I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7201 

To provide assistance with respect to child care infrastructure, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 15, 2020 

Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide assistance with respect to child care 

infrastructure, 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; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Child Care is Infrastructure Act’’. 

6 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find7 ings: 


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1 (1) Early care and learning settings directly im2 pact the physical, behavioral, and cognitive develop3 ment of young children, and these settings should be 

4 designed and equipped to keep children safe and 

5 help children thrive. 

6 (2) An investigation in 10 States conducted by 

7 the Office of the Inspector General of the Depart8 ment of Health and Human Services found that 96 

9 percent of early care and learning facilities inspected 

10 during unannounced visits had at least 1 potentially 

11 hazardous condition. 

12 (3) Approximately 500,000 early care and 

13 learning facilities are not regulated under the Safe 

14 Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f), and only 11 

15 States and New York City require licensed early 

16 care and learning facilities to test drinking water 

17 within such facilities for lead. 

18 (4) A Department of Health and Human Serv19 ices report from 2015 found that an estimated 2,201 

20 Head Start centers needed facility improvements, in21 cluding improvements related to rebuilding, ren22 ovating, and conducting maintenance on such facili23 ties. 

24 (5) Only 2 statewide needs assessments have 

25 been conducted: 


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1 (A) A 2011 statewide study of Massachu2 setts early care and learning facilities found ex3 cessive levels of carbon dioxide in early care and 

4 learning facilities throughout the State, insuffi5 cient ventilation systems, and furnishings con6 taining formaldehyde. 

7 (B) A 2014 statewide study in Rhode Is8 land found that— 

9 (i) all centers visited had at least one 

10 playground safety hazard; 

11 (ii) centers in poor condition tend to 

12 serve higher rates of low-income, State13 subsidized children; and 

14 (iii) nearly 70 percent of early learn15 ing centers visited had one or more issues 

16 related to the overall building condition, 

17 such as water stains, excessive wear, and 

18 peeling paint. 

19 (6) The National Children’s Facilities Network 

20 estimates that the United States would require at 

21 least $17 billion to bring existing early care and 

22 learning facilities up to best-practice standards. 

23 (7) While data on the condition of facilities is 

24 available for 2 States, it is lacking elsewhere. The 

25 extent of the problem is impossible to determine 


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1 without a nationwide assessment of the current con2 dition of existing early care and learning facilities. 

3 SEC. 2. INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS TO IMPROVE CHILD 

4 CARE SAFETY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title IV of the Social 

6 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by insert7 ing after section 418 the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 418A. INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS TO IMPROVE CHILD 

9 CARE SAFETY. 

10 ‘‘(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the 

11 ‘Infrastructure Grants to Improve Child Care Safety Act’. 

12 ‘‘(b) NEEDS ASSESSMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IMMEDIATE NEEDS ASSESSMENT.— 

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

15 conduct an immediate needs assessment of the 

16 condition of child care facilities throughout the 

17 United States (with priority given to child care 

18 facilities that receive Federal funds), that— 

19 ‘‘(i) determines the extent to which 

20 the COVID–19 pandemic has created im21 mediate infrastructure needs, including in22 frastructure-related health and safety 

23 needs, which must be addressed for child 

24 care facilities to operate in compliance with 

25 public health guidelines; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) considers the effects of the pan2 demic on a variety of child care centers, in3 cluding home-based centers; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) considers how the pandemic has 

5 impacted specific metrics, such as— 

6 ‘‘(I) capacity; 

7 ‘‘(II) investments in infrastruc8 ture changes; 

9 ‘‘(III) the types of infrastructure 

10 changes centers need to implement 

11 and their associated costs; 

12 ‘‘(IV) the price of tuition; and 

13 ‘‘(V) any changes or anticipated 

14 changes in the number and demo15 graphic of children attending. 

16 ‘‘(B) TIMING.—The immediate needs as17 sessment should occur simultaneously with the 

18 first grant-making cycle under subsection (c). 

19 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

20 after the date of the enactment of this section, 

21 the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a re22 port containing the result of the needs assess23 ment conducted under subparagraph (A), and 

24 make the assessment publicly available. 

25 ‘‘(2) LONG-TERM NEEDS ASSESSMENT.— 


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

2 conduct a long-term assessment of the condition 

3 of child care facilities throughout the United 

4 States (with priority given to child care facili5 ties that receive Federal funds). The assess6 ment may be conducted through representative 

7 random sampling. 

8 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years 

9 after the date of the enactment of this section, 

10 the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a re11 port containing the results of the needs assess12 ment conducted under subparagraph (A), and 

13 make the assessment publicly available. 

14 ‘‘(c) CHILD CARE FACILITIES GRANTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) GRANTS TO STATES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

17 award grants to States for the purpose of ac18 quiring, constructing, renovating, or improving 

19 child care facilities, including adapting, re20 configuring, or expanding facilities to respond 

21 to the COVID–19 pandemic. 

22 ‘‘(B) PRIORITIZED FACILITIES.—The Sec23 retary may not award a grant to a State under 

24 subparagraph (A) unless the State involved 


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1 agrees, with respect to the use of grant funds, 

2 to prioritize— 

3 ‘‘(i) child care facilities primarily serv4 ing low-income populations; 

5 ‘‘(ii) child care facilities primarily 

6 serving children who have not attained the 

7 age of 5 years; 

8 ‘‘(iii) child care facilities that closed 

9 during the COVID–19 pandemic and are 

10 unable to open without making modifica11 tions to the facility that would otherwise be 

12 required to ensure the health and safety of 

13 children and staff; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) child care facilities that serve the 

15 children of parents classified as essential 

16 workers during the COVID–19 pandemic. 

17 ‘‘(C) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant 

18 under this subsection shall be awarded for a pe19 riod of not more than 5 years. 

20 ‘‘(D) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant 

21 under this subsection, a State shall submit to 

22 the Secretary an application at such time, in 

23 such manner, and containing such information 

24 as the Secretary may require, which informa25 tion shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) be disaggregated as the Secretary 

2 may require; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) include a plan to use a portion of 

4 the grant funds to report back to the Sec5 retary on the impact of using the grant 

6 funds to improve child care facilities. 

7 ‘‘(E) PRIORITY.—In selecting States for 

8 grants under this subsection, the Secretary 

9 shall prioritize States that— 

10 ‘‘(i) plan to improve center-based and 

11 home-based child care programs, which 

12 may include a combination of child care 

13 and early Head Start or Head Start pro14 grams; 

15 ‘‘(ii) aim to meet specific needs across 

16 urban, suburban, or rural areas as deter17 mined by the State; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) show evidence of collaboration 

19 with— 

20 ‘‘(I) local government officials; 

21 ‘‘(II) other State agencies; 

22 ‘‘(III) nongovernmental organiza23 tions, such as— 

24 ‘‘(aa) organizations within 

25 the philanthropic community; 


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1 ‘‘(bb) certified community 

2 development financial institutions 

3 as defined in section 103 of the 

4 Community Development Bank5 ing and Financial Institutions 

6 Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702) 

7 that have been certified by the 

8 Community Development Finan9 cial Institutions Fund (12 U.S.C. 

10 4703); and 

11 ‘‘(cc) organizations that 

12 have demonstrated experience 

13 in— 

14 ‘‘(AA) providing tech15 nical or financial assistance 

16 for the acquisition, construc17 tion, renovation, or improve18 ment of child care facilities; 

19 ‘‘(BB) providing tech20 nical, financial, or manage21 rial assistance to child care 

22 providers; and 

23 ‘‘(CC) securing private 

24 sources of capital financing 

25 for child care facilities or 


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1 other low-income community 

2 development projects; and 

3 ‘‘(IV) local community organiza4 tions, such as— 

5 ‘‘(aa) child care providers; 

6 ‘‘(bb) community care agen7 cies; 

8 ‘‘(cc) resource and referral 

9 agencies; and 

10 ‘‘(dd) unions. 

11 ‘‘(F) CONSIDERATION.—In selecting States 

12 for grants under this subsection, the Secretary 

13 shall consider— 

14 ‘‘(i) whether the applicant— 

15 ‘‘(I) has or is developing a plan 

16 to address child care facility needs; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(II) demonstrates the capacity 

19 to execute such a plan; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) after the date the report required 

21 by subsection (b)(1)(C) is submitted to the 

22 Congress, the needs of the applicants 

23 based on the results of the assessment. 

24 ‘‘(G) DIVERSITY OF AWARDS.—In award25 ing grants under this section, the Secretary 


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1 shall give equal consideration to States with 

2 varying capacities under subparagraph (F). 

3 ‘‘(H) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—As a condition for 

5 the receipt of a grant under subparagraph 

6 (A), a State that is not an Indian tribe 

7 shall agree to make available (directly or 

8 through donations from public or private 

9 entities) contributions with respect to the 

10 cost of the activities to be carried out pur11 suant to subparagraph (A), which may be 

12 provided in cash or in kind, in an amount 

13 equal to 10 percent of the funds provided 

14 through the grant. 

15 ‘‘(ii) DETERMINATION OF AMOUNT

16 CONTRIBUTED.—Contributions required by 

17 clause (i) may include— 

18 ‘‘(I) amounts provided by the 

19 Federal Government, or services as20 sisted or subsidized to any significant 

21 extent by the Federal Government; or 

22 ‘‘(II) philanthropic or private-sec23 tor funds. 

24 ‘‘(I) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 

25 after the last day of the grant period, a State 


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1 receiving a grant under this paragraph shall 

2 submit a report to the Secretary as described in 

3 subparagraph (D)— 

4 ‘‘(i) to determine the effects of the 

5 grant in constructing, renovating, or im6 proving child care facilities, including any 

7 changes in response to the COVID–19 

8 pandemic and any effects on access to and 

9 quality of child care; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) to provide such other information 

11 as the Secretary may require. 

12 ‘‘(J) AMOUNT LIMIT.—The annual amount 

13 of a grant under this paragraph may not exceed 

14 $35,000,000. 

15 ‘‘(2) GRANTS TO INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZA16 TIONS.— 

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

18 award grants to intermediary organizations, 

19 such as certified community development finan20 cial institutions, tribal organizations, or other 

21 organizations with demonstrated experience in 

22 child care facilities financing, for the purpose of 

23 providing technical assistance, capacity build24 ing, and financial products to develop or finance 

25 child care facilities. 


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1 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—A grant under this 

2 paragraph may be made only to intermediary 

3 organizations that submit to the Secretary an 

4 application at such time, in such manner, and 

5 containing such information as the Secretary 

6 may require. 

7 ‘‘(C) PRIORITY.—In selecting intermediary 

8 organizations for grants under this subsection, 

9 the Secretary shall prioritize intermediary orga10 nizations that— 

11 ‘‘(i) demonstrate experience in child 

12 care facility financing or related commu13 nity facility financing; 

14 ‘‘(ii) demonstrate the capacity to as15 sist States and local governments in devel16 oping child care facilities and programs; 

17 ‘‘(iii) demonstrate the ability to lever18 age grant funding to support financing 

19 tools to build the capacity of child care 

20 providers, such as through credit enhance21 ments; 

22 ‘‘(iv) propose to meet a diversity of 

23 needs across States and across urban, sub24 urban, and rural areas at varying types of 

25 center-based, home-based, and other child 


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1 care settings, including early care pro2 grams located in freestanding buildings or 

3 in mixed-use properties; and 

4 ‘‘(v) propose to focus on child care fa5 cilities primarily serving low-income popu6 lations and children who have not attained 

7 the age of 5 years. 

8 ‘‘(D) AMOUNT LIMIT.—The amount of a 

9 grant under this paragraph may not exceed 

10 $10,000,000. 

11 ‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than the end of fiscal 

12 year 2025, the Secretary shall submit to the Con13 gress a report on the effects of the grants provided 

14 under this subsection, and make the report pub15 lically accessible. 

16 ‘‘(d) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPRO17 PRIATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this section, 

19 there is authorized to be appropriated 

20 $10,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, which shall 

21 remain available through fiscal year 2025. 

22 ‘‘(2) RESERVATIONS OF FUNDS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) INDIAN TRIBES.—The Secretary shall 

24 reserve 3 percent of the total amount made 


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1 available to carry out this section, for payments 

2 to Indian tribes. 

3 ‘‘(B) TERRITORIES.—The Secretary shall 

4 reserve 3 percent of the total amount made 

5 available to carry out this section, for payments 

6 to territories. 

7 ‘‘(3) GRANTS FOR INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZA8 TIONS.—Not less than 10 percent and not more 

9 than 15 percent of the total amount made available 

10 to carry out this section may be used to carry out 

11 subsection (c)(2). 

12 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR

13 NEEDS ASSESSMENTS.—Not more than $5,000,000 

14 of the amounts made available to carry out this sec15 tion may be used to carry out subsection (b). 

16 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF STATE.—In this section, the 

17 term ‘State’ has the meaning provided in section 419, ex18 cept that it includes the Commonwealth of the Northern 

19 Mariana Islands and any Indian tribe.’’. 

20 (b) EXEMPTION OF TERRITORY GRANTS FROM LIMI21 TATION ON TOTAL PAYMENTS TO THE TERRITORIES.— 

22 Section 1108(a)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1308(a)(2)) 

23 is amended by inserting ‘‘418A(c),’’ after ‘‘413(f),’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR LOAN ASSISTANCE 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 Part Q of title III of the Public Health Service Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 280h) is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 399Z–3. EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR LOAN ASSIST7 ANCE PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may carry out a 

9 program of entering into contracts with eligible early 

10 childhood educators under which such educators agree to 

11 serve for a period of 5 years as early childhood educators 

12 with a qualified employer, in consideration of the Federal 

13 Government agreeing to repay, for each year of such serv14 ice, not more than $6,000 of the principal and interest 

15 of the educational loans of such educators. 

16 ‘‘(b) RECERTIFICATION.—An eligible early childhood 

17 educator seeking to continue to receive payments under 

18 this section shall submit on an annual basis to the Sec19 retary such information as the Secretary may require to 

20 certify that the educator is continuing to meet the criteria 

21 to be considered an eligible educator. 

22 ‘‘(c) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF LOAN.—The total 

23 amount of payments received by an eligible early childhood 

24 educator under this section may not exceed the total 

25 amount of the principal and interest of the educational 

26 loans of such educator. 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.—The 

2 following provisions of the National Health Service Corps 

3 Loan Assistance Program established in subpart III of 

4 part D shall apply to the program established under this 

5 section in the same manner and to the same extent as 

6 such provisions apply to the National Health Service 

7 Corps Loan Assistance Program: 

8 ‘‘(1) Paragraphs (1) through (3) of section 

9 338B(c) (relating to application information, under10 standability, and availability). 

11 ‘‘(2) Section 338B(c)(4) (relating to recruit12 ment and retention). 

13 ‘‘(3) Section 338B(d) (relating to factors con14 sidered in providing contracts). 

15 ‘‘(4) Section 338(e) (relating to the approval re16 quired for participation). 

17 ‘‘(5) Section 338B(f) (relating to contents of 

18 contracts). 

19 ‘‘(6) Section 338B(g) (relating to payments, in20 cluding repayment schedule and tax liability). 

21 ‘‘(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 5 years 

22 after the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec23 retary shall submit to Congress a report on the implemen24 tation of this section. 

25 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) The term ‘eligible early childhood educa2 tor’ means an individual that— 

3 ‘‘(A) as of the date on which the agree4 ment referred to in subsection (a)(1) is entered 

5 into— 

6 ‘‘(i) has outstanding Federal direct 

7 loans obtained for purposes of pursuing an 

8 associate’s degree, a 4-year bachelor’s de9 gree, a graduate degree, or a combined 

10 bachelor and master’s degree, in early 

11 childhood education or a related field from 

12 an accredited institution (including any 

13 such loan for which the individual is en14 rolled in an income-based repayment plan); 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(ii) is in good standing with respect 

17 to the loans referred to in clause (i); and 

18 ‘‘(B) agrees to— 

19 ‘‘(i) serve as an early childhood educa20 tor with a qualified employer for a period 

21 of not less than 5 years; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) make timely payments with re23 spect to the loans described in subpara24 graph (A)(i). 


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1 ‘‘(2) The term ‘qualified employer’ means a 

2 childcare provider that receives or is eligible to re3 ceive vouchers or assistance under the Child Care 

4 and Development Block Grant Act of 1990. 

5 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

7 $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2026.’’. 

8 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 180 

10 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec11 retary of Education (referred to in this section as the 

12 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall carry out a program under which the 

13 Secretary makes payments to institutions of higher edu14 cation with a qualified early childhood educator program 

15 to enable such institutions to make grants, on a competi16 tive basis, to eligible individuals who file an application 

17 and agreement in accordance with subsections (b) and (c). 

18 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall periodi20 cally set dates by which eligible individuals shall file 

21 applications for a grant under this section. Each eli22 gible individual desiring a grant under this section 

23 shall file an application containing such information 

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1 essary to enable the Secretary to carry out the func2 tions and responsibilities of this section. 

3 (2) RENEWAL.—A grant awarded under this 

4 section may be renewed for additional one-year peri5 ods if— 

6 (A) the recipient submits a renewal appli7 cation containing such information and assur8 ances as the Secretary may determine nec9 essary; and 

10 (B) the grant is renewed not more than 

11 three times, for a total of not more than four 

12 academic years for each eligible recipient. 

13 (c) SERVICE OBLIGATION.— 

14 (1) AGREEMENTS TO SERVE.—Each application 

15 under subsection (b) shall include, or be accom16 panied by— 

17 (A) an agreement by the applicant that— 

18 (i) in the event that the applicant re19 ceives a grant under this section, the appli20 cant shall— 

21 (I) serve as a full-time or part22 time educator in a licensed early 

23 learning program for a total of not 

24 less than one academic year, and four 

25 additional months for each subsequent 


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1 grant renewal, within two years after 

2 the date on which the period of time 

3 covered by the grant is completed; and 

4 (II) submit a certification of em5 ployment by the employing early 

6 learning program in such form as the 

7 Secretary may determine necessary; 

8 and 

9 (ii) in the event that the applicant is 

10 determined to have failed or refused to 

11 carry out such service obligation, the sum 

12 of the amounts of any grants received by 

13 such applicant under this section will be 

14 treated as a loan and collected from the 

15 applicant in accordance with paragraph (3) 

16 and the regulations thereunder; and 

17 (B) a plain-language disclosure form devel18 oped by the Secretary that clearly describes the 

19 nature of the grant award, the service obliga20 tion, and the loan repayment requirements that 

21 are the consequence of the failure to complete 

22 the service obligation. 

23 (2) TREATMENT OF CONCURRENT SERVICE.— 

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1 gram concurrently while enrolled in a qualified early 

2 childhood educator program may count such service 

3 toward the fulfillment of the service obligation in the 

4 agreement under paragraph (1). 

5 (3) REPAYMENT FOR FAILURE TO COMPLETE

6 SERVICE.—Except as provided in paragraph (4), in 

7 the event that any recipient of a grant under this 

8 section fails or refuses to comply with the service ob9 ligation in the agreement under paragraph (1), the 

10 sum of the amounts of any grants received by such 

11 recipient shall, upon a determination of such a fail12 ure or refusal in such service obligation, be treated 

13 as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan 

14 under part D of title IV except that— 

15 (A) no interest shall accrue on such 

16 amounts; and 

17 (B) such amounts shall be subject to re18 payment in accordance with— 

19 (i) an income-contingent or income20 based repayment plan, if the individual 

21 meets the eligibility requirements for such 

22 a repayment plan; and 

23 (ii) such other terms and conditions 

24 as are specified by the Secretary in regula25 tions promulgated under this section. 


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1 (4) HARDSHIP EXTENSION.—In the case of a 

2 recipient who has made a good faith effort to find 

3 employment in a licensed early learning program 

4 and has been unable to acquire such employment, 

5 the Secretary is authorized to provide a hardship ex6 tension for a period of not more than one year to 

7 grant recipients who fail to complete their service re8 quirement within a 2-year period. 

9 (d) GRANT AMOUNT.—An eligible individual selected 

10 to receive a grant or a grant renewal under this section 

11 shall receive a grant in an amount not to exceed $3,000 

12 for each academic year during which the individual is en13 rolled on a full-time or part-time basis in the qualified 

14 early childhood educator program for which the grant was 

15 awarded. 

16 (e) GRANT DISBURSEMENT.—Payments under this 

17 section shall be made in accordance with regulations pro18 mulgated by the Secretary for such purpose and in such 

19 manner as will best accomplish the purposes of this sec20 tion, provided— 

21 (1) any disbursement made by crediting a grant 

22 recipient’s account shall be limited to tuition and 

23 fees and other materials necessary for the comple24 tion of coursework as determined by the Secretary; 

25 and 


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1 (2) not less than 85 percent of any funds pro2 vided to an eligible institution under subsection (a) 

3 shall be advanced to the eligible institution prior to 

4 the start of each payment period and shall be based 

5 upon an amount requested by the institution as 

6 needed to cover the total cost of grants awarded to 

7 eligible recipients until such time as the Secretary 

8 determines and publishes in the Federal Register 

9 with an opportunity for comment, an alternative 

10 payment system that provides payments to institu11 tions in an accurate and timely manner, except that 

12 this sentence shall not be construed to limit the au13 thority of the Secretary to place an institution on a 

14 reimbursement system of payment. 

15 (f) DIRECT PAYMENT.—Nothing in this section shall 

16 be construed to prohibit the Secretary from making a 

17 grant directly to an eligible individual in a case in which 

18 an institution of higher education with a qualified early 

19 childhood educator program does not participate in the 

20 program under subsection (a). 

21 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘‘eligible 

23 individual’’ means an individual who is enrolled on 

24 a full-time or part-time basis in a qualified early 

25 childhood educator program. 


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1 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

3 meaning given that term in section 102 of the High4 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

5 (3) QUALIFIED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR

6 PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘qualified early childhood ed7 ucator program’’ means a course of study leading to 

8 an associate’s degree or a certificate in early child9 hood education or a related field from an institution 

10 of higher education. 

11 (4) LICENSED EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM.— 

12 The term ‘‘licensed early learning program’’ means 

13 any State-licensed or State-regulated program or 

14 provider, regardless of setting or funding source, 

15 that provides early care and education for children 

16 from birth to kindergarten entry, including, but not 

17 limited to, programs operated by child care centers 

18 and in family child care homes. 

19 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

21 appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 

22 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. 

23 (2) LIMITATION.—Of the amount made avail24 able under paragraph (1) in any fiscal year, not 


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1 more than 3 percent may be used for evaluation, 

2 monitoring, salaries, and administrative expenses. 

3 SEC. 5. CCAMPIS REAUTHORIZATION. 

4 Section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

5 (20 U.S.C. 1070e) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘The amount’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 

11 subparagraph (C), the amount’’; and 

12 (II) by striking ‘‘1 percent’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘2 percent’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by strik15 ing ‘‘subsection (g)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub16 section (h)’’; and 

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

19 ‘‘(C) PERFORMANCE BONUS.— 

20 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

21 subparagraph (A), for any fiscal year for 

22 which the amount appropriated under sub23 section (h) is not less than $140,000,000, 

24 the Secretary may pay a performance 


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1 bonus to an eligible institution of higher 

2 education. 

3 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—A bonus 

4 paid to an eligible institution of higher 

5 education under clause (i) for a fiscal year 

6 shall not exceed an amount equal to 20 

7 percent of the amount of the annual grant 

8 payment received by the institution under 

9 paragraph (3)(B) for the fiscal year pre10 ceding the fiscal year for which the bonus 

11 is paid. 

12 ‘‘(iii) USE OF BONUS.—A bonus re13 ceived by an institution under clause (i) 

14 shall be used by the institution in the same 

15 manner as a grant under this section and 

16 shall be treated as grant funds for pur17 poses of the application of paragraph (5), 

18 except that the Secretary may extend the 

19 grant period as necessary for the institu20 tion to use such bonus. 

21 ‘‘(iv) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION OF

22 HIGHER EDUCATION.—In this subpara23 graph, the term ‘eligible institution of 

24 higher education’ means an institution of 

25 higher education that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) has received a grant under 

2 this section for not less than the pe3 riod of three consecutive fiscal years 

4 preceding the fiscal year in which the 

5 bonus is paid under clause (i); 

6 ‘‘(II) for each such preceding fis7 cal year, has met or exceeded the per8 formance levels established by the in9 stitution for such year under sub10 section (e)(1)(B)(v); and 

11 ‘‘(III) has demonstrated the need 

12 for such bonus.’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

15 ‘‘4 years’’ and inserting ‘‘5 years’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘subsection (e)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub18 section (e)(3)’’; 

19 (2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol20 lows: 

21 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An institution of higher 

23 education desiring a grant under this section shall 

24 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

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1 tion as the Secretary may require. Such application 

2 shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) demonstrate that the institution is an 

4 eligible institution described in subsection 

5 (b)(4); 

6 ‘‘(B) specify the amount of funds re7 quested; 

8 ‘‘(C) demonstrate the need of low-income 

9 students at the institution for campus-based 

10 child care services by including in the applica11 tion— 

12 ‘‘(i) information regarding student de13 mographics, including whether the student 

14 is a full-time or part-time student; 

15 ‘‘(ii) an assessment of child care ca16 pacity on or near campus; 

17 ‘‘(iii) information regarding the wait18 ing lists for child care services on or near 

19 campus; 

20 ‘‘(iv) information regarding additional 

21 needs created by concentrations of poverty 

22 or by geographic isolation; 

23 ‘‘(v) information about the number of 

24 low-income student parents being served 


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1 through campus-based child care services; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(vi) other relevant data; 

4 ‘‘(D) specify the estimated percentage of 

5 the institution’s grant that will be used directly 

6 to subsidize the fee charged for on-campus and 

7 off-campus childcare, respectively, for low-in8 come students; 

9 ‘‘(E) contain a description of the activities 

10 to be assisted, including whether the grant 

11 funds will support an existing child care pro12 gram or a new child care program; 

13 ‘‘(F) identify the resources, including tech14 nical expertise and financial support, that the 

15 institution will draw upon to support the child 

16 care program and the participation of low-in17 come students in the program (such as access18 ing social services funding, using student activ19 ity fees to help pay the costs of child care, 

20 using resources obtained by meeting the needs 

21 of parents who are not low-income students, 

22 and accessing foundation, corporate, or other 

23 institutional support) and demonstrate that the 

24 use of the resources will not result in increases 

25 in student tuition; 


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1 ‘‘(G) contain an assurance that the institu2 tion will meet the child care needs of low-in3 come students through the provision of services, 

4 or through a contract for the provision of serv5 ices; 

6 ‘‘(H) describe the extent to which the child 

7 care program will coordinate with the institu8 tion’s early childhood education curriculum, to 

9 the extent the curriculum is available, to meet 

10 the needs of the students in the early childhood 

11 education program at the institution, and the 

12 needs of the parents and children participating 

13 in the child care program assisted under this 

14 section; 

15 ‘‘(I) in the case of an institution seeking 

16 assistance for a new child care program— 

17 ‘‘(i) provide a timeline, covering the 

18 period from receipt of the grant through 

19 the provision of the child care services, de20 lineating the specific steps the institution 

21 will take to achieve the goal of providing 

22 low-income students with child care serv23 ices; 

24 ‘‘(ii) specify any measures the institu25 tion will take to assist low-income students 


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1 with child care during the period before 

2 the institution provides child care services; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(iii) include a plan for identifying re5 sources needed for the child care services, 

6 including space in which to provide child 

7 care services, and technical assistance if 

8 necessary; 

9 ‘‘(J) contain an assurance that any child 

10 care facility assisted under this section will 

11 meet the applicable State and local government 

12 licensing, certification, approval, or registration 

13 requirements; 

14 ‘‘(K) in the case of an institution that is 

15 awarded a grant under this section after the 

16 date of the enactment of the College Afford17 ability Act, provide an assurance that, not later 

18 than three years after the date on which such 

19 grant is awarded, any child care facility assisted 

20 with such grant will— 

21 ‘‘(i) meet Head Start performance 

22 standards under subchapter B of chapter 

23 13 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations 

24 (as in effect on the date of enactment of 


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1 the College Affordability Act) and any suc2 cessor regulations; 

3 ‘‘(ii) be in the top tier of the quality 

4 rating improvement system for such facili5 ties used by the State in which the facility 

6 is located; 

7 ‘‘(iii) meet the licensing requirements 

8 of the State in which the facility is located 

9 and the quality requirements under the 

10 Child Care and Development Block Grant 

11 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); or 

12 ‘‘(iv) be accredited by a national early 

13 childhood accrediting body with dem14 onstrated valid and reliable program qual15 ity standards; 

16 ‘‘(L) contain an assurance that the institu17 tion, when applicable, will make information 

18 available to students receiving child care serv19 ices provided under this section about the eligi20 bility of such students and their dependents for 

21 assistance under the supplemental nutrition as22 sistance program under the Food and Nutrition 

23 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the special 

24 supplemental nutrition program for women, in25 fants, and children under the Child Nutrition 


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1 Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), and the pro2 gram of block grants for States for temporary 

3 assistance for needy families established under 

4 part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); and 

6 ‘‘(M) contain an abstract summarizing the 

7 contents of such application and how the insti8 tution intends to achieve the purpose under 

9 subsection (a). 

10 ‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

11 may provide technical assistance to eligible institu12 tions to help such institutions qualify, apply for, and 

13 maintain a grant under this section.’’; 

14 (3) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

16 by striking ‘‘to institutions of higher education 

17 that submit applications describing programs 

18 that’’; 

19 (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

20 follows: 

21 ‘‘(1) based on the extent to which institutions 

22 of higher education that submit applications for such 

23 a grant leverage local or institutional resources, in24 cluding in-kind contributions, to support the activi25 ties assisted under this section;’’; 


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1 (C) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

2 paragraph (3); 

3 (D) by inserting after paragraph (1), the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(2) to institutions of higher education that, 

6 compared to other institutions of higher education 

7 that submit applications for such a grant, dem8 onstrate a high likelihood of need for campus-based 

9 child care based on student demographics (such as 

10 a high proportion of low-income students or inde11 pendent students); and’’; and 

12 (E) in paragraph (3) (as redesignated by 

13 subparagraph (C)), by inserting ‘‘to institutions 

14 of higher education that submit applications de15 scribing programs that’’ before ‘‘utilize’’; and 

16 (4) in subsection (e)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)— 

18 (i) by redesignating clauses (ii), (iii), 

19 and (iv) as clauses (vi), (vii), and (viii), re20 spectively; and 

21 (ii) by striking the semicolon at the 

22 end of clause (i) and inserting the fol23 lowing: ‘‘, which shall include— 

24 ‘‘(I) the number of full- and part25 time students, respectively, receiving 


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1 child care services under this section 

2 at least once per week during the aca3 demic year; 

4 ‘‘(II) the number of credits accu5 mulated by students receiving such 

6 child care services; and 

7 ‘‘(III) the number of students re8 ceiving child care services under this 

9 section at least once per week during 

10 the academic year who— 

11 ‘‘(aa) remain enrolled at the 

12 institution during the academic 

13 year for which they received such 

14 services; 

15 ‘‘(bb) enroll at the institu16 tion for the following academic 

17 year; and 

18 ‘‘(cc) graduate or transfer 

19 within— 

20 ‘‘(AA) 150 percent of 

21 the normal time for comple22 tion of a student’s four-year 

23 degree granting program; or 

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1 tion of a student’s two-year 

2 degree-granting program; 

3 ‘‘(ii) with respect to the total student 

4 enrollment at the institution and the total 

5 enrollment of low-income students at the 

6 institution, respectively— 

7 ‘‘(I) the rate at which students 

8 who complete an academic year at the 

9 institution re-enroll in the institution 

10 for the following academic year; and 

11 ‘‘(II) the percentage of students 

12 graduating or transferring within— 

13 ‘‘(aa) 150 percent of the 

14 normal time for completion of a 

15 student’s four-year degree grant16 ing program; or 

17 ‘‘(bb) 200 percent of the 

18 normal time for completion of a 

19 student’s two-year degree grant20 ing program; 

21 ‘‘(iii) the percentage of the institu22 tion’s grant that was used directly to sub23 sidize the fee charged for on-campus and 

24 off-campus childcare, respectively, for low25 income students; 


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1 ‘‘(iv) whether the institution restricts 

2 eligibility for child care services to only 

3 full-time students; 

4 ‘‘(v) the sufficiently ambitious levels 

5 of performance established for such year 

6 by the institution that demonstrate mean7 ingful progress and allow for meaningful 

8 evaluation of program quality based on the 

9 information in clauses (i)(III) and (iii);’’; 

10 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

11 paragraph (3); 

12 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

13 following: 

14 ‘‘(2) REPORT.— 

15 ‘‘(A) REPORT REQUIRED.—On an annual 

16 basis, the Secretary shall submit to the author17 izing committees a report that includes— 

18 ‘‘(i) a summary of the information de19 scribed in paragraph (1); and 

20 ‘‘(ii) each abstract submitted under 

21 subsection (c)(1)(M) by an institution of 

22 higher education that receives a grant 

23 under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec2 retary shall make each report submitted under 

3 subparagraph (A) publicly available.’’; 

4 (D) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, 

5 by inserting ‘‘(other than the information pro6 vided under subparagraph (B)(v) of such para7 graph)’’ after ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 

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

9 ‘‘(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 

10 shall provide technical assistance to institutions of 

11 higher education receiving grants under this section 

12 to help such institutions meet the reporting require13 ments under this subsection.’’; 

14 (5) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub15 section (h); 

16 (6) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(g) NONDISCRIMINATION.—No person in the United 

19 States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, 

20 religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, 

21 gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition 

22 related to pregnancy or childbirth, and sex stereotype), or 

23 disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the 

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1 able under this section or with amounts appropriated for 

2 grants, contracts, or certificates administered with such 

3 funds.’’; and 

4 (7) in subsection (h), as so redesignated, by 

5 striking ‘‘such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 

6 year 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘$200,000,000 for fiscal 

7 year 2021’’. 

8 SEC. 6. STUDY OF IMPACT OF TAX CREDIT FOR EMPLOYER9 PROVIDED CHILD CARE. 

10 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

11 of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of 

12 the United States, in consultation with the Secretary of 

13 the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor, shall— 

14 (1) complete a study that examines the tax 

15 credit for employer-provided child care authorized 

16 under section 45F of the Internal Revenue Code of 

17 1986 by considering such metrics as— 

18 (A) the characteristics of employers that 

19 take the credit, including the size of such em20 ployer, whether such employer is in a rural or 

21 urban location, and whether such employer also 

22 offers a dependent care assistance program de23 scribed in section 129 of such code; 

24 (B) the characteristics of employers that 

25 do not take the credit; 


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1 (C) the extent to which employees benefit 

2 when employers provide child care and take the 

3 credit; 

4 (D) any challenges identified by employers 

5 that do not take the credit; and 

6 (E) any explanations from employers as to 

7 why they do or do not take the credit; and 

8 (2) prepare and submit a report to the Com9 mittee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee 

10 on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives 

11 setting forth the conclusions of the study conducted 

12 under paragraph (1) in such a manner that the rec13 ommendations included in the report can inform fu14 ture legislative action. Such report shall also be 

15 made publicly available via the website of the Gov16 ernment Accountability Office. 

17 (b) PROHIBITION.—In carrying out the requirements 

18 of this section, the Comptroller General of the United 

19 States may request qualitative and quantitative informa20 tion from employers claiming the credit under section 45F 

21 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, but nothing in this 

22 section shall be construed as mandating additional report23 ing requirements for such employers beyond what is al24 ready required by law. 


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1 SEC. 7. EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE 

2 UNDER CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS INITIA3 TIVE. 

4 In providing assistance for fiscal year 2020 and any 

5 fiscal year thereafter under the Choice Neighborhoods Ini6 tiative of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop7 ment (pursuant to section 24 of the United States Hous8 ing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v)), the Secretary shall 

9 consider early care and learning facilities for children as 

10 a neighborhood asset for purposes of evaluating applica11 tions for planning and implementation grants, shall ensure 

12 that any metric for evaluating such applications gives 

13 credit for the provision of early care and learning facilities 

14 under a neighborhood plan, and shall include early care 

15 and learning facilities as such an asset in any Notice of 

16 Funding Availability for any such fiscal year. 

Æ 


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