I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4524 

To amend the Social Security Act to provide for mandatory funding, to 

ensure that the families that have infants and toddlers, have a family 

income of not more than 200 percent of the applicable Federal poverty 

guideline, and need child care have access to high-quality infant and 

toddler child care by the end of fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 10, 2016 

Mr. CROWLEY (for himself and Ms. FRANKEL of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 

and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Social Security Act to provide for mandatory 

funding, to ensure that the families that have infants 

and toddlers, have a family income of not more than 

200 percent of the applicable Federal poverty guideline, 

and need child care have access to high-quality infant 

and toddler child care by the end of fiscal year 2026, 

and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Care Access to 

3 Resources for Early-learning Act’’ or the ‘‘Child CARE 

4 Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

6 The purposes of this Act are— 

7 (1) to provide funding to ensure that the fami8 lies that have infants and toddlers, that have a fam9 ily income of not more than 200 percent of the ap10 plicable Federal poverty guideline, and that need 

11 child care have access to high-quality infant and tod12 dler child care by the end of fiscal year 2026, in 

13 order to promote family economic security and pa14 rental employment, to support parents in balancing 

15 work and family obligations, and to promote chil16 dren’s health, early care, and learning; 

17 (2) to provide sufficient funding to ensure that 

18 both families and child care providers have the re19 sources they need to support high-quality early care 

20 and learning for infants and toddlers; 

21 (3) to ensure that provider payment rates, for 

22 infant and toddler child care providers, are set at a 

23 level high enough to support high-quality child care 

24 for infants and toddlers, including infants and tod25 dlers with disabilities; 


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1 (4) to assist eligible infant and toddler child 

2 care providers in improving the quality of their pro3 grams— 

4 (A) by strengthening the skills, com5 petencies, and compensation of the workforce of 

6 those providers, in a manner aligned with the 

7 report entitled ‘‘Transforming the Workforce 

8 for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying 

9 Foundation’’, issued by the National Academy 

10 of Sciences in April 2015; and 

11 (B) by helping those providers ensure that 

12 children receive the comprehensive services they 

13 need, by coordinating activities with other com14 munity service providers; and 

15 (5) to ensure that high-quality infant and tod16 dler child care is a strong component of a continuum 

17 of quality early care and learning activities within 

18 States and Indian and Native Hawaiian commu19 nities, starting with prenatal care and continuing 

20 through activities in the early school years, with 

21 seamless transitions between programs. 

22 SEC. 3. APPROPRIATION. 

23 Title IV of the Social Security Act is amended by in24 serting after section 418 (42 U.S.C. 618) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 418A. APPROPRIATION. 

2 ‘‘For grants under the Child CARE Act, there is ap3 propriated— 

4 ‘‘(1) $3,664,862,604 for fiscal year 2017; 

5 ‘‘(2) $4,121,731,861 for fiscal year 2018; 

6 ‘‘(3) $4,819,546,318 for fiscal year 2019; 

7 ‘‘(4) $5,843,784,371 for fiscal year 2020; and 

8 ‘‘(5) $6,887,236,056 for fiscal year 2021.’’. 

9 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND.— 

12 The term ‘‘Child Care and Development Fund’’ 

13 means the funds appropriated under the Child Care 

14 and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 

15 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the funds appropriated 

16 under section 418 of the Social Security Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 618). 

18 (2) ELIGIBLE FAMILY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

19 family’’ means a family that has, and needs child 

20 care for, an infant or toddler, and is a low-income 

21 family. 

22 (3) ELIGIBLE INFANT OR TODDLER.—The term 

23 ‘‘eligible infant or toddler’’ means an infant or tod24 dler from a low-income family. 

25 (4) INDIAN; INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘‘In26 dian’’ and ‘‘Indian tribe’’ have the meanings given 


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1 the terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determina2 tion and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

3 450b). 

4 (5) HIGH-QUALITY.—The term ‘‘high-quality’’, 

5 used with respect to child care (including early care 

6 and learning), means child care provided in a man7 ner consistent with the quality standards described 

8 in section 7(a)(3). 

9 (6) INFANT OR TODDLER.—The term ‘‘infant 

10 or toddler’’ means a child under age 4. 

11 (7) INFANT OR TODDLER WITH A DIS12 ABILITY.—The term ‘‘infant or toddler with a dis13 ability’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

14 632 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

15 Act (20 U.S.C. 1432). 

16 (8) LOW-INCOME FAMILY.—The term ‘‘low-in17 come family’’ means a family with a family income 

18 of not more than 200 percent of the applicable Fed19 eral poverty guideline. 

20 (9) NATIVE HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘‘Native Ha21 waiian’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

22 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

23 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517). 

24 (10) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

25 means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 


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1 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 

2 the several States, the District of Columbia, the Vir3 gin Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth 

4 of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

5 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

6 (12) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘tribal 

7 organization’’ has the meaning given the term in 

8 section 658P of the Child Care and Development 

9 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n). 

10 SEC. 5. FUNDING ALLOTMENTS. 

11 (a) DISTRIBUTION BY ACTIVITY.—From the amounts 

12 appropriated under this Act for each fiscal year, the Sec13 retary shall— 

14 (1) reserve a portion for providing the allot15 ments described in subsection (b) (relating to ex16 panding access to high-quality child care); 

17 (2) reserve a portion of not less than 2 percent 

18 of the appropriated amounts for providing the allot19 ments described in subsection (d) (relating to Indian 

20 and Native Hawaiian child care); 

21 (3) reserve a portion, of not more than 0.5 per22 cent of the appropriated amounts, for carrying out 

23 research and evaluation activities under this Act; 


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1 (4) reserve a portion, of not more than 0.5 per2 cent of the appropriated amounts, for carrying out 

3 technical assistance activities under this Act; 

4 (5) reserve 6 percent of the appropriated 

5 amounts for making grants under subsection (e) (re6 lating to child care provided during nontraditional 

7 and unpredictable hours); and 

8 (6) use the remainder for providing the allot9 ments described in subsection (c) (relating to main10 taining access to child care). 

11 (b) ALLOTMENTS FOR EXPANDING ACCESS TO HIGH12 QUALITY CHILD CARE.— 

13 (1) ALLOTMENTS.—Using funds reserved under 

14 subsection (a)(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary 

15 shall allot to each eligible State an amount that 

16 bears the same relationship to the reserved funds as 

17 the number of infants and toddlers from low-income 

18 families in the State bears to the total number of 

19 such infants and toddlers in all eligible States. 

20 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that receives an 

21 allotment under this subsection shall use the allot22 ment funds— 

23 (A) to expand access to high-quality child 

24 care for infants and toddlers who do not receive 


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1 child care funded through the Child Care and 

2 Development Fund; 

3 (B) to increase, as described in this Act, 

4 the quality of child care for infants and toddlers 

5 who receive child care funded through the Child 

6 Care and Development Fund; 

7 (C)(i) to support payment rates, for child 

8 care providers that serve infants and toddlers, 

9 that reflect the cost of high-quality child care 

10 and are sufficient to attract, support, and re11 tain providers who meet quality standards that 

12 relate to the unique needs of infants and tod13 dlers, including infants and toddlers with dis14 abilities; and 

15 (ii) to increase the compensation of, and 

16 provide other financial incentives for, the highly 

17 qualified infant and toddler child care work18 force; and 

19 (D) as otherwise described in section 7. 

20 (c) ALLOTMENTS FOR MAINTAINING ACCESS TO

21 CHILD CARE.— 

22 (1) ALLOTMENTS.—Using the remainder de23 scribed in subsection (a)(6) for a fiscal year, the 

24 Secretary shall allot to each eligible State an amount 

25 that bears the same relationship to the reserved 


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1 funds as the amount the State receives for the fiscal 

2 year under section 418(a)(2)(B) of the Social Secu3 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 618(a)(2)(B)) bears to the total 

4 amount received by all eligible States under that sec5 tion. 

6 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that receives an 

7 allotment under this subsection shall use the allot8 ment funds in accordance with the Child Care and 

9 Development Block Grant Act of 1990. 

10 (d) ALLOTMENTS FOR INDIAN AND NATIVE HAWAI11 IAN CHILD CARE.— 

12 (1) FORMULA.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—In order to ensure that 

14 Indian and Native Hawaiian children have 

15 equal access to high-quality infant and toddler 

16 child care, the Secretary shall develop a formula 

17 for allotting the funds reserved under sub18 section (a)(2) to Indian tribes and tribal organi19 zations. 

20 (B) FORMULA FACTORS.—In developing 

21 the formula, the Secretary shall— 

22 (i) provide for a level of funding that 

23 will ensure that, by the end of fiscal year 

24 2026, the Indian and Native Hawaiian in25 fants and toddlers in eligible families will 


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1 receive a level of services that is equivalent 

2 to the high-quality child care received by 

3 infants and toddlers in the general popu4 lation under this Act; 

5 (ii) take into consideration the unique 

6 needs and circumstances of individuals in 

7 Indian and Native Hawaiian communities, 

8 such as unemployment rates; and 

9 (iii) the cost of providing high-quality 

10 child care that addresses Indian and Na11 tive Hawaiian culture and language. 

12 (2) USE OF FUNDS.—An Indian tribe or tribal 

13 organization that receives an allotment under this 

14 subsection shall use the allotment funds as described 

15 in section 9. 

16 (e) GRANTS FOR CHILD CARE DURING UNCONVEN17 TIONAL HOURS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Using funds reserved under 

19 subsection (a)(5) for a fiscal year, the Secretary may 

20 make grants to States for child care provided during 

21 nontraditional and unpredictable hours. 

22 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may adjust 

23 the requirement that providers serving children that 

24 require child care during those hours meet quality 

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1 essary to address the need for nontraditional and 

2 unpredictable hours care. 

3 (3) APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS.—Except as 

4 provided in paragraph (2), a State that receives a 

5 grant under this subsection shall use the grant 

6 funds in accordance with the Child Care and Devel7 opment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9859 

8 et seq.) and this Act. 

9 SEC. 6. STATE APPLICATION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

11 under this Act through allotments made under subsection 

12 (b), (c), or (e) of section 5, a State shall submit to the 

13 Secretary an application, as a supplement to the State 

14 plan described in section 658E of the Child Care and De15 velopment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858c). 

16 (b) INFORMATION.—Each such application shall in17 clude a description of each of the following: 

18 (1)(A) How the State will increase the number 

19 of high-quality child care slots for eligible families, 

20 to ensure, by the end of fiscal year 2026, access to 

21 high-quality infant and toddler child care for the eli22 gible families in the State (referred to in this section 

23 as ‘‘universal high-quality child care’’). 

24 (B) The ambitious goals and measurable bench25 marks that the State will use to demonstrate 


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1 progress toward achieving universal high-quality 

2 child care, including— 

3 (i) substantially increasing the percentage 

4 of eligible families served; and 

5 (ii) addressing the needs identified in the 

6 needs assessment under section 7(a)(4). 

7 (2) How the State will measurably improve, by 

8 the end of fiscal year 2026, the quality of child care 

9 available to children who are infants and toddlers, 

10 including such children who are dual language learn11 ers or are children with disabilities, and the ambi12 tious goals and measurable benchmarks that the 

13 State will use to demonstrate progress toward 

14 achieving this improvement. 

15 (3) How the State will maintain, using the 

16 Child Care and Development Fund and the funds 

17 made available under section 5(c), the caseload of 

18 children that were served using the Child Care and 

19 Development Fund on the date of enactment of this 

20 Act. 

21 (4)(A) How the State will conduct a study on 

22 the cost of high-quality child care for infants and 

23 toddlers, at least once every 3 years, consistent with 

24 this supplement— 


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1 (i) to determine provider payment rates 

2 that are sufficient— 

3 (I) to ensure fair and competitive 

4 compensation for high-quality infant and 

5 toddler child care providers; 

6 (II) to recognize child care providers 

7 who have the specialized knowledge and 

8 competencies of early childhood educators; 

9 and 

10 (III) to recognize child care providers 

11 who offer a rich learning environment, use 

12 evidence-based classroom practices, and 

13 have provider competencies in engaging in 

14 stimulating, warm, and responsive adult15 child interactions, consistent with the pro16 gram performance standards referred to in 

17 section 641A(a)(1) of the Head Start Act 

18 (42 U.S.C. 9836a), appropriate to the age 

19 of the child; and 

20 (ii) to assess the compensation levels nec21 essary to attract, support, and retain a work22 force of child care providers described in clause 

23 (i). 

24 (B) Whether the State proposes to conduct the 

25 study required under subparagraph (A) by carrying 


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1 out a cost of quality study or survey that the State 

2 is currently conducting, as a requirement of its State 

3 plan under section 658E of the Child Care and De4 velopment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

5 9858c). 

6 (C) How the State will incorporate into the 

7 study information gathered through a public hearing 

8 to solicit input from relevant stakeholders including 

9 the infant and toddler child care workforce. 

10 (D) How the State will use the results of the 

11 study to establish and annually update reimburse12 ment rates for high-quality infant and toddler child 

13 care providers in the State. 

14 (5) How the State will ensure and demonstrate 

15 that— 

16 (A) the higher provider payment rates that 

17 the State proposes to pay under this Act are 

18 sufficient to achieve the compensation levels de19 scribed in paragraph (4)(A)(ii), and attract, 

20 support, and retain child care providers de21 scribed in paragraph (4)(A)(i); and 

22 (B) the rates described in subparagraph 

23 (A) will keep pace with inflation. 


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1 (6) The need in the State for high-quality child 

2 care for infants and toddlers, based on a needs as3 sessment— 

4 (A) that is conducted prior to the receipt 

5 of the corresponding allotment and at least once 

6 every 3 years consistent with the State plan; 

7 (B) that is conducted by the State Advi8 sory Council on Early Childhood Education and 

9 Care (designated or established pursuant to sec10 tion 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act 

11 (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i))) or another enti12 ty as determined by the State; and 

13 (C) that identifies such need for geo14 graphic areas and special populations of infants 

15 and toddlers, including children with disabil16 ities, homeless children, children in foster care, 

17 children who are dual language learners, chil18 dren living in rural areas, and children whose 

19 families work nontraditional hours. 

20 (7) A unified approach to early care and learn21 ing that begins prenatally and supports children and 

22 their families at least until the children enter kinder23 garten, which includes a description of how the State 

24 will align infant and toddler child care with— 


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1 (A) other early care and learning pro2 grams, including State-supported programs of 

3 quality preschool if applicable; and 

4 (B) programs carried out under section 

5 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabil6 ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et 

7 seq.). 

8 (8) How the State will support early childhood 

9 educators and K–3 teachers, including the best prac10 tices that the State will use to support transitions 

11 into kindergarten and alignment of curricula, profes12 sional development, and early learning standards, to 

13 reflect an integrated approach to enabling children 

14 to achieve substantial gains in key skill areas across 

15 their development. 

16 (9) How the State will coordinate activities with 

17 other public or private agencies to ensure that, to 

18 the extent that services are available in the commu19 nity, infants and toddlers are referred to local agen20 cies or other appropriate providers, including com21 munity-based organizations, for comprehensive 

22 health, mental health, family, and nutrition services 

23 similar to those provided through Early Head Start 

24 programs. 


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1 (10) How the State will address infant and tod2 dler child care needs for populations that have acute 

3 barriers to accessing high-quality child care and the 

4 State’s plan to increase the supply of high-quality 

5 child care slots for populations for which the unmet 

6 need is greatest, including populations listed in sec7 tion 658E(c)(2)(M) of the Child Care and Develop8 ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

9 9858c(c)(2)(M)), with methods such as grants and 

10 contracts. 

11 (11) How the State will, at the option of an In12 dian tribe or tribal organization in the State, col13 laborate and coordinate activities with the Indian 

14 tribe or tribal organization in the development of the 

15 State plan. 

16 (12) A plan that describes how the State will 

17 ensure successful engagement by parents and fami18 lies in their child’s early care and learning and how 

19 this plan will promote engagement that continues 

20 from infant and toddler programs into preschool 

21 programs and beyond. 

22 (13) How the State will collaborate and coordi23 nate activities with early childhood educators and or24 ganizations that foster the professional development 


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1 and collective engagement of the child care work2 force. 

3 (c) ASSURANCES.—Each such application shall in4 clude each of the following: 

5 (1) An assurance that the State will maintain, 

6 using the Child Care and Development Fund and 

7 the funds made available under section 5(c), the 

8 caseload of children that were served using the Child 

9 Care and Development Fund on the date of enact10 ment of this Act. 

11 (2) An assurance that the State will establish 

12 and support standards for high-quality child care for 

13 infants and toddlers in the State as described in sec14 tion 7(a)(3). 

15 (3) An assurance that the State will contribute 

16 a percentage toward the cost of activities authorized 

17 under section 5(b), toward the cost of activities au18 thorized under section 5(c), and toward the cost of 

19 activities authorized under section 5(e), that is equal 

20 to the percentage that the State contributes under 

21 section 418(a)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 

22 U.S.C. 618(a)(2)(C)) toward the cost of the child 

23 care authorized under section 418 of that Act (42 

24 U.S.C. 618). 


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1 SEC. 7. STATE EXPANSION AND QUALITY ENHANCEMENT 

2 ACTIVITIES. 

3 (a) EXPANDING ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY CHILD

4 CARE.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Using funds made available 

6 through an allotment under section 5(b), the State 

7 shall reserve at least 80 percent for direct services 

8 provided through grants, contracts, or certificates, to 

9 expand access to high-quality child care for infants 

10 and toddlers and to increase parental options for 

11 and access to such care. 

12 (2) PROMOTION OF QUALITY.—During the pe13 riod beginning not later than the date on which the 

14 allotment is made and ending not later than 6 

15 months after that date, and every third year there16 after, the State shall use the cost of high-quality 

17 child care study, described in section 6(b)(4), to en18 sure that, for all infant and toddler child care 

19 slots— 

20 (A) the child care is of sufficient quality; 

21 (B) the providers of the care are supported 

22 along a career pathway to achieve higher levels 

23 of training and education; and 

24 (C) provider payment rates are sufficient 

25 as described in section 6(b)(4)(A)(i). 


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1 (3) QUALITY STANDARDS.—The State shall en2 sure that all infant and toddler child care providers, 

3 who participate in activities funded through the 

4 Child Care and Development Fund, meet quality 

5 standards by the end of fiscal year 2026, includ6 ing— 

7 (A) ensuring that the providers enable lead 

8 teachers and educators, regardless of setting, to 

9 receive program quality funds reserved under 

10 subsection (b), through grants, contracts, or 

11 certificates, to prepare for meeting higher 

12 standards of quality and to progress through 

13 professional development goals; and 

14 (B)(i) offering full-day, full-year care or 

15 otherwise meeting the needs of working fami16 lies; 

17 (ii) meeting the requirements described in 

18 section 6(b)(4)(A)(i)(III); 

19 (iii) ensuring individuals working directly 

20 with infants and toddlers have the qualifica21 tions, knowledge, and skills to promote the 

22 healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and phys23 ical development of children as appropriate to 

24 the children’s age, and attain the compensation 

25 levels necessary to attract, support, and retain 


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1 a well-qualified workforce, in a manner aligned 

2 with the findings in the study entitled ‘‘Trans3 forming the Workforce for Children Birth 

4 Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation’’, 

5 issued by the National Academy of Sciences in 

6 April 2015; 

7 (iv) aligning its activities with the State’s 

8 Early Learning and Development Guidelines 

9 that apply to infants and toddlers and the Head 

10 Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework; 

11 (v) coordinating activities with other public 

12 or private agencies to ensure that, to the extent 

13 that services are available in the community, in14 fants and toddlers are referred to local agencies 

15 or other appropriate providers, including com16 munity-based organizations, for comprehensive 

17 health, mental health, family, and nutrition 

18 services, similar to those provided through 

19 Early Head Start programs; and 

20 (vi) engaging with parents in their roles as 

21 first teachers and partnering with parents in 

22 their child’s early care and learning and transi23 tion to pre-kindergarten or a Head Start pro24 gram. 


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1 (4) ADDRESSING UNDERSERVED GEOGRAPHIC

2 AREAS AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS.— 

3 (A) IDENTIFICATION.—Based on a valid 

4 needs assessment referred to in section 6(b)(6), 

5 the State shall identify geographic areas and 

6 special populations described in that section. 

7 (B) INCREASING AVAILABILITY OF CHILD

8 CARE.—The State shall develop and implement 

9 a plan to increase the availability of high-qual10 ity child care (including by stabilizing the in11 come of providers of such care)— 

12 (i) in geographic areas and for popu13 lations identified under subparagraph (A); 

14 and 

15 (ii) to the extent practicable, in hard16 to-serve areas or populations. 

17 (b) ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF INFANT AND TOD18 DLER CHILD CARE.— 

19 (1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that the activi20 ties described in paragraph (3) are interconnected 

21 and that each of the activities is critical to enhanc22 ing the quality of infant and toddler child care. 

23 (2) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The State shall re24 serve at least 12 percent of funds made available 

25 through each allotment made under subsection (b), 


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1 (c), or (e) of section 5 to carry out activities de2 scribed in paragraph (3), to increase the quality of 

3 child care programs for infants and toddlers in eligi4 ble families. 

5 (3) ACTIVITIES.—The activities referred to in 

6 paragraph (2) shall consist of— 

7 (A) activities that improve the skills and 

8 competencies of the infant and toddler child 

9 care workforce, including competencies specific 

10 to working with children who are culturally and 

11 linguistically diverse and children with disabil12 ities, by providing a pathway to higher levels of 

13 training and education consistent with the find14 ings in the National Academy of Sciences study 

15 described in subsection (a)(3)(B)(iii); 

16 (B) activities that support training and 

17 technical assistance through a statewide net18 work of infant and toddler specialists, infant 

19 and early childhood mental health consultants, 

20 or coach mentors, that provide onsite assistance 

21 directly to providers who receive funds under 

22 this Act; 

23 (C) activities that provide startup grants, 

24 to purchase equipment and materials needed to 

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1 periences to infants and toddlers, such as cribs, 

2 changing tables, safety equipment, infant and 

3 toddler curricula, and age- and developmentally4 appropriate toys; or 

5 (D) activities that establish networks of 

6 family child care providers to share workforce 

7 training and technical assistance. 

8 (4) STANDARDS.—The State shall use the 

9 funds described in paragraph (2) to ensure that in10 fant and toddler child care providers meet relevant 

11 standards and shall develop statewide plans to im12 prove the knowledge and competencies of the infant 

13 and toddler child care workforce, by implementing 1 

14 or more of the activities described in paragraph (3). 

15 (5) COORDINATION.—The State shall coordi16 nate the activities carried out under this subsection 

17 with other quality enhancement efforts funded 

18 through the Child Care and Development Fund. 

19 (c) APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 

20 activities under this section, a State shall comply with the 

21 requirements of this Act and the Child Care and Develop22 ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.). 

23 (d) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts made 

24 available under this Act shall be used to supplement and 


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1 not supplant other Federal, State, and local public funds 

2 expended to provide child care for children under age 13. 

3 SEC. 8. TRIBAL APPLICATION. 

4 To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act 

5 through an allotment made under section 5(d), an Indian 

6 tribe or tribal organization shall submit to the Secretary 

7 an application, as a supplement to the application the tribe 

8 or tribal organization submits under section 658O(c) of 

9 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 

10 (42 U.S.C. 9858m(c)). Each such application shall contain 

11 such information as the Secretary may require, including: 

12 (1) Information demonstrating that the Indian 

13 tribe or tribal organization meets the requirements 

14 for a grant or contract on section 658O(c) of such 

15 Act. 

16 (2) At the election of the Indian tribe or tribal 

17 organization, a plan— 

18 (A) to align programs for child care funded 

19 through the Child Care and Development Fund, 

20 Head Start (including Early Head Start) pro21 grams, early childhood home visitation pro22 grams under section 511 of the Social Security 

23 Act (42 U.S.C. 711), preschool programs, and 

24 early childhood programs relating to Indian and 

25 Native Hawaiian culture and language, to creVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:23 Feb 11, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4524.IH H4524

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1 ate more aligned and seamless early care and 

2 learning in tribal communities; and 

3 (B) to combine funding for the programs 

4 described in subparagraph (A). 

5 (3)(A) Information describing how the Indian 

6 tribe or tribal organization will increase the number 

7 of high-quality child care slots for eligible families 

8 with Indian or Native Hawaiian children, to ensure, 

9 by the end of fiscal year 2026, access to high-qual10 ity, culturally and linguistically appropriate infant 

11 and toddler child care for such eligible families in 

12 the tribal community (referred to in this section as 

13 ‘‘universal high-quality child care’’). 

14 (B) The ambitious goals and measurable bench15 marks that the Indian tribe or tribal organization 

16 will use to demonstrate progress toward achieving 

17 universal high-quality child care. 

18 SEC. 9. TRIBAL EARLY CARE AND LEARNING EXPANSION 

19 ACTIVITIES. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—An Indian tribe or tribal organi21 zation that receives a grant through an allotment made 

22 under section 5(d) shall use the grant funds to provide, 

23 by the end of fiscal year 2026, access to high-quality, cul24 turally and linguistically appropriate child care (or, in the 

25 case of an entity that submits a plan described in section 


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1 8(2), high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate 

2 early care and learning) (including related supports) for 

3 infants and toddlers for such eligible families in the tribal 

4 community. 

5 (b) APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 

6 activities under this section, an Indian tribe or tribal orga7 nization shall comply with the requirements of this Act 

8 and the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

9 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.). 

Æ 


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