I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3357 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to States to improve 

the knowledge, credentials, compensation, and professional development 

of early childhood educators working with children in early childhood 

education programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 28, 2013 

Ms. MENG (for herself and Mr. POLIS) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants 

to States to improve the knowledge, credentials, compensation, and professional development of early childhood educators working with children in early childhood 

education programs. 

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 ‘‘Early Childhood Edu5 cation Professional Improvement Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to provide assistance to 

3 States to improve the knowledge, credentials, compensa4 tion, and professional development of early childhood edu5 cators working with children in early childhood education 

6 programs. 

7 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) The term ‘‘early childhood education pro10 gram’’ means a Head Start Program carried out 

11 under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), 

12 a State-funded prekindergarten program, a licensed 

13 child care serving prekindergarten children, and spe14 cial education preschool. 

15 (2) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

16 has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of 

17 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

18 1001(a)). 

19 SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

20 The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the 

21 Secretary of Health and Human Services, is authorized 

22 to award grants to States to implement and administer 

23 the activities described in section 6. 

24 SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS. 

25 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each State desiring a grant under 

26 this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary of 


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1 Education at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 

2 by such information as the Secretary may reasonably re3 quire. 

4 (b) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted under 

5 subsection (a) shall include a description of the State’s 

6 comprehensive early childhood professional development 

7 system, including the following: 

8 (1) A description of how the State’s system was 

9 developed in collaboration with the State Advisory 

10 Council on Early Childhood Education and Care 

11 designated or established under section 642B of the 

12 Head Start Act, the State agency responsible for ad13 ministering childcare, the State Head Start collabo14 ration director, the State educational agency, insti15 tutions of higher education, organizations that rep16 resent early childhood educators, and credible early 

17 childhood education professional organizations. 

18 (2) A designation of a State agency to admin19 ister the grant program. 

20 (3) A description of how the State’s system pro21 vides— 

22 (A) an oversight structure for the system; 

23 (B) professional standards and com24 petencies; 

25 (C) a career lattice; 


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1 (D) coordination with State higher edu2 cation agencies, higher education accrediting 

3 bodies, and accredited two- and four-year insti4 tutions of higher education; 

5 (E) encouragement of articulation agree6 ments between two- and four-year institutions 

7 of higher education and credit-bearing opportu8 nities and articulation agreements that recog9 nize prior learning and expertise; 

10 (F) more accessible higher education for 

11 working learners through offering of college 

12 courses at accessible time and locations, with 

13 particular attention to rural areas; 

14 (G) support to adult learners who are dual 

15 language learners, or come from low-income or 

16 minority communities; 

17 (H) use of workforce data to assess the 

18 State’s workforce needs; and 

19 (I) its financing over time. 

20 SEC. 6. STATE USE OF FUNDS. 

21 A State that receives a grant under this Act shall 

22 ensure that grant funds are used to carry out the fol23 lowing: 

24 (1) To provide scholarships to cover the costs of 

25 tuition, fees, materials, transportation, paid subVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:10 Oct 29, 2013 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3357.IH H3357

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1 stitutes, and release time for preschool teachers em2 ployed in an early childhood education program to 

3 pursue a bachelor’s degree in early childhood edu4 cation or a closely related field. 

5 (2) To support preschool teachers employed in 

6 an early childhood education program, and who have 

7 obtained a bachelor’s degree in a field other than 

8 early childhood education or a closely related field, 

9 to attain a credential, licensure, or endorsement that 

10 demonstrates competence in early childhood edu11 cation. 

12 (3) To increase compensation for teachers who 

13 are enrolled and making progress toward a degree in 

14 early childhood education and to provide parity of 

15 compensation upon completion of such degree and 

16 retention in the early childhood education program. 

17 (4) To provide ongoing professional develop18 ment opportunities to preschool teachers and teacher 

19 assistants employed in an early childhood education 

20 program that address— 

21 (A) all areas of child development and 

22 learning (cognitive, social, emotional, and phys23 ical); 

24 (B) teacher-child interaction; 

25 (C) family engagement; and 


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1 (D) cultural competence for working with 

2 a diversity of children (including children with 

3 special needs and dual language learners) and 

4 families. 

5 SEC. 7. SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT. 

6 Grant funds provided under this Act shall supple7 ment, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local 

8 funds that are available for early childhood educator prep9 aration and professional development. 

10 SEC. 8. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT. 

11 A State that receives funds under this Act for a fiscal 

12 year shall maintain the fiscal effort provided by the State 

13 for the activities supported by the funds under this Act 

14 at a level equal to or greater than the level of such fiscal 

15 effort for the preceding fiscal year. 

16 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

18 this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 

19 2014 through 2019. 

Æ 


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