II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 470 

To establish an Early Learning Challenge Fund to support States in building 

and strengthening systems of high-quality early learning and development 

programs and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2011 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. COONS, and Mr. 

FRANKEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish an Early Learning Challenge Fund to support 

States in building and strengthening systems of highquality early learning and development programs 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 ‘‘Supporting State Sys5 tems of Early Learning Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to support States in build3 ing and strengthening systems of high-quality early learn4 ing and development programs. 

5 SEC. 3. PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED. 

6 (a) QUALITY PATHWAYS GRANTS.—The Secretary 

7 shall use funds made available to carry out this Act for 

8 a fiscal year to award grants, on a competitive basis, to 

9 States that have demonstrated the greatest progress in es10 tablishing and committing to maintain a system of high11 quality State early learning programs, consistent with sec12 tion 4. 

13 (b) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.—The Secretary may 

14 use funds made available to carry out this Act for a fiscal 

15 year to award grants, on a competitive basis, in accord16 ance with section 5 to States that demonstrate a commit17 ment to establishing and committing to maintain a high18 quality system of early learning that will include the com19 ponents described in section 4(c)(4) but are not— 

20 (1) eligible to be awarded a grant under sub21 section (a); or 

22 (2) awarded such a grant after application. 

23 (c) RESERVATIONS OF FEDERAL FUNDS.— 

24 (1) RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND ADMINISTRA25 TION.—From the amount made available to carry 

26 out this Act for a fiscal year, the Secretary— 


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1 (A) shall reserve not more than 2 percent 

2 to administer this Act jointly with the Secretary 

3 of Health and Human Services for expenses of 

4 both agencies pursuant to the interagency 

5 agreement described in subsection (h); and 

6 (B) shall reserve not more than 5 percent 

7 to carry out activities under section 6. 

8 (2) TRIBAL SCHOOL READINESS PLANNING

9 DEMONSTRATION.—After making the reservations 

10 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reserve 2 

11 percent for a competitive grant demonstration pro12 gram for Indian tribes to develop and implement 

13 school readiness plans and programs that— 

14 (A) increase access to high-quality State 

15 early learning programs that improve health, 

16 social, emotional, cognitive, and physical out 

17 comes and school readiness; and 

18 (B) support Native culture in a tribally ad19 ministered early learning program, including 

20 American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start 

21 and Early Head Start programs. 

22 (d) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In applying for a grant 

23 under this Act, a Governor shall designate or establish a 

24 State-level entity (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘State’’) 

25 for administration of the grant. Such entity— 


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1 (1) shall coordinate proposed activities with the 

2 State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Edu3 cation and Care (established pursuant to section 

4 642B(b)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 

5 9837b(b)(1)(A))) and shall incorporate plans and 

6 recommendations from such Council in the applica7 tion, where applicable; and 

8 (2) shall submit the application to the Secretary 

9 at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

10 information as the Secretary may reasonably re11 quire. 

12 (e) PRIORITY IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In awarding 

13 grants under this Act, the Secretary shall give priority to 

14 States— 

15 (1) whose applications contain assurances that 

16 the State will use, in part, funds reserved under sec17 tion 658G of the Child Care and Development Block 

18 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858e) for activities 

19 described in section 4(c)(4); and 

20 (2) that demonstrate efforts to build public-pri21 vate partnerships designed to accomplish the pur22 pose of this Act. 

23 (f) PROHIBITIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds avail24 able under this Act may not be used for any of the fol25 lowing: 


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1 (1) Assessments that provide rewards or sanc2 tions for individual children or teachers. 

3 (2) A single assessment used as the primary or 

4 sole method for assessing program effectiveness. 

5 (3) Evaluating children other than for— 

6 (A) improving instruction or classroom en7 vironment; 

8 (B) targeting professional development; 

9 (C) determining the need for health, men10 tal health, disability, or family support services; 

11 (D) informing the quality improvement 

12 process at the State level; 

13 (E) program evaluation for the purposes of 

14 program improvement and parent information; 

15 or 

16 (F) research conducted as part of the na17 tional evaluation described under section 5. 

18 (g) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—With respect to 

19 each period for which a State is awarded a grant under 

20 this Act, the expenditures by the State on State early 

21 learning programs shall not be less than the greater of 

22 the level of the expenditures for such programs in the 

23 prior fiscal year or as of the date of enactment of this 

24 Act. 

25 (h) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Sec2 retary of Health and Human Services shall jointly 

3 develop policy for, and administer, this Act in ac4 cordance with such terms as the Secretaries shall set 

5 forth in an interagency agreement that shall include, 

6 at a minimum, joint appointment of peer review 

7 panels, joint development of guidance or regulations, 

8 shared development of applications, shared moni9 toring of the grant programs, shared provision of 

10 technical assistance, and shared development and 

11 implementation of indicators, benchmarks, and re12 search and development plans and activities. 

13 (2) OBLIGATION AND DISBURSEMENT OF

14 FUNDS BY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.—The Sec15 retary of Education shall be responsible for obli16 gating and disbursing funds and ensuring compli17 ance with applicable laws and administrative require18 ments, in accordance with the General Education 

19 Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.) and parts 

20 74 through 80 of title 34, Code of Federal Regula21 tions. 

22 SEC. 4. QUALITY PATHWAYS GRANTS. 

23 (a) GRANT PERIOD.—Grants under section 3(a)— 

24 (1) may be awarded for a period of 3 years; and 


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1 (2) may be extended, for a 2-year period, sub2 ject to approval by the Secretary, and based on the 

3 State’s progress in— 

4 (A) increasing the number and percentage 

5 of children from low-income families in each age 

6 group of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, en7 rolled in high-quality State early learning pro8 grams; 

9 (B) meeting the components described in 

10 subsection (c)(4); 

11 (C) increasing the number of high-quality 

12 State early learning programs in low-income 

13 communities; and 

14 (D) incorporating the program quality 

15 findings and recommendations, as appropriate. 

16 (b) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Subject to section 9, 

17 to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a) or 

18 (b) of section 3, a State shall contribute to the activities 

19 assisted under the grant, non-Federal matching funds in 

20 an amount equal to not less than 15 percent of the amount 

21 of the grant. 

22 (c) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In order to receive a 

23 grant under section 3(a), a State’s application under sec24 tion 3(d) shall include a plan that includes the following: 


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1 (1) A description of how the State will use 

2 funds prioritized for those programs serving high 

3 proportions of low-income children in accordance 

4 with subsection (e) to improve health, social, emo5 tional, cognitive, physical development, and school 

6 readiness for young children by implementing quality 

7 initiatives to improve State early learning programs 

8 serving disadvantaged children from birth to entry 

9 into kindergarten to lead to a greater percentage of 

10 children from low-income families participating in 

11 high-quality State early learning programs. 

12 (2) A description of the benchmarks, consistent 

13 with section 7, the State will establish to dem14 onstrate that a greater percentage of children from 

15 low-income families are participating in high-quality 

16 State early learning programs. 

17 (3) A description of how the State will integrate 

18 existing State early learning programs and services 

19 into a comprehensive system for early learning and 

20 development. 

21 (4) A description of how the State will imple22 ment a system of high-quality State early learning 

23 programs and services that includes the following 

24 components: 

25 (A) A governance structure. 


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1 (B) State early learning standards. 

2 (C) A process to ensure that State early 

3 learning standards are integrated into the in4 structional and programmatic practices of State 

5 early learning programs and services. 

6 (D) A tiered program rating and improve7 ment system that fully integrates early learning 

8 standards, applicable State licensing require9 ments, program quality standards, and other 

10 applicable State regulatory standards, which, at 

11 a minimum, shall include standards regarding 

12 preservice and ongoing training for staff in 

13 early childhood development, health, and safety, 

14 and other program standards as required by the 

15 State, and that— 

16 (i) is designed to improve quality and 

17 effectiveness across different types of early 

18 learning settings; 

19 (ii) has progressively higher levels of 

20 program quality leading to quality levels 

21 consistent with or higher than nationally 

22 recognized, high-quality program quality 

23 standards that are valid and reliable for 

24 State early learning programs, such as the 

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1 scribed in section 641A of the Head Start 

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a); 

3 (iii) determines the extent to which in4 dividual programs across different types of 

5 settings integrate the State’s early learning 

6 standards for the purpose of improving in7 structional and programmatic practices; 

8 (iv) addresses quality for and effective 

9 inclusion of children with disabilities or de10 velopmental delays across all early learning 

11 settings; 

12 (v) addresses staff qualifications, 

13 training, and professional development and 

14 education linked to improved compensa15 tion; 

16 (vi) addresses the quality of early 

17 learning facilities; 

18 (vii) builds the capacity of State early 

19 learning programs and communities to pro20 mote parents’ and families’ understanding 

21 of the State’s early learning system and 

22 the rating of the programs in which their 

23 child is enrolled; 


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1 (viii) provides financial incentives and 

2 other supports designed to achieve and 

3 sustain higher levels of quality; and 

4 (ix) includes mechanisms for evalu5 ating how programs are meeting the 

6 State’s program quality standards and pro7 gressively higher levels of quality. 

8 (E) A system of program review and moni9 toring that is designed— 

10 (i) to rate providers using the system 

11 described in subparagraph (D) in a way 

12 that is accessible and useful to parents; 

13 (ii) to assess and improve pro14 grammatic practices and instructional 

15 practices; and 

16 (iii) to provide high-quality environ17 ments that can engage children with mate18 rials, curricula, and experiences appro19 priate to the developmental level of the 

20 child. 

21 (F) A process to support and increase the 

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1 tice, professional development of staff, and serv2 ices that— 

3 (i) include developmentally appro4 priate, culturally and linguistically appro5 priate, ongoing, classroom-based instruc6 tional assessments for each domain of child 

7 development and learning; and 

8 (ii) are aligned with the curriculum 

9 used in the State early learning program 

10 and with the State early learning stand11 ards or the Head Start Child Outcomes 

12 Framework (as described in the Head 

13 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.)), as ap14 plicable. 

15 (G) A plan for providing comprehensive 

16 preservice preparation and professional develop17 ment to create, educate, and support a knowl18 edgeable, highly skilled, and well-compensated 

19 workforce, across all types of early childhood 

20 settings serving all children from birth to kin21 dergarten entry. 

22 (H) Outreach strategies that incorporate 

23 multiple strategies for parent, expectant parent, 

24 and family involvement and education. 


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1 (I) A plan to promote understanding by 

2 parents and families of— 

3 (i) the State’s program rating system, 

4 as described in subparagraph (D); and 

5 (ii) the rating of the program in which 

6 their child is enrolled. 

7 (J) A coordinated system to facilitate 

8 prompt screening, referral, and provision of 

9 services related to health, mental health, dis10 ability, and family support for children partici11 pating in State early learning programs. 

12 (K) A process for evaluating school readi13 ness in children that reflects all of the major 

14 domains of development, and that— 

15 (i) is used to guide practice and im16 prove State early learning programs; and 

17 (ii) includes multiple measures of 

18 school readiness at kindergarten entry, and 

19 which shall reflect a sample across the 

20 State. 

21 (L) A comprehensive plan that promotes 

22 nutrition and wellness in early learning settings, 

23 and which— 


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1 (i) includes program standards for the 

2 healthful development of infants, toddlers, 

3 and young children; 

4 (ii) encourages the provision of foods 

5 and beverages in accordance with the 

6 guidelines of the Richard B. Russell Na7 tional School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 

8 et seq.), and which incorporates age appro9 priate recommendations to reduce the con10 sumption and excess of sugar, saturated 

11 fat, and sodium; and 

12 (iii) reflects physical activity rec13 ommendations which are appropriate for 

14 young children from birth through kinder15 garten entry. 

16 (M) A plan to implement or enhance the 

17 State’s data system for early learning pro18 grams, including— 

19 (i) alignment and interoperability be20 tween the data system for early learning 

21 programs for children and data systems for 

22 elementary and secondary education so 

23 that progress on key data elements can be 

24 tracked over time with minimal duplica25 tion; and 


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1 (ii) uniform data collection from all 

2 providers that receive public funding about 

3 the quality of early learning programs, es4 sential information about the children and 

5 families that participate in such programs, 

6 and the qualifications and compensation of 

7 the early learning workforce in such pro8 grams. 

9 (N) A plan to ensure effective transitions 

10 between State early learning programs and the 

11 kindergarten through grade 3 public school sys12 tem in the State. 

13 (O) A plan for how the State will deter14 mine which State early learning programs re15 ceived significant direct funding under this Act, 

16 and are not making sufficient quality improve17 ment, including a description of the technical 

18 assistance the State will provide to such pro19 grams and how the State shall determine when 

20 to shift unspent funds under this Act to other 

21 State early learning programs in the same geo22 graphic region serving similar populations, to 

23 the extent practicable. 

24 (5) A description of how the State will ensure 

25 that programs receiving funds under this Act are 


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1 participating in the State tiered program rating sys2 tem described in paragraph (4)(D). 

3 (6) A description of how the funds provided 

4 under the grant will be targeted to enhance the qual5 ity of early learning programs in order to increase 

6 the number and percentage of children from low-in7 come families in high-quality State early learning 

8 programs, including children— 

9 (A) in each age group (infants, toddlers, 

10 and preschoolers); 

11 (B) living in rural and urban areas; 

12 (C) who are among the most disadvan13 taged children; and 

14 (D) who need access to full-day, full-year 

15 State early learning programs. 

16 (7) A description of the steps the State will 

17 take to ensure that all center-based child care pro18 grams, family child care programs, State-funded 

19 prekindergarten, Head Start programs under the 

20 Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and other 

21 State early learning programs are included in the 

22 State system described in paragraph (4). 

23 (8) A description of disparities by age group 

24 (infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) and race and 

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1 ing programs in low-income communities and the 

2 steps the State will take to decrease such disparities, 

3 if applicable. 

4 (9) A description of how the State facilitates 

5 access to high-quality State early learning programs 

6 for each of the populations described in subpara7 graphs (A) through (E) of section 10(2), such as 

8 through subsidies for children in State early learning 

9 programs. 

10 (10) A description of how the State will align 

11 early learning standards with— 

12 (A) appropriate State academic content 

13 standards for kindergarten through grade 3; 

14 and 

15 (B) elements of program quality standards. 

16 (11) A description of how the State will im17 prove interagency collaboration and coordinate the 

18 early childhood programs and services throughout 

19 the State. 

20 (12) A description of the time frame the State 

21 proposes to develop and implement the elements de22 scribed in such State’s application. 

23 (13) A description of how the State will imple24 ment a process for improving the quality of early 

25 learning services to better meet the needs of the 


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1 most disadvantaged children, including children who 

2 are limited English proficient and children with dis3 abilities. 

4 (14) An assurance that the grant will be used 

5 to improve the quality of State early learning pro6 grams across a range of types of settings and pro7 viders of such programs, and all ages of children 

8 (from birth to kindergarten entry). 

9 (15) An assurance that the Governor has des10 ignated or created a State Advisory Council on 

11 Early Childhood Education and Care (established 

12 pursuant to section 642B(b)(1)(A) of the Head 

13 Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A))), has taken 

14 steps to ensure that membership includes all rep15 resentatives described in section 642B(b)(1)(C) of 

16 such Act, and has consulted with such State Advi17 sory Council on Early Childhood Education and 

18 Care in applying for a grant under this Act. 

19 (16) An assurance that the grant will be used 

20 only to supplement, and not to supplant, Federal, 

21 State, and local funds otherwise available to support 

22 existing State early learning programs and services. 

23 (17) An assurance that the State will continue 

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1 viduals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

2 1419, 1431 et seq.) for the duration of the grant. 

3 (d) CRITERIA USED IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In 

4 awarding grants under section 3(a), the Secretary shall 

5 award grants under such section, on a competitive basis, 

6 to those States that have demonstrated the greatest 

7 progress in establishing and committing to maintain a sys8 tem of high-quality State early learning programs, on a 

9 competitive basis, based on the State’s commitment to 

10 meeting and developing, as necessary, the components de11 scribed in subsection (c)(4). 

12 (e) STATE USES OF FUNDS.—A State receiving a 

13 grant under section 3(a) shall use the grant funds for ac14 tivities that implement or improve the system components 

15 described in subsection (c)(4) and help State early learn16 ing programs meet and sustain higher levels of program 

17 quality standards and move more low-income children into 

18 higher quality programs, consistent with the plan sub19 mitted in accordance with subsection (c). 

20 (f) FUNDS TO EXPAND ACCESS.—A State may apply 

21 to the Secretary to reserve not more than 25 percent of 

22 the amount of the grant to expand access for children 

23 from low-income families, proportional to the disparities 

24 by age group identified in subsection (c)(8), to the highest 


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1 quality State early learning programs that offer full-day, 

2 full-year services. 

3 SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 

4 (a) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In order to receive a 

5 grant under section 3(b), a State shall submit an applica6 tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 

7 containing such information as the Secretary shall require, 

8 including a description of how the State will develop a plan 

9 consistent with section 4(c). 

10 (b) GRANT PERIOD.—The Secretary shall award 

11 grants under section 3(b) for a period not to exceed 3 

12 years, and such grants may not be renewed. 

13 (c) STATE USES OF FUNDS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State receiving a grant 

15 under section 3(b) shall use the grant funds to un16 dertake activities to develop the components of early 

17 learning services described in section 4(c)(4) that 

18 will allow the State to become eligible and competi19 tive for a grant described in section 3(a). 

20 (2) PRIORITY.—In improving the quality of 

21 State early learning programs in the State, the State 

22 shall prioritize the quality of State early learning 

23 programs serving children from low-income families. 


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1 SEC. 6. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION. 

2 From funds reserved under section 3(c)(1)(B), the 

3 Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv4 ices, acting jointly and in accordance with section 11, shall 

5 carry out activities to ensure the success of grants to 

6 States under this Act. 

7 SEC. 7. BENCHMARKS; INDICATORS; REPORTING. 

8 (a) INDICATORS.—The Secretary shall define, by reg9 ulation, indicators to be used to measure success on the 

10 activities carried out under a grant under this Act, the 

11 primary indicator of which shall be increasing the number 

12 and percentage of low-income children in high-quality, 

13 State early learning programs. 

14 (b) BENCHMARKS.—Each State receiving a grant 

15 under this Act shall— 

16 (1) develop quantifiable benchmarks for the 

17 State and the activities supported under the grant 

18 based on the indicators described in subsection (a) 

19 that are applicable to the State; 

20 (2) submit the benchmarks for approval to the 

21 Secretary; and 

22 (3) report to the Secretary on progress in meet23 ing such benchmarks as required by the Secretary. 

24 (c) DISAGGREGATION.—The indicators and bench25 marks described in this section shall be disaggregated. 


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1 SEC. 8. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 

2 The Secretary shall reserve not more than 

3 $5,000,000 from amounts appropriated under this Act to 

4 directly, or through grant or contract, provide technical 

5 assistance to eligible entities to prepare the entities to 

6 qualify, apply for, and maintain grants under section 4 

7 or 5. 

8 SEC. 9. FINANCIAL HARDSHIP WAIVER. 

9 The Secretary may waive or reduce a requirement 

10 under this Act regarding the non-Federal share of a State 

11 or maintenance of effort of a State if the State dem12 onstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to finan13 cial hardship. 

14 SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ refers to an in17 dividual from birth through the day the individual 

18 enters kindergarten. 

19 (2) DISADVANTAGED.—The term ‘‘disadvan20 taged’’, when used with respect to a child, means— 

21 (A) a child from a low-income family; 

22 (B) a homeless child; 

23 (C) a child in the custody of a child wel24 fare agency; 

25 (D) a child with a developmental delay or 

26 disability; or 


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1 (E) a child who is limited English pro2 ficient. 

3 (3) EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS.—The term 

4 ‘‘early learning standards’’ means a set of expecta5 tions for the learning and development of children 

6 from birth through entry into kindergarten that— 

7 (A) emphasize significant developmentally 

8 appropriate content and outcomes that describe 

9 what children should know and be able to do 

10 across all domains, including language, literacy, 

11 mathematics, science, social development, emo12 tional development, health and physical well13 being, and approaches to learning; 

14 (B) are based on research about the proc15 esses, sequences, and long-term influence of 

16 early learning and development; 

17 (C) identify approaches to learning that 

18 are developmentally appropriate (including cul19 turally and linguistically appropriate) and sup20 portive of positive outcomes for all children; 

21 (D) are aligned with the appropriate State 

22 academic content standards for kindergarten 

23 through grade 3; 


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1 (E) inform providers, programs, teachers, 

2 schools, parents, and the community on what 

3 young children are expected to learn; and 

4 (F) guide providers, programs, teachers, 

5 and schools in supporting children to help chil6 dren meet high expectations. 

7 (4) HOMELESS CHILDREN.—The term ‘‘home8 less children’’ has the meaning given the term 

9 ‘‘homeless children and youths’’ in section 725(2) of 

10 the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 11434a(2)). 

12 (5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

13 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

14 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

15 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

16 (6) LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT.—The term 

17 ‘‘limited English proficient’’ has the meaning given 

18 the term in section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 

19 U.S.C. 9832). 

20 (7) LOW-INCOME.—The term ‘‘low-income’’, 

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

22 whose family income is described in section 

23 658P(4)(B) of the Child Care and Development 

24 Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(4)(B)). 


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1 (8) PROGRAM QUALITY STANDARDS.—The term 

2 ‘‘program quality standards’’ means the characteris3 tics of State early learning programs, across a range 

4 of settings, that have an impact on children’s devel5 opment and learning. Such characteristics include— 

6 (A) the ratio of early learning providers to 

7 children; 

8 (B) staff qualifications; 

9 (C) the quality and effectiveness of inter10 actions between early learning providers and 

11 children and the children’s families in the pro12 gram; 

13 (D) the program philosophy and cur14 riculum; 

15 (E) the quality and quantity of equipment 

16 and materials; 

17 (F) the quality of the physical environ18 ment; and 

19 (G) safety and health provisions and other 

20 applicable Federal or State requirements with 

21 respect to State early learning programs. 

22 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Education. 

24 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean25 ing given the term in section 9101 of the ElemenVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:05 Mar 04, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S470.IS S470

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1 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

2 U.S.C. 7801). 

3 (11) STATE EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM.—The 

4 term ‘‘State early learning program’’ has the mean5 ing given the term ‘‘early childhood education pro6 gram’’ in section 103 of the Higher Education Act 

7 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003). 

8 SEC. 11. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION; BENCHMARKS AND 

9 CONSULTATION. 

10 (a) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall transfer 

12 amounts reserved for research and evaluation under 

13 section 3(c)(1)(B) to the Institute of Education 

14 Sciences, to be used— 

15 (A) for the evaluation of grants or other 

16 assistance funded under such section; 

17 (B) to support research on policies and 

18 practices related to such grants; and 

19 (C) to disseminate the results of such re20 search and evaluation. 

21 (2) COLLABORATION.—The evaluation and re22 search described in paragraph (1) shall be carried 

23 out in collaboration with— 

24 (A) the appropriate evaluation divisions 

25 within the Department of Education; 


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1 (B) the office within the Department of 

2 Education administering the grants that are the 

3 subject of the evaluation and research; and 

4 (C) the Department of Health and Human 

5 Services and the Department of Labor as ap6 propriate. 

7 (b) DEVELOPING INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS.— 

8 In developing indicators and benchmarks for programs 

9 funded under this Act, the Secretary shall consult with 

10 the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Di11 rector of the Institute of Education Sciences. 

12 SEC. 12. APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro14 priated to carry out this Act $350,000,000 for fiscal year 

15 2012 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 

16 4 succeeding fiscal years. 

17 (b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds appropriated 

18 under this section for fiscal year 2012 shall be available 

19 through September 30, 2013. 

Æ 


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