II 

Calendar No. 200 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1107 

[Report No. 109–131] 

To reauthorize the Head Start Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 23, 2005 

Mr. ENZI (for himself, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. ALEXANDER, and Mr. DODD) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

AUGUST 31, 2005 

Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of July 29, 2005, by Mr. 

ENZI, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Head Start Act, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Head Start Improve5 ments for School Readiness Act’’. 
2 

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1 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 

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

3 is amended by inserting ‘‘educational instruction in 

4 prereading skills, premathematics skills, and language and 

5 through’’ after ‘‘low-income children through’’. 

6 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

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

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘(including a 

10 community-based organization)’’ after ‘‘nonprofit’’; 

11 (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘, includ12 ing financial literacy,’’ after ‘‘Parent literacy’’; 

13 (3) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘Mariana Is14 lands,’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘Mariana 

15 Islands.’’; and 

16 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(18) The term ‘homeless child’ means a child 

18 described in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento 

19 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)). 

20 ‘‘(19) The term ‘limited English proficient’, 

21 used with respect to a child, means a child— 

22 ‘‘(A) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll 

23 in a Head Start program, Early Head Start 

24 program, or other early care and education pro25 gram; 
3 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B)(i) who was not born in the United 

2 States or whose native language is a language 

3 other than English; 

4 ‘‘(ii)(I) who is a Native American, Alaska 

5 Native, or a native resident of a United States 

6 territory; and 

7 ‘‘(II) who comes from an environment 

8 where a language other than English has had 

9 a significant impact on the child’s level of 

10 English language proficiency; or 

11 ‘‘(iii) who is migratory, whose native lan12 guage is a language other than English, and 

13 who comes from an environment where a lan14 guage other than English is dominant; and 

15 ‘‘(C) whose difficulty in speaking or under16 standing the English language may be sufficient 

17 to deny such child— 

18 ‘‘(i) the ability to successfully achieve 

19 in a classroom in which the language of in20 struction is English; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) the opportunity to participate 

22 fully in society. 

23 ‘‘(20) The term ‘deficiency’ means— 
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1 ‘‘(A) a systemic or substantial failure of an 

2 agency in an area of performance that the Sec3 retary determines involves— 

4 ‘‘(i) a threat to the health, safety, or 

5 civil rights of children or staff; 

6 ‘‘(ii) a denial to parents of the exer7 cise of their full roles and responsibilities 

8 related to program operations; 

9 ‘‘(iii) a failure to comply with stand10 ards related to early childhood development 

11 and health services, family and community 

12 partnerships, or program design and man13 agement; 

14 ‘‘(iv) the misuse of funds under this 

15 subchapter; 

16 ‘‘(v) loss of legal status or financial 

17 viability, loss of permits, debarment from 

18 receiving Federal grants or contracts, or 

19 the improper use of Federal funds; or 

20 ‘‘(vi) failure to meet any other Fed21 eral or State requirement that the agency 

22 has shown an unwillingness or inability to 

23 correct, after notice from the Secretary, 

24 within the period specified; 
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1 ‘‘(B) systemic failure of the board of direc2 tors of an agency to fully exercise its legal and 

3 fiduciary responsibilities; 

4 ‘‘(C) substantial failure of an agency to 

5 meet the administrative requirements of section 

6 644(b); 

7 ‘‘(D) failure of an agency to demonstrate 

8 that the agency attempted to meet the coordi9 nation and collaboration requirements with enti10 ties described in section 640(a)(5)(D)(iii)(I); or 

11 ‘‘(E) having an unresolved area of non12 compliance. 

13 ‘‘(21) The term ‘unresolved area of noncompli14 ance’ means failure to correct a noncompliance item 

15 within 120 days, or within such additional time (if 

16 any) authorized by the Secretary, after receiving 

17 from the Secretary notice of such noncompliance 

18 item, pursuant to section 641A(d).’’. 

19 SEC. 4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START PRO20 GRAMS. 

21 Section 638 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9833) 

22 is amended by inserting ‘‘for a period of 5 years’’ after 

23 ‘‘provide financial assistance to such agency’’. 
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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

3 is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap6 propriated for carrying out the provisions of this sub7 chapter $7,215,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, 

8 $7,515,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $7,815,000,000 for 

9 fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for 

10 each of fiscal years 2009 and 2010. 

11 ‘‘(b) SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.—From the amount ap12 propriated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make 

13 available to carry out research, demonstration, and evalua14 tion activities, including longitudinal studies under section 

15 649, not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and 

16 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

17 2007 through 2010, of which not more than $7,000,000 

18 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 shall be avail19 able to carry out impact studies under section 649(g).’’. 

20 SEC. 6. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS. 

21 (a) ALLOTMENT.—Section 640(a) of the Head Start 

22 Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and in25 serting the following: 
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1 ‘‘(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for 

2 children with disabilities, and migrant and seasonal 

3 Head Start programs, except that— 

4 ‘‘(i) subject to the availability of appropria5 tions, the Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal 

6 year for use by Indian Head Start and migrant 

7 and seasonal Head Start programs (referred to 

8 in this subparagraph as ‘covered programs’), on 

9 a nationwide basis, a sum that is the total of 

10 not less than 4 percent of the amount appro11 priated under section 639 for that fiscal year 

12 (for Indian Head Start programs), and not less 

13 than 5 percent of that appropriated amount 

14 (for migrant and seasonal Head Start pro15 grams), except that— 

16 ‘‘(I) if reserving the specified percent17 ages for Indian Head Start programs and 

18 migrant and seasonal Head Start pro19 grams would reduce the number of chil20 dren served by Head Start programs, rel21 ative to the number of children served on 

22 the date of enactment of the Head Start 

23 Improvements for School Readiness Act, 

24 taking into consideration an appropriate 

25 adjustment for inflation, the Secretary 
8 

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1 shall reserve percentages that approach, as 

2 closely as practicable, the specified percent3 ages and that do not cause such a reduc4 tion; and 

5 ‘‘(II) notwithstanding any other provi6 sion of this subparagraph, the Secretary 

7 shall reserve for each fiscal year for use by 

8 Indian Head Start programs and by mi9 grant and seasonal Head Start programs, 

10 on a nationwide basis, not less than the 

11 amount that was obligated for use by In12 dian Head Start programs and by migrant 

13 and seasonal Head Start programs for the 

14 previous fiscal year; 

15 ‘‘(ii) after ensuring that each grant recipi16 ent for a covered program has received an 

17 amount sufficient to enable the grant recipient 

18 to serve the same number of children in Head 

19 Start programs as were served by such grant 

20 recipient on the date of enactment of the Head 

21 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, 

22 taking into consideration an appropriate adjust23 ment for inflation, and after allotting the funds 

24 reserved under paragraph (3)(A) as specified in 

25 paragraph (3)(D), the Secretary shall distribute 
9 

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1 the remaining funds available under this sub2 paragraph for covered programs, by— 

3 ‘‘(I) distributing 65 percent of the re4 mainder by giving priority to grant recipi5 ents in the States serving the smallest per6 centages of eligible children (as determined 

7 by the Secretary); and 

8 ‘‘(II) distributing 35 percent of the 

9 remainder on a competitive basis;’’; 

10 (B) by striking subparagraph (C) and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) training and technical assistance activities 

13 that are sufficient to meet the needs associated with 

14 program expansion and to foster program and man15 agement improvement activities as described in sec16 tion 648, in an amount for each fiscal year that is 

17 equal to 2 percent of the amount appropriated under 

18 section 639 for such fiscal year, of which— 

19 ‘‘(i) 50 percent shall be made available to 

20 Head Start agencies to use directly, or by es21 tablishing local or regional agreements with 

22 community experts, colleges and universities, or 

23 private consultants, for any of the following 

24 training and technical assistance activities, in25 cluding— 
10 

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1 ‘‘(I) activities that ensure that Head 

2 Start programs meet or exceed the pro3 gram performance standards described in 

4 section 641A(a)(1); 

5 ‘‘(II) activities that ensure that Head 

6 Start programs have adequate numbers of 

7 trained, qualified staff who have skills in 

8 working with children and families, includ9 ing children and families who are limited 

10 English proficient and children with dis11 abilities; 

12 ‘‘(III) activities to pay expenses, in13 cluding direct training for expert consult14 ants working with any staff, to improve the 

15 management and implementation of Head 

16 Start services and systems; 

17 ‘‘(IV) activities that help ensure that 

18 Head Start programs have qualified staff 

19 who can promote language skills and lit20 eracy growth of children and who can pro21 vide children with a variety of skills that 

22 have been identified as predictive of later 

23 reading achievement, school success, and 

24 other educational skills described in section 

25 641A; 
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1 ‘‘(V) activities to improve staff quali2 fications and to assist with the implemen3 tation of career development programs and 

4 to encourage the staff to continually im5 prove their skills and expertise, including 

6 developing partnerships with programs 

7 that recruit, train, place, and support col8 lege students in Head Start centers to de9 liver an innovative early learning program 

10 to preschool children; 

11 ‘‘(VI) activities that help local pro12 grams ensure that the arrangement, condi13 tion, and implementation of the learning 

14 environments in Head Start programs are 

15 conducive to providing effective program 

16 services to children and families; 

17 ‘‘(VII) activities to provide training 

18 necessary to improve the qualifications of 

19 Head Start staff and to support staff 

20 training, child counseling, health services, 

21 and other services necessary to address the 

22 needs of children enrolled in Head Start 

23 programs, including children from families 

24 in crises, children who experience chronic 

25 violence or homelessness, and children who 
12 

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1 experience substance abuse in their fami2 lies, and children under 3 years of age, 

3 where applicable; 

4 ‘‘(VIII) activities to provide classes or 

5 in-service-type programs to improve or en6 hance parenting skills, job skills, adult and 

7 family literacy, including financial literacy, 

8 or training to become a classroom aide or 

9 bus driver in a Head Start program; 

10 ‘‘(IX) additional activities deemed ap11 propriate to the improvement of Head 

12 Start agencies’ programs, as determined by 

13 the agencies’ technical assistance and 

14 training plans; or 

15 ‘‘(X) any other activities regarding 

16 the use of funds as determined by the Sec17 retary; 

18 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent shall be made available to 

19 the Secretary to support a regional or State 

20 system of early childhood education training 

21 and technical assistance, and to assist local pro22 grams (including Indian Head Start programs 

23 and migrant and seasonal Head Start pro24 grams) in meeting the standards described in 

25 section 641A(a)(1); and 
13 

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1 ‘‘(iii) not less than $3,000,000 of the 

2 amount in clause (ii) appropriated for such fis3 cal year shall be made available to carry out ac4 tivities described in section 648(d)(4);’’; 

5 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

6 ‘‘agencies;’’ and inserting ‘‘agencies);’’; and 

7 (D) by adding at the end of the flush mat8 ter at the end the following: ‘‘The Secretary 

9 shall require each Head Start agency to report 

10 at the end of each budget year on how funds 

11 provided to carry out subparagraph (C)(i) were 

12 used.’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(I)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘60 percent of such ex16 cess amount for fiscal year 1999’’ and all 

17 that follows through ‘‘2002, and’’; and 

18 (ii) by inserting before the semicolon 

19 the following: ‘‘, 30 percent of such excess 

20 amount for fiscal year 2006, and 40 per21 cent of such excess amount for each of fis22 cal years 2007 through 2010’’; 

23 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

24 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘perform25 ance standards’’ and all that follows and 
14 

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1 inserting ‘‘standards and measures pursu2 ant to section 641A.’’; 

3 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert4 ing the following: 

5 ‘‘(ii) Ensuring that such programs have ade6 quate numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff 

7 is furnished adequate training, including training to 

8 promote the development of language skills, 

9 premathematics skills, and prereading in young chil10 dren and in working with limited English proficient 

11 children, children in foster care, children referred by 

12 child welfare services, and children with disabilities, 

13 when appropriate.’’; 

14 (iii) by striking clause (iii) and insert15 ing the following: 

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

17 and benefits standards under section 644(a) and 

18 section 653, in order to ensure that salary levels and 

19 benefits are adequate to attract and retain qualified 

20 staff for such programs.’’; 

21 (iv) by striking clause (iv) and insert22 ing the following: 

23 ‘‘(iv) Using salary increases to— 
15 

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1 ‘‘(I) assist with the implementation of 

2 quality programs and improve staff qualifica3 tions; 

4 ‘‘(II) ensure that staff can promote the 

5 language skills and literacy growth of children 

6 and can provide children with a variety of skills 

7 that have been identified, through scientifically 

8 based early reading research, as predictive of 

9 later reading achievement, as well as additional 

10 skills identified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(III) encourage the staff to continually 

13 improve their skills and expertise by informing 

14 the staff of the availability of Federal and State 

15 incentive and loan forgiveness programs for 

16 professional development.’’; 

17 (v) in clause (v), by inserting ‘‘, in18 cluding collaborations to increase program 

19 participation by underserved populations of 

20 eligible children’’ before the period; and 

21 (vi) by striking clauses (vii) and (viii) 

22 and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(vii) Providing assistance to complete postsec24 ondary coursework including scholarships or other fi25 nancial incentives, such as differential and merit 
16 

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1 pay, to enable Head Start teachers to improve com2 petencies and the resulting child outcomes. 

3 ‘‘(viii) Promoting the regular attendance and 

4 stability of all Head Start children with particular 

5 attention to highly mobile children, including chil6 dren from migrant and seasonal farmworking fami7 lies (where appropriate), homeless children, and chil8 dren in foster care. 

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

10 quality of such programs as the Secretary may des11 ignate.’’; and 

12 (C) in subparagraph (C)— 

13 (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking the last 

14 sentence and inserting ‘‘Salary increases, 

15 in excess of cost-of-living allowances, pro16 vided with such funds shall be subject to 

17 the specific standards governing salaries 

18 and salary increases established pursuant 

19 to section 644(a).’’; 

20 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

21 (I) in the matter preceding sub22 clause (I), by striking ‘‘education per23 formance’’ and inserting ‘‘additional 

24 educational’’; 
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1 (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 

2 ‘‘, prereading,’’ after ‘‘language’’; 

3 (III) by striking subclause (II) 

4 and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(II) to help limited English proficient 

6 children attain the knowledge, skills, and devel7 opment specified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) 

8 and to promote the acquisition of the English 

9 language by such children and families;’’; and 

10 (IV) by striking subclause (IV) 

11 and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘(IV) to provide education and training 

13 necessary to improve the qualifications of Head 

14 Start staff, particularly assistance to enable 

15 more instructors to be fully competent and to 

16 meet the degree requirements under section 

17 648A(a)(2)(A), and to support staff training, 

18 child counseling, and other services necessary to 

19 address the challenges of children participating 

20 in Head Start programs, including children 

21 from immigrant, refugee, and asylee families, 

22 children from families in crisis, homeless chil23 dren, children in foster care, children referred 

24 to Head Start programs by child welfare agen-
18 

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1 cies, and children who are exposed to chronic 

2 violence or substance abuse.’’; 

3 (iii) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘, edu4 cational staff who have the qualifications 

5 described in section 648A(a),’’ after 

6 ‘‘ratio’’; 

7 (iv) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘pro8 grams, including’’ and all that follows and 

9 inserting ‘‘programs.’’; 

10 (v) by redesignating clause (vi) as 

11 clause (x); and 

12 (vi) by inserting after clause (v) the 

13 following: 

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

15 in an effort to increase the program participation of 

16 eligible homeless children. 

17 ‘‘(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and sea18 sonal farmworking families and families with limited 

19 English proficient children. 

20 ‘‘(viii) To partner with institutions of higher 

21 education and nonprofit organizations, including 

22 community-based organizations, that recruit, train, 

23 place, and support college students to serve as men24 tors and reading coaches to preschool children in 

25 Head Start programs. 
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1 ‘‘(ix) To upgrade the qualifications and skills of 

2 educational personnel to meet the professional 

3 standards described in section 648A(a)(1), including 

4 certification and licensure as bilingual education 

5 teachers and for other educational personnel who 

6 serve limited English proficient students.’’; 

7 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

9 ‘‘1998’’ and inserting ‘‘2005’’; and 

10 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(B) any amount available after all allotments 

13 are made under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal 

14 year shall be distributed as follows: 

15 ‘‘(i) Each State shall receive an amount 

16 sufficient to serve the same number of children 

17 in Head Start programs in each State as were 

18 served on the date of enactment of the Head 

19 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, 

20 taking into consideration an appropriate adjust21 ment for inflation. 

22 ‘‘(ii) After ensuring that each State has re23 ceived the amount described in clause (i) and 

24 after allotting the funds reserved under para25 graph (3)(A) as specified in paragraph (3)(D), 
20 

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1 the Secretary shall distribute the remaining bal2 ance, by— 

3 ‘‘(I) distributing 65 percent of the 

4 balance by giving priority to States serving 

5 the smallest percentages of eligible children 

6 (as determined by the Secretary); and 

7 ‘‘(II) distributing 35 percent of the 

8 balance on a competitive basis.’’; 

9 (4) in paragraph (5)— 

10 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

11 and (F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respec12 tively; and 

13 (B) by striking subparagraphs (B), (C), 

14 and (D) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(B)(i) From the reserved sums, the Secretary shall 

16 award a collaboration grant to each State to facilitate col17 laboration between Head Start agencies and entities (in18 cluding the State) that carry out other activities designed 

19 to benefit low-income families and children from birth to 

20 school entry. 

21 ‘‘(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to— 

22 ‘‘(I) encourage Head Start agencies to collabo23 rate with entities involved in State and local plan24 ning processes to better meet the needs of low-in-
21 

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1 come families and children from birth to school 

2 entry; 

3 ‘‘(II) encourage Head Start agencies to coordi4 nate activities with the State agency responsible for 

5 administering the State program carried out under 

6 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 

7 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and entities providing 

8 resources and referral services in the State to make 

9 full-working-day and full calendar year services 

10 available to children; 

11 ‘‘(III) promote alignment of Head Start serv12 ices with State early learning and school readiness 

13 goals and standards, including the Head Start child 

14 outcome framework; 

15 ‘‘(IV) promote better linkages between Head 

16 Start agencies and other child and family agencies, 

17 including agencies that provide health, mental 

18 health, or family services, or other child or family 

19 supportive services; and 

20 ‘‘(V) carry out the activities of the State Direc21 tor of Head Start Collaboration authorized in sub22 paragraph (D). 

23 ‘‘(C) In order to improve coordination and delivery 

24 of early education services to children in the State, a State 

25 that receives a grant under subparagraph (B) shall— 
22 

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

2 Director of Head Start Collaboration; 

3 ‘‘(ii) ensure that the State Director of Head 

4 Start Collaboration holds a position with sufficient 

5 authority and access to ensure that the collaboration 

6 described in subparagraph (B) is effective and in7 volves a range of State agencies; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) involve the State Head Start Association 

9 in the selection of the Director and involve the Asso10 ciation in determinations relating to the ongoing di11 rection of the collaboration office. 

12 ‘‘(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, 

13 after consultation with the State Advisory Council de14 scribed in subparagraph (E), shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) not later than 1 year after the date of en16 actment of the Head Start Improvements for School 

17 Readiness Act, conduct an assessment that— 

18 ‘‘(I) addresses the needs of Head Start 

19 agencies in the State with respect to collabo20 rating, coordinating services, and implementing 

21 State early learning and school readiness goals 

22 and standards to better serve children enrolled 

23 in Head Start programs in the State; 

24 ‘‘(II) shall be updated on an annual basis; 

25 and 
23 

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1 ‘‘(III) shall be made available to the gen2 eral public within the State; 

3 ‘‘(ii) assess the availability of high quality pre4 kindergarten services for low-income children in the 

5 State; 

6 ‘‘(iii) develop a strategic plan that is based on 

7 the assessment described in clause (i) that will— 

8 ‘‘(I) enhance collaboration and coordina9 tion of Head Start services with other entities 

10 providing early childhood programs and services 

11 (such as child care and services offered by mu12 seums), health care, mental health care, wel13 fare, child protective services, education and 

14 community service activities, family literacy 

15 services, reading readiness programs (including 

16 such programs offered by public and school li17 braries), services relating to children with dis18 abilities, other early childhood programs and 

19 services for limited English proficient children 

20 and homeless children, and services provided for 

21 children in foster care and children referred to 

22 Head Start programs by child welfare agencies, 

23 including agencies and State officials respon24 sible for such services; 
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1 ‘‘(II) assist Head Start agencies to develop 

2 a plan for the provision of full-working-day, full 

3 calendar year services for children enrolled in 

4 Head Start programs who need such care; 

5 ‘‘(III) assist Head Start agencies to align 

6 services with State early learning and school 

7 readiness goals and standards and to facilitate 

8 collaborative efforts to develop local school 

9 readiness standards; and 

10 ‘‘(IV) enable agencies in the State to bet11 ter coordinate professional development oppor12 tunities for Head Start staff, such as by— 

13 ‘‘(aa) assisting 2- and 4-year public 

14 and private institutions of higher education 

15 to develop articulation agreements; 

16 ‘‘(bb) awarding grants to institutions 

17 of higher education to develop model early 

18 childhood education programs, including 

19 practica or internships for students to 

20 spend time in a Head Start or prekinder21 garten program; 

22 ‘‘(cc) working with local Head Start 

23 agencies to meet the degree requirements 

24 described in section 648A(a)(2)(A), includ25 ing providing distance learning opportuni-
25 

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1 ties for Head Start staff, where needed to 

2 make higher education more accessible to 

3 Head Start staff; and 

4 ‘‘(dd) enabling the State Head Start 

5 agencies to better coordinate outreach to 

6 eligible families; 

7 ‘‘(iv) promote partnerships between Head Start 

8 agencies, State governments, and the private sector 

9 to help ensure that preschool children from low-in10 come families are receiving comprehensive services to 

11 prepare the children to enter school ready to learn; 

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

13 local educational agencies, and providers of early 

14 childhood education and care to conduct unified 

15 planning regarding early care and education services 

16 at both the State and local levels, including under17 taking collaborative efforts to develop and make im18 provements in school readiness standards; 

19 ‘‘(vi) promote partnerships (such as the part20 nerships involved with the Free to Grow initiative) 

21 between Head Start agencies, schools, law enforce22 ment, and substance abuse and mental health treat23 ment agencies to strengthen family and community 

24 environments and to reduce the impact on child de25 velopment of substance abuse, child abuse, domestic 
26 

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1 violence, and other high risk behaviors that com2 promise healthy development; 

3 ‘‘(vii) promote partnerships between Head Start 

4 agencies and other organizations in order to enhance 

5 the Head Start curriculum, including partnerships 

6 to promote inclusion of more books in Head Start 

7 classrooms and partnerships to promote coordination 

8 of activities with the Ready-to-Learn Television pro9 gram carried out under subpart 3 of part D of title 

10 II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

11 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); and 

12 ‘‘(viii) identify other resources and organiza13 tions (both public and private) for the provision of 

14 in-kind services to Head Start agencies in the State. 

15 ‘‘(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall designate or 

16 establish a council to serve as the State advisory council 

17 on collaboration on early care and education activities for 

18 children from birth to school entry (in this subchapter re19 ferred to as the ‘State Advisory Council’). 

20 ‘‘(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity 

21 to serve as the State Advisory Council, if the entity in22 cludes representatives described in subclauses (I) through 

23 (XXIV) of clause (iii). 

24 ‘‘(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall in25 clude, to the maximum extent possible— 
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1 ‘‘(I) the State Director of Head Start Collabo2 ration; 

3 ‘‘(II) a representative of the appropriate re4 gional office of the Administration for Children and 

5 Families; 

6 ‘‘(III) a representative of the State educational 

7 agency and local educational agencies; 

8 ‘‘(IV) a representative of institutions of higher 

9 education; 

10 ‘‘(V) a representative (or representatives) of the 

11 State agency (or agencies) responsible for health or 

12 mental health care; 

13 ‘‘(VI) a representative of the State agency re14 sponsible for teacher professional standards, certifi15 cation, and licensing, including prekindergarten 

16 teacher professional standards, certification stand17 ards, certification, and licensing, where applicable; 

18 ‘‘(VII) a representative of the State agency re19 sponsible for child care; 

20 ‘‘(VIII) early childhood education professionals, 

21 including professionals with expertise in second lan22 guage acquisition and instructional strategies in 

23 teaching limited English proficient children; 

24 ‘‘(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in 

25 grades 1 through 3; 
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1 ‘‘(X) health care professionals; 

2 ‘‘(XI) child development specialists, including 

3 specialists in prenatal, infant, and toddler develop4 ment; 

5 ‘‘(XII) a representative of the State agency re6 sponsible for assisting children with developmental 

7 disabilities; 

8 ‘‘(XIII) a representative of the State agency re9 sponsible for programs under part C of the Individ10 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

11 1431 et seq.); 

12 ‘‘(XIV) a representative of the State inter13 agency coordinating councils established under sec14 tion 641 of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu15 cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1441); 

16 ‘‘(XV) a representative of the State Head Start 

17 Association (where appropriate), and other rep18 resentatives of Head Start programs in the State; 

19 ‘‘(XVI) a representative of the State network of 

20 child care resource and referral agencies; 

21 ‘‘(XVII) a representative of community-based 

22 organizations; 

23 ‘‘(XVIII) a representative of State and local 

24 providers of early childhood education and child 

25 care; 
29 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(XIX) a representative of migrant and sea2 sonal Head Start programs and Indian Head Start 

3 programs (where appropriate); 

4 ‘‘(XX) parents; 

5 ‘‘(XXI) religious and business leaders; 

6 ‘‘(XXII) the head of the State library adminis7 trative agency; 

8 ‘‘(XXIII) representatives of State and local or9 ganizations and other entities providing professional 

10 development to early care and education providers; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(XXIV) a representative of other entities de13 termined to be relevant by the chief executive officer 

14 of the State. 

15 ‘‘(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be respon16 sible for, in addition to responsibilities assigned to the 

17 council by the chief executive officer of the State— 

18 ‘‘(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs as19 sessment concerning early care and education pro20 grams for children from birth to school entry; 

21 ‘‘(bb) identifying barriers to, and opportunities 

22 for, collaboration and coordination between entities 

23 carrying out Federal and State child development, 

24 child care, and early childhood education programs; 
30 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(cc) developing recommendations regarding 

2 means of establishing a unified data collection sys3 tem for early care and education programs through4 out the State; 

5 ‘‘(dd) developing a statewide professional devel6 opment and career ladder plan for early care and 

7 education in the State; and 

8 ‘‘(ee) reviewing and approving the strategic 

9 plan, regarding collaborating and coordinating serv10 ices to better serve children enrolled in Head Start 

11 programs, developed by the State Director of Head 

12 Start Collaboration under subparagraph (D)(iii). 

13 ‘‘(II) The State Advisory Council shall hold public 

14 hearings and provide an opportunity for public comment 

15 on the needs assessment and recommendations described 

16 in subclause (I). The State Advisory Council shall submit 

17 a statewide strategic report containing the needs assess18 ment and recommendations described in subclause (I) to 

19 the State Director of Head Start Collaboration and the 

20 chief executive officer of the State. 

21 ‘‘(III) After submission of a statewide strategic re22 port under subclause (II), the State Advisory Council shall 

23 meet periodically to review any implementation of the rec24 ommendations in such report and any changes in State 

25 and local needs.’’; and 
31 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (5) in paragraph (6)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘7.5 

3 percent’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘11 

4 percent for fiscal year 2006, 13 percent for fis5 cal year 2007, 15 percent for fiscal year 2008, 

6 17 percent for fiscal year 2009, and 18 percent 

7 for fiscal year 2010, of the amount appro8 priated pursuant to section 639(a).’’; 

9 (B) by striking subparagraph (B); 

10 (C) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking 

11 ‘‘required to be’’; and 

12 (D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

13 subparagraph (B). 

14 (b) SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS.—Section 640(f) of 

15 the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(f)) is amended by 

16 striking ‘‘needs.’’ and inserting ‘‘needs, including— 

17 ‘‘(1) models that leverage the capacity and ca18 pabilities of the delivery system of early childhood 

19 education and child care; and 

20 ‘‘(2) procedures to provide for the conversion of 

21 part-day programs to full-day programs or part-day 

22 slots to full-day slots.’’. 

23 (c) ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—Section 640(g)(2) of the 

24 Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(g)(2)) is amended— 
32 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (1) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(C) the extent to which the applicant has un4 dertaken communitywide strategic planning and 

5 needs assessments involving other community orga6 nizations and Federal, State, and local public agen7 cies serving children and families (including organi8 zations and agencies providing family support serv9 ices and protective services to children and families 

10 and organizations serving families in whose homes 

11 English is not the language customarily spoken), 

12 and individuals, organizations, and public entities 

13 serving children with disabilities, children in foster 

14 care, and homeless children including the local edu15 cational agency liaison designated under section 

16 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 

17 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii));’’; 

18 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘other 

19 local’’ and inserting ‘‘the State and local’’; 

20 (3) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘would 

21 like to participate but’’ after ‘‘community who’’; 

22 (4) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ‘‘leverage 

23 the existing delivery systems of such services and’’ 

24 after ‘‘manner that will’’; and 
33 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (5) in subparagraph (H), by inserting ‘‘, includ2 ing the local educational agency liaison designated 

3 under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney4 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)),’’ after ‘‘community involved’’. 

6 (d) REGULATIONS.—Section 640(i) of the Head Start 

7 Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and re8 quirements to ensure the appropriate supervision and 

9 background checks of individuals with whom the agencies 

10 contract to transport those children’’ before the period. 

11 (e) MIGRANT AND SEASONAL HEAD START PRO12 GRAMS.—Section 640(l) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 9835(l)) is amended by striking paragraph (3) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary 

16 shall continue the administrative arrangement at the na17 tional or regional level for meeting the needs of Indian 

18 children and children of migrant and seasonal farm19 workers and shall ensure that appropriate funding is pro20 vided to meet such needs, including training and technical 

21 assistance and the appointment of a national migrant and 

22 seasonal Head Start collaboration director and a national 

23 Indian Head Start collaboration director. 

24 ‘‘(4)(A) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the Sec25 retary shall conduct an annual consultation in each af-
34 

•S 1107 RS 

1 fected Head Start region, with tribal governments oper2 ating Head Start and Early Head Start programs. 

3 ‘‘(B) The consultations shall be for the purpose of 

4 better meeting the needs of American Indian and Alaska 

5 Native children and families pertinent to subsections (a), 

6 (b), and (c) of section 641, taking into consideration fund7 ing allocations, distribution formulas, and other issues af8 fecting the delivery of Head Start services within tribal 

9 communities. 

10 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the 

11 consultations in the Federal Register prior to conducting 

12 the consultations. 

13 ‘‘(D) A detailed report of each consultation shall be 

14 prepared and made available, on a timely basis, to all trib15 al governments receiving funds under this subchapter.’’. 

16 (f) HOMELESS CHILDREN.—Section 640 of the Head 

17 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835) is amended by adding at the 

18 end the following: 

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

20 Secretary shall issue regulations to remove barriers to the 

21 enrollment and participation of homeless children in Head 

22 Start programs. Such regulations shall require Head Start 

23 agencies to— 
35 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(1) implement policies and procedures to en2 sure that homeless children are identified and re3 ceive appropriate priority for enrollment; 

4 ‘‘(2) allow homeless children to apply to, enroll 

5 in, and attend Head Start programs while required 

6 documents, such as proof of residency, proof of im7 munization, and other medical records, birth certifi8 cates, and other documents, are obtained within a 

9 reasonable timeframe (consistent with State law); 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(3) coordinate individual Head Start programs 

12 with efforts to implement subtitle B of title VII of 

13 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

14 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.). 

15 ‘‘(n) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub16 chapter shall be construed to require a State to establish 

17 a program of early education for children in the State, 

18 to require any child to participate in a program of early 

19 education in order to attend preschool, or to participate 

20 in any initial screening prior to participation in such pro21 gram, except as provided under section 612(a)(3) of the 

22 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

23 1412(a)(3)) and consistent with section 614(a)(1)(C) of 

24 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1)(C)). 
36 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(o) MATERIALS.—All curricula funded under this 

2 subchapter shall be scientifically based and age appro3 priate. Parents shall have the opportunity to examine any 

4 such curricula or instructional materials funded under this 

5 subchapter.’’. 

6 SEC. 7. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

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

8 is amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

10 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 

12 to designate as a Head Start agency any local public 

13 or private nonprofit or for-profit agency, within a 

14 community, including a community-based organiza15 tion that— 

16 ‘‘(A) has power and authority to carry out 

17 the purpose of this subchapter and perform the 

18 functions set forth in section 642 within a com19 munity; and 

20 ‘‘(B) is determined to be capable of plan21 ning, conducting, administering, and evaluating, 

22 either directly or by other arrangements, a 

23 Head Start program. 

24 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED GOALS FOR DESIGNATION.—In 

25 order to be designated as a Head Start agency, an 
37 

•S 1107 RS 

1 entity described in paragraph (1) shall establish pro2 gram goals for improving the school readiness of 

3 children participating in a program under this sub4 chapter, including goals for meeting the performance 

5 standards and additional educational standards de6 scribed in section 641A and shall establish results7 based school readiness goals that are aligned with 

8 State early learning standards, if applicable, and re9 quirements and expectations for local public schools. 

10 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY FOR SUBSEQUENT GRANTS.— 

11 In order to receive a grant under this subchapter 

12 subsequent to the initial grant provided following the 

13 date of enactment of the Head Start Improvements 

14 for School Readiness Act, an entity described in 

15 paragraph (1) shall demonstrate that the entity has 

16 met or is making progress toward meeting the goals 

17 described in paragraph (2). 

18 ‘‘(4) GOVERNING BODY.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

20 ‘‘(i) ENSURING HIGH QUALITY PRO21 GRAMS.—In order to be designated as a 

22 Head Start agency, an entity described in 

23 paragraph (1) shall have a governing 

24 body— 
38 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(I) with legal and fiscal respon2 sibility for administering and over3 seeing programs under this sub4 chapter; and 

5 ‘‘(II) that fully participates in 

6 the development, planning, implemen7 tation, and evaluation of the programs 

8 to ensure the operation of programs 

9 of high quality. 

10 ‘‘(ii) ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH

11 LAWS.—The governing body shall be re12 sponsible for ensuring compliance with 

13 Federal laws and regulations, including the 

14 performance standards described in section 

15 641A, as well as applicable State, Tribal, 

16 and local laws and regulations, including 

17 laws defining the nature and operations of 

18 the governing body. 

19 ‘‘(B) COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING

20 BODY.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The governing 

22 body shall be composed as follows: 

23 ‘‘(I) Not less than 1 member of 

24 the governing body shall have a back25 ground in fiscal management. 
39 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(II) Not less than 1 member of 

2 the governing body shall have a back3 ground in early childhood develop4 ment. 

5 ‘‘(III) Not less than 1 member of 

6 the governing body shall live in the 

7 local community to be served by the 

8 entity. 

9 ‘‘(ii) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—Mem10 bers of the governing body shall— 

11 ‘‘(I) not have a conflict of inter12 est with the Head Start agency or del13 egate agencies; and 

14 ‘‘(II) not receive compensation 

15 for service to the Head Start agency. 

16 ‘‘(C) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The governing 

18 body shall be responsible, in consultation 

19 with the policy council or the policy com20 mittee of the Head Start agency, for— 

21 ‘‘(I) the selection of delegate 

22 agencies and such agencies’ service 

23 areas; 
40 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(II) establishing criteria for de2 fining recruitment, selection, and en3 rollment priorities; 

4 ‘‘(III) all funding applications 

5 and amendments to funding applica6 tions for programs under this sub7 chapter; 

8 ‘‘(IV) the annual self-assessment 

9 of the Head Start agency or delegate 

10 agency’s progress in carrying out the 

11 programmatic and fiscal intent of 

12 such agency’s grant application, in13 cluding planning or other actions that 

14 may result from the review of the an15 nual audit, self-assessment, and find16 ings from the Federal monitoring re17 view; 

18 ‘‘(V) the composition of the pol19 icy council or the policy committee of 

20 the Head Start agency and the proce21 dures by which group members are 

22 chosen; 

23 ‘‘(VI) audits, accounting, and re24 porting; 
41 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(VII) personnel policies and 

2 procedures including decisions with 

3 regard to salary scales (and changes 

4 made to the scale), salaries of the Ex5 ecutive Director, Head Start Director, 

6 the Director of Human Resources, 

7 and the Chief Fiscal Officer, and deci8 sions to hire and terminate program 

9 staff; and 

10 ‘‘(VIII) the community assess11 ment, including any updates to such 

12 assessment. 

13 ‘‘(ii) CONDUCT OF RESPONSIBIL14 ITIES.—The governing body shall develop 

15 an internal control structure to facilitate 

16 these responsibilities in order to— 

17 ‘‘(I) safeguard Federal funds; 

18 ‘‘(II) comply with laws and regu19 lations that have an impact on finan20 cial statements; 

21 ‘‘(III) detect or prevent non22 compliance with this subchapter; and 

23 ‘‘(IV) receive audit reports and 

24 direct and monitor staff implementa25 tion of corrective actions. 
42 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(D) RECEIPT OF INFORMATION.—To fa2 cilitate oversight and Head Start agency ac3 countability, the governing body shall receive 

4 regular and accurate information about pro5 gram planning, policies, and Head Start agency 

6 operations, including— 

7 ‘‘(i) monthly financial statements (in8 cluding detailed credit card account ex9 penditures for any employee with a Head 

10 Start agency credit card or who seeks re11 imbursement for charged expenses); 

12 ‘‘(ii) monthly program information 

13 summaries; 

14 ‘‘(iii) program enrollment reports, in15 cluding attendance reports for children 

16 whose care is partially subsidized by an17 other public agency; 

18 ‘‘(iv) monthly report of meals and 

19 snacks through programs of the Depart20 ment of Agriculture; 

21 ‘‘(v) the annual financial audit; 

22 ‘‘(vi) the annual self-assessment, in23 cluding any findings related to the annual 

24 self-assessment; 
43 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(vii) the community assessment of 

2 the Head Start agency’s service area and 

3 any applicable updates; and 

4 ‘‘(viii) the program information re5 ports. 

6 ‘‘(E) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST7 ANCE.—Appropriate training and technical as8 sistance shall be provided to the members of the 

9 governing body to ensure that the members un10 derstand the information the members receive 

11 and can effectively oversee and participate in 

12 the programs of the Head Start agency. 

13 ‘‘(b) COMMUNITIES.—For purposes of this sub14 chapter, a community may be a city, county, or multicity 

15 or multicounty unit within a State, an Indian reservation 

16 (including Indians in any off-reservation area designated 

17 by an appropriate tribal government in consultation with 

18 the Secretary), or a neighborhood or other area (irrespec19 tive of boundaries or political subdivisions) that provides 

20 a suitable organizational base and possesses the com21 monality of interest needed to operate a Head Start pro22 gram. 

23 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN DESIGNATION.—In administering 

24 the provisions of this section, the Secretary shall, in con25 sultation with the chief executive officer of the State in-
44 

•S 1107 RS 

1 volved, give priority in the designation (including redesig2 nation) of Head Start agencies to any high-performing 

3 Head Start agency or delegate agency that— 

4 ‘‘(1) is receiving assistance under this sub5 chapter; 

6 ‘‘(2) meets or exceeds program and financial 

7 management requirements or standards described in 

8 section 641A(a)(1); 

9 ‘‘(3) has no unresolved deficiencies and has not 

10 had findings of deficiencies during the last triennial 

11 review under section 641A(c); and 

12 ‘‘(4) can demonstrate, through agreements such 

13 as memoranda of understanding, active collaboration 

14 with the State or local community in the provision 

15 of services for children (such as the provision of ex16 tended day services, education, professional develop17 ment and training for staff, and other types of coop18 erative endeavors). 

19 ‘‘(d) DESIGNATION WHEN ENTITY HAS PRIORITY.— 

20 If no entity in a community is entitled to the priority spec21 ified in subsection (c), the Secretary shall, after con22 ducting an open competition, designate a Head Start 

23 agency from among qualified applicants in such commu24 nity. 
45 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwithstanding 

2 any other provision of law, under no condition may a non3 Indian Head Start agency receive a grant to carry out an 

4 Indian Head Start program. 

5 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVENESS.—In selecting from among 

6 qualified applicants for designation as a Head Start agen7 cy, the Secretary shall consider the effectiveness of each 

8 such applicant to provide Head Start services, based on— 

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

10 providing services comparable to Head Start serv11 ices, including how effectively such applicant pro12 vided such comparable services; 

13 ‘‘(2) the plan of such applicant to provide com14 prehensive health, educational, nutritional, social, 

15 and other services needed to aid participating chil16 dren in attaining their full potential, and to prepare 

17 children to succeed in school; 

18 ‘‘(3) the capacity of such applicant to serve eli19 gible children with programs that use scientifically 

20 based research that promote school readiness of chil21 dren participating in the program; 

22 ‘‘(4) the plan of such applicant to meet stand23 ards set forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular 

24 attention to the standards set forth in subpara25 graphs (A) and (B) of such section; 
46 

•S 1107 RS 

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

2 the Head Start program the applicant proposes to 

3 carry out with other preschool programs, includ4 ing— 

5 ‘‘(A) the Early Reading First and Even 

6 Start programs under subparts 2 and 3 of part 

7 B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 

9 6381 et seq.); 

10 ‘‘(B) programs under section 619 and part 

11 C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

12 Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); 

13 ‘‘(C) State prekindergarten programs; 

14 ‘‘(D) child care programs; 

15 ‘‘(E) the educational programs that the 

16 children in the Head Start program involved 

17 will enter at the age of compulsory school at18 tendance; and 

19 ‘‘(F) reading readiness programs such as 

20 those conducted by public and school libraries; 

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

22 the Head Start program that the applicant proposes 

23 to carry out with public and private entities who are 

24 willing to commit resources to assist the Head Start 

25 program in meeting its program needs; 
47 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate 

2 with a local library, where available, that is inter3 ested in that collaboration, to— 

4 ‘‘(A) develop innovative programs to excite 

5 children about the world of books, such as pro6 grams that involve— 

7 ‘‘(i) taking children to the library for 

8 a story hour; 

9 ‘‘(ii) promoting the use of library 

10 cards; 

11 ‘‘(iii) developing a lending library or 

12 using a mobile library van; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) providing fresh books in the 

14 Head Start classroom on a regular basis; 

15 ‘‘(B) assist in literacy training for Head 

16 Start teachers; and 

17 ‘‘(C) support parents and other caregivers 

18 in literacy efforts; 

19 ‘‘(8) the plan of such applicant— 

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

21 participating children in activities (at home and 

22 in the center involved where practicable) de23 signed to help such parents become full part24 ners in the education of their children; 
48 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B) to afford such parents the oppor2 tunity to participate in the development and 

3 overall conduct of the program at the local 

4 level, including through providing transpor5 tation costs; 

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

7 to local entities, such as entities carrying out 

8 Even Start programs under subpart 3 of part 

9 B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

10 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et 

11 seq.), public and school libraries, and entities 

12 carrying out family support programs) to such 

13 parents— 

14 ‘‘(i) family literacy services; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) parenting skills training; 

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

17 children substance abuse counseling (either di18 rectly or through referral to local entities), in19 cluding information on the effect of drug expo20 sure on infants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 

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

22 offer (directly or through referral to local enti23 ties) to such parents— 

24 ‘‘(i) training in basic child develop25 ment (including cognitive development); 
49 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(ii) assistance in developing literacy 

2 and communication skills; 

3 ‘‘(iii) opportunities to share experi4 ences with other parents (including parent 

5 mentor relationships); 

6 ‘‘(iv) regular in-home visitation; or 

7 ‘‘(v) any other activity designed to 

8 help such parents become full partners in 

9 the education of their children; 

10 ‘‘(F) to provide, with respect to each par11 ticipating family, a family needs assessment 

12 that includes consultation with such parents 

13 about the benefits of parent involvement and 

14 about the activities described in subparagraphs 

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

16 choose to become involved (taking into consider17 ation their specific family needs, work sched18 ules, and other responsibilities); and 

19 ‘‘(G) to extend outreach to fathers, in ap20 propriate cases, in order to strengthen the role 

21 of fathers in families, in the education of their 

22 young children, and in the Head Start program, 

23 by working directly with fathers and father fig24 ures through activities such as— 
50 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(i) in appropriate cases, including fa2 thers in home visits and providing opportu3 nities for direct father-child interactions; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(ii) targeting increased male partici6 pation in the conduct of the program; 

7 ‘‘(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out 

8 the plans described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5); 

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

10 of this subchapter; 

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

12 needs of limited English proficient children and their 

13 families, including procedures to identify such chil14 dren, plans to provide trained personnel, and plans 

15 to provide services to assist the children in making 

16 progress toward the acquisition of the English lan17 guage; 

18 ‘‘(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the 

19 needs of children with disabilities; 

20 ‘‘(13) the plan of such applicant who chooses to 

21 assist younger siblings of children who will partici22 pate in the Head Start program, to obtain health 

23 services from other sources; 
51 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(14) 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 ‘‘(15) the plan of such applicant to meet the 

5 needs of homeless children and children in foster 

6 care, including the transportation needs of such chil7 dren; and 

8 ‘‘(16) the plan of such applicant to recruit and 

9 retain qualified staff. 

10 ‘‘(g) INTERIM BASIS.—If there is not a qualified ap11 plicant in a community for designation as a Head Start 

12 agency, the Secretary shall designate a qualified agency 

13 to carry out the Head Start program in the community 

14 on an interim basis until a qualified applicant from the 

15 community is so designated. 

16 ‘‘(h) INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS AND AREA RESI17 DENTS.—The Secretary shall continue the practice of in18 volving parents and area residents who are affected by 

19 programs under this subchapter in the selection of quali20 fied applicants for designation as Head Start agencies. 

21 ‘‘(i) PRIORITY.—In selecting from among qualified 

22 applicants for designation as a Head Start agency, the 

23 Secretary shall give priority to applicants that have dem24 onstrated capacity in providing effective, comprehensive, 
52 

•S 1107 RS 

1 and well-coordinated early childhood services to children 

2 and their families.’’. 

3 SEC. 8. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD 

4 START AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS. 

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

6 9836a) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 

9 ‘‘642(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘642(c)’’; 

10 (B) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

11 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘edu12 cation performance standards’’ and insert13 ing ‘‘educational performance standards’’; 

14 and 

15 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(ii) additional educational standards 

18 based on the recommendations of the National 

19 Academy of Sciences panel described in section 

20 649(h) and other experts in the field, to ensure 

21 that the curriculum involved addresses, and 

22 that the children participating in the program 

23 show appropriate progress toward developing 

24 and applying, the recommended educational 

25 outcomes, after the panel considers the appro-
53 

•S 1107 RS 

1 priateness of additional educational standards 

2 relating to— 

3 ‘‘(I) language skills related to listen4 ing, understanding, speaking, and commu5 nicating, including— 

6 ‘‘(aa) understanding and use of a 

7 diverse vocabulary (including knowing 

8 the names of colors) and knowledge of 

9 how to use oral language to commu10 nicate for various purposes; 

11 ‘‘(bb) narrative abilities used, for 

12 example, to comprehend, tell, and re13 spond to a story, or to comprehend in14 structions; 

15 ‘‘(cc) ability to detect and 

16 produce sounds of the language the 

17 child speaks or is learning; and 

18 ‘‘(dd) clarity of pronunciation 

19 and speaking in syntactically and 

20 grammatically correct sentences; 

21 ‘‘(II) prereading knowledge and skills, 

22 including— 

23 ‘‘(aa) alphabet knowledge includ24 ing knowing the letter names and as25 sociating letters with their shapes and 
54 

•S 1107 RS 

1 sounds in the language the child 

2 speaks or is learning; 

3 ‘‘(bb) phonological awareness and 

4 processes that support reading, for ex5 ample, rhyming, recognizing speech 

6 sounds and separate syllables in spo7 ken words, and putting speech sounds 

8 together to make words; 

9 ‘‘(cc) knowledge, interest in, and 

10 appreciation of books, reading, and 

11 writing (either alone or with others), 

12 and knowledge that books have parts 

13 such as the front, back, and title 

14 page; 

15 ‘‘(dd) early writing, including the 

16 ability to write one’s own name and 

17 other words and phrases; and 

18 ‘‘(ee) print awareness and con19 cepts, including recognizing different 

20 forms of print and understanding the 

21 association between spoken and writ22 ten words; 

23 ‘‘(III) premathematics knowledge and 

24 skills, including— 

25 ‘‘(aa) number recognition; 
55 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(bb) use of early number con2 cepts and operations, including count3 ing, simple adding and subtracting, 

4 and knowledge of quantitative rela5 tionships, such as part versus whole 

6 and comparison of numbers of objects; 

7 ‘‘(cc) use of early space and loca8 tion concepts, including recognizing 

9 shapes, classification, striation, and 

10 understanding directionality; and 

11 ‘‘(dd) early pattern skills and 

12 measurement, including recognizing 

13 and extending simple patterns and 

14 measuring length, weight, and time; 

15 ‘‘(IV) scientific abilities, including— 

16 ‘‘(aa) building awareness about 

17 scientific skills and methods, such as 

18 gathering, describing, and recording 

19 information, making observations, and 

20 making explanations and predictions; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(bb) expanding scientific knowl23 edge of the environment, time, tem24 perature, and cause-and-effect rela25 tionships; 
56 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(V) general cognitive abilities related 

2 to academic achievement and child develop3 ment, including— 

4 ‘‘(aa) reasoning, planning, and 

5 problem-solving skills; 

6 ‘‘(bb) ability to engage, sustain 

7 attention, and persist on challenging 

8 tasks; 

9 ‘‘(cc) intellectual curiosity, initia10 tive, and task engagement; and 

11 ‘‘(dd) motivation to achieve and 

12 master concepts and skills; 

13 ‘‘(VI) social and emotional develop14 ment related to early learning and school 

15 success, including developing— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the ability to develop social 

17 relationships, demonstrate cooperative 

18 behaviors, and relate to teachers and 

19 peers in positive and respectful ways; 

20 ‘‘(bb) an understanding of the 

21 consequences of actions, following 

22 rules, and appropriately expressing 

23 feelings; 
57 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(cc) a sense of self, such as self2 awareness, independence, and con3 fidence; 

4 ‘‘(dd) the ability to control nega5 tive behaviors with teachers and peers 

6 that include impulsiveness, aggression, 

7 and noncompliance; and 

8 ‘‘(ee) knowledge of civic society 

9 and surrounding communities; 

10 ‘‘(VII) physical development, including 

11 developing— 

12 ‘‘(aa) fine motor skills, such as 

13 strength, manual dexterity, and hand14 eye coordination; and 

15 ‘‘(bb) gross motor skills, such as 

16 balance and coordinated movements; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(VIII) in the case of limited English 

19 proficient children, progress toward acqui20 sition of the English language while mak21 ing meaningful progress in attaining the 

22 knowledge, skills, abilities, and develop23 ment described in subclauses (I) through 

24 (VII);’’; 
58 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (C) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking 

2 ‘‘projects; and’’ and inserting ‘‘projects, includ3 ing regulations that require that the facilities 

4 used by Head Start agencies (including Early 

5 Head Start agencies) and delegate agencies for 

6 regularly scheduled center-based and combina7 tion program option classroom activities— 

8 ‘‘(i) shall be in compliance with State 

9 and local requirements concerning licensing 

10 for such facilities; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) shall be accessible by State and 

12 local authorities for purposes of monitoring 

13 and ensuring compliance.’’; 

14 (D) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

16 (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘the 

17 date of enactment of this section’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘the date of enactment of 

19 the Head Start Improvements for 

20 School Readiness Act’’; 

21 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

22 ‘‘the date of enactment of this Act’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘the date of enactment 

24 of the Head Start Improvements for 

25 School Readiness Act’’; 
59 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (III) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘; 

2 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

3 (IV) in clause (vii), by striking 

4 ‘‘public schools’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

5 schools that the children will be at6 tending’’; and 

7 (V) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(viii) the unique challenges faced by 

10 individual programs, including those pro11 grams that are seasonal or short term and 

12 those programs that serve rural popu13 lations; and’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik15 ing ‘‘the date of enactment of the Coats 

16 Human Services Reauthorization Act of 

17 1998’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of enact18 ment of the Head Start Improvements for 

19 School Readiness Act’’; and 

20 (iii) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(D) consult with Indian tribes, American 

23 Indian and Alaska Native experts in early child24 hood development, linguists, and the National 

25 Indian Head Start Directors Association on the 
60 

•S 1107 RS 

1 review and promulgation of program standards 

2 and measures (including standards and meas3 ures for language acquisition and school readi4 ness).’’; 

5 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) EVALUATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

7 FOR DELEGATE AGENCIES.— 

8 ‘‘(A) PROCEDURES.— 

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

10 (ii), the Head Start agency shall establish 

11 procedures relating to its delegate agen12 cies, including— 

13 ‘‘(I) procedures for evaluating 

14 delegate agencies; 

15 ‘‘(II) procedures for defunding 

16 delegate agencies; and 

17 ‘‘(III) procedures for appealing a 

18 defunding decision relating to a dele19 gate agency. 

20 ‘‘(ii) TERMINATION.—The Head Start 

21 agency may not terminate a delegate agen22 cy’s contract or reduce a delegate agency’s 

23 service area without showing cause or dem24 onstrating the cost-effectiveness of such a 

25 decision. 
61 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B) EVALUATIONS.—Each Head Start 

2 agency— 

3 ‘‘(i) shall evaluate its delegate agen4 cies using the procedures established pur5 suant to this section, including subpara6 graph (A); and 

7 ‘‘(ii) shall inform the delegate agen8 cies of the deficiencies identified through 

9 the evaluation that shall be corrected. 

10 ‘‘(C) REMEDIES TO ENSURE CORRECTIVE

11 ACTIONS.—In the event that the Head Start 

12 agency identifies a deficiency for a delegate 

13 agency through the evaluation, the Head Start 

14 agency may— 

15 ‘‘(i) initiate procedures to terminate 

16 the designation of the agency unless the 

17 agency corrects the deficiency; 

18 ‘‘(ii) conduct monthly monitoring vis19 its to such delegate agency until all defi20 ciencies are corrected or the Head Start 

21 agency decides to defund such delegate 

22 agency; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) release funds to such delegate 

24 agency only as reimbursements until all de25 ficiencies are corrected or the Head Start 
62 

•S 1107 RS 

1 agency decides to defund such delegate 

2 agency. 

3 ‘‘(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 

4 in this paragraph shall be construed to impact 

5 or obviate the responsibilities of the Secretary 

6 with respect to Head Start agencies or delegate 

7 agencies receiving funding under this sub8 chapter.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

11 (i) by striking the paragraph heading 

12 and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) CHARACTERISTICS AND USE OF MEAS14 URES.—’’; 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

16 ‘‘, not later than July 1, 1999; and’’ and 

17 inserting a semicolon; 

18 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

19 the period and inserting a semicolon; 

20 (iv) by striking the flush matter fol21 lowing subparagraph (C); and 

22 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(D) measure characteristics that are 

24 strongly predictive (as determined on a sci-
63 

•S 1107 RS 

1 entific basis) of a child’s school readiness and 

2 later performance in school; 

3 ‘‘(E) be appropriate for the population 

4 served; and 

5 ‘‘(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 

6 years, based on advances in the science of early 

7 childhood development. 

8 The performance measures shall include the per9 formance standards and additional educational 

10 standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

11 of subsection (a)(1).’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

13 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

14 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

15 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

16 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(C) to enable Head Start agencies to indi20 vidualize programs of instruction to better meet 

21 the needs of the child involved.’’; 

22 (C) by striking paragraph (4) and insert23 ing the following: 

24 ‘‘(4) RESULTS-BASED OUTCOME MEASURES.— 

25 Results-based outcome measures shall be designed 
64 

•S 1107 RS 

1 for the purpose of promoting the knowledge, skills, 

2 abilities, and development, described in subsection 

3 (a)(1)(B)(ii), of children participating in Head Start 

4 programs that are strongly predictive (as determined 

5 on a scientific basis) of a child’s school readiness 

6 and later performance in school.’’; and 

7 (D) by striking paragraph (5) and insert8 ing the following: 

9 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL LOCAL RESULTS-BASED EDU10 CATIONAL MEASURES AND GOALS.—Head Start 

11 agencies may establish and implement additional 

12 local results-based educational measures and goals.’’; 

13 (3) in subsection (c)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘and Head Start 

17 centers’’ after ‘‘Head Start programs’’; 

18 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

19 ‘‘such agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Head Start 

20 center’’; 

21 (iii) by striking subparagraph (C) and 

22 inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(C) Unannounced site inspections of 

24 Head Start centers for health and safety rea25 sons, as appropriate.’’; 
65 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (iv) by redesignating subparagraph 

2 (D) as subparagraph (E); and 

3 (v) by inserting after subparagraph 

4 (C) the following: 

5 ‘‘(D) Notwithstanding subparagraph (C), 

6 followup reviews, including— 

7 ‘‘(i) prompt return visits to agencies, 

8 programs, and centers that fail to meet 1 

9 or more of the performance measures de10 veloped by the Secretary under subsection 

11 (b); and 

12 ‘‘(ii) a review of programs with cita13 tions that include findings of deficiencies 

14 not later than 6 months after the date of 

15 such citation.’’; and 

16 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert17 ing the following: 

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

19 shall ensure that reviews described in paragraph 

20 (1)— 

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

22 may incorporate the visit without prior notice of 

23 the visit to the agency involved or with such 

24 limited prior notice as is necessary to ensure 
66 

•S 1107 RS 

1 the participation of parents and key staff mem2 bers; 

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

4 shall include individuals who are knowledgeable 

5 about Head Start and other early childhood 

6 education programs and, to the maximum ex7 tent practicable, the diverse (including linguistic 

8 and cultural) needs of eligible children (includ9 ing children with disabilities, homeless children, 

10 and children in foster care) and limited English 

11 proficient children and their families; 

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

13 programs, a review and assessment of program 

14 effectiveness, as measured in accordance with 

15 the results-based performance measures devel16 oped by the Secretary pursuant to subsection 

17 (b) and with the standards established pursuant 

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

19 (a)(1); 

20 ‘‘(D) seek information from the commu21 nities and States where Head Start programs 

22 exist about innovative or effective collaborative 

23 efforts, barriers to collaboration, and the efforts 

24 of the Head Start agencies to collaborate with 

25 the entities carrying out early childhood edu-
67 

•S 1107 RS 

1 cation and child care programs in the commu2 nity; 

3 ‘‘(E) include as part of the reviews of the 

4 programs, a review and assessment of whether 

5 the programs are in conformity with the income 

6 eligibility requirements under section 645 and 

7 regulations promulgated under such section; 

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

9 programs, a review and assessment of whether 

10 programs have adequately addressed the popu11 lation and community needs (including needs of 

12 populations of limited English proficient chil13 dren and children of migrant and seasonal 

14 farmworking families); and 

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

16 programs, data from the results of periodic 

17 child assessments, and a review and assessment 

18 of child outcomes and performance as they re19 late to State, local, and agency-determined 

20 school readiness goals.’’; 

21 (4) in subsection (d)(1)— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

23 (A), by inserting ‘‘or fails to address the com24 munity needs and strategic plan identified in 
68 

•S 1107 RS 

1 section 640(g)(2)(C),’’ after ‘‘subsection (b),’’; 

2 and 

3 (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

4 ‘‘and identify the technical assistance to be pro5 vided consistent with paragraph (3)’’ after ‘‘cor6 rected’’; 

7 (5) in subsection (e), by striking the last sen8 tence and inserting ‘‘The information contained in 

9 such report shall be made available to all parents 

10 with children receiving assistance under this sub11 chapter in an understandable and uniform format, 

12 and to the extent practicable, provided in a language 

13 that the parents can understand. Such information 

14 shall be made widely available through public means 

15 such as distribution through public agencies, and, at 

16 a minimum, by posting such information on the 

17 Internet immediately upon publication.’’; and 

18 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(f) SELF-ASSESSMENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

21 once each program year, with the consultation and 

22 participation of policy groups and, as appropriate, 

23 other community members, each agency receiving 

24 funds under this subchapter shall conduct a self-as25 sessment of the effectiveness and progress in meet-
69 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ing programs goals and objectives and in imple2 menting and complying with Head Start program 

3 performance standards. 

4 ‘‘(2) REPORT AND IMPROVEMENT PLANS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) REPORT.—An agency conducting a 

6 self-assessment shall report the findings of the 

7 self-assessment to the relevant policy council, 

8 policy committee, governing body, and regional 

9 office of the Department of Health and Human 

10 Services. Each self-assessment shall identify 

11 areas of strength and weakness. 

12 ‘‘(B) IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—The agency 

13 shall develop an improvement plan approved by 

14 the governing body of the agency to strengthen 

15 any areas identified in the self-assessment as 

16 weaknesses or in need of improvement. 

17 ‘‘(3) ONGOING MONITORING.—Each Head Start 

18 agency, Early Head Start agency, and delegate 

19 agency shall establish and implement procedures for 

20 the ongoing monitoring of their Head Start and 

21 Early Head Start programs, to ensure that the oper22 ations of the programs work toward meeting pro23 gram goals and objectives and Head Start perform24 ance standards. 
70 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(4) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

2 Funds may be made available, through section 

3 648(d)(13), for training and technical assistance to 

4 assist agencies in conducting self-assessments. 

5 ‘‘(g) REDUCTION OF GRANTS AND REDISTRIBUTION

6 OF FUNDS IN CASES OF UNDER-ENROLLMENT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

8 ‘‘(A) ACTUAL ENROLLMENT.—The term 

9 ‘actual enrollment’ means, with respect to the 

10 program of a Head Start agency, the actual 

11 number of children enrolled in such program 

12 and reported by the agency (as required in 

13 paragraph (2)) in a given month. 

14 ‘‘(B) BASE GRANT.—The term ‘base grant’ 

15 means, with respect to a Head Start agency for 

16 a fiscal year, that portion of the grant de17 rived— 

18 ‘‘(i) from amounts reserved for use in 

19 accordance with section 640(a)(2)(A), for a 

20 Head Start agency administering an In21 dian Head Start program or migrant and 

22 seasonal Head Start program; 

23 ‘‘(ii) from amounts reserved for pay24 ments under section 640(a)(2)(B); or 
71 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(iii) from amounts available under 

2 section 640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among 

3 States under section 640(a)(4). 

4 ‘‘(C) FUNDED ENROLLMENT.—The term 

5 ‘funded enrollment’ means, with respect to the 

6 program of a Head Start agency in a fiscal 

7 year, the number of children that the agency is 

8 funded to serve through a grant for the pro9 gram during such fiscal year, as indicated in 

10 the grant agreement. 

11 ‘‘(2) ENROLLMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENT

12 FOR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.—Each entity carrying 

13 out a Head Start program shall report on a monthly 

14 basis to the Secretary and the relevant Head Start 

15 agency— 

16 ‘‘(A) the actual enrollment in such pro17 gram; and 

18 ‘‘(B) if such actual enrollment is less than 

19 the funded enrollment, any apparent reason for 

20 such enrollment shortfall. 

21 ‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND PLAN.—The 

22 Secretary shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) on a semiannual basis, determine 

24 which Head Start agencies are operating with 

25 an actual enrollment that is less than the fund-
72 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ed enrollment based on not less than 4 consecu2 tive months of data; 

3 ‘‘(B) for each such Head Start agency op4 erating a program with an actual enrollment 

5 that is less than 95 percent of its funded enroll6 ment, as determined under subparagraph (A), 

7 develop, in collaboration with such agency, a 

8 plan and timetable for reducing or eliminating 

9 under-enrollment taking into consideration— 

10 ‘‘(i) the quality and extent of the out11 reach, recruitment, and community needs 

12 assessment conducted by such agency; 

13 ‘‘(ii) changing demographics, mobility 

14 of populations, and the identification of 

15 new underserved low-income populations; 

16 ‘‘(iii) facilities-related issues that may 

17 impact enrollment; 

18 ‘‘(iv) the ability to provide full-day 

19 programs, where needed, through Head 

20 Start funds or through collaboration with 

21 entities carrying out other preschool or 

22 child care programs, or programs with 

23 other funding sources (where available); 

24 ‘‘(v) the availability and use by fami25 lies of other preschool and child care op-
73 

•S 1107 RS 

1 tions (including parental care) in the local 

2 catchment area; and 

3 ‘‘(vi) agency management procedures 

4 that may impact enrollment; and 

5 ‘‘(C) provide timely and ongoing technical 

6 assistance to each agency described in subpara7 graph (B) for the purpose of implementing the 

8 plan described in such subparagraph. 

9 ‘‘(4) IMPLEMENTATION.—Upon receipt of the 

10 technical assistance described in paragraph (3)(C), a 

11 Head Start agency shall immediately implement the 

12 plan described in paragraph (3)(B). 

13 ‘‘(5) SECRETARIAL ACTION FOR CONTINUED

14 UNDER-ENROLLMENT.—If, 1 year after the date of 

15 implementation of the plan described in paragraph 

16 (3)(B), the Head Start agency continues to operate 

17 a program at less than full enrollment, the Secretary 

18 shall, where determined appropriate, continue to 

19 provide technical assistance to such agency. 

20 ‘‘(6) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND ADJUSTMENT

21 FOR CHRONIC UNDER-ENROLLMENT.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If, after receiving 

23 technical assistance and developing and imple24 menting a plan to the extent described in para25 graphs (3), (4), and (5) for 9 months, a Head 
74 

•S 1107 RS 

1 Start agency is still operating a program with 

2 an actual enrollment that is less than 95 per3 cent of its funded enrollment, the Secretary 

4 may— 

5 ‘‘(i) designate such agency as chron6 ically under-enrolled; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) recapture, withhold, or reduce 

8 the base grant for the program by a per9 centage equal to the percentage difference 

10 between funded enrollment and actual en11 rollment for the program for the most re12 cent year in which the agency is deter13 mined to be under-enrolled under para14 graph (2)(B). 

15 ‘‘(B) WAIVER OR LIMITATION OF REDUC16 TIONS.—If the Secretary, after the implementa17 tion of the plan described in paragraph (3)(B), 

18 finds that— 

19 ‘‘(i) the causes of the enrollment 

20 shortfall, or a portion of the shortfall, are 

21 beyond the agency’s control (such as serv22 ing significant numbers of migrant or sea23 sonal farmworker, homeless, foster, or 

24 other highly mobile children); 
75 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(ii) the shortfall can reasonably be 

2 expected to be temporary; or 

3 ‘‘(iii) the number of slots allotted to 

4 the agency is small enough that under-en5 rollment does not constitute a significant 

6 shortfall, the Secretary may, as appro7 priate, waive or reduce the percentage re8 capturing, withholding, or reduction other9 wise required by subparagraph (A). 

10 ‘‘(C) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS; EF11 FECTIVE DATE.—The actions taken by the Sec12 retary under this paragraph with respect to a 

13 Head Start agency shall take effect 1 day after 

14 the date on which— 

15 ‘‘(i) the time allowed for appeal under 

16 section 646(a) expires without an appeal 

17 by the agency; or 

18 ‘‘(ii) the action is upheld in an admin19 istrative hearing under section 646. 

20 ‘‘(7) REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 

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

22 use amounts recovered from a Head Start agen23 cy through recapturing, withholding, or reduc24 tion under paragraph (6) in a fiscal year— 
76 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(i) in the case of a Head Start agen2 cy administering an Indian Head Start 

3 program or a migrant and seasonal Head 

4 Start program, whose base grant is derived 

5 from amounts specified in paragraph 

6 (1)(C)(i), to redirect funds to 1 or more 

7 agencies that— 

8 ‘‘(I) are administering Head 

9 Start programs serving the same spe10 cial population; and 

11 ‘‘(II) demonstrate that the agen12 cies will use such redirected funds to 

13 increase enrollment in their Head 

14 Start programs in such fiscal year; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a Head Start agen16 cy in a State, whose base grant is derived 

17 from amounts specified in clause (ii) or 

18 (iii) of paragraph (1)(C), to redirect funds 

19 to 1 or more agencies that— 

20 ‘‘(I) are administering Head 

21 Start programs in the same State; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(II) make the demonstration de24 scribed in clause (i)(II). 
77 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—If there is no agen2 cy located in a State that meets the require3 ments of subclauses (I) and (II) of subpara4 graph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall use amounts 

5 described in subparagraph (A) to redirect funds 

6 to Head Start agencies located in other States 

7 that make the demonstration described in sub8 paragraph (A)(i)(II). 

9 ‘‘(C) ADJUSTMENT TO FUNDED ENROLL10 MENT.—The Secretary shall adjust as necessary 

11 the requirements relating to funded enrollment 

12 indicated in the grant agreement of a Head 

13 Start agency receiving redistributed amounts 

14 under this paragraph.’’. 

15 SEC. 9. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. 

16 The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after 

17 section 641A (42 U.S.C. 9836a) the following: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILD19 HOOD. 

20 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘center 

21 of excellence’ means a Center of Excellence in Early Child22 hood designated under subsection (b). 

23 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION AND BONUS GRANTS.—The Sec24 retary shall, subject to the availability of funds under this 
78 

•S 1107 RS 

1 subchapter, including under subsection (f), establish a 

2 program under which the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) designate not more than 200 exemplary 

4 Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start 

5 agencies, Indian Head Start agencies, and migrant 

6 and seasonal Head Start agencies) as Centers of Ex7 cellence in Early Childhood; and 

8 ‘‘(2) make bonus grants to the centers of excel9 lence to carry out the activities described in sub10 section (d). 

11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION AND DESIGNATION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) NOMINATION AND SUBMISSION.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to 

15 receive a designation as a center of excel16 lence under subsection (b), except as pro17 vided in clause (ii), a Head Start agency in 

18 a State shall be nominated by the Gov19 ernor of the State and shall submit an ap20 plication to the Secretary at such time, in 

21 such manner, and containing such infor22 mation as the Secretary may require. 

23 ‘‘(ii) INDIAN AND MIGRANT AND SEA24 SONAL HEAD START PROGRAMS.—In the 

25 case of an Indian Head Start agency or a 
79 

•S 1107 RS 

1 migrant or seasonal Head Start agency, to 

2 be eligible to receive a designation as a 

3 center of excellence under subsection (b), 

4 such an agency shall be nominated by the 

5 head of the appropriate regional office of 

6 the Department and Health and Human 

7 Services and shall submit an application to 

8 the Secretary in accordance with clause (i). 

9 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—At a minimum, the ap10 plication shall include— 

11 ‘‘(i) evidence that the Head Start pro12 gram carried out by the agency has signifi13 cantly improved the school readiness of, 

14 and enhanced academic outcomes for, chil15 dren who have participated in the program; 

16 ‘‘(ii) evidence that the program meets 

17 or exceeds standards and performance 

18 measures described in subsections (a) and 

19 (b) of section 641A, as evidenced by suc20 cessful completion of programmatic and 

21 monitoring reviews, and has no findings of 

22 deficiencies with respect to the standards 

23 and measures; 
80 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(iii) evidence that the program is 

2 making progress toward meeting the re3 quirements described in section 648A; 

4 ‘‘(iv) evidence demonstrating the ex5 istence of a collaborative partnership 

6 among the Head Start agency, the State 

7 (or a State agency), and other early care 

8 and education providers in the local com9 munity involved; 

10 ‘‘(v) a nomination letter from the 

11 Governor, or appropriate regional office, 

12 demonstrating the agency’s ability to carry 

13 out the coordination, transition, and train14 ing services of the program to be carried 

15 out under the bonus grant involved, includ16 ing coordination of activities with State 

17 and local agencies that provide early child18 hood services to children and families in 

19 the community served by the agency; 

20 ‘‘(vi) information demonstrating the 

21 existence of a local council for excellence in 

22 early childhood, which shall include rep23 resentatives of all the institutions, agen24 cies, and groups involved in the work of 

25 the center for, and the local provision of 
81 

•S 1107 RS 

1 services to, eligible children and other at2 risk children, and their families; and 

3 ‘‘(vii) a description of how the Center, 

4 in order to expand accessibility and con5 tinuity of quality early care and education, 

6 will coordinate the early care and edu7 cation activities assisted under this section 

8 with— 

9 ‘‘(I) programs carried out under 

10 the Child Care and Development 

11 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

12 9858 et seq.); 

13 ‘‘(II) other programs carried out 

14 under this subchapter, including the 

15 Early Head Start programs carried 

16 out under section 645A; 

17 ‘‘(III)(aa) Early Reading First 

18 and Even Start programs carried out 

19 under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of 

20 title I of the Elementary and Sec21 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

22 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 6381 et seq.); 

23 ‘‘(bb) other preschool programs 

24 carried out under title I of that Act 

25 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(cc) the Ready-to-Learn Tele2 vision program carried out under sub3 part 3 of part D of title II of that Act 

4 (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); 

5 ‘‘(IV) programs carried out 

6 under part C of the Individuals with 

7 Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

8 1431 et seq.); 

9 ‘‘(V) State prekindergarten pro10 grams; and 

11 ‘‘(VI) other early care and edu12 cation programs. 

13 ‘‘(2) SELECTION.—In selecting agencies to des14 ignate as centers of excellence under subsection (b), 

15 the Secretary shall designate not less than 1 from 

16 each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, an 

17 Indian Head Start program, a migrant and seasonal 

18 Head Start program, and the Commonwealth of 

19 Puerto Rico. 

20 ‘‘(3) TERM OF DESIGNATION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara22 graph (B), the Secretary shall designate a Head 

23 Start agency as a center of excellence for a 5- 

24 year term. During the period of that designa25 tion, subject to the availability of appropria-
83 

•S 1107 RS 

1 tions, the agency shall be eligible to receive a 

2 bonus grant under subsection (b). 

3 ‘‘(B) REVOCATION.—The Secretary may 

4 revoke an agency’s designation under subsection 

5 (b) if the Secretary determines that the agency 

6 is not demonstrating adequate performance or 

7 has had findings of deficiencies described in 

8 paragraph (1)(B)(ii). 

9 ‘‘(4) AMOUNT OF BONUS GRANT.—The Sec10 retary shall base the amount of funding provided 

11 through a bonus grant made under subsection (b) to 

12 a center of excellence on the number of children eli13 gible for Head Start services in the community in14 volved. The Secretary shall, subject to the avail15 ability of funding, make such a bonus grant in an 

16 amount of not less than $200,000 per year. 

17 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) ACTIVITIES.—A center of excellence that 

19 receives a bonus grant under subsection (b) may use 

20 the funds made available through the bonus grant— 

21 ‘‘(A) to provide Head Start services to ad22 ditional eligible children; 

23 ‘‘(B) to better meet the needs of working 

24 families in the community served by the center 

25 by serving more children in existing Early Head 
84 

•S 1107 RS 

1 Start programs (existing as of the date the cen2 ter is designated under this section) or in full3 working-day, full calendar year Head Start pro4 grams; 

5 ‘‘(C) to model and disseminate best prac6 tices for achieving early academic success, in7 cluding achieving school readiness and devel8 oping prereading and premathematics skills for 

9 at-risk children and achieving the acquisition of 

10 the English language for limited English pro11 ficient children, and to provide seamless service 

12 delivery for eligible children and their families; 

13 ‘‘(D) to further coordinate early childhood 

14 and social services available in the community 

15 served by the center for at-risk children (birth 

16 through age 8), their families, and pregnant 

17 women; 

18 ‘‘(E) to provide training and cross training 

19 for Head Start teachers and staff, child care 

20 providers, public and private preschool and ele21 mentary school teachers, and other providers of 

22 early childhood services, and training and cross 

23 training to develop agency leaders; 

24 ‘‘(F) to provide effective transitions be25 tween Head Start programs and elementary 
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1 school, to facilitate ongoing communication be2 tween Head Start and elementary school teach3 ers concerning children receiving Head Start 

4 services, and to provide training and technical 

5 assistance to providers who are public elemen6 tary school teachers and other staff of local 

7 educational agencies, child care providers, fam8 ily service providers, and other providers of 

9 early childhood services, to help the providers 

10 described in this subparagraph increase their 

11 ability to work with low-income, at-risk children 

12 and their families; 

13 ‘‘(G) to develop or maintain partnerships 

14 with institutions of higher education and non15 profit organizations, including community-based 

16 organizations, that recruit, train, place, and 

17 support college students to serve as mentors 

18 and reading coaches to preschool children in 

19 Head Start programs; and 

20 ‘‘(H) to carry out other activities deter21 mined by the center to improve the overall qual22 ity of the Head Start program carried out by 

23 the agency and the program carried out under 

24 the bonus grant involved. 
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1 ‘‘(2) INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER HEAD START

2 AGENCIES AND PROVIDERS.—A center that receives 

3 a bonus grant under subsection (b), in carrying out 

4 activities under this subsection, shall work with the 

5 center’s delegate agencies, several additional Head 

6 Start agencies, and other providers of early child7 hood services in the community involved, to encour8 age the agencies and providers described in this sen9 tence to carry out model programs. 

10 ‘‘(e) RESEARCH AND REPORTS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall, subject 

12 to the availability of funds to carry out this sub13 section, make a grant to an independent organiza14 tion to conduct research on the ability of the centers 

15 of excellence to improve the school readiness of chil16 dren receiving Head Start services, and to positively 

17 impact school results in the earliest grades. The or18 ganization shall also conduct research to measure 

19 the success of the centers of excellence at encour20 aging the center’s delegate agencies, additional Head 

21 Start agencies, and other providers of early child22 hood services in the communities involved to meet 

23 measurable improvement goals, particularly in the 

24 area of school readiness. 
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1 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 48 months after 

2 the date of enactment of the Head Start Improve3 ments for School Readiness Act, the organization 

4 shall prepare and submit to the Secretary and Con5 gress a report containing the results of the research 

6 described in paragraph (1). 

7 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

8 are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2006 and 

9 each subsequent fiscal year— 

10 ‘‘(1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to cen11 ters of excellence under subsection (b) to carry out 

12 activities described in subsection (d); 

13 ‘‘(2) $2,500,000 to pay for the administrative 

14 costs of the Secretary in carrying out this section, 

15 including the cost of a conference of centers of excel16 lence; and 

17 ‘‘(3) $2,000,000 for research activities de18 scribed in subsection (e).’’. 

19 SEC. 10. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN20 CIES. 

21 Section 642 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837) 

22 is amended to read as follows: 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN2 CIES. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be designated as a 

4 Head Start agency under this subchapter, an agency shall 

5 have authority under its charter or applicable law to re6 ceive and administer funds provided under this sub7 chapter, funds and contributions from private or local 

8 public sources that may be used in support of a Head 

9 Start program, and funds provided under any Federal or 

10 State assistance program pursuant to which a public or 

11 private nonprofit or for-profit agency (as the case may be) 

12 organized in accordance with this subchapter, could act 

13 as a grantee, contractor, or sponsor of projects appro14 priate for inclusion in a Head Start program. Such an 

15 agency shall also be empowered to transfer funds so re16 ceived, and to delegate powers to other agencies, subject 

17 to the powers of its governing board and its overall pro18 gram responsibilities. The power to transfer funds and del19 egate powers shall include the power to make transfers 

20 and delegations covering component projects in all cases 

21 in which that power will contribute to efficiency and effec22 tiveness or otherwise further program objectives. 

23 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In order to be 

24 designated as a Head Start agency under this subchapter, 

25 a Head Start agency shall also— 
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1 ‘‘(1) establish a program with all standards set 

2 forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular atten3 tion to the standards set forth in subparagraphs (A) 

4 and (B) of such section; 

5 ‘‘(2) demonstrate the capacity to serve eligible 

6 children with scientifically based curricula and other 

7 interventions and support services that help promote 

8 the school readiness of children participating in the 

9 program; 

10 ‘‘(3) establish effective procedures and provide 

11 for the regular assessment of Head Start children, 

12 including observational and direct formal assess13 ment, where appropriate; 

14 ‘‘(4) seek the involvement of parents, area resi15 dents, and local business in the design and imple16 mentation of the program; 

17 ‘‘(5) provide for the regular participation of 

18 parents and area residents in the implementation of 

19 the program; 

20 ‘‘(6) provide technical and other support needed 

21 to enable such parents and area residents to secure, 

22 on their own behalf, available assistance from public 

23 and private sources; 

24 ‘‘(7) establish effective procedures to facilitate 

25 the involvement of parents of participating children 
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1 in activities designed to help such parents become 

2 full partners in the education of their children, and 

3 to afford such parents the opportunity to participate 

4 in the development and overall conduct of the pro5 gram at the local level; 

6 ‘‘(8) conduct outreach to schools in which Head 

7 Start children will enroll, local educational agencies, 

8 the local business community, community-based or9 ganizations, faith-based organizations, museums, 

10 and libraries to generate support and leverage the 

11 resources of the entire local community in order to 

12 improve school readiness; 

13 ‘‘(9) offer (directly or through referral to local 

14 entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start 

15 programs under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the 

16 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

17 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.)), to parents of partici18 pating children, family literacy services, and par19 enting skills training; 

20 ‘‘(10) offer to parents of participating children 

21 substance abuse and other counseling (either directly 

22 or through referral to local entities), if needed, in23 cluding information on the effect of drug exposure 

24 on infants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 
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1 ‘‘(11) at the option of such agency, offer (di2 rectly or through referral to local entities), to such 

3 parents— 

4 ‘‘(A) training in basic child development 

5 (including cognitive development); 

6 ‘‘(B) assistance in developing literacy and 

7 communication skills; 

8 ‘‘(C) opportunities to share experiences 

9 with other parents (including parent mentor re10 lationships); 

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

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

13 such parents become full partners in the edu14 cation of their children; 

15 ‘‘(12) provide, with respect to each partici16 pating family, a family needs assessment that in17 cludes consultation with such parents (including fos18 ter parents and grandparents, where applicable) 

19 about the benefits of parent involvement and about 

20 the activities described in this subsection in which 

21 such parents may choose to be involved (taking into 

22 consideration their specific family needs, work sched23 ules, and other responsibilities); 

24 ‘‘(13) consider providing services to assist 

25 younger siblings of children participating in its Head 
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1 Start program, to obtain health services from other 

2 sources; 

3 ‘‘(14) perform community outreach to encour4 age individuals previously unaffiliated with Head 

5 Start programs to participate in its Head Start pro6 gram as volunteers; 

7 ‘‘(15)(A) inform custodial parents in single-par8 ent families that participate in programs, activities, 

9 or services carried out or provided under this sub10 chapter about the availability of child support serv11 ices for purposes of establishing paternity and ac12 quiring child support; and 

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

14 offices of State and local governments; 

15 ‘‘(16) provide parents of limited English pro16 ficient children outreach and information in an un17 derstandable and uniform format and, to the extent 

18 practicable, in a language that the parents can un19 derstand; and 

20 ‘‘(17) at the option of such agency, partner 

21 with an institution of higher education and a non22 profit organization to provide college students with 

23 the opportunity to serve as mentors or reading 

24 coaches to Head Start participants. 

25 ‘‘(c) PROGRESS.— 
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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Head Start agency 

2 shall take steps to ensure, to the maximum extent 

3 possible, that children maintain the developmental 

4 and educational gains achieved in Head Start pro5 grams and build upon such gains in further school6 ing. 

7 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.— 

8 ‘‘(A) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—In 

9 communities where both public prekindergarten 

10 programs and Head Start programs operate, a 

11 Head Start agency shall collaborate and coordi12 nate activities with the local educational agency 

13 or other public agency responsible for the oper14 ation of the prekindergarten program and pro15 viders of prekindergarten, including outreach 

16 activities to identify eligible children. 

17 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.—Head Start 

18 staff shall, with the permission of the parents 

19 of children enrolled in Head Start programs, 

20 regularly communicate with the elementary 

21 schools such children will be attending to— 

22 ‘‘(i) share information about such 

23 children; 

24 ‘‘(ii) get advice and support from the 

25 teachers in such elementary schools re-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 garding teaching strategies and options; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(iii) ensure a smooth transition to el4 ementary school for such children. 

5 ‘‘(C) OTHER PROGRAMS.—The head of 

6 each Head Start agency shall coordinate activi7 ties and collaborate with the State agency re8 sponsible for administering the State program 

9 carried out under the Child Care and Develop10 ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 

11 et seq.), other entities carrying out early child12 hood education and development programs, and 

13 the agencies responsible for administering sec14 tion 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 

15 Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), parts B and 

16 E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 670 et seq.), programs 

18 under subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney19 Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 11431 et seq.), Even Start programs under 

21 subpart 3 of part B of title I of the Elementary 

22 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

23 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), and programs under sec24 tion 619 and part C of the Individuals with 

25 Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 
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1 1431 et seq.), serving the children and families 

2 served by the Head Start agency. 

3 ‘‘(3) COLLABORATION.—A Head Start agency 

4 shall take steps to coordinate activities with the local 

5 educational agency serving the community involved 

6 and with schools in which children participating in 

7 a Head Start program operated by such agency will 

8 enroll following such program, including— 

9 ‘‘(A) collaborating on the shared use of 

10 transportation and facilities; 

11 ‘‘(B) collaborating to reduce the duplica12 tion of services while increasing the program 

13 participation of underserved populations of eli14 gible children; and 

15 ‘‘(C) exchanging information on the provi16 sion of noneducational services to such children. 

17 ‘‘(4) PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.—In order to 

18 promote the continued involvement of the parents of 

19 children that participate in Head Start programs in 

20 the education of their children upon transition to 

21 school, the Head Start agency shall— 

22 ‘‘(A) provide training to the parents— 

23 ‘‘(i) to inform the parents about their 

24 rights and responsibilities concerning the 

25 education of their children; and 
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1 ‘‘(ii) to enable the parents— 

2 ‘‘(I) to understand and work with 

3 schools in order to communicate with 

4 teachers and other school personnel; 

5 ‘‘(II) to support the schoolwork 

6 of their children; and 

7 ‘‘(III) to participate as appro8 priate in decisions relating to the edu9 cation of their children; and 

10 ‘‘(B) take other actions, as appropriate 

11 and feasible, to support the active involvement 

12 of the parents with schools, school personnel, 

13 and school-related organizations. 

14 ‘‘(d) ASSESSMENT.—Each Head Start agency shall 

15 adopt, in consultation with experts in child development 

16 and with classroom teachers, an assessment to be used 

17 when hiring or evaluating any classroom teacher in a cen18 ter-based Head Start program. Such assessment shall 

19 measure whether such teacher has mastered the functions 

20 described in section 648A(a)(1) and attained a level of lit21 eracy appropriate to implement Head Start curricula. 

22 ‘‘(e) FUNDED ENROLLMENT; WAITING LIST.—Each 

23 Head Start agency shall enroll 100 percent of its funded 

24 enrollment and maintain an active waiting list at all times 
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1 with ongoing outreach to the community and activities to 

2 identify underserved populations. 

3 ‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING

4 PLAN.—In order to receive funds under this subchapter, 

5 a Head Start agency shall develop an annual technical as6 sistance and training plan. Such plan shall be based on 

7 the agency’s self-assessment, the community needs assess8 ment, and the needs of parents to be served by such agen9 cy.’’. 

10 SEC. 11. HEAD START TRANSITION. 

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

12 9837a) is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT 

14 WITH K–12 EDUCATION. 

15 ‘‘Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordi16 nate activities with the local educational agency serving 

17 the community involved and with schools in which children 

18 participating in a Head Start program operated by such 

19 agency will enroll following such program, including— 

20 ‘‘(1) developing and implementing a systematic 

21 procedure for transferring, with parental consent, 

22 Head Start program records for each participating 

23 child to the school in which such child will enroll; 

24 ‘‘(2) establishing ongoing channels of commu25 nication between Head Start staff and their counter-
98 

•S 1107 RS 

1 parts in the schools (including teachers, social work2 ers, health staff, and local educational agency liai3 sons designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the 

4 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))) to facilitate coordination 

6 of programs; 

7 ‘‘(3) developing continuity of developmentally 

8 appropriate curricula and practice between the Head 

9 Start agency and local educational agency to ensure 

10 an effective transition and appropriate shared expec11 tations for children’s learning and development as 

12 the children make the transition to school; 

13 ‘‘(4) conducting meetings involving parents, 

14 kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and 

15 Head Start teachers to discuss the educational, de16 velopmental, and other needs of individual children; 

17 ‘‘(5) organizing and participating in joint train18 ing, including transition-related training of school 

19 staff and Head Start staff; 

20 ‘‘(6) developing and implementing a family out21 reach and support program, in cooperation with en22 tities carrying out parental involvement efforts 

23 under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Edu24 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), and 

25 family outreach and support efforts under subtitle B 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist2 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), taking into con3 sideration the language needs of limited English pro4 ficient parents; 

5 ‘‘(7) assisting families, administrators, and 

6 teachers in enhancing educational and developmental 

7 continuity and continuity of parental involvement in 

8 activities between Head Start services and elemen9 tary school classes; 

10 ‘‘(8) linking the services provided in such Head 

11 Start program with the education services, including 

12 services relating to language, literacy, and 

13 numeracy, provided by such local educational agen14 cy; 

15 ‘‘(9) helping parents understand the importance 

16 of parental involvement in a child’s academic success 

17 while teaching the parents strategies for maintaining 

18 parental involvement as their child moves from the 

19 Head Start program to elementary school; 

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

21 increase program participation of underserved popu22 lations of eligible children, including children with 

23 disabilities, homeless children, children in foster 

24 care, and limited English proficient children; and 
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1 ‘‘(11) coordinating activities and collaborating 

2 to ensure that curricula used in the Head Start pro3 gram is aligned with State early learning standards 

4 with regard to cognitive, social, emotional, and phys5 ical competencies that children entering kinder6 garten are expected to demonstrate.’’. 

7 SEC. 12. SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS. 

8 Section 643 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9838) 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in the first sentence— 

11 (A) by inserting ‘‘for approval’’ after ‘‘sub12 mitted to the chief executive officer of the 

13 State’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘45’’ and inserting ‘‘30’’; 

15 and 

16 (2) in the last sentence, by inserting ‘‘to Indian 

17 and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs in 

18 existence on the date of enactment of the Head 

19 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, or’’ 

20 after ‘‘other assistance’’. 

21 SEC. 13. PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS. 

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

23 9840(a)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘130 per25 cent of’’ after ‘‘below’’; and 
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1 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(3)(A) In this paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(i) The term ‘dependent’ has the meaning 

4 given the term in paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of 

5 section 401(a) of title 37, United States Code. 

6 ‘‘(ii) The terms ‘member’ and ‘uniformed serv7 ices’ have the meanings given the terms in para8 graphs (23) and (3), respectively, of section 101 of 

9 title 37, United States Code. 

10 ‘‘(B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of 

11 a member of the uniformed services shall not be consid12 ered to be income for purposes of determining the eligi13 bility of a dependent of such member for programs funded 

14 under this subchapter: 

15 ‘‘(i) The amount of any special pay payable 

16 under section 310 if title 37, United States Code, re17 lating to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent 

18 danger. 

19 ‘‘(ii) The amount of basic allowance payable 

20 under section 403 of such title, including any such 

21 amount that is provided on behalf of the member for 

22 housing that is acquired or constructed under the al23 ternative authority for the acquisition and improve24 ment of military housing under subchapter IV of 
102 

•S 1107 RS 

1 chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, or any 

2 other related provision of law. 

3 ‘‘(4) After demonstrating a need through a commu4 nity needs assessment, a Head Start agency may apply 

5 to the Secretary to convert part-day sessions, particularly 

6 consecutive part-day sessions, into full-day sessions.’’. 

7 SEC. 14. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS. 

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

9 9840a) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking the section heading and insert11 ing the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.’’; 

13 (2) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘provide 

15 services to parents to support their role as par16 ents’’ and inserting ‘‘provide additional services 

17 to parents to support their role as parents (in18 cluding parenting skills training and training in 

19 basic child development)’’; 

20 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 

21 (7), (8), and (9) as paragraphs (6), (7), (10), 

22 (11), and (12), respectively; 

23 (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

24 following: 
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1 ‘‘(5) where appropriate and in conjunction with 

2 services provided under this section to the children’s 

3 immediate families (or as approved by the Sec4 retary), provide home-based services to family child 

5 care homes and kin caregivers caring for infants and 

6 toddlers who also participate in Early Head Start 

7 programs, to provide continuity in supporting the 

8 children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual 

9 development;’’; 

10 (D) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by 

11 subparagraph (B)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘(including home13 based services)’’ after ‘‘with services’’; and 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and family support 

15 services’’ after ‘‘health services’’; 

16 (E) by inserting after paragraph (7), as re17 designated by subparagraph (B), the following: 

18 ‘‘(8) develop and implement a systematic proce19 dure for transitioning children and parents from an 

20 Early Head Start program into a Head Start pro21 gram or another local early childhood education pro22 gram; 

23 ‘‘(9) establish channels of communication be24 tween staff of Early Head Start programs and staff 

25 of Head Start programs or other local early child-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 hood education programs, to facilitate the coordina2 tion of programs;’’; and 

3 (F) in paragraph (11), as redesignated by 

4 subparagraph (B)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘and providers’’ and in6 serting ‘‘, providers’’; and 

7 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and the agencies 

8 responsible for administering section 106 

9 of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat10 ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) and parts B 

11 and E of title IV of the Social Security Act 

12 (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 670 et seq.)’’ 

13 after ‘‘(20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in16 cluding tribal governments and entities oper17 ating migrant and seasonal Head Start pro18 grams’’ after ‘‘subchapter’’; and 

19 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, in20 cluding community-based organizations’’ after 

21 ‘‘private entities’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (g)(2)(B), by striking clause 

23 (iv) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(iv) providing professional develop25 ment and personnel enhancement activi-
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1 ties, including the provision of funds to re2 cipients of grants under subsection (a), re3 lating to— 

4 ‘‘(I) effective methods of con5 ducting parent education, home vis6 iting, and promoting quality early 

7 childhood development; 

8 ‘‘(II) recruiting and retaining 

9 qualified staff; and 

10 ‘‘(III) increasing program partici11 pation for underserved populations of 

12 eligible children.’’; 

13 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(h) STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

15 ‘‘(1) CENTER-BASED STAFF.—The Secretary 

16 shall ensure that, not later than September 30, 

17 2010, all teachers providing direct services to Early 

18 Head Start children and families in Early Head 

19 Start centers have a minimum of a child develop20 ment associate credential or an associate degree, and 

21 have been trained (or have equivalent course work) 

22 in early childhood development. 

23 ‘‘(2) HOME VISITOR STAFF.— 

24 ‘‘(A) STANDARDS.—In order to further en25 hance the quality of home visiting services pro-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 vided to families of children participating in 

2 home-based, center-based, or combination pro3 gram options under this subchapter, the Sec4 retary shall establish standards for training, 

5 qualifications, and the conduct of home visits 

6 for home visitor staff in Early Head Start pro7 grams. 

8 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The standards for 

9 training, qualifications, and the conduct of 

10 home visits shall include content related to— 

11 ‘‘(i) structured child-focused home vis12 iting that promotes parents’ ability to sup13 port the child’s cognitive, social, emotional, 

14 and physical development; 

15 ‘‘(ii) effective strengths-based parent 

16 education, including methods to encourage 

17 parents as their child’s first teachers; 

18 ‘‘(iii) early childhood development 

19 with respect to children from birth through 

20 age 3; 

21 ‘‘(iv) methods to help parents promote 

22 emergent literacy in their children from 

23 birth through age 3, including use of re24 search-based strategies to support the de25 velopment of literacy and language skills 
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1 for children who are limited English pro2 ficient; 

3 ‘‘(v) health, vision, hearing, and devel4 opmental screenings; 

5 ‘‘(vi) strategies for helping families 

6 coping with crisis; and 

7 ‘‘(vii) the relationship of health and 

8 well-being of pregnant women to prenatal 

9 and early child development.’’. 

10 SEC. 15. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING AND RECORDS 

11 AND AUDITS. 

12 (a) APPEALS.—Section 646(a) of the Head Start Act 

13 (42 U.S.C. 9841(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs 

14 (3) and (4) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) financial assistance under this subchapter 

16 may be terminated or reduced, and an application 

17 for funding may be denied, after the recipient has 

18 been afforded reasonable notice and opportunity for 

19 a full and fair hearing, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) a right to file a notice of appeal of a 

21 decision within 30 days of notice of the decision 

22 from the Secretary; and 

23 ‘‘(B) access to a full and fair hearing of 

24 the appeal, not later than 120 days from receipt 

25 by the Secretary of the notice of appeal; 
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1 ‘‘(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish 

2 procedures (including mediation procedures) to be 

3 used in order to— 

4 ‘‘(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts 

5 potentially leading to an adverse action be6 tween— 

7 ‘‘(i) recipients of financial assistance 

8 under this subchapter; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) delegate agencies or Head Start 

10 Parent Policy Councils; 

11 ‘‘(B) avoid the need for an administrative 

12 hearing on an adverse action; and 

13 ‘‘(C) prohibit a Head Start agency from 

14 expending financial assistance awarded under 

15 this subchapter for the purpose of paying legal 

16 fees pursuant to an appeal under paragraph 

17 (3), except that such fees shall be reimbursed 

18 by the Secretary if the agency prevails in such 

19 decision; and 

20 ‘‘(5) the Secretary may suspend funds to a 

21 grantee for not more than 30 days.’’. 

22 (b) RECIPIENTS.—Section 647(a) of the Head Start 

23 Act (42 U.S.C. 9842(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Each 

24 recipient of’’ and inserting ‘‘Each Head Start agency, 

25 Head Start center, or Early Head Start center receiving’’. 
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1 (c) ACCOUNTING.—Section 647 of the Head Start 

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 9842) is amended by adding at the end 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(c) Each Head Start agency, Head Start center, or 

5 Early Head Start center receiving financial assistance 

6 under this subchapter shall maintain, and annually submit 

7 to the Secretary, a complete accounting of its administra8 tive expenses, including expenses for salaries and com9 pensation funded under this subchapter and provide such 

10 additional documentation as the Secretary may require.’’. 

11 SEC. 16. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 

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

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘(b) and 

15 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘(b), (c), and (d)’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

17 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; 

18 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall make available funds set 

21 aside in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a regional or 

22 State system of early childhood education training and 

23 technical assistance that improves the capacity of Head 

24 Start programs to deliver services in accordance with the 

25 standards described in section 641A(a)(1), with particular 
110 

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1 attention to the standards described in subparagraphs (A) 

2 and (B) of such section. The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) ensure that agencies with demonstrated 

4 expertise in providing high-quality training and tech5 nical assistance to improve the delivery of Head 

6 Start services, including the State Head Start Asso7 ciations, State agencies, migrant and seasonal Head 

8 Start programs, and other entities providing training 

9 and technical assistance in early education, for the 

10 region or State are included in the planning and co11 ordination of the system; and 

12 ‘‘(2) encourage States to supplement the funds 

13 authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) with Federal, 

14 State, or local funds other than Head Start funds, 

15 to expand training and technical assistance activities 

16 beyond Head Start agencies to include other pro17 viders of other early childhood services within a re18 gion or State.’’; 

19 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking 

21 ‘‘educational performance measures’’ and in22 serting ‘‘measures’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and 

24 for activities described in section 1221(b)(3) of 

25 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
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1 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371(b)(3))’’ after ‘‘chil2 dren with disabilities’’; 

3 (C) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, in4 cluding assessing the needs of homeless children 

5 and their families’’ after ‘‘needs assessment’’; 

6 (D) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

7 and inserting a semicolon; 

8 (E) in paragraph (11), by striking the pe9 riod and inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

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

12 in increasing the program participation of homeless 

13 children; 

14 ‘‘(13) provide training and technical assistance 

15 to members of governing bodies to ensure that the 

16 members can fulfill the functions described in sec17 tion 641(a)(4); 

18 ‘‘(14) provide training and technical assistance 

19 to Head Start agencies to assist such agencies in 

20 conducting self-assessments; and 

21 ‘‘(15) assist Head Start agencies and Head 

22 Start programs in improving outreach to, and qual23 ity of services available to, limited English proficient 

24 children and their families, including such services 

25 to help such families learn English, particularly in 
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1 communities that have experienced a large percent2 age increase in the population of limited English 

3 proficient individuals, as measured by the Bureau of 

4 the Census.’’; 

5 (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by in6 serting ‘‘including community-based organizations,’’ 

7 after ‘‘nonprofit entities’’; 

8 (6) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by in9 serting ‘‘or providing services to children determined 

10 to be abused or neglected, training for personnel 

11 providing services to children referred by entities 

12 providing child welfare services or receiving child 

13 welfare services,’’ after ‘‘English language),’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(g) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or 

16 through grants or other arrangements, funds for training 

17 of Head Start personnel in addressing the unique needs 

18 of migrant and seasonal farmworking families, families 

19 with limited English proficiency, and homeless families. 

20 ‘‘(h) Funds used under this section shall be used to 

21 provide high quality, sustained, and intensive, training 

22 and technical assistance in order to have a positive and 

23 lasting impact on classroom instruction. Funds shall be 

24 used to carry out activities related to 1 or more of the 

25 following: 
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1 ‘‘(1) Education and early childhood develop2 ment. 

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

4 ‘‘(3) Family and community partnerships. 

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

6 overall effectiveness of Head Start programs. 

7 ‘‘(i) Funds used under this section for training shall 

8 be used for needs identified annually by a grant applicant 

9 or delegate agency in its program improvement plan, ex10 cept that funds shall not be used for long-distance travel 

11 expenses for training activities— 

12 ‘‘(1) available locally or regionally; or 

13 ‘‘(2) substantially similar to locally or regionally 

14 available training activities. 

15 ‘‘(j)(1) To support local efforts to enhance early lan16 guage and preliteracy development of children in Head 

17 Start programs, and to provide the children with high18 quality oral language skills, and environments that are 

19 rich in literature, in which to acquire language and 

20 preliteracy skills, each Head Start agency, in coordination 

21 with the appropriate State office and the relevant State 

22 Head Start collaboration office, shall ensure that all of 

23 the agency’s Head Start teachers receive ongoing training 

24 in language and emergent literacy (referred to in this sub25 section as ‘literacy training’), including appropriate cur-
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1 ricula and assessments to improve instruction and learn2 ing. Such training shall include training in methods to 

3 promote phonological and phonemic awareness and vocab4 ulary development in an age-appropriate and culturally 

5 and linguistically appropriate manner. 

6 ‘‘(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the 

7 local level in order— 

8 ‘‘(A) to be provided, to the extent feasible, in 

9 the context of the Head Start programs of the State 

10 involved and the children the program serves; and 

11 ‘‘(B) to be tailored to the early childhood lit12 eracy background and experience of the teachers in13 volved. 

14 ‘‘(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and lin15 guistically appropriate and support children’s development 

16 in their home language. 

17 ‘‘(4) The literacy training shall include training in 

18 how to work with parents to enhance positive language 

19 and early literacy development at home. 

20 ‘‘(5) The literacy training shall include specific meth21 ods to best address the needs of children who are English 

22 language learners or are limited English proficient. 

23 ‘‘(6) The literacy training shall include specific meth24 ods to best address the needs of children who have speech 
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1 and language delays, including problems with articulation, 

2 or have other disabilities.’’. 

3 SEC. 17. STAFF QUALIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT. 

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

5 9843a) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) by striking paragraph (2) and insert8 ing the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.— 

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

11 ensure that— 

12 ‘‘(i) not later than September 30, 

13 2010, all Head Start teachers in center14 based programs have at least— 

15 ‘‘(I)(aa) an associate degree (or 

16 equivalent coursework) relating to 

17 early childhood; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) an associate degree in a re19 lated educational area and, to the ex20 tent practicable, coursework relating 

21 to early childhood; and 

22 ‘‘(II) demonstrated teaching com23 petencies, as determined by the pro24 gram director involved (including, at a 

25 minimum, an appropriate level of lit-
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1 eracy, a demonstrated capacity to be 

2 highly engaged with children, and a 

3 demonstrated ability to effectively im4 plement an early childhood cur5 riculum); and 

6 ‘‘(ii) not later than September 30, 

7 2008, all Head Start curriculum specialists 

8 and education coordinators in center-based 

9 programs have— 

10 ‘‘(I) the capacity to offer assist11 ance to other teachers in the imple12 mentation and adaptation of curricula 

13 to the group and individual needs of a 

14 class; and 

15 ‘‘(II)(aa) a baccalaureate or ad16 vanced degree relating to early child17 hood; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) a baccalaureate or ad19 vanced degree and coursework equiva20 lent to a major relating to early child21 hood; 

22 ‘‘(iii) not later than September 30, 

23 2008, all Head Start teaching assistants in 

24 center-based programs have— 
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1 ‘‘(I) at least a child development 

2 associate credential; 

3 ‘‘(II) enrolled in a program lead4 ing to an associate or baccalaureate 

5 degree; or 

6 ‘‘(III) enrolled in a child develop7 ment associate credential program to 

8 be completed within 2 years; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) not later than September 30, 

10 2011— 

11 ‘‘(I) in States that have estab12 lished teacher requirements for State 

13 prekindergarten programs, all Head 

14 Start teachers in center-based pro15 grams— 

16 ‘‘(aa) if such requirements 

17 are not less than those require18 ments described in subclause 

19 (II), meet such teacher require20 ments for State prekindergarten 

21 programs; and 

22 ‘‘(bb) if such requirements 

23 are less than those requirements 

24 described in subclause (II), meet 
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1 the requirements described in 

2 subclause (II); and 

3 ‘‘(II) in States that do not have 

4 teacher requirements for their State 

5 prekindergarten programs, 50 percent 

6 of all Head Start teachers in each 

7 center-based program have a bacca8 laureate degree relating to early child9 hood (or a related educational area or 

10 a baccalaureate degree that meets 

11 State specialized training require12 ments for prekindergarten teachers, 

13 such as State licensure, endorsement, 

14 or certification for prekindergarten or 

15 other early childhood area), and dem16 onstrated teaching competencies, as 

17 determined by the program director 

18 involved (including, at a minimum, an 

19 appropriate level of literacy, a dem20 onstrated capacity to be highly en21 gaged with children, and a dem22 onstrated ability to effectively imple23 ment an early childhood curriculum). 

24 ‘‘(B) TEACHER IN-SERVICE REQUIRE25 MENT.—Each Head Start teacher shall attend 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 an average of not less than 15 clock hours of 

2 professional development per year. Such profes3 sional development shall be high quality, sus4 tained, intensive, and classroom-focused in 

5 order to have a positive and lasting impact on 

6 classroom instruction and the teacher’s per7 formance in the classroom, and regularly evalu8 ated for effectiveness. 

9 ‘‘(C) PROGRESS.— 

10 ‘‘(i) REPORT.—The Secretary shall— 

11 ‘‘(I) require Head Start agencies 

12 to— 

13 ‘‘(aa) demonstrate con14 tinuing progress each year to 

15 reach the result described in sub16 paragraph (A); and 

17 ‘‘(bb) submit to the Sec18 retary a report indicating the 

19 number and percentage of class20 room instructors in center-based 

21 programs with child development 

22 associate credentials or associate, 

23 baccalaureate, or graduate de24 grees; and 
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1 ‘‘(II) compile and submit a sum2 mary of all program reports described 

3 in subclause (I)(bb) to the Committee 

4 on Education and the Workforce of 

5 the House of Representatives and the 

6 Committee on Health, Education, 

7 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

8 ‘‘(ii) DEMONSTRATE PROGRESS.—A 

9 Head Start agency may demonstrate 

10 progress by partnering with institutions of 

11 higher education or other programs that 

12 recruit, train, place, and support college 

13 students to deliver an innovative early 

14 learning program to preschool children. 

15 ‘‘(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec16 retary shall establish requirements to ensure 

17 that, in order to enable Head Start agencies to 

18 comply with the requirements of subparagraph 

19 (A), individuals who receive financial assistance 

20 under this subchapter to pursue a degree de21 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) teach or work in a Head Start 

23 program for a minimum of 3 years after 

24 receiving the degree; or 
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1 ‘‘(ii) repay the total or a prorated 

2 amount of the financial assistance received 

3 based on the length of service completed 

4 after receiving the degree.’’; and 

5 (B) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and 

6 inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On request, the Sec9 retary may grant a waiver of the postsecondary 

10 degree requirements of paragraph (2) for 1 or 

11 more Head Start agencies, either individually, 

12 statewide, or throughout a region, that can 

13 demonstrate— 

14 ‘‘(i) that continuing aggressive state15 wide and national efforts have been unsuc16 cessful at recruiting an individual to serve 

17 as a Head Start teacher or curriculum spe18 cialist or education coordinator who meets 

19 the requirements of paragraph (2)(A); 

20 ‘‘(ii) limited access to degree pro21 grams (including quality distance learning 

22 programs), due to the remote location of 

23 the program involved; or 
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1 ‘‘(iii) that Head Start staff members 

2 are, as of the day the waiver is granted, 

3 enrolled in a program that— 

4 ‘‘(I) grants the required degree; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(II) will be completed within 1 

7 year. 

8 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—An agency that re9 ceives a waiver under subparagraph (A) shall 

10 ensure that Head Start teachers for the agency, 

11 as of the day the waiver is granted, who have 

12 not met the postsecondary degree requirements 

13 of paragraph (2) but are otherwise highly quali14 fied and competent shall be directly and appro15 priately supervised by a teacher who has met or 

16 exceeded the requirements of this subchapter. 

17 ‘‘(C) DURATION.—The Secretary may not 

18 grant a waiver under subparagraph (A) for a 

19 period that exceeds 1 year.’’; 

20 (2) in subsection (c)— 

21 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

22 the end; 

23 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe24 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

25 (C) by adding at the end the following: 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies 

2 to meet the needs of special populations (including 

3 limited English proficient populations).’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (d)(3)(C) by inserting ‘‘, in5 cluding a center,’’ after ‘‘any agency’’; and 

6 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

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

8 Head Start agency and center shall create, in consultation 

9 with employees of the agency or center (including family 

10 service workers), a professional development plan for em11 ployees who provide direct services to children, including 

12 a plan for classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and 

13 education coordinators to meet the requirements set forth 

14 in subsection (a).’’. 

15 SEC. 18. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HEAD 

16 START PARTNERSHIP. 

17 The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is 

18 amended by inserting after section 648A the following: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START 

20 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. 

21 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to 

22 promote social competencies and school readiness in In23 dian children. 

24 ‘‘(b) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START

25 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.— 
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1 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to 

2 award grants, for periods of not less than 5 years, 

3 to Tribal Colleges and Universities to— 

4 ‘‘(A) implement education programs that 

5 include education concerning tribal culture and 

6 language and increase the number of associate, 

7 baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early 

8 childhood education and related fields that are 

9 earned by Indian Head Start agency staff mem10 bers, parents of children served by such an 

11 agency, and members of the tribal community 

12 involved; 

13 ‘‘(B) develop and implement the programs 

14 under subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated 

15 formats, including providing the programs 

16 through such means as distance learning and 

17 use of advanced technology, as appropriate; and 

18 ‘‘(C) provide technology literacy programs 

19 for Indian Head Start agency staff members 

20 and children and families of children served by 

21 such an agency. 

22 ‘‘(2) STAFFING.—The Secretary shall ensure 

23 that the American Indian Programs Branch of the 

24 Head Start Bureau of the Department of Health 

25 and Human Services shall have staffing sufficient to 
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1 administer the programs under this section and to 

2 provide appropriate technical assistance to Tribal 

3 Colleges and Universities receiving grants under this 

4 section. 

5 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each Tribal College or Univer6 sity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an 

7 application to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, 

8 and containing such information as the Secretary may re9 quire, including a certification that the Tribal College or 

10 University has established a partnership with 1 or more 

11 Indian Head Start agencies for the purpose of conducting 

12 the activities described in subsection (b). 

13 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

14 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

15 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may 

16 be necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010. 

17 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

19 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

20 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

21 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

22 ‘‘(2) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 

23 term ‘Tribal College or University’— 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(A) has the meaning given such term in 

2 section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 

3 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c); and 

4 ‘‘(B) means an institution determined to 

5 be accredited or a candidate for accreditation 

6 by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or 

7 association.’’. 

8 SEC. 19. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION. 

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

10 is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ‘‘and 

12 children determined to be abused or neglected’’ after 

13 ‘‘children with disabilities’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (8), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

16 after the semicolon; 

17 (B) by striking paragraph (9); 

18 (C) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 

19 paragraph (9); and 

20 (D) by striking the last sentence; 

21 (3) in subsection (g)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

23 (i) by striking clause (i); and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 (ii) by redesignating clauses (ii) and 

2 (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (B) in paragraph (7)(C)— 

5 (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking ‘‘2003’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘2007’’; and 

7 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘Labor 

8 and Human Resources’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pen10 sions’’; and 

11 (4) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(h) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 

15 into a contract with the Board on Children, Youth, 

16 and Families of the National Research Council, the 

17 Board on Testing and Assessments, and the Insti18 tute of Medicine, of the National Academy of 

19 Sciences to establish an independent panel of experts 

20 to review and synthesize research and theories in the 

21 social, behavioral, and biological sciences regarding 

22 early childhood, and make recommendations with re23 gard to each of the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) Age- and developmentally appropriate 

25 Head Start academic requirements and out-
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1 comes, including the standards described in sec2 tion 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii). 

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

4 and intensity of services that are necessary to 

5 ensure that children from challenging family or 

6 social backgrounds (including low-income chil7 dren, children with disabilities, and limited 

8 English proficient children) enter kindergarten 

9 ready to succeed. 

10 ‘‘(C) Appropriate assessments of young 

11 children for the purposes of improving instruc12 tion, services, and program quality, including— 

13 ‘‘(i) formal and systematic observa14 tional assessments in a child’s natural en15 vironment; 

16 ‘‘(ii) assessments of children’s devel17 opment through parent and provider inter18 views; 

19 ‘‘(iii) appropriate accommodations for 

20 children with disabilities and limited 

21 English proficient children; 

22 ‘‘(iv) appropriate assessments for chil23 dren with disabilities, limited English pro24 ficient children, and children from different 

25 cultural backgrounds; and 
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1 ‘‘(v) other assessments used in Head 

2 Start programs. 

3 ‘‘(D) Identification of existing, or rec4 ommendations for the development of, scientif5 ically based, valid and reliable assessments that 

6 are capable of measuring child outcomes in the 

7 domains important to school readiness, includ8 ing language skills, prereading ability, 

9 premathematics ability, cognitive ability, sci10 entific ability, social and emotional develop11 ment, and physical development; 

12 ‘‘(E) Appropriate use and application of 

13 valid and reliable assessments for Head Start 

14 programs identified in accordance with subpara15 graph (D). 

16 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The panel described 

18 in paragraph (1) shall consist of multiple ex19 perts in each of the following areas: 

20 ‘‘(i) Child development (including cog21 nitive, social, emotional, and physical de22 velopment) and child education (including 

23 approaches to learning). 
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1 ‘‘(ii) Professional development, includ2 ing preparation of individuals who teach 

3 young children. 

4 ‘‘(iii) Assessment of young children 

5 (including children with disabilities and 

6 limited English proficient children), includ7 ing screening, diagnostic, and classroom8 based instructional assessment. 

9 ‘‘(B) REPRESENTATIVES.—The panel de10 scribed in paragraph (1) shall be selected and 

11 appointed by the National Academy of Sciences, 

12 after consultation with the Secretary of Health 

13 and Human Services. 

14 ‘‘(3) TIMING.— 

15 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 

16 days after the date of enactment of the Head 

17 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, 

18 the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of 

19 the National Research Council, the Board on 

20 Testing and Assessments, and the Institute of 

21 Medicine, of the National Academy of Sciences 

22 shall establish the panel described in paragraph 

23 (1), including selecting and appointing the 

24 members of the panel. Representatives de-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 scribed in paragraph (2) shall be selected and 

2 appointed after consultation with the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(B) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 

4 1 year after the panel described in paragraph 

5 (1) is established, the panel shall complete, and 

6 submit to the Secretary a report containing, the 

7 recommendations described in paragraph (1). 

8 The Secretary shall not implement the amend9 ments made to section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) by the 

10 Head Start Improvements for School Readiness 

11 Act until the panel submits the report. 

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

13 Secretary shall use the results of the review and rec14 ommendations described in paragraph (1) to (where 

15 appropriate) develop, inform, and revise— 

16 ‘‘(A) the educational standards, and the 

17 performance measures, described in section 

18 641A; and 

19 ‘‘(B) the assessments utilized in the Head 

20 Start programs. 

21 ‘‘(i) SERVICES TO LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT

22 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.— 

23 ‘‘(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

24 study on the status of limited English proficient 
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1 children and their families in Head Start or Early 

2 Head Start programs. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare 

4 and submit to Congress, not later than September 

5 2009, a report containing the results of the study, 

6 including information on— 

7 ‘‘(A) the demographics of limited English 

8 proficient children from birth through age 5, in9 cluding the number of such children receiving 

10 Head Start or Early Head Start services and 

11 the geographic distribution of children described 

12 in this subparagraph; 

13 ‘‘(B) the nature of Head Start or Early 

14 Head Start services provided to limited English 

15 proficient children and their families, including 

16 the types, content, duration, intensity, and costs 

17 of family services, language assistance, and 

18 educational services; 

19 ‘‘(C) procedures in Head Start programs 

20 for the assessment of language needs and the 

21 transition of limited English proficient children 

22 to kindergarten, including the extent to which 

23 Head Start programs meet the requirements of 

24 section 642A for limited English proficient chil25 dren; 
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1 ‘‘(D) the qualifications and training pro2 vided to Head Start and Early Head Start 

3 teachers serving limited English proficient chil4 dren and their families; 

5 ‘‘(E) the rate of progress made by limited 

6 English proficient children and their families in 

7 Head Start programs and Early Head Start 

8 programs, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) the rate of progress of the limited 

10 English proficient children toward meeting 

11 the additional educational standards de12 scribed in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) while 

13 enrolled in Head Start programs, meas14 ured between 1990 and 2004; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the correlation between such 

16 progress and the type of instruction and 

17 educational program provided to the lim18 ited English proficient children; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) the correlation between such 

20 progress and the health and family services 

21 provided by Head Start programs to lim22 ited English proficient children and their 

23 families; and 

24 ‘‘(F) the extent to which Head Start pro25 grams make use of funds under section 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 640(a)(3) to improve the quality of Head Start 

2 services provided to limited English proficient 

3 children and their families.’’. 

4 SEC. 20. REPORTS. 

5 Section 650 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9846) 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)— 

8 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

9 by striking ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pen11 sions’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘home13 lessness, children in foster care, children who 

14 are abused or neglected,’’ after ‘‘ethnic back15 ground,’’; and 

16 (C) in the flush matter at the end by strik17 ing ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and insert18 ing ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’; 

19 and 

20 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Labor and 

21 Human Resources’’ and inserting ‘‘Health, Edu22 cation, Labor, and Pensions’’. 

23 SEC. 21. COMPARABILITY OF WAGES. 

24 Section 653 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9848) 

25 is amended— 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall take’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘(a) The Secretary shall take’’; 

3 (2) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by 

4 striking ‘‘or (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2) in excess of the 

5 salary of the Secretary, in the case of an individual 

6 compensated with funds awarded under this sub7 chapter or the Community Services Block Grant Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.); or (3)’’; and 

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

10 ‘‘(b) If in any fiscal year the restriction described in 

11 subsection (a)(2) is violated, the Secretary shall withhold 

12 from the base grant of the Head Start agency involved 

13 (as defined in section 641A(g)(1)) for the next fiscal year, 

14 an amount equal to the aggregate amount by which the 

15 salary that resulted in the violation exceeded the salary 

16 of the Secretary.’’. 

17 SEC. 22. LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAW18 FUL ACTIVITIES. 

19 Section 655 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9850) 

20 is amended by inserting ‘‘or in’’ after ‘‘assigned by’’. 

21 SEC. 23. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. 

22 Section 656 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9851) 

23 is amended— 

24 (1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘chapter 15’’ 

25 and inserting the following: 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. 

2 ‘‘(a) STATE OR LOCAL AGENCY.—For purposes of’’; 

3 and 

4 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(b) RESTRICTIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A program assisted under 

8 this subchapter, and any individual employed by, or 

9 assigned to, a program assessed under this sub10 chapter (during the hours in which such individual 

11 is working on behalf of such program), shall not en12 gage in— 

13 ‘‘(A) any partisan or nonpartisan political 

14 activity or any other political activity associated 

15 with a candidate, or contending faction or 

16 group, in an election for public or party office; 

17 ‘‘(B) any activity to provide voters or pro18 spective voters with transportation to the polls 

19 or similar assistance in connection with any 

20 such election; or 

21 ‘‘(C) any voter registration activity. 

22 ‘‘(2) RULES AND REGULATIONS.—The Sec23 retary, after consultation with the Director of the 

24 Office of Personnel Management, may issue rules 

25 and regulations to provide for the enforcement of 

26 this section, which may include provisions for sum-
137 

•S 1107 RS 

1 mary suspension of assistance or other action nec2 essary to permit enforcement on an emergency 

3 basis.’’. 

4 SEC. 24. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH 

5 SERVICES. 

6 The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NON9 EMERGENCY INTRUSIVE PHYSICAL EXAMINA10 TIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—The term ‘nonemergency intru12 sive physical examination’ means, with respect to a child, 

13 a physical examination that— 

14 ‘‘(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the 

15 health or safety of the child or the health or safety 

16 of another individual; and 

17 ‘‘(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, 

18 or involves exposure of private body parts. 

19 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENT.—A Head Start agency shall ob20 tain written parental consent before administration of, or 

21 referral for, any health care service provided or arranged 

22 to be provided, including any nonemergency intrusive 

23 physical examination of a child in connection with partici24 pation in a program under this subchapter. 
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1 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec2 tion shall be construed to prohibit agencies from using es3 tablished methods, for handling cases of suspected or 

4 known child abuse and neglect, that are in compliance 

5 with applicable Federal, State, or tribal law.’’. 

6 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Head Start Improve8 ments for School Readiness Act’’. 

9 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 

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

11 is amended by inserting ‘‘educational instruction in 

12 prereading skills, premathematics skills, and language and 

13 through’’ after ‘‘low-income children through’’. 

14 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

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

16 is amended— 

17 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘(including a 

18 community-based organization)’’ after ‘‘nonprofit’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘, includ20 ing financial literacy,’’ after ‘‘Parent literacy’’; 

21 (3) in paragraph (17), by striking ‘‘Mariana Is22 lands,’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘Mariana 

23 Islands.’’; and 

24 (4) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(18) The term ‘homeless child’ means a child 

2 described in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento 

3 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)). 

4 ‘‘(19) The term ‘limited English proficient’, used 

5 with respect to a child, means a child— 

6 ‘‘(A) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll 

7 in a Head Start program, Early Head Start 

8 program, or other early care and education pro9 gram; 

10 ‘‘(B)(i) who was not born in the United 

11 States or whose native language is a language 

12 other than English; 

13 ‘‘(ii)(I) who is a Native American, Alaska 

14 Native, or a native resident of a United States 

15 territory; and 

16 ‘‘(II) who comes from an environment 

17 where a language other than English has had a 

18 significant impact on the child’s level of English 

19 language proficiency; or 

20 ‘‘(iii) who is migratory, whose native lan21 guage is a language other than English, and who 

22 comes from an environment where a language 

23 other than English is dominant; and 
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1 ‘‘(C) whose difficulty in speaking or under2 standing the English language may be sufficient 

3 to deny such child— 

4 ‘‘(i) the ability to successfully achieve 

5 in a classroom in which the language of in6 struction is English; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) the opportunity to participate 

8 fully in society. 

9 ‘‘(20) The term ‘deficiency’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a systemic or substantial failure of an 

11 agency in an area of performance that the Sec12 retary determines involves— 

13 ‘‘(i) a threat to the health, safety, or 

14 civil rights of children or staff; 

15 ‘‘(ii) a denial to parents of the exercise 

16 of their full roles and responsibilities related 

17 to program operations; 

18 ‘‘(iii) a failure to comply with stand19 ards related to early childhood development 

20 and health services, family and community 

21 partnerships, or program design and man22 agement; 

23 ‘‘(iv) the misuse of funds under this 

24 subchapter; 
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1 ‘‘(v) loss of legal status or financial vi2 ability, loss of permits, debarment from re3 ceiving Federal grants or contracts, or the 

4 improper use of Federal funds; or 

5 ‘‘(vi) failure to meet any other Federal 

6 or State requirement that the agency has 

7 shown an unwillingness or inability to cor8 rect, after notice from the Secretary, within 

9 the period specified; 

10 ‘‘(B) systemic failure of the board of direc11 tors of an agency to fully exercise its legal and 

12 fiduciary responsibilities; 

13 ‘‘(C) substantial failure of an agency to 

14 meet the administrative requirements of section 

15 644(b); 

16 ‘‘(D) failure of an agency to demonstrate 

17 that the agency attempted to meet the coordina18 tion and collaboration requirements with entities 

19 described in section 640(a)(5)(D)(iii)(I); or 

20 ‘‘(E) having an unresolved area of non21 compliance. 

22 ‘‘(21) The term ‘unresolved area of noncompli23 ance’ means failure to correct a noncompliance item 

24 within 120 days, or within such additional time (if 

25 any) authorized by the Secretary, after receiving from 
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1 the Secretary notice of such noncompliance item, pur2 suant to section 641A(d). 

3 ‘‘(22) The term ‘interrater reliability’ means the 

4 extent to which 2 different raters or observers consist5 ently obtain the same result when using the same as6 sessment tool.’’. 

7 SEC. 4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START PRO8 GRAMS. 

9 Section 638 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9833) 

10 is amended by inserting ‘‘for a period of 5 years’’ after 

11 ‘‘provide financial assistance to such agency’’. 

12 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

14 is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro17 priated for carrying out the provisions of this subchapter 

18 $7,215,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, $7,515,000,000 for fis19 cal year 2007, $7,815,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such 

20 sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 and 

21 2010. 

22 ‘‘(b) SPECIFIC PROGRAMS.—From the amount appro23 priated under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make 

24 available to carry out research, demonstration, and evalua25 tion activities, including longitudinal studies under section 
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1 649, not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and 

2 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 

3 through 2010, of which not more than $7,000,000 for each 

4 of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 shall be available to carry 

5 out impact studies under section 649(g).’’. 

6 SEC. 6. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS. 

7 (a) ALLOTMENT.—Section 640(a) of the Head Start 

8 Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(a)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for 

13 children with disabilities, and migrant and seasonal 

14 Head Start programs, except that the Secretary shall 

15 reserve for each fiscal year for use by Indian Head 

16 Start and migrant and seasonal Head Start pro17 grams (referred to in this paragraph as ‘covered pro18 grams’), on a nationwide basis, a sum that is the 

19 total of 4 percent of the amount appropriated under 

20 section 639 for that fiscal year (for Indian Head 

21 Start programs), and 5 percent of that appropriated 

22 amount (for migrant and seasonal Head Start pro23 grams), except that— 

24 ‘‘(i) if reserving the specified percentages for 

25 Indian Head Start programs and migrant and 
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1 seasonal Head Start programs would reduce the 

2 number of children served by Head Start pro3 grams, relative to the number of children served 

4 on the date of enactment of the Head Start Im5 provements for School Readiness Act, taking into 

6 consideration an appropriate adjustment for in7 flation, the Secretary shall reserve percentages 

8 that approach, as closely as practicable, the spec9 ified percentages and that do not cause such a 

10 reduction; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) notwithstanding any other provision 

12 of this subparagraph, the Secretary shall reserve 

13 for each fiscal year for use by Indian Head Start 

14 programs and by migrant and seasonal Head 

15 Start programs, on a nationwide basis, not less 

16 than the amount that was obligated for use by 

17 Indian Head Start programs and by migrant 

18 and seasonal Head Start programs for the pre19 vious fiscal year;’’; 

20 (B) by striking subparagraph (C) and in21 serting the following: 

22 ‘‘(C) training and technical assistance activities 

23 that are sufficient to meet the needs associated with 

24 program expansion and to foster program and man25 agement improvement activities as described in sec-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 tion 648, in an amount for each fiscal year that is 

2 equal to 2 percent of the amount appropriated under 

3 section 639 for such fiscal year, of which— 

4 ‘‘(i) 50 percent shall be made available to 

5 Head Start agencies to use directly, or by estab6 lishing local or regional agreements with com7 munity experts, colleges and universities, or pri8 vate consultants, for any of the following train9 ing and technical assistance activities, includ10 ing— 

11 ‘‘(I) activities that ensure that Head 

12 Start programs meet or exceed the program 

13 performance standards described in section 

14 641A(a)(1); 

15 ‘‘(II) activities that ensure that Head 

16 Start programs have adequate numbers of 

17 trained, qualified staff who have skills in 

18 working with children and families, includ19 ing children and families who are limited 

20 English proficient and children with dis21 abilities; 

22 ‘‘(III) activities to pay expenses, in23 cluding direct training for expert consult24 ants working with any staff, to improve the 
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1 management and implementation of Head 

2 Start services and systems; 

3 ‘‘(IV) activities that help ensure that 

4 Head Start programs have qualified staff 

5 who can promote language skills and lit6 eracy growth of children and who can pro7 vide children with a variety of skills that 

8 have been identified as predictive of later 

9 reading achievement, school success, and 

10 other educational skills described in section 

11 641A; 

12 ‘‘(V) activities to improve staff quali13 fications and to assist with the implementa14 tion of career development programs and to 

15 encourage the staff to continually improve 

16 their skills and expertise, including devel17 oping partnerships with programs that re18 cruit, train, place, and support college stu19 dents in Head Start centers to deliver an 

20 innovative early learning program to pre21 school children; 

22 ‘‘(VI) activities that help local pro23 grams ensure that the arrangement, condi24 tion, and implementation of the learning 

25 environments in Head Start programs are 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 conducive to providing effective program 

2 services to children and families; 

3 ‘‘(VII) activities to provide training 

4 necessary to improve the qualifications of 

5 Head Start staff and to support staff train6 ing, child counseling, health services, and 

7 other services necessary to address the needs 

8 of children enrolled in Head Start pro9 grams, including children from families in 

10 crises, children who experience chronic vio11 lence or homelessness, and children who ex12 perience substance abuse in their families, 

13 and children under 3 years of age, where 

14 applicable; 

15 ‘‘(VIII) activities to provide classes or 

16 in-service-type programs to improve or en17 hance parenting skills, job skills, adult and 

18 family literacy, including financial lit19 eracy, or training to become a classroom 

20 aide or bus driver in a Head Start pro21 gram; 

22 ‘‘(IX) additional activities deemed ap23 propriate to the improvement of Head Start 

24 agencies’ programs, as determined by the 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 agencies’ technical assistance and training 

2 plans; or 

3 ‘‘(X) any other activities regarding the 

4 use of funds as determined by the Secretary; 

5 ‘‘(ii) 50 percent shall be made available to 

6 the Secretary to support a regional or State sys7 tem of early childhood education training and 

8 technical assistance, and to assist local programs 

9 (including Indian Head Start programs and mi10 grant and seasonal Head Start programs) in 

11 meeting the standards described in section 

12 641A(a)(1); and 

13 ‘‘(iii) not less than $3,000,000 of the 

14 amount in clause (ii) appropriated for such fis15 cal year shall be made available to carry out ac16 tivities described in section 648(d)(4);’’; 

17 (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

18 ‘‘agencies;’’ and inserting ‘‘agencies);’’; and 

19 (D) by adding at the end of the flush matter 

20 at the end the following: ‘‘In no case shall the 

21 Secretary use funds reserved under this para22 graph to expand or create additional slots for 

23 services in non-Indian and non-migrant and 

24 seasonal Head Start programs until the 4 and 5 

25 percent amounts specified in subparagraph (A) 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 are reached. The Secretary shall assure that any 

2 additional funding appropriated in any of fiscal 

3 years 2006 through 2010 that is available to the 

4 Secretary under the authority of this paragraph 

5 shall be used to increase the funding levels of mi6 grant and seasonal Head Start programs and 

7 Indian Head Start programs until such point as 

8 migrant and seasonal Head Start programs are 

9 receiving not less than 5 percent of the total 

10 funds appropriated under section 639 and In11 dian Head Start programs are receiving not less 

12 than 4 percent of the total funds appropriated 

13 under section 639. After ensuring that the 4 and 

14 5 percent amounts described in subparagraph 

15 (A) and the 2 percent amount described in sub16 paragraph (C) have been reached and after allot17 ting the funds reserved under paragraph (3)(A) 

18 as specified in paragraph (3)(D), the Secretary 

19 may distribute any remaining funds available to 

20 the Secretary under this paragraph to covered 

21 programs, and if the Secretary decides to dis22 tribute such remaining funds available under 

23 this paragraph to covered programs, the Sec24 retary shall distribute the funds by distributing 

25 65 percent of the remainder by giving priority to 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 grant recipients in the States serving the small2 est percentages (as determined by the Secretary) 

3 of children less than 5 years of age from families 

4 whose income is below the poverty line, and dis5 tributing 35 percent of the remainder on a com6 petitive basis. The Secretary shall require each 

7 Head Start agency to report at the end of each 

8 budget year on how funds provided to carry out 

9 subparagraph (C)(i) were used.’’; 

10 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

11 (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(I)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘60 percent of such ex13 cess amount for fiscal year 1999’’ and all 

14 that follows through ‘‘2002, and’’; and 

15 (ii) by inserting before the semicolon 

16 the following: ‘‘, 30 percent of such excess 

17 amount for fiscal year 2006, and 40 percent 

18 of such excess amount for each of fiscal 

19 years 2007 through 2010’’; 

20 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

21 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘perform22 ance standards’’ and all that follows and 

23 inserting ‘‘standards and measures pursu24 ant to section 641A.’’; 
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1 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert2 ing the following: 

3 ‘‘(ii) Ensuring that such programs have ade4 quate numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff 

5 is furnished adequate training, including training to 

6 promote the development of language skills, 

7 premathematics skills, and prereading in young chil8 dren and in working with limited English proficient 

9 children, children in foster care, children referred by 

10 child welfare services, and children with disabilities, 

11 when appropriate.’’; 

12 (iii) by striking clause (iii) and insert13 ing the following: 

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

15 and benefits standards under section 644(a) and sec16 tion 653, in order to ensure that salary levels and 

17 benefits are adequate to attract and retain qualified 

18 staff for such programs.’’; 

19 (iv) by striking clause (iv) and insert20 ing the following: 

21 ‘‘(iv) Using salary increases to— 

22 ‘‘(I) assist with the implementation of qual23 ity programs and improve staff qualifications; 

24 ‘‘(II) ensure that staff can promote the lan25 guage skills and literacy growth of children and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 can provide children with a variety of skills that 

2 have been identified, through scientifically based 

3 early reading research, as predictive of later 

4 reading achievement, as well as additional skills 

5 identified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); and 

6 ‘‘(III) encourage the staff to continually im7 prove their skills and expertise by informing the 

8 staff of the availability of Federal and State in9 centive and loan forgiveness programs for profes10 sional development.’’; 

11 (v) in clause (v), by inserting ‘‘, in12 cluding collaborations to increase program 

13 participation by underserved populations of 

14 eligible children’’ before the period; and 

15 (vi) by striking clauses (vii) and (viii) 

16 and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(vii) Providing assistance to complete postsec18 ondary coursework including scholarships or other fi19 nancial incentives, such as differential and merit 

20 pay, to enable Head Start teachers to improve com21 petencies and the resulting child outcomes. 

22 ‘‘(viii) Promoting the regular attendance and 

23 stability of all Head Start children with particular 

24 attention to highly mobile children, including chil25 dren from migrant and seasonal farmworking fami-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 lies (where appropriate), homeless children, and chil2 dren in foster care. 

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

4 quality of such programs as the Secretary may des5 ignate.’’; 

6 (C) in subparagraph (C)— 

7 (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking the last 

8 sentence and inserting ‘‘Salary increases, in 

9 excess of cost-of-living allowances, provided 

10 with such funds shall be subject to the spe11 cific standards governing salaries and sal12 ary increases established pursuant to section 

13 644(a).’’; 

14 (ii) in clause (ii)— 

15 (I) in the matter preceding sub16 clause (I), by striking ‘‘education per17 formance’’ and inserting ‘‘additional 

18 educational’’; 

19 (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 

20 ‘‘, prereading,’’ after ‘‘language’’; 

21 (III) by striking subclause (II) 

22 and inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(II) to help limited English proficient chil24 dren attain the knowledge, skills, and develop25 ment specified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) and 
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1 to promote the acquisition of the English lan2 guage by such children and families;’’; and 

3 (IV) by striking subclause (IV) 

4 and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(IV) to provide education and training 

6 necessary to improve the qualifications of Head 

7 Start staff, particularly assistance to enable 

8 more instructors to be fully competent and to 

9 meet the degree requirements under section 

10 648A(a)(2)(A), and to support staff training, 

11 child counseling, and other services necessary to 

12 address the challenges of children participating 

13 in Head Start programs, including children 

14 from immigrant, refugee, and asylee families, 

15 children from families in crisis, homeless chil16 dren, children in foster care, children referred to 

17 Head Start programs by child welfare agencies, 

18 and children who are exposed to chronic violence 

19 or substance abuse.’’; 

20 (iii) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘, 

21 educational staff who have the qualifica22 tions described in section 648A(a),’’ after 

23 ‘‘ratio’’; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 (iv) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘pro2 grams, including’’ and all that follows and 

3 inserting ‘‘programs.’’; 

4 (v) by redesignating clause (vi) as 

5 clause (x); and 

6 (vi) by inserting after clause (v) the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families in 

9 an effort to increase the program participation of eli10 gible homeless children. 

11 ‘‘(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and sea12 sonal farmworking families and families with limited 

13 English proficient children. 

14 ‘‘(viii) To partner with institutions of higher 

15 education and nonprofit organizations, including 

16 community-based organizations, that recruit, train, 

17 place, and support college students to serve as mentors 

18 and reading coaches to preschool children in Head 

19 Start programs. 

20 ‘‘(ix) To upgrade the qualifications and skills of 

21 educational personnel to meet the professional stand22 ards described in section 648A(a)(1), including cer23 tification and licensure as bilingual education teach24 ers and for other educational personnel who serve lim25 ited English proficient students.’’; 
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1 (3) in paragraph (4)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

3 ‘‘1998’’ and inserting ‘‘2005’’; and 

4 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) any amount available after all allotments 

7 are made under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year 

8 shall be distributed as follows: 

9 ‘‘(i) Each State shall receive an amount 

10 sufficient to serve the same number of children in 

11 Head Start programs in each State as were 

12 served on the date of enactment of the Head 

13 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, 

14 taking into consideration an appropriate adjust15 ment for inflation. 

16 ‘‘(ii) After ensuring that each State has re17 ceived the amount described in clause (i) and 

18 after allotting the funds reserved under para19 graph (3)(A) as specified in paragraph (3)(D), 

20 the Secretary shall distribute the remaining bal21 ance, by— 

22 ‘‘(I) distributing 65 percent of the bal23 ance by giving priority to States serving the 

24 smallest percentages (as determined by the 

25 Secretary) of children less than 5 years of 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 age from families whose income is below the 

2 poverty line; and 

3 ‘‘(II) distributing 35 percent of the bal4 ance on a competitive basis.’’; 

5 (4) in paragraph (5)— 

6 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

7 and (F) as subparagraphs (F) and (G), respec8 tively; and 

9 (B) by striking subparagraphs (B), (C), and 

10 (D) and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(B)(i) From the reserved sums, the Secretary shall 

12 award a collaboration grant to each State to facilitate col13 laboration between Head Start agencies and entities (in14 cluding the State) that carry out other activities designed 

15 to benefit low-income families and children from birth to 

16 school entry. 

17 ‘‘(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to— 

18 ‘‘(I) encourage Head Start agencies to collabo19 rate with entities involved in State and local plan20 ning processes to better meet the needs of low-income 

21 families and children from birth to school entry; 

22 ‘‘(II) encourage Head Start agencies to coordi23 nate activities with the State agency responsible for 

24 administering the State program carried out under 

25 the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and entities providing 

2 resources and referral services in the State to make 

3 full-working-day and full calendar year services 

4 available to children; 

5 ‘‘(III) promote alignment of Head Start services 

6 with State early learning and school readiness goals 

7 and standards, including the Head Start Child Out8 comes Framework; 

9 ‘‘(IV) promote better linkages between Head 

10 Start agencies and other child and family agencies, 

11 including agencies that provide health, mental health, 

12 or family services, or other child or family supportive 

13 services; and 

14 ‘‘(V) carry out the activities of the State Director 

15 of Head Start Collaboration authorized in subpara16 graph (D). 

17 ‘‘(C) In order to improve coordination and delivery 

18 of early education services to children in the State, a State 

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

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

21 Director of Head Start Collaboration; 

22 ‘‘(ii) ensure that the State Director of Head 

23 Start Collaboration holds a position with sufficient 

24 authority and access to ensure that the collaboration 
159 

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1 described in subparagraph (B) is effective and in2 volves a range of State agencies; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) involve the State Head Start Association 

4 in the selection of the Director and involve the Asso5 ciation in determinations relating to the ongoing di6 rection of the collaboration office. 

7 ‘‘(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, 

8 after consultation with the State Advisory Council described 

9 in subparagraph (E), shall— 

10 ‘‘(i) not later than 1 year after the date of enact11 ment of the Head Start Improvements for School 

12 Readiness Act, conduct an assessment that— 

13 ‘‘(I) addresses the needs of Head Start agen14 cies in the State with respect to collaborating, co15 ordinating services, and implementing State 

16 early learning and school readiness goals and 

17 standards to better serve children enrolled in 

18 Head Start programs in the State; 

19 ‘‘(II) shall be updated on an annual basis; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(III) shall be made available to the general 

22 public within the State; 

23 ‘‘(ii) assess the availability of high quality pre24 kindergarten services for low-income children in the 

25 State; 
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1 ‘‘(iii) develop a strategic plan that is based on 

2 the assessment described in clause (i) that will— 

3 ‘‘(I) enhance collaboration and coordination 

4 of Head Start services with other entities pro5 viding early childhood programs and services 

6 (such as child care and services offered by muse7 ums), health care, mental health care, welfare, 

8 child protective services, education and commu9 nity service activities, family literacy services, 

10 reading readiness programs (including such pro11 grams offered by public and school libraries), 

12 services relating to children with disabilities, 

13 other early childhood programs and services for 

14 limited English proficient children and homeless 

15 children, and services provided for children in 

16 foster care and children referred to Head Start 

17 programs by child welfare agencies, including 

18 agencies and State officials responsible for such 

19 services; 

20 ‘‘(II) assist Head Start agencies to develop 

21 a plan for the provision of full-working-day, full 

22 calendar year services for children enrolled in 

23 Head Start programs who need such care; 

24 ‘‘(III) assist Head Start agencies to align 

25 services with State early learning and school 
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1 readiness goals and standards and to facilitate 

2 collaborative efforts to develop local school readi3 ness standards; and 

4 ‘‘(IV) enable agencies in the State to better 

5 coordinate professional development opportuni6 ties for Head Start staff, such as by— 

7 ‘‘(aa) assisting 2- and 4-year public 

8 and private institutions of higher education 

9 to develop articulation agreements; 

10 ‘‘(bb) awarding grants to institutions 

11 of higher education to develop model early 

12 childhood education programs, including 

13 practica or internships for students to 

14 spend time in a Head Start or prekinder15 garten program; 

16 ‘‘(cc) working with local Head Start 

17 agencies to meet the degree requirements de18 scribed in section 648A(a)(2)(A), including 

19 providing distance learning opportunities 

20 for Head Start staff, where needed to make 

21 higher education more accessible to Head 

22 Start staff; and 

23 ‘‘(dd) enabling the State Head Start 

24 agencies to better coordinate outreach to eli25 gible families; 
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1 ‘‘(iv) promote partnerships between Head Start 

2 agencies, State governments, and the private sector to 

3 help ensure that preschool children from low-income 

4 families are receiving comprehensive services to pre5 pare the children to enter school ready to learn; 

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

7 local educational agencies, and providers of early 

8 childhood education and care to conduct unified plan9 ning regarding early care and education services at 

10 both the State and local levels, including undertaking 

11 collaborative efforts to develop and make improve12 ments in school readiness standards; 

13 ‘‘(vi) promote partnerships (such as the partner14 ships involved with the Free to Grow initiative) be15 tween Head Start agencies, schools, law enforcement, 

16 and substance abuse and mental health treatment 

17 agencies to strengthen family and community envi18 ronments and to reduce the impact on child develop19 ment of substance abuse, child abuse, domestic vio20 lence, and other high risk behaviors that compromise 

21 healthy development; 

22 ‘‘(vii) promote partnerships between Head Start 

23 agencies and other organizations in order to enhance 

24 the Head Start curriculum, including partnerships to 

25 promote inclusion of more books in Head Start class-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 rooms and partnerships to promote coordination of 

2 activities with the Ready-to-Learn Television pro3 gram carried out under subpart 3 of part D of title 

4 II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

5 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); and 

6 ‘‘(viii) identify other resources and organizations 

7 (both public and private) for the provision of in-kind 

8 services to Head Start agencies in the State. 

9 ‘‘(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall designate or 

10 establish a council to serve as the State advisory council 

11 on collaboration on early care and education activities for 

12 children from birth to school entry (in this subchapter re13 ferred to as the ‘State Advisory Council’). 

14 ‘‘(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity 

15 to serve as the State Advisory Council, if the entity includes 

16 representatives described in subclauses (I) through (XXIV) 

17 of clause (iii). 

18 ‘‘(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall in19 clude, to the maximum extent possible— 

20 ‘‘(I) the State Director of Head Start Collabora21 tion; 

22 ‘‘(II) a representative of the appropriate regional 

23 office of the Administration for Children and Fami24 lies; 
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1 ‘‘(III) a representative of the State educational 

2 agency and local educational agencies; 

3 ‘‘(IV) a representative of institutions of higher 

4 education; 

5 ‘‘(V) a representative (or representatives) of the 

6 State agency (or agencies) responsible for health or 

7 mental health care; 

8 ‘‘(VI) a representative of the State agency re9 sponsible for teacher professional standards, certifi10 cation, and licensing, including prekindergarten 

11 teacher professional standards, certification stand12 ards, certification, and licensing, where applicable; 

13 ‘‘(VII) a representative of the State agency re14 sponsible for child care; 

15 ‘‘(VIII) early childhood education professionals, 

16 including professionals with expertise in second lan17 guage acquisition and instructional strategies in 

18 teaching limited English proficient children; 

19 ‘‘(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in 

20 grades 1 through 3; 

21 ‘‘(X) health care professionals; 

22 ‘‘(XI) child development specialists, including 

23 specialists in prenatal, infant, and toddler develop24 ment; 
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1 ‘‘(XII) a representative of the State agency re2 sponsible for assisting children with developmental 

3 disabilities; 

4 ‘‘(XIII) a representative of the State agency re5 sponsible for programs under part C of the Individ6 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 

7 et seq.); 

8 ‘‘(XIV) a representative of the State interagency 

9 coordinating councils established under section 641 of 

10 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 

11 U.S.C. 1441); 

12 ‘‘(XV) a representative of the State Head Start 

13 Association (where appropriate), and other represent14 atives of Head Start programs in the State; 

15 ‘‘(XVI) a representative of the State network of 

16 child care resource and referral agencies; 

17 ‘‘(XVII) a representative of community-based or18 ganizations; 

19 ‘‘(XVIII) a representative of State and local pro20 viders of early childhood education and child care; 

21 ‘‘(XIX) a representative of migrant and seasonal 

22 Head Start programs and Indian Head Start pro23 grams (where appropriate); 

24 ‘‘(XX) parents; 

25 ‘‘(XXI) religious and business leaders; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(XXII) the head of the State library adminis2 trative agency; 

3 ‘‘(XXIII) representatives of State and local orga4 nizations and other entities providing professional de5 velopment to early care and education providers; and 

6 ‘‘(XXIV) a representative of other entities deter7 mined to be relevant by the chief executive officer of 

8 the State. 

9 ‘‘(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be respon10 sible for, in addition to responsibilities assigned to the 

11 council by the chief executive officer of the State— 

12 ‘‘(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs as13 sessment concerning early care and education pro14 grams for children from birth to school entry; 

15 ‘‘(bb) identifying barriers to, and opportunities 

16 for, collaboration and coordination between entities 

17 carrying out Federal and State child development, 

18 child care, and early childhood education programs; 

19 ‘‘(cc) developing recommendations regarding 

20 means of establishing a unified data collection system 

21 for early care and education programs throughout the 

22 State; 

23 ‘‘(dd) developing a statewide professional devel24 opment and career ladder plan for early care and 

25 education in the State; and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(ee) reviewing and approving the strategic 

2 plan, regarding collaborating and coordinating serv3 ices to better serve children enrolled in Head Start 

4 programs, developed by the State Director of Head 

5 Start Collaboration under subparagraph (D)(iii). 

6 ‘‘(II) The State Advisory Council shall hold public 

7 hearings and provide an opportunity for public comment 

8 on the needs assessment and recommendations described in 

9 subclause (I). The State Advisory Council shall submit a 

10 statewide strategic report containing the needs assessment 

11 and recommendations described in subclause (I) to the State 

12 Director of Head Start Collaboration and the chief executive 

13 officer of the State. 

14 ‘‘(III) After submission of a statewide strategic report 

15 under subclause (II), the State Advisory Council shall meet 

16 periodically to review any implementation of the rec17 ommendations in such report and any changes in State and 

18 local needs.’’; and 

19 (5) in paragraph (6)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘7.5 

21 percent’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘11 

22 percent for fiscal year 2006, 13 percent for fiscal 

23 year 2007, 15 percent for fiscal year 2008, 17 

24 percent for fiscal year 2009, and 18 percent for 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 fiscal year 2010, of the amount appropriated 

2 pursuant to section 639(a).’’; 

3 (B) by striking subparagraph (B); 

4 (C) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ‘‘re5 quired to be’’; and 

6 (D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 

7 subparagraph (B). 

8 (b) SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS.—Section 640(f) of 

9 the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(f)) is amended by strik10 ing ‘‘needs.’’ and inserting ‘‘needs, including— 

11 ‘‘(1) models that leverage the capacity and capa12 bilities of the delivery system of early childhood edu13 cation and child care; and 

14 ‘‘(2) procedures to provide for the conversion of 

15 part-day programs to full-day programs or part-day 

16 slots to full-day slots.’’. 

17 (c) ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—Section 640(g)(2) of the 

18 Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(g)(2)) is amended— 

19 (1) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) the extent to which the applicant has un22 dertaken communitywide strategic planning and 

23 needs assessments involving other community organi24 zations and Federal, State, and local public agencies 

25 serving children and families (including organiza-
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•S 1107 RS 

1 tions and agencies providing family support services 

2 and protective services to children and families and 

3 organizations serving families in whose homes 

4 English is not the language customarily spoken), and 

5 individuals, organizations, and public entities serving 

6 children with disabilities, children in foster care, and 

7 homeless children including the local educational 

8 agency liaison designated under section 

9 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless As10 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii));’’; 

11 (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘other 

12 local’’ and inserting ‘‘the State and local’’; 

13 (3) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘would 

14 like to participate but’’ after ‘‘community who’’; 

15 (4) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ‘‘leverage 

16 the existing delivery systems of such services and’’ 

17 after ‘‘manner that will’’; and 

18 (5) in subparagraph (H), by inserting ‘‘, includ19 ing the local educational agency liaison designated 

20 under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento 

21 Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

22 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)),’’ after ‘‘community involved’’. 

23 (d) REGULATIONS.—Section 640(i) of the Head Start 

24 Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and re25 quirements to ensure the appropriate supervision and back-
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1 ground checks of individuals with whom the agencies con2 tract to transport those children’’ before the period. 

3 (e) MIGRANT AND SEASONAL HEAD START PRO4 GRAMS.—Section 640(l) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 9835(l)) is amended by striking paragraph (3) and insert6 ing the following: 

7 ‘‘(3) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary 

8 shall continue the administrative arrangement at the na9 tional or regional level for meeting the needs of Indian chil10 dren and children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers 

11 and shall ensure— 

12 ‘‘(A) that appropriate funding is provided to 

13 meet such needs, including training and technical as14 sistance provided by staff with knowledge of and expe15 rience in working with such populations; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the appointment of a national migrant and 

17 seasonal Head Start program collaboration director 

18 and a national Indian Head Start collaboration di19 rector. 

20 ‘‘(4)(A) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the Sec21 retary shall conduct an annual consultation in each affected 

22 Head Start region, with tribal governments operating Head 

23 Start and Early Head Start programs. 

24 ‘‘(B) The consultations shall be for the purpose of better 

25 meeting the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native 
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1 children and families pertinent to subsections (a), (b), and 

2 (c) of section 641, taking into consideration funding alloca3 tions, distribution formulas, and other issues affecting the 

4 delivery of Head Start services within tribal communities. 

5 ‘‘(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the 

6 consultations in the Federal Register prior to conducting 

7 the consultations. 

8 ‘‘(D) A detailed report of each consultation shall be 

9 prepared and made available, on a timely basis, to all trib10 al governments receiving funds under this subchapter.’’. 

11 (f) HOMELESS CHILDREN.—Section 640 of the Head 

12 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835) is amended by adding at the 

13 end the following: 

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

15 Secretary shall issue regulations to remove barriers to the 

16 enrollment and participation of homeless children in Head 

17 Start programs. Such regulations shall require Head Start 

18 agencies to— 

19 ‘‘(1) implement policies and procedures to ensure 

20 that homeless children are identified and receive ap21 propriate priority for enrollment; 

22 ‘‘(2) allow homeless children to apply to, enroll 

23 in, and attend Head Start programs while required 

24 documents, such as proof of residency, proof of immu25 nization, and other medical records, birth certificates, 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 and other documents, are obtained within a reason2 able timeframe; and 

3 ‘‘(3) coordinate individual Head Start programs 

4 with efforts to implement subtitle B of title VII of the 

5 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 11431 et seq.). 

7 ‘‘(n) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub8 chapter shall be construed to require a State to establish 

9 a program of early education for children in the State, to 

10 require any child to participate in a program of early edu11 cation in order to attend preschool, or to participate in any 

12 initial screening prior to participation in such program, 

13 except as provided under section 612(a)(3) of the Individ14 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

15 1412(a)(3)) and consistent with section 614(a)(1)(C) of 

16 such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1)(C)). 

17 ‘‘(o) MATERIALS.—All curricula funded under this 

18 subchapter shall be scientifically based, and develop19 mentally and linguistically based (to the extent prac20 ticable), and age appropriate. Parents shall have the oppor21 tunity to examine any such curricula or instructional ma22 terials funded under this subchapter.’’. 

23 SEC. 7. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

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

25 is amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 

2 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 

4 to designate as a Head Start agency any local public 

5 or private nonprofit or for-profit agency, within a 

6 community, including a community-based organiza7 tion that— 

8 ‘‘(A) has power and authority to carry out 

9 the purpose of this subchapter and perform the 

10 functions set forth in section 642 within a com11 munity; and 

12 ‘‘(B) is determined to be capable of plan13 ning, conducting, administering, and evaluating, 

14 either directly or by other arrangements, a Head 

15 Start program. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED GOALS FOR DESIGNATION.—In 

17 order to be designated as a Head Start agency, an en18 tity described in paragraph (1) shall establish pro19 gram goals for improving the school readiness of chil20 dren participating in a program under this sub21 chapter, including goals for meeting the performance 

22 standards and additional educational standards de23 scribed in section 641A and shall establish results24 based school readiness goals that are aligned with 

25 Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, State early 
174 

•S 1107 RS 

1 learning standards (if applicable), and requirements 

2 and expectations for local public schools. 

3 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY FOR SUBSEQUENT GRANTS.— 

4 In order to receive a grant under this subchapter sub5 sequent to the initial grant provided following the 

6 date of enactment of the Head Start Improvements 

7 for School Readiness Act, an entity described in para8 graph (1) shall demonstrate that the entity has met 

9 or is making progress toward meeting the goals de10 scribed in paragraph (2). 

11 ‘‘(4) GOVERNING BODY.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 

13 ‘‘(i) ENSURING HIGH QUALITY PRO14 GRAMS.—In order to be designated as a 

15 Head Start agency, an entity described in 

16 paragraph (1) shall have a governing 

17 body— 

18 ‘‘(I) with legal and fiscal respon19 sibility for administering and over20 seeing programs under this subchapter; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(II) that fully participates in the 

23 development, planning, implementa24 tion, and evaluation of the programs to 
175 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ensure the operation of programs of 

2 high quality. 

3 ‘‘(ii) ENSURING COMPLIANCE WITH

4 LAWS.—The governing body shall be respon5 sible for ensuring compliance with Federal 

6 laws and regulations, including the per7 formance standards described in section 

8 641A, as well as applicable State, Tribal, 

9 and local laws and regulations, including 

10 laws defining the nature and operations of 

11 the governing body. 

12 ‘‘(B) COMPOSITION OF GOVERNING BODY.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The governing body 

14 shall be composed as follows: 

15 ‘‘(I) Not less than 1 member of the 

16 governing body shall have a back17 ground in fiscal management. 

18 ‘‘(II) Not less than 1 member of 

19 the governing body shall have a back20 ground in early childhood development. 

21 ‘‘(III) Membership that reflects the 

22 community to be served. 

23 ‘‘(ii) CONSULTANTS.—In the case that 

24 persons described in clause (i) are not 

25 available to serve as members of the gov-
176 

•S 1107 RS 

1 erning body, the governing body shall make 

2 use of consultants in the areas described in 

3 clause (i) to work directly with the gov4 erning body. 

5 ‘‘(iii) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—Mem6 bers of the governing body shall— 

7 ‘‘(I) not have a conflict of interest 

8 with the Head Start agency or delegate 

9 agencies; and 

10 ‘‘(II) not receive compensation for 

11 service to the Head Start agency. 

12 ‘‘(C) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The governing body 

14 shall be responsible, in consultation with the 

15 policy council or the policy committee of the 

16 Head Start agency, for— 

17 ‘‘(I) the selection of delegate agen18 cies and such agencies’ service areas; 

19 ‘‘(II) establishing criteria for de20 fining recruitment, selection, and en21 rollment priorities; 

22 ‘‘(III) all funding applications 

23 and amendments to funding applica24 tions for programs under this sub25 chapter; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(IV) the annual self-assessment 

2 of the Head Start agency or delegate 

3 agency’s progress in carrying out the 

4 programmatic and fiscal intent of such 

5 agency’s grant application, including 

6 planning or other actions that may re7 sult from the review of the annual 

8 audit, self-assessment, and findings 

9 from the Federal monitoring review; 

10 ‘‘(V) providing guidance for the 

11 composition of the policy council or the 

12 policy committee of the Head Start 

13 agency; 

14 ‘‘(VI) developing procedures for 

15 how members of the policy council or 

16 the policy committee of the Head Start 

17 agency are selected, including proce18 dures for how parents of children cur19 rently participating in a Head Start 

20 or Early Head Start program are se21 lected to serve on the policy council or 

22 the policy committee of the Head Start 

23 agency; 

24 ‘‘(VII) audits, accounting, and re25 porting; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(VIII) personnel policies and 

2 procedures including decisions with re3 gard to salary scales (and changes 

4 made to the scale), salaries of the Exec5 utive Director, Head Start Director, 

6 the Director of Human Resources, and 

7 the Chief Fiscal Officer, and decisions 

8 to hire and terminate program staff; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(IX) the community assessment, 

11 including any updates to such assess12 ment. 

13 ‘‘(ii) CONDUCT OF RESPONSIBIL14 ITIES.—The governing body shall— 

15 ‘‘(I) develop an internal control 

16 structure to facilitate these responsibil17 ities in order to— 

18 ‘‘(aa) safeguard Federal 

19 funds; 

20 ‘‘(bb) comply with laws and 

21 regulations that have an impact 

22 on financial statements; 

23 ‘‘(cc) detect or prevent non24 compliance with this subchapter; 

25 and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(dd) receive audit reports 

2 and direct and monitor staff im3 plementation of corrective actions; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(II) develop procedures to facili6 tate meaningful consultation and col7 laboration and solicit input from the 

8 policy council or the policy committee 

9 of the Head Start agency regarding 

10 matters of recruitment, enrollment, 

11 funding applications, and pro12 grammatic design, including processes 

13 to resolve internal disputes. 

14 ‘‘(D) RECEIPT OF INFORMATION.—To facili15 tate oversight and Head Start agency account16 ability, the governing body shall receive regular 

17 and accurate information about program plan18 ning, policies, and Head Start agency oper19 ations, including— 

20 ‘‘(i) monthly financial statements (in21 cluding detailed credit card account expend22 itures for any employee with a Head Start 

23 agency credit card or who seeks reimburse24 ment for charged expenses); 
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1 ‘‘(ii) monthly program information 

2 summaries; 

3 ‘‘(iii) program enrollment reports, in4 cluding attendance reports for children 

5 whose care is partially subsidized by an6 other public agency; 

7 ‘‘(iv) monthly report of meals and 

8 snacks through programs of the Department 

9 of Agriculture; 

10 ‘‘(v) the annual financial audit; 

11 ‘‘(vi) the annual self-assessment, in12 cluding any findings related to the annual 

13 self-assessment; 

14 ‘‘(vii) the community assessment of the 

15 Head Start agency’s service area and any 

16 applicable updates; and 

17 ‘‘(viii) the program information re18 ports. 

19 ‘‘(E) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST20 ANCE.—Appropriate training and technical as21 sistance shall be provided to the members of the 

22 governing body to ensure that the members un23 derstand the information the members receive 

24 and can effectively oversee and participate in the 

25 programs of the Head Start agency. 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(b) COMMUNITIES.—For purposes of this subchapter, 

2 a community may be a city, county, or multicity or multi3 county unit within a State, an Indian reservation (includ4 ing Indians in any off-reservation area designated by an 

5 appropriate tribal government in consultation with the Sec6 retary), or a neighborhood or other area (irrespective of 

7 boundaries or political subdivisions) that provides a suit8 able organizational base and possesses the commonality of 

9 interest needed to operate a Head Start program. 

10 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN DESIGNATION.—In administering 

11 the provisions of this section, the Secretary shall, in con12 sultation with the chief executive officer of the State in13 volved, give priority in the designation (including redesig14 nation) of Head Start agencies to any Head Start agency 

15 or delegate agency that is high performing, as determined 

16 by meeting each of the following criterion: 

17 ‘‘(1) Is receiving assistance under this sub18 chapter. 

19 ‘‘(2) Meets or exceeds program and financial 

20 management requirements or standards described in 

21 section 641A(a)(1). 

22 ‘‘(3) Has no unresolved deficiencies and has not 

23 had findings of deficiencies during the last triennial 

24 review under section 641A(c). 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(4) Can demonstrate, through agreements such 

2 as memoranda of understanding, active collaboration 

3 with the State or local community in the provision of 

4 services for children (such as the provision of extended 

5 day services, education, professional development and 

6 training for staff, and other types of cooperative en7 deavors). 

8 ‘‘(d) DESIGNATION WHEN ENTITY HAS PRIORITY.— 

9 If no entity in a community is entitled to the priority speci10 fied in subsection (c), the Secretary shall, after conducting 

11 an open competition, designate a Head Start agency from 

12 among qualified applicants in such community. 

13 ‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwithstanding any 

14 other provision of law, under no condition may a non-In15 dian Head Start agency receive a grant to carry out an 

16 Indian Head Start program. 

17 ‘‘(f) EFFECTIVENESS.—In selecting from among quali18 fied applicants for designation as a Head Start agency, the 

19 Secretary shall consider the effectiveness of each such appli20 cant to provide Head Start services, based on— 

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

22 providing services comparable to Head Start services, 

23 including how effectively such applicant provided 

24 such comparable services; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(2) the plan of such applicant to provide com2 prehensive health, educational, nutritional, social, 

3 and other services needed to aid participating chil4 dren in attaining their full potential, and to prepare 

5 children to succeed in school; 

6 ‘‘(3) the capacity of such applicant to serve eligi7 ble children with programs that use scientifically 

8 based research that promote school readiness of chil9 dren participating in the program; 

10 ‘‘(4) the plan of such applicant to meet stand11 ards set forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular 

12 attention to the standards set forth in subparagraphs 

13 (A) and (B) of such section; 

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

15 Head Start program the applicant proposes to carry 

16 out with other preschool programs, including— 

17 ‘‘(A) the Early Reading First and Even 

18 Start programs under subparts 2 and 3 of part 

19 B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 

21 6381 et seq.); 

22 ‘‘(B) programs under section 619 and part 

23 C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

24 Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); 

25 ‘‘(C) State prekindergarten programs; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(D) child care programs; 

2 ‘‘(E) the educational programs that the chil3 dren in the Head Start program involved will 

4 enter at the age of compulsory school attendance; 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(F) reading readiness programs such as 

7 those conducted by public and school libraries; 

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

9 Head Start program that the applicant proposes to 

10 carry out with public and private entities who are 

11 willing to commit resources to assist the Head Start 

12 program in meeting its program needs; 

13 ‘‘(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate 

14 with a local library, where available, that is inter15 ested in that collaboration, to— 

16 ‘‘(A) develop innovative programs to excite 

17 children about the world of books, such as pro18 grams that involve— 

19 ‘‘(i) taking children to the library for 

20 a story hour; 

21 ‘‘(ii) promoting the use of library 

22 cards; 

23 ‘‘(iii) developing a lending library or 

24 using a mobile library van; and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(iv) providing fresh books in the Head 

2 Start classroom on a regular basis; 

3 ‘‘(B) assist in literacy training for Head 

4 Start teachers; and 

5 ‘‘(C) support parents and other caregivers 

6 in literacy efforts; 

7 ‘‘(8) the plan of such applicant— 

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

9 participating children in activities (at home and 

10 in the center involved where practicable) de11 signed to help such parents become full partners 

12 in the education of their children; 

13 ‘‘(B) to afford such parents the opportunity 

14 to participate in the development and overall 

15 conduct of the program at the local level, includ16 ing through providing transportation costs; 

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

18 local entities, such as entities carrying out Even 

19 Start programs under subpart 3 of part B of 

20 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Edu21 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), pub22 lic and school libraries, and entities carrying out 

23 family support programs) to such parents— 

24 ‘‘(i) family literacy services; and 

25 ‘‘(ii) parenting skills training; 
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•S 1107 RS 

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

2 children substance abuse counseling (either di3 rectly or through referral to local entities), in4 cluding information on the effect of drug expo5 sure on infants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 

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

7 offer (directly or through referral to local enti8 ties) to such parents— 

9 ‘‘(i) training in basic child develop10 ment (including cognitive development); 

11 ‘‘(ii) assistance in developing literacy 

12 and communication skills; 

13 ‘‘(iii) opportunities to share experi14 ences with other parents (including parent 

15 mentor relationships); 

16 ‘‘(iv) regular in-home visitation; or 

17 ‘‘(v) any other activity designed to help 

18 such parents become full partners in the 

19 education of their children; 

20 ‘‘(F) to provide, with respect to each par21 ticipating family, a family needs assessment that 

22 includes consultation with such parents about 

23 the benefits of parent involvement and about the 

24 activities described in subparagraphs (C), (D), 

25 and (E) in which such parents may choose to be-
187 

•S 1107 RS 

1 come involved (taking into consideration their 

2 specific family needs, work schedules, and other 

3 responsibilities); and 

4 ‘‘(G) to extend outreach to fathers, in ap5 propriate cases, in order to strengthen the role of 

6 fathers in families, in the education of their 

7 young children, and in the Head Start program, 

8 by working directly with fathers and father fig9 ures through activities such as— 

10 ‘‘(i) in appropriate cases, including fa11 thers in home visits and providing opportu12 nities for direct father-child interactions; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(ii) targeting increased male partici15 pation in the conduct of the program; 

16 ‘‘(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out 

17 the plans described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5); 

18 ‘‘(10) other factors related to the requirements of 

19 this subchapter; 

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

21 needs of limited English proficient children and their 

22 families, including procedures to identify such chil23 dren, plans to provide trained personnel, and plans 

24 to provide services to assist the children in making 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 progress toward the acquisition of the English lan2 guage; 

3 ‘‘(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the 

4 needs of children with disabilities; 

5 ‘‘(13) the plan of such applicant who chooses to 

6 assist younger siblings of children who will partici7 pate in the Head Start program, to obtain health 

8 services from other sources; 

9 ‘‘(14) the plan of such applicant to collaborate 

10 with other entities carrying out early childhood edu11 cation and child care programs in the community; 

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

13 needs of homeless children and children in foster care, 

14 including the transportation needs of such children; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(16) the plan of such applicant to recruit and 

17 retain qualified staff. 

18 ‘‘(g) INTERIM BASIS.—If there is not a qualified appli19 cant in a community for designation as a Head Start agen20 cy, the Secretary shall designate a qualified agency to carry 

21 out the Head Start program in the community on an in22 terim basis until a qualified applicant from the community 

23 is so designated. 

24 ‘‘(h) INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS AND AREA RESI25 DENTS.—The Secretary shall continue the practice of in-
189 

•S 1107 RS 

1 volving parents and area residents who are affected by pro2 grams under this subchapter in the selection of qualified 

3 applicants for designation as Head Start agencies. 

4 ‘‘(i) PRIORITY.—In selecting from among qualified ap5 plicants for designation as a Head Start agency, the Sec6 retary shall give priority to applicants that have dem7 onstrated capacity in providing effective, comprehensive, 

8 and well-coordinated early childhood services to children 

9 and their families.’’. 

10 SEC. 8. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD 

11 START AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS. 

12 Section 641A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 

16 ‘‘642(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘642(c)’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

18 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘education 

19 performance standards’’ and inserting ‘‘edu20 cational performance standards’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking clause (ii) and insert22 ing the following: 

23 ‘‘(ii) additional educational standards 

24 based on the recommendations of the National 

25 Academy of Sciences panel described in section 
190 

•S 1107 RS 

1 649(h) and other experts in the field, to ensure 

2 that the curriculum involved addresses, and that 

3 the children participating in the program show 

4 appropriate progress toward developing and ap5 plying, the recommended educational outcomes, 

6 after the panel considers the appropriateness of 

7 additional educational standards relating to— 

8 ‘‘(I) language skills related to listening, 

9 understanding, speaking, and commu10 nicating, including— 

11 ‘‘(aa) understanding and use of a 

12 diverse vocabulary (including knowing 

13 the names of colors) and knowledge of 

14 how to use oral language to commu15 nicate for various purposes; 

16 ‘‘(bb) narrative abilities used, for 

17 example, to comprehend, tell, and re18 spond to a story, or to comprehend in19 structions; 

20 ‘‘(cc) ability to detect and produce 

21 sounds of the language the child speaks 

22 or is learning; and 

23 ‘‘(dd) clarity of pronunciation 

24 and speaking in syntactically and 

25 grammatically correct sentences; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(II) prereading knowledge and skills, 

2 including— 

3 ‘‘(aa) alphabet knowledge includ4 ing knowing the letter names and asso5 ciating letters with their shapes and 

6 sounds in the language the child speaks 

7 or is learning; 

8 ‘‘(bb) phonological awareness and 

9 processes that support reading, for ex10 ample, rhyming, recognizing speech 

11 sounds and separate syllables in spoken 

12 words, and putting speech sounds to13 gether to make words; 

14 ‘‘(cc) knowledge, interest in, and 

15 appreciation of books, reading, and 

16 writing (either alone or with others), 

17 and knowledge that books have parts 

18 such as the front, back, and title page; 

19 ‘‘(dd) early writing, including the 

20 ability to write one’s own name and 

21 other words and phrases; and 

22 ‘‘(ee) print awareness and con23 cepts, including recognizing different 

24 forms of print and understanding the 
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1 association between spoken and written 

2 words; 

3 ‘‘(III) premathematics knowledge and 

4 skills, including— 

5 ‘‘(aa) number recognition; 

6 ‘‘(bb) use of early number concepts 

7 and operations, including counting, 

8 simple adding and subtracting, and 

9 knowledge of quantitative relation10 ships, such as part versus whole and 

11 comparison of numbers of objects; 

12 ‘‘(cc) use of early space and loca13 tion concepts, including recognizing 

14 shapes, classification, striation, and 

15 understanding directionality; and 

16 ‘‘(dd) early pattern skills and 

17 measurement, including recognizing 

18 and extending simple patterns and 

19 measuring length, weight, and time; 

20 ‘‘(IV) scientific abilities, including— 

21 ‘‘(aa) building awareness about 

22 scientific skills and methods, such as 

23 gathering, describing, and recording 

24 information, making observations, and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 making explanations and predictions; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(bb) expanding scientific knowl4 edge of the environment, time, tem5 perature, and cause-and-effect relation6 ships; 

7 ‘‘(V) general cognitive abilities related 

8 to academic achievement and child develop9 ment, including— 

10 ‘‘(aa) reasoning, planning, and 

11 problem-solving skills; 

12 ‘‘(bb) ability to engage, sustain 

13 attention, and persist on challenging 

14 tasks; 

15 ‘‘(cc) intellectual curiosity, initia16 tive, and task engagement; and 

17 ‘‘(dd) motivation to achieve and 

18 master concepts and skills; 

19 ‘‘(VI) social and emotional develop20 ment related to early learning and school 

21 success, including developing— 

22 ‘‘(aa) the ability to develop social 

23 relationships, demonstrate cooperative 

24 behaviors, and relate to teachers and 

25 peers in positive and respectful ways; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(bb) an understanding of the 

2 consequences of actions, following rules, 

3 and appropriately expressing feelings; 

4 ‘‘(cc) a sense of self, such as self5 awareness, independence, and con6 fidence; 

7 ‘‘(dd) the ability to control nega8 tive behaviors with teachers and peers 

9 that include impulsiveness, aggression, 

10 and noncompliance; and 

11 ‘‘(ee) knowledge of civic society 

12 and surrounding communities; 

13 ‘‘(VII) physical development, including 

14 developing— 

15 ‘‘(aa) fine motor skills, such as 

16 strength, manual dexterity, and hand17 eye coordination; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) gross motor skills, such as 

19 balance and coordinated movements; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(VIII) in the case of limited English 

22 proficient children, progress toward acquisi23 tion of the English language while making 

24 meaningful progress in attaining the knowl-
195 

•S 1107 RS 

1 edge, skills, abilities, and development de2 scribed in subclauses (I) through (VII);’’; 

3 (C) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking 

4 ‘‘projects; and’’ and inserting ‘‘projects, includ5 ing regulations that require that the facilities 

6 used by Head Start agencies (including Early 

7 Head Start agencies) and delegate agencies for 

8 regularly scheduled center-based and combina9 tion program option classroom activities— 

10 ‘‘(i) shall be in compliance with State 

11 and local requirements concerning licensing 

12 for such facilities; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) shall be accessible by State and 

14 local authorities for purposes of monitoring 

15 and ensuring compliance; and’’; 

16 (D) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (i) in subparagraph (B)— 

18 (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘the 

19 date of enactment of this section’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘the date of enactment of the 

21 Head Start Improvements for School 

22 Readiness Act’’; 

23 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

24 ‘‘the date of enactment of this Act’’ and 

25 inserting ‘‘the date of enactment of the 
196 

•S 1107 RS 

1 Head Start Improvements for School 

2 Readiness Act’’; 

3 (III) in clause (iii), by inserting 

4 ‘‘homeless children, children in foster 

5 care,’’ after ‘‘children with disabil6 ities,’’; 

7 (IV) in clause (vi)— 

8 (aa) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

9 inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (bb) by inserting ‘‘(including 

11 children in foster care and the 

12 number of homeless children)’’ 

13 after ‘‘such children’’; 

14 (V) in clause (vii), by striking 

15 ‘‘public schools’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

16 schools that the children will be attend17 ing’’; and 

18 (VI) by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(viii) the unique challenges faced by 

21 individual programs, including those pro22 grams that are seasonal or short term and 

23 those programs that serve rural popu24 lations;’’; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by strik2 ing ‘‘the date of enactment of the Coats 

3 Human Services Reauthorization Act of 

4 1998.’’ and inserting ‘‘the date of enactment 

5 of the Head Start Improvements for School 

6 Readiness Act; and’’; and 

7 (iii) by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(D) consult with Indian tribes, American 

10 Indian and Alaska Native experts in early child11 hood development, linguists, and the National 

12 Indian Head Start Directors Association on the 

13 review and promulgation of program standards 

14 and measures (including standards and meas15 ures for language acquisition and school readi16 ness).’’; 

17 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(4) EVALUATIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

19 FOR DELEGATE AGENCIES.— 

20 ‘‘(A) PROCEDURES.— 

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

22 (ii), the Head Start agency shall establish 

23 procedures relating to its delegate agencies, 

24 including— 
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1 ‘‘(I) procedures for evaluating del2 egate agencies; 

3 ‘‘(II) procedures for defunding 

4 delegate agencies; and 

5 ‘‘(III) procedures for appealing a 

6 defunding decision relating to a dele7 gate agency. 

8 ‘‘(ii) TERMINATION.—The Head Start 

9 agency may not terminate a delegate agen10 cy’s contract or reduce a delegate agency’s 

11 service area without showing cause or dem12 onstrating the cost-effectiveness of such a de13 cision. 

14 ‘‘(B) EVALUATIONS.—Each Head Start 

15 agency— 

16 ‘‘(i) shall evaluate its delegate agencies 

17 using the procedures established pursuant to 

18 this section, including subparagraph (A); 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) shall inform the delegate agencies 

21 of the deficiencies identified through the 

22 evaluation that shall be corrected. 

23 ‘‘(C) REMEDIES TO ENSURE CORRECTIVE

24 ACTIONS.—In the event that the Head Start 

25 agency identifies a deficiency for a delegate 
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1 agency through the evaluation, the Head Start 

2 agency may— 

3 ‘‘(i) initiate procedures to terminate 

4 the designation of the agency unless the 

5 agency corrects the deficiency; 

6 ‘‘(ii) conduct monthly monitoring vis7 its to such delegate agency until all defi8 ciencies are corrected or the Head Start 

9 agency decides to defund such delegate agen10 cy; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) release funds to such delegate 

12 agency only as reimbursements until all de13 ficiencies are corrected or the Head Start 

14 agency decides to defund such delegate agen15 cy. 

16 ‘‘(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

17 this paragraph shall be construed to impact or 

18 obviate the responsibilities of the Secretary with 

19 respect to Head Start agencies or delegate agen20 cies receiving funding under this subchapter.’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (i) by striking the paragraph heading 

24 and inserting the following: 
200 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(2) CHARACTERISTICS AND USE OF MEAS2 URES.—’’; 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

4 ‘‘, not later than July 1, 1999; and’’ and 

5 inserting a semicolon; 

6 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

7 the period and inserting a semicolon; 

8 (iv) by striking the flush matter fol9 lowing subparagraph (C); and 

10 (v) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(D) measure characteristics that are 

12 strongly predictive (as determined on a scientific 

13 basis) of a child’s school readiness and later per14 formance in school; 

15 ‘‘(E) be appropriate for the population 

16 served; and 

17 ‘‘(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 

18 years, based on advances in the science of early 

19 childhood development. 

20 The performance measures shall include the perform21 ance standards and additional educational standards 

22 described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection 

23 (a)(1).’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (3)— 
201 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

2 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

4 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (iii) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(C) to enable Head Start agencies to indi8 vidualize programs of instruction to better meet 

9 the needs of the child involved.’’; 

10 (C) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(4) RESULTS-BASED OUTCOME MEASURES.— 

13 Results-based outcome measures shall be designed for 

14 the purpose of promoting the knowledge, skills, abili15 ties, and development, described in subsection 

16 (a)(1)(B)(ii), of children participating in Head Start 

17 programs that are strongly predictive (as determined 

18 on a scientific basis) of a child’s school readiness and 

19 later performance in school.’’; and 

20 (D) by striking paragraph (5) and insert21 ing the following: 

22 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL LOCAL RESULTS-BASED EDU23 CATIONAL MEASURES AND GOALS.—Head Start agen24 cies may establish and implement additional local re25 sults-based educational measures and goals.’’; 
202 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (3) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) in the matter preceding subpara4 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘and Head Start 

5 centers’’ after ‘‘Head Start programs’’; 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

7 ‘‘such agency’’ and inserting ‘‘Head Start 

8 center’’; 

9 (iii) by striking subparagraph (C) and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(C) Unannounced site inspections of Head 

12 Start centers for health and safety reasons, as 

13 appropriate.’’; 

14 (iv) by redesignating subparagraph 

15 (D) as subparagraph (E); and 

16 (v) by inserting after subparagraph 

17 (C) the following: 

18 ‘‘(D) Notwithstanding subparagraph (C), 

19 followup reviews, including— 

20 ‘‘(i) prompt return visits to agencies, 

21 programs, and centers that fail to meet 1 or 

22 more of the performance measures developed 

23 by the Secretary under subsection (b); 

24 ‘‘(ii) a review of programs with cita25 tions that include findings of deficiencies 
203 

•S 1107 RS 

1 not later than 6 months after the date of 

2 such citation; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) followup reviews that incorporate 

4 a monitoring visit without prior notice of 

5 the visit to the agency involved or with such 

6 limited prior notice as is necessary to en7 sure the participation of parents and key 

8 staff members.’’; and 

9 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) CONDUCT OF REVIEWS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall en13 sure that reviews described in paragraph (1)— 

14 ‘‘(i) are performed, to the maximum 

15 extent practicable, by employees of the De16 partment of Health and Human Services 

17 who are knowledgeable about Head Start 

18 programs; 

19 ‘‘(ii) are conducted by review teams 

20 that shall include individuals who are 

21 knowledgeable about Head Start and other 

22 early childhood education programs and, to 

23 the maximum extent practicable, the diverse 

24 (including linguistic and cultural) needs of 

25 eligible children (including children with 
204 

•S 1107 RS 

1 disabilities, homeless children, and children 

2 in foster care) and limited English pro3 ficient children and their families, and per4 sonnel management, financial account5 ability, and systems development and moni6 toring; 

7 ‘‘(iii) include as part of the reviews of 

8 the programs, a review and assessment of 

9 program effectiveness, as measured in ac10 cordance with the results-based performance 

11 measures developed by the Secretary pursu12 ant to subsection (b) and with the standards 

13 established pursuant to subparagraphs (A) 

14 and (B) of subsection (a)(1); 

15 ‘‘(iv) seek information from the com16 munities and States where Head Start pro17 grams exist about innovative or effective col18 laborative efforts, barriers to collaboration, 

19 and the efforts of the Head Start agencies to 

20 collaborate with the entities carrying out 

21 early childhood education and child care 

22 programs in the community; 

23 ‘‘(v) include as part of the reviews of 

24 the programs, a review and assessment of 

25 whether the programs are in conformity 
205 

•S 1107 RS 

1 with the income eligibility requirements 

2 under section 645 and regulations promul3 gated under such section; 

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

5 the programs, a review and assessment of 

6 whether programs have adequately ad7 dressed the population and community 

8 needs (including needs of populations of 

9 limited English proficient children and 

10 children of migrant and seasonal 

11 farmworking families); and 

12 ‘‘(vii) include as part of the reviews of 

13 the programs, data from the results of peri14 odic child assessments, and a review and 

15 assessment of child outcomes and perform16 ance as they relate to State, local, and agen17 cy-determined school readiness goals. 

18 ‘‘(B) TRAINING; QUALITY AND CONSIST19 ENCY.—The Secretary, from funds available 

20 under section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii), shall provide 

21 periodic training for supervisors and members of 

22 review teams in such topics as program manage23 ment and financial audit performance. The Sec24 retary shall ensure the quality and consistency 

25 across and within regions of PRISM reviews and 
206 

•S 1107 RS 

1 non-compliance and deficiency determinations 

2 by conducting periodic interrater reliability 

3 checks.’’; 

4 (4) in subsection (d)(1)— 

5 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

6 (A), by inserting ‘‘or fails to address the commu7 nity needs and strategic plan identified in sec8 tion 640(g)(2)(C),’’ after ‘‘subsection (b),’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and 

10 identify the technical assistance to be provided 

11 consistent with paragraph (3)’’ after ‘‘corrected’’; 

12 (5) in subsection (e), by striking the last sentence 

13 and inserting ‘‘The information contained in such re14 port shall be made available to all parents with chil15 dren receiving assistance under this subchapter in an 

16 understandable and uniform format, and to the extent 

17 practicable, provided in a language that the parents 

18 can understand. Such information shall be made 

19 widely available through public means such as dis20 tribution through public agencies, and, at a min21 imum, by posting such information on the Internet 

22 immediately upon publication.’’; and 

23 (6) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(f) SELF-ASSESSMENTS.— 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than once 

2 each program year, with the consultation and partici3 pation of policy groups and, as appropriate, other 

4 community members, each agency receiving funds 

5 under this subchapter shall conduct a comprehensive 

6 self-assessment of the effectiveness and progress in 

7 meeting programs goals and objectives and in imple8 menting and complying with Head Start program 

9 performance standards. 

10 ‘‘(2) REPORT AND IMPROVEMENT PLANS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) REPORT.—An agency conducting a 

12 self-assessment shall report the findings of the 

13 self-assessment to the relevant policy council, pol14 icy committee, governing body, and regional of15 fice of the Administration for Children and 

16 Families of the Department of Health and 

17 Human Services. Each self-assessment shall 

18 identify areas of strength and weakness. 

19 ‘‘(B) IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—The agency 

20 shall develop an improvement plan approved by 

21 the governing body of the agency to strengthen 

22 any areas identified in the self-assessment as 

23 weaknesses or in need of improvement. 

24 ‘‘(3) ONGOING MONITORING.—Each Head Start 

25 agency, Early Head Start agency, and delegate agen-
208 

•S 1107 RS 

1 cy shall establish and implement procedures for the 

2 ongoing monitoring of their Head Start and Early 

3 Head Start programs, to ensure that the operations of 

4 the programs work toward meeting program goals 

5 and objectives and Head Start performance stand6 ards. 

7 ‘‘(4) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 Funds may be made available, through section 

9 648(d)(13), for training and technical assistance to 

10 assist agencies in conducting self-assessments. 

11 ‘‘(g) REDUCTION OF GRANTS AND REDISTRIBUTION OF

12 FUNDS IN CASES OF UNDER-ENROLLMENT.— 

13 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

14 ‘‘(A) ACTUAL ENROLLMENT.—The term ‘ac15 tual enrollment’ means, with respect to the pro16 gram of a Head Start agency, the actual number 

17 of children enrolled in such program and re18 ported by the agency (as required in paragraph 

19 (2)) in a given month. 

20 ‘‘(B) BASE GRANT.—The term ‘base grant’ 

21 means, with respect to a Head Start agency for 

22 a fiscal year, that portion of the grant derived— 

23 ‘‘(i) from amounts reserved for use in 

24 accordance with section 640(a)(2)(A), for a 

25 Head Start agency administering an In-
209 

•S 1107 RS 

1 dian Head Start program or migrant and 

2 seasonal Head Start program; 

3 ‘‘(ii) from amounts reserved for pay4 ments under section 640(a)(2)(B); or 

5 ‘‘(iii) from amounts available under 

6 section 640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among 

7 States under section 640(a)(4). 

8 ‘‘(C) FUNDED ENROLLMENT.—The term 

9 ‘funded enrollment’ means, with respect to the 

10 program of a Head Start agency in a fiscal 

11 year, the number of children that the agency is 

12 funded to serve through a grant for the program 

13 during such fiscal year, as indicated in the grant 

14 agreement. 

15 ‘‘(2) ENROLLMENT REPORTING REQUIREMENT

16 FOR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.—Each entity carrying 

17 out a Head Start program shall report on a monthly 

18 basis to the Secretary and the relevant Head Start 

19 agency— 

20 ‘‘(A) the actual enrollment in such program; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(B) if such actual enrollment is less than 

23 the funded enrollment, any apparent reason for 

24 such enrollment shortfall. 
210 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND PLAN.—The Sec2 retary shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) on a semiannual basis, determine 

4 which Head Start agencies are operating with 

5 an actual enrollment that is less than the funded 

6 enrollment based on not less than 4 consecutive 

7 months of data; 

8 ‘‘(B) for each such Head Start agency oper9 ating a program with an actual enrollment that 

10 is less than 95 percent of its funded enrollment, 

11 as determined under subparagraph (A), develop, 

12 in collaboration with such agency, a plan and 

13 timetable for reducing or eliminating under-en14 rollment taking into consideration— 

15 ‘‘(i) the quality and extent of the out16 reach, recruitment, and community needs 

17 assessment conducted by such agency; 

18 ‘‘(ii) changing demographics, mobility 

19 of populations, and the identification of 

20 new underserved low-income populations; 

21 ‘‘(iii) facilities-related issues that may 

22 impact enrollment; 

23 ‘‘(iv) the ability to provide full-day 

24 programs, where needed, through Head 

25 Start funds or through collaboration with 
211 

•S 1107 RS 

1 entities carrying out other preschool or 

2 child care programs, or programs with 

3 other funding sources (where available); 

4 ‘‘(v) the availability and use by fami5 lies of other preschool and child care options 

6 (including parental care) in the local 

7 catchment area; and 

8 ‘‘(vi) agency management procedures 

9 that may impact enrollment; and 

10 ‘‘(C) provide timely and ongoing technical 

11 assistance to each agency described in subpara12 graph (B) for the purpose of implementing the 

13 plan described in such subparagraph. 

14 ‘‘(4) IMPLEMENTATION.—Upon receipt of the 

15 technical assistance described in paragraph (3)(C), a 

16 Head Start agency shall immediately implement the 

17 plan described in paragraph (3)(B). 

18 ‘‘(5) SECRETARIAL ACTION FOR CONTINUED

19 UNDER-ENROLLMENT.—If, 1 year after the date of im20 plementation of the plan described in paragraph 

21 (3)(B), the Head Start agency continues to operate a 

22 program at less than full enrollment, the Secretary 

23 shall, where determined appropriate, continue to pro24 vide technical assistance to such agency. 
212 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(6) SECRETARIAL REVIEW AND ADJUSTMENT

2 FOR CHRONIC UNDER-ENROLLMENT.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If, after receiving tech4 nical assistance and developing and imple5 menting a plan to the extent described in para6 graphs (3), (4), and (5) for 9 months, a Head 

7 Start agency is still operating a program with 

8 an actual enrollment that is less than 95 percent 

9 of its funded enrollment, the Secretary may— 

10 ‘‘(i) designate such agency as chron11 ically under-enrolled; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) recapture, withhold, or reduce the 

13 base grant for the program by a percentage 

14 equal to the percentage difference between 

15 funded enrollment and actual enrollment for 

16 the program for the most recent year in 

17 which the agency is determined to be under18 enrolled under paragraph (2)(B). 

19 ‘‘(B) WAIVER OR LIMITATION OF REDUC20 TIONS.—If the Secretary, after the implementa21 tion of the plan described in paragraph (3)(B), 

22 finds that— 

23 ‘‘(i) the causes of the enrollment short24 fall, or a portion of the shortfall, are beyond 

25 the agency’s control (such as serving signifi-
213 

•S 1107 RS 

1 cant numbers of migrant or seasonal farm2 worker children, homeless children, children 

3 in foster care, or other highly mobile chil4 dren); 

5 ‘‘(ii) the shortfall can reasonably be ex6 pected to be temporary; or 

7 ‘‘(iii) the number of slots allotted to the 

8 agency is small enough that under-enroll9 ment does not constitute a significant short10 fall, the Secretary may, as appropriate, 

11 waive or reduce the percentage recapturing, 

12 withholding, or reduction otherwise required 

13 by subparagraph (A). 

14 ‘‘(C) PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS; EFFEC15 TIVE DATE.—The actions taken by the Secretary 

16 under this paragraph with respect to a Head 

17 Start agency shall take effect 1 day after the date 

18 on which— 

19 ‘‘(i) the time allowed for appeal under 

20 section 646(a) expires without an appeal by 

21 the agency; or 

22 ‘‘(ii) the action is upheld in an admin23 istrative hearing under section 646. 

24 ‘‘(7) REDISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 
214 

•S 1107 RS 

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

2 amounts recovered from a Head Start agency 

3 through recapturing, withholding, or reduction 

4 under paragraph (6) in a fiscal year— 

5 ‘‘(i) in the case of a Head Start agency 

6 administering an Indian Head Start pro7 gram or a migrant and seasonal Head 

8 Start program, whose base grant is derived 

9 from amounts specified in paragraph 

10 (1)(C)(i), to redirect funds to 1 or more 

11 agencies that— 

12 ‘‘(I) are administering Head 

13 Start programs serving the same spe14 cial population; and 

15 ‘‘(II) demonstrate that the agen16 cies will use such redirected funds to 

17 increase enrollment in their Head 

18 Start programs in such fiscal year; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a Head Start agen20 cy in a State, whose base grant is derived 

21 from amounts specified in clause (ii) or 

22 (iii) of paragraph (1)(C), to redirect funds 

23 to 1 or more agencies that— 

24 ‘‘(I) are administering Head 

25 Start programs in the same State; and 
215 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(II) make the demonstration de2 scribed in clause (i)(II). 

3 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—If there is no agency 

4 located in a State that meets the requirements of 

5 subclauses (I) and (II) of subparagraph (A)(ii), 

6 the Secretary shall use amounts described in sub7 paragraph (A) to redirect funds to Head Start 

8 agencies located in other States that make the 

9 demonstration described in subparagraph 

10 (A)(i)(II). 

11 ‘‘(C) ADJUSTMENT TO FUNDED ENROLL12 MENT.—The Secretary shall adjust as necessary 

13 the requirements relating to funded enrollment 

14 indicated in the grant agreement of a Head 

15 Start agency receiving redistributed amounts 

16 under this paragraph. 

17 ‘‘(h) CONTRACT WITH NONPROFIT INTERMEDIARY OR18 GANIZATION.—From funds reserved under clause (i) or (ii) 

19 of section 640(a)(2)(C) or from whatever other resources the 

20 Secretary determines appropriate, in carrying out the pro21 visions of this section, the Secretary or a Head Start agency 

22 may contract with a nonprofit intermediary organization 

23 that— 
216 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(1) provides evaluations and technical assist2 ance to improve overall performance management; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(2) has an exclusive focus of improving the per5 formance management and the use of technology in 

6 assessing performance and meeting Head Start regu7 lations and can provide on-site, hands-on guidance 

8 with the implementation of the recommendations.’’. 

9 SEC. 9. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD. 

10 The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after sec11 tion 641A (42 U.S.C. 9836a) the following: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILD13 HOOD. 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘center of 

15 excellence’ means a Center of Excellence in Early Childhood 

16 designated under subsection (b). 

17 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION AND BONUS GRANTS.—The Sec18 retary shall, subject to the availability of funds under this 

19 subchapter, including under subsection (f), establish a pro20 gram under which the Secretary shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) designate not more than 200 exemplary 

22 Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start 

23 agencies, Indian Head Start agencies, and migrant 

24 and seasonal Head Start agencies) as Centers of Ex25 cellence in Early Childhood; and 
217 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(2) make bonus grants to the centers of excel2 lence to carry out the activities described in sub3 section (d). 

4 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION AND DESIGNATION.— 

5 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION.— 

6 ‘‘(A) NOMINATION AND SUBMISSION.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re8 ceive a designation as a center of excellence 

9 under subsection (b), except as provided in 

10 clause (ii), a Head Start agency in a State 

11 shall be nominated by the Governor of the 

12 State and shall submit an application to 

13 the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 

14 and containing such information as the 

15 Secretary may require. 

16 ‘‘(ii) INDIAN AND MIGRANT AND SEA17 SONAL HEAD START PROGRAMS.—In the 

18 case of an Indian Head Start agency or a 

19 migrant or seasonal Head Start agency, to 

20 be eligible to receive a designation as a cen21 ter of excellence under subsection (b), such 

22 an agency shall be nominated by the head 

23 of the appropriate regional office of the De24 partment and Health and Human Services 
218 

•S 1107 RS 

1 and shall submit an application to the Sec2 retary in accordance with clause (i). 

3 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—At a minimum, the ap4 plication shall include— 

5 ‘‘(i) evidence that the Head Start pro6 gram carried out by the agency has signifi7 cantly improved the school readiness of, and 

8 enhanced academic outcomes for, children 

9 who have participated in the program; 

10 ‘‘(ii) evidence that the program meets 

11 or exceeds standards and performance meas12 ures described in subsections (a) and (b) of 

13 section 641A, as evidenced by successful 

14 completion of programmatic and moni15 toring reviews, and has no findings of defi16 ciencies with respect to the standards and 

17 measures; 

18 ‘‘(iii) evidence that the program is 

19 making progress toward meeting the re20 quirements described in section 648A; 

21 ‘‘(iv) evidence demonstrating the exist22 ence of a collaborative partnership among 

23 the Head Start agency, the State (or a 

24 State agency), and other early care and 
219 

•S 1107 RS 

1 education providers in the local community 

2 involved; 

3 ‘‘(v) a nomination letter from the Gov4 ernor, or appropriate regional office, dem5 onstrating the agency’s ability to carry out 

6 the coordination, transition, and training 

7 services of the program to be carried out 

8 under the bonus grant involved, including 

9 coordination of activities with State and 

10 local agencies that provide early childhood 

11 services to children and families in the com12 munity served by the agency; 

13 ‘‘(vi) information demonstrating the 

14 existence of a local council for excellence in 

15 early childhood, which shall include rep16 resentatives of all the institutions, agencies, 

17 and groups involved in the work of the cen18 ter for, and the local provision of services 

19 to, eligible children and other at-risk chil20 dren, and their families; and 

21 ‘‘(vii) a description of how the Center, 

22 in order to expand accessibility and con23 tinuity of quality early care and education, 

24 will coordinate the early care and education 

25 activities assisted under this section with— 
220 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(I) programs carried out under 

2 the Child Care and Development Block 

3 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 

4 seq.); 

5 ‘‘(II) other programs carried out 

6 under this subchapter, including the 

7 Early Head Start programs carried 

8 out under section 645A; 

9 ‘‘(III)(aa) Early Reading First 

10 and Even Start programs carried out 

11 under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of 

12 title I of the Elementary and Sec13 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 6381 et seq.); 

15 ‘‘(bb) other preschool programs 

16 carried out under title I of that Act 

17 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); and 

18 ‘‘(cc) the Ready-to-Learn Tele19 vision program carried out under sub20 part 3 of part D of title II of that Act 

21 (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); 

22 ‘‘(IV) programs carried out under 

23 part C of the Individuals with Disabil24 ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et 

25 seq.); 
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1 ‘‘(V) State prekindergarten pro2 grams; and 

3 ‘‘(VI) other early care and edu4 cation programs. 

5 ‘‘(2) SELECTION.—In selecting agencies to des6 ignate as centers of excellence under subsection (b), 

7 the Secretary shall designate not less than 1 from 

8 each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, an In9 dian Head Start program, a migrant and seasonal 

10 Head Start program, and the Commonwealth of 

11 Puerto Rico. 

12 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making bonus grant deter13 minations under this section, the Secretary shall give 

14 priority to programs that, through their applications, 

15 demonstrate that they are of exceptional quality and 

16 would serve as exemplary models for programs in the 

17 same geographic region. The Secretary may also con18 sider the population served by the applicant, such as 

19 programs that serve large proportions of limited 

20 English proficient students or other underserved pop21 ulations, and may make bonus grants to programs 

22 that do an exceptional job meeting the needs of such 

23 children. 

24 ‘‘(4) TERM OF DESIGNATION.— 
222 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (B), the Secretary shall designate a Head 

3 Start agency as a center of excellence for a 5- 

4 year term. During the period of that designation, 

5 subject to the availability of appropriations, the 

6 agency shall be eligible to receive a bonus grant 

7 under subsection (b). 

8 ‘‘(B) REVOCATION.—The Secretary may re9 voke an agency’s designation under subsection 

10 (b) if the Secretary determines that the agency is 

11 not demonstrating adequate performance or has 

12 had findings of deficiencies described in para13 graph (1)(B)(ii). 

14 ‘‘(5) AMOUNT OF BONUS GRANT.—The Secretary 

15 shall base the amount of funding provided through a 

16 bonus grant made under subsection (b) to a center of 

17 excellence on the number of children eligible for Head 

18 Start services in the community involved. The Sec19 retary shall, subject to the availability of funding, 

20 make such a bonus grant in an amount of not less 

21 than $200,000 per year. 

22 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) ACTIVITIES.—A center of excellence that re24 ceives a bonus grant under subsection (b) may use the 

25 funds made available through the bonus grant— 
223 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(A) to provide Head Start services to addi2 tional eligible children; 

3 ‘‘(B) to better meet the needs of working 

4 families in the community served by the center 

5 by serving more children in existing Early Head 

6 Start programs (existing as of the date the center 

7 is designated under this section) or in full-work8 ing-day, full calendar year Head Start pro9 grams; 

10 ‘‘(C) to model and disseminate best prac11 tices for achieving early academic success, in12 cluding achieving school readiness and devel13 oping prereading and premathematics skills for 

14 at-risk children and achieving the acquisition of 

15 the English language for limited English pro16 ficient children, and to provide seamless service 

17 delivery for eligible children and their families; 

18 ‘‘(D) to further coordinate early childhood 

19 and social services available in the community 

20 served by the center for at-risk children (birth 

21 through age 8), their families, and pregnant 

22 women; 

23 ‘‘(E) to provide training and cross training 

24 for Head Start teachers and staff, child care pro25 viders, public and private preschool and elemen-
224 

•S 1107 RS 

1 tary school teachers, and other providers of early 

2 childhood services, and training and cross train3 ing to develop agency leaders; 

4 ‘‘(F) to provide effective transitions between 

5 Head Start programs and elementary school, to 

6 facilitate ongoing communication between Head 

7 Start and elementary school teachers concerning 

8 children receiving Head Start services, and to 

9 provide training and technical assistance to pro10 viders who are public elementary school teachers 

11 and other staff of local educational agencies, 

12 child care providers, family service providers, 

13 and other providers of early childhood services, 

14 to help the providers described in this subpara15 graph increase their ability to work with low-in16 come, at-risk children and their families; 

17 ‘‘(G) to develop or maintain partnerships 

18 with institutions of higher education and non19 profit organizations, including community-based 

20 organizations, that recruit, train, place, and 

21 support college students to serve as mentors and 

22 reading coaches to preschool children in Head 

23 Start programs; and 

24 ‘‘(H) to carry out other activities deter25 mined by the center to improve the overall qual-
225 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ity of the Head Start program carried out by the 

2 agency and the program carried out under the 

3 bonus grant involved. 

4 ‘‘(2) INVOLVEMENT OF OTHER HEAD START

5 AGENCIES AND PROVIDERS.—A center that receives a 

6 bonus grant under subsection (b), in carrying out ac7 tivities under this subsection, shall work with the cen8 ter’s delegate agencies, several additional Head Start 

9 agencies, and other providers of early childhood serv10 ices in the community involved, to encourage the 

11 agencies and providers described in this sentence to 

12 carry out model programs. 

13 ‘‘(e) RESEARCH AND REPORTS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall, subject to 

15 the availability of funds to carry out this subsection, 

16 make a grant to an independent organization to con17 duct research on the ability of the centers of excellence 

18 to improve the school readiness of children receiving 

19 Head Start services, and to positively impact school 

20 results in the earliest grades. The organization shall 

21 also conduct research to measure the success of the 

22 centers of excellence at encouraging the center’s dele23 gate agencies, additional Head Start agencies, and 

24 other providers of early childhood services in the com-
226 

•S 1107 RS 

1 munities involved to meet measurable improvement 

2 goals, particularly in the area of school readiness. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 48 months after 

4 the date of enactment of the Head Start Improve5 ments for School Readiness Act, the organization shall 

6 prepare and submit to the Secretary and Congress a 

7 report containing the results of the research described 

8 in paragraph (1). 

9 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

10 authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2006 and each 

11 subsequent fiscal year— 

12 ‘‘(1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to centers 

13 of excellence under subsection (b) to carry out activi14 ties described in subsection (d); 

15 ‘‘(2) $2,500,000 to pay for the administrative 

16 costs of the Secretary in carrying out this section, in17 cluding the cost of a conference of centers of excellence; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(3) $2,000,000 for research activities described 

20 in subsection (e).’’. 

21 SEC. 10. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN22 CIES. 

23 Section 642 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837) 

24 is amended to read as follows: 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGEN2 CIES. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to be designated as a 

4 Head Start agency under this subchapter, an agency shall 

5 have authority under its charter or applicable law to receive 

6 and administer funds provided under this subchapter, funds 

7 and contributions from private or local public sources that 

8 may be used in support of a Head Start program, and 

9 funds provided under any Federal or State assistance pro10 gram pursuant to which a public or private nonprofit or 

11 for-profit agency (as the case may be) organized in accord12 ance with this subchapter, could act as a grantee, con13 tractor, or sponsor of projects appropriate for inclusion in 

14 a Head Start program. Such an agency shall also be em15 powered to transfer funds so received, and to delegate pow16 ers to other agencies, subject to the powers of its governing 

17 board and its overall program responsibilities. The power 

18 to transfer funds and delegate powers shall include the 

19 power to make transfers and delegations covering compo20 nent projects in all cases in which that power will con21 tribute to efficiency and effectiveness or otherwise further 

22 program objectives. 

23 ‘‘(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In order to be des24 ignated as a Head Start agency under this subchapter, a 

25 Head Start agency shall also— 
228 

•S 1107 RS 

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

2 forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention 

3 to the standards set forth in subparagraphs (A) and 

4 (B) of such section; 

5 ‘‘(2) demonstrate the capacity to serve eligible 

6 children with scientifically based curricula and other 

7 interventions and support services that help promote 

8 the school readiness of children participating in the 

9 program; 

10 ‘‘(3) establish effective procedures and provide for 

11 the regular assessment of Head Start children, includ12 ing observational and direct formal assessment, where 

13 appropriate; 

14 ‘‘(4) seek the involvement of parents, area resi15 dents, and local business in the design and implemen16 tation of the program; 

17 ‘‘(5) provide for the regular participation of par18 ents and area residents in the implementation of the 

19 program; 

20 ‘‘(6) provide technical and other support needed 

21 to enable such parents and area residents to secure, 

22 on their own behalf, available assistance from public 

23 and private sources; 

24 ‘‘(7) establish effective procedures to facilitate the 

25 involvement of parents of participating children in 
229 

•S 1107 RS 

1 activities designed to help such parents become full 

2 partners in the education of their children, and to af3 ford such parents the opportunity to participate in 

4 the development and overall conduct of the program 

5 at the local level; 

6 ‘‘(8) conduct outreach to schools in which Head 

7 Start children will enroll, local educational agencies, 

8 the local business community, community-based orga9 nizations, faith-based organizations, museums, and li10 braries to generate support and leverage the resources 

11 of the entire local community in order to improve 

12 school readiness; 

13 ‘‘(9) offer (directly or through referral to local 

14 entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start pro15 grams under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the Ele16 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

17 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.)), to parents of participating chil18 dren, family literacy services, and parenting skills 

19 training; 

20 ‘‘(10) offer to parents of participating children 

21 substance abuse and other counseling (either directly 

22 or through referral to local entities), if needed, includ23 ing information on the effect of drug exposure on in24 fants and fetal alcohol syndrome; 
230 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(11) at the option of such agency, offer (directly 

2 or through referral to local entities), to such par3 ents— 

4 ‘‘(A) training in basic child development 

5 (including cognitive development); 

6 ‘‘(B) assistance in developing literacy and 

7 communication skills; 

8 ‘‘(C) opportunities to share experiences with 

9 other parents (including parent mentor relation10 ships); 

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

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

13 such parents become full partners in the edu14 cation of their children; 

15 ‘‘(12) provide, with respect to each participating 

16 family, a family needs assessment that includes con17 sultation with such parents (including foster parents 

18 and grandparents, where applicable) about the bene19 fits of parent involvement and about the activities de20 scribed in this subsection in which such parents may 

21 choose to be involved (taking into consideration their 

22 specific family needs, work schedules, and other re23 sponsibilities); 
231 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(13) consider providing services to assist young2 er siblings of children participating in its Head Start 

3 program, to obtain health services from other sources; 

4 ‘‘(14) perform community outreach to encourage 

5 individuals previously unaffiliated with Head Start 

6 programs to participate in its Head Start program 

7 as volunteers; 

8 ‘‘(15)(A) inform custodial parents in single-par9 ent families that participate in programs, activities, 

10 or services carried out or provided under this sub11 chapter about the availability of child support serv12 ices for purposes of establishing paternity and acquir13 ing child support; and 

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

15 offices of State and local governments; 

16 ‘‘(16) provide parents of limited English pro17 ficient children outreach and information in an un18 derstandable and uniform format and, to the extent 

19 practicable, in a language that the parents can un20 derstand; and 

21 ‘‘(17) at the option of such agency, partner with 

22 an institution of higher education and a nonprofit or23 ganization to provide college students with the oppor24 tunity to serve as mentors or reading coaches to Head 

25 Start participants. 
232 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(c) TRANSITION ACTIVITIES TO FACILITATE CONTIN2 UED PROGRESS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Head Start agency 

4 shall collaborate with the entities listed in this sub5 section, to the maximum extent possible, to ensure the 

6 successful transition of Head Start children to school, 

7 so that such children are able to build upon the devel8 opmental and educational gains achieved in Head 

9 Start programs in further schooling. 

10 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.— 

11 ‘‘(A) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—In 

12 communities where both public prekindergarten 

13 programs and Head Start programs operate, a 

14 Head Start agency shall collaborate and coordi15 nate activities with the local educational agency 

16 or other public agency responsible for the oper17 ation of the prekindergarten program and pro18 viders of prekindergarten, including outreach ac19 tivities to identify eligible children. 

20 ‘‘(B) ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.—Head Start 

21 staff shall, with the permission of the parents of 

22 children enrolled in Head Start programs, regu23 larly communicate with the elementary schools 

24 such children will be attending to— 
233 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(i) share information about such chil2 dren; 

3 ‘‘(ii) get advice and support from the 

4 teachers in such elementary schools regard5 ing teaching strategies and options; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) ensure a smooth transition to el7 ementary school for such children. 

8 ‘‘(C) OTHER PROGRAMS.—The head of each 

9 Head Start agency shall coordinate activities 

10 and collaborate with the State agency responsible 

11 for administering the State program carried out 

12 under the Child Care and Development Block 

13 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), other 

14 entities carrying out early childhood education 

15 and development programs, and the agencies re16 sponsible for administering section 106 of the 

17 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 

18 U.S.C. 5106a), parts B and E of title IV of the 

19 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 

20 670 et seq.), programs under subtitle B of title 

21 VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance 

22 Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), Even Start pro23 grams under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the 

24 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

25 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), and programs 
234 

•S 1107 RS 

1 under section 619 and part C of the Individuals 

2 with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 

3 1431 et seq.), serving the children and families 

4 served by the Head Start agency. 

5 ‘‘(3) COLLABORATION.—A Head Start agency 

6 shall take steps to coordinate activities with the local 

7 educational agency serving the community involved 

8 and with schools in which children participating in 

9 a Head Start program operated by such agency will 

10 enroll following such program, including— 

11 ‘‘(A) collaborating on the shared use of 

12 transportation and facilities; 

13 ‘‘(B) collaborating to reduce the duplication 

14 of services while increasing the program partici15 pation of underserved populations of eligible 

16 children; and 

17 ‘‘(C) exchanging information on the provi18 sion of noneducational services to such children. 

19 ‘‘(4) PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.—In order to pro20 mote the continued involvement of the parents of chil21 dren that participate in Head Start programs in the 

22 education of their children upon transition to school, 

23 the Head Start agency shall— 

24 ‘‘(A) provide training to the parents— 
235 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(i) to inform the parents about their 

2 rights and responsibilities concerning the 

3 education of their children; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) to enable the parents— 

5 ‘‘(I) to understand and work with 

6 schools in order to communicate with 

7 teachers and other school personnel; 

8 ‘‘(II) to support the schoolwork of 

9 their children; and 

10 ‘‘(III) to participate as appro11 priate in decisions relating to the edu12 cation of their children; and 

13 ‘‘(B) take other actions, as appropriate and 

14 feasible, to support the active involvement of the 

15 parents with schools, school personnel, and 

16 school-related organizations. 

17 ‘‘(d) ASSESSMENT.—Each Head Start agency shall 

18 adopt, in consultation with experts in child development 

19 and with classroom teachers, an assessment to be used when 

20 hiring or evaluating any classroom teacher in a center21 based Head Start program. Such assessment shall measure 

22 whether such teacher has mastered the functions described 

23 in section 648A(a)(1) and attained a level of literacy appro24 priate to implement Head Start curricula. 
236 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(e) FUNDED ENROLLMENT; WAITING LIST.—Each 

2 Head Start agency shall enroll 100 percent of its funded 

3 enrollment and maintain an active waiting list at all times 

4 with ongoing outreach to the community and activities to 

5 identify underserved populations. 

6 ‘‘(f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PLAN.— 

7 In order to receive funds under this subchapter, a Head 

8 Start agency shall develop an annual technical assistance 

9 and training plan. Such plan shall be based on the agency’s 

10 self-assessment, the community needs assessment, and the 

11 needs of parents to be served by such agency.’’. 

12 SEC. 11. HEAD START TRANSITION. 

13 Section 642A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837a) 

14 is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT 

16 WITH K–12 EDUCATION. 

17 ‘‘Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordi18 nate activities with the local educational agency serving the 

19 community involved and with schools in which children 

20 participating in a Head Start program operated by such 

21 agency will enroll following such program, including— 

22 ‘‘(1) developing and implementing a systematic 

23 procedure for transferring, with parental consent, 

24 Head Start program records for each participating 

25 child to the school in which such child will enroll; 
237 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(2) establishing ongoing channels of commu2 nication between Head Start staff and their counter3 parts in the schools (including teachers, social work4 ers, health staff, and local educational agency liaisons 

5 designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the 

6 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))) to facilitate coordination of pro8 grams; 

9 ‘‘(3) developing continuity of developmentally 

10 appropriate curricula and practice between the Head 

11 Start agency and local educational agency to ensure 

12 an effective transition and appropriate shared expec13 tations for children’s learning and development as the 

14 children make the transition to school; 

15 ‘‘(4) conducting meetings involving parents, kin16 dergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head 

17 Start teachers to discuss the educational, develop18 mental, and other needs of individual children; 

19 ‘‘(5) organizing and participating in joint train20 ing, including transition-related training of school 

21 staff and Head Start staff; 

22 ‘‘(6) developing and implementing a family out23 reach and support program, in cooperation with enti24 ties carrying out parental involvement efforts under 

25 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
238 

•S 1107 RS 

1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), and family out2 reach and support efforts under subtitle B of title VII 

3 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), taking into consideration the 

5 language needs of limited English proficient parents; 

6 ‘‘(7) assisting families, administrators, and 

7 teachers in enhancing educational and developmental 

8 continuity and continuity of parental involvement in 

9 activities between Head Start services and elementary 

10 school classes; 

11 ‘‘(8) linking the services provided in such Head 

12 Start program with the education services, including 

13 services relating to language, literacy, and numeracy, 

14 provided by such local educational agency; 

15 ‘‘(9) helping parents understand the importance 

16 of parental involvement in a child’s academic success 

17 while teaching the parents strategies for maintaining 

18 parental involvement as their child moves from the 

19 Head Start program to elementary school; 

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

21 increase program participation of underserved popu22 lations of eligible children, including children with 

23 disabilities, homeless children, children in foster care, 

24 and limited English proficient children; and 
239 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(11) coordinating activities and collaborating 

2 to ensure that curricula used in the Head Start pro3 gram is aligned with State early learning standards 

4 with regard to cognitive, social, emotional, and phys5 ical competencies that children entering kindergarten 

6 are expected to demonstrate.’’. 

7 SEC. 12. SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS. 

8 Section 643 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9838) 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘45’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘30’’; and 

12 (2) in the last sentence, by inserting ‘‘to Indian 

13 and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs in 

14 existence on the date of enactment of the Head Start 

15 Improvements for School Readiness Act, or’’ after 

16 ‘‘other assistance’’. 

17 SEC. 13. PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS. 

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

19 9840(a)) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘130 

22 percent of’’ after ‘‘below’’; and 

23 (B) in the flush matter at the end, by add24 ing at the end the following: ‘‘A homeless child 
240 

•S 1107 RS 

1 shall be deemed eligible for Head Start services.’’; 

2 and 

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

4 ‘‘(3)(A) In this paragraph: 

5 ‘‘(i) The term ‘dependent’ has the meaning given 

6 the term in paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of sec7 tion 401(a) of title 37, United States Code. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The terms ‘member’ and ‘uniformed serv9 ices’ have the meanings given the terms in para10 graphs (23) and (3), respectively, of section 101 of 

11 title 37, United States Code. 

12 ‘‘(B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of 

13 a member of the uniformed services shall not be considered 

14 to be income for purposes of determining the eligibility of 

15 a dependent of such member for programs funded under this 

16 subchapter: 

17 ‘‘(i) The amount of any special pay payable 

18 under section 310 if title 37, United States Code, re19 lating to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent dan20 ger. 

21 ‘‘(ii) The amount of basic allowance payable 

22 under section 403 of such title, including any such 

23 amount that is provided on behalf of the member for 

24 housing that is acquired or constructed under the al25 ternative authority for the acquisition and improve-
241 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ment of military housing under subchapter IV of 

2 chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, or any 

3 other related provision of law. 

4 ‘‘(4) After demonstrating a need through a community 

5 needs assessment, a Head Start agency may apply to the 

6 Secretary to convert part-day sessions, particularly con7 secutive part-day sessions, into full-day sessions.’’. 

8 SEC. 14. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS. 

9 Section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a) 

10 is amended— 

11 (1) by striking the section heading and inserting 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (b)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘provide 

16 services to parents to support their role as par17 ents’’ and inserting ‘‘provide additional services 

18 to parents to support their role as parents (in19 cluding parenting skills training and training 

20 in basic child development)’’; 

21 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 

22 (7), (8), and (9) as paragraphs (6), (7), (10), 

23 (11), and (12), respectively; 

24 (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol25 lowing: 
242 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(5) where appropriate and in conjunction with 

2 services provided under this section to the children’s 

3 immediate families (or as approved by the Secretary), 

4 provide home-based services to family child care 

5 homes and kin caregivers caring for infants and tod6 dlers who also participate in Early Head Start pro7 grams, to provide continuity in supporting the chil8 dren’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual de9 velopment;’’; 

10 (D) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by 

11 subparagraph (B)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘(including home13 based services)’’ after ‘‘with services’’; 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and homeless infants 

15 and toddlers’’ after ‘‘disabilities’’; and 

16 (iii) by inserting ‘‘, and family sup17 port services’’ after ‘‘health services’’; 

18 (E) by inserting after paragraph (7), as re19 designated by subparagraph (B), the following: 

20 ‘‘(8) develop and implement a systematic proce21 dure for transitioning children and parents from an 

22 Early Head Start program into a Head Start pro23 gram or another local early childhood education pro24 gram; 
243 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(9) establish channels of communication be2 tween staff of Early Head Start programs and staff 

3 of Head Start programs or other local early childhood 

4 education programs, to facilitate the coordination of 

5 programs;’’; and 

6 (F) in paragraph (11), as redesignated by 

7 subparagraph (B)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘and providers’’ and in9 serting ‘‘, providers’’; and 

10 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and the agencies re11 sponsible for administering section 106 of 

12 the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 

13 Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) and parts B and E 

14 of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

15 U.S.C. 620 et seq. and 670 et seq.)’’ after 

16 ‘‘(20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)’’; 

17 (3) in subsection (d)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in19 cluding tribal governments and entities oper20 ating migrant and seasonal Head Start pro21 grams’’ after ‘‘subchapter’’; and 

22 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, in23 cluding community-based organizations’’ after 

24 ‘‘private entities’’; 
244 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (4) in subsection (g)(2)(B), by striking clause 

2 (iv) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(iv) providing professional develop4 ment and personnel enhancement activities, 

5 including the provision of funds to recipi6 ents of grants under subsection (a), relating 

7 to— 

8 ‘‘(I) effective methods of con9 ducting parent education, home vis10 iting, and promoting quality early 

11 childhood development; 

12 ‘‘(II) recruiting and retaining 

13 qualified staff; and 

14 ‘‘(III) increasing program par15 ticipation for underserved populations 

16 of eligible children.’’; 

17 (5) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(h) STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) CENTER-BASED STAFF.—The Secretary 

20 shall ensure that, not later than September 30, 2010, 

21 all teachers providing direct services to Early Head 

22 Start children and families in Early Head Start cen23 ters have a minimum of a child development associate 

24 credential or an associate degree, and have been 
245 

•S 1107 RS 

1 trained (or have equivalent course work) in early 

2 childhood development. 

3 ‘‘(2) HOME VISITOR STAFF.— 

4 ‘‘(A) STANDARDS.—In order to further en5 hance the quality of home visiting services pro6 vided to families of children participating in 

7 home-based, center-based, or combination pro8 gram options under this subchapter, the Sec9 retary shall establish standards for training, 

10 qualifications, and the conduct of home visits for 

11 home visitor staff in Early Head Start pro12 grams. 

13 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The standards for train14 ing, qualifications, and the conduct of home vis15 its shall include content related to— 

16 ‘‘(i) structured child-focused home vis17 iting that promotes parents’ ability to sup18 port the child’s cognitive, social, emotional, 

19 and physical development; 

20 ‘‘(ii) effective strengths-based parent 

21 education, including methods to encourage 

22 parents as their child’s first teachers; 

23 ‘‘(iii) early childhood development with 

24 respect to children from birth through age 3; 
246 

•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(iv) methods to help parents promote 

2 emergent literacy in their children from 

3 birth through age 3, including use of re4 search-based strategies to support the devel5 opment of literacy and language skills for 

6 children who are limited English proficient; 

7 ‘‘(v) health, vision, hearing, and devel8 opmental screenings; 

9 ‘‘(vi) strategies for helping families 

10 coping with crisis; and 

11 ‘‘(vii) the relationship of health and 

12 well-being of pregnant women to prenatal 

13 and early child development.’’. 

14 SEC. 15. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING AND RECORDS 

15 AND AUDITS. 

16 (a) APPEALS.—Section 646(a) of the Head Start Act 

17 (42 U.S.C. 9841(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs (3) 

18 and (4) and inserting the following: 

19 ‘‘(3) financial assistance under this subchapter 

20 may be terminated or reduced, and an application for 

21 refunding may be denied, after the recipient has been 

22 afforded reasonable notice and opportunity for a full 

23 and fair hearing, including— 
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1 ‘‘(A) a right to file a notice of appeal of a 

2 decision within 30 days of notice of the decision 

3 from the Secretary; and 

4 ‘‘(B) access to a full and fair hearing of the 

5 appeal, not later than 120 days from receipt by 

6 the Secretary of the notice of appeal; 

7 ‘‘(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish pro8 cedures (including mediation procedures) to be used 

9 in order to— 

10 ‘‘(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts 

11 potentially leading to an adverse action be12 tween— 

13 ‘‘(i) recipients of financial assistance 

14 under this subchapter; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) delegate agencies or Head Start 

16 Parent Policy Councils; 

17 ‘‘(B) avoid the need for an administrative 

18 hearing on an adverse action; and 

19 ‘‘(C) prohibit a Head Start agency from ex20 pending financial assistance awarded under this 

21 subchapter for the purpose of paying legal fees 

22 pursuant to an appeal under paragraph (3), ex23 cept that such fees shall be reimbursed by the 

24 Secretary if the agency prevails in such decision; 

25 and 
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1 ‘‘(5) the Secretary may suspend funds to a 

2 grantee under this subchapter— 

3 ‘‘(A) except as provided in subparagraph 

4 (B), for not more than 30 days; or 

5 ‘‘(B) in the case of a grantee under this sub6 chapter that has multiple and recurring defi7 ciencies for a period of 6 months and has not 

8 made substantial and significant progress to9 ward meeting the goals of the grantee’s quality 

10 improvement plan or eliminating all deficiencies 

11 identified by the Secretary, during the hearing of 

12 an appeal described in paragraph (3), for any 

13 amount of time, including permanently.’’. 

14 (b) RECIPIENTS.—Section 647(a) of the Head Start 

15 Act (42 U.S.C. 9842(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Each re16 cipient of’’ and inserting ‘‘Each Head Start agency, Head 

17 Start center, or Early Head Start center receiving’’. 

18 (c) ACCOUNTING.—Section 647 of the Head Start Act 

19 (42 U.S.C. 9842) is amended by adding at the end the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(c) Each Head Start agency, Head Start center, or 

22 Early Head Start center receiving financial assistance 

23 under this subchapter shall maintain, and annually submit 

24 to the Secretary, a complete accounting of its administra25 tive expenses, including expenses for salaries and compensa-
249 

•S 1107 RS 

1 tion funded under this subchapter and provide such addi2 tional documentation as the Secretary may require.’’. 

3 SEC. 16. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 

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

5 is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘(b) and 

7 (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘(b), (c), and (d)’’; 

8 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

9 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; 

10 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(b) The Secretary shall make available funds set aside 

13 in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a regional or State 

14 system of early childhood education training and technical 

15 assistance that improves the capacity of Head Start pro16 grams to deliver services in accordance with the standards 

17 described in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention 

18 to the standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

19 of such section. The Secretary shall— 

20 ‘‘(1) ensure that agencies with demonstrated ex21 pertise in providing high-quality training and tech22 nical assistance to improve the delivery of Head Start 

23 services, including the State Head Start Associations, 

24 State agencies, migrant and seasonal Head Start pro25 grams, and other entities providing training and 
250 

•S 1107 RS 

1 technical assistance in early education, for the region 

2 or State are included in the planning and coordina3 tion of the system; and 

4 ‘‘(2) encourage States to supplement the funds 

5 authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) with Federal, 

6 State, or local funds other than Head Start funds, to 

7 expand training and technical assistance activities 

8 beyond Head Start agencies to include other providers 

9 of other early childhood services within a region or 

10 State.’’; 

11 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking 

13 ‘‘educational performance measures’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘measures’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and for 

16 activities described in section 1221(b)(3) of the 

17 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

18 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371(b)(3))’’ after ‘‘children 

19 with disabilities’’; 

20 (C) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, in21 cluding assessing the needs of homeless children 

22 and their families’’ after ‘‘needs assessment’’; 

23 (D) in paragraph (10), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

24 and inserting a semicolon; 
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1 (E) in paragraph (11), by striking the pe2 riod and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

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

5 in increasing the program participation of homeless 

6 children; 

7 ‘‘(13) provide training and technical assistance 

8 to members of governing bodies to ensure that the 

9 members can fulfill the functions described in section 

10 641(a)(4); 

11 ‘‘(14) provide training and technical assistance 

12 to Head Start agencies to assist such agencies in con13 ducting self-assessments; and 

14 ‘‘(15) assist Head Start agencies and Head Start 

15 programs in improving outreach to, and quality of 

16 services available to, limited English proficient chil17 dren and their families, including such services to 

18 help such families learn English, particularly in com19 munities that have experienced a large percentage in20 crease in the population of limited English proficient 

21 individuals, as measured by the Bureau of the Cen22 sus.’’; 

23 (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by in24 serting ‘‘including community-based organizations,’’ 

25 after ‘‘nonprofit entities,’’; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 (6) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by in2 serting ‘‘or providing services to children determined 

3 to be abused or neglected, training for personnel pro4 viding services to children referred by entities pro5 viding child welfare services or receiving child welfare 

6 services,’’ after ‘‘English language),’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(g) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or 

9 through grants or other arrangements, funds for training 

10 of Head Start personnel in addressing the unique needs of 

11 migrant and seasonal farmworking families, families with 

12 limited English proficiency, and homeless families. 

13 ‘‘(h) Funds used under this section shall be used to 

14 provide high quality, sustained, and intensive, training and 

15 technical assistance in order to have a positive and lasting 

16 impact on classroom instruction. Funds shall be used to 

17 carry out activities related to 1 or more of the following: 

18 ‘‘(1) Education and early childhood development. 

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

20 ‘‘(3) Family and community partnerships. 

21 ‘‘(4) Other areas that impact the quality or over22 all effectiveness of Head Start programs. 

23 ‘‘(i) Funds used under this section for training shall 

24 be used for needs identified annually by a grant applicant 

25 or delegate agency in its program improvement plan, except 
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1 that funds shall not be used for long-distance travel expenses 

2 for training activities— 

3 ‘‘(1) available locally or regionally; or 

4 ‘‘(2) substantially similar to locally or regionally 

5 available training activities. 

6 ‘‘(j)(1) To support local efforts to enhance early lan7 guage and preliteracy development of children in Head 

8 Start programs, and to provide the children with high-qual9 ity oral language skills, and environments that are rich in 

10 literature, in which to acquire language and preliteracy 

11 skills, each Head Start agency, in coordination with the 

12 appropriate State office and the relevant State Head Start 

13 collaboration office, shall ensure that all of the agency’s 

14 Head Start teachers receive ongoing training in language 

15 and emergent literacy (referred to in this subsection as ‘lit16 eracy training’), including appropriate curricula and as17 sessments to improve instruction and learning. Such train18 ing shall include training in methods to promote phono19 logical and phonemic awareness and vocabulary develop20 ment in an age-appropriate and culturally and linguis21 tically appropriate manner. 

22 ‘‘(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the local 

23 level in order— 
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1 ‘‘(A) to be provided, to the extent feasible, in the 

2 context of the Head Start programs of the State in3 volved and the children the program serves; and 

4 ‘‘(B) to be tailored to the early childhood literacy 

5 background and experience of the teachers involved. 

6 ‘‘(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and lin7 guistically appropriate and support children’s development 

8 in their home language. 

9 ‘‘(4) The literacy training shall include training in 

10 how to work with parents to enhance positive language and 

11 early literacy development at home. 

12 ‘‘(5) The literacy training shall include specific meth13 ods to best address the needs of children who are English 

14 language learners or are limited English proficient. 

15 ‘‘(6) The literacy training shall include specific meth16 ods to best address the needs of children who have speech 

17 and language delays, including problems with articulation, 

18 or have other disabilities.’’. 

19 SEC. 17. STAFF QUALIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT. 

20 Section 648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)— 

23 (A) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 

24 the following: 

25 ‘‘(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.— 
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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall en2 sure that— 

3 ‘‘(i) not later than September 30, 2010, 

4 all Head Start teachers in center-based pro5 grams have at least— 

6 ‘‘(I)(aa) an associate degree (or 

7 equivalent coursework) relating to 

8 early childhood; or 

9 ‘‘(bb) an associate degree in a re10 lated educational area and, to the ex11 tent practicable, coursework relating to 

12 early childhood; and 

13 ‘‘(II) demonstrated teaching com14 petencies, as determined by the pro15 gram director involved (including, at a 

16 minimum, an appropriate level of lit17 eracy, a demonstrated capacity to be 

18 highly engaged with children, and a 

19 demonstrated ability to effectively im20 plement an early childhood cur21 riculum); and 

22 ‘‘(ii) not later than September 30, 

23 2008, all Head Start curriculum specialists 

24 and education coordinators in center-based 

25 programs have— 
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1 ‘‘(I) the capacity to offer assist2 ance to other teachers in the implemen3 tation and adaptation of curricula to 

4 the group and individual needs of a 

5 class; and 

6 ‘‘(II)(aa) a baccalaureate or ad7 vanced degree relating to early child8 hood; or 

9 ‘‘(bb) a baccalaureate or advanced 

10 degree and coursework equivalent to a 

11 major relating to early childhood; 

12 ‘‘(iii) not later than September 30, 

13 2008, all Head Start teaching assistants in 

14 center-based programs have— 

15 ‘‘(I) at least a child development 

16 associate credential; 

17 ‘‘(II) enrolled in a program lead18 ing to an associate or baccalaureate de19 gree; or 

20 ‘‘(III) enrolled in a child develop21 ment associate credential program to 

22 be completed within 2 years; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) not later than September 30, 

24 2011— 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(I) in States that have estab2 lished teacher requirements for State 

3 prekindergarten programs, all Head 

4 Start teachers in center-based pro5 grams— 

6 ‘‘(aa) if such requirements 

7 are not less than those require8 ments described in subclause (II), 

9 meet such teacher requirements for 

10 State prekindergarten programs; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(bb) if such requirements 

13 are less than those requirements 

14 described in subclause (II), meet 

15 the requirements described in sub16 clause (II); and 

17 ‘‘(II) in States that do not have 

18 an established State prekindergarten 

19 program or in States that do not have 

20 established teacher requirements for 

21 their State prekindergarten programs, 

22 50 percent of all Head Start teachers 

23 in each center-based program have a 

24 baccalaureate degree relating to early 

25 childhood (or a related educational 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 area or a baccalaureate degree that 

2 meets State specialized training re3 quirements for prekindergarten teach4 ers, such as State licensure, endorse5 ment, or certification for prekinder6 garten or other early childhood area), 

7 and demonstrated teaching com8 petencies, as determined by the pro9 gram director involved (including, at a 

10 minimum, an appropriate level of lit11 eracy, a demonstrated capacity to be 

12 highly engaged with children, and a 

13 demonstrated ability to effectively im14 plement an early childhood cur15 riculum). 

16 ‘‘(B) TEACHER IN-SERVICE REQUIRE17 MENT.—Each Head Start teacher shall attend an 

18 average of not less than 15 clock hours of profes19 sional development per year. Such professional 

20 development shall be high quality, sustained, in21 tensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a 

22 positive and lasting impact on classroom in23 struction and the teacher’s performance in the 

24 classroom, and regularly evaluated for effective25 ness. 
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1 ‘‘(C) PROGRESS.— 

2 ‘‘(i) REPORT.—The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(I) require Head Start agencies 

4 to— 

5 ‘‘(aa) demonstrate con6 tinuing progress each year to 

7 reach the result described in sub8 paragraph (A); 

9 ‘‘(bb) submit to the Secretary 

10 a report indicating the number 

11 and percentage of classroom in12 structors in center-based programs 

13 with child development associate 

14 credentials or associate, bacca15 laureate, or graduate degrees; and 

16 ‘‘(II) compile and submit a sum17 mary of all program reports described 

18 in subclause (I)(bb) to the Committee 

19 on Education and the Workforce of the 

20 House of Representatives and the Com21 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, 

22 and Pensions of the Senate. 

23 ‘‘(ii) DEMONSTRATE PROGRESS.—A 

24 Head Start agency may demonstrate 

25 progress by partnering with institutions of 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 higher education or other programs that re2 cruit, train, place, and support college stu3 dents to deliver an innovative early learn4 ing program to preschool children. 

5 ‘‘(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec6 retary shall establish requirements to ensure 

7 that, in order to enable Head Start agencies to 

8 comply with the requirements of subparagraph 

9 (A), individuals who receive financial assistance 

10 under this subchapter to pursue a degree de11 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) teach or work in a Head Start 

13 program for a minimum of 3 years after re14 ceiving the degree; or 

15 ‘‘(ii) repay the total or a prorated 

16 amount of the financial assistance received 

17 based on the length of service completed 

18 after receiving the degree.’’; and 

19 (B) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(3) WAIVER.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On request, the Sec23 retary may grant a waiver of the postsecondary 

24 degree requirements of paragraph (2) for 1 or 

25 more Head Start agencies, either individually, 
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1 statewide, or throughout a region, that can dem2 onstrate— 

3 ‘‘(i) that continuing aggressive state4 wide and national efforts have been unsuc5 cessful at recruiting an individual to serve 

6 as a Head Start teacher or curriculum spe7 cialist or education coordinator who meets 

8 the requirements of paragraph (2)(A); 

9 ‘‘(ii) limited access to degree programs 

10 (including quality distance learning pro11 grams), due to the remote location of the 

12 program involved; or 

13 ‘‘(iii) that Head Start staff members 

14 are, as of the day the waiver is granted, en15 rolled in a program that— 

16 ‘‘(I) grants the required degree; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(II) will be completed within 1 

19 year. 

20 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—An agency that receives 

21 a waiver under subparagraph (A) shall ensure 

22 that Head Start teachers for the agency, as of the 

23 day the waiver is granted, who have not met the 

24 postsecondary degree requirements of paragraph 

25 (2) but are otherwise highly qualified and com-
262 

•S 1107 RS 

1 petent shall be directly and appropriately super2 vised by a teacher who has met or exceeded the 

3 requirements of this subchapter. 

4 ‘‘(C) DURATION.—The Secretary may not 

5 grant a waiver under subparagraph (A) for a 

6 period that exceeds 1 year.’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (c)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

9 the end; 

10 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period 

11 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies to 

14 meet the needs of special populations (including lim15 ited English proficient populations).’’; 

16 (3) in subsection (d)(3)(C) by inserting ‘‘, in17 cluding a center,’’ after ‘‘any agency’’; and 

18 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

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

20 Head Start agency and center shall create, in consultation 

21 with employees of the agency or center (including family 

22 service workers), a professional development plan for em23 ployees who provide direct services to children, including 

24 a plan for classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 education coordinators to meet the requirements set forth 

2 in subsection (a).’’. 

3 SEC. 18. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HEAD 

4 START PARTNERSHIP. 

5 The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is amend6 ed by inserting after section 648A the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START 

8 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. 

9 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to pro10 mote social competencies and school readiness in Indian 

11 children. 

12 ‘‘(b) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START

13 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.— 

14 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary is authorized to 

15 award grants, for periods of not less than 5 years, to 

16 Tribal Colleges and Universities to— 

17 ‘‘(A) implement education programs that 

18 include education concerning tribal culture and 

19 language and increase the number of associate, 

20 baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early 

21 childhood education and related fields that are 

22 earned by Indian Head Start agency staff mem23 bers, parents of children served by such an agen24 cy, and members of the tribal community in25 volved; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B) develop and implement the programs 

2 under subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated 

3 formats, including providing the programs 

4 through such means as distance learning and use 

5 of advanced technology, as appropriate; and 

6 ‘‘(C) provide technology literacy programs 

7 for Indian Head Start agency staff members and 

8 children and families of children served by such 

9 an agency. 

10 ‘‘(2) STAFFING.—The Secretary shall ensure that 

11 the American Indian Programs Branch of the Head 

12 Start Bureau of the Department of Health and 

13 Human Services shall have staffing sufficient to ad14 minister the programs under this section and to pro15 vide appropriate technical assistance to Tribal Col16 leges and Universities receiving grants under this sec17 tion. 

18 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each Tribal College or University 

19 desiring a grant under this section shall submit an applica20 tion to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and 

21 containing such information as the Secretary may require, 

22 including a certification that the Tribal College or Univer23 sity has established a partnership with 1 or more Indian 

24 Head Start agencies for the purpose of conducting the ac25 tivities described in subsection (b). 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

3 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be 

4 necessary for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010. 

5 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

7 term ‘institution of higher education’ has the meaning 

8 given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu9 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

10 ‘‘(2) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 

11 term ‘Tribal College or University’— 

12 ‘‘(A) has the meaning given such term in 

13 section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

14 (20 U.S.C. 1059c); and 

15 ‘‘(B) means an institution determined to be 

16 accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a 

17 nationally recognized accrediting agency or asso18 ciation.’’. 

19 SEC. 19. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION. 

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

21 is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, chil23 dren determined to be abused or neglected, homeless 

24 children, and children in foster care’’ after ‘‘children 

25 with disabilities’’; 
266 

•S 1107 RS 

1 (2) in subsection (d)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (8), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

3 after the semicolon; 

4 (B) by striking paragraph (9); 

5 (C) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 

6 paragraph (9); and 

7 (D) by striking the last sentence; 

8 (3) in subsection (g)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 

10 (i) by striking clause (i); and 

11 (ii) by redesignating clauses (ii) and 

12 (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; 

13 and 

14 (B) in paragraph (7)(C)— 

15 (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘2003’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘2007’’; and 

17 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘Labor 

18 and Human Resources’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’; 

20 and 

21 (4) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(h) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter 

25 into a contract with the Board on Children, Youth, 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 and Families of the National Research Council, the 

2 Board on Testing and Assessments, and the Institute 

3 of Medicine, of the National Academy of Sciences to 

4 establish an independent panel of experts to review 

5 and synthesize research and theories in the social, be6 havioral, and biological sciences regarding early 

7 childhood, and make recommendations with regard to 

8 each of the following: 

9 ‘‘(A) Age- and developmentally appropriate 

10 Head Start academic requirements and out11 comes, including the standards described in sec12 tion 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii). 

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

14 and intensity of services that are necessary to 

15 ensure that children from challenging family or 

16 social backgrounds (including low-income chil17 dren, children with disabilities, and limited 

18 English proficient children) enter kindergarten 

19 ready to succeed. 

20 ‘‘(C) Appropriate assessments of young chil21 dren for the purposes of improving instruction, 

22 services, and program quality, including— 

23 ‘‘(i) formal and systematic observa24 tional assessments in a child’s natural envi25 ronment; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(ii) assessments of children’s develop2 ment through parent and provider inter3 views; 

4 ‘‘(iii) appropriate accommodations for 

5 children with disabilities and limited 

6 English proficient children; 

7 ‘‘(iv) appropriate assessments for chil8 dren with disabilities, limited English pro9 ficient children, and children from different 

10 cultural backgrounds; and 

11 ‘‘(v) other assessments used in Head 

12 Start programs. 

13 ‘‘(D) Identification of existing, or rec14 ommendations for the development of, scientif15 ically based, valid and reliable assessments that 

16 are capable of measuring child outcomes in the 

17 domains important to school readiness, including 

18 language skills, prereading ability, 

19 premathematics ability, cognitive ability, sci20 entific ability, social and emotional development, 

21 and physical development. 

22 ‘‘(E) Appropriate use and application of 

23 valid and reliable assessments for Head Start 

24 programs identified in accordance with subpara25 graph (D). 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The panel described in 

3 paragraph (1) shall consist of multiple experts in 

4 each of the following areas: 

5 ‘‘(i) Child development (including cog6 nitive, social, emotional, and physical devel7 opment) and child education (including ap8 proaches to learning). 

9 ‘‘(ii) Professional development, includ10 ing preparation of individuals who teach 

11 young children. 

12 ‘‘(iii) Assessment of young children 

13 (including children with disabilities and 

14 limited English proficient children), includ15 ing screening, diagnostic, and classroom16 based instructional assessment. 

17 ‘‘(B) REPRESENTATIVES.—The panel de18 scribed in paragraph (1) shall be selected and 

19 appointed by the National Academy of Sciences, 

20 after consultation with the Secretary of Health 

21 and Human Services. 

22 ‘‘(3) TIMING.— 

23 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 

24 days after the date of enactment of the Head 

25 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of 

2 the National Research Council, the Board on 

3 Testing and Assessments, and the Institute of 

4 Medicine, of the National Academy of Sciences 

5 shall establish the panel described in paragraph 

6 (1), including selecting and appointing the mem7 bers of the panel. Representatives described in 

8 paragraph (2) shall be selected and appointed 

9 after consultation with the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(B) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 1 

11 year after the panel described in paragraph (1) 

12 is established, the panel shall complete, and sub13 mit to the Secretary a report containing, the rec14 ommendations described in paragraph (1). The 

15 Secretary shall not implement the amendments 

16 made to section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) by the Head 

17 Start Improvements for School Readiness Act 

18 until the panel submits the report. 

19 ‘‘(4) APPLICATION OF PANEL REPORT.—The Sec20 retary shall use the results of the review and rec21 ommendations described in paragraph (1) to (where 

22 appropriate) develop, inform, and revise— 

23 ‘‘(A) the educational standards, and the 

24 performance measures, described in section 641A; 

25 and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(B) the assessments utilized in the Head 

2 Start programs. 

3 ‘‘(i) SERVICES TO LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT

4 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.— 

5 ‘‘(1) STUDY.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

6 study on the status of limited English proficient chil7 dren and their families in Head Start or Early Head 

8 Start programs. 

9 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall prepare and 

10 submit to Congress, not later than September 2009, a 

11 report containing the results of the study, including 

12 information on— 

13 ‘‘(A) the demographics of limited English 

14 proficient children from birth through age 5, in15 cluding the number of such children receiving 

16 Head Start or Early Head Start services and 

17 the geographic distribution of children described 

18 in this subparagraph; 

19 ‘‘(B) the nature of Head Start or Early 

20 Head Start services provided to limited English 

21 proficient children and their families, including 

22 the types, content, duration, intensity, and costs 

23 of family services, language assistance, and edu24 cational services; 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(C) procedures in Head Start programs 

2 for the assessment of language needs and the 

3 transition of limited English proficient children 

4 to kindergarten, including the extent to which 

5 Head Start programs meet the requirements of 

6 section 642A for limited English proficient chil7 dren; 

8 ‘‘(D) the qualifications and training pro9 vided to Head Start and Early Head Start 

10 teachers serving limited English proficient chil11 dren and their families; 

12 ‘‘(E) the rate of progress made by limited 

13 English proficient children and their families in 

14 Head Start programs and Early Head Start 

15 programs, including— 

16 ‘‘(i) the rate of progress of the limited 

17 English proficient children toward meeting 

18 the additional educational standards de19 scribed in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) while 

20 enrolled in Head Start programs, measured 

21 between 1990 and 2004; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the correlation between such 

23 progress and the type of instruction and 

24 educational program provided to the limited 

25 English proficient children; and 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(iii) the correlation between such 

2 progress and the health and family services 

3 provided by Head Start programs to lim4 ited English proficient children and their 

5 families; and 

6 ‘‘(F) the extent to which Head Start pro7 grams make use of funds under section 640(a)(3) 

8 to improve the quality of Head Start services 

9 provided to limited English proficient children 

10 and their families.’’. 

11 SEC. 20. REPORTS. 

12 Section 650 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9846) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

16 by striking ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pen18 sions’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘home20 lessness, children in foster care,’’ after ‘‘ethnic 

21 background,’’; and 

22 (C) in the flush matter at the end by strik23 ing ‘‘Labor and Human Resources’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’; 

25 and 
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1 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Labor and 

2 Human Resources’’ and inserting ‘‘Health, Edu3 cation, Labor, and Pensions’’. 

4 SEC. 21. COMPARABILITY OF WAGES. 

5 Section 653 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9848) 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall take’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘(a) The Secretary shall take’’; 

9 (2) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by 

10 striking ‘‘or (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2) in excess of the 

11 salary of the Secretary, in the case of an individual 

12 compensated with funds awarded under this sub13 chapter or the Community Services Block Grant Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.); or (3)’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(b) If in any fiscal year the restriction described in 

17 subsection (a)(2) is violated, the Secretary shall withhold 

18 from the base grant of the Head Start agency involved (as 

19 defined in section 641A(g)(1)) for the next fiscal year, an 

20 amount equal to the aggregate amount by which the salary 

21 that resulted in the violation exceeded the salary of the Sec22 retary.’’. 
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1 SEC. 22. LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAW2 FUL ACTIVITIES. 

3 Section 655 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9850) 

4 is amended by inserting ‘‘or in’’ after ‘‘assigned by’’. 

5 SEC. 23. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. 

6 Section 656 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9851) 

7 is amended— 

8 (1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘chapter 15’’ 

9 and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES. 

11 ‘‘(a) STATE OR LOCAL AGENCY.—For purposes of’’; 

12 and 

13 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(b) RESTRICTIONS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A program assisted under 

17 this subchapter, and any individual employed by, or 

18 assigned to, a program assessed under this subchapter 

19 (during the hours in which such individual is work20 ing on behalf of such program), shall not engage in— 

21 ‘‘(A) any partisan or nonpartisan political 

22 activity or any other political activity associated 

23 with a candidate, or contending faction or 

24 group, in an election for public or party office; 

25 ‘‘(B) any activity to provide voters or pro26 spective voters with transportation to the polls or 
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1 similar assistance in connection with any such 

2 election; or 

3 ‘‘(C) any voter registration activity. 

4 ‘‘(2) RULES AND REGULATIONS.—The Secretary, 

5 after consultation with the Director of the Office of 

6 Personnel Management, may issue rules and regula7 tions to provide for the enforcement of this section, 

8 which may include provisions for summary suspen9 sion of assistance or other action necessary to permit 

10 enforcement on an emergency basis.’’. 

11 SEC. 24. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH 

12 SERVICES. 

13 The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is amend14 ed by adding at the end the following new section: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NON16 EMERGENCY INTRUSIVE PHYSICAL EXAMINA17 TIONS. 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—The term ‘nonemergency intrusive 

19 physical examination’ means, with respect to a child, a 

20 physical examination that— 

21 ‘‘(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the 

22 health or safety of the child or the health or safety of 

23 another individual; and 

24 ‘‘(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, or 

25 involves exposure of private body parts. 
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•S 1107 RS 

1 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENT.—A Head Start agency shall ob2 tain written parental consent before administration of, or 

3 referral for, any health care service provided or arranged 

4 to be provided, including any nonemergency intrusive phys5 ical examination of a child in connection with participa6 tion in a program under this subchapter. 

7 ‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec8 tion shall be construed to prohibit agencies from using es9 tablished methods, for handling cases of suspected or known 

10 child abuse and neglect, that are in compliance with appli11 cable Federal, State, or tribal law.’’. 
Calendar No. 200 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1107 

[Report No. 109–131] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Head Start Act, and for other 

purposes. 

AUGUST 31, 2005 

Reported with an amendment