I

108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2210

To reauthorize the Head Start Act to improve the school readiness of

disadvantaged children, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 22, 2003

Mr. CASTLE (for himself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. REGULA, Mr. WILSON of South

Carolina, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. MCKEON,

and Mr. BROWN of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

To reauthorize the Head Start Act to improve the school

readiness of disadvantaged children, and for other purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘School Readiness Act

5 of 2003’’.
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1 TITLE I—HEAD START REAU2 THORIZATION AND PROGRAM

3 IMPROVEMENTS

4 SEC. 101. PURPOSE.

5 Section 636 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831)

6 is amended to read as follows:

7 ‘‘SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

8 ‘‘It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote

9 school readiness by enhancing the development of low-in10 come children, including through educational instruction

11 in prereading skills, premathematics skills, and language,

12 and through the provision to low-income children and their

13 families of health, educational, nutritional, social and

14 other services that are determined, based on family needs

15 assessments, to be necessary.’’.

16 SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.

17 Section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832)

18 is amended as follows:

19 (1) In paragraph (17) by striking ‘‘, but for fis20 cal year’’ and all that follows down to the period.

21 (2) By adding the following at the end thereof:

22 ‘‘(18) The term ‘eligible entities’ means an in23 stitution of higher education or other agency with

24 expertise in delivering training in early childhood de25 velopment, family support, and other assistance de-
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1 signed to improve the delivery of Head Start serv2 ices.’’.

3 SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION.

4 Section 639 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9834)

5 is amended to read as follows:

6 ‘‘SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap8 propriated for carrying out the provisions of this sub9 chapter $6,870,000,000 for the fiscal year 2004 and such

10 sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2005 through

11 2008.

12 ‘‘(b) SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.—From the amount ap13 propriated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make

14 available—

15 ‘‘(1) not more than $7,000,000 for each of fis16 cal years 2004 through 2008 to carry out impact

17 studies under section 649(g); and

18 ‘‘(2) not more than $13,000,000 for fiscal year

19 2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each

20 of fiscal years 2005 through 2008, to carry out

21 other research, demonstration, and evaluation activi22 ties, including longitudinal studies, under section

23 649.

24 ‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—There are au25 thorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal
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1 years 2004 through 2008 to assist participating States

2 with the administrative expenses associated with imple3 menting a program under section 643A.’’.

4 SEC. 104. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS; LIMITATIONS ON ASSIST5 ANCE.

6 Section 640 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835)

7 is amended as follows:

8 (1) By striking clauses (ii) and (iii) of sub9 section (a)(2)(B).

10 (2) By striking the last sentence of paragraph

11 (2).

12 (3) By amending subsection (a)(2)(C) to read

13 as follows:

14 ‘‘(C) training and technical assistance ac15 tivities that are sufficient to meet the needs as16 sociated with program expansion and to foster

17 program and management improvement activi18 ties as described in section 648 of this title, in

19 an amount for each fiscal year which is not less

20 than one percent, and shall not exceed 2 per21 cent, of the amount appropriated for such fiscal

22 year, of which—

23 ‘‘(i) not less than 50 percent shall be

24 made available to local Head Start agen25 cies to comply with the performance stand-
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1 ards described in section 641A(a)(1), of

2 which not less than 50 percent shall be

3 used to comply with the performance

4 standards described in section

5 641A(a)(1)(B) and for the uses described

6 in subparagraph (a)(3)(B)(iii),

7 (a)(3)(B)(iv), and (a)(3)(B)(vii);

8 ‘‘(ii) not less than 30 percent shall be

9 made available to support a State system

10 of early childhood education training and

11 technical assistance;

12 ‘‘(iii) not less than 20 percent shall be

13 made available to the Secretary to assist

14 local programs to meet the performance

15 standards described in 641A(a)(1); and

16 ‘‘(iv) not less than $3,000,000 of the

17 amount in clause (iii) appropriated for

18 such fiscal year shall be made available to

19 carry out activities described in section

20 648(d)(4);’’.

21 (4) In subsection (a)(3)(A)(i)(I) by striking

22 ‘‘1999’’ and all that follows down to the semicolon

23 and inserting ‘‘2004 through 2008’’.

24 (5) In subsection (a)(3)(B)(i) by striking

25 ‘‘(a)(1)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘(a)(1)’’.
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1 (6) In subsection (a)(3)(B)(ii) by striking ‘‘staff

2 are’’ and inserting ‘‘staff is’’.

3 (7) In subsection (a)(3)(C) by redesignating

4 clause (vi) as clause (vii) and inserting the following

5 new clause after clause (v):

6 ‘‘(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families

7 in an effort to increase the program participation of

8 eligible homeless children.’’.

9 (8) In subsection (a)(5)(B)—

10 (A) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting

11 ‘‘shall’’; and

12 (B) by inserting ‘‘early childhood edu13 cation’’ after ‘‘regarding’’.

14 (9) In subsection (a)(5)(C)—

15 (A) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and inserting

16 ‘‘In order to improve results for children, a

17 State’’;

18 (B) by striking clauses (i), (ii), and (iii)

19 and inserting:

20 ‘‘(i) appoint an individual to serve as

21 the State collaborator between—

22 ‘‘(I) the appropriate regional of23 fice of the Administration for Children

24 and Families;
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1 ‘‘(II) the State educational agen2 cy;

3 ‘‘(III) the State Department of

4 Health and Human Services;

5 ‘‘(IV) the State agency that over6 sees child care;

7 ‘‘(V) the State agency that over8 sees children with developmental dis9 abilities;

10 ‘‘(VI) the State Head Start Asso11 ciation;

12 ‘‘(VII) the State network of child

13 care resource and referral agencies;

14 ‘‘(VIII) local educational agen15 cies;

16 ‘‘(IX) community-based and

17 faith-based organizations;

18 ‘‘(X) State migrant and seasonal

19 Head Start associations;

20 ‘‘(XI) State Indian Head Start

21 associations;

22 ‘‘(XII) State and local providers

23 of early childhood education and child

24 care; and
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1 ‘‘(XIII) other entities carrying

2 out programs serving low-income chil3 dren and families in the State.’’.

4 ‘‘(ii) ensure that the State collabo5 rator holds a position with sufficient au6 thority and access to ensure that the col7 laboration described in subparagraph (B)

8 is effective and involves a range of State

9 agencies;

10 ‘‘(iii) involve the entities described in

11 section 640(a)(5)(C)(i) to develop a stra12 tegic plan for the coordinated outreach to

13 identify eligible children and implementa14 tion strategies based on a needs assess15 ment conducted by the Office of the State

16 Collaborator;’’;

17 (C) by amending clause (v) to read as fol18 lows:

19 ‘‘(v) consult with the chief State

20 school officer, local educational agencies,

21 and representatives of local Head Start

22 agencies in unified planning regarding

23 early care and education services at both

24 the State and local levels, including col-
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1 laborative efforts to develop school readi2 ness standards;’’; and

3 (D) by inserting the following new clause

4 after clause (v) and redesignating clause (vi) as

5 (vii):

6 ‘‘(vi) consult with the chief State

7 school officer, local educational agencies,

8 State child care administrators, State

9 human services administrators, representa10 tives of local resource and referral agen11 cies, local early childhood councils, and

12 other relevant state and local agencies, and

13 representatives of the State Head Start

14 Associations to plan for the provision of

15 full-working-day, full calendar year early

16 care and education services for children;

17 and’’.

18 (10) By amending clause (i) of subsection

19 (a)(5)(D) by inserting ‘‘and providers of services

20 supporting early childhood education and child care’’

21 after ‘‘Associations’’.

22 (11) By striking subsection (a)(6)(B).

23 (12) By inserting the following before the pe24 riod at the end of section 640(f): ‘‘including models

25 that leverage the existing capacity and capabilities of
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1 the delivery system of early childhood education and

2 child care’’.

3 (13) By inserting the following after ‘‘manner

4 that will’’ in section 640(g)(2)(G): ‘‘leverage the ex5 isting delivery systems of such services and’’.

6 SEC. 105. DESIGNATION OF AGENCIES.

7 Section 641 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836)

8 is amended as follows:

9 (1) In subsection (a) by inserting after ‘‘com10 munity’’ in the first place it appears ‘‘any commu11 nity-based or faith-based organization’’ and by in12 serting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(a)’’ and by adding the fol13 lowing at the end thereof:

14 ‘‘(2) In order to be designated as a Head Start agen15 cy and to receive a grant under this subchapter, a grantee

16 shall establish grantee-determined goals for improving the

17 school readiness of children participating in a program

18 under this subchapter, which shall include goals for—

19 ‘‘(A) educational instruction in prereading,

20 premathematical, and language skills; and

21 ‘‘(B) the provision of health, educational,

22 nutritional, social, and other services.

23 ‘‘(3) In order to receive a grant subsequent to the

24 initial grant provided following the date of enactment of
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1 this subchapter, the grantee shall demonstrate that it has

2 met the goals described in (2).’’

3 (2) In subsection (c)(1) by striking ‘‘unless’’

4 through ‘‘fails to meet’’ and inserting ‘‘that fulfills

5 the’’.

6 (3) By striking paragraph (2) of subsection (c).

7 (4) In subsection (d):

8 (A) By inserting the following new para9 graphs after paragraph (1):

10 ‘‘(2) the capacity of such applicant to serve eli11 gible children with scientifically-based programs that

12 promote school readiness of children participating in

13 the program;

14 ‘‘(3) the plan of such applicant to meet stand15 ards set forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular

16 attention to the standards set forth in section

17 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii);’’.

18 (B) By striking paragraph (3) and redesig19 nating paragraph (2) as paragraph (4) and in

20 such paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘to aid partici21 pating children in attaining their full potential’’

22 and inserting ‘‘prepare children to succeed in

23 school’’.

24 (C) By inserting the following after para25 graph (4) and redesignating existing para-
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1 graphs (4) through (10) as paragraphs (7)

2 through (13):

3 ‘‘(5) the plan of such applicant to coordinate

4 the Head Start program it proposes to carry out

5 with other preschool programs, including Early

6 Reading First and Even Start programs under title

7 I, part B, subparts 1 and 2 of the Elementary and

8 Secondary Education Act of 1965; other preschool

9 programs carried out under title I of the Act; pro10 grams under part C and section 619 of the Individ11 uals with Disabilities Education Act; State pre12 kindergarten programs; and with the educational

13 programs such children will enter at the age of com14 pulsory school attendance;

15 ‘‘(6) the plan of such applicant to coordinate

16 the Head Start program it proposes to carry out

17 with private entities with resources available to as18 sist the Head Start Program meet its program

19 needs;’’.

20 SEC. 106. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD

21 START AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.

22 Section 641A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

23 9836a)) is amended as follows:

24 (1) In subsection (a)(1)(B) by amending clause

25 (ii) to read as follows:
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1 ‘‘(ii) additional education standards to

2 ensure that the children participating in

3 the program, at a minimum develop and

4 demonstrate—

5 ‘‘(I) language skills;

6 ‘‘(II) prereading knowledge and

7 skills, including interest in and appre8 ciation of books, reading and writing

9 either alone or with others;

10 ‘‘(III) premathematics knowledge

11 and skills;

12 ‘‘(IV) cognitive abilities related to

13 academic achievement;

14 ‘‘(V) social development impor15 tant for environments constructive for

16 child development, early learning, and

17 school success; and

18 ‘‘(VI) in the case of limited19 English proficient children, progress

20 toward acquisition of the English lan21 guage.’’.

22 (2) In subsection (a)(2)(A) by amending the

23 parenthetical language to read as follows ‘‘(including

24 appropriate services to limited-English proficient

25 children and their families)’’.
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1 (3) In subsection (a)(2)(B)—

2 (A) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘on the date

3 of enactment of this section’’ and inserting ‘‘on

4 October 27, 1998’’;

5 (B) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘since the

6 date of enactment of this section’’ and inserting

7 ‘‘since October 27, 1998,’’; and

8 (C) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause

9 (vi) and adding the following at the end thereof:

10 ‘‘(viii) the unique challenges faced by

11 individual programs, including those that

12 are seasonal or short term, and those that

13 serve rural populations; and’’.

14 (4) In subsection (a)(2)(C)(ii) by striking all

15 that follows ‘‘in effect on’’ down to the period and

16 inserting ‘‘October 27, 1998’’.

17 (5) In subsection (b)(2):

18 (A) In subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘not

19 later than July 1, 1999; and’’ and inserting a

20 semicolon.

21 (B) By striking the period at the end of

22 subparagraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; and’’.

23 (C) By adding the following new subpara24 graph at the end thereof:
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1 ‘‘(D) be appropriate for the population

2 served; and

3 ‘‘(E) be reviewed no less than every 5

4 years, based on advances in the science of early

5 childhood development.’’.

6 (D) In the language following new sub7 paragraph (E) by striking ‘‘subsection

8 (a)(1)(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)(A)

9 and (B)’’.

10 (6) In subsection (b) by amending paragraph

11 (4) to read as follows:

12 ‘‘(4) EDUCATIONAL MEASURES.—Results based

13 measures shall be designed for the purpose of pro14 moting the competencies of children participating in

15 Head Start programs specified in subsection

16 (a)(1)(B)(ii), with an emphasis on measuring those

17 competencies that have a strong scientifically-based

18 predictability of a child’s school readiness and later

19 performance in school.’’.

20 (7) In subsection (c)(2):

21 (A) By striking subparagraphs (A) and

22 (B).

23 (B) In subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘(in24 cluding linguistic and cultural)’’ and inserting
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1 ‘‘and limited-English proficient children’’ after

2 ‘‘disabilities’’.

3 (C) At the end of subparagraph (D) by

4 striking ‘‘and’’.

5 (D) At the end of subparagraph (E) by

6 striking the period and inserting a semicolon

7 and the following new subparagraphs:

8 ‘‘(F) include as part of the reviews of the

9 programs, a review and assessment of whether

10 a program is in conformity with the income eli11 gibility requirements, as defined in section 645

12 and regulations promulgated thereunder; and

13 ‘‘(G) seek information from the commu14 nities where Head Start programs exist about

15 innovative or effective collaborative efforts, bar16 riers to collaboration, and the efforts of the

17 Head Start agencies and programs to collabo18 rate with the entities carrying out early child19 hood education and child care programs in the

20 community.’’.

21 SEC. 107. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN22 CIES.

23 Section 642 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

24 9837(b) is amended as follows:
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1 (1) By redesignating paragraphs (1) through

2 (4) of subsection (b) as (3) through (6) and by in3 serting the following new paragraphs after ‘‘shall

4 also—’’:

5 ‘‘(1) establish a program with standards set

6 forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular atten7 tion to the standards set forth in section

8 641A(a)(1)(B);

9 ‘‘(2) demonstrate capacity to serve eligible chil10 dren with scientifically-based curricula and other

11 interventions that help ensure the school readiness

12 of children participating in the program;’’.

13 (2) By inserting the following new paragraph

14 after redesignated paragraph (6) of subsection (b)

15 and by redesignating existing paragraphs (5)

16 through (11) of subsection (b) as (8) through (14):

17 ‘‘(7) conduct outreach to schools in which Head

18 Start children enroll, local educational agencies, the

19 local business community, community-based organi20 zations, faith-based organizations, museums, and li21 braries to generate support and leverage the re22 sources of the entire local community in order to im23 prove school readiness;’’.

24 (3) In subsection (d) by inserting the following

25 new paragraph after paragraph (1) and redesig-
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1 nating paragraphs (2) through (5) as (3) through

2 (6):

3 ‘‘(2) In communities where both public prekinder4 garten programs and Head Start programs operate, a

5 Head Start agency shall coordinate with the local edu6 cational agency or other public agency responsible for the

7 operation of the prekindergarten program, including for

8 outreach to identify eligible children.’’.

9 SEC. 108. HEAD START ALIGNMENT WITH K–12 EDUCATION.

10 The heading for section 642A of the Head Start Act

11 (42 U.S.C. 9837a) is amended to read as follows:

12 ‘‘SEC. 642A. HEAD START ALIGNMENT WITH K–12 EDU13 CATION.’’.

14 SEC. 109. ELIGIBILITY.

15 Section 645(a) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

16 9843) is amended by adding the following new paragraph

17 at the end thereof:

18 ‘‘(3) The amount of a basic allowance provided under

19 section 403 of title 37, United States Code, on behalf of

20 an individual who is a member of the uniformed services

21 for housing that is acquired or constructed under the au22 thority of subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United

23 States Code, or any other related provision of law, shall

24 not be considered to be income for purposes of deter-
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1 mining the eligibility of a child of the individual for pro2 grams assisted under this subchapter.’’.

3 SEC. 110. INFANTS AND TODDLERS.

4 Section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

5 9643) is amended in subsection (b)(1) by striking ‘‘phys6 ical, emotional, and intellectual development’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘learning, health, and development’’.

8 SEC. 111. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING.

9 Section 648 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843)

10 is amended as follows:

11 (1) By inserting the following new subsection

12 after subsection (a) and redesignating subsections

13 (b) through (e) as (c) through (f):

14 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall make available the money

15 reserved in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a State16 based system delivering training and technical assistance

17 that improves the capacity of Head Start programs within

18 a State to deliver services in accordance with the Head

19 Start performance standards in section 641A(a)(1), with

20 particular attention to the education standards in section

21 641A(a)(1)(B). The Secretary shall—

22 ‘‘(1) ensure eligible entities within a State are

23 chosen by the Secretary through a competitive bid

24 process;
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1 ‘‘(2) ensure that existing agencies with dem2 onstrated expertise in providing high quality training

3 and technical assistance to improve the delivery of

4 Head Start services, including the State Head Start

5 Association, State agencies, and other entities cur6 rently providing training and technical assistance in

7 early education, be included in the planning and co8 ordination of the State system of training and tech9 nical assistance; and

10 ‘‘(3) encourage States to supplement the funds

11 authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) with State,

12 Federal, or local funds other than Head Start funds,

13 to expand activities beyond Head Start agencies to

14 include other providers of other early childhood serv15 ices within a State.’’.

16 (2) By inserting the following at the end there17 of:

18 ‘‘(g) For purposes of this section, the term ‘eligible

19 entities’ means an institution of higher education or other

20 entity with expertise in delivering training in early child21 hood development, family support, and other assistance

22 designed to improve the delivery of Head Start services.’’.

23 SEC. 112. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.

24 Section 648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.

25 9843a) is amended as follows:
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1 (1) In subparagraph (C) of subsection (a)(1) by

2 striking ‘‘and emotional’’ and inserting ‘‘to ensure

3 school readiness’’ after ‘‘children’’.

4 (2) In subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(2) by

5 striking ‘‘2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2008’’ and by strik6 ing ‘‘an associate,’’ and inserting ‘‘a’’ in clauses (i)

7 and (ii).

8 (3) By adding the following at the end of sub9 section (a)(2):

10 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT FOR NEW HEAD

11 START TEACHERS.—Within 3 years after the

12 date of enactment of this clause, the Secretary

13 shall require that all Head Start teachers na14 tionwide in center-based programs hired fol15 lowing the date of enactment of this

16 subparagraph—

17 ‘‘(i) have an associate, baccalaureate,

18 or advanced degree in early childhood edu19 cation;

20 ‘‘(ii) have an associate, baccalaureate,

21 or advanced degree in a field related to

22 early childhood education, with experience

23 in teaching preschool children; or

24 ‘‘(iii) be currently enrolled in a pro25 gram of study leading to an associate de-
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1 gree in early childhood education and

2 agree to complete degree requirements

3 within 3 years from the date of hire.

4 ‘‘(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec5 retary shall establish requirements to ensure

6 that individuals who receive financial assistance

7 under this Act in order to comply with the re8 quirements under section 648A(a)(2) shall sub9 sequently teach in a Head Start center for a pe10 riod of time equivalent to the period for which

11 they received assistance or repay the amount of

12 the funds.’’.

13 (4) By adding the following at the end thereof:

14 ‘‘(f) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS.—Every

15 Head Start agency and program shall create, in consulta16 tion with an employee, a professional development plan for

17 all full-time employees who provide direct services to chil18 dren.’’.

19 SEC. 113. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUA20 TION.

21 Section 649 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9844)

22 is amended as follows:

23 (1) By striking subsection (b).

24 (2) In subsection (c)(1)(C) by striking ‘‘multi25 cultural nature’’ and inserting ‘‘range’’.
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1 (3) By striking paragraph (9) of subsection (d).

2 (4) In subsection (d)(10)(B) by striking ‘‘socio3 emotional’’.

4 (5) By striking clause (i) of subsection

5 (g)(1)(A) and redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) as

6 clauses (i) and (ii).

7 (6) In subsection (g)(5)(A)(i) by striking ‘‘the

8 social competence of children, by increasing’’.

9 (7) By amending subsection (g)(5)(A)(ii)(I) to

10 read as follows:

11 ‘‘(I) enhance the learning, health, and

12 development of children;’’.

13 (8) In subsection (g)(7)(C)(i) by striking

14 ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2003’’, striking ‘‘2001’’ and

15 inserting ‘‘2005’’, and striking ‘‘2003’’ and inserting

16 ‘‘2006’’.

17 SEC. 114. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

18 Sections 640(a)(6)(B)(iii)(I), 648A(g)(7)(C)(ii), and

19 650(a) of the Head Start Act are each amended by strik20 ing ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and inserting

21 ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’.

22 SEC. 115. EFFECTIVE DATE.

23 The amendments made by this Act shall be effective

24 with respect to fiscal years beginning on and after October

25 1, 2003.
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1 TITLE II—STATE

2 DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

3 SEC. 201. STATE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

4 The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after

5 section 643 the following new section:

6 ‘‘SEC. 643A. STATE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

7 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of each eligible

9 State that submits to the Secretary an application

10 that fulfills the requirements of this section, the Sec11 retary, from amounts appropriated under section

12 639(a), shall make a grant to the State to carry out

13 a State demonstration program under this section.

14 ‘‘(2) STATE ELIGIBILITY.—A State shall be eli15 gible to participate in the program under this sec16 tion if it meets each of the following criteria:

17 ‘‘(A) The State has an existing State sup18 ported system providing early childhood edu19 cation services to children prior to entry into

20 kindergarten.

21 ‘‘(B) The State has existing standards for

22 school readiness that are aligned with State

23 kindergarten through twelfth grade academic

24 content standards or provides an assurance that
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1 such standards will be aligned by the end of the

2 second fiscal year of participation.

3 ‘‘(C) The State has established qualifica4 tions for early childhood educators.

5 ‘‘(D) The State has established a means

6 for inter-agency coordination and collaboration

7 in the development of the plan under (h).

8 ‘‘(b) LEAD AGENCY.—A program under this section

9 shall be administered by a State governmental entity des10 ignated by the Chief Executive Officer of the State as the

11 lead State agency.

12 ‘‘(c) STATE OPERATION OF PROGRAM.—The State

13 may conduct all or any part of the program under this

14 section (including the activities specified in subsection (g))

15 directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.

16 ‘‘(d) TRANSITION.—

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A local grantee that was

18 receiving funds under the Head Start Act of 1965,

19 as that Act was in effect prior to the date of enact20 ment of this section, and is serving the geographic

21 area covered by the plan in section 643A(h) shall

22 continue to receive funds from the State, in accord23 ance with the terms of that award for at least 12

24 months after a State receives approval to participate

25 in a program under this section, provided that the
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1 applicant has not experienced substantial uncor2 rected deficiencies on Department of Health and

3 Human Services monitoring reports during any year

4 of the most recent 5-year period.

5 ‘‘(2) AFTER TRANSITION.—Following the end of

6 the transition, States are strongly encouraged to

7 continue utilizing current service providers that have

8 demonstrated the ability to provide high quality

9 Head Start services consistent with State guidelines

10 for school preparedness for children entering kinder11 garten.

12 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—

13 ‘‘(1) ALLOCATION OF FEDERAL ALLOTMENTS

14 TO STATE PROGRAMS.—From each total amount de15 scribed in paragraph (2) allotted to a State for a fis16 cal year, the Secretary shall pay to a State with a

17 program approved under this section for such fiscal

18 year an amount equal to—

19 ‘‘(A) if the State program is statewide,

20 100 percent of such total amount; and

21 ‘‘(B) if the State program is limited to a

22 geographic area or areas, the sum of—

23 ‘‘(i) an amount equal to the amount

24 received by grantees in such geographic

25 area or areas for the Federal fiscal year
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1 preceding the first fiscal year of the State

2 program under this section; plus

3 ‘‘(ii) an amount bearing the same

4 ratio to the excess (if any) above the total

5 amount for such preceding fiscal year as

6 the number of children less than 5 years of

7 age from families whose income is below

8 the poverty line in the geographic area or

9 areas included in the program bears to the

10 total number of such children in the State

11 (as determined using the same data used

12 pursuant to section 640(a)(4)(B)).

13 ‘‘(2) FUNDS ALLOCATED.—For purposes of

14 paragraph (1), amounts described in this paragraph

15 are:

16 ‘‘(A) BASIC STATE ALLOTMENTS.—

17 Amounts allotted to States pursuant to section

18 640(a)(4), including amounts reserved pursuant

19 to section 640(a)(5).

20 ‘‘(B) STATE ALLOTMENTS OF EXPANSION

21 FUNDS.—Amounts allotted to States pursuant

22 to section 640(a)(3)(D)(i)(I) for program ex23 pansion.
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1 ‘‘(C) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDS.—

2 Quality improvement funds (if any) reserved

3 pursuant to section 640(a)(3).

4 ‘‘(D) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST5 ANCE FUNDS.—An amount bearing the same

6 ratio to the amount set aside for training and

7 technical assistance activities pursuant to sec8 tion 640(a)(2)(C)(i) and (ii) as the State’s

9 share of amounts allotted under section

10 640(a)(4)(B) bears to the total amount so allot11 ted (and for purposes of subparagraph (A),

12 such amount shall be considered an amount al13 lotted to the State for the fiscal year).

14 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL MATCH.—Financial assist15 ance made available to a State for programs carried

16 out under this section shall not exceed 95 percent of

17 the total amount expended for such programs. Non18 Federal contributions may be made in cash or in

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

20 services. The Secretary may not require non-Federal

21 contributions in excess of 5 percent of the total

22 amount expended for such programs. In determining

23 the amount of Federal and non-Federal contribu24 tions for purposes of this section, the amounts re25 quired to be expended by the State under subsection
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1 (g)(1)(M)(iii)(relating to maintenance of effort) shall

2 be excluded.

3 ‘‘(4) COMBINED OPERATIONS WITH OTHER

4 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS.—A

5 State may combine funds for a program under this

6 section with funds for other early childhood pro7 grams serving children in the same age group, as

8 long as all applicable requirements of this sub9 chapter are met with respect to either—

10 ‘‘(A) the entire combined program; or

11 ‘‘(B) each child served in such combined

12 program for whom the services provided are

13 funded from appropriations under this sub14 chapter or non-Federal matching contributions

15 under this subchapter.

16 ‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS WITHOUT REGARD TO AL17 LOTMENT PURPOSES.—A State may use funds re18 ceived pursuant to this section for any program pur19 pose set forth in section 636, without regard to the

20 purposes for such funds specified in section 640.

21 ‘‘(6) OTHER FUNDS.—Funds received under

22 this section shall not supplant non-Federal funds

23 that would otherwise be used for activities author24 ized under this section.

25 ‘‘(f) COORDINATION AND CHOICE.—
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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State demonstration

2 Program shall be coordinated with the education

3 programs of local educational agencies in the State

4 to ensure that the program is effectively designed to

5 develop in children in the program the knowledge

6 and behaviors necessary to transition successfully to

7 kindergarten and to succeed in school.

8 ‘‘(2) PROGRAMS CONCERNED.—

9 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED PROGRAMS.—Such coordi10 nation shall occur regarding the implementation

11 of the following:

12 ‘‘(i) The Early Reading First and

13 Even Start programs under title I, part B,

14 subparts 2 and 3 of the Elementary and

15 Secondary Education Act of 1965, and

16 other preschool programs carried out

17 under title I of that Act.

18 ‘‘(ii) State prekindergarten programs.

19 ‘‘(iii) The Ready-to-Learn Television

20 Program under subpart 3 of Part D of

21 title II of the Elementary and Secondary

22 Education Act.

23 ‘‘(B) OPTIONAL PROGRAMS.—Such coordi24 nation may occur regarding the implementation

25 of the following:
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1 ‘‘(i) Programs under the Child Care

2 and Development Block Grant Act.

3 ‘‘(ii) Other publicly funded early child4 hood education programs.

5 ‘‘(3) PARENTAL CHOICE.—The program shall

6 allow parents to choose the preschool program for

7 their child.

8 ‘‘(g) REQUIRED SERVICES.—With funds under this

9 section, the State shall provide services described in sec10 tion 641A (and, if applicable, services described in section

11 645A) at least as extensive as were provided, and to at

12 least as many children and families in each fiscal year as

13 were provided such services, with such funds in the base

14 year in the State (or, if applicable, in the geographic area

15 included in the State program). A program under this sec16 tion shall include the following comprehensive activities

17 designed to promote school readiness and success in

18 school:

19 ‘‘(1) CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION.—

20 Activities with enrolled children that promote—

21 ‘‘(A) cognitive development, language de22 velopment, prereading, and premathematics

23 knowledge and skills;

24 ‘‘(B) physical development, health, and nu25 trition (including through coordination with),
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1 and referral of children and families to local

2 health service entities; and

3 ‘‘(C) social development important for en4 vironments constructive for child development,

5 early learning, and school success.

6 ‘‘(2) PARENT EDUCATION AND INVOLVE7 MENT.—Activities with the parents of enrolled chil8 dren directed at enhancing and encouraging—

9 ‘‘(A) involvement in, and ability to sup10 port, their children’s educational development,

11 ‘‘(B) parenting skills and understanding of

12 child development, and

13 ‘‘(C) ability to participate effectively in de14 cisions relating to the education of their chil15 dren.

16 ‘‘(3) SOCIAL AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERV17 ICES.—Activities directed at securing appropriate so18 cial and family support services for enrolled children

19 and their families, primarily through referral and co20 ordination with local, State, and Federal entities

21 that provide such services.

22 ‘‘(4) HEAD START SERVICES.—For purposes of

23 paragraph (1):
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1 ‘‘(A) Head Start services furnished in a

2 State program under this section shall include

3 all Head Start services, other than—

4 ‘‘(i) Indian Head Start programs and

5 migrant and seasonal Head Start pro6 grams supported with funds reserved

7 under section 640(a)(2)(A); and

8 ‘‘(ii) Early Head Start services, except

9 as provided in subparagraph (B); and

10 ‘‘(B) Services furnished may, at State op11 tion, include Early Head Start services, either

12 Statewide or in selected geographic areas of the

13 State. In the case of a State that elects to ad14 minister an Early Head Start program under

15 this section, the State shall provide a program

16 of family-centered services for low-income in17 fants, toddlers and pregnant women, meeting

18 the requirements of section 645A, designed to

19 promote the development of the children, and to

20 enable their parents to fulfill their roles as par21 ents and to move toward self-sufficiency.

22 ‘‘(h) STATE PLAN.—A State proposing to administer

23 a program under this section shall submit a State plan

24 to the Secretary. The State plan shall include the fol25 lowing:
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1 ‘‘(1) LEAD STATE AGENCY.—The plan shall

2 identify the entity designated by the Chief Executive

3 Officer of the State as the lead State agency.

4 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC AREA.—The plan shall speci5 fy whether the program is statewide, and, if it is

6 not, identify the geographic area or areas covered by

7 the plan. A geographic area may be a city, county,

8 standard metropolitan statistical area, or such other

9 geographic area in the State.

10 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM PERIOD.—The plan shall specify

11 the period during which the program will be in ef12 fect.

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State program

14 under this section shall be in effect for a period

15 of at least three and not more than 5 Federal

16 fiscal years.

17 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—A State that has ad18 ministered a program in accordance with the

19 requirements of this section—

20 ‘‘(i) shall be allowed to extend such

21 program through fiscal year 2008, upon

22 submission to the Secretary, of a proposed

23 plan meeting the requirements for ap24 proval; and
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1 ‘‘(ii) shall notify the Secretary, at

2 least one year before the end of the current

3 plan period, whether the State intends to

4 extend the program.

5 ‘‘(4) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION.—The plan shall

6 describe the services under subsection (f) to be pro7 vided in the program and arrangements the State

8 proposes to use to provide the services specified in

9 subsection (f).

10 ‘‘(5) NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—The plan shall pro11 vide an assurance that the State has identified the

12 needs for services within a State or geographic area

13 to be served and is targeting services to those areas

14 of greatest need.

15 ‘‘(6) ASSURANCE OF COMPLIANCE.—The plan

16 shall provide an assurance that the State program

17 will comply with the requirements of this section, in18 cluding each of the following:

19 ‘‘(A) PRIORITY FOR LOW-INCOME CHIL20 DREN.—Requirements established pursuant to

21 section 645(a) concerning the eligibility and pri22 ority of individuals for participation in Head

23 Start programs.

24 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION FOR EXISTING PRO25 VIDERS.—An applicant who received funds
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1 under this subchapter in prior fiscal years and

2 has not corrected any substantial deficiencies

3 identified in the past 5 years shall not be eligi4 ble to receive any grants, contract, or coopera5 tive agreements under this section.

6 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION OF CHILDREN WITH

7 DISABILITIES.—Requirements pursuant to sec8 tion 640(d) concerning Head Start enrollment

9 opportunities and services for children with dis10 abilities.

11 ‘‘(D) PROVISIONS CONCERNING FEES AND

12 COPAYMENTS.—The provisions of section

13 645(b) concerning the charging of fees and the

14 circumstances under which copayments are per15 missible.

16 ‘‘(E) FEDERAL SHARE; STATE AND LOCAL

17 MATCHING.—The provisions of section 640(b)

18 limiting Federal financial assistance for Head

19 Start programs, and providing for non-Federal

20 contributions.

21 ‘‘(F) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The provi22 sions of section 644(b) limiting the share of

23 program funds that may be used for developing

24 and administering a program.
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1 ‘‘(G) FEDERAL PROPERTY INTEREST.—

2 Applicable provisions of this subchapter regard3 ing the Federal Government interest in prop4 erty (including real property) purchased, leased,

5 or renovated with Federal funds.

6 ‘‘(7) IDENTIFICATION OF BARRIERS.—The plan

7 shall identify barriers in the State to the effective

8 use of Federal, State, and local public funds, and

9 private funds, for early education and care that are

10 available to the State on the date on which the ap11 plication is submitted.

12 ‘‘(8) STATE GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL READI13 NESS.—The plan shall include—

14 ‘‘(A) a State definition of school readiness;

15 ‘‘(B) a description of the State’s general

16 goals for school readiness, including how the

17 State intends to—

18 ‘‘(i) promote and maintain ongoing

19 communication and collaboration between

20 providers of early care and education and

21 local educational agencies in the State;

22 ‘‘(ii) align early childhood and kinder23 garten curricula to ensure program con24 tinuity; and
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1 ‘‘(iii) ensure that children successfully

2 transition to kindergarten.

3 ‘‘(9) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The plan

4 shall provide a description of the State plan for as5 suring the ongoing professional development of early

6 childhood educators and administrators including

7 how the State intends to—

8 ‘‘(A) improve the competencies of early

9 childhood educators in meeting the cognitive

10 and other developmental needs of young chil11 dren through effective instructional strategies,

12 methods, and skills;

13 ‘‘(B) develop and implement initiatives to

14 effectively recruit and promote the retention of

15 early childhood educators;

16 ‘‘(C) encourage institutions of higher edu17 cation, providers of community-based training,

18 and other qualified providers to develop high19 quality programs to prepare students to be

20 early childhood education professionals; and

21 ‘‘(D) improve the quality of professional

22 development available to meet the needs of

23 teachers that serve preschool children.

24 ‘‘(10) QUALITY ASSURANCE.—
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1 ‘‘(A) To assure the quality of early child2 hood services provided to preschool age children

3 the plan shall—

4 ‘‘(i) describe State early childhood

5 teacher credentials and qualifications;

6 ‘‘(ii) assure that the program has in

7 place scientifically-based curricula;

8 ‘‘(iii) describe student-teacher ratio

9 for each age group served;

10 ‘‘(iv) assure the program has in place

11 services to promote congitive development,

12 language, prereading, and premathematical

13 knowledge and skills; and

14 ‘‘(v) assure that the program has in

15 place services to promote the health, safe16 ty, nutrition, and other developmental

17 needs of preschool age children.

18 ‘‘(B) The State plan shall provide an ex19 planation for any of the above that do not con20 form to requirements under this subchapter.

21 ‘‘(11) STATE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM.—

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The State plan

23 shall—

24 ‘‘(i) ensure that individual providers

25 are achieving results in advancing the
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•HR 2210 IH

1 knowledge and behaviors identified by the

2 State as prerequisites for effective kinder3 garten performance; and

4 ‘‘(ii) specify the measures the State

5 will use to evaluate the progress toward

6 achieving such results and the effectiveness

7 of the State program under this section,

8 and of individual providers in such pro9 gram.

10 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATION OF RESULTS.—

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause

12 (ii), the results shall be made publicly

13 available in the communities served by the

14 program.

15 ‘‘(ii) CONFIDENTIALITY SAFE16 GUARDS.—The system shall have in effect

17 privacy safeguards ensuring that informa18 tion on children included in data and re19 sults made public in accordance with

20 clause (i) shall be in aggregated form, and

21 shall not include information allowing iden22 tification of individual children.

23 ‘‘(12) TRANSITION PLAN.—The initial State

24 plan shall make provision for transition from the di-
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1 rect Federal program under section 640 to the dem2 onstration program.

3 ‘‘(13) COOPERATION WITH RESEARCH STUD4 IES.—The plan shall provide assurances that the

5 State will cooperate with research activities de6 scribed in section 649.

7 ‘‘(14) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—The State

8 plan shall—

9 ‘‘(A) contain a commitment to provide

10 data, at such times and in such format as the

11 Secretary requires, concerning non-Federal ex12 penditures and numbers of children and fami13 lies served in preschool and Head Start pro14 grams during the base year and each fiscal year

15 covered under the State plan, sufficient to sat16 isfy the Secretary that the State program will

17 meet its obligation with respect to the mainte18 nance of effort requirement under subpara19 graph (B); and

20 ‘‘(B) assure that the resources (which may

21 be cash or in-kind) contributed by the State

22 government to child care for preschool-aged

23 children and other preschool programs, includ24 ing Head Start, in the State (or, if applicable,

25 in the geographic area included in the State
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1 program) for each fiscal year in which the pro2 gram under this section is in effect shall be in

3 an amount at least equal to the total amount

4 of such State governmental resources contrib5 uted to support such programs in the State (or

6 geographic area) for the base year.

7 ‘‘(i) RECORDS, REPORTS AND AUDITS.—The State

8 agency administering the State program, and each entity

9 participating as a Head Start service provider, shall main10 tain such records, make such reports, and cooperate with

11 such audits as the Secretary may require for oversight of

12 program activities and expenditures.

13 ‘‘(j) INAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS CONCERNING

14 PRIORITY IN AGENCY DESIGNATION.—The provisions of

15 subsections (c) and (d) of section 641 (concerning priority

16 in designation of Head Start agencies, successor agencies,

17 and delegate agencies) shall not apply to a State program

18 under this section.

19 ‘‘(k) CONSULTATION.—A State proposing to admin20 ister a program under this section shall submit, with the

21 plan under this section, assurances that the plan was de22 veloped through timely and meaningful consultation with

23 appropriate public and private sector entities, including—
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1 ‘‘(1) representatives of agencies responsible for

2 administering early education and care programs in

3 the State, including Head Start providers;

4 ‘‘(2) parents;

5 ‘‘(3) the State educational agency and local

6 educational agencies;

7 ‘‘(4) early childhood education professionals;

8 ‘‘(5) kindergarten teachers and teachers in

9 grades 1 through 4;

10 ‘‘(6) child welfare agencies;

11 ‘‘(7) child care resource and referral agencies;

12 ‘‘(8) child care providers; and

13 ‘‘(9) a wide array of persons interested in and

14 involved with early care and early education issues

15 in the State, such as representatives of—

16 ‘‘(A) health care professionals;

17 ‘‘(B) the State agency with responsibility

18 for the special supplemental nutrition program

19 for women, infants, and children established by

20 section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966;

21 ‘‘(C) institutions of higher education;

22 ‘‘(D) community-based and faith-based or23 ganizations;

24 ‘‘(E) the business community;

25 ‘‘(F) State legislators and local officials;
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•HR 2210 IH

1 ‘‘(G) museums and libraries;

2 ‘‘(H) other relevant entities in the State;

3 and

4 ‘‘(I) other agencies that provide resources

5 for young children.

6 ‘‘(l) STATE PLAN SUBMISSION.—An application shall

7 be submitted by a State pursuant to this section to the

8 Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Edu9 cation, and shall be deemed to be approved by the Sec10 retary unless the Secretary makes a written determina11 tion, prior to the expiration of a reasonable time beginning

12 on the date on which the Secretary received the applica13 tion, that the application is not in compliance with this

14 section.

15 ‘‘(m) FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY; CORREC16 TIVE ACTION; WITHDRAWAL OF APPROVAL.—

17 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL OVERSIGHT.—The Secretary

18 shall retain the authority to oversee the operation of

19 the State program under this section, including

20 through review of records and reports, audits, and

21 onsite inspection of records and facilities and moni22 toring of program activities and operations.

23 ‘‘(2) CORRECTION OF DEFICIENCIES.—If the

24 Secretary determines that a State program under

25 this section substantially fails to meet the require-
45

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1 ments of this section, the Secretary shall notify the

2 State of the deficiencies identified and require cor3 rective action as follows:

4 ‘‘(A) DEFICIENCIES CAUSING IMMEDIATE

5 JEOPARDY.—The Secretary shall require imme6 diate corrective action to eliminate a deficiency

7 that the Secretary finds threatens the health or

8 safety of staff or program participants or poses

9 a threat to the integrity of Federal funds.

10 ‘‘(B) OTHER DEFICIENCIES.—The Sec11 retary, taking into consideration the nature and

12 magnitude of a deficiency not described in sub13 paragraph (A), and the time reasonably re14 quired for correction, may—

15 ‘‘(i) require the State to correct the

16 deficiency within 90 days after notification

17 under this paragraph; or

18 ‘‘(ii) require the State to implement a

19 quality improvement plan designed to cor20 rect the deficiency within one year from

21 identification of the deficiency.

22 ‘‘(3) WITHDRAWAL OF APPROVAL.—If the defi23 ciencies identified under paragraph (2) are not cor24 rected by the deadlines established by the Secretary,
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1 the Secretary shall initiate proceedings to withdraw

2 approval of the State program under this section.

3 ‘‘(4) PROCEDURAL RIGHTS.—A State subject to

4 adverse action under this subsection shall have the

5 same procedural rights as a Head Start agency sub6 ject to adverse action under section 641A.

7 ‘‘(n) EVALUATION.—(1) The Secretary shall appoint

8 an independent advisory committee to design, oversee, and

9 compile findings from an evaluation of the state dem10 onstration program—

11 ‘‘(2) The evaluation shall include—

12 ‘‘(A) data on the characteristics of preschool

13 age children served;

14 ‘‘(B) an assessment of the quality and charac15 teristics of the services provided;

16 ‘‘(C) the rate of progress of the State in im17 proving the school readiness of disadvantaged chil18 dren in the key domains of development; and

19 ‘‘(D) an assessment of the impact of the pro20 grams supported under this section on the access

21 and quality of early childhood education systems.

22 ‘‘(o) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the

23 term ‘base year’ means the most recent Federal fiscal year

24 preceding the first fiscal year of the State program under
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1 this section for which adequate and reliable data are avail2 able, as determined by the Secretary.’’.

Æ