108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2210

AN ACT

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,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

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

3 of 2003’’.

4 TITLE I—HEAD START REAU5 THORIZATION AND PROGRAM

6 IMPROVEMENTS

7 SEC. 101. PURPOSE.

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

9 is amended to read as follows:

10 ‘‘SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

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

12 school readiness by enhancing the development of low-in13 come children, through educational instruction in

14 prereading skills, premathematics skills, and language,

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

16 families of health, educational, nutritional, social and

17 other services that are determined, based on family needs

18 assessments, to be necessary.’’.

19 SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.

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

21 is amended as follows:

22 (1) In paragraph (17) by striking ‘‘, but for fis23 cal years’’ and all that follows down to the period.

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

25 ‘‘(18) The term ‘eligible entities’ means an in26 stitution of higher education or other agency with
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1 expertise in delivering training in early childhood de2 velopment, family support, and other assistance de3 signed to improve the quality of early childhood edu4 cations programs.

5 ‘‘(19) The term ‘homeless children’ has the

6 meaning given such term in subtitle B of title VII

7 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42

8 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.).’’.

9 SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION.

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

11 is amended to read as follows:

12 ‘‘SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap14 propriated for carrying out the provisions of this sub15 chapter $6,870,000,000 for the fiscal year 2004,

16 $6,988,750,000 for fiscal year 2005, $7,106,500,000 for

17 fiscal year 2006, $7,245,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and

18 $7,427,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.

19 ‘‘(b) SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.—From the amount ap20 propriated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make

21 available not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004,

22 and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005

23 through 2008 to carry out such other research, dem24 onstration, and evaluation activities, including longitu25 dinal studies, under section 649.
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1 ‘‘(1) not more than $7,000,000 for each of fis2 cal years 2004 through 2008 to carry out impact

3 studies under section 649(g); and

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

5 2004, and such sums as may be necessary for each

6 of fiscal years 2005 through 2008, to carry out

7 other research, demonstration, and evaluation activi8 ties, including longitudinal studies, under section

9 649.

10 ‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—There are au11 thorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal

12 years 2004 through 2008 to assist participating States

13 with the administrative expenses associated with imple14 menting a program under section 643A.’’.

15 SEC. 104. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS; LIMITATIONS ON ASSIST16 ANCE.

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

18 is amended as follows:

19 (1) In subsection (a)(2):

20 (A) By striking ‘‘1998’’ in subparagraph

21 (A) and inserting ‘‘2003’’.

22 (B) By amending subparagraph (B) to

23 read as follows:

24 ‘‘(B) payments, subject to paragraph (7) to

25 Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
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1 Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands of

2 the United States;’’.

3 (2) By striking the last sentence of paragraph

4 (2) of subsection (a).

5 (3)(A) By amending subsection (a)(2)(C) to

6 read as follows:

7 ‘‘(C) training and technical assistance activities

8 that are sufficient to meet the needs associated with

9 program expansion and to foster program and man10 agement improvement as described in section 648 of

11 this subchapter, in an amount for each fiscal year

12 which is equal to one percent of the amount appro13 priated for such fiscal year, of which—

14 ‘‘(i) not less than 50 percent shall be made

15 available to local Head Start agencies to comply

16 with the standards described in section

17 641A(a)(1), of which not less than 50 percent

18 shall be used to comply with the standards de19 scribed in section 641A(a)(1)(B) and for the

20 uses described in clauses (iii), (iv), and (vii) of

21 subsection (a)(3)(B);

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

23 made available to support a State system of

24 early childhood education training and technical

25 assistance;
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1 ‘‘(iii) not less than 20 percent shall be

2 made available to the Secretary to assist local

3 programs in meeting the standards described in

4 section 641A(a)(1); and

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

6 amount in clause (iii) appropriated for such fis7 cal year shall be made available to carry out ac8 tivities described in section 648(c)(4);’’.

9 (B) By inserting the following at the end of

10 subsection (a)(2):

11 ‘‘Of an additional one percent of the amount appropriated

12 for such fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than

13 25 percent of such funds to fund the expansion of services

14 to migrant and seasonal Head Start children. If sufficient

15 migrant and seasonal eligible children are not available to

16 use such funds, then enrollment priority shall be given to

17 other disadvantaged populations referred to in subpara18 graph (A). Not less than 60 percent of such one percent

19 amount shall be used to fund quality improvement

20 activites as described in sec 640(a)(3)(B) and (C)’’.

21 (4) In subsection (a)(3)(A) by inserting at the

22 end thereof:

23 ‘‘(iii) After the reservation of amounts under para24 graph (2) and the 60 percent amount referred to in sub25 paragraph (A) of this paragraph, a portion of the remain-
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1 ing funds shall be made available for quality to expand

2 services to underserved populations, such as children re3 ceiving services under the Early Head Start and Migrant

4 and Seasonal Head Start programs.’’.

5 (5) In subsection (a)(3)(A)(i)(I) by striking

6 ‘‘1999’’ and all that follows down to the semicolon

7 and inserting ‘‘2004 through 2008’’.

8 (6) By amending subsection (a)(3)(B) to read

9 as follows:

10 ‘‘(B) Funds reserved under this paragraph (referred

11 to in this paragraph as ‘quality improvement funds’) shall

12 be used to accomplish any or all of the following goals:

13 ‘‘(i) Ensuring that Head Start programs meet

14 or exceed standards pursuant to section 641A(a)(1).

15 ‘‘(ii) Ensuring that such programs have ade16 quate numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff

17 is furnished adequate training, including developing

18 skills to promote the development of language skills,

19 premathematic skills, and prereading in young chil20 dren and in working with children with non-English

21 language background, children referred by child wel22 fare services, and children with disabilities, when ap23 propriate.

24 ‘‘(iii) Developing and financing the salary scales

25 described under section 644(a) and section 653, in
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1 order to ensure that salary levels and benefits are

2 adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for

3 such programs.

4 ‘‘(iv) Using salary increases to improve staff

5 qualifications, and to assist with the implementation

6 of programs specifically designed to enable lead in7 structors to become more effective educators, for the

8 staff of Head Start programs, and to encourage the

9 staff to continually improve their skills and expertise

10 by informing the staff of the availability of Federal

11 and State incentive and loan forgiveness programs

12 for professional development.

13 ‘‘(v) Improving community-wide strategic plan14 ning and needs assessments for such programs and

15 collaboration efforts for such programs, including

16 collaborations to increase program participation by

17 underserved populations of eligible children.

18 ‘‘(vi) Ensuring that the physical environments

19 of Head Start programs are conducive to providing

20 effective program services to children and families,

21 and are accessible to children with disabilities and

22 their parents.

23 ‘‘(vii) Ensuring that such programs have quali24 fied staff that can promote language skills and lit25 eracy growth of children and that can provide chil-
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1 dren with a variety of skills that have been identi2 fied, through scientifically based reading research, as

3 predictive of later reading achievement.

4 ‘‘(viii) Providing assistance to complete post5 secondary course work needed to attain

6 baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education.

7 ‘‘(ix) Making such other improvements in the

8 quality of such programs as the Secretary may des9 ignate.

10 ‘‘(x) To promote the regular attendance and

11 stability of highly mobile children, including migrant

12 and homeless children.’’.

13 (7) By amending subsection (a)(3)(C) to read

14 as follows:

15 ‘‘(C) Quality improvement funds shall be used to

16 carry out any or all of the following activities:

17 ‘‘(i)(I) Not less than one-half of the amount re18 served under this paragraph, to improve the com19 pensation (including benefits) of classroom teachers

20 and other staff of Head Start agencies providing in21 structional services and thereby enhancing recruit22 ment and retention of qualified staff, including re23 cruitment and retention pursuant to achieving the

24 requirements set forth in section 648A(a). The ex25 penditure of funds under this clause shall be subject
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1 to section 653. Salary increases, in excess of cost-of2 living allowance, provided with such funds shall be

3 subject to the specific standards governing salaries

4 and salary increases established pursuant to section

5 644(a).

6 ‘‘(II) If a Head Start agency certifies to the

7 Secretary for such fiscal year that part of the funds

8 set aside under subclause (I) to improve wages can9 not be expended by such agency to improve wages

10 because of the operation of section 653, then such

11 agency may expend such part for any of the uses

12 specified in this subparagraph (other than wages).

13 ‘‘(III) From the remainder of the amount re14 served under this paragraph (after the Secretary

15 carries out subclause (I)), the Secretary shall carry

16 out any or all of the activities described in clauses

17 (ii) through (vii), placing the highest priority on the

18 activities described in clause (ii).

19 ‘‘(ii) To train classroom teachers and other

20 staff to meet the education standards described in

21 section 641A(a)(1)(B), through activities—

22 ‘‘(I) to promote children’s language and

23 prereading growth, through techniques identi24 fied through scientifically based reading re25 search;
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1 ‘‘(II) to promote the acquisition of the

2 English language for non-English background

3 children and families;

4 ‘‘(III) to foster children’s school readiness

5 skills through activities described in section

6 648A(a)(1); and

7 ‘‘(IV) to educate and provide training nec8 essary to improve the qualifications particularly

9 with respect to such assistance to enable more

10 instructors to meet the degree requirements

11 under section 648A(a)(2)(A) and to support

12 staff training, child counseling, and other serv13 ices necessary to address the problems of chil14 dren participating in Head Start programs, in15 cluding children from dysfunctional families,

16 children who experience chronic violence in their

17 communities, and children who experience sub18 stance abuse in their families.

19 ‘‘(iii) To employ additional Head Start staff, in20 cluding staff necessary to reduce the child-staff ratio

21 lead instructors who meet the qualifications of sec22 tion 648A(a) and staff necessary to coordinate a

23 Head Start program with other services available to

24 children participating in such program and to their

25 families.
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1 ‘‘(iv) To pay costs incurred by Head Start

2 agencies to purchase insurance (other than employee

3 benefits) and thereby maintain or expand Head

4 Start services.

5 ‘‘(v) To supplement amounts provided under

6 paragraph (2)(C) to provide training necessary to

7 improve the qualifications of the staff of the Head

8 Start agencies, and to support staff training, child

9 counseling, and other services necessary to address

10 the problems of children participating in Head Start

11 programs, including children from dysfunctional

12 families, children who experience chronic violence in

13 their communities, and children who experience sub14 stance abuse in their families.

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

16 in an effort to increase the program participation of

17 eligible homeless children.

18 ‘‘(vii) Such other activities as the Secretary

19 may designate.

20 ‘‘(viii) To conduct outreach to migrant and sea21 sonal farm-working families and families with chil22 dren with a limited English proficiency.’’.

23 (8) In subsection (a)(4) by striking ‘‘1998’’ in

24 subparagraph (A) and inserting ‘‘2003’’.

25 (9) In subsection (a)(5)(B)—
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1 (A) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting

2 ‘‘shall’’; and

3 (B) by inserting ‘‘early childhood edu4 cation’’ after ‘‘regarding’’.

5 (10) By amending subsection (a)(5)(C) to read

6 as follows:

7 ‘‘(C) In order to improve results for children, a State

8 that receives a grant under subparagraph (B) shall—

9 ‘‘(i) appoint an individual to serve as the State

10 Director of Collaboration between—

11 ‘‘(I) the appropriate regional office of the

12 Administration for Children and Families;

13 ‘‘(II) the State educational agency;

14 ‘‘(III) the State Department of Health and

15 Human Services;

16 ‘‘(IV) the State agency that oversees child

17 care;

18 ‘‘(V) the State agency that assists children

19 with developmental disabilities;

20 ‘‘(VI) the State Head Start Association;

21 ‘‘(VII) the State network of child care re22 source and referral agencies;

23 ‘‘(VIII) local educational agencies;

24 ‘‘(IX) community-based and faith-based or25 ganizations;
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1 ‘‘(X) State representatives of migrant and

2 seasonal Head Start programs;

3 ‘‘(XI) State representatives of Indian Head

4 Start programs;

5 ‘‘(XII) State and local providers of early

6 childhood education and child care; and

7 ‘‘(XIII) other entities carrying out pro8 grams serving low-income children and families

9 in the State;

10 ‘‘(ii) ensure that the State Director of Collabo11 ration holds a position with sufficient authority and

12 access to ensure that the collaboration described in

13 subparagraph (B) is effective and involves a range

14 of State agencies;

15 ‘‘(iii) involve the entities described in section

16 clause (i) to develop a strategic plan for the coordi17 nated outreach to identify eligible children and im18 plementation strategies based on a needs assessment

19 conducted by the Office of the State Director of Col20 laboration which shall include an assessment of the

21 availability of high quality prekindergarten services

22 for low-income children in the State. Such assess23 ment shall be completed within one year after the

24 date of enactment of the ‘School Readiness Act of

25 2003’ and be updated on an annual basis and shall
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1 be made available to the general public within the

2 State;

3 ‘‘(iv) ensure that the collaboration described in

4 subparagraph (B) involves coordination of Head

5 Start services with health care, welfare, child care,

6 child protective services, education, and community

7 service activities, family literacy services, activities

8 relating to children with disabilities (including co9 ordination of services with those State officials who

10 are responsible for administering part C and section

11 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education

12 Act), and services for homeless children (including

13 coordination of services with the Office of Coordi14 nator for Education of Homeless Children and

15 Youth designated under section 722 (g)(1)(J)(ii) of

16 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance

17 Improvements Act of 2001;

18 ‘‘(v) consult with the chief State school officer,

19 local educational agencies, and representatives of

20 local Head Start agencies and providers of early

21 childhood education and care in unified planning re22 garding early care and education services at both the

23 State and local levels, including collaborative efforts

24 to develop school readiness standards; and
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1 ‘‘(vi) consult with the chief State school officer,

2 local educational agencies, State child care adminis3 trators, State human services administrators, rep4 resentatives of local resource and referral agencies,

5 local early childhood councils, providers of early

6 childhood education and care and other relevant

7 State and local agencies, and representatives of the

8 State Head Start Associations to plan for the provi9 sion of full-working-day, full calendar year early care

10 and education services for children.’’.

11 (11) By amending clause (i) of subsection

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

13 supporting early childhood education and child care’’

14 after ‘‘Associations’’.

15 (12) By amending subsection (a)(6)(A) to read

16 as follows:

17 ‘‘(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant

18 to paragraphs (2) and (4), the Secretary shall use, for

19 grants for programs described in section 645A(a) of this

20 subchapter, a portion of the combined total of such

21 amounts equal to at least 10 percent for fiscal years 2004

22 through 2008, of the amount appropriated pursuant to

23 section 639(a), except as provided in subparagraph (B).’’.

24 (13) By inserting the following before the pe25 riod at the end of subsection (f): ‘‘, including models
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1 that leverage the existing capacity and capabilities of

2 the delivery system of early childhood education and

3 child care’’.

4 (14) By inserting the following after ‘‘manner

5 that will’’ in subsection (g)(2)(G): ‘‘leverage the ex6 isting delivery systems of such services and’’.

7 (15) By amending subsection (g)(2)(C) to read

8 as follows:

9 ‘‘(C) the extent to which the applicant has un10 dertaken community-wide strategic planning and

11 needs assessments involving other community orga12 nizations and public agencies serving children and

13 families (including organizations and agencies pro14 viding family support services and protective services

15 to children and families, and organizations serving

16 families in whose homes English is not the language

17 customarily spoken), and organizations and public

18 entities serving children with disabilities and home19 less children (including the local educational agency

20 liaison designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of

21 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance

22 Improvements Act of 2001);’’.

23 (16) By inserting in subsection (g)(2)(H) after

24 ‘‘serving the community involved’’ the following: ‘‘,

25 including the liaison designated under section
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1 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless

2 Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001,’’.

3 (17) By adding the following new subsections at

4 the end thereof:

5 ‘‘(m) ENROLLMENT OF HOMELESS CHILDREN.—The

6 Secretary shall by regulation prescribe policies and proce7 dures to remove barriers to the enrollment and participa8 tion of eligible homeless children in Head Start programs.

9 Such regulations shall require Head Start agencies to:

10 ‘‘(1) implement policies and procedures to en11 sure that eligible homeless children are identified

12 and prioritized for enrollment,

13 ‘‘(2) allow homeless families to apply to, enroll

14 in and attend Head Start programs while required

15 documents, such as proof of residency, immunization

16 and other medical records, birth certificates and

17 other documents, are obtained within a reasonable

18 time frame, and

19 ‘‘(3) coordinate individual Head Start centers

20 and programs with efforts to implement Subtitle

21 VII–B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance

22 Act.

23 ‘‘(n) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this Act shall

24 be construed to require a State to establish a program

25 of early education for children in the State, to require any
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1 child to participate in a program of early education, to

2 attend school, or to participate in any initial screening

3 prior to participation in such program, except as provided

4 under section 612(a)(3), (consistent with section

5 614(a)(1)(C)), of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu6 cation Act.

7 ‘‘(o) MATERIALS.—All curricula and instructional

8 materials funded under this subchapter shall be scientif9 ically based and age appropriate. Parents shall have the

10 ability to inspect, upon request, any curricula or instruc11 tional materials.’’.

12 SEC. 105. DESIGNATION OF AGENCIES.

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

14 is amended as follows:

15 (1) In subsection (a)—

16 (A) by inserting after ‘‘community’’ in the

17 first place it appears ‘‘, including a community18 based or faith-based organization’’;

19 (B) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(a)’’;

20 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and

21 (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;

22 and

23 (D) by adding the following at the end

24 thereof:
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1 ‘‘(2) In order to be designated as a Head Start agen2 cy and to receive a grant under this subchapter, a grantee

3 shall establish grantee-determined goals for improving the

4 school readiness of children participating in a program

5 under this subchapter, which shall include goals for—

6 ‘‘(A) educational instruction in prereading,

7 premathematical, and language skills; and

8 ‘‘(B) the provision of health, educational, nutri9 tional, social, and other services.

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

11 initial grant provided following the date of enactment of

12 this subchapter, the grantee shall demonstrate that it has

13 met the goals described in paragraph (2).

14 ‘‘(4) Progress in meeting such goals shall not be

15 measured primarily or solely by the results of assess16 ments.’’.

17 (2) By amending subsection (c) to read as fol18 lows:

19 ‘‘(c) In the administration of the provisions of this

20 section, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the chief

21 executive officer of the State involved if such State ex22 pends non-Federal funds to carry out Head Start pro23 grams, give priority in the designation of Head Start

24 agencies to any local public or private nonprofit or for25 profit agency which is receiving funds under any Head
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1 Start program on the date of the enactment of this Act

2 that fulfills the program and financial management re3 quirements, standards described in section 641A(a)(1), re4 sults-based performance measures developed by the Sec5 retary under section 641A(b), or other requirements es6 tablished by the Secretary.’’.

7 (3) By amending subsection (d) to read as fol8 lows:

9 ‘‘(d) If no entity in a community is entitled to the

10 priority specified in subsection (c), then the Secretary may

11 designate a Head Start agency from among qualified ap12 plicants in such community. In selecting from among

13 qualified applicants for designation as a Head Start agen14 cy, the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified agency

15 that functioned as a Head Start delegate agency in the

16 community and carried out a Head Start program that

17 the Secretary determines met or exceeded such perform18 ance standards and such results-based performance meas19 ures. In selecting from among qualified applicants for des20 ignation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall con21 sider the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide

22 Head Start services, based on—

23 ‘‘(1) any past performance of such applicant in

24 providing services comparable to Head Start serv-
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1 ices, including how effectively such applicant pro2 vided such comparable services;

3 ‘‘(2) the capacity of such applicant to serve eli4 gible children with scientifically-based programs that

5 promote school readiness of children participating in

6 the program;

7 ‘‘(3) the plan of such applicant to meet stand8 ards set forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular

9 attention to the standards set forth in subpara10 graphs (A) and (B) of such section;

11 ‘‘(4) the plan of such applicant to provide com12 prehensive health, nutritional, educational, social,

13 and other services needed to prepare children to suc14 ceed in school;

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

16 the Head Start program it proposes to carry out

17 with other preschool programs, including Early

18 Reading First and Even Start programs under title

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

20 Secondary Education Act of 1965; other preschool

21 programs carried out under title I of the Act; pro22 grams under part C and section 619 of the Individ23 uals with Disabilities Education Act; State pre24 kindergarten programs; and with the educational
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1 programs such children will enter at the age of com2 pulsory school attendance;

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

4 the Head Start program it proposes to carry out

5 with private entities with resources available to as6 sist the Head Start Program meet its program

7 needs;

8 ‘‘(7) the plan of such applicant—

9 ‘‘(A) to seek the involvement of parents of

10 participating children in activities (at home and

11 in the center involved where practicable) de12 signed to help such parents become full part13 ners in the education of their children;

14 ‘‘(B) to afford such parents the oppor15 tunity to participate in the development, con16 duct, and overall performance of the program

17 at the local level;

18 ‘‘(C) to offer (directly or through referral

19 to local entities, such as entities carrying out

20 Even Start programs under part B of chapter

21 1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary

22 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et

23 seq.), public and school libraries, and family

24 support programs) to such parents—

25 ‘‘(i) family literacy services; and
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1 ‘‘(ii) parenting skills training;

2 ‘‘(D) to offer to parents of participating

3 children substance abuse counseling (either di4 rectly or through referral to local entities), in5 cluding information on drug-exposed infants

6 and fetal alcohol syndrome;

7 ‘‘(E) at the option of such applicant, to

8 offer (directly or through referral to local enti9 ties) to such parents—

10 ‘‘(i) training in basic child develop11 ment;

12 ‘‘(ii) assistance in developing commu13 nication skills;

14 ‘‘(iii) opportunities for parents to

15 share experiences with other parents; or

16 ‘‘(iv) any other activity designed to

17 help such parents become full partners in

18 the education of their children;

19 ‘‘(F) to provide, with respect to each par20 ticipating family, a family needs assessment

21 that includes consultation with such parents

22 about the benefits of parent involvement and

23 about the activities described in subparagraphs

24 (C) (D), and (E) in which such parents may

25 choose to become involved (taking into consider-
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1 ation their specific family needs, work sched2 ules, and other responsibilities); and

3 ‘‘(G) to extend out reach to fathers in

4 order to strengthen the role of fathers in fami5 lies by working directly with fathers and father6 figures through such activities as including fa7 thers in home visits; implementing father out8 reach efforts, providing opportunities for direct

9 father-child interactions; and targeting in10 creased male participation in the program;

11 ‘‘(8) the ability of such applicant to carry out

12 the plans described in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4);

13 ‘‘(9) other factors related to the requirements

14 of this subchapter;

15 ‘‘(10) the plan of such applicant to meet the

16 needs of non-English background children and their

17 families, including needs related to the acquisition of

18 the English language;

19 ‘‘(11) the plan of such applicant to meet the

20 needs of children with disabilities;

21 ‘‘(12) the plan of such applicant who chooses to

22 assist younger siblings of children who will partici23 pate in the proposed Head Start program to obtain

24 health services from other sources;
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1 ‘‘(13) the plan of such applicant to collaborate

2 with other entities carrying out early childhood edu3 cation and child care programs in the community;

4 and

5 ‘‘(14) the plan of such applicant to meet the

6 needs of homeless children.’’.

7 SEC. 106. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD

8 START AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS.

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

10 9836a) is amended as follows:

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

12 (ii) to read as follows:

13 ‘‘(ii) additional education standards to en14 sure that the children participating in the pro15 gram, at a minimum develop and

16 demonstrate—

17 ‘‘(I) language skills;

18 ‘‘(II) prereading knowledge and skills,

19 including interest in and appreciation of

20 books, reading and writing either alone or

21 with others;

22 ‘‘(III) premathematics knowledge and

23 skills, including aspects of classification,

24 seriation, number, spatial relations, and

25 time;
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1 ‘‘(IV) cognitive abilities related to aca2 demic achievement;

3 ‘‘(V) social and emotional development

4 important for environments constructive

5 for child development, early learning, and

6 school success; and

7 ‘‘(VI) in the case of limited-English

8 proficient children, progress toward acqui9 sition of the English language.’’.

10 (2) By amending subsection (a)(2)(B) to read

11 as follows:

12 ‘‘(B) take into consideration—

13 ‘‘(i) past experience with use of the

14 standards in effect under this subchapter

15 on October 27, 1998;

16 ‘‘(ii) changes over the period since Oc17 tober 27, 1998, in the circumstances and

18 problems typically facing children and fam19 ilies served by Head Start agencies;

20 ‘‘(iii) developments concerning best

21 practices with respect to early childhood

22 education and development, children with

23 disabilities, family services, program ad24 ministration, and financial management;
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1 ‘‘(iv) projected needs of an expanding

2 Head Start program;

3 ‘‘(v) guidelines and standards cur4 rently in effect or under consideration that

5 promote child health services, and pro6 jected needs of expanding Head Start pro7 grams;

8 ‘‘(vi) changes in the population of

9 children who are eligible to participate in

10 Head Start programs, including the lan11 guage background and family structure of

12 such children;

13 ‘‘(vii) the need for, and state-of-the14 art developments relating to, local policies

15 and activities designed to ensure that chil16 dren participating in Head Start programs

17 make a successful transition to schools;

18 and

19 ‘‘(viii) the unique challenges faced by

20 individual programs, including those that

21 are seasonal or short term, and those that

22 serve rural populations; and’’.

23 (3) In subsection (a)(2)(C)(ii) by striking all

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

25 inserting ‘‘October 27, 1998’’.
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1 (4) By amending subsection (b)(2) to read as

2 follows:

3 ‘‘(2) CHARACTERISTICS OF MEASURES.—The

4 performance measures developed under this sub5 section shall—

6 ‘‘(A) be used to assess the impact of the

7 various services provided by Head Start pro8 grams and, to the extent the Secretary finds

9 appropriate, administrative and financial man10 agement practices of such programs;

11 ‘‘(B) be adaptable for use in self-assess12 ment, peer review, and program evaluation of

13 individual Head Start agencies and programs;

14 ‘‘(C) be developed for other program pur15 poses as determined by the Secretary;

16 ‘‘(D) be appropriate for the population

17 served; and

18 ‘‘(E) be reviewed no less than every 4

19 years, based on advances in the science of early

20 childhood development.

21 The performance measures shall include the per22 formance standards described in subsection

23 (a)(1)(A) and (B).’’.

24 (5) By amending subsection (b)(4) to read as

25 follows:
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•HR 2210 EH

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

2 measures shall be designed for the purpose of pro3 moting the competencies of children participating in

4 Head Start programs specified in subsection

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

6 competencies that have a strong scientifically-based

7 predictability of a child’s school readiness and later

8 performance in school.’’.

9 (6) In subsection (c)(1)(C) by striking ‘‘the

10 standards’’ and inserting ‘‘one or more of the per11 formance measures developed by the Secretary under

12 subsection (b)’’.

13 (7) By amending subsection (c)(2) to read as

14 follows:

15 ‘‘(2) CONDUCT OF REVIEWS.—The Secretary

16 shall ensure that reviews described in subparagraphs

17 (A) through (C) of paragraph (1)—

18 ‘‘(A) that incorporate a monitoring visit,

19 do so without prior notice of the visit to the

20 local agency or program;

21 ‘‘(B) are conducted by review teams that

22 shall include individuals who are knowledgeable

23 about Head Start programs and, to the max24 imum extent practicable, the diverse (including

25 linguistic and cultural) needs of eligible children
31

•HR 2210 EH

1 (including children with disabilities) and lim2 ited-English proficient children and their fami3 lies;

4 ‘‘(C) include as part of the reviews of the

5 programs, a review and assessment of program

6 effectiveness, as measured in accordance with

7 the results-based performance measures devel8 oped by the Secretary pursuant to subsection

9 (b) and with the standards established pursuant

10 to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection

11 (a)(1);

12 ‘‘(D) seek information from the commu13 nities and the States involved about the per14 formance of the programs and the efforts of the

15 Head Start agencies to collaborate with other

16 entities carrying out early childhood education

17 and child care programs in the community;

18 ‘‘(E) seek information from the commu19 nities where Head Start programs exist about

20 innovative or effective collaborative efforts, bar21 riers to collaboration, and the efforts of the

22 Head Start agencies and programs to collabo23 rate with the entities carrying out early child24 hood education and child care programs in the

25 community;
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1 ‘‘(F) include as part of the reviews of the

2 programs, a review and assessment of whether

3 a program is in conformity with the income eli4 gibility requirements, as defined in section 645

5 and regulations promulgated thereunder;

6 ‘‘(G) include as part of the reviews of the

7 programs, a review and assessment of whether

8 programs have adequately addressed the popu9 lation and community needs (including popu10 lations of children with a limited English pro11 ficiency and children of migrant and seasonal

12 farm-working families); and

13 ‘‘(H) include as part of the review the ex14 tent to which the program addresses the com15 munity needs and strategic plan identified in

16 section 640(g)(2)(C).’’.

17 (8) By amending so much of subsection (d)(1)

18 as precedes subparagraph (A) to read as follows:

19 ‘‘(1) DETERMINATION.—If the Secretary deter20 mines, on the basis of a review pursuant to sub21 section (c), that a Head Start agency designated

22 pursuant to section 641 fails to meet the standards

23 described in subsection (a) or results-based perform24 ance measures developed by the Secretary under

25 subsection (b), or fails to adequately address the
33

•HR 2210 EH

1 community needs and strategic plan identified in

2 640(g)(2)(C), the Secretary shall—’’

3 (9) By amending subsection (d)(2) to read as

4 follows:

5 ‘‘(2) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—

6 ‘‘(A) AGENCY AND PROGRAM RESPONSIBIL7 ITIES.—In order to retain a designation as a

8 Head Start agency under this subchapter, or in

9 the case of a Head Start Program, in order to

10 continue to receive funds from such agency, a

11 Head Start agency, or Head Start program

12 that is the subject of a determination described

13 in paragraph (1) (other than an agency or pro14 gram required to correct a deficiency imme15 diately or during a 90-day period under clause

16 (i) or (ii) of paragraph (1)(B)) shall—

17 ‘‘(i) develop in a timely manner, a

18 quality improvement plan which shall be

19 subject to the approval of the Secretary, or

20 in the case of a program, the sponsoring

21 agency, and which shall specify—

22 ‘‘(I) the deficiencies to be cor23 rected;

24 ‘‘(II) the actions to be taken to

25 correct such deficiencies; and
34

•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(III) the timetable for accom2 plishment of the corrective actions

3 specified; and

4 ‘‘(ii) eliminate each deficiency identi5 fied, not later than the date for elimination

6 of such deficiency specified in such plan

7 (which shall not be later than 1 year after

8 the date the agency or program received

9 notice of the determination and of the spe10 cific deficiency to be corrected).

11 ‘‘(B) SECRETARIAL RESPONSIBILITY.—Not

12 later than 30 days after receiving from a Head

13 Start agency a proposed quality improvement

14 plan pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Sec15 retary shall either approve such proposed plan

16 or specify the reasons why the proposed plan

17 cannot be approved.

18 ‘‘(C) AGENCY RESPONSIBILITY FOR PRO19 GRAM IMPROVEMENT.—Not later than 30 days

20 after receiving from a Head Start program, a

21 proposed quality improvement plan pursuant to

22 subparagraph (A), the sponsoring agency shall

23 either approve such proposed plan or specify

24 the reasons why the proposed plan cannot be

25 approved.’’.
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1 (10) In subsection (d)(3) by inserting ‘‘and pro2 grams’’ after ‘‘agencies’’.

3 (11) Subsection (e) is amended to read as fol4 lows:

5 ‘‘(e) SUMMARIES OF MONITORING OUTCOMES.—Not

6 later than 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, the

7 Secretary shall publish a summary report on the findings

8 of reviews conducted under subsection (c) and on the out9 comes of quality improvement plans implemented under

10 subsection (d), during such fiscal year. Such information

11 shall be made available to all parents with students receiv12 ing assistance under this Act in a understandable and uni13 form format, and to the extent practicable, provided in a

14 language that the parents can understand, and in addi15 tion, make the information widely available through public

16 means such as distribution through public agencies, and

17 at a minimum posting such information on the Internet

18 immediately upon publication.’’.

19 SEC. 107. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN20 CIES.

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

22 9837(b)) is amended as follows:

23 (1) By amending subsection (b) to read as fol24 lows:
36

•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(b) In order to be so designated, a Head Start agen2 cy shall also—

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

4 forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular atten5 tion to the standards set forth in subparagraphs (A)

6 and (B) of such section;

7 ‘‘(2) demonstrate capacity to serve eligible chil8 dren with scientifically-based curricula and other

9 interventions that help promote the school readiness

10 of children participating in the program;

11 ‘‘(3) establish effective procedures by which

12 parents and area residents concerned will be enabled

13 to directly participate in decisions that influence the

14 character of programs affecting their interests;

15 ‘‘(4) provide for their regular participation in

16 the implementation of such programs;

17 ‘‘(5) provide technical and other support needed

18 to enable parents and area residents to secure on

19 their own behalf available assistance from public and

20 private sources;

21 ‘‘(6) seek the involvement of parents of partici22 pating children in activities designed to help such

23 parents become full partners in the education of

24 their children, and to afford such parents the oppor25 tunity to participate in the development, conduct,
37

•HR 2210 EH

1 and overall performance of the program at the local

2 level;

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

4 Start children enroll, local educational agencies, the

5 local business community, community-based organi6 zations, faith-based organizations, museums, and li7 braries to generate support and leverage the re8 sources of the entire local community in order to im9 prove school readiness;

10 ‘‘(8) offer (directly or through referral to local

11 entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start

12 programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the

13 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

14 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.)), to parents of partici15 pating children, family literacy services and par16 enting skills training;

17 ‘‘(9) offer to parents of participating children

18 substance abuse counseling (either directly or

19 through referral to local entities), including informa20 tion on drug-exposed infants and fetal alcohol syn21 drome;

22 ‘‘(10) at the option of such agency, offer (di23 rectly or through referral to local entities), to such

24 parents—

25 ‘‘(A) training in basic child development;
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(B) assistance in developing communica2 tion skills;

3 ‘‘(C) opportunities to share experiences

4 with other parents;

5 ‘‘(D) regular in-home visitation; or

6 ‘‘(E) any other activity designed to help

7 such parents become full partners in the edu8 cation of their children;

9 ‘‘(11) provide, with respect to each partici10 pating family, a family needs assessment that in11 cludes consultation with such parents about the ben12 efits of parent involvement and about the activities

13 described in paragraphs (4) through (7) in which

14 such parents may choose to be involved (taking into

15 consideration their specific family needs, work sched16 ules, and other responsibilities);

17 ‘‘(12) consider providing services to assist

18 younger siblings of children participating in its Head

19 Start program to obtain health services from other

20 sources;

21 ‘‘(13) perform community outreach to encour22 age individuals previously unaffiliated with Head

23 Start programs to participate in its Head Start pro24 gram as volunteers; and
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(14)(A) inform custodial parents in single-par2 ent families that participate in programs, activities,

3 or services carried out or provided under this sub4 chapter about the availability of child support serv5 ices for purposes of establishing paternity and ac6 quiring child support; and

7 ‘‘(B) refer eligible parents to the child support

8 offices of State and local governments.’’.

9 (2) Amend subsection (c) to read as follows:

10 ‘‘(c) The head of each Head Start agency shall co11 ordinate and collaborate with the State agency responsible

12 for administering the State program carried out under the

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

14 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), and other early childhood education

15 and development programs, including programs under

16 subtitle VII–B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist17 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431–11435), Even Start programs

18 under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary

19 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741

20 et seq.), and programs under Part C and section 619 of

21 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.

22 1431–1445, 1419), and the Child Abuse Prevention and

23 Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), serving the children

24 and families served by the Head Start agency to carry out

25 the provisions of this subchapter.’’.
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1 (3) In subsection (d) by redesignating para2 graphs (2) through (4) as paragraph (3) through (5)

3 and inserting the following new paragraph after

4 paragraph (1):

5 ‘‘(2) In communities where both public prekinder6 garten programs and Head Start programs operate, a

7 Head Start agency shall coordinate with the local edu8 cational agency or other public agency responsible for the

9 operation of the prekindergarten program and providers

10 of prekindergarten, including for outreach to identify eligi11 ble children.’’.

12 (5) In paragraph (3) (as redesignated) of subsection

13 (d), strike ‘‘and’’ at the end of subparagraph (A) and in14 sert the following after subparagraph (A) and redesignate

15 subparagraph (B) as (C):

16 ‘‘(B) collaborating to increase the program

17 participation of underserved populations of eli18 gible children; and’’.

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

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

21 9837a) is amended as follows:

22 (1) The heading is amended to read as follows:
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘SEC. 642A. HEAD START ALIGNMENT WITH K–12 EDU2 CATION.’’.

3 (2) In paragraph (2) after ‘‘social workers,’’ in4 sert the following: ‘‘McKinney-Vento liaisons as es5 tablished under section 722 (g)(1)(J)(ii) of the

6 McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance

7 Improvements Act of 2001,’’.

8 (3) Add the following new paragraph after

9 paragraph (2) and redesignated paragraphs (3)

10 through (7) as (4) through (8):

11 ‘‘(3) developing continuity of developmentally

12 appropriate curricula between Head Start and local

13 educational agencies to ensure an effective transition

14 and appropriate shared expectations for children’s

15 learning and development as they make such transi16 tion to school;’’.

17 (4) Paragraph (6)(as redesignated by para18 graph (3) of this section) is amended to read as fol19 lows:

20 ‘‘(6) developing and implementing a family out21 reach and support program in cooperation with enti22 ties carrying out parental involvement efforts under

23 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education

24 Act of 1965 and family outreach and support efforts

25 under subtitle VII–B of the McKinney-Vento Home26 less Assistance Act;’’.
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•HR 2210 EH

1 (4) In paragraph (7)(as redesignated by para2 graph (3) of this section) by inserting ‘‘and con3 tinuity in parental involvement activities’’ after ‘‘de4 velopmental continuity’’.

5 (5) Strike ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph (7)(as

6 redesignated by paragraph (3) of this section) and

7 strike the period at the end of paragraph (8)(as re8 designated by paragraph (3) of this section) and in9 sert a semicolon.

10 (6) Add the following after paragraph (8):

11 ‘‘(9) helping parents to understand the impor12 tance of parental involvement in a child’s academic

13 success while teaching them strategies for maintain14 ing parental involvement as their child moves from

15 Head Start to elementary school; and

16 ‘‘(10) developing and implementing a system to

17 increase program participation of underserved popu18 lations of eligible children.’’.

19 SEC. 109. ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS AND STAND20 ARDS.

21 Section 644 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9839)

22 is amended in subsection (f)(2) by redesignating subpara23 graphs (A) through (E) as (B) through (F) and inserting

24 the following new subparagraph before subparagraph (B)

25 (as so redesignated):
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(A) a description of the consultation conducted

2 by the Head Start agency with the providers in the

3 community demonstrating capacity and capability to

4 provide services under this Act, and of the potential

5 for collaboration with such providers and the cost ef6 fectiveness of such collaboration as opposed to the

7 cost effectiveness of the purchase of a facility;’’

8 SEC. 110. ELIGIBILITY.

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

10 9843) is amended as follows:

11 (1) By striking ‘‘to a reasonable extent’’ in

12 paragraph (1)(B)(i) and inserting ‘‘not to exceed 10

13 percent of the total enrollment’’ and by striking

14 ‘‘benefit from such programs’’ and inserting ‘‘benefit

15 from such programs, including children referred by

16 child welfare services,’’.

17 (2) By adding the following new paragraph at

18 the end thereof:

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

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

21 an individual who is a member of the uniformed services

22 for housing that is acquired or constructed under the au23 thority of subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, United

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

25 not be considered to be income for purposes of deter-
44

•HR 2210 EH

1 mining the eligibility of a child of the individual for pro2 grams assisted under this subchapter.’’.

3 SEC. 111. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 645A of the Head Start

5 Act (42 U.S.C. 9643) is amended as follows:

6 (1) By amending paragraphs (4) and (5) of

7 subsection (b) to read as follows:

8 ‘‘(4) provide services to parents to support their

9 role as parents (including parenting skills training

10 and training in basic child development) and to help

11 the families move toward self-sufficiency (including

12 educational and employment services as appro13 priate);

14 ‘‘(5) coordinate services with services (including

15 home-based services) provided by programs in the

16 State and programs in the community (including

17 programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities)

18 to ensure a comprehensive array of services (such as

19 health and mental health services, and family sup20 port services);’’.

21 (2) By amending paragraph (8) of subsection

22 (b) to read as follows:

23 ‘‘(8) ensure formal linkages with the agencies

24 and entities described in section 644(b) of the Indi25 viduals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
45

•HR 2210 EH

1 1444(b)) and providers of early intervention services

2 for infants and toddlers with disabilities under the

3 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20

4 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) and the agency responsible for

5 administering the section 106 of the Child Abuse

6 Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a);

7 and’’.

8 (3) In subsection (g)(2)(B) by striking ‘‘and’’

9 at the end of clause (iii), by striking the period at

10 the end of clause (iv) and inserting ‘‘; and’’ and by

11 inserting the following at the end:

12 ‘‘(v) providing professional develop13 ment designed to increase program partici14 pation for underserved populations of eligi15 ble children.’’.

16 (b) MIGRANT AND SEASONAL PROGRAMS.—Section

17 645A(d)(1) of the Head Start Act (42 US.C. 9643(d)(1))

18 is amended to read as follows:

19 ‘‘(1) entities operating Head Start programs

20 under this subpart, including migrant and seasonal

21 Head Start programs; and’’.

22 (c) COMMUNITY- AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZA23 TIONS.—Section 645A(d)(2) of the Head Start Act (42

24 US.C. 9643(d)(21)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, including
46

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1 community- and faith-based organizations’’ after ‘‘enti2 ties’’ in the second place it appears.

3 SEC. 112. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING.

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

5 is amended as follows:

6 (1) By inserting the following new subsection

7 after subsection (a) and redesignating subsections

8 (b) through (e) as subsections (c) through (f):

9 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall make available to each State

10 the money reserved in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support

11 a State-based system delivering training and technical as12 sistance that improves the capacity of Head Start pro13 grams within a State to deliver services in accordance with

14 the Head Start standards in section 641A(a)(1), with par15 ticular attention to the standards set forth in subpara16 graphs (A) and (B) of such section. The Secretary shall—

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

18 chosen by the Secretary, in consultation with the

19 State Collaboration Board described in section

20 640(a)(5)(C)(i), through a competitive bid process;

21 ‘‘(2) ensure that existing agencies with dem22 onstrated expertise in providing high quality training

23 and technical assistance to improve the delivery of

24 Head Start services, including the State Head Start

25 Association, State agencies, migrant and seasonal
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•HR 2210 EH

1 Head Start programs operating in the State, and

2 other entities currently providing training and tech3 nical assistance in early education, be included in

4 the planning and coordination of the State system of

5 training and technical assistance; and

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

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

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

9 to expand activities beyond Head Start agencies to

10 include other providers of other early childhood serv11 ices within a State.’’.

12 (2) In subsection (d) (as redesignated):

13 (A) In paragraph (2), after ‘‘disabilities’’

14 insert ‘‘and for activities described in section

15 1221(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary

16 Education Act of 1965’’.

17 (B) In paragraph (5) after ‘‘assessment’’

18 insert ‘‘, including the needs of homeless chil19 dren and their families’’.

20 (C) By striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para21 graph (10), by striking the period at the end of

22 paragraph (11) and inserting ‘‘; and’’ and by

23 inserting the following at the end:
48

•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(12) assist Head Start agencies and programs

2 in increasing program participation of eligible home3 less children.’’.

4 (3) In subsection (e) (as redesignated by para5 graph (1)) by inserting ‘‘, including community- and

6 faith-based organizations’’ after ‘‘entities’’.

7 (4) By amending subsection (f) (as redesig8 nated by paragraph (1)) to read as follows:

9 ‘‘(f) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or

10 through grants or other arrangements, funds from pro11 grams authorized under this subchapter to support an or12 ganization to administer a centralized child development

13 and national assessment program leading to recognized

14 credentials for personnel working in early childhood devel15 opment and child care programs, training for personnel

16 providing services to non-English language background

17 children (including services to promote the acquisition of

18 the English language), training for personnel providing

19 services to children determined to be abused or neglected,

20 training for personnel providing services to children re21 ferred by or receiving child welfare services, training for

22 personnel in helping children cope with community vio23 lence, and resource access projects for personnel working

24 with disabled children.’’.

25 (5) Insert at the end of the section:
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(g) HELPING PERSONNEL BETTER SERVE MI2 GRANT AND SEASONAL FARM-WORKING COMMUNITIES

3 AND HOMELESS FAMILIES.—The Secretary shall provide,

4 either directly or through grants, or other arrangements,

5 funds for training of Head Start personnel in addressing

6 the unique needs of migrant and seasonal working fami7 lies, families with a limited English proficiency, and home8 less families.

9 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—The majority of

10 funds expended under this section shall be used to provide

11 high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused

12 training and technical assistance in order to have a posi13 tive and lasting impact on classroom instruction. Funds

14 shall be used to carry out activities related to any or all

15 of the following:

16 ‘‘(1) Education and early childhood develop17 ment.

18 ‘‘(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety.

19 ‘‘(3) Family and community partnerships.

20 ‘‘(4) Other areas that impact the quality or

21 overall effectiveness of Head Start programs.

22 ‘‘(i) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds under

23 this subchapter used for training shall be used for needs

24 identified annually by a grant applicant or delegate agency

25 in their program improvement plan, except that funds
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•HR 2210 EH

1 shall not be used for long-distance travel expenses for

2 training activities available locally or regionally or for

3 training activities substantially similar to locally or region4 ally available training activities.

5 ‘‘(j) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the

6 term ‘eligible entities’ means an institution of higher edu7 cation or other entity with expertise in delivering training

8 in early childhood development, family support, and other

9 assistance designed to improve the delivery of Head Start

10 services.’’.

11 SEC. 113. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.

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

13 9843a) is amended as follows:

14 (1) By amending paragraph (2) of subsection

15 (a) to read as follows:

16 ‘‘(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.—

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall

18 ensure that not later than September 30, 2008,

19 at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers

20 nationwide in center-based programs have—

21 ‘‘(i) a baccalaureate, or advanced de22 gree in early childhood education; or

23 ‘‘(ii) a baccalaureate, or advanced de24 gree in a field related to early childhood
51

•HR 2210 EH

1 education, with experience in teaching pre2 school children.

3 ‘‘(B) PROGRESS.—Each Head State agen4 cy shall provide to the Secretary a report indi5 cating the number and percentage of classroom

6 instructors with child development associate

7 credentials and associate, baccalaureate, or ad8 vanced degrees. The Secretary shall compile all

9 program reports and make them available to

10 the Committee on Education and the Workforce

11 of the United States House of Representatives

12 and the Committee on Health, Education,

13 Labor, and Pensions of the United States Sen14 ate.

15 ‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT FOR NEW HEAD

16 START TEACHERS.—Within 3 years after the

17 date of enactment of this clause, the Secretary

18 shall require that all Head Start teachers na19 tionwide in center-based programs hired fol20 lowing the date of enactment of this

21 subparagraph—

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

23 or advanced degree in early childhood edu24 cation;
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•HR 2210 EH

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

2 or advanced degree in a field related to

3 early childhood education, with experience

4 in teaching preschool children; or

5 ‘‘(iii) be currently enrolled in a pro6 gram of study leading to an associate de7 gree in early childhood education and

8 agree to complete degree requirements

9 within 3 years from the date of hire.

10 ‘‘(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec11 retary shall establish requirements to ensure

12 that individuals who receive financial assistance

13 under this Act in order to comply with the re14 quirements under section 648A(a)(2) shall sub15 sequently teach in a Head Start center for a pe16 riod of time equivalent to the period for which

17 they received assistance or repay the amount of

18 the funds.’’.

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

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

21 Head Start agency and program shall create, in consulta22 tion with an employee, a professional development plan for

23 all full-time employees who provide direct services to chil24 dren.’’.
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1 SEC. 114. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUA2 TION.

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

4 is amended as follows:

5 (1) By amending subsection (a)(1)(B) to read

6 as follows:

7 ‘‘(B) use the Head Start programs to de8 velop, test, and disseminate new ideas and ap9 proaches for addressing the needs of low-income

10 preschool children (including children with dis11 abilities and children determined to be abused

12 or neglected) and their families and commu13 nities (including demonstrations of innovative

14 non-center based program models such as

15 home-based and mobile programs), and other16 wise to further the purposes of this sub17 chapter.’’.

18 (1) By striking paragraph (9) of subsection (d)

19 and inserting ‘‘(9) REPEALED.—’’.

20 (2) By striking clause (i) of subsection

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

22 clauses (i) and (ii).

23 (3) In subsection (g)(7)(C)(i) by striking

24 ‘‘1999’’ and inserting ‘‘2003’’, striking ‘‘2001’’ and

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

26 ‘‘2006’’.
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1 (4) By amending subsection (h) to read as fol2 lows:

3 ‘‘(h) NAS STUDY.—

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use

5 funds allocated in section 640(a)(2)(C)(iii) to con6 tract with the National Academy of Sciences for the

7 Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Na8 tional Research Council to establish an independent

9 panel of experts to review and synthesize research,

10 theory and applications in the social, behavioral and

11 biological sciences and shall make recommendations

12 on early childhood pedagogy with regard to each of

13 the following:

14 ‘‘(A) Age and developmentally appropriate

15 Head Start academic requirements and out16 comes, including but not limited to the domains

17 in 641A(a)(B).

18 ‘‘(B) Differences in the type, length, mix

19 and intensity of services necessary to ensure

20 that children from challenging family and social

21 backgrounds including: low-income children,

22 children of color, children with special needs,

23 and children with limited English proficiency

24 enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
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•HR 2210 EH

1 ‘‘(C) Appropriate assessments of young

2 children for the purposes of improving instruc3 tion, services, and program quality, including

4 systematic observation assessment in a child’s

5 natural environment, parent and provider inter6 views, and accommodations for children with

7 disabilities and appropriate assessments for

8 children with special needs, including English

9 language learners.

10 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The panel shall consist of

11 multiple experts in each of the following areas:

12 ‘‘(A) Child development and education, in13 cluding cognitive, social, emotional, physical,

14 approaches to learning, and other domains of

15 child development and learning.

16 ‘‘(B) Professional development, including

17 teacher preparation, to individuals who teach

18 young children in programs.

19 ‘‘(C) Assessment of young children, includ20 ing screening, diagnostic and classroom-based

21 instructional assessment; children with special

22 needs, including children with disabilities and

23 limited English proficient children.

24 ‘‘(3) TIMING.—The National Academy of

25 Sciences and the Board shall establish the panel not
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•HR 2210 EH

1 later than 90 days after the date of enactment of

2 this paragraph. The panel should complete its rec3 ommendations within 18 months of its convening.

4 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION OF PANEL REPORT.—The

5 results of the panel study shall be used as guidelines

6 by the Secretary to develop, inform and revise,

7 where appropriate, the Head Start education per8 formance measures and standards and the assess9 ments utilized in the Head Start program.’’.

10 SEC. 115. REPORTS.

11 Section 650 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9845)

12 is amended as follows:

13 (1) The first sentence of subsection (a) is

14 amended to read as follows: ‘‘At least once during

15 every 2-year period, the Secretary shall prepare and

16 submit, to the Committee on Education and the

17 Workforce of the House of Representatives and the

18 Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pen19 sions of the Senate, a report concerning the status

20 of children (including disabled, homeless, and non21 English language background children) in Head

22 Start programs, including the number of children

23 and the services being provided to such children.’’.

24 (2) Paragraph (8) of subsection (a) is amended

25 by inserting ‘‘, homelessness’’ after ‘‘background’’.
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1 SEC. 116. HEAD START NONDISCRIMINATION PROVISIONS.

2 Section 654 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9849)

3 is amended to read as follows:

4 ‘‘SEC. 654. NONDISCRIMINATION PROVISIONS.

5 ‘‘(a)(1) The Secretary shall not provide financial as6 sistance for any program, project, or activity under this

7 subchapter unless the grant or contract with respect there8 to specifically provides that no person with responsibilities

9 in the operation thereof will discriminate with respect to

10 any such program, project, or activity because of race,

11 creed, color, national origin, sex, political affiliation, or be12 liefs.

13 ‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a recipient of

14 financial assistance under this subchapter that is a reli15 gious corporation, association, educational institution, or

16 society, with respect to the employment of individuals of

17 a particular religion to perform work connected with the

18 carrying on by such corporation, association, educational

19 institution, or society of its activities. Such recipients shall

20 comply with the other requirements contained in this sub21 section.

22 ‘‘(b) No person in the United States shall on the

23 ground of sex be excluded from participation in, be denied

24 the benefits of, be subjected to discrimination under, or

25 be denied employment in connection with any program or

26 activity receiving assistance under this subchapter. The
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1 Secretary shall enforce the provisions of the preceding sen2 tence in accordance with section 602 of the Civil Rights

3 Act of 1964. Section 603 of such Act shall apply with re4 spect to any action taken by the Secretary to enforce such

5 sentence. This section shall not be construed as affecting

6 any other legal remedy that a person may have if such

7 person is excluded from participation in, denied the benefit

8 of, subjected to discrimination under, or denied employ9 ment (except as provided in subsection (a)(2)), in the ad10 ministration of any program, project, or activity receiving

11 assistance under this subchapter.

12 ‘‘(c) The Secretary shall not provide financial assist13 ance for any program, project, or activity under this sub14 chapter unless the grant or contract relating to the finan15 cial assistance specifically provides that no person with re16 sponsibilities in the operation of the program, project, or

17 activity will discriminate against any individual because of

18 a handicapping condition in violation of section 504 of the

19 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, except as provided in sub20 section (a)(2).’’.

21 SEC. 117. EFFECTIVE DATE.

22 The amendments made by this Act shall be effective

23 with respect to fiscal years beginning on and after October

24 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.—

9 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATES.—In the case of

10 each eligible State that submits to the Sec11 retary an application that fulfills the require12 ments of this section, the Secretary, from

13 amounts appropriated under section 639(a),

14 shall make a grant to the State to carry out a

15 State demonstration program under this sec16 tion, except that the Secretary shall not make

17 such grants to more than 8 eligible States.

18 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATION.—The Secretary

19 shall make awards to those States that

20 demonstrate—

21 ‘‘(i) that the State standards generally

22 meet or exceed the standards that ensure

23 the quality and effectiveness of programs

24 operated by Head Start agencies;
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1 ‘‘(ii) the capacity to deliver high qual2 ity early childhood education services to

3 prepare children, including low-income chil4 dren, for school; and

5 ‘‘(iii) success in improving the school

6 readiness of children.

7 ‘‘(2) STATE ELIGIBILITY.—A State shall be eli8 gible to participate in the program under this sec9 tion if it meets each of the following criteria:

10 ‘‘(A) The State has an existing State sup11 ported system providing public prekindergarten

12 to children prior to entry into kindergarten.

13 ‘‘(B) The State has implemented standards

14 as of fiscal year 2003 for school readiness that

15 include standards for language, prereading and

16 premathematics development for prekinder17 garten that are aligned with State kindergarten

18 through twelfth grade academic content stand19 ards and which shall apply to all programs re20 ceiving funds under this part or provides an as21 surance that such standards will be aligned by

22 the end of the second fiscal year of participa23 tion.

24 ‘‘(C) State and locally appropriated funds

25 for prekindergarten services and Head Start
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1 services in the base year under this section shall

2 not be less than 50 percent of the Federal

3 funds that the grantees in the State received

4 under this Act in the base year for services to

5 Head Start eligible children, excluding amounts

6 for services provided under section 645A.

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

8 for inter-agency coordination and collaboration

9 in the development of the plan under subsection

10 (h).

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

12 shall be administered by a State governmental entity des13 ignated by the Chief Executive Officer of the State as the

14 lead State agency.

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

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

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

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

19 ‘‘(d) TRANSITION.—

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For 60 months after the

21 effective date of this section, the State shall continue

22 to provide funds to each local grantee who—

23 ‘‘(A) was receiving funds under this sub24 chapter, as in effect prior to the date of enact25 ment of this section, and
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1 ‘‘(B) is serving the geographic area cov2 ered by the plan in section 643A(h).

3 Such continuing grants shall be made in accordance

4 with the terms of the grant made to the local grant5 ee immediately prior to such date of enactment. This

6 paragraph shall not apply to a grant applicant who

7 has experienced substantial uncorrected deficiencies

8 on Department of Health and Human Services mon9 itoring reports during any year of the most recent

10 5-year period, or to a grantee that, as determined by

11 the State, does not comply with the State plan de12 scribed in subsection 643A(h) submitted to the Sec13 retary.

14 ‘‘(e) FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—

15 ‘‘(1) ALLOCATION OF FEDERAL ALLOTMENTS

16 TO STATE PROGRAMS.—From each total amount de17 scribed in paragraph (2) allotted to a State for a fis18 cal year, the Secretary shall pay to a State with a

19 program approved under this section for such fiscal

20 year an amount equal to—

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

22 100 percent of such total amount; and

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

24 geographic area or areas, the sum of—
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1 ‘‘(i) an amount equal to the amount

2 received by grantees in such geographic

3 area or areas for the Federal fiscal year

4 preceding the first fiscal year of the State

5 program under this section; plus

6 ‘‘(ii) an amount bearing the same

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

8 amount for such preceding fiscal year as

9 the number of children less than 5 years of

10 age from families whose income is below

11 the poverty line in the geographic area or

12 areas included in the program bears to the

13 total number of such children in the State

14 (as determined using the same data used

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

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

17 paragraph (1), amounts described in this paragraph

18 are:

19 ‘‘(A) BASIC STATE ALLOTMENTS.—

20 Amounts allotted to States pursuant to section

21 640(a)(4), including amounts reserved pursuant

22 to section 640(a)(5), excluding amounts for

23 services provided under section 645A.

24 ‘‘(B) STATE ALLOTMENTS OF EXPANSION

25 FUNDS.—Amounts allotted to States pursuant
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•HR 2210 EH

1 to section 640(a)(3)(D)(i)(I) for program ex2 pansion.

3 ‘‘(C) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDS.—

4 Quality improvement funds (if any) reserved

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

6 ‘‘(D) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST7 ANCE FUNDS.—An amount bearing the same

8 ratio to the amount set aside for training and

9 technical assistance activities pursuant to sec10 tion 640(a)(2)(C)(i) and (ii) as the State’s

11 share of amounts allotted under section

12 640(a)(4)(B) bears to the total amount so allot13 ted (and for purposes of subparagraph (A),

14 such amount shall be considered an amount al15 lotted to the State for the fiscal year).

16 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL MATCH.—(A) In deter17 mining the amount of Federal and non-Federal con18 tributions for purposes of this section, the amounts

19 required to be expended by the State under sub20 section (h)(14)(B) (relating to maintenance of ef21 fort) shall be excluded.

22 ‘‘(B) Financial assistance made available to a

23 State under this subchapter shall be in an amount

24 equal to 95 percent of the total amount expended for

25 such programs. The Secretary shall require non-Fed-
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1 eral contributions in an amount equal to 5 percent

2 of the total amount expended under this subchapter

3 for such programs.

4 ‘‘(C) Non-Federal contributions may be made

5 in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant,

6 equipment, or services.

7 ‘‘(4) COMBINED OPERATIONS WITH OTHER

8 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAMS.—A

9 State may combine funds for a program under this

10 section with funds for other early childhood pro11 grams serving children in the same age group, as

12 long as all applicable requirements of this sub13 chapter are met with respect to either—

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

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

16 program for whom the services provided are

17 funded from appropriations under this sub18 chapter or non-Federal matching contributions

19 under this subchapter.

20 ‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS WITHOUT REGARD TO AL21 LOTMENT PURPOSES.—A State may use funds re22 ceived pursuant to this section for any program pur23 pose set forth in section 636, without regard to the

24 purposes for such funds specified in section 640.
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•HR 2210 EH

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

2 this section shall not supplant any non-Federal,

3 State or local funds that would otherwise be used for

4 activities authorized under this section or similar ac5 tivities carried out in the State.

6 ‘‘(f) COORDINATION AND CHOICE.—

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State demonstration

8 Program shall be coordinated with the education

9 programs of local educational agencies in the State

10 to ensure that the program is effectively designed to

11 develop in children in the program the knowledge

12 and behaviors necessary to transition successfully to

13 kindergarten and to succeed in school.

14 ‘‘(2) PROGRAMS CONCERNED.—

15 ‘‘(A) REQUIRED PROGRAMS.—Such coordi16 nation shall occur regarding the implementation

17 of the following:

18 ‘‘(i) The Early Reading First and

19 Even Start programs under title I, part B,

20 subparts 2 and 3 of the Elementary and

21 Secondary Education Act of 1965, and

22 other preschool programs carried out

23 under title I of that Act.

24 ‘‘(ii) State prekindergarten programs.
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1 ‘‘(iii) The Ready-to-Learn Television

2 Program under subpart 3 of part D of title

3 II of the Elementary and Secondary Edu4 cation Act.

5 ‘‘(B) OPTIONAL PROGRAMS.—Such coordi6 nation may occur regarding the implementation

7 of the following:

8 ‘‘(i) Programs under the Child Care

9 and Development Block Grant Act.

10 ‘‘(ii) Other publicly funded early child11 hood education programs.

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

13 allow parents to choose the preschool program for

14 their child.

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

16 section, the State shall provide services described in sec17 tion 641A at least as extensive as were provided, and to

18 at least as many low-income children and families in each

19 fiscal year as were provided such services, with such funds

20 in the base year in the State (or, if applicable, in the geo21 graphic area included in the State program). A program

22 under this section shall include the following comprehen23 sive activities designed to promote school readiness and

24 success in school:
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1 ‘‘(1) CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION.—

2 Activities with enrolled children that promote—

3 ‘‘(A) cognitive development, language de4 velopment, prereading, and premathematics

5 knowledge and skills;

6 ‘‘(B) physical development, health, and nu7 trition (including through coordination with,

8 and referral of children and families to local

9 health service entities; and

10 ‘‘(C) social development important for en11 vironments constructive for child development,

12 early learning, and school success.

13 ‘‘(2) PARENT EDUCATION AND INVOLVE14 MENT.—Activities with the parents of enrolled chil15 dren directed at enhancing and encouraging—

16 ‘‘(A) involvement in, and ability to sup17 port, their children’s educational development;

18 ‘‘(B) parenting skills and understanding of

19 child development; and

20 ‘‘(C) ability to participate effectively in de21 cisions relating to the education of their chil22 dren.

23 ‘‘(3) SOCIAL AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERV24 ICES.—Activities directed at securing appropriate so25 cial and family support services for enrolled children
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1 and their families, primarily through referral and co2 ordination with local, State, and Federal entities

3 that provide such services.

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

5 paragraph (1) Head Start services furnished in a

6 State program under this section shall include all

7 Head Start services, other than—

8 ‘‘(A) Indian Head Start programs and mi9 grant and seasonal Head Start programs sup10 ported with funds reserved under section

11 640(a)(2)(A); and

12 ‘‘(B) Early Head Start services provided

13 under section 645A.

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

15 a program under this section shall submit a State plan

16 to the Secretary. The State plan shall include the fol17 lowing:

18 ‘‘(1) LEAD STATE AGENCY.—The plan shall

19 identify the entity designated by the Chief Executive

20 Officer of the State as the lead State agency.

21 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC AREA.—The plan shall speci22 fy whether the program is statewide, and, if it is

23 not, identify the geographic area or areas covered by

24 the plan. A geographic area may be a city, county,
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1 standard metropolitan statistical area, or such other

2 geographic area in the State.

3 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM PERIOD.—A State program

4 under this section shall be in effect for 5 Federal fis5 cal years.

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

7 describe the services under subsection (f) to be pro8 vided in the program and arrangements the State

9 proposes to use to provide the services specified in

10 subsection (g), including how the State will leverage

11 existing delivery systems for such services.

12 ‘‘(5) NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—The plan shall de13 scribe the results of a State needs assessment and

14 shall provide an assurance that the State will use

15 the results to identify the needs for early childhood

16 education services within a State or geographic area

17 to be served and is targeting services to those areas

18 of greatest need and to expand and improve services

19 to disadvantaged children in the State.

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

21 shall provide an assurance that the State program

22 will comply with the requirements of this section, in23 cluding each of the following:

24 ‘‘(A) PRIORITY FOR LOW-INCOME CHIL25 DREN.—Requirements established pursuant to
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1 section 645(a) concerning the eligibility and pri2 ority of individuals for participation in Head

3 Start programs.

4 ‘‘(B) CONTINUATION FOR EXISTING PRO5 VIDERS.—An applicant who received funds

6 under this subchapter in prior fiscal years and

7 has not corrected any substantial deficiencies

8 identified in the past 5 years shall not be eligi9 ble to receive any grants, contract, or coopera10 tive agreements under this section.

11 ‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION OF CHILDREN WITH

12 DISABILITIES.—Requirements pursuant to sec13 tion 640(d) concerning Head Start enrollment

14 opportunities and services for children with dis15 abilities.

16 ‘‘(D) PROVISIONS CONCERNING FEES AND

17 COPAYMENTS.—The provisions of section

18 645(b) concerning the charging of fees and the

19 circumstances under which copayments are per20 missible.

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

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

23 limiting Federal financial assistance for Head

24 Start programs, and providing for non-Federal

25 contributions.
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1 ‘‘(F) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The provi2 sions of section 644(b) limiting the share of

3 program funds that may be used for developing

4 and administering a program.

5 ‘‘(G) FEDERAL PROPERTY INTEREST.—

6 Applicable provisions of this subchapter regard7 ing the Federal Government interest in prop8 erty (including real property) purchased, leased,

9 or renovated with Federal funds.

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

11 shall identify barriers in the State to the effective

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

13 private funds, for early education and care that are

14 available to the State on the date on which the ap15 plication is submitted.

16 ‘‘(8) STATE GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOL READI17 NESS.—The plan shall include—

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

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

20 goals for school readiness, including how the

21 State intends to—

22 ‘‘(i) promote and maintain ongoing

23 communication and collaboration between

24 providers of early care and education and

25 local educational agencies in the State;
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1 ‘‘(ii) align early childhood and kinder2 garten curricula to ensure program con3 tinuity; and

4 ‘‘(iii) ensure that children successfully

5 transition to kindergarten.

6 ‘‘(9) TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS.—The plan

7 shall assure that the qualifications and credentials

8 for early childhood teachers meet or exceed the

9 standards in section 648A(a)(2)(A), (B), and (C).

10 ‘‘(10) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The

11 plan shall provide a description of the State plan for

12 assuring the ongoing professional development of

13 early childhood educators and administrators includ14 ing how the State intends to—

15 ‘‘(A) improve the competencies of early

16 childhood educators in meeting the cognitive

17 and other developmental needs of young chil18 dren through effective instructional strategies,

19 methods, and skills;

20 ‘‘(B) develop and implement initiatives to

21 effectively recruit and promote the retention of

22 well-qualified early childhood educators;

23 ‘‘(C) encourage institutions of higher edu24 cation, providers of community-based training,

25 and other qualified providers to develop high-
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1 quality programs to prepare students to be

2 early childhood education professionals; and

3 ‘‘(D) improve the quality of professional

4 development available to meet the needs of

5 teachers that serve preschool children.

6 ‘‘(11) QUALITY STANDARDS.—The State shall

7 describe the State’s standards, applicable to all

8 agencies, programs, and projects that receive funds

9 under this subchapter, including a description of—

10 ‘‘(A) standards with respect to services re11 quired to be provided, including health, parental

12 involvement, nutritional, social, transition ac13 tivities described in section 642(d) of this sub14 chapter, and other services;

15 ‘‘(B)(i) education standards to promote the

16 school readiness of children participating in a

17 State program under title II of this subchapter;

18 and

19 ‘‘(ii) additional education standards to en20 sure that the children participating in the pro21 gram, at a minimum develop and

22 demonstrate—

23 ‘‘(I) language skills;

24 ‘‘(II) prereading knowledge and skills,

25 including interest in and appreciation of
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1 books, reading and writing either alone or

2 with others;

3 ‘‘(III) premathematics knowledge and

4 skills, including aspects of classification,

5 seriation, number, spatial relations, and

6 time;

7 ‘‘(IV) cognitive abilities related to aca8 demic achievement;

9 ‘‘(V) social development important for

10 environments constructive for child devel11 opment, early learning, and school success;

12 and

13 ‘‘(VI) in the case of limited-English

14 proficient children, progress toward acqui15 sition of the English language;

16 ‘‘(C) the State’s minimum standards for

17 early childhood teacher credentials and quali18 fications;

19 ‘‘(D) the student-teacher ratio for each

20 age-group served;

21 ‘‘(E) administrative and financial manage22 ment standards;

23 ‘‘(F) standards relating to the condition

24 and location of facilities for such agencies, pro25 grams, and projects; and
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1 ‘‘(G) such other standards as the State

2 finds to be appropriate.

3 ‘‘(12) STATE ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM.—

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The State plan

5 shall—

6 ‘‘(i) ensure that individual providers

7 are achieving results in advancing the

8 knowledge and behaviors identified by the

9 State as prerequisites for kindergarten

10 success; and

11 ‘‘(ii) specify the measures the State

12 will use to evaluate the progress toward

13 achieving such results and the effectiveness

14 of the State program under this section,

15 and of individual providers in such pro16 gram.

17 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATION OF RESULTS.—

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

19 (ii), the results shall be made publicly

20 available in the communities served by the

21 program.

22 ‘‘(ii) CONFIDENTIALITY SAFE23 GUARDS.—The system shall have in effect

24 privacy safeguards ensuring that informa25 tion on children included in data and re-
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1 sults made public in accordance with

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

3 shall not include information allowing iden4 tification of individual children.

5 ‘‘(13) TRANSITION PLAN.—The initial State

6 plan shall make provision for transition from the di7 rect Federal program under section 640 to the dem8 onstration program.

9 ‘‘(14) COOPERATION WITH RESEARCH STUD10 IES.—The plan shall provide assurances that the

11 State will cooperate with research activities de12 scribed in section 649.

13 ‘‘(15) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—The State

14 plan shall—

15 ‘‘(A) contain a commitment to provide

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

17 Secretary requires, concerning non-Federal ex18 penditures and numbers of children and fami19 lies served in preschool and Head Start pro20 grams during the base year and each fiscal year

21 covered under the State plan, sufficient to sat22 isfy the Secretary that the State program will

23 meet its obligation with respect to the mainte24 nance of effort requirement under subpara25 graph (B); and
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1 ‘‘(B) assure that the resources (which may

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

3 government to child care for preschool-aged

4 children and other preschool programs, includ5 ing Head Start, in the State (or, if applicable,

6 in the geographic area included in the State

7 program) for each fiscal year in which the pro8 gram under this section is in effect shall be in

9 an amount at least equal to the total amount of

10 such State governmental resources contributed

11 to support such programs in the State (or geo12 graphic area) for the base year.

13 ‘‘(16) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST14 ANCE.—The State plan shall describe the training

15 and technical assistance activities that shall provide

16 high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-fo17 cused training and technical assistance in order to

18 have a positive and lasting impact on classroom in19 struction.

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

21 agency administering the State program, and each entity

22 participating as a Head Start service provider, shall main23 tain such records, make such reports, and cooperate with

24 such audits as the Secretary may require for oversight of

25 program activities and expenditures.
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1 ‘‘(j) INAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISIONS CONCERNING

2 PRIORITY IN AGENCY DESIGNATION.—The provisions of

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

4 in designation of Head Start agencies, successor agencies,

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

6 under this section.

7 ‘‘(k) CONSULTATION.—A State proposing to admin8 ister a program under this section shall submit, with the

9 plan under this section, assurances that the plan was de10 veloped through timely and meaningful consultation with

11 appropriate public and private sector entities, including—

12 ‘‘(1) representatives of agencies responsible for

13 administering early education and care programs in

14 the State, including Head Start providers;

15 ‘‘(2) parents;

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

17 educational agencies;

18 ‘‘(4) early childhood education professionals;

19 ‘‘(5) kindergarten teachers and teachers in

20 grades 1 through 4;

21 ‘‘(6) child welfare agencies;

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

23 ‘‘(8) child care providers; and
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1 ‘‘(9) a wide array of persons interested in and

2 involved with early care and early education issues

3 in the State, such as representatives of—

4 ‘‘(A) health care professionals;

5 ‘‘(B) the State agency with responsibility

6 for the special supplemental nutrition program

7 for women, infants, and children established by

8 section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966;

9 ‘‘(C) institutions of higher education;

10 ‘‘(D) community-based and faith-based or11 ganizations;

12 ‘‘(E) the business community;

13 ‘‘(F) State legislators and local officials;

14 ‘‘(G) museums and libraries;

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

16 and

17 ‘‘(I) other agencies that provide resources

18 for young children.

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

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

21 Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Edu22 cation, and shall be deemed to be approved by the Sec23 retary unless the Secretary makes a written determina24 tion, prior to the expiration of a reasonable time beginning

25 on the date on which the Secretary received the applica-
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1 tion, that the application is not in compliance with this

2 section.

3 ‘‘(m) TREATMENT OF FUNDS.—If a State or local

4 government contributes its own funds to supplement ac5 tivities carried out under the applicable programs, the

6 State or local government has the option to separate out

7 the Federal funds or commingle them. If the funds are

8 commingled, the provisions of this subchapter shall apply

9 to all of the commingled funds in the same manner, and

10 to the same extent, as the provisions apply to the Federal

11 funds.

12 ‘‘(n) FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY; CORREC13 TIVE ACTION; WITHDRAWAL OF APPROVAL.—

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

15 shall retain the authority to oversee the operation of

16 the State program under this section, including

17 through review of records and reports, audits, and

18 onsite inspection of records and facilities and moni19 toring of program activities and operations.

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

21 Secretary determines that a State program under

22 this section substantially fails to meet the require23 ments of this section, the Secretary shall notify the

24 State of the deficiencies identified and require cor25 rective action as follows:
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1 ‘‘(A) DEFICIENCIES CAUSING IMMEDIATE

2 JEOPARDY.—The Secretary shall require imme3 diate corrective action to eliminate a deficiency

4 that the Secretary finds threatens the health or

5 safety of staff or program participants or poses

6 a threat to the integrity of Federal funds.

7 ‘‘(B) OTHER DEFICIENCIES.—The Sec8 retary, taking into consideration the nature and

9 magnitude of a deficiency not described in sub10 paragraph (A), and the time reasonably re11 quired for correction, may—

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

13 deficiency within 90 days after notification

14 under this paragraph; or

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

16 quality improvement plan designed to cor17 rect the deficiency within one year from

18 identification of the deficiency.

19 ‘‘(3) WITHDRAWAL OF APPROVAL.—If the defi20 ciencies identified under paragraph (2) are not cor21 rected by the deadlines established by the Secretary,

22 the Secretary shall initiate proceedings to withdraw

23 approval of the State program under this section.

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

25 adverse action under this subsection shall have the
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1 same procedural rights as a Head Start agency sub2 ject to adverse action under section 641A.

3 ‘‘(o) INDEPENDENT EVALUATION.—

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall con5 tract with an independent organization outside of

6 the Department to design and conduct a multi-year,

7 rigorous, scientifically valid, quantitative evaluation

8 of the State demonstration program.

9 ‘‘(2) PROCESS.—The Secretary shall award a

10 contract within 180 days of the date of enactment

11 of the School Readiness Act of 2003, to an organiza12 tion that is capable of designing and carrying out an

13 independent evaluation described in this subsection.

14 ‘‘(3) ANALYSIS.—The evaluation shall include

15 an analysis of each State participating in the State

16 demonstration program, including—

17 ‘‘(A) A quantitative description of the

18 State prekindergarten program and Head Start

19 programs within such State, as such programs

20 existed prior to participation in the State dem21 onstration program, including:

22 ‘‘(i) data on the characteristics of the

23 children served, including the overall num24 ber and percentages of children served
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1 disaggregated by socioeconomic status,

2 race and ethnicity of those served;

3 ‘‘(ii) the quality and characteristics of

4 the services provided to such children; and

5 ‘‘(iii) the education attainment of in6 structional staff.

7 ‘‘(B) A quantitative and qualitative de8 scription of the State program after each year

9 of participation in the State demonstration,

10 which shall include each of the following:

11 ‘‘(i) A description of changes in the

12 administration of the State program, in13 cluding the Head Start program, within

14 such State.

15 ‘‘(ii) The rate of progress of the State

16 in improving the school readiness of dis17 advantaged children in the key domains of

18 development.

19 ‘‘(iii) Data as described in subpara20 graph (A), as updated annually.

21 ‘‘(iv) The extent to which each State

22 has met the goals established by such

23 State with respect to annual goals as de24 scribed under section 643(h)(10).
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1 ‘‘(4) REPORT.—(A) The Secretary shall provide

2 an interim report on the progress of such evaluation

3 and of the progress of States participating in the

4 State demonstration in increasing the availability of

5 high quality prekindergarten services for low-income

6 children not later than October 1, 2006 to the Com7 mittee on Education and the Workforce in the

8 House of Representatives and the Committee on

9 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the Sen10 ate.

11 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall provide a final report

12 to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

13 in the House of Representatives and the Committee

14 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in the

15 Senate, not later than October 1, 2007, which shall

16 include an overall evaluation of the State demonstra17 tion program, including an assessment of its success

18 in increasing the overall availability of high quality

19 prekindergarten services for low income children in

20 each of the participating States as compared to a

21 representative sample of non-participating States.

22 ‘‘(p) STATE PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT.—Fol23 lowing the submission of an application fulfilling all re24 quirements of this section, a State that meets all eligibility

25 requirements set forth in section 643A(a)(2) and is se-
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1 lected by the Secretary to participate in the demonstration

2 program under this section shall:

3 ‘‘(1) maintain or increase fiscal year 2003 State

4 funding levels for early childhood education;

5 ‘‘(2) provide an additional contribution of non6 federal funds equal to 5 percent of the State’s Fed7 eral Head Start allotment;

8 ‘‘(3) use Head Start funding only for the pur9 poses of Head Start as described in section 636;

10 ‘‘(4) provide all comprehensive social services

11 currently available to Head Start children, including

12 health and nutrition;

13 ‘‘(5) develop a strategy to maximize parental in14 volvement to enable parents to become full partners

15 in the education of their children;

16 ‘‘(6) demonstrate that the qualifications and

17 credentials for early childhood teachers meet or ex18 ceed the standards in section 648A(a)(2)(A), (B),

19 and (C);

20 ‘‘(7) enforce quality standards for school readi21 ness that are aligned with K–12 educational stand22 ards and generally meet or exceed the Federal Head

23 Start performance standards;
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1 ‘‘(8) continue funding, for a period of 60

2 months, all current Head Start grantees as de3 scribed in section 643A(d);

4 ‘‘(9) provide services described in section 641A

5 that are at least as extensive as were provided, and

6 to at least as many low-income children and families

7 in the State, in each fiscal year as were provided

8 such services in the base year;

9 ‘‘(10) establish a comprehensive collaboration

10 effort to integrate Head Start, state-funded pre-kin11 dergarten programs, Even Start, Title I preschool,

12 and Early Reading First;

13 ‘‘(11) participate in independent evaluations of

14 the demonstration program authorized under this

15 subchapter; and

16 ‘‘(12) submit to Federal oversight by the Sec17 retary.

18 ‘‘(q) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the

19 term ‘base year’ means the fiscal year 2003.’’.

Passed the House of Representatives July 25 (legislative day, July 24), 2003.

Attest:

Clerk.

108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2210

AN ACT

To reauthorize the Head Start Act to improve the

school readiness of disadvantaged children, andfor other purposes.