II

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1151

To amend subpart 8 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act

of 1965 to support the participation of low-income parents in postsecondary education through the provision of campus-based child care.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 5, 1997

Mr. DODD (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Labor

and Human Resources

A BILL

To amend subpart 8 of part A of title IV of the Higher

Education Act of 1965 to support the participation of

low-income parents in postsecondary education through

the provision of campus-based child care.

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

3 SECTION 1. CAMPUS-BASED CHILD CARE.

4 Subpart 8 of part A of title IV of the Higher Edu5 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070f) is amended by add6 ing at the end the following:
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1 ‘‘SEC. 420C. CAMPUS-BASED CHILD CARE.

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

3 ‘Child Care Access Means Parents in School Act’.

4 ‘‘(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

5 ‘‘(1) earning potential increases significantly

6 when individuals attend college for any period of

7 time;

8 ‘‘(2) public assistance recipients who complete

9 college are more likely to leave public assistance per10 manently;

11 ‘‘(3) students who are parents and receive cam12 pus-based child care are more likely to remain in

13 school, and to graduate more rapidly and at a higher

14 rate than students who are parents and do not re15 ceive campus-based child care;

16 ‘‘(4) students who are parents rate access to

17 campus-based child care programs as an important

18 factor affecting their college enrollment;

19 ‘‘(5) children placed in high quality child care

20 programs exhibit significant positive results from the

21 experience, including—

22 ‘‘(A) higher earnings as adults;

23 ‘‘(B) higher rates of secondary school

24 graduation;

25 ‘‘(C) lower rates of retention in grade level;
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1 ‘‘(D) lower rates of teenage pregnancy;

2 and

3 ‘‘(E) reduced need for special education or

4 social services;

5 ‘‘(6) the public saves $7 for every $1 invested

6 in quality child care; and

7 ‘‘(7) campus-based child care programs may

8 have an increasingly difficult time accessing Federal

9 child care funds under the structure of the Personal

10 Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation

11 Act of 1996 (Public Law 104–193; 110 Stat. 2105).

12 ‘‘(c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to

13 support the participation of low-income parents in post14 secondary education through the provision of campus15 based child care services.

16 ‘‘(d) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—

17 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may award

18 grants to institutions of higher education to assist

19 the institutions in providing campus-based child care

20 services to low-income students.

21 ‘‘(2) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a

23 grant awarded to an institution of higher edu24 cation under this section for a fiscal year shall

25 not exceed 1 percent of the total amount of all
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1 Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students

2 enrolled at the institution of higher education

3 for the preceding fiscal year.

4 ‘‘(B) MINIMUM.—A grant under this sec5 tion shall be awarded in an amount that is not

6 less than $10,000.

7 ‘‘(3) DURATION; RENEWAL; AND PAYMENTS.—

8 ‘‘(A) DURATION.—The Secretary shall

9 award a grant under this section for a period

10 of 3 years.

11 ‘‘(B) RENEWAL.—A grant under this sec12 tion may be renewed for a period of 3 years.

13 ‘‘(C) PAYMENTS.—Subject to subsection

14 (f)(2), the Secretary shall make annual grant

15 payments under this section.

16 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS.—An institution

17 of higher education shall be eligible to receive a

18 grant under this section for a fiscal year if the total

19 amount of all Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to

20 students enrolled at the institution of higher edu21 cation for the preceding fiscal year equals or exceeds

22 $1,000,000.

23 ‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds under this

24 section shall be used by an institution of higher edu25 cation to support or establish a campus-based child
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1 care program serving the needs of low-income stu2 dents enrolled at the institution of higher education.

3 ‘‘(6) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section

4 shall be construed to prohibit an institution of high5 er education that receives grant funds under this

6 section from serving the child care needs of the com7 munity served by the institution.

8 ‘‘(7) DEFINITION OF LOW-INCOME STUDENT.—

9 For the purpose of this section, the term ‘‘low-in10 come student’’ means a student who is eligible to re11 ceive a Federal Pell Grant for the fiscal year for

12 which the determination is made.

13 ‘‘(e) APPLICATIONS.—An institution of higher edu14 cation desiring a grant under this section shall submit an

15 application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,

16 and accompanied by such information as the Secretary

17 may require. Each application shall—

18 ‘‘(1) demonstrate that the institution is an eligi19 ble institution described in subsection (d)(4);

20 ‘‘(2) specify the amount of funds requested;

21 ‘‘(3) demonstrate the need of low-income stu22 dents at the institution for campus-based child care

23 services by including in the application student de24 mographics and other relevant data;
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1 ‘‘(4) contain a description of the activities to be

2 assisted, including whether the grant funds will sup3 port an existing child care program or a new child

4 care program;

5 ‘‘(5) identify the resources the institution will

6 draw upon to support the child care program and

7 the participation of low-income students in the pro8 gram, such as accessing social services funding,

9 using student activity fees to help pay the costs of

10 child care, using resources obtained by meeting the

11 needs of parents who are not low-income students,

12 and accessing foundation, corporate or other institu13 tional support, and demonstrate that the use of the

14 resources will not result in increases in student tui15 tion;

16 ‘‘(6) contain an assurance that the institution

17 will meet the child care needs of low-income students

18 through the provision of services, or through a con19 tract for the provision of services;

20 ‘‘(7) in the case of an institution seeking assist21 ance for a new child care program—

22 ‘‘(A) provide a timeline, covering the pe23 riod from receipt of the grant through the pro24 vision of the child care services, delineating the

25 specific steps the institution will take to achieve
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1 the goal of providing low-income students with

2 child care services;

3 ‘‘(B) specify any measures the institution

4 will take to assist low-income students with

5 child care during the period before the institu6 tion provides child care services; and

7 ‘‘(C) include a plan for identifying re8 sources needed for the child care services, in9 cluding space in which to provide child care

10 services, and technical assistance if necessary;

11 ‘‘(8) contain an assurance that any child care

12 facility assisted under this section will meet the ap13 plicable State or local government licensing, certifi14 cation, approval, or registration requirements; and

15 ‘‘(9) contain a plan for any child care facility

16 assisted under this section to become accredited

17 within 3 years of the date the institution first re18 ceives assistance under this section.

19 ‘‘(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS; CONTINUING ELI20 GIBILITY.—

21 ‘‘(1) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—

22 ‘‘(A) REPORTS.—Each institution of high23 er education receiving a grant under this sec24 tion shall report to the Secretary 18 months
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1 and 36 months after receiving the first grant

2 payment under this section.

3 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The report shall in4 clude—

5 ‘‘(i) data on the population served

6 under this section;

7 ‘‘(ii) information on campus and com8 munity resources and funding used to help

9 low-income students access child care serv10 ices;

11 ‘‘(iii) information on progress made

12 toward accreditation of any child care fa13 cility; and

14 ‘‘(iv) information on the impact of the

15 grant on the quality, availability, and af16 fordability of campus-based child care serv17 ices.

18 ‘‘(2) CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary

19 shall make the third annual grant payment under

20 this section to an institution of higher education

21 only if the Secretary determines, on the basis of the

22 18-month report submitted under paragraph (1),

23 that the institution is making a good faith effort to

24 ensure that low-income students at the institution

25 have access to affordable, quality child care services.
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1 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There

2 are authorized to be appropriated $60,000,000 for fiscal

3 year 1998 and such sums as may be necessary for each

4 of the 4 succeeding fiscal years to carry out this section.’’.

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