceeding program 

requirements and standards, having no unresolved deficiencies, 

demonstrating active collaboration with the state or local communities in the provision of services, and successfully completing the 

appropriate re-application forms. If no entity is eligible for redesignation according to these criteria, the Secretary shall designate a 

Head Start agency from qualified applicants in an open competition. Section 641(e) states the terms of effectiveness which the Secretary shall consider in selecting from qualified applicants in such 

a competition. 

Sec. 8. Quality standards; monitoring of Head Start agencies and 

programs 

Amends Section 641A by adding educational standards, based on 

the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, relating 

to language skills, pre-literacy knowledge and skills, 

premathematics knowledge and skills, scientific abilities, general 

cognitive abilities, social and emotional development, physical development, and in the case of limited English proficient children, 

progress toward acquiring the English language. 

Section 641A is further amended to include new procedures for 

the evaluation and corrective action of delegate agencies, including 

procedures for defunding, termination, and appeal. Each Head 

Start agency shall evaluate its delegate agencies and inform such 

agencies of deficiencies identified, and may initiate monitoring vismstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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its or pursue other actions against such agency until deficiencies 

are corrected. 

Section 641A also provides for unannounced site inspections of 

Head Start Centers for health and safety reasons, as appropriate, 

and directs the Secretary to conduct prompt follow-up reviews to 

agencies with findings of deficiencies. Reviews of Head Start agencies shall be conducted by review teams that include individuals 

who are knowledgeable about Head Start and other early childhood 

programs, and shall reflect a review and assessment of program effectiveness, which includes strengths and weaknesses of programs. 

Reviews will seek information from communities and States about 

innovative or effective collaborative efforts, assess compliance with 

income eligibility requirements and gauge whether programs have 

adequately addressed the population and community needs, and include data from the period child assessments conducted in programs. The Secretary shall ensure the quality and consistency of 

Head Start review across the nation, by conducting periodic interrater reliability checks. 

Section 641A is amended to require each Head Start agency to 

conduct a comprehensive self-assessment of their effectiveness and 

progress in meeting program goals and objectives, and to develop 

an improvement plan to strengthen any areas needing improvement as identified in the self-assessment. 

Section 641A establishes new rules for the reduction of grants 

and redistribution of funds in cases of under-enrollment, and requires each agency to report actual enrollment monthly. In cases 

in which agencies are less than 95 percent enrolled, the Secretary 

shall develop a plan and timetable with the agency for correcting 

under-enrollment considering quality, extent of outreach, community needs assessment, changing demographics, identification of 

new underserved low-income populations, any facilities-related 

issues affecting enrollment, and shall provide timely and ongoing 

technical assistance to such agency for the purpose of correcting 

the under-enrollment. After 18 months, the Secretary may designate such agency as chronically under-enrolled and recapture, 

withhold or reduce the base grant by a percentage equal to the percentage difference between funded and actual enrollment. The Secretary redistribute such amounts to other Head Start agencies 

within the State. 

Sec. 9. Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood 

Establishes a new section 641B, creating a new competitive grant 

program for the Secretary to recognize up to 200 exemplary Head 

Start agencies as Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood, under 

a separate authorization of appropriations. Subject to available 

funds, exemplary centers will receive grants to model and disseminate best practices for achieving early academic success and for 

promoting seamless service delivery for eligible children and their 

families. Grants may also be used to provide services to additional 

eligible children, better meet the needs of working families, further 

coordinate early childhood and social services for at-risk children, 

provide training and cross-training for Head Start teachers and 

staff, provide effective transitions between Head Start and elementary school, develop partnerships with institutions of higher education, and carry out other activities. There are authorized to be 

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appropriated $90 million to award bonus grants under this section, 

including an additional $4.5 million for related administrative costs 

and research activities. 

Sec. 10. Powers and functions of Head Start agencies 

Section 642 is amended to specify conditions for designation as 

a Head Start agency, which include authority under a charter or 

applicable law to receive and administer funds and contributions 

from private or local public sources to be used in support of a Head 

Start program. Agencies must also be empowered to transfer funds 

and delegate powers of its governing board and its overall program 

responsibilities. Delegate agencies must establish a policy committee comprised of members of the community to be served, including parents. 

Section 642(b) stipulates additional requirements for designation 

as a Head Start agency. Head Start agencies are also required to 

provide a family needs assessment, provide for the regular participation of parents, perform community outreach to encourage volunteers for the Head Start program, inform single parents who participate in programs and activities about the availability of child 

support services for purposes of establishing paternity and acquiring child support, refer eligible parents to the child support offices 

of State and local governments, and provide parents of limited 

English proficient children outreach and information in an understandable format. 

Head Start agencies will work with local educational agencies 

and elementary schools to discuss strategies and options and to ensure a smooth elementary school transition for Head Start children. 

Head Start agencies will also collaborate with local educational 

agencies on shared use of transportation and facilities and to reduce duplication of services while increasing participation of underserved populations of eligible children. 

To promote parental involvement, this section requires Head 

Start agencies to conduct training to inform parents of rights and 

responsibilities regarding their children’s education and support active involvement of parents with schools. 

Section 642(e) requires Head Start agencies to enroll 100 percent 

of its funded enrollment and maintain an active waiting list. 

Section 642(f) requires each Head Start agency to develop an annual technical assistance and training plan. 

Sec. 11. Head Start transition 

Section 642A is amended to require Head Start agencies to coordinate with local educational agencies and schools in which Head 

Start children will enroll to: develop records transferring procedures; establish communication channels between Head Start staff 

and school counterparts to facilitate program coordination; develop 

curricula continuity for transition and shared expectations purposes; conduct parent—teacher meetings; run transition training of 

school staff and Head Start staff; develop family outreach and support programs considering LEP families; enhance educational and 

developmental continuity and continuity of parental involvement; 

help parents understand the importance of parental involvement in 

a child’s academic success; develop system to increase participation 

of underserved eligible children in program, and; coordination and 

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collaboration of development of Head Start curricula’s alignment 

with State early learning standards, as appropriate. 

Sec. 12. Submission of plans to Governors 

Section 643 is amended to require approval from a State Governor of a proposed Head Start plan for a contract, agreement, 

grant or other assistance before an agency may carry out a Head 

Start program in the State. Governor approval is not required for 

Indian, Migrant, or Seasonal Head Start programs. 

Sec. 13. Costs of developing and administering a program 

Section 644(b) is amended to permit up to 10 Head Start agencies to expend an amount in excess of allowable direct costs associated with developing and administering a program, provided that 

the agency submits an assurance that they will serve a greater percentage of children in the community involved than was previously 

served without diminishing services provided to currently enrolled 

children, and any such excess amount does not exceed 5 percent of 

the total costs of the program. Such applicant must also accomplish 

3 of 5 improved outcomes related to Head Start programs. 

Sec. 14. Participation in Head Start programs 

Section 645 is amended to prescribe eligibility to children from 

low-income families for Head Start services if their family’s income 

is below 130 percent of the poverty line, and to deem homeless children eligible for Head Start services. Head Start agencies are required to serve children at 100 percent of the poverty level first. 

This section is also amended to clarify that special pay or housing for any member of the uniformed services shall not be considered to be income for the purposes of determining eligibility for 

Head Start services. 

Section 645 is amended to permit Head Start agencies to apply 

to the Secretary to convert part-day sessions into full-day sessions, 

or to use grant funds to serve additional infants and toddlers consistent with the Early Head Start rules, regulations, and standards, subject to the communitywide needs assessment. 

Sec. 15. Early Head Start programs 

Section 645A is amended by requiring Head Start agencies to 

provide additional services to parents to support their role as parents, including home-based services and family support services. 

This Section also requires that Early Head Start agencies develop 

a transitioning process for children and parents from Early Head 

Start to Head Start or other local early childhood education programs as well as establish communication channels between Early 

Head Start and Head Start staffs to coordinate programs. 

This section also defines ‘‘eligible Head Start providers’’ as tribal 

governments, migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, as well 

as community-based organizations that meet program standards. 

Section 645A is amended to include new staff qualifications, including requirements that Center-based teachers providing direct 

services to Early Head Start children and families have a minimum of a CDA or an AA and training in early childhood development by September 30, 2012. It also directs the Secretary to develop training and qualification standards for home visitor staff. 

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Sec. 16. Appeals, notice, hearing and records and audits 

Section 646(a) is amended to include timelines and procedures 

for termination, reduction or suspension of financial assistance, including clarified terms for filing an appeal and for a full and fair 

hearing of such appeal. 

Section 647(a) is amended by changing ‘‘each recipient’’ to ‘‘each 

Head Start agency.’’ It requires each center receiving financial assistance to maintain and submit a complete accounting of their administrative expenses including salaries and compensation annually to the Secretary. 

Sec. 17. Technical assistance and training 

Section 648 is amended to make available funds to support a 

State system of training and technical assistance related to early 

childhood care and education for Head Start agencies. It requires 

the Secretary to ensure that such training and technical assistance 

is provided by agencies with demonstrated expertise in improving 

the delivery of Head Start services, and encourages the states to 

supplement funds provided under this act for such purposes. 

This section further clarifies instructions for the Secretary in allocating resources for technical assistance and training, and adds 

new priorities to such activities, including local literacy training. 

Sec. 18. Staff qualifications and development 

Section 648A is amended to establish new staff qualification 

goals for Head Start programs, to ensure that all teachers nationwide in center-based programs have at least an associate degree in 

early childhood education (or equivalent coursework) by 2012, and 

to ensure that all Head Start curriculum specialists and education 

have a baccalaureate or advanced degree in early childhood education (or equivalent coursework) by 2010. This section also includes a goal to ensure that all Head Start teaching assistants 

have at least a child development associate credential by 2010, and 

that half of all Head Start teachers in each State have a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education (or equivalent 

coursework) by 2013. All Head Start teachers shall also attend not 

less than 15 hours of professional development per year. 

The Secretary shall document progress toward these goals, including increasing percentages of Head Start staff making progress 

toward these goals, and compile and submit a summary of such reports to Congress. 

This section also includes service requirements for individuals 

who receive financial assistance under this act to pursue an advanced degree, as well as requires each Head Start agency to create and maintain a professional development plan for employees 

providing direct services to children. 

Sec. 19. Tribal colleges or university Head Start partnership program 

Section 648B includes a new authorized discretionary grant program of the Secretary to award 5-year grants to Tribal colleges and 

universities to promote school readiness in Indian children by implementing tribal culture and language programs and increasing 

the number of degrees in early childhood education and related 

fields among Indian Head Start agency staff members, parents of 

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Head Start children, and members of the tribal community involved in Indian Head Start. 

Grants under this section may be used for technology literacy 

programs for those served by and associated with Indian Head 

Start. The Secretary will ensure that the Indian Head Start Bureau is sufficiently staffed to administer the programs in this section and to provide enough technical assistance to the colleges and 

universities receiving grants. To receive grants, tribal colleges and 

universities must submit applications to the Secretary for consideration. This section authorizes $10 million to carry out this program 

for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each 

fiscal year 2009–12. 

Sec. 20. Research, demonstrations, and evaluation 

Section 649 is amended to direct the Secretary to identify successful strategies that promote good oral health and quality dental 

services for children participating in Head Start and Early Head 

Start programs. The Secretary shall also consider children who are 

abused or neglected when developing, testing and disseminating 

new ideas for addressing the needs of low-income children in Head 

Start programs. 

Section 649 is further amended to require a review and update 

of assessments, standards, and measures used in Head Start programs by the Panel on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments 

for Young Children of the National Academy of Sciences. In developing or refining any assessment in Head Start, the Secretary shall 

ensure consistency with nationally recognizes professional and 

technical standards, validity and reliability for all purposes for 

which assessments are used, development and linguistic appropriateness of such assessments, and use of such assessments to improve the quality of Head Start programs. 

Section 649 suspends implementation and terminates further development and use of the National Reporting System by the Secretary, and prohibits the use of any assessment to rank, compare, 

or otherwise evaluate individual children or teachers in Head Start 

programs, or to provide rewards or sanctions for children or teachers. 

This section is further amended to direct the Secretary to study 

the status of limited English proficient children and families in 

Head Start and Early Head Start programs. 

Sec. 20. Reports 

Section 650(a) is amended so that the Secretary will also consider homeless children and children in foster care in reports concerning the status of children. 

Sec. 22. Comparability of wages 

Section 653 is amended to direct that no Federal funds shall be 

used to compensate an individual employed by Head Start in an 

amount that exceeds the salary of the Secretary. 

Sec. 23. Limitation with respect to certain unlawful activities 

Section 655 is amended to forbid participation in civil disturbance, rioting, or unlawful demonstration by individuals in Head 

Start agencies. 

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Sec. 24. Political activities 

Section 656 is amended to prohibit the participation of any Head 

Start employee, while working on behalf of a Head Start program, 

to engage in any political activity associated with a candidate or 

contending faction in an election, as well as any activity to provide 

transportation to voting polls. 

Sec. 25. Parental consent requirement for health services 

A new Section 657A is added to require written parental consent 

before administration or referral of any health care services or procedures, including non-emergency intrusive physical examination of 

a child in connection with participation in a program. The section 

also provides for definition of the term ‘‘nonemergency intrusive 

physical examination’’. 

This section does not prohibit agencies from using established 

methods for handling suspected or known cases of child abuse and 

neglect that comply with Federal, State or tribal law. 

IX. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with rule XXVI paragraph 12 of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the following provides a print of the statute 

or the part or section thereof to be amended or replaced (existing 

law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed 

is shown in roman): 

HEAD START ACT 

* * * * * * * 

øSEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 

It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote school readiness 

by enhancing the social and cognitive development of low-income 

children through the provision, to low-income children and their 

families, of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services that are determined, based on family needs assessments, to be 

necessary.¿ 

SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 

It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive and social 

development—

(1) with a learning environment that supports cognitive development (including the growth of language, pre-literacy, and 

premathematics skills) and the growth of social, emotional, and 

physical skills; and 

(2) through the provision to low-income children and their 

families of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other 

services that are determined, based on family needs assessments, to be necessary. 

* * * * * * * 

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 637. For purposes of this subchapter: 

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(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(2) The term ‘‘delegate agency’’ means a public, private nonprofit (including a community-based organization, as defined in 

section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), or for-profit organization or agency to 

which a grantee has delegated all or part of the responsibility 

of the grantee for operating a Head Start program. 

(3) * * * 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(C) Parent literacy, including financial literacy, training 

that leads to economic self-sufficiency. 

(D) * * * 

(4) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(17) The term ‘‘State’’ means a State, the Commonwealth of 

Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, 

the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. øMariana Islands, 

but for fiscal years ending before October 1, 2001 (and fiscal 

year 2002, if the legislation described in section 640(a)(2)(B)(ii) 

has not been enacted before September 30, 2001), also means 

the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.¿ 

(18) The term ‘‘deficiency’’ means—

(A) a systemic or substantial material failure of an agency in an area of performance that the Secretary determines 

involves—

(i) a threat to the health, safety, or civil rights of 

children or staff; 

(ii) a denial to parents of the exercise of their full 

roles and responsibilities related to program operations; 

(iii) a failure to comply with standards related to 

early childhood development and health services, family and community partnerships, or program design 

and management; 

(iv) the misuse of funds under this subchapter; 

(v) loss of legal status or financial viability, loss of 

permits, debarment from receiving Federal grants or 

contracts, or the improper use of Federal funds; or 

(vi) failure to meet any other Federal or State requirement that the agency has shown an unwillingness 

or inability to correct, after notice from the Secretary, 

within the period specified; 

(B) systemic failure of the board of directors of an agency 

to fully exercise its legal and fiduciary responsibilities; 

(C) substantial failure of an agency to meet the administrative requirements of section 644(b); 

(D) failure of an agency to demonstrate that the agency 

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quirements with entities described in section 

640(a)(5)(D)(ii)(I); or 

(E) having an unresolved area of noncompliance. 

(19) The term ‘‘homeless child’’ means a child described in 

section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 

(42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)). 

(20) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 

of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

(21) The term ‘‘interrater reliability’’ means the extent to 

which 2 or more independent raters or observers consistently 

obtain the same result when using the same assessment tool. 

(22) The term ‘‘limited English proficient’’, used with respect 

to a child, means a child—

(A) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in a Head Start 

program, Early Head Start program, or other early care 

and education program; 

(B)(i) who was not born in the United States or whose 

native language is a language other than English; 

(ii)(I) who is a Native American, Alaska Native, or a native resident of an outlying area (as defined in section 9101 

of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

(20 U.S.C. 7801)); and 

(II) who comes from an environment where a language 

other than English has had a significant impact on the 

child’s level of English language proficiency; or 

(iii) who is migratory, whose native language is a language other than English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant; 

and 

(C) whose difficulties in speaking or understanding the 

English language may be sufficient to deny such child—

(i) the ability to successfully achieve in a classroom 

in which the language of instruction is English; or 

(ii) the opportunity to participate fully in society. 

(23) The term ‘‘unresolved area of noncompliance’’ means failure to correct a noncompliance item within 120 days, or within 

such additional time (if any) authorized by the Secretary, after 

receiving from the Secretary notice of such noncompliance item, 

pursuant to section 641A(d). 

* * * * * * * 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START PROGRAMS

SEC. 638. The Secretary may, upon application by an agency 

which is eligible for designation as a Head Start agency pursuant 

to section 641, provide financial assistance to such agency for a period of 5 years for the planning, conduct, administration, and evaluation of a Head Start program focused primarily upon the children from low-income families who have not reached the age of 

compulsory school attendance which (1) will provide such comprehensive health, education, parental involvement, nutritional, social, and other services as will enable the children to attain their 

full potential and attain school readiness; and (2) will provide for 

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direct participation of the parents of such children in the development, conduct, and overall program direction at the local level. 

* * * * * * * 

øAUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

øSEC. 639. (a) There are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out the provisions of this subchapter such sums as may be 

necessary for fiscal years 1999 through 2003. 

ø(b) From the amount appropriated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available—

ø(1) for each of fiscal years 1999 through 2003 to carry out 

activities authorized under section 642A, not more than 

$35,000,000 but not less than the amount that was made available for such activities for fiscal year 1998; 

ø(2) not more than $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1999 

through 2003 to carry out impact studies under section 649(g); 

and 

ø(3) not more than $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, and such 

sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2000 through 

2003, to carry out other research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, including longitudinal studies, under section 

649.¿ 

SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATlON OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out the provisions of this subchapter $7,350,000,000 for fiscal 

year 2008, $7,650,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, $7,995,000,000 for 

fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 

(b) SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.—From the amount appropriated under 

subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available to carry out research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, including longitudinal studies under section 649, not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 

years 2009 through 2012, of which not more than $7,000,000 for 

each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 shall be available to carry 

out impact studies under section 649(g). 

* * * * * * * 

ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS; LIMITATIONS ON ASSISTANCE

SEC. 640. (a)(1) * * * 

(2) * * * 

ø(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for children with 

disabilities, and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, 

except that there shall be made available for each fiscal year 

for use by Indian Head Start programs and by migrant and 

seasonal Head Start programs, on a nationwide basis, not less 

than the amount that was obligated for use by Indian Head 

Start programs and by migrant and seasonal Head Start programs for fiscal year 1998;¿ 

(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for children with 

disabilities, and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, 

except that the Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal year for 

use by Indian Head Start and migrant and seasonal Head 

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Start programs (referred to in this paragraph as ‘‘covered programs’’), on a nationwide basis, a sum that is the total of a percentage specified by the Secretary that is not less than 4 percent 

of the amount appropriated under section 639 for that fiscal 

year (for Indian Head Start programs) and a percentage specified by the Secretary that is not less than 5 percent of that appropriated amount (for migrant and seasonal Head Start programs) (referred to in this paragraph as the ‘‘specified percentages’’), except that—

(i) if reserving the specified percentages would reduce the 

number of children served by Head Start programs, relative 

to the number of children served on the date of enactment 

of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, taking into consideration an appropriate adjustment for inflation, the Secretary shall reserve percentages that approach, as closely as 

practicable, the specified percentages and that do not cause 

such a reduction; and 

(ii) notwithstanding any other provision of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal year for 

use by Indian Head Start programs and by migrant and 

seasonal Head Start programs, on a nationwide basis, not 

less than the amount that was obligated for use by Indian 

Head Start programs and by migrant and seasonal Head 

Start programs for the previous fiscal year; 

(B) * * * 

(i) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(C) training and technical assistance activities which are 

sufficient to meet the needs associated with program expansion 

and to foster program and management improvement activities 

as described in section 648 of this subchapter, in an amount 

for each fiscal year which is not less than 2 percent of the 

amount appropriated for such fiscal year, of which not less 

than $3,000,000 of the amount appropriated for such fiscal 

year shall be made available to carry out activities described 

in section 648(c)(4);¿ 

(C) training and technical assistance activities that are sufficient to meet the needs associated with program expansion and 

to foster program and management improvement activities as 

described in any of paragraphs (1) through (17) of section 

648(d), in an amount for each fiscal year that is not less than 

2 percent of the amount appropriated under section 639 for 

such fiscal year, of which—

(i) 50 percent shall be made available to Head Start 

agencies to use directly, or by establishing local or regional 

agreements with community experts, institutions of higher 

education, or private consultants, for any of the following 

training and technical assistance activities, including—

(I) activities that ensure that Head Start programs 

meet or exceed the program performance standards described in section 641A(a)(1); 

(II) activities that ensure that Head Start programs 

have adequate numbers of trained, qualified staff who 

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cluding children and families who are limited English 

proficient and children with disabilities; 

(III) activities to pay expenses, including direct training for expert consultants working with any staff, to 

improve the management and implementation of Head 

Start services and systems; 

(IV) activities that help ensure that Head Start programs have qualified staff who can promote language 

skills and literacy growth of children and who can provide children with a variety of skills that have been 

identified as predictive of later reading achievement, 

school success, and the skills, knowledge, abilities, development, and progress described in section 

641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); 

(V) activities to improve staff qualifications and to 

assist with the implementation of career development 

programs and to encourage the staff to continually improve their skills and expertise, including developing 

partnerships with programs that recruit, train, place, 

and support college students in Head Start centers to 

deliver an innovative early learning program to preschool children; 

(VI) activities that help local programs ensure that 

the arrangement, condition, and implementation of the 

learning environments in Head Start programs are 

conducive to providing effective program services to 

children and families; 

(VII) activities to provide training necessary to improve the qualifications of Head Start staff and to support staff training, child counseling, health services, 

and other services necessary to address the needs of 

children enrolled in Head Start programs, including 

children from families in crises, children who experience chronic violence or homelessness, children who experience substance abuse in their families, and children under 3 years of age, where applicable; 

(VIII) activities to provide classes or in-service-type 

programs to improve or enhance parenting skills, job 

skills, adult and family literacy, including financial 

literacy, or training to become a classroom aide or bus 

driver in a Head Start program; 

(IX) additional activities determined appropriate for 

the improvement of Head Start agencies’ programs, as 

determined by the agencies’ technical assistance and 

training plans; or 

(X) any other activities regarding the use of funds as 

determined by the Secretary; 

(ii) 50 percent shall be made available to the Secretary—

(I) to provide directly training and technical assistance on early childhood education and care or to support, through grants or other arrangements, a State 

system of training and technical assistance (which may 

include such a system for a consortium of States within 

a region); and 

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(II) to assist local programs (including Indian Head 

Start programs and migrant and seasonal Head Start 

programs) in meeting the standards described in section 641A(a)(1); and 

(iii) not less than $3,000,000 of the amount in clause 

(ii) appropriated for such fiscal year shall be made available to carry out activities described in section 648(d)(4); 

(D) discretionary payments made by the Secretary (including 

payments for all costs (other than compensation of Federal employees) of reviews of Head Start agencies and programs under 

section 641A(c), and of activities carried out under paragraph 

(1), (2), or (3) of section 641A(d) related to correcting deficiencies and conducting proceedings to terminate the designation of Head Start øagencies;¿ (agencies); and 

* * * * * * * 

No funds reserved under this paragraph or paragraph (3) may 

be combined with funds appropriated under any other Act if 

the purpose of combining funds is to make a single discretionary grant or a single discretionary payment, unless such 

funds appropriated under this subchapter are separately identified in such grant or payment and are used for the purposes 

of this subchapter. No Freely Associated State may receive financial assistance under this subchapter after fiscal year 2002. 

In no case shall the Secretary use funds appropriated under 

this subchapter to expand or create additional slots or services 

in non-Indian and non-migrant and seasonal Head Start programs until the amounts based on the specified percentages for 

Indian Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal Head 

Start programs pursuant to subparagraph (A) are reached. The 

Secretary shall require each Head Start agency to report at the 

end of each budget year on how funds provided to carry out 

subparagraph (C)(i) were used. 

(3)(A)(i) * * * 

(I) ø60 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

1999, 50 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

2000, 47.5 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

2001, 35 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

2002, and 25 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

2003;¿ 30 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 

2008, and 40 percent of such excess amount for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012; and 

(II) * * * 

(ii) * * * 

(B) * * * 

(i) Ensuring that Head Start programs meet or exceed 

øperformance standards pursuant to section 

641A(a)(1)(A).¿ standards and measures pursuant to section 641A. 

ø(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff is furnished adequate training, including developing skills in working with 

children, with non-English language background and children with disabilities, when appropriate.¿ 

(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate numbers 

of qualified staff, and that such staff is furnished adequate 

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training, including training to promote the development of 

language, premathematics, and pre-literacy skills in young 

children and in working with limited English proficient 

children, children in foster care, children referred by child 

welfare services, and children with disabilities, when appropriate. 

ø(iii) Ensuring that salary levels and benefits are adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for such programs.¿ 

(iii) Developing and financing the salary scales and benefits standards under section 644(a) and section 653, in 

order to ensure that salary levels and benefits are adequate 

to attract and retain qualified staff for such programs. 

ø(iv) Using salary increases to improve staff qualifications, and to assist with the implementation of career development programs, for the staff of Head Start programs, 

and to encourage the staff to continually improve their 

skills and expertise by informing the staff of the availability of Federal and State incentive and loan forgiveness 

programs for professional development.¿ 

(iv) Using salary increases to—

(I) assist with the implementation of quality programs and improve staff qualifications; 

(II) ensure that staff can promote the language skills 

and literacy growth of children and can provide children with a variety of skills that have been identified, 

through scientifically based early reading research, as 

predictive of later reading achievement, as well as the 

skills, knowledge, abilities, development, and progress 

described in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); and 

(III) encourage the staff to continually improve their 

skills and expertise—

(aa) through the implementation of career development programs; and 

(bb) through the completion of postsecondary 

coursework in early childhood education. 

(v) Improving øcommunity-wide¿ communitywide strategic planning and needs assessments for such programs, 

including collaborations to increase program participation 

by underserved populations of eligible children 

(vi) * * * 

ø(vii) Ensuring that such programs have qualified staff 

that can promote language skills and literacy growth of 

children and that can provide children with a variety of 

skills that have been identified, through scientifically 

based reading research, as predictive of later reading 

achievement. 

ø(viii) Making such other improvements in the quality of 

such programs as the Secretary may designate.¿ 

(vii) Providing assistance to complete postsecondary 

coursework, to enable Head Start teachers to improve competencies and the resulting child outcomes, including informing the teachers of the availability of Federal and 

State incentive and loan forgiveness programs. 

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(viii) Promoting the regular attendance and stability of 

all Head Start children with particular attention to highly 

mobile children, including children of migrant or seasonal 

farmworkers families (where appropriate), homeless children, and children in foster care. 

(ix) Making such other improvements in the quality of 

such programs as the Secretary may designate. 

(C) Quality improvements funds shall be used to carry 

out any or all of the following activities: 

(i)(I) Not less than one-half of the amount reserved 

under this paragraph, to improve the compensation 

(including benefits) of classroom teachers and other 

staff of Head Start agencies and thereby enhance recruitment and retention of qualified staff, including recruitment and retention pursuant to achieving the requirements set forth in section 648(a). The expenditure of funds under this clause shall be subject to section 653. øPreferences in awarding salary increases, in 

excess of cost-of-living allowances, with such funds 

shall be granted to classroom teachers and staff who 

obtain additional training or education related to their 

responsibilities as employees of a Head Start program.¿ Salary increases, in excess of cost-of-living allowances, provided with such funds shall be subject to 

the specific standards governing salaries and salary increases established pursuant to section 644(a). 

(II) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(ii) To train classroom teachers and other staff to 

meet the øeducation performance standards described 

in section 641(a)(1)B)¿ standards and measures described in section 641A, through activities— (I) to promote children’s language, pre-literacy, 

and literacy growth, through techniques identified 

through scientifically based reading research; 

ø(II) to promote the acquisition of the English 

language for non-English background children and 

families;¿ 

(II) to help limited English proficient children 

attain the knowledge, skills, abilities, and development specified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) and to 

promote the acquisition of the English language by 

such children and families; 

(III) * * * 

ø(IV) to provide training necessary to improve 

the qualifications of the staff of the Head Start 

agencies and to support staff training, child counseling, and other services necessary to address the 

problems of children participating in Head Start 

programs, including children from dysfunctional 

families, children who experience chronic violence 

in their communities, and children who experience 

substance abuse in their families.¿ 

(IV) to provide education and training necessary 

to improve the qualifications of Head Start staff, 

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particularly assistance to enable more instructors 

to be fully competent and to meet the degree requirements under section 648A(a)(2)(A), and to 

support staff training, child counseling, and other 

services necessary to address the challenges of children participating in Head Start programs, including children from immigrant, refugee, and 

asylee families, children from families in crisis, 

homeless children, children in foster care, children 

referred to Head Start programs by child welfare 

agencies, and children who are exposed to chronic 

violence or substance abuse. 

(iii) To employ additional Head Start staff, including 

staff necessary to reduce the child-staff ratio, educational staff who have the qualifications described in 

section 648(a), and staff necessary to coordinate a 

Head Start program with other services available to 

children participating in such program and to their 

families. 

(iv) * * * 

(v) To supplement amounts provided under paragraph (2)(C) to provide training necessary to improve 

the qualifications of the staff of the Head Start agencies, and to support staff training, child counseling, 

and other services necessary to address the problems 

of children participating in Head Start øprograms, including children from dysfunctional families, children 

who experience chronic violence in their communities, 

and children who experience substance abuse in their 

families.¿ programs. 

(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families in an 

effort to increase the program participation of eligible 

homeless children. 

(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and seasonal 

farmworking families and families with limited 

English proficient children. 

(viii) To partner with institutions of higher education 

and nonprofit organizations, including communitybased organizations, that recruit, train, place, and support college students, to serve as mentors and reading 

partners to preschool children in Head Start programs. 

(ix) To upgrade the qualifications and skills of educational personnel to meet the professional standards 

described in section 648A(a)(1), including certification 

and licensure as bilingual education teachers, teachers 

of English as a second language, and for other educational personnel who serve limited English proficient 

children. 

ø(vi)¿ (x) Such other activities as the Secretary may 

designate. 

(D)(i) Funds reserved under subparagraph (A) shall be 

allotted by the Secretary as follows: 

(I) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

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(ii) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(4) Subject to section 639(b), the Secretary shall allot the remaining amounts appropriated in each fiscal year among the 

States, in accordance with latest satisfactory data so that— (A) each State receives an amount which is equal to the 

amount the State received for fiscal year ø1998¿ 2007; and 

ø(B) any amount available after all allotments are made 

under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall be distributed proportionately on the basis of the number of children less than 5 years of age from families whose income 

is below the poverty line.¿ 

(B) any amount available after all allotments are made 

under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall be distributed as follows: 

(i) Each State shall receive an amount sufficient to 

serve the same number of children in Head Start programs in each State as were served on the date of enactment of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, 

taking into consideration an appropriate adjustment 

for inflation. 

(ii) After ensuring that each State has received the 

amount described in clause (i), the Secretary shall distribute the remaining balance, by— (I) distributing 65 percent of the balance among 

the States serving less than 60 percent (as determined by the Secretary) of children who are 3 or 

4 years of age from families whose income is below 

the poverty line, by allotting to each of those States 

an amount that bears the same relationship to that 

65 percent as the number of children who are less 

than 5 years of age from families whose income is 

below the poverty line (referred to in this clause as 

‘‘young low-income children’’) in that State bears to 

the number of young low-income children in all 

those States; and 

(II) distributing 35 percent of the balance among 

the States, by allotting to each State an amount 

that bears the same relationship to that 35 percent 

as the number of young low-income children in 

that State bears to the number of young low-income children in all the States. 

* * * * * * * 

(5)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to paragraph (4) (and amounts reserved, before such allotments, for 

national administrative offices), the Secretary shall reserve 

such sums as may be necessary to award the collaboration 

grants described in subparagraphs (B) and (D). 

ø(B) From the reserved sums, the Secretary may award a 

collaboration grant to each State in facilitate collaboration regarding activities carried out in the State under this subchapter, and other activities carried out in, and by, the State 

that are designed to benefit low-income children and families 

and to encourage Head Start agencies to collaborate with entimstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

65 

ties involved in State and local planning processes (including 

the State lead agency administering the financial assistance 

received under the Child Care and Development Block Grant 

Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the entities providing 

resource and referral services in the State) in order to better 

meet the needs of low-income children and families. 

ø(C) A State that receives a grant under subparagraph (B) 

shall—

ø(i) appoint an individual to serve as a State liaison between—

ø(I) the appropriate regional office of the Administration for Children and Families and agencies and individuals carrying out Head Start programs in the 

State; and 

ø(II) agencies (including local educational agencies) 

and entities carrying out programs serving low-income 

children and families; 

ø(ii) involve the State Head Start Association in the selection of the individual, and involve the association in determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the collaboration; 

ø(iii) ensure that the individual holds a position with 

sufficient authority and access to ensure that the collaboration described in subparagraph (B) is effective and involves a range of State agencies; 

ø(iv) ensure that the collaboration described in subparagraph (B) involves coordination of Head Start services with 

health care, welfare, child care, education, and community 

service activities, family literacy services, activities relating to children with disabilities (including coordination of 

services with those State officials who are responsible for 

administering part C and section 619 of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431–1444, 

1419)), and services for homeless children; 

ø(v) include representatives of the State Head Start Association and local Head Start agencies in unified planning 

regarding early care and education services at both the 

State and local levels, including collaborative efforts to 

plan for the provision of full-working-day, full-calendaryear early care and education services for children; and 

ø(vi) encourage local Head Start agencies to appoint a 

State level representative to represent Head Start agencies 

within the State in conducting collaborative efforts described in subparagraphs (B) and (D), and in clause (v). 

ø(D) Following the award of collaboration grants described in 

subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall provide, from the reserved sums, supplemental funding for collaboration grants—

ø(i) to States that (in consultation with their State Head 

Start Associations) develop statewide, regional, or local 

unified plans for early childhood education and child care 

that include the participation of Head Start agencies; and 

ø(ii) to States that engage in other innovative collaborative initiatives, including plans for collaborative training 

and professional development initiatives for child care, 

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early childhood education and Head Start service managers, providers, and staff.¿ 

(B)(i) From the reserved sums, the Secretary shall award a 

collaboration grant to each State and to each national administrative office serving Indian Head Start programs and migrant 

and seasonal Head Start programs to facilitate collaboration 

between Head Start agencies and entities (including the State 

or national administrative office) that carry out other activities 

designed to benefit low-income families and children from birth 

to school entry. The national administrative offices shall use the 

funds made available through the grants to carry out the authorities and responsibilities described in subparagraphs (B) 

and (C). 

(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to— (I) assist Head Start agencies to collaborate with entities 

involved in State and local planning processes to better 

meet the needs of low-income families and children from 

birth to school entry; 

(II) assist Head Start agencies to coordinate activities 

with the State agency responsible for administering the 

State program carried out under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) 

and entities providing resource and referral services in the 

State, to make full-working-day and full calendar year 

services available to children; 

(III) promote alignment of Head Start services with State 

early learning standards, as appropriate, and the Head 

Start Child Outcomes Framework; 

(IV) promote better linkages between Head Start agencies 

and other child and family agencies, including agencies 

that provide health, mental health, or family services, or 

other child or family supportive services, such as services 

provided under section 619 or part C of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

seq.); and 

(V) carry out the activities of the State Director of Head 

Start Collaboration authorized in subparagraph (D). 

(C) In order to improve coordination and delivery of early 

childhood education and care to children in the State, a State 

that receives a collaboration grant under subparagraph (B) 

shall—

(i) appoint or designate an individual to serve as, or 

carry out the responsibilities of, the State Director of Head 

Start Collaboration; 

(ii) ensure that the State Director of Head Start Collaboration holds a position with sufficient authority and access 

to ensure that the collaboration described in subparagraph 

(B) is effective and involves a range of State agencies; and 

(iii) involve the State Head Start Association in the selection of the Director and involve the Association in determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the collaboration office. 

(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, reporting 

to the State Advisory Council described in subparagraph (E), 

shall—

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(i) not later than 1 year after the State receives a collaboration grant under subparagraph (B), conduct an assessment that— (I) addresses the needs of Head Start agencies in the 

State with respect to collaboration, coordination of 

services, and alignment of services with State early 

learning standards, as appropriate, and the Head 

Start Child Outcomes Framework; 

(II) shall be updated on an annual basis; and 

(III) shall be made available to the general public 

within the State; 

(ii) develop a strategic plan that is based on the assessment described in clause (i) that will— (I) enhance collaboration and coordination of Head 

Start services with other entities providing early childhood education and care (such as child care or services 

offered by museums), health care, mental health care, 

welfare, child protective services, education and community service activities, family literacy services, reading readiness programs (including such programs offered by public and school libraries), services relating 

to children with disabilities, other early childhood education and care for limited English proficient children 

and homeless children, and services provided for children in foster care and children referred to Head Start 

programs by child welfare agencies, including agencies 

and State officials responsible for such services; 

(II) assist Head Start agencies to develop a plan for 

the provision of full-working-day, full calendar year 

services for children enrolled in Head Start programs 

who need such care; 

(III) assist Head Start agencies to align services with 

State early learning standards, as appropriate, and the 

Head Start Child Outcomes Framework; and 

(IV) enable Head Start agencies in the State to better 

access professional development opportunities for Head 

Start staff, such as by—

(aa) working with local Head Start agencies to 

meet the degree requirements described in section 

648A(a)(2)(A), including providing distance learning opportunities for Head Start staff, where needed to make higher education more accessible to 

Head Start staff; and 

(bb) enabling the State Head Start agencies to 

better conduct outreach to eligible families; 

(iii) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies, 

State and local governments, and the private sector to help 

ensure that children from low-income families, who are in 

Head Start programs or are preschool age, are receiving 

comprehensive services to prepare the children to enter 

school ready to learn; 

(iv) consult with the chief State school officer, local educational agencies, and providers of early childhood education and care, regarding early childhood education and 

care at both the State and local levels; 

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(v) promote partnerships (such as the partnerships involved with the Free to Grow initiative) between Head Start 

agencies, schools, law enforcement, relevant communitybased organizations, and substance abuse and mental 

health treatment agencies to strengthen family and community environments and to reduce the impact on child development of substance abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, 

and other high risk behaviors that compromise healthy development; 

(vi) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies 

and other organizations in order to enhance the Head Start 

curriculum, including partnerships to promote inclusion of 

more books in Head Start classrooms and partnerships to 

promote coordination of activities with the Ready-to-Learn 

Television program carried out under subpart 3 of part D 

of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); and 

(vii) identify other resources and organizations (both public and private) for the provision of in-kind services to Head 

Start agencies in the State. 

(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall—

(I) designate or establish a council to serve as the State 

advisory council on collaboration on early childhood education and care for children from birth to school entry (in 

this subchapter referred to as the ‘‘State Advisory Council’’); 

and 

(II) designate an individual to coordinate activities of the 

State Advisory Council, as described in clause (iv)(I). 

(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity to serve as 

the State Advisory Council, if the entity includes representatives 

consistent with clause (iii). 

(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall include, to 

the maximum extent possible—

(I) the State Director of Head Start Collaboration; 

(II) a representative of the appropriate regional office of 

the Administration for Children and Families; 

(III) a representative of the State educational agency and 

local educational agencies; 

(IV) a representative of institutions of higher education; 

(V) a representative (or representatives) of the State agency (or agencies) responsible for health or mental health 

care; 

(VI) a representative of the State agency responsible for 

professional standards, certification, and licensing for early 

childhood educators; 

(VII) a representative of the State agency responsible for 

child care; 

(VIII) early childhood educators, including professionals 

with expertise in second language acquisition and instructional strategies in teaching limited English proficient children; 

(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in grades 1 

through 3; 

(X) health care professionals; 

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(XI) child development specialists, including specialists 

in prenatal, infant, and toddler development; 

(XII) a representative of the State agency responsible for 

assisting children with developmental disabilities; 

(XIII) a representative of the State agency responsible for 

programs under section 619 or part C of the Individuals 

with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

seq.); 

(XIV) a representative of the State interagency coordinating councils established under section 641 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1441); 

(XV) a representative of the State Head Start Association 

(where appropriate), and other representatives of Head 

Start programs in the State; 

(XVI) a representative of the State network of child care 

resource and referral agencies; 

(XVII) a representative of community-based organizations; 

(XVIII) a representative of State and local providers of 

early childhood education and child care; 

(XIX) a representative of Indian Head Start programs 

(where appropriate) and a representative of migrant and 

seasonal Head Start programs (where appropriate); 

(XX) parents; 

(XXI) religious and business leaders; 

(XXII) the head of the State library administrative agency; 

(XXIII) representatives of State and local organizations 

and other entities providing professional development to 

early childhood educators and child care providers; 

(XXIV) a representative from the Office of Coordinator for 

Education of Homeless Children and Youths in the State; 

(XXV) a State legislator; and 

(XXVI) a representative of other entities determined to be 

relevant by the Governor of the State. 

(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be responsible for, in 

addition to responsibilities assigned to the council by the Governor of the State—

(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment 

concerning early education and care for children from birth 

to school entry; 

(bb) identifying barriers to, and opportunities for, collaboration and coordination among entities carrying out 

federally-funded and State-funded child development, child 

care, and early childhood education programs; 

(cc) developing recommendations regarding means of establishing a unified data collection system for early childhood education and care throughout the State; 

(dd) developing a statewide professional development and 

career ladder plan for early childhood education and care 

in the State; 

(ee) reviewing and approving the strategic plan, regarding collaborating and coordinating services to better serve 

children enrolled in Head Start programs, developed by the 

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State Director of Head Start Collaboration under subparagraph (D)(iii); 

(ff) assessing the availability of high quality prekindergarten services for low-income children in the State; 

(gg) assisting 2- and 4-year public and private institutions of higher education to develop articulation agreements; 

(hh) awarding grants to assist institutions of higher education to develop model programs of early childhood education and care, including practica or internships for students to spend time in a Head Start or prekindergarten 

program; and 

(ii) undertaking collaborative efforts to develop, and 

make recommendations for improvements in, State early 

learning standards. 

(II) The State Advisory Council shall hold public hearings 

and provide an opportunity for public comment on the activities 

described in subclause (I). The State Advisory Council shall 

submit a statewide strategic report addressing the activities described in subclause (I) to the State Director of Head Start Collaboration and the Governor of the State. 

(III) After submission of a statewide strategic report under 

subclause (II), the State Advisory Council shall meet periodically to review any implementation of the recommendations in 

such report and any changes in State and local needs. 

(F)(i)(I) Prior to carrying out paragraph (4), the Secretary 

shall reserve a portion to carry out this subparagraph for a fiscal year. The Secretary shall reserve the portion from the 

amount (if any) by which the funds appropriated under section 

639(a) for the fiscal year exceed the adjusted prior year appropriation (as defined in paragraph (3)(A)(ii)), without reducing 

the share available for quality improvement funds described in 

paragraph (3)(B). 

(II) To the extent consistent with subclause (I), the Secretary 

shall reserve $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. Funds reserved 

under this subclause shall remain available for obligation 

through fiscal year 2012. 

(ii) The Secretary shall use the portion reserved under clause 

(i) to award, on a competitive basis, one-time startup grants of 

not less than $500,000 to eligible States to enable such States 

to pay for the Federal share of the cost of further developing 

and implementing the recommendations and plans for which 

the State’s State Advisory Council is responsible under subparagraph (E)(iv)(I). Such grants shall—

(I) facilitate the development of high-quality systems of 

early childhood education and care and activities designed 

to improve school preparedness; 

(II) increase and make effective use of existing and new 

delivery systems and funds for early childhood education 

and care; and 

(III) enhance existing early childhood education and care 

(in existence on the date on which the grant involved is 

awarded). 

(iii) To be eligible to receive a grant under this subparagraph, 

a State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an applicamstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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tion, for a 3-year period, at such time, in such manner, and 

containing such information as the Secretary shall require, including—

(I) a description of the State’s State Advisory Council’s 

responsibilities under subparagraph (E)(iv)(I); 

(II) a description, for each fiscal year, of how the State 

will make effective use of funds available under this subparagraph, with funds described in clause (iv), to create an 

early childhood education and care system, by developing 

or enhancing programs and activities described in subparagraph (E)(iv)(I); 

(III) a description of the State early learning standards 

and the State’s goals for increasing the number of children 

entering kindergarten ready to learn; 

(IV) information identifying the agency or joint interagency office and individual designated to carry out the activities under this subparagraph, which may be the individual designated under subparagraph (E)(i)(II); and 

(V) a description of how the State plans to sustain activities under this subparagraph beyond the grant period. 

(iv) The Federal share of the cost described in clause (ii) shall 

be 30 percent, and the State shall provide the non-Federal 

share. 

(v) Funds made available under this subparagraph shall be 

used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and 

local funds expended to carry out activities related to early 

childhood education and care in the State. 

(vi) Not later than 18 months after the date a State receives 

a grant under this subparagraph, the State shall submit an interim report to the Secretary. A State that receives a grant 

under this subparagraph shall submit a final report to the Secretary at the end of the grant period. 

ø(E)¿ (G)(i) The Secretary shall— (I) review on an ongoing basis evidence of barriers to effective collaboration between Head Start programs and 

other Federal, State, and local øchild care and early childhood education programs and resources¿ early childhood 

education and care programs and resources; 

(II) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(ii) In the case of a collaborative activity funded under this 

subchapter and another provision of law providing for øFederal 

child care or early childhood education¿ Federal early childhood education or child care, the use of equipment and 

nonconsumable supplies purchased with funds made available 

under this subchapter or such provision shall not be restricted 

to children enrolled or otherwise participating in the program 

carried out under that subchapter or provision, during a period 

in which the activity is predominantly funded under this subchapter or such provision. 

ø(F)¿ (H) As used in this paragraph, the term ‘‘low-income’’, 

used with respect to children or families, shall not be considered to refer only to children or families that meet the low-income criteria prescribed pursuant to section 645(a)(1)(A). 

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(6)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (4), the Secretary shall use, for grants for programs described in section 645A(a), a portion of the combined 

total of such amounts equal to ø7.5 percent for fiscal year 

1999, 8 percent for fiscal year 2000, 9 percent for fiscal year 

2001, 10 percent for fiscal year 2002, and 10 percent for fiscal 

year 2003, of the amount appropriated pursuant to section 

639(a), except as provided in subparagraph (B).¿ not less than 

12 percent for fiscal year 2008, not less than 14 percent for fiscal year 2009, not less than 16 percent for fiscal year 2010, not 

less than 18 percent for fiscal year 2011, and not less than 20 

percent for fiscal year 2012, of the amount appropriated pursuant to section 639(a). 

ø(B)(i) If the Secretary does not submit an interim report on 

the preliminary findings of the Early Head Start impact study 

currently being conducted by the Secretary (as of the date of 

enactment of the Head Start Amendments of 1998) to the appropriate committees by June 1, 2001, the amount of the reserved portion for fiscal year 2002 that exceeds the reserved 

portion for fiscal year 2001, if any, shall be used for quality improvement activities described in section 640(a)(3) and shall 

not be used to serve an increased number of eligible children 

under section 645A. 

ø(ii) If the Secretary does not submit a final report on the 

Early Head Start impact study to the appropriate committees 

by June 1, 2002, or if the Secretary finds in the report that 

there are substantial deficiencies in the programs carried out 

under section 645A, the amount of the reserved portion for fiscal year 2003 that exceeds the reserved portion for fiscal year 

2002, if any, shall be used for quality improvement activities 

described in section 640(a)(3) and shall not be used to serve an 

increased number of eligible children under section 645A. 

ø(iii) In this subparagraph: 

ø(I) The term ‘‘appropriate committees’’ means the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee 

on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 

Committee on Labor and Human Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

ø(II) The term ‘‘reserved portion’’, used with respect to 

a fiscal year, means the amount required to be used in accordance with subparagraph (A) for that fiscal year.¿ 

ø(C)¿ (B)(i) For any fiscal year for which the Secretary determines that the amount appropriated under section 639(a) is 

not sufficient to permit the Secretary to reserve the portion described in subparagraph (A) without reducing the number of 

children served by Head Start programs or adversely affecting 

the quality of Head Start services, relative to the number of 

children served and the quality of the services during the preceding fiscal year, the Secretary may reduce the percentage of 

funds ørequired to be¿ reserved for the portion described in 

subparagraph (A) for the fiscal year for which the determination is made, but not below the percentage ørequired to be¿ so 

reserved for the preceding fiscal year. 

(ii) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

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(7) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘‘State’’ does not 

include Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated 

States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and 

Palau. 

(b) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(f) The¿ (f)(1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, the Secretary shall establish procedures to enable Head Start agencies to develop locally 

designed or specialized service delivery models to address local 

community øneeds.¿ needs, including models that leverage the capacity and capabilities of the delivery system of early childhood education and child care. 

(2) In establishing the procedures the Secretary shall establish 

procedures to provide for—

(A) the conversion of part-day programs to full-day programs 

or part-day slots to full-day slots; and 

(B) serving additional infants and toddlers pursuant to section 645(a)(5). 

(g)(1) * * * 

(2) For the purpose of expanding Head Start programs, in allocating funds to an applicant within a State, from amounts allotted 

to a State pursuant to subsection (a)(4), the Secretary shall take 

into consideration— (A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments involving other community organizations and public agencies serving 

children and families (including organizations serving families 

in whose homes English is not the language customarily spoken), and organizations and public entities serving children 

with disabilities;¿ 

(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken communitywide strategic planning and needs assessments involving 

other community organizations and Federal, State, and local 

public agencies serving children and families (including organizations and agencies providing family support services and protective services to children and families and organizations serving families in whose homes English is not the language customarily spoken), and individuals, organizations, and public 

entities serving children with disabilities, children in foster 

care, and homeless children including the local educational 

agency liaison designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)); 

(D) the extent to which the family and øcommunity¿ communitywide needs assessment of the applicant reflects a need 

to provide full-working-day or full calendar year services and 

the extent to which, and manner in which, the applicant demonstrates the ability to collaborate and participate with øother 

local¿ the State and local community providers of child care or 

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preschool services to provide full-working-day full calendar 

year services; 

(E) the numbers of eligible children in each community who 

would like to participate but are not participating in a Head 

Start program or any other øearly childhood program¿ early 

childhood education and care program; 

(F) * * * 

(G) the extent to which the applicant proposes to foster partnerships with other service providers in a manner that will leverage the existing delivery systems of such services (existing as 

of the date of the allocation decision) and enhance the resource 

capacity of the applicant; and 

(H) the extent to which the applicant, in providing services, 

plans to coordinate with the local educational agency serving 

the community involved, including the local educational agency 

liaison designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)), and with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency will 

enroll following such program, regarding such services and the 

education services provided by such local educational agency. 

(3) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(h) * * * 

ø(i)¿ (i)(1) The Secretary shall issue regulations establishing requirements for the safety features, and the safe operation, of vehicles used by Head Start agencies to transport children participating in Head Start programs. The regulations shall also establish 

requirements to ensure the appropriate supervision of, and appropriate background checks for, individuals with whom the agencies 

contract to transport those children. 

(2)(A) For purposes of part 1310 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of enactment of the Head Start for 

School Readiness Act, any vehicle in use to transport children for 

a Head Start program as of January 1, 2007, shall not be subject 

to a requirement under that part regarding rear emergency exit 

doors for 2 years after that date of enactment. 

(B) The Secretary shall revise allowable alternate vehicle standards described in that part 1310 (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling) to exempt from Federal seat spacing requirements 

any vehicle used to transport children for a Head Start program, if 

the vehicle is equipped with child restraint systems consistent with 

that part 1310 (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling). 

Such revision shall be made in a manner consistent with the findings of the Federal Transit Administration of the Department of 

Transportation, pursuant to its study on occupant protection on 

Head Start transit vehicles, related to Government Accountability 

Office report GAO–06–767R. 

(j) * * * 

(k)(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(l)(1) With funds made available under section 640(a)(2) to migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, the Secretary shall give 

priority to migrant and seasonal Head Start programs that serve 

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eligible children of migrant øand seasonal farmworker families¿ or 

seasonal farmworkers whose work requires them to relocate most 

frequently. 

(2) * * * 

ø(3) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall continue 

the administrative arrangement responsible for meeting the needs 

of children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and Indian children and shall ensure that appropriate funding is provided to meet 

such needs.¿ 

(3) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall continue 

the administrative arrangement at the national level for meeting the 

needs of Indian children and children of migrant and seasonal 

farmworkers and shall ensure—

(A) that appropriate funding is provided to meet such needs, 

including training and technical assistance provided by staff 

with knowledge of and experience in working with such populations; and 

(B) the appointment of a national Indian Head Start collaboration director and a national migrant and seasonal Head 

Start program collaboration director. 

(4)(A) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the Secretary shall conduct an annual consultation in each affected Head Start region, 

with tribal governments operating Head Start (including) Early 

Head Start programs. 

(B) The consultations shall be for the purpose of better meeting 

the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families pertinent to subsection (a)(2)(A), taking into consideration funding allocations, distribution formulas, and other issues affecting the 

delivery of Head Start services within tribal communities. 

(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the consultations 

in the Federal Register prior to conducting the consultations. 

(D) A detailed report of each consultation shall be prepared and 

made available, on a timely basis, to all tribal governments receiving funds under this subchapter. 

(5)(A) In order to increase access to Head Start services for children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, the Secretary shall work 

in collaboration with providers of migrant and seasonal Head Start 

programs, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, and 

the Secretary of Education to—

(i) collect, report, and share data on farmworkers and their 

families in order to adequately account for the number of children of migrant or seasonal farmworkers who are eligible for 

Head Start services and determine how many of such children 

receive the services; and 

(ii) identify barriers that prevent children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who are eligible for Head Start services from 

accessing Head Start services, and develop a plan for eliminating such barriers, including certain requirements relating to 

tracking, health records, and educational documents. 

(B) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Head 

Start for School Readiness Act, the Secretary shall publish in the 

Federal Register a notice about how the Secretary plans to carry out 

the activities identified in subparagraph (A) and shall provide a period for public comment. To the extent practicable, the Secretary 

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shall consider comments received before implementing any of the activities identified in subparagraph (A). 

(C) Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 

Head Start for School Readiness Act, the Secretary shall submit a 

report to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

and Pensions of the Senate detailing how the Secretary plans to 

carry out the activities identified in subparagraph (A). 

(D) The Secretary shall take appropriate caution to ensure the 

protection of the confidentiality of any personally identifiable data, 

information, and records collected or maintained regarding children 

and families served by migrant and seasonal Head Start programs. 

(E) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the 

development of a nationwide database of personally identifiable 

data, information, or records on individuals involved in studies or 

other collections of data under this paragraph. 

(m) ENROLLMENT OF HOMELESS CHILDREN.—The Secretary shall 

issue regulations to remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of homeless children in Head Start programs. Such regulations 

shall require Head Start agencies to—

(1) implement policies and procedures to ensure that homeless 

children are identified and receive appropriate priority for enrollment; 

(2) allow homeless children to apply to, enroll in, and attend 

Head Start programs while required documents, such as proof 

of residency, proof of immunization, and other medical records, 

birth certificates, and other documents, are obtained within a 

reasonable timeframe; and 

(3) coordinate individual Head Start programs with efforts to 

implement subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.). 

(n) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subchapter shall be 

construed to require a State to establish a program of early childhood education and care for children in the State, to require any 

child to participate in a program in order to attend preschool, or to 

participate in any initial screening prior to participation in a program of early childhood education and care, except as provided 

under section 612(a)(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)) and consistent with section 

635(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1435(a)(5)). 

(o) CURRICULA.—All curricula funded under this subchapter shall 

be scientifically based, developmentally and linguistically based (to 

the extent practicable), and age appropriate. The curricula shall reflect all areas of child development and learning. Parents shall have 

the opportunity to examine any such curricula or instructional materials funded under this subchapter. 

* * * * * * * 

øDESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES

øSEC. 641. (a) The Secretary is authorized to designate as a Head 

Start agency any local public or private nonprofit or for-profit agency, within a community, which (1) has the power and authority to 

carry out the purposes of this subchapter and perform the functions set forth in section 642 within a community; and (2) is determstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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mined by the Secretary (in consultation with the chief executive officer of the State involved, if such State expends non-Federal funds 

to carry out Head Start programs) to be capable of planning, conducting, administering, and evaluating, either directly or by other 

arrangements, a Head Start program 

ø(b) For purposes of this subchapter, a community may be a city, 

county, or multicity or multicounty unit within a State, an Indian 

reservation (including Indians in any off-reservation area designated by an appropriate tribal government in consultation with 

the Secretary), or a neighborhood or other area (irrespective of 

boundaries or political subdivisions) which provides a suitable organizational base and possesses the commonality of interest needed 

to operate a Head Start program. 

ø(c)(1) In the administration of the provisions of this section 

(subject to paragraph (2)), the Secretary shall, in consultation with 

the chief executive officer of the State involved if such State expends non-Federal funds to carry out Head Start programs, give 

priority in the designation of Head Start agencies to any local public or private nonprofit or for-profit agency which is receiving funds 

under any Head Start program on the date of the enactment of this 

Act unless the Secretary determines that the agency involved fails 

to meet program and financial management requirements, performance standards described in section 641A(a)(1), results-based performance measures developed by the Secretary under section 

64lA(b), or other requirements established by the Secretary. 

ø(2) If there is no agency of the type referred to in paragraph (1) 

because of any change in the assistance furnished to programs for 

economically disadvantaged persons, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the chief executive officer of the State if such State 

expends non-Federal funds to carry out Head Start programs, give 

priority in the designation of Head Start agencies to any successor 

agency that is operating a Head Start program in substantially the 

same manner as the predecessor agency that did receive funds in 

the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is made. 

ø(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, the 

Secretary shall not give such priority to any agency with respect 

to which financial assistance has been terminated, or an application for refunding has been denied, under this subchapter by the 

Secretary after affording such agency reasonable notice and opportunity for a full and fair hearing in accordance with section 

646(a)(3). 

ø(d) If no entity in a community is entitled to the priority specified in subsection (c), then the Secretary may designate a Head 

Start agency from among qualified applicants in such community. 

In selecting from among qualified applicants for designation as a 

Head Start agency, the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified agency that functioned as a Head Start delegate agency in the 

community and carried out a Head Start program that the Secretary determines met or exceeded such performance standards 

and such results-based performance measures. In selecting from 

among qualified applicants for designation as a Head Start agency, 

the Secretary shall consider the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide Head Start services, based on—

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ø(1) any past performance of such applicant in providing 

services comparable to Head Start services, including how effectively such applicant provided such comparable services; 

ø(2) the plan of such applicant to provide comprehensive 

health, nutritional, educational, social, and other services needed to aid participating children in attaining their full potential; 

ø(3) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head Start 

program it proposes to carry out, with other preschool programs, including Even Start programs under part B of chapter 

1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.) and programs under part C and 

section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 

(20 U.S.C. 1431–1444, 1419), and with the educational programs such children will enter at the age of compulsory school 

attendance; 

ø(4) the plan of such applicant— ø(A) to seek the involvement of parents of participating 

children in activities (at home and in the center involved 

where practicable) designed to help such parents become 

full partners in the education of their children; 

ø(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to participate 

in the development, conduct, and overall performance of 

the program at the local level; 

ø(C) to offer (directly or through referral to local entities, 

such as entities carrying out Even Start programs under 

part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.), 

public and school libraries, and family support programs) 

to such parents— ø(i) family literacy services; and 

ø(ii) parenting skills training; 

ø(D) to offer to parents of participating children substance abuse counseling (either directly or through referral 

to local entities), including information on drug-exposed infants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 

ø(E) at the option of such applicant, to offer (directly or 

through referral to local entities) to such parents—

ø(i) training in basic child development; 

ø(ii) assistance in developing communication skills; 

ø(iii) opportunities for parents to share experiences 

with other parents; or 

ø(iv) any other activity designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their 

children; and 

ø(F) to provide, with respect to each participating family, 

a family needs assessment that includes consultation with 

such parents about the benefits of parent involvement and 

about the activities described in subparagraphs (C), (D), 

and (E) in which such parents may choose to become involved (taking into consideration their specific family 

needs, work schedules, and other responsibilities); 

ø(5) the ability of such applicant to carry out the plans described in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4); 

ø(6) other factors related to the requirements of this subchapter; 

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ø(7) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of nonEnglish background children and their families, including 

needs related to the acquisition of the English language; 

ø(8) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of children 

with disabilities; 

ø(9) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist younger 

siblings of children who will participate in the proposed Head 

Start program to obtain health services from other sources; 

and 

ø(10) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with other entities carrying out early childhood education and child care 

programs in the community. 

ø(e) If no agency in the community receives priority designation 

under subsection (c), and there is no qualified applicant in the community, the Secretary shall designate a qualified agency to carry 

out the Head Start program in the community on an interim basis 

until a qualified applicant from the community is so designated. 

ø(f) The Secretary shall require that the practice of significantly 

involving parents and area residents affected by the program in selection of Head Start agencies be continued. 

ø(g) If the Secretary determines that a nonprofit agency and a 

for-profit agency have submitted applications for designation of 

equivalent quality under subsection (d), the Secretary may give priority to the nonprofit agency. In selecting from among qualified applicants for designation as a Head Start agency under subsection 

(d), the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that have 

demonstated capacity in providing comprehensive early childhood 

services to children and their families.¿ 

SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

(a) DESIGNATION.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to designate as 

a Head Start agency any local public or private nonprofit or 

for-profit agency, within a community, including a communitybased organization that—

(A) has power and authority to carry out the purpose of 

this subchapter and perform the functions set forth in section 642 within a community; and 

(B) is determined to have the capacity to plan, conduct, 

administer, and evaluate, either directly or by other arrangements, a Head Start program. 

(2) REQUIRED GOALS FOR DESIGNATION.—In order to be designated as a Head Start agency, an entity described in paragraph (1) shall—

(A) establish program goals for improving the school 

readiness of children participating in a program under this 

subchapter, including goals for meeting the performance 

standards and additional educational standards described 

in section 641A and shall establish results-based school 

readiness goals that are aligned with the Head Start Child 

Outcomes Framework, State early learning standards (as 

appropriate), and requirements and expectations for local 

public schools; and 

(B) have a governing body—

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(i) with legal and fiscal responsibility for administering and overseeing programs under this subchapter; 

(ii) that fully participates in the development, planning, and evaluation of the programs to ensure the operation of programs of high quality; 

(iii) that is responsible for ensuring compliance with 

Federal laws and regulations, including the performance standards described in section 641A, as well as 

applicable State, tribal, and local laws and regulations, including laws defining the nature and operations of the governing body; and 

(iv) that has procedures to facilitate meaningful consultation and collaboration about decisions of the governing body and the policy council established under 

paragraph (3). 

(3) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICY COUNCIL UPON DESIGNATION.—

Upon receiving designation as a Head Start agency, the agency 

shall establish a policy council that—

(A) in accordance with paragraph (5)(C), shall make decisions that influence the character of programs consistent 

with paragraph (5)(F); and 

(B) with the governing body, shall establish processes to 

resolve internal disputes. 

(4) ELIGIBILITY FOR SUBSEQUENT GRANTS.—In order to receive 

a grant under this subchapter subsequent to the initial grant 

provided following the date of enactment of the Head Start for 

School Readiness Act, an entity described in paragraph (1) 

shall demonstrate that the entity has met or is making progress 

toward meeting the goals described in paragraph (2)(A). 

(5) GOVERNING BODY AND POLICY COUNCIL.— (A) ESTABLISHMENT OF GOVERNING BODY.—Each Head 

Start agency shall establish a governing body in accordance with paragraph (2)(B). 

(B) COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BODY.— (i) IN GENERAL.—The governing body shall be composed as follows: 

(I) Not less than 1 member of the governing body 

shall have a background in fiscal management. 

(II) Not less than 1 member of the governing 

body shall have a background in early childhood 

development. 

(III) Not less than 1 member of the governing 

body shall be a licensed attorney familiar with 

issues that come before the governing body. 

(IV) Additional members shall reflect the community to be served, and include parents of children who are currently, or were formerly, enrolled 

in Head Start programs. 

(V) In the case in which the governing body is a 

part of a Head Start agency that is a public agency, members of the governing body shall include 

elected or appointed public officials. 

(ii) CONSULTANTS.—In the case that persons described in clause (i) are not available to serve as memmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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bers of the governing body, the governing body shall 

make use of consultants in the areas described in 

clause (i) to work directly with the governing body. 

(iii) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—Members of the governing body shall—

(I) not have a conflict of interest with the Head 

Start agency (including any delegate agency); and 

(II) not receive compensation for the purposes of 

serving on the governing body or for providing 

services to the Head Start agency. 

(C) RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOVERNING BODY.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—The governing body shall be responsible for—

(I) the selection of delegate agencies and such 

agencies’ service areas; 

(II) establishing procedures and criteria for recruitment, selection, and enrollment; 

(III) all funding applications and amendments 

to funding applications for programs under this 

subchapter; 

(IV) establishing procedures and guidelines to 

access and collect the information described in 

paragraph (6); 

(V) review and approval of—

(aa) the annual self-assessment, financial 

audit, and findings from the Federal monitoring review, of the Head Start agency (including any delegate agency); and 

(bb) such agency’s progress in carrying out 

the programmatic and fiscal intent of such 

agency’s grant application; 

(VI) developing procedures for how members of 

the policy council of the Head Start agency are selected, consistent with subparagraph (E)(ii); 

(VII) financial audits, accounting, and reporting; 

(VIII) personnel policies and procedures regarding hiring, termination, salary scales (and changes 

made to the scale), and salaries of the Executive 

Director, Head Start Director, the Director of 

Human Resources, the Chief Fiscal Officer, and 

any equivalent position; and 

(IX) review and approval of the community assessment, including any updates to such assessment. 

(ii) CONDUCT OF RESPONSIBILITIES.—The governing 

body shall ensure the development and approval of an 

internal control structure to facilitate those responsibilities in order to—

(I) safeguard Federal funds; 

(II) comply with laws and regulations that have 

an impact on financial statements; 

(III) detect or prevent noncompliance with this 

subchapter; and 

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(IV) receive financial audit reports and direct 

and monitor staff implementation of corrective actions. 

(iii) COMMITTEES.—The governing body shall, to the 

extent practicable and appropriate, establish—

(I) advisory committees to oversee responsibilities 

related to financial auditing and finances of the 

Head Start agency, as well as compliance with 

Federal, State, and local laws and regulations; 

and 

(II) at the discretion of the governing body, additional advisory committees to study and make recommendations on areas related to the improvement 

of the Head Start program. 

(D) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICY COUNCIL.—Each Head 

Start agency shall establish a policy council in accordance 

with paragraph (3). 

(E) COMPOSITION OF POLICY COUNCIL.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—The policy council shall consist of—

(I) parents of children currently enrolled in the 

programs of the Head Start agency (including any 

delegate agency), which shall constitute a majority 

of the membership of the policy council; and 

(II) members at large of the community served 

by the Head Start agency, which may include parents of children previously enrolled in the programs of the Head Start agency (including any 

delegate agency). 

(ii) SELECTION.—Parents serving on the policy council shall be elected by parents of children currently enrolled in the programs of the Head Start agency (including any delegate agency) and shall represent, proportionately, all program options and settings operated 

by the Head Start agency (including any delegate agency). 

(iii) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—Members of the policy 

council shall—

(I) not have a conflict of interest with the Head 

Start agency (including any delegate agency); and 

(II) not receive compensation for serving on the 

policy council or for providing services to the Head 

Start agency. 

(F) RESPONSIBILITIES OF POLICY COUNCIL.—The policy 

council shall be responsible for—

(i) program planning, including—

(I) program design, including long and short 

term program goals, all funding applications and 

amendments to funding applications, and objectives based on the annual communitywide assessment and self-assessment; 

(II) program recruitment, selection, and enrollment priorities; and 

(III) budget planning for program expenditures 

consistent with subparagraph (C)(i)(VII), including 

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polices for reimbursement and participation in policy council activities; 

(ii) program operation consistent with subparagraph 

(C)(i)(VIII), including implementation of standards of 

conduct for program staff, contractors, and volunteers 

and criteria for the employment and dismissal of program staff; and 

(iii) activities to support the active involvement of 

parents in supporting program operations, including 

policies to ensure that the Head Start program is responsive to community and parent needs. 

(6) INFORMATION SHARING.—The governing body and the policy council shall share with each other regular and accurate information for use by both entities about program planning, policies, and Head Start agency operations, including—

(A) monthly financial statements (including detailed 

credit card account expenditures for any employee with a 

Head Start agency credit card or who seeks reimbursement 

for charged expenses); 

(B) monthly program information summaries; 

(C) program enrollment reports, including attendance reports for children whose care is partially subsidized by another public agency; 

(D) monthly reports of meals and snacks provided 

through programs of the Department of Agriculture; 

(E) the financial audit; 

(F) the annual self-assessment, including any findings related to the annual self-assessment; 

(G) the community assessment of the Head Start agency’s 

service area and any applicable updates; 

(H) communication and guidance from the Secretary; 

and 

(I) the program information reports. 

(7) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Appropriate 

training and technical assistance shall be provided to the members of the governing body and the policy council to ensure that 

the members understand the information the members receive 

and can effectively oversee and participate in the programs of 

the Head Start agency. 

(b) COMMUNITIES.—For purposes of this subchapter, a community 

may be a city, county, or multicity or multicounty unit within a 

State, an Indian reservation (including Indians in any off-reservation area designated by an appropriate tribal government in consultation with the Secretary), or a neighborhood or other area (irrespective of boundaries or political subdivisions) that provides a suitable organizational base and possesses the commonality of interest 

needed to operate a Head Start program. 

(c) REDESIGNATION.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—In administering the provisions of this section, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Governor of 

the State involved, redesignate as a Head Start agency any 

Head Start agency or delegate agency that is high performing, 

as determined by meeting each of the following criteria: 

(A) Is receiving assistance under this subchapter. 

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(B) Meets or exceeds program and financial management 

requirements or standards described in section 641A(a)(1). 

(C) Has no unresolved deficiencies, including having resolved any deficiencies found during the last triennial review under section 641A(c). 

(D) Can demonstrate, through agreements such as memoranda of understanding, active collaboration with the State 

or local community in the provision of services for children 

(such as the provision of extended day services, education, 

professional development and training for staff, and other 

types of cooperative endeavors). 

(E) Completes and submits the appropriate reapplication 

forms as required by the Secretary. 

(2) LIMITATION.—A Head Start agency with a triennial review 

under section 641A(c) scheduled not later than 18 months after 

the date of enactment of the Head Start for School Readiness 

Act shall not be subject to the criteria described in paragraph 

(1) for that review in order to be redesignated. The Head Start 

agency shall be subject to the criteria for any subsequent triennial review. 

(d) DESIGNATION WHEN NO ENTITY IS REDESIGNATED.—If no entity in a community is redesignated according to subsection (c), the 

Secretary shall, after conducting an open competition, designate a 

Head Start agency from among qualified applicants in such community. 

(f) EFFECTIVENESS.—In selecting from among qualified applicants 

for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall consider 

the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide Head Start services, based on— (1) any past performance of such applicant in providing services comparable to Head Start services, including how effectively such applicant provided such comparable services; 

(2) the plan of such applicant to provide comprehensive 

health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services needed to aid participating children in attaining their full potential, 

and to prepare children to succeed in school; 

(3) the capacity of such applicant to serve eligible children 

with programs that use scientifically based research that promote school readiness of children participating in the program; 

(4) the plan of such applicant to meet standards set forth in 

section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the standards 

set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section; 

(5) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head Start 

program the applicant proposes to carry out with other preschool programs, including—

(A) the Early Reading First and Even Start programs 

under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 

et seq., 6381 et seq.); 

(B) other preschool program under title I of that Act (20 

U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); 

(C) programs under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 

1431 et seq.); 

(D) State prekindergarten programs; 

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(E) child care programs; 

(F) the educational programs that the children in the 

Head Start program involved will enter at the age of compulsory school attendance; and 

(G) reading readiness programs such as those conducted 

by public and school libraries; 

(6) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head Start 

program that the applicant proposes to carry out with public 

and private entities who are willing to commit resources to assist the Head Start program in meeting its program needs; 

(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with a local library, where available, that is interested in that collaboration, 

to— (A) develop innovative programs to excite children about 

the world of books, such as programs that involve— (i) taking children to the library for a story hour; 

(ii) promoting the use of library cards; 

(iii) developing a lending library or using a mobile 

library van; and 

(iv) providing fresh books in the Head Start classroom on a regular basis; 

(B) assist in literacy training for Head Start teachers; 

and 

(C) support parents and other caregivers in literacy efforts; 

(8) the plan of such applicant— (A) to facilitate the involvement of parents of participating children in activities (at home and in the center involved where practicable) designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their children; 

(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to participate 

in the development and overall conduct of the program at 

the local level, including through providing transportation 

costs; 

(C) to offer (directly or through referral to local entities, 

such as entities carrying out Even Start programs under 

subpart 3 of part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), public and school libraries, and entities carrying out family 

support programs) to such parents—

(i) family literacy services; and 

(ii) parenting skills training; 

(D) to offer to parents of participating children substance 

abuse counseling (either directly or through referral to local 

entities), including information on the effect of drug exposure on infants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 

(E) at the option of such applicant, to offer (directly or 

through referral to local entities) to such parents—

(i) training in basic child development (including 

cognitive development); 

(ii) assistance in developing literacy and communication skills; 

(iii) opportunities to share experiences with other 

parents (including parent mentor relationships); 

(iv) regular in-home visitation; or 

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(v) any other activity designed to help such parents 

become full partners in the education of their children; 

(F) to provide, with respect to each participating family, 

a family needs assessment that includes consultation with 

such parents (including foster parents and grandparents, 

where applicable) about the benefits of parent involvement 

and about the activities described in subparagraphs (C), 

(D), and (E) in which such parents may choose to become 

involved (taking into consideration their specific family 

needs, work schedules, and other responsibilities); and 

(G) to extend outreach to fathers, in appropriate cases, in 

order to strengthen the role of fathers in families, in the 

education of their young children, and in the Head Start 

program, by working directly with fathers and father figures through activities such as— (i) in appropriate cases, including fathers in home 

visits and providing opportunities for direct fatherchild interactions; and 

(ii) targeting increased male participation in the conduct of the program; 

(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out the plans described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5); 

(10) other factors related to the requirements of this subchapter; 

(11) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of limited 

English proficient children and their families, including procedures to identify such children, plans to provide trained personnel, and plans to provide services to assist the children in 

making progress toward the acquisition of the English language; 

(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of children 

with disabilities; 

(13) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist younger 

siblings of children who will participate in the Head Start program, to obtain health services from other sources; 

(14) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with other entities carrying out early childhood education and child care programs in the community; 

(15) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of homeless 

children and children in foster care, including the transportation needs of such children; and 

(16) the plan of such applicant to recruit and retain qualified 

staff. 

(f) INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS AND AREA RESIDENTS.—The Secretary shall continue the practice of involving parents and area residents who are affected by programs under this subchapter in the selection of qualified applicants for designation as Head Start agencies. 

(g) PRIORITY.—In selecting from among qualified applicants for 

designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that have demonstrated capacity in providing effective, comprehensive, and well-coordinated early childhood education and care to children and their families. 

(h) INTERIM BASIS.—If there is not a qualified applicant in a community for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall 

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designate a qualified agency to carry out the Head Start program 

in the community on an interim basis until a qualified applicant 

from the community is so designated. 

(i) PROHIBITION AGAINST NON-INDIAN HEAD START AGENCY RE- CEIVING A GRANT FOR AN INDIAN HEAD START PROGRAM.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law 

except as provided in paragraph (2), under no condition may a 

non-Indian Head Start agency receive a grant to carry out an 

Indian Head Start program. 

(2) EXCEPTION.—In a community in which there is no Indian 

Head Start agency available for designation to carry out an Indian Head Start program, a non-Indian Head Start agency 

may receive a grant to carry out an Indian Head Start program 

but only until such time as an Indian Head Start agency in 

such community becomes available and is designated pursuant 

to this section. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 641A. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS. 

(a) QUALITY STANDARDS.— (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS.—* * * 

(A) performance standards with respect to services required to be provided, including health, parental involvement, nutritional, social, transition activities described in 

section ø642(d)¿ 642(c), and other services; 

(B)(i) øeducation performance standards¿ educational 

performance standards to ensure the school readiness of 

children participating in a Head Start program, on completion of the Head Start program and prior to entering 

school; and 

ø(ii) additional education performance standards to ensure that the children participating in the program, at a 

minimum—

ø(I) develop phonemic, print, and numeracy awareness; 

ø(II) understand and use language to communicate 

for various purposes; 

ø(III) understand and use increasingly complex and 

varied vocabulary; 

ø(IV) develop and demonstrate an appreciation of 

books; and 

ø(V) in the case of non-English backgound children, 

progress toward acquisition of the English language.¿ 

(ii) additional educational standards based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences panel 

described in section 649(h) and other experts in the field, 

to ensure that the curriculum involved addresses, and that 

the children participating in the program show appropriate 

progress toward developing and applying, the recommended educational outcomes, after the panel considers 

the appropriateness of additional educational standards relating to—

(I) language skills related to listening, understanding, speaking, and communicating; 

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(II) pre-literacy knowledge and skills; 

(III) premathematics knowledge and skills; 

(IV) scientific abilities; 

(V) general cognitive abilities related to academic 

achievement and child development; 

(VI) social and emotional development related to 

early learning and school success; 

(VII) physical development; and 

(VIII) in the case of limited English proficient children, progress toward acquisition of the English language (which may include progress made with linguistically appropriate instructional services) while making 

meaningful progress in attaining the knowledge, skills, 

abilities, and development described in subclauses (I) 

through (VII); 

* * * * * * * 

(D) standards relating to the condition and location of facilities for such agencies, programs, and øprojects; and¿ 

projects, including regulations that require that the facilities used by Head Start agencies (including Early Head 

Start agencies and including any delegate agencies) for regularly scheduled center-based and combination program 

option classroom activities—

(i) shall be in compliance with State and local requirements concerning licensing for such facilities; and 

(ii) shall be accessible by State and local authorities 

for purposes of monitoring and ensuring compliance; 

and 

* * * * * * * 

(2) CONSIDERATIONS IN DEVELOPING STANDARDS.—

* * * * * * * 

(B) take into consideration— (i) past experience with use of the standards in effect under this subchapter on øthe date of enactment 

of this section¿ the date of enactment of the Head Start 

for School Readiness Act; 

(ii) changes over the period since øthe date of enactment of this Act¿ the date of enactment of the Head 

Start for School Readiness Act in the circumstances 

and problems typically facing children and families 

served by Head Start agencies; 

(iii) developments concerning best practices with respect to øearly childhood education and development¿ 

early childhood education and care, children with disabilities, homeless children, children in foster care, 

family services, program administration, and financial 

management; 

* * * * * * * 

(vi) changes in the population of children who are eligible to participate in Head Start programs, øincluding the language background and family structure of 

such children; and¿ including changes in the language 

background and family structure of such children, and 

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changes in the population and number of such children 

who are in foster care or are homeless children; 

ø(vii) the need for, and state-of-the-art developments 

relating to, local policies and activities designed to ensure that children participating in Head Start programs make a successful transition to public schools; 

and¿ 

(vii) the unique challenges faced by individual programs, including those programs that are seasonal or 

short term and those programs that serve rural populations; 

(C)(i) review and revise as necessary the performance 

standards in effect under this subsection; and 

(ii) ensure that any such revisions in the performance 

standards will not result in the elimination of or any reduction in the scope or types of health, education, parental 

involvement, nutritional, social, or other services required 

to be provided under such standards as in effect on øthe 

date of enactment of the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998.¿ the date of enactment of the Head 

Start for School Readiness Act; and 

(D) consult with Indian tribes, American Indian and 

Alaska Native experts in early childhood education and 

care, linguists, and the National Indian Head Start Directors Association on the review and promulgation of program standards and measures (including standards and 

measures for language acquisition and school readiness). 

(3) * * * 

(4) EVALUATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR DELEGATE

AGENCIES.—

(A) PROCEDURES.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause (ii), the Head 

Start agency shall establish procedures relating to its 

delegate agencies, including—

(I) procedures for evaluating delegate agencies; 

(II) procedures for defunding delegate agencies; 

and 

(III) procedures for appealing a defunding decision relating to a delegate agency. 

(ii) TERMINATION.—The Head Start agency may not 

terminate a delegate agency’s contract or reduce a delegate agency’s service area without showing cause or 

demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of such a decision. 

(B) EVALUATIONS.—Each Head Start agency—

(i) shall evaluate its delegate agencies using the procedures established pursuant to this section, including 

subparagraph (A); and 

(ii) shall inform the delegate agencies of the deficiencies identified through the evaluation that shall be 

corrected. 

(C) REMEDIES TO ENSURE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS.—In the 

event that the Head Start agency identifies a deficiency for 

a delegate agency through the evaluation, the Head Start 

agency shall take action, which may include—

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(i) initiating procedures to terminate the designation 

of the agency unless the agency corrects the deficiency; 

(ii) conducting monthly monitoring visits to such delegate agency until all deficiencies are corrected or the 

Head Start agency decides to defund such delegate 

agency; and 

(iii) releasing funds to such delegate agency—

(I) only as reimbursements, until all deficiencies 

are corrected or the Head Start agency decides to 

defund such delegate agency; and 

(II) only if there is continuity of services for children and families. 

(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this paragraph 

shall be construed to impact or obviate the responsibilities 

of the Secretary with respect to Head Start agencies or delegate agencies receiving funding under this subchapter. 

(b) RESULTS-BASED PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—

(1) IN GENERAL.— * * * 

(2) øCHARACTERISTICS OF MEASURES.—¿ CHARACTERISTICS

AND USE OF MEASURES.— * * * 

(A) * * * 

(B) be adaptable for use in self-assessment, peer review, 

and program evaluation of individual Head Start agencies 

and programsø, not later than July 1, 1999; and¿; 

(C) be developed for other program purposes as determined by the Secretaryø.¿; 

øThe performance measures shall include the performance 

standards described in subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii).¿ 

(D) measure characteristics that are strongly predictive 

(as determined on a scientific basis) of a child’s school 

readiness and later performance in school; 

(E) be appropriate for the population served; and 

(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 years, based on advances in the science of early childhood development. 

The performance measures shall be issued by regulation and 

shall include the performance standards and additional educational standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 

subsection (a)(1). 

(3) USE OF MEASURES.—The Secretary shall use the performance measures developed pursuant to this subsection—

(A) to identify strengths and weaknesses in the operation of Head Start programs nationally, regionally, and 

locallyø; and¿; 

(B) to identify problem areas that may require additional 

training and technical assistance resourcesø.¿; and 

(C) to enable Head Start agencies to individualize programs of instruction to better meet the needs of the child involved. 

* * * * * * * 

(c) MONITORING OF LOCAL AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.— (1) IN GENERAL.— * * * 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

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ø(C) Followup reviews including prompt return visits to 

agencies and programs that fail to meet the standards.¿ 

(C) Unannounced site inspections for health and safety 

reasons, as appropriate. 

(D) Followup reviews, including— (i) prompt return visits as necessary for failure to 

meet 1 or more of the performance measures developed 

by the Secretary under subsection (b); 

(ii) a review of agencies and programs with citations 

that include findings of deficiencies not later than 6 

months after the date of such citation; and 

(iii) followup reviews that incorporate a monitoring 

visit without prior notice of the visit to the agency or 

program involved or with such limited prior notice as 

is necessary to ensure the participation of parents and 

key staff members. 

ø(D)¿ (E) Other reviews as appropriate. 

ø(2) CONDUCT OF REVIEWS.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

reviews described in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1)— ø(A) are performed, to the maximum extent practicable, 

by employees of the Department of Health and Human 

Services who are knowledgeable about Head Start programs; 

ø(B) are supervised by such an employee at the site of 

such Head Start agency; 

ø(C) are conducted by review teams that shall include 

individuals who are knowledgeable about Head Start programs and, to the maximum extend practicable, the diverse (including linguistic and cultural) needs of eligible 

children (including children with disabilities) and their 

families; 

ø(D) include as part of the reviews of the programs, a review and assessment of program effectiveness, as measured in accordance with the results-based performance 

measures developed by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b) and with the performance standards established 

pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1); 

and 

ø(E) seek information from the communities and the 

States involved about the performance of the programs 

and the efforts of the Head Start agencies to collaborate 

with other entities carrying out early childhood education 

and child care programs in the community.¿ 

(2) CONDUCT OF REVIEWS.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure that reviews 

described in paragraph (1)—

(i) are performed, to the maximum extent practicable, 

by employees of the Department of Health and Human 

Services who are knowledgeable about Head Start programs; 

(ii) are conducted by review teams that shall include 

individuals who are knowledgeable about Head Start 

programs and other early childhood education and 

care and, to the maximum extent practicable, the dimstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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verse (including linguistic and cultural) needs of eligible children (including children with disabilities, 

homeless children, and children in foster care) and 

limited English proficient children and their families, 

and personnel management, financial accountability, 

and systems development and monitoring; 

(iii) include as part of the reviews of the programs, 

a review and assessment of program effectiveness, including strengths and weaknesses, as measured in accordance with the results-based performance measures 

developed by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b) 

and with the standards established pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1); 

(iv) seek information from the communities and 

States where Head Start programs exist about innovative or effective collaborative efforts, barriers to collaboration, and the efforts of the Head Start agencies to 

collaborate with the entities carrying out early childhood education and care in the community; 

(v) include as part of the reviews of the programs, a 

review and assessment of whether the programs are in 

conformity with the income eligibility requirements 

under section 645 and regulations promulgated under 

such section; 

(vi) include as part of the reviews of the programs, 

a review and assessment of whether programs have 

adequately addressed population and community needs 

(including needs of populations of limited English proficient children and children of migrant or seasonal 

farmworkers); 

(vii) include as part of the reviews of the programs, 

a review and assessment of whether programs have 

adequately addressed the needs of children with disabilities; 

(viii) include as part of the reviews of the programs, 

data from the results of periodic child assessments, 

and a review and assessment of child outcomes and 

performance as they relate to agency-determined school 

readiness goals described in section 641(a)(2)(A); and 

(ix) in the case of Early Head Start agencies programs, are conducted by a review team that includes 

individuals who are knowledgeable about the development of infants and toddlers. 

(B) TRAINING; QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY.—The Secretary, from funds available under section 640(a)(2)(D), 

shall provide periodic training for supervisors and members of review teams in such topics as program management and financial audit performance. The Secretary shall 

ensure the quality and consistency across and within regions of reviews and non-compliance and deficiency determinations by conducting periodic interrater reliability 

checks. 

(d) CORRECTIVE ACTION; TERMINATION.—

(1) DETERMINATION.—If the Secretary determines, on the 

basis of a review pursuant to subsection (c), that a Head Start 

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agency designated pursuant to section 641 fails to meet the 

standards described in subsection (a) or results-based performance measures developed by the Secretary under subsection 

(b), or fails to address the communitywide strategic plan and 

needs assessment identified in section 640(g)(2)(C), the Secretary shall—

(A) inform the agency of the deficiencies that shall be 

corrected and identify the assistance to be provided consistent with paragraph (3); 

* * * * * * * 

(e) SUMMARIES OF MONITORING OUTCOMES.—Not later than 120 

days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secreatry shall publish 

a summary report on the findings of reviews conducted under subsection (c) and on the outcomes of quality improvement plans implemented under subsection (d), during such fiscal year. øSuch report shall be widely disseminated and available for public review 

in both written and electronic formats.¿ The information contained 

in such report shall be made available to parents with children receiving assistance under this subchapter in an understandable and 

uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language that 

the parents can understand. Such information shall be made widely 

available through public means such as distribution through public 

agencies, and, at a minimum, by posting such information on the 

Internet immediately upon publication. 

(f) SELF-ASSESSMENTS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than once each program 

year, with the consultation and participation of policy councils, 

and, as applicable, policy committees, and, as appropriate, 

other community members, each agency receiving funds under 

this subchapter shall conduct a comprehensive self-assessment 

of the agency’s effectiveness and progress in meeting program 

goals and objectives and in implementing and complying with 

standards described in subsection (a)(1). 

(2) REPORT AND IMPROVEMENT PLANS.—

(A) REPORT.—An agency conducting a self-assessment 

shall report the findings of the self-assessment to the relevant policy council, policy committee, governing body, and 

regional office of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Each self-assessment shall identify areas of strength and 

weakness. 

(B) IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—The agency shall develop an 

improvement plan approved by the governing body of the 

agency to strengthen any areas identified in the self-assessment as weaknesses or in need of improvement. The agency 

shall report the areas to the appropriate regional office of 

the Administration for Children and Families. 

(3) ONGOING MONITORING.—Each Head Start agency, (including each Early Head Start agency and including any delegate 

agency) shall establish and implement procedures for the ongoing monitoring of their Head Start (including Early Head 

Start) programs, to ensure that the operations of the programs 

work toward meeting program goals and objectives and Head 

Start performance standards. 

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(4) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Funds may be 

made available, through section 648(d), for training and technical assistance to assist agencies in conducting self-assessments. 

(g) REDUCTION OF GRANTS AND REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS IN

CASES OF UNDER-ENROLLMENT.—

(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

(A) ACTUAL ENROLLMENT.—The term ‘‘actual enrollment’’

means, with respect to the program of a Head Start agency, 

the actual number of children enrolled in such program 

and reported by the agency (as required in paragraph (2)) 

in a given month. 

(B) BASE GRANT.—The term ‘‘base grant’’ means, with respect to a Head Start agency for a fiscal year, that portion 

of the grant derived—

(i) from amounts reserved for use in accordance with 

section 640(a)(2)(A), for a Head Start agency administering an Indian Head Start program or migrant and 

seasonal Head Start program; 

(ii) from amounts reserved for payments under section 640(a)(2)(B); or 

(iii) from amounts available under section 

640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among States under section 

640(a)(4). 

(C) FUNDED ENROLLMENT.—The term ‘‘funded enrollment’’ means, with respect to the program of a Head Start 

agency in a fiscal year, the number of children that the 

agency is funded to serve through a grant for the program 

during such fiscal year, as indicated in the grant award. 

(2) ENROLLMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENT FOR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.—Each entity carrying out a Head Start program 

shall report on a monthly basis to the Secretary and the relevant Head Start agency—

(A) the actual enrollment in such program; and 

(B) if such actual enrollment is less than the funded enrollment, any apparent reason for such enrollment shortfall. 

(3) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND PLAN.—The Secretary shall—

(A) on a semiannual basis, determine which Head Start 

agencies are operating with an actual enrollment that is 

less than the funded enrollment based on not less than 4 

consecutive months of data; 

(B) for each such Head Start agency operating a program 

with an actual enrollment that is less than 95 percent of its 

funded enrollment, as determined under subparagraph (A), 

develop, in collaboration with such agency, a plan and 

timetable for reducing or eliminating under-enrollment taking into consideration—

(i) the quality and extent of the outreach, recruitment, and communitywide needs assessment conducted 

by such agency; 

(ii) changing demographics, mobility of populations, 

and the identification of new underserved low-income 

populations; 

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(iii) facilities-related issues that may impact enrollment; 

(iv) the ability to provide full-day programs, where 

needed, through funds made available under this subchapter or through collaboration with entities carrying 

out other preschool or child care programs, or programs with other funding sources (where available); 

(v) the availability and use by families of other preschool and child care options (including parental care) 

in the community served; and 

(vi) agency management procedures that may impact 

enrollment; and 

(C) provide timely and ongoing technical assistance to 

each agency described in subparagraph (B) for the purpose 

of implementing the plan described in such subparagraph. 

(4) IMPLEMENTATION.—Upon receipt of the technical assistance described in paragraph (3)(C), a Head Start agency shall 

immediately implement the plan described in paragraph (3)(B). 

(5) SECRETARIAL ACTION FOR CONTINUED UNDER-ENROLLMENT.—If, 1 year after the date of implementation of the plan 

described in paragraph (3)(B), the Head Start agency continues 

to operate a program at less than funded enrollment, the Secretary shall, where determined appropriate, continue to provide 

technical assistance to such agency. 

(6) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND ADJUSTMENT FOR CHRONIC

UNDER-ENROLLMENT.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—If, after receiving technical assistance 

and developing and implementing a plan to the extent described in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) for 9 months, a Head 

Start agency is still operating a program with an actual 

enrollment that is less than 95 percent of its funded enrollment, the Secretary may—

(i) designate such agency as chronically under-enrolled; and 

(ii) recapture, withhold, or reduce the base grant for 

the program by a percentage equal to the percentage 

difference between funded enrollment and actual enrollment for the program for the most recent year in 

which the agency is determined to be under-enrolled 

under paragraph (3)(A). 

(B) WAIVER OR LIMITATION OF REDUCTIONS.—If the Secretary, after the implementation of the plan described in 

paragraph (3)(B), finds that—

(i) the causes of the enrollment shortfall, or a portion 

of the shortfall, are beyond the agency’s control (such 

as serving significant numbers of children of migrant 

or seasonal farmworkers, homeless children, children 

in foster care, or other highly mobile children); 

(ii) the shortfall can reasonably be expected to be 

temporary; or 

(iii) the number of slots allotted to the agency is 

small enough that under-enrollment does not constitute 

a significant shortfall, the Secretary may, as appropriate, waive or reduce the percentage recapturing, 

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withholding, or reduction otherwise required by subparagraph (A). 

(C) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS; EFFECTIVE DATE.—The 

actions taken by the Secretary under this paragraph with 

respect to a Head Start agency shall take effect 1 day after 

the date on which— (i) the time allowed for appeal under section 646(a) 

expires without an appeal by the agency; or 

(ii) the action is upheld in an administrative hearing 

under section 646. 

(7) REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use amounts recovered from a Head Start agency through recapturing, withholding, or reduction under paragraph (6) in a fiscal 

year—

(i) in the case of a Head Start agency administering 

an Indian Head Start program or a migrant and seasonal Head Start program, whose base grant is derived 

from amounts specified in paragraph (1)(B)(i), to redirect funds to 1 or more agencies that—

(I) are administering Head Start programs serving the same special population; and 

(II) demonstrate that the agencies will use such 

redirected funds to increase enrollment in their 

Head Start programs in such fiscal year; or 

(ii) in the case of a Head Start agency in a State, 

whose base grant is derived from amounts specified in 

clause (ii) or (iii) of paragraph (1)(B), to redirect funds 

to 1 or more agencies that—

(I) are administering Head Start programs in 

the same State; and 

(II) make the demonstration described in clause 

(i)(II). 

(B) SPECIAL RULE.—If there is no agency located in a 

State that meets the requirements of subclauses (I) and (II) 

of subparagraph (A)(ii), in the case of a Head Start agency 

described in subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall use 

amounts described in subparagraph (A) to redirect funds to 

Head Start agencies located in other States that make the 

demonstration described in subparagraph (A)(i)(II). 

(C) ADJUSTMENT TO FUNDED ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary shall adjust as necessary the requirements relating 

to funded enrollment indicated in the grant agreement of a 

Head Start agency receiving redistributed amounts under 

this paragraph. 

(h) CONTRACT WITH NONPROFIT INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—

From funds reserved under clause (i) or (ii) of section 640(a)(2)(C) 

or from whatever other resources the Secretary determines appropriate, in carrying out the provisions of this section, the Secretary 

or a Head Start agency may contract with a nonprofit intermediary 

organization that— (1) provides evaluations and technical assistance to improve 

overall performance management; and 

(2) has an exclusive focus of improving the performance management and the use of technology in assessing performance 

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and meeting Head Start regulations and can provide on-site, 

hands-on guidance with the implementation of the recommendations. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. 

(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘center of excellence’’ means a Center of Excellence in Early Childhood designated under 

subsection (b). 

(b) DESIGNATION AND BONUS GRANTS.—The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of funds under this subchapter, including 

under subsection (f), establish a program under which the Secretary 

shall—

(1) designate not more than 200 exemplary Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agencies, Indian Head Start 

agencies, and migrant and seasonal Head Start agencies) as 

Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood; and 

(2) make bonus grants to the centers of excellence to carry out 

the activities described in subsection (d). 

(c) APPLICATION AND DESIGNATION.—

(1) APPLICATION.— (A) NOMINATION AND SUBMISSION.— (i) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a designation as a center of excellence under subsection (b), except as provided in clause (ii), a Head Start agency in 

a State shall be nominated by the Governor of the 

State and shall submit an application to the Secretary 

at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. 

(ii) INDIAN AND MIGRANT AND SEASONAL HEAD START

PROGRAMS.—In the case of an Indian Head Start agency or a migrant or seasonal Head Start agency, to be 

eligible to receive a designation as a center of excellence 

under subsection (b), such an agency shall be nominated by the head of the appropriate regional office of 

the Department of Health and Human Services and 

shall submit an application to the Secretary in accordance with clause (i). 

(B) CONTENTS.—At a minimum, the application shall include—

(i) evidence that the Head Start program carried out 

by the agency has significantly improved the school 

readiness of, and enhanced academic outcomes for, 

children who have participated in the program; 

(ii) evidence that the program meets or exceeds 

standards and performance measures described in subsections (a) and (b) of section 641A, as evidenced by 

successful completion of programmatic and monitoring 

reviews, and has no findings of deficiencies with respect to the standards and measures; 

(iii) evidence that the program is making progress toward meeting the requirements described in section 

648A; 

(iv) evidence demonstrating the existence of a collaborative partnership among the Head Start agency, the 

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State (or a State agency), and other early care and education providers in the local community involved; 

(v) a nomination letter from the Governor, or appropriate regional office, demonstrating the agency’s ability to carry out the coordination, transition, and training services of the program to be carried out under the 

bonus grant involved, including coordination of activities with State and local agencies that provide early 

childhood education and care to children and families 

in the community served by the agency; 

(vi) information demonstrating the existence of a 

local council for excellence in early childhood, which 

shall include representatives of all the institutions, 

agencies, and groups involved in the work of the center 

for, and the local provision of services to, eligible children and other at-risk children, and their families; and 

(vii) a description of how the Center, in order to expand accessibility and continuity of quality early childhood education and care, will coordinate activities assisted under this section with— (I) programs carried out under the Child Care 

and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); 

(II) other programs carried out under this subchapter, including the Early Head Start programs 

carried out under section 645A; 

(III)(aa) Early Reading First and Even Start 

programs carried out under subparts 2 and 3 of 

part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 

6381 et seq.); 

(bb) other preschool programs carried out under 

title I of that Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); and 

(cc) the Ready-to-Learn Television program carried out under subpart 3 of part D of title II of 

that Act (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); 

(IV) programs carried out under section 619 and 

part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); 

(V) State prekindergarten programs; and 

(VI) other programs of early childhood education 

and care. 

(2) SELECTION.—In selecting agencies to designate as centers 

of excellence under subsection (b), the Secretary shall designate 

not less than 1 from each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, an Indian Head Start program, a migrant or seasonal 

Head Start program, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

(3) PRIORITY.—In making bonus grant determinations under 

this section, the Secretary shall give priority to programs that, 

through their applications, demonstrate that they are of exceptional quality and would serve as exemplary models for programs in the same geographic region. The Secretary may also 

consider the populations served by the applicants, such as programs that serve large proportions of limited English proficient 

or other underserved populations, and may make bonus grants 

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to programs that do an exceptional job meeting the needs of 

such children in such populations. 

(4) TERM OF DESIGNATION.— (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall designate a Head Start agency as a center of 

excellence for a 5-year term. During the period of that designation, subject to the availability of appropriations, the 

agency shall be eligible to receive a bonus grant under subsection (b). 

(B) REVOCATION.—The Secretary may revoke an agency’s 

designation under subsection (b) if the Secretary determines 

that the agency is not demonstrating adequate performance 

or has had findings of deficiencies described in paragraph 

(1)(B)(ii). 

(5) AMOUNT OF BONUS GRANT.—The Secretary shall base the 

amount of funding provided through a bonus grant made under 

subsection (b) to a center of excellence on the number of children 

eligible for Head Start services in the community involved. The 

Secretary shall, subject to the availability of funding, make 

such a bonus grant in an amount of not less than $200,000 per 

year. 

(d) USE OF FUNDS.— (1) ACTIVITIES.—A center of excellence that receives a bonus 

grant under subsection (b)— (A) shall use the funds made available through the bonus 

grant to model and disseminate, to other Head Start centers in the State involved, best practices for achieving early 

academic success, including— (i) best practices for achieving school readiness and 

developing pre-literacy and premathematics skills for 

at-risk children and achieving the acquisition of the 

English language for limited English proficient children; and 

(ii) best practices for providing seamless service delivery for eligible children and their families; 

(B) may use the funds made available through the bonus 

grant—

(i) to provide Head Start services to additional eligible children; 

(ii) to better meet the needs of working families in the 

community served by the center by serving more children in existing Early Head Start programs (existing 

as of the date the center is designated under this section) or in full-working-day, full calendar year Head 

Start programs; 

(iii) to further coordinate early childhood education 

and care and social services available in the community served by the center for at-risk children (birth 

through age 8), their families, and pregnant women; 

(iv) to provide training and cross training for Head 

Start teachers and staff, child care providers, public 

and private preschool and elementary school teachers, 

and other providers of early childhood education and 

care, and training and cross training to develop agency 

leaders; 

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(v) to provide effective transitions between Head 

Start programs and elementary school, to facilitate ongoing communication between Head Start and elementary school teachers concerning children receiving 

Head Start services, and to provide training and technical assistance to providers who are public elementary 

school teachers and other staff of local educational 

agencies, child care providers, family service providers, 

and other providers of early childhood education and 

care, to help the providers described in this clause increase their ability to work with low-income, at-risk 

children and their families; 

(vi) to develop or maintain partnerships with institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations, 

including community-based organizations, that recruit, 

train, place, and support college students to serve as 

mentors and reading partners to preschool children in 

Head Start programs; and 

(vii) to carry out other activities determined by the 

center to improve the overall quality of the Head Start 

program carried out by the agency and the program 

carried out under the bonus grant involved. 

(2) INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER HEAD START AGENCIES AND PRO- VIDERS.—A center that receives a bonus grant under subsection 

(b), in carrying out activities under this subsection, shall work 

with the center’s delegate agencies and several additional Head 

Start agencies (especially agencies that are low-performing on 

the standards or performance measures described in subsection 

(a) or (b) of section 641(A), and other providers of early childhood education and care in the community involved, to encourage the agencies and providers described in this sentence to 

carry out model programs. 

(e) RESEARCH AND REPORTS.— (1) RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of funds to carry out this subsection, award a grant or 

contract to an independent organization to conduct research on 

the ability of the centers of excellence to improve the school 

readiness of children receiving Head Start services, and to positively impact school results in the earliest grades. The organization shall also conduct research to measure the success of the 

centers of excellence at encouraging the center’s delegate agencies, additional Head Start agencies, and other providers of 

early childhood services in the communities involved to meet 

measurable improvement goals, particularly in the area of 

school readiness. 

(2) REPORT.—Not later than 48 months after the date of enactment of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, the organization shall prepare and submit to the Secretary and Congress 

a report containing the results of the research described in 

paragraph (1). 

(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to 

be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012— (1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to centers of excellence 

under subsection (b) to carry out activities described in subsection (d); 

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(2) $500,000 to pay for the administrative costs of the Secretary in carrying out this section; and (3) $2,000,000 for research activities described in subsection 

(e). 

* * * * * * * 

øPOWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES

SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

øSEC. 642. (a)¿ (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be designated as a 

Head Start agency under this subchapter, an agency must have authority under its charter or applicable law to receive and administer funds under this subchapter, funds and contributions from 

private or local public sources which may be used in support of a 

Head Start program, and funds under any Federal or State assistance program pursuant to which a public or private nonprofit or 

for-profit agency (as the case may be organized in accordance with 

this subchapter, could act as grantee, contractor, or sponsor of 

projects appropriate for inclusion in Head Start program. Such an 

agency must also be empowered to transfer funds so received, and 

to delegate powers to other agencies, subject to the powers of its 

governing board and it overall program responsibilities. The power 

to transfer funds and delegate powers must include the power to 

make transfers and delegations covering component projects in all 

cases where this will contribute to efficiency and effectiveness or 

otherwise further program objectives. 

ø(b) In order to be so designated, a Head Start agency shall 

also—ø(1) establish effective procedures by which parents and area 

residents concerned will be enabled to directly participate in 

decisions that influence the character of programs affecting 

their interests; 

ø(2) provide for their regular participation in the implementation of such programs; 

ø(3) provide technical and other support needed to enable 

parents and area residents to secure on their own behalf available assistance from public and private sources; 

ø(4) seek the involvement of parents of participating children 

in activities designed to help such parents become full partners 

in the education of their children, and to afford such parents 

the opportunity to participate in the development, conduct, and 

overall performance of the program at the local level; 

ø(5) offer (directly or through referral to local entities, such 

as entities carrying out Even Start programs under part B of 

chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act of 1965 (20 D.S.C. 2741 et seq.)), to parents of participating 

children, family literacy services and parenting skills training. 

ø(6) offer to parents of participating children substance 

abuse counseling (either directly or through referral to local 

entities), including information on drug-exposed infants and 

fetal alcohol syndrome; 

ø(7) at the option of such agency, offer (directly or through 

referral: to local entities), to such parents—

ø(A) training in basic child development; 

ø(B) assistance in developing communication skills; 

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ø(C) opportunities to share experiences with other parents; 

ø(D) regular in-home visitation; or 

ø(E) any other activity designed to help such parents become full partners in the education of their children; 

ø(8) provide, with respect to each participating family, a family needs assessment that includes consultation with such parents about the benefits of parent involvement and about the 

activities described in paragraphs (4) through (7) in which such 

parents may choose to be involved (taking into consideration 

their specific family needs, work schedules, and other responsibilities); 

ø(9) consider providing services to assist younger siblings of 

children participating in its Head Start program to obtain 

health services from other sources; 

ø(10) perform community outreach to encourage individuals 

previously unaffiliated with Head Start programs to participate in its Head Start program as volunteers; and 

ø(11)(A) inform custodial parents in single-parent families 

that participate in programs, activities, or services carried out 

or provided under this subchapter about the availability of 

child support services for purposes of establishing paternity 

and acquiring child support; and 

ø(B) refer eligible parents to the child support offices of State 

and local governments. 

ø(c) The head of each Head Start agency shall coordinate and collaborate with the State agency responsible for administering the 

State program carried out under the Child Care and Development 

Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), and other early 

childhood education and development programs, including Even 

Start programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.) 

and programs under part C and section 619 of the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C 1431–1444, 1419), serving the 

children and families served by the Head Start agency to carry out 

the provisions of this subchapter. 

ø(d)(1) Each Head Start agency shall take steps to ensure, to the 

maximum extent possible, that children maintain the developmental and educational gains achieved in Head Start programs and 

build upon such gains in further schooling. 

ø(2) A Head Start agency may take steps to coordinate with the 

local educational agency serving the community involved and with 

schools in which children participating in a Head Start program 

operated by such agency will enroll following such program, including—

ø(A) collaborating on the shared use of transportation and 

facilities; and 

ø(B) exchanging information on the provision of noneducational services to such children. 

ø(3) In order to promote the continued involvement of the parents of children that participate in Head Start programs in the 

education of their children upon transition to school, the Head 

Start agency shall—

ø(A) provide training to the parents—

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ø(i) to inform the parents about their rights and responsibilities concerning the education of their children; and 

ø(ii) to enable the parents to understand and work with 

schools in order to communicate with teachers and other 

school personnel, to support the school work of their children, and to participate as appropriate in decisions relating to the education of their children; and 

ø(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible, to support the active involvement of the parents with schools, school 

personnel, and school-related organizations. 

ø(4) The Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of Education, shall— ø(A) evaluate the effectiveness of the projects and activities 

funded under section 642A; 

ø(B) disseminate to Head Start agencies information 

(includtng information from the evaluation required by subparagraph (A)) on effective policies and activities relating to 

the transition of children from Head Start programs to public 

schools; and 

ø(C) provide technical assistance to such agencies to promote 

and assist such agencies to adopt and implement such effective 

policies and activities. 

ø(e) Head Start agencies shall adopt, in consultation with experts 

in child development and with classroom teachers, an assessment 

to be used when hiring or evaluating any classroom teacher in a 

center-based Head Start program. Such assessment shall measure 

whether such teacher has mastered the functions described in section 648A(a)(1).¿ 

(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In order to be designated as a 

Head Start agency under this subchapter, a Head Start agency 

shall also—

(1) establish a program with all standards set forth in section 

641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the standards set forth 

in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section; 

(2) demonstrate the capacity to serve eligible children with 

scientifically based curricula and other interventions and support services that help promote the school readiness of children 

participating in the program; 

(3) establish effective procedures and provide for the regular 

assessment of Head Start children, including observational and 

direct formal assessment, where appropriate; 

(4) establish effective procedures, for determining the needs of 

children, that include high quality research based developmental screening tools that have been demonstrated to be valid, 

reliable, and accurate for children from a range of backgrounds; 

(5) require each delegate agency to create a policy committee, 

which shall— (A) be comprised of members of the community to be 

served, including parents of children who are currently enrolled in the Head Start programs of the Head Start agency; and 

(B) serve in an advisory capacity to the delegate agency, 

to make decisions and recommendations regarding program planning and operation and parental involvement. 

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(6) seek the involvement of parents, area residents, and local 

business in the design and implementation of the program; 

(7) provide for the regular participation of parents and area 

residents in the implementation of the program; 

(8) provide technical and other support needed to enable such 

parents and area residents to secure, on their own behalf, available assistance from public and private sources; 

(9) establish effective procedures to carry out subparagraphs 

(A) and (B) of section 641(f)(8); 

(10) conduct outreach to schools in which Head Start children will enroll, local educational agencies, the local business 

community, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, museums, and libraries to generate support and leverage the resources of the entire local community in order to 

improve school readiness; 

(11) establish effective procedures to carry out section 

641(f)(8)(C); 

(12) establish effective procedures to carry out section 

641(f)(8)(D); 

(13) establish effective procedures to carry out section 

641(f)(8)(E); 

(14) establish effective procedures to carry out section 

641(f)(8)(F); 

(15) consider providing services to assist younger siblings of 

children participating in its Head Start program, to obtain 

health services from other sources; 

(16) perform community outreach to encourage individuals 

previously unaffiliated with Head Start programs to participate 

in its Head Start program as volunteers; 

(17)(A) inform custodial parents in single-parent families that 

participate in programs, activities, or services carried out or 

provided under this subchapter about the availability of child 

support services for purposes of establishing paternity and acquiring child support; and 

(B) refer eligible parents to the child support offices of State 

and local governments; 

(18) provide parents of limited English proficient children 

outreach and information in an understandable and uniform 

format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that the 

parents can understand; and 

(19) at the option of such agency, partner with an institution 

of higher education and a nonprofit organization to provide college students with the opportunity to serve as mentors or reading partners to Head Start participants. 

(c) TRANSITION ACTIVITIES TO FACILITATE CONTINUED

PROGRESS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Head Start agency shall collaborate 

with the entities listed in this subsection, to the maximum extent possible, to ensure the successful transition of Head Start 

children to school, so that such children are able to build upon 

the developmental and educational gains achieved in Head 

Start programs in further schooling. 

(2) COORDINATION.—

(A) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—In communities where 

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grams operate, a Head Start agency shall collaborate and 

coordinate activities with the local educational agency or 

other public agency responsible for the operation of the prekindergarten program and providers of prekindergarten, 

including outreach activities to identify eligible children. 

(B) ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.—Head Start staff shall, with 

the permission of the parents of children enrolled in Head 

Start programs, regularly communicate with the elementary schools such children will be attending to—

(i) share information about such children; 

(ii) collaborate with the teachers in such elementary 

schools regarding teaching strategies and options; and 

(iii) ensure a smooth transition to elementary school 

for such children. 

(C) OTHER PROGRAMS.—The head of each Head Start 

agency shall coordinate activities and collaborate with the 

State agency responsible for administering the State program carried out under the Child Care and Development 

Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), other entities providing early childhood education and care, and the 

agencies responsible for administering section 106 of the 

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 

5106a), parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

(42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.), programs under 

subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), Even Start programs 

under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), 

and programs under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 

et seq.), serving the children and families served by the 

Head Start agency. 

(3) COLLABORATION.—A Head Start agency shall take steps to 

coordinate activities with the local educational agency serving 

the community involved and with schools in which children 

participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency 

will enroll following such program, including—

(A) collaborating on the shared use of transportation and 

facilities, in appropriate cases; 

(B) collaborating to reduce the duplication of services 

while increasing the program participation of underserved 

populations of eligible children; and 

(C) exchanging information on the provision of noneducational services to such children. 

(4) PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.—In order to promote the continued involvement of the parents of children that participate in 

Head Start programs in the education of their children, the 

Head Start agency shall—

(A) provide training to the parents—

(i) to inform the parents about their rights and responsibilities concerning the education of their children; and 

(ii) to enable the parents, upon the transition of their 

children to school—

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(I) to understand and work with schools in order 

to communicate with teachers and other school 

personnel; 

(II) to support the schoolwork of their children; 

and 

(III) to participate as appropriate in decisions relating to the education of their children; and 

(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible, to 

support the active involvement of the parents with schools, 

school personnel, and school-related organizations. 

(d) ASSESSMENT OR EVALUATION.—Each Head Start agency shall 

adopt, in consultation with experts in child development and with 

classroom teachers, an assessment or evaluation to measure whether 

classroom teachers have mastered the functions described in section 

648A(a)(1) and have attained a level of literacy appropriate to implement Head Start curricula. 

(e) FUNDED ENROLLMENT; WAITING LIST.—Each Head Start agency shall enroll 100 percent of its funded enrollment and maintain 

an active waiting list at all times with ongoing outreach to the community and activities to identify underserved populations. 

(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN.—In order to receive funds under this subchapter, a Head Start agency shall develop an annual technical assistance and training plan. Such plan 

shall be based on the agency’s self-assessment, the communitywide 

needs assessment, and the needs of parents to be served by such 

agency. 

øSEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION. 

Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate with the 

local educational agency serving the community involved and with 

schools in which children participating in a Head Start program 

operated by such agency will enroll following such program, including—

ø(1) developing and implementing a systematic procedure for 

transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program 

records for each participating child to the school in which such 

child will enroll; 

ø(2) establishing channels of communication between Head 

Start staff and their counterparts in the schools (including 

teachers, social workers, and health staff) to facilitate coordination of programs; 

ø(3) conducting meetings involving parents, kindergarten or 

elementary school teachers, and Head Start program teachers 

to discuss the educational, developmental, and other needs of 

individual children; 

ø(4) organizing and participating in joint transition-related 

training of school staff and Head Start staff; 

ø(5) developing and implementing a family outreach and 

support program in cooperation with entities carrying out parental involvement efforts under title I of the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); 

ø(6) assisting families, administrators, and teachers in enhancing educational and developmental continuity between 

Head Start services and elementary school classes; and 

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ø(7) linking the services provided in such Head Start program with the education services provided by such local educational agency.¿ 

SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT WITH K–12 EDUCATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate activities with the local educational agency serving the 

community involved and with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency will enroll 

following such program, which may include—

(1) developing and implementing a systematic procedure for 

transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program 

records for each participating child to the school in which such 

child will enroll; 

(2) establishing ongoing channels of communication between 

Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools (including teachers, social workers, health staff, and local educational 

agency liaisons designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the 

McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))) to facilitate coordination of programs; 

(3) establishing comprehensive transition policies and procedures that support children transitioning to school, including 

by engaging the local education agency in the establishment of 

such policies; 

(4) developing a continuity of developmentally appropriate 

curricular objectives and practices between the Head Start 

agency and local educational agency, that reflect shared expectations for children’s learning and development for the transition to school; 

(5) conducting outreach to parents, elementary school (such as 

kindergarten) teachers, and Head Start teachers to discuss the 

educational, developmental, and other needs of individual children; 

(6) organizing and participating in joint training, including 

transition-related training of school staff and Head Start staff; 

(7) developing and implementing a family outreach and support program, in cooperation with entities carrying out parental 

involvement efforts under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), and 

family outreach and support efforts under subtitle B of title VII 

of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

11431 et seq.), taking into consideration the language needs of 

parents of limited English proficient children; 

(8) assisting families, administrators, and teachers in enhancing educational and developmental continuity and continuity of parental involvement in activities between Head Start 

services and elementary school classes; 

(9) linking the services provided in such Head Start program 

with the education services, including services relating to language, literacy, and numeracy, provided by such local educational agency; 

(10) helping parents understand the importance of parental 

involvement in a child’s academic success while teaching the 

parents strategies for maintaining parental involvement as 

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their child moves from the Head Start program to elementary 

school; 

(11) helping parents understand the instructional and other 

services provided by the school in which their child will enroll 

after participation in the Head Start program; and 

(12) coordinating activities and collaborating to ensure that 

curricula used in the Head Start program are aligned with 

State early learning standards, as appropriate, and the Head 

Start Child Outcomes Framework with regard to cognitive development (including language, pre-literacy, and 

premathematics competencies), and social, emotional, and physical competencies that children entering kindergarten are expected to demonstrate. 

(b) CONSTRUCTION.—In this section, a reference to a Head Start 

agency, or its program, services, facility, or personnel, shall not be 

construed to be a reference to an Early Head Start agency, or its 

program, services, facility, or personnel. 

* * * * * * * 

SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS

SEC. 643. In carrying out the provisions of this subchapter, no 

contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance shall be made for 

the purpose of carrying out a Head Start program within a State 

unless a plan setting forth such proposed contract, agreement, 

grant, or other assistance has been submitted to the øchief executive officer¿ Governor of the State, and such plan has not been disapproved by such officer within ø45¿ 30 days of such submission, 

or, if disapproved (for reasons other than failure of the program to 

comply with State health, safety, and child care laws, including 

regulations applicable to comparable child care programs in the 

State), has been reconsidered by the Secretary and found by the 

Secretary to be fully consistent with the provisions and in furtherance of the purposes of this subchapter, as evidenced by a written 

statement of the Secretary’s findings that is transmitted to such officer. Funds to cover the costs of the proposed contract, agreement, 

grant, or other assistance shall be obligated from the appropriation 

which is current at the time the plan is submitted to such officer. 

This section shall notø, however,¿ apply to contracts, agreements, 

grant, loans, or other assistance to any institution of higher education in existence on the date of the enactment of this Act. This 

section shall not apply to contracts, agreements, grants, loans, or 

other assistance for Indian Head Start programs and migrant and 

seasonal Head Start programs. 

* * * * * * *. 

SEC. 644. (a) * * * 

(b) øExcept¿ (1) Except as provided in subsection (f), no financial 

assistance shall be extended under this subchapter in any case in 

which the Secretary determines that the costs of developing and 

administering a program assisted under this subchapter exceed 15 

percent of the total costs, including the required non-Federal contributions to such costs, of such program. The Secretary shall establish by regulation, criteria for determining (1) the costs of developing and administering such program; and (2) the total costs of 

such program. In any case in which the Secretary determines that 

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the cost of administering such program does not exceed 15 percent 

of such total costs but is, in the judgment of the Secretary, excessive, the Secretary shall forthwith require the recipient of such financial assistance to take such steps prescribed by the Secretary 

as will eliminate such excessive administrative cost, including the 

sharing by one or more Head Start agencies of a common director 

and other administrative personnel. The Secretary may waive the 

limitation prescribed by this subsection for specific periods of time 

not be exceed 12 months whenever the Secretary determines that 

such a waiver is necessary in order to carry out the purposes of 

this subchapter. 

(2)(A) The limitation prescribed by paragraph (1) shall not prohibit a Head Start agency from expending an amount in excess of 

allowable direct costs associated with developing and administering 

a program assisted under this subchapter, if— (i) the agency submits an application for a grant year containing an assurance that— (I) the agency will serve a greater percentage of children 

in the community involved than were served in the preceding grant year; and 

(II) the agency will not diminish services provided to currently enrolled children (as of the date of the application), 

including the number of hours and days such services are 

provided; 

(ii) any such excess amount does not exceed 5 percent of the 

total costs, including the required non-Federal contributions to 

such costs, of such program; and 

(iii) in the event that the applicant applies to expend any such 

excess amount in a subsequent grant year, the applicant continues to serve the same number of children as proposed in the 

initial application submitted under this paragraph and accomplishes, relative to the prior Head Start agency, at least 3 of the 

5 improved outcomes. 

(B) In subparagraph (A), the term ‘improved outcome’ means— (i) an increase in average teacher salary; 

(ii) an increase in the number of qualified teachers; 

(iii) a significant increase in the number of children who receive full-day Head Start services; 

(iv) a decrease in the caseload for family workers; or 

(v) an increase in transportation options for families. 

(C) The Secretary shall approve not more than 10 applications described in subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, and to the extent practicable shall ensure participation under this paragraph of a diverse 

group of Head Start agencies, including public, private nonprofit, 

and for-profit agencies operating Head Start programs. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 645. (a)(1) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe eligibility for the participation of persons in Head Start programs assisted under this subchapter. Except as provided in paragraph (2), 

such criteria may provide— (A) that children from low-income families shall be eligible 

for participation in programs assisted under this subchapter if 

their families’ incomes are below 130 percent of the poverty 

line, or if their families are eligible or, in the absence of child 

care, would potentially be leigible for public assistance; and 

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(B) * * * 

(i) * * * 

(ii) * * * 

In determining, for purposes of this paragraph, whether a child 

who has applied for enrollment in a Head Start program meets the 

low-income criteria, an entity may consider evidence of family income during the 12 months preceding the month in which the application is submitted, or during the calendar year preceding the 

calendar year in which the application is submitted, whichever 

more accurately reflects the needs of the family at the time of application. A homeless child shall be deemed eligible for Head Start 

services. 

(2) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(3)(A) In this paragraph: 

(i) The term ‘‘dependent’’ has the meaning given the term in 

paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of section 401(a) of title 37, 

United States Code. 

(ii) The terms ‘‘member’’ and ‘‘uniformed services’’ have the 

meanings given the terms in paragraphs (23) and (3), respectively, of section 101 of title 37, United States Code. 

(B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of a member of 

the uniformed services shall not be considered to be income for purposes of determining the eligibility of a dependent of such member 

for programs funded under this subchapter: 

(i) The amount of any special pay payable under section 310 

of title 37, United States Code, relating to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. 

(ii) The amount of basic allowance payable under section 403 

of such title, including any such amount that is provided on behalf of the member for housing that is acquired or constructed 

under the alternative authority for the acquisition and improvement of military housing under subchapter IV of chapter 169 

of title 10, United States Code, or any other related provision 

of law. 

(4) After demonstrating a need through a communitywide needs 

assessment, a Head Start agency may apply to the Secretary to convert part-day sessions, particularly consecutive part-day sessions, 

into full-day sessions. 

(5)(A) Consistent with a communitywide needs assessment, a 

Head Start agency may apply to the Secretary to serve additional 

infants and toddlers if the agency submits an application to the Secretary containing—

(i) a description of how the needs of pregnant women, infants, 

and toddlers will be addressed in accordance with section 

645A(b), and with regulations prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to section 641A in areas including the agency’s approach 

to child development and provision of health services, approach 

to family and community partnerships, and approach to program design and management; 

(ii) a description of how the needs of eligible Head Start children are being and will be served; 

(iii) assurances that the agency will participate in technical 

assistance activities (including a planning period, start-up site 

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visits, and national training activities) in the same manner as 

recipients of grants under section 645A; and 

(iv) evidence that the agency meets the same eligibility criteria as recipients of grants under section 645A. 

(B) In approving such applications, the Secretary shall take into 

account the costs of serving persons under section 645A. 

(C) Any Head Start agency designated under this section and permitted to use grant funds under subparagraph (A) to serve additional infants and toddlers shall be considered to be an Early Head 

Start agency and shall be subject to the same rules, regulations, 

and conditions as apply to recipients of grants under section 645A 

for those grant funds. 

* * * * * * * 

(d)(1) An Indian tribe that— (A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(3) * * * 

(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an Indian 

tribe that operates both an Early Head Start program under section 

645A and a Head start program may, at its discretion, at any time 

during the grant period involved, reallocate funds between the Early 

Head Start program and the Head Start program in order to address fluctuations in client population, including pregnant women 

and children birth to compulsory school age. The reallocation of 

such funds between programs by an Indian tribe shall not serve as 

the basis for the Secretary to reduce a base grant (as defined in section 641A(g)(1)) for either program in succeeding years. 

* * * * * * * 

øSEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.¿ SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START 

PROGRAMS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—* * * 

(b) SCOPE AND DESIGN OF PROGRAMS.* * * 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(4) øprovide services to parents to support their role as parents¿ provide additional services and research-based activities 

to parents to support their role as parents (including parenting 

skills training and training in basic child development) and to 

help the families move toward self-sufficiency (including educational and employment services as appropriate); 

(5) where appropriate and in conjunction with services provided under this section to the children’s immediate families (or 

as approved by the Secretary), provide home-based services to 

family child care homes, and kin caregivers, caring for infants 

and toddlers who also participate in Early Head Start programs, to provide continuity in supporting the children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development; 

ø(5)¿(6) coordinate services with services (including homebased services) provided by programs in the State and programs in the community (including programs for infants and 

toddlers with disabilities and homeless infants and toddlers) to 

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ensure a comprehensive array of services (such as health and 

mental health services, and family support services); 

(7) ensure that children with documented behavioral problems, including problems involving behavior related to prior or 

existing trauma, receive appropriate screening and deferral; 

ø(6)¿(8) ensure formal linkages with local Health Start programs in order to provide for continuity of services for children 

and families; 

(9) develop and implement a systematic procedure for 

transitioning children and parents from an Early Head Start 

program to a Head Start program or another local program of 

early childhood education and care; 

(10) establish channels of communication between staff of 

Early Head Start programs and staff of Head Start programs 

or other local providers of early childhood education and care, 

to facilitate the coordination of programs; 

ø(7)¿(11) in the case of a Head Start agency that operates a 

program and that also provides Head Start services through 

the age of mandatory school attendance, ensure that children 

and families participating in the program receive such services 

through such age; 

ø(8)¿(12) ensure formal linkages with the agencies and entities described in section 644(b) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1444(b)) øand providers¿ providers of early intervention services for infants and toddlers 

with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and the agencies responsible 

for administering section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention 

and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) and parts B and E of title 

IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et 

seq.); and 

ø(9)¿(13) meet such other requirements concerning design 

and operation of the program described in subsection (a) as the 

Secretary may establish. 

* * * * * * * 

(d) ELIGIBLE SERVICE PROVIDERS.—* * * 

(1) entities operating Head Start programs under this subchapter, including tribal governments and entities operating 

migrant and seasonal Head Start programs; and 

(2) other public entities, and nonprofit or for-profit private 

entities, including community-based organizations capable of 

providing child and family services that meet the standards for 

participation in programs under this subchapter and meet such 

other appropriate requirements relating to the activities under 

this section as the Secretary may establish. 

* * * * * * * 

(g) MONITORING, TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND EVALUATION.—

(1) REQUIREMENT. * * * 

(2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—* * * 

(B) ACTIVITIES.—Funds in the account may be used by 

the Secretary for purposes including—

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(i) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(iv) providing professional development and personnel enhancement activities, including the provision 

of funds to recipients of grants under subsection (a) for 

the recruitment and retention of qualified staff with 

an appropriate level of education and experience.¿ 

(iv) providing professional development and personnel enhancement activities, including the provision 

of funds to recipients of grants under subsection (a), relating to—

(I) effective methods of conducting parent education, home visiting, and promoting quality early 

childhood development; 

(II) recruiting and retaining qualified staff; and 

(III) increasing program participation for underserved populations of eligible children. 

(h) STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.—

(1) CENTER-BASED STAFF.—The Secretary shall establish staff 

qualification goals to ensure that, not later than September 30, 

2012, all teachers providing direct services to Early Head Start 

children and families in Early Head Start centers have a minimum of a child development associate credential or an associate degree, and have been trained (or have equivalent course 

work) in early childhood development with a focus on infant 

and toddler development. 

(2) HOME VISITOR STAFF.—

(A) STANDARDS.—In order to further enhance the quality 

of home visiting services provided to families of children 

participating in home-based, center-based, or combination 

program options under this subchapter, the Secretary shall 

establish standards for training, qualifications, and the 

conduct of home visits for home visitor staff in Early Head 

Start programs. 

(B) CONTENTS.—The standards for training, qualifications, and the conduct of home visits shall include content 

related to—

(i) structured child-focused home visiting that promotes parents’ ability to support the child’s cognitive, 

social, emotional, and physical development; 

(ii) effective strengths-based parent education, including methods to encourage parents as their child’s 

first teachers; 

(iii) early childhood development with respect to children from birth through age 3; 

(iv) methods to help parents promote emergent literacy in their children from birth through age 3, including use of research-based strategies to support the 

development of literacy and language skills for children who are limited English proficient; 

(v) health, vision, hearing, and developmental 

screenings; 

(vi) strategies for helping families coping with crisis; 

and 

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(vii) the relationship of health and well-being of 

pregnant women to prenatal and early child development. 

* * * * * * * 

APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING

SEC. 646. (a) The Secretary shall prescribe procedures to assure 

that—

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(3) financial assistance under this subchapter shall not be 

terminated or reduced, an application for refunding shall not 

be denied, and a suspension of financial assistance shall not be 

continued for longer than 30 days, unless the recipient has 

been afforded reasonable notice and opportunity for a full and 

fair hearing; and 

ø(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish procedures (including mediation procedures) to be used in order to— ø(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts potentially 

leading to adverse action between— ø(i) recipients of financial assistance under this subchapter; and 

ø(ii) delegate agencies or Head Start Parent Policy 

Councils; and 

ø(B) avoid the need for an administrative hearing on an 

adverse action.¿ 

(3) financial assistance under this subchapter may be terminated or reduced, and an application for refunding may be denied, after the recipient has been afforded reasonable notice and 

opportunity for a full and fair hearing, including— (A) a right to file a notice of appeal of a decision not later 

than 30 days after notice of the decision from the Secretary; 

and 

(B) access to a full and fair hearing of the appeal, not 

later than 120 days after receipt by the Secretary of the notice of appeal; 

(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish procedures (including mediation procedures) to be used in order to—

(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts potentially leading to an adverse action between—

(i) recipients of financial assistance under this subchapter; and 

(ii) delegate agencies, or policy councils of Head 

Start agencies; 

(B) avoid the need for an administrative hearing on an 

adverse action; and 

(C) prohibit a Head Start agency from expending financial assistance awarded under this subchapter for the purpose of paying legal fees pursuant to an appeal under paragraph (3), except that such fees shall be reimbursed by the 

Secretary if the agency prevails in such decision; and 

(5) the Secretary may suspend funds to a grantee under this 

subchapter—

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(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), for not more 

than 30 days; or 

(B) in the case of a grantee under this subchapter that 

has multiple and recurring deficiencies for 180 days or 

more and has not made substantial and significant 

progress toward meeting the goals of the grantee’s quality 

improvement plan or eliminating all deficiencies identified 

by the Secretary, during the hearing of an appeal described 

in paragraph (3), for any amount of time, including permanently. 

* * * * * * * 

øRECORDS AND AUDITS¿ RECORDS AND FINANCIAL AUDITS

SEC. 647. (a) øEach recipient of¿ Each Head Start center, including each Early Head Start center, receiving financial assistance 

under this subchapter shall keep such records as the Secretary 

shall prescribe, including records which fully disclose the amount 

and disposition by such recipient of the proceeds of such financial 

assistance, the total cost of the project or undertaking in connection 

with which such financial assistance is given or used, the amount 

of that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied by 

other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective 

øaudit¿ financial audit. 

(b) The Secretary and the Comptroller General of the United 

States, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have 

access for the purpose of øaudit¿ financial audit and examination 

to any books, documents, papers, and records of the recipients that 

are pertinent to the financial assistance received under this subchapter. 

(c) Each Head Start center, including each Early Head Start center, receiving financial assistance under this subchapter shall maintain, and annually submit to the Secretary, a complete accounting 

of its administrative expenses, including expenses for salaries and 

compensation funded under this subchapter and provide such additional documentation as the Secretary may require. 

* * * * * * * 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING

SEC. 648. (a) The Secretary shall provide, directly or through 

grants or other arrangements (1) technical assistance to communities developing, conducting, and administering programs under 

this subchapter; and (2) training for specialized or other personnel 

needed in connection with Head Start programs, in accordance 

with the process, and the provisions for allocating resources, set 

forth in subsections ø(b) and (c)¿ (b), (c), and (d). 

(b) The Secretary shall make available funds set aside in section 

640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a State system of training and technical 

assistance (which may include such a system for a consortium of 

States within a region) that improves the capacity of Head Start 

programs to deliver services in accordance with the standards described in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section. The 

Secretary shall—

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(1) ensure that agencies with demonstrated expertise in providing high-quality training and technical assistance to improve the delivery of Head Start services, including the State 

Head Start Associations, State agencies, Indian Head Start 

agencies, migrant and seasonal Head Start agencies, and other 

entities providing training and technical assistance in early 

childhood education and care, for the State (including such a 

consortium of States within a region), are included in the planning and coordination of the system; and 

(2) encourage States (including such consortia) to supplement 

the funds authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) with Federal, 

State, or local funds other than funds made available under 

this subchapter, to expand training and technical assistance activities beyond Head Start agencies to include other providers 

of other early childhood education and care within a State (including such a consortium). 

ø(b)¿ (c) The process for determining the technical assistance and 

training activities to be carried out under this section shall—

(1) * * * 

(2) * * * 

(3) ensure the provision of technical assistance to assist 

Head Start agencies, entities carrying out other øchild care 

and early childhood programs¿ early childhood education and 

care programs, communities, and States in collaborative efforts 

to provide quality full-working-day, full calendar year services, 

including technical assistance related to identifying and assisting in resolving barriers to collaboration. 

ø(c)¿ (d) In allocating resources for technical assistance and 

training under this section, the Secretary shall— (1) * * * 

(A) * * * 

(B) assisting Head Start agencies in— (i) ensuring the school readiness of children; and 

(ii) meeting the øeducational performance measures¿ measures described in section 641A(b)(4); 

(2) supplement amounts provided under section 

640(a)(3)(C)(ii) in order to address the training and career development needs of classroom staff (including instruction for 

providing services to children with disabilities and for activities 

described in section 1222(d) of the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6372(d))) and nonclassroom 

staff, including home visitors and other staff working directly 

with families, including training relating to increasing parent 

involvement and services designed to increase family literacy 

and improve parenting skills; 

(3) assist Head Start agencies in the development of collaborative initiatives with States and other entities within the 

States, to foster effective øearly childhood professional development systems¿ professional development systems regarding 

early childhood education and care; 

(4) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(5) assist Head Start agencies and programs in conducting 

and participating in communitywide strategic planning and 

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needs assessment, including assessing the needs of homeless 

children and their families; 

(6) * * * 

ø(7) assist Head Start agencies in better serving the needs 

of families with very young children;¿ 

(7) assist Head Start agencies in better serving the needs of 

families with very young children, including providing support 

and program planning and implementation assistance for Head 

Start agencies that apply to serve or are serving additional infants and toddlers with funds previously used for 3- and 4-yearolds in accordance with section 645(a)(5); 

(8) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(10) assist Head Start agencies in developing innovative program models, including mobile and home-based programsø; 

and¿; 

(11) provide support for Head Start agencies (including policy councils and policy committees, as defined in regulation) 

that meet the standards described in section 641A(a) but that 

have, as documented by the Secretary through reviews conducted pursuant to section 641A(c), significant programmatic, 

quality, and fiscal issues to addressø.¿; 

(12) assist Head Start agencies in increasing the program 

participation of homeless children; 

(13) provide training and technical assistance to members of 

governing bodies, policy councils, and, as appropriate, policy 

committees, to ensure that the members can fulfill their functions; 

(14) provide training and technical assistance to Head Start 

agencies to assist such agencies in conducting self-assessments; 

(15) assist Head Start agencies in improving outreach to, and 

the quality of services available to, limited English proficient 

children and their families, including such services to help such 

families learn English, particularly in communities that have 

experienced a large percentage increase in the population of 

limited English proficient individuals, as measured by the Bureau of the Census; 

(16) provide activities that help ensure that Head Start programs have qualified staff who can promote prevention of childhood obesity by integrating into the programs developmentally 

appropriate research-based initiatives that stress the importance of physical activity and nutrition choices made by children and family, through daily classroom and family routines; 

and 

(17) assist Indian Head Start agencies to provide on-site and 

off-site training to staff, using approaches that identify and enhance the positive resources and strengths of Indian children 

and families, to improve parent and family engagement and 

staff development, particularly with regard to child and family 

development. 

ø(d)¿(e) The Secretary may provide, either directly or through 

grants to public or private nonprofit entities, including communitybased organizations, training for Head Start personnel in the use 

of the performing and visual arts and interactive programs using 

electronic media to enhance the learning experience of Head Start 

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childre. Special consideration shall be given to entities that have 

demonstrated effectiveness in educational programming for preschool children that includes components for parental involvement, 

care provider training, and developmentally appropriate related activities. 

ø(e)¿(f) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through 

grants or other arrangements, funds from programs authorized 

under this subchapter to support an organization to administer a 

centralized child development and national assessment programs 

leading to recognized credentials for personnel working in øearly 

childhood development and child care programs¿ early childhood 

education and care programs, training for personnel providing services to non-English language background children (including services to promote the acquisition of the English language) or providing services to children determined to be abused or neglected, 

training for personnel providing services to children referred by entities providing child welfare services or receiving child welfare 

services, training for personnel in helping children cope with community violence, and resource access projects for personnel working 

with disabled children. 

(g) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through grants 

or other arrangements, funds for training of Head Start personnel 

in addressing the unique needs of migrant and seasonal farmworker 

families, families with limited English proficiency, and homeless 

families. 

(h) Funds used under this section shall be used to provide high 

quality, sustained, and intensive, training and technical assistance 

in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction. Funds shall be used to carry out activities related to 1 or more 

of the following: 

(1) Education and early childhood development. 

(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety. 

(3) Family and community partnerships. 

(4) Other areas that impact the quality or overall effectiveness 

of Head Start programs. 

(i) Funds used under this section for training shall be used for 

needs identified annually by a grant applicant (including any delegate agency) in its program improvement plan, except that funds 

shall not be used for long-distance travel expenses for training activities—

(1) available locally or regionally; or 

(2) substantially similar to locally or regionally available 

training activities. 

(j)(1) To support local efforts to enhance early language and 

preliteracy development of children in Head Start programs, and to 

provide the children with high-quality oral language skills, and environments that are rich in literature, in which to acquire language 

and preliteracy skills, each Head Start agency, in coordination with 

the appropriate State office and the relevant State Head Start collaboration office, shall ensure that all of the agency’s Head Start 

teachers receive ongoing training in language and emergent literacy 

(referred to in this subsection as ‘‘literacy training’’), including appropriate curricula and assessments to improve instruction and 

learning. Such training shall include training in methods to promote phonological awareness (including phonemic awareness) and 

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vocabulary development in an age-appropriate and culturally and 

linguistically appropriate manner. 

(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the local level in 

order—

(A) to be provided, to the extent feasible, in the context of the 

Head Start programs of the State involved and the children the 

program involved serves; and 

(B) to be tailored to the early childhood literacy background 

and experience of the teachers involved. 

(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and linguistically appropriate and support children’s development in their home language. 

(4) The literacy training shall include training in how to work 

with parents to enhance positive language and early literacy development at home. 

(5) The literacy training shall include specific methods to best address the needs of children who are limited English proficient. 

(6) The literacy training shall include training on how to best address the language and literacy needs of children with disabilities, 

including training on how to work with specialists in language development. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 648A. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT. 

(a) CLASSROOM TEACHERS.— (1) PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—* * * 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

ø(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.— ø(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure that not 

later than September 30, 2003, at least 50 percent of all 

Head Start teachers nationwide in center-based programs 

have—

ø(i) an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree 

in early childhood education; or 

ø(ii) an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree 

in a field related to early childhood education, with experience in teaching preschool children. 

ø(B) PROGRESS.—The Secretary shall require Head Start 

agencies to demonstrate continuing progress each year to 

reach the result described in subparagraph (A).¿ 

(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.— (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish staff 

qualification goals to ensure that— (i) not later than September 30, 2012, all Head Start 

teachers nationwide in center-based programs have at 

least—

(I)(aa) an associate degree (or equivalent 

coursework) relating to early childhood; or 

(bb) an associate degree in a related educational 

area and, to the extent practicable, coursework relating to early childhood; and 

(II) demonstrated teaching competencies, as determined by the program director involved (including, at a minimum, an appropriate level of litmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with HEARING

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eracy, a demonstrated capacity to be highly engaged with children, and a demonstrated ability to 

effectively implement an early childhood curriculum); 

(ii) not later than September 30, 2010, all Head 

Start curriculum specialists and education coordinators nationwide in center-based programs have— (I) the capacity to offer assistance to other teachers in the implementation and adaptation of curricula to the group and individual needs of a class; 

and 

(II)(aa) a baccalaureate or advanced degree relating to early childhood; or 

(bb) a baccalaureate or advanced degree and 

coursework equivalent to a major relating to early 

childhood; 

(iii) not later than September 30, 2010, all Head 

Start teaching assistants nationwide in center-based 

programs have— (I) at least a child development associate credential; 

(II) enrolled in a program leading to an associate or baccalaureate degree; or 

(III) enrolled in a child development associate 

credential program to be completed within 2 years; 

and 

(iv) not later than September 30, 2013, 50 percent of 

all Head Start teachers in center-based programs in 

each State (and geographic region for Indian Head 

Start programs and for migrant and seasonal Head 

Start programs) have a baccalaureate degree relating 

to early childhood (or a related educational area), and 

demonstrated teaching competencies, as determined by 

the program director involved (including, at a minimum, an appropriate level of literacy, a demonstrated 

capacity to be highly engaged with children, and a 

demonstrated ability to effectively implement an early 

childhood curriculum). 

(B) TEACHER IN-SERVICE REQUIREMENT.—Each Head 

Start teacher shall attend not less than 15 clock hours of 

professional development per year. Such professional development shall be high quality, sustained, intensive, and 

classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting 

impact on classroom instruction and the teacher’s performance in the classroom, and regularly evaluated for effectiveness. 

(C) PROGRESS.—

(i) REPORT.—The Secretary shall—

(I) require Head Start agencies to—

(aa) describe continuing progress each year 

toward achieving the goals described in subparagraph (A); 

(bb) submit to the Secretary a report indicating the number and percentage of classroom instructors in center-based programs 

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with child development associate credentials 

or associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degrees; and 

(II) compile and submit a summary of all program reports described in subclause (I)(bb) to the 

Committee on Education and Labor of the House 

of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 

Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

(ii) DEMONSTRATE PROGRESS.—A Head Start agency 

may demonstrate that progress by partnering with institutions of higher education or other programs that 

recruit, train, place, and support college students to deliver an innovative program of early childhood education and care to preschool children. 

(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall establish requirements to ensure that, in order to enable Head 

Start agencies to comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A), individuals who receive financial assistance 

under this subchapter to pursue a degree or credential described in subparagraph (A) shall—

(i) teach or work in a Head Start program for a minimum of 3 years after receiving the degree; or 

(ii) repay the total or a prorated amount of the financial assistance received based on the length of service 

completed after receiving the degree. 

(3) ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALING REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that, for center-based programs, each Head 

Start classroom that does not have a teacher that meets the requirements of clause ø(i) or (ii)¿ (i) or (iv) of paragraph (2)(A) 

is assigned one teacher who has—

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(c) FAMILY SERVICE WORKERS.—* * * 

(1) * * * 

(2) promote the development of model curricula (on subjects 

including parenting training and family literacy) designed to 

ensure the attainment of appropriate competencies by individuals working or planning to work in the field of early childhood 

and family services; øand¿ 

(3) promote the establishment of a credential that indicates 

attainment of the competencies and that is accepted 

nationwideø.¿; and 

(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies to meet the needs 

of special populations (including populations of limited English 

proficient children). 

(d) HEAD START FELLOWSHIPS.—

(1) * * * 

(2) * * * 

(3) ASSIGNMENTS OF FELLOWS.—

(A) PLACEMENT SITES.—* * * 

* * * * * * * 

(C) NO PLACEMENT IN LOBBYING ORGANIZATIONS.—Head 

Start Fellowship positions may not be located in any agency, including a center, whose primary purpose, or one of 

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whose major purposes, is to influence Federal, State, or 

local legislation. 

* * * * * * * 

(f) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS.—Every Head Start agency and center shall create, in consultation with employees of the 

agency or center (including family service workers), a professional 

development plan for employees who provide direct services to children, including a plan for classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and education coordinators, and teaching assistants to meet the 

requirements set forth in subsection (a). 

(g) CONSTRUCTION.—In this section, a reference to a Head Start 

agency, or its program, services, facility or personnel, shall not be 

considered to be a reference to an Early Head Start agency, or its 

program, services, facility or personnel. 

* * * * * * * 

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

(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to promote social 

competencies and school readiness in Indian children. 

(b) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START PARTNERSHIP

PROGRAM.— (1) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to award grants, 

for periods of not less than 5 years, to Tribal Colleges and Universities to— (A) implement education programs that include education concerning tribal culture and language and increase 

the number of associate, baccalaureate, and advanced 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, including providing the programs through such means as distance learning and use of advanced technology, as appropriate; 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. 

(c) 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 (b). 

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to 

be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 

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2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

2009 through 2012. 

(e) 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’’—

(A) has the meaning given such term in section 316 of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c); and 

(B) means an institution determined to be accredited or 

a candidate for accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 649. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.— (1) REQUIREMENT; GENERAL PURPOSES.—* * * 

(A) * * * 

(B) use the Head Start programs to develop, test, and 

disseminate new ideas and approaches for addressing the 

needs of low-income preschool children (including children 

with disabilities, children determined to be abused or neglected, homeless children, and children in foster care) and 

their families and communities (including demonstrations 

of innovative noncenter-based program models such as 

home-based and mobile programs), and otherwise to further the purposes of this subchapter. 

* * * * * * * 

(d) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.— * * * 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(4) * * * 

(5) identify successful strategies that promote good oral 

health and provide effective linkages to quality dental services 

through pediatric dental referral networks, for infants and toddlers participating in Early Head Start programs and children 

participating in other Head Start programs; 

ø(5)¿(6) permit comparisons of children and families participating in Head Start programs with children and families receiving other øchild care, early childhood education, or child 

development services¿ early childhood education and care services and with other appropriate control groups; 

ø(6)¿(7) * * * 

ø(7)¿(8) * * * 

ø(8)¿(9) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge is 

insufficient, and that will other wise contribute to fulfiling the 

purposes of this subchapter; and 

ø(9) study the experiences of small, medium, and large 

States with Head Start programs in order to permit comparisons of children participating in the programs with eligible 

children who did not participate in the programs, which 

study—

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ø(A) may include the use of a data set that existed prior 

to the initiation of the study; and 

ø(B) shall compare the educational achievement, social 

adaptation, and health status of the participating children 

and the eligible nonparticipating children; and¿ 

(10) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

øThe Secretary shall ensure that an appropriate entity carries out 

a study described in paragraph (9), and prepares and submits to 

the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing the results of the study, not later than September 30, 2002.¿ 

* * * * * * * 

(e) LONGITUDINAL STUDIES.—* * * 

(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(3) as appropriate, permit comparison of children and families participating in Head Start programs with children and 

families receiving other øchild care, early childhood education, 

or child development services¿ early childhood education and 

care services, and with other appropriate control groups. 

* * * * * * * 

(g) NATIONAL HEAD START IMPACT RESEARCH.—

(1) EXPERT PANEL.—

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall appoint an independent panel consisting of experts in program evaluation 

and research, øeducation, and early childhood programs¿ 

and early childhood education and care programs—

ø(i) to review, and make recommendations on, the 

design and plan for the research (whether conducted 

as a single assessment or as a series of assessments) 

described in paragraph (2), within 1 year after the 

date of enactment of the Coats Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998;¿ 

ø(ii)¿ (i) * * * 

ø(iii)¿ (ii) * * * 

(2) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—After reviewing the recommendations of the expert panel, the Secretary shall make a grant to, 

or enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with, an organization to conduct independent research that provides a national analysis of the impact of Head Start programs. The Secretary shall ensure that the organization shall have expertise 

in program evaluationø, and research, education, and early 

childhood programs¿ and research, and early childhood education and care programs. 

* * * * * * * 

(5) ANALYSIS.—The Secretary shall ensure that the organization conducting the research—

(A)(i) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(D) * * * 

(i) individuals who participate in other øearly childhood programs¿ early childhood education and care 

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programs (such as public or private preschool programs and day care); and 

(ii) individuals who do not participate in any other 

øearly childhood program¿ early childhood education 

and care program. 

* * * * * * * 

(7) REPORTS.—

(A) SUBMISSION OF INTERIM REPORTS.—* * * 

* * * * * * * 

(C) TRANSMITTAL OF REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—

(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall transmit, to 

the committees described in clause (ii), the first interim report by September 30, 1999, the second interim report by September 30, 2001, and the final report by September 30, ø2003¿ 2008. 

(ii) COMMITTEES.—The committees referred to in 

clause (i) are the Committee on øEducation and the 

Workforce¿ Education and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Committee on øLabor and 

Human Resources¿ Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions of the Senate. 

* * * * * * * 

ø(h) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT STUDY.— ø(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a study regarding 

the use and effects of use of the quality improvement funds 

made available under section 640(a)(3) since fiscal year 1991. 

ø(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare and submit to 

Congress not later than September 2000 a report containing 

the results of the study, including information on— ø(A) the types of activities funded with the quality improvement funds; 

ø(B) the extent to which the use of the quality improvement funds has accomplished the goals of section 

640(a)(3)(B); 

ø(C) the effect of use of the quality improvement funds 

on teacher training, salaries, benefits, recruitment, and retention; and 

ø(D) the effect of use of the quality improvement funds 

on the development of children receiving services under 

this subchapter.¿ 

(h) REVIEW OF ASSESSMENTS.—

(1) APPLICATION OF STUDY.—When the study on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children by the 

National Academy of Sciences is made available to the Secretary, the Secretary shall—

(A) incorporate the results of the study, as appropriate 

and in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3), into each 

assessment used in the Head Start programs; and 

(B) use the results of the study to develop, inform, and revise the standards and measures described in section 641A. 

(2) DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT.—In developing and refining any assessment used in the Head Start programs, the 

Secretary shall—

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(A) receive recommendations from the Panel on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children of 

the National Academy of Sciences; and 

(B) with respect to the development or refinement of such 

assessment, ensure— (i) consistency with relevant, nationally recognized 

professional and technical standards; 

(ii) validity and reliability for all purposes for which 

assessments under this subchapter are designed and 

used; 

(iii) developmental and linguistic appropriateness of 

such assessments for children assessed, including children who are limited English proficient; and 

(iv) that the results can be used to improve the quality of, accountability of, and training and technical assistance in, Head Start programs. 

(3) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary, in carrying 

out the process described under paragraph (2), shall ensure 

that—

(A) staff administering any assessments under this subchapter have received appropriate training to administer 

such assessments; 

(B) appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities and children who are limited English proficient 

are made; 

(C) the English and Spanish (and any other language, as 

appropriate) forms of such assessments are valid and reliable; and 

(D) such assessments are not used to exclude children 

from Head Start programs. 

(4) SUSPENDED IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL REPORTING

SYSTEM.—The Secretary shall—

(A) suspend implementation and terminate further development and use of the National Reporting System; and 

(B) incorporate, as appropriate, recommendations under 

paragraph (2)(A) into any assessment used in the Head 

Start programs. 

(i) SPECIAL RULE.—The use of assessment items and data on any 

assessment authorized under this subchapter by any agent of the 

Federal Government to rank, compare, or otherwise evaluate individual children or teachers, or to provide rewards or sanctions for 

individual children or teachers is prohibited. The Secretary shall 

not use the results of a single assessment as the sole method for assessing program effectiveness or making grantee funding determinations at the national, regional, or local level under this subchapter. 

(j) SERVICES TO LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT CHILDREN AND

FAMILIES.—

(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a study on the status of limited English proficient children and their families in 

Head Start (including Early Head Start) programs. 

(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress, not later than September 2011, a report containing the 

results of the study, including information on— (A) the demographics of limited English proficient children from birth through age 5, including the number of 

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such children receiving Head Start (including Early Head 

Start) services and the geographic distribution of children 

described in this subparagraph; 

(B) the nature of Head Start (including Early Head 

Start) services provided to limited English proficient children and their families, including the types, content, duration, intensity, and costs of family services, language assistance, and educational services; 

(C) procedures in Head Start programs for the assessment of language needs and the transition of limited 

English proficient children to kindergarten, including the 

extent to which Head Start programs meet the requirements 

of section 642A for limited English proficient children; 

(D) the qualifications of and training provided to Head 

Start (including Early Head Start) teachers serving limited 

English proficient children and their families; 

(E) the rate of progress made by limited English proficient children and their families in Head Start (including 

Early Head Start) programs, including— (i) the rate of progress of the limited English proficient children toward meeting the additional educational standards described in section 

641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) while enrolled in Head Start programs, measured between 1990 and 2006; 

(ii) the correlation between the progress described in 

this subparagraph and the type of instruction and educational program provided to the limited English proficient children; and 

(iii) the correlation between the progress described in 

this subparagraph and the health and family services 

provided by Head Start programs to limited English 

proficient children and their families; and 

(F) the extent to which Head Start programs make use of 

funds under section 640(a)(3) to improve the quality of 

Head Start services provided to limited English proficient 

children and their families. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 650. REPORTS. 

(a) STATUS OF CHILDREN.—At least once during every 2-year period, the Secretary shall prepare and submit, to the Committee on 

øEducation and the Workforce¿ Education and Labor of the House 

of Representatives and the Committee on øLabor and Human Resources¿ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a 

report concerning the status of children) ø(including disabled and 

non-English language background children)¿ (including children 

with disabilities, limited English proficient children, and children 

participating in Indian Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs) in Head Start programs, including the 

number of children and the services being provided to such children. Such report shall include— (1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(8) information concerning children participating in programs that receive Head Start funding, including information 

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on family income, racial and ethnic background, homelessness, 

children in foster care, disability, and receipt of benefits under 

part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; 

* * * * * * * 

(14) a study of the delivery of Head Start programs to Indian 

children living on and near Indian reservations, to children of 

øAlaskan Natives¿ Alaska Natives, and to children of ømigrant 

and¿ migrant or seasonal farmworkers. 

Promptly after submitting such report to the Committee on øEducation and the Workforce¿ Education and Labor of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on øLabor and Human Resources¿ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the 

Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a notice indicating 

that such report is available to the public and specifying how such 

report may be obtained. 

(b) FACILITIES.—At least once during every 5-year period, the 

Secretary shall prepare and submit, to the Committee on øEducation and the Workforce¿ Education and Labor of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on øLabor and Human Resources¿ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a 

report concerning the condition, location, and ownership of facilities 

used, or available to be used, by Indian Health Start agencies (including øNative Alaskan¿ Alaska Native Head Start agencies) and 

Native Hawaiian Head Start agencies. 

* * * * * * * 

COMPARABILITY OF WAGES

SEC. 653. øThe Secretary shall take¿ (a) The Secretary shall take 

such action as may be necessary to assure that persons employed 

in carrying out programs financed under this subchapter shall not 

receive compensation at a rate which is (1) in excess of the average 

rate of compensation paid in the area where the program is carried 

out to a substantial number of the persons providing substantially 

comparable services, or in excess of the average rate of compensation paid to a substantial number of the persons providing substantially comparable services in the area of the person’s immediately 

preceding employment, whichever is higher; or (2) less than the 

minimum wage rate prescribed in section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor 

Standards Act of 1938. The Secretary shall encourage Head Start 

agencies to provide compensation according to salary scales that 

are based on training and experience. 

(b) No Federal funds shall be used to pay the compensation of an 

individual employed by a Head Start agency in carrying out programs under this subchapter, either as direct or indirect costs or 

any proration of such costs, in an amount in excess of an amount 

based on the rate payable for level II of the Executive Schedule 

under section 5313 of title 5, United States Code. 

* * * * * * * 

LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES

SEC. 655. No individual employed or assigned by or in any Head 

Start agency or other agency assisted under this subchapter shall, 

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sisted under this subchapter by such Head Start agency or such 

other agency, plan, initiate, participate in, or otherwise aid or assist in the conduct of any unlawful demonstration, rioting, or civil 

disturbance. 

* * * * * * * 

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

øSEC. 656. (a) For purposes of¿ 

SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. 

(a) STATE OR LOCAL AGENCY.—For purposes of chapter 15 of title 

5, United States Code, any agency which assumes responsibility for 

planning, developing, and coordinating Head Start programs and 

receives assistance under this subchapter shall be deemed to be a 

State or local agency. For purposes of clauses (1) and (2) of section 

150(2)(a) of such title, any agency receiving assistance under this 

subchapter shall be deemed to be a State or local agency. 

ø(b) Programs assisted under this subchapter shall not be carried 

on in a manner involving the use of program funds, the provision 

of services, or the employment or assignment of personnel in a 

manner supporting or resulting in the identification of such programs with (1) any partisan or nonpartisan political activity or any 

other political activity associated with a candidate, or contending 

faction or group, in an election for public or party office; (2) any activity to provide voters or prospective voters with transportation to 

the polls or similar assistance in connection with any such election; 

or (3) any voter registration activity. The Secretary, after consultation with the Office of Personnel Management, shall issue rules 

and regulations to provide for the enforcement of this section, 

which shall include provisions for summary suspension of assistance or other action necessary to permit enforcement on an emergency basis.¿ 

(b) RESTRICTIONS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—A program assisted under this subchapter, 

and any individual employed by, or assigned to or in, a program assisted under this subchapter (during the hours in which 

such individual is working on behalf of such program), shall 

not engage in—

(A) any partisan or nonpartisan political activity or any 

other political activity associated with a candidate, or contending faction or group, in an election for public or party 

office; or 

(B) any activity to provide voters or prospective voters 

with transportation to the polls or similar assistance in 

connection with any such election. 

(2) RULES AND REGULATIONS.—The Secretary, after consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, 

may issue rules and regulations to provide for the enforcement 

of this section, which may include provisions for summary suspension of assistance or other action necessary to permit enforcement on an emergency basis. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 657. * * * 

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SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NONEMERGENCY 

INTRUSIVE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS. 

(a) DEFINITION.—The term ‘‘nonemergency intrusive physical examination’’ means, with respect to a child, a physical examination 

that—

(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the health or safety 

of the child or the health or safety of another individual; and 

(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, or involves exposure of private body parts. 

(b) REQUIREMENT.—A Head Start agency shall obtain written parental consent before administration of, or referral for, any health 

care service provided or arranged to be provided, including any 

nonemergency intrusive physical examination of a child in connection with participation in a program under this subchapter. 

(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall be 

construed to prohibit agencies from using established methods, for 

handling cases of suspected or known child abuse and neglect, that 

are in compliance with applicable Federal, State, or tribal law. 

* * * * * * * 

United States Code 

Title 42 

§ 247b–1. Screenings, referrals, and education regarding lead 

poisoning 

* * * * * * * 

HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES 

* * * * * * * 

Development and Implementation of Effective Data Management by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

Pub. L. 106–310, Div. A, Title XXV, § 2501(c), Oct. 17, 2000, 114 

Stat. 1161, provided that: 

(1) IN GENERAL.—* * * 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(C) assist with the improvement of the ability of Statebased data management systems and federally-funded 

means-tested public benefit programs (including the special supplemental food program for women, infants and 

children (WIC) under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act 

of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786) and the early head start program 

under section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

ø9840a(h)¿ 9840a) to respond to ad hoc inquiries and generate progress reports regarding the lead blood level 

screening of children enrolled in those programs; 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 

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