II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1403 

To amend the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program under 

the Higher Education Act of 1965. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 9, 2019 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mr. CASEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, 

and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the following bill; which was read 

twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Child Care Access Means Parents in School 

Program under the Higher Education Act of 1965. 

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 ‘‘Expanding On-Campus 

5 Child Care to Help Student Parents Succeed Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CHILD CARE ACCESS MEANS PARENTS IN SCHOOL. 

7 Section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 1070e) is amended— 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1403 IS

1 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fa4 cilitate the success of low-income parents in postsecondary 

5 education through the provision of subsidized child care 

6 services, including campus-based child care services.’’; 

7 (2) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara9 graphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant 

11 under this section shall be awarded in an 

12 amount that is not less than $50,000. 

13 ‘‘(B) CCAMPIS INCREASE.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For any fiscal 

15 year for which the amount appropriated 

16 under subsection (h) is not less than 

17 $140,000,000, the Secretary may increase 

18 the amount of a grant awarded under this 

19 section to an eligible institution of higher 

20 education if the institution submits an ap21 plication that— 

22 ‘‘(I) demonstrates the success of 

23 the eligible institution of higher edu24 cation in serving a significant number 

25 of low-income student parents, which 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1403 IS

1 may include graduation, transfer, or 

2 retention rates for full-time and part3 time students receiving subsidies for 

4 child care under this section; 

5 ‘‘(II) demonstrates the need for 

6 additional funds; and 

7 ‘‘(III) provides information re8 garding the planned use of additional 

9 funds to— 

10 ‘‘(aa) improve the quality of 

11 a campus-based child care facil12 ity; 

13 ‘‘(bb) provide child care sub14 sidies to additional student par15 ents; or 

16 ‘‘(cc) provide support serv17 ices to student parents. 

18 ‘‘(ii) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The in19 crease paid to an eligible institution of 

20 higher education under clause (i) for a fis21 cal year shall not exceed an amount equal 

22 to 20 percent of the amount of the annual 

23 grant payment received by the institution 

24 under paragraph (3)(B) for the fiscal year 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1403 IS

1 preceding the fiscal year for which the in2 crease is paid. 

3 ‘‘(iii) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION OF

4 HIGHER EDUCATION.—In this subpara5 graph, the term ‘eligible institution of 

6 higher education’ means an institution of 

7 higher education that has received a grant 

8 under this section for not less than the pe9 riod of 3 consecutive fiscal years preceding 

10 the fiscal year in which the increase is paid 

11 under clause (i).’’; 

12 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

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

14 ‘‘4 years’’ and inserting ‘‘5 years’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘subsection (e)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub17 section (e)(3)’’; 

18 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘exceeds 

19 $350,000’’ and all that follows through the pe20 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘exceeds 

21 $300,000, except for institutions that are eligi22 ble for assistance under title III or V.’’; and 

23 (D) by striking paragraph (5) and insert24 ing the following: 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1403 IS

1 ‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants funds under this 

2 section shall be used by an institution of higher edu3 cation to support accessible high-quality child care 

4 services for low-income parents enrolled in postsec5 ondary education. Grant funds under this section 

6 may be used— 

7 ‘‘(A) to support or establish a campus8 based child care program primarily serving the 

9 needs of low-income students enrolled at the in10 stitution of higher education; 

11 ‘‘(B) to provide child care subsidies or a 

12 sliding fee scale for low-income student parents; 

13 ‘‘(C) to provide affordable and accessible 

14 before and after school services for children of 

15 low-income student parents; 

16 ‘‘(D) to provide support services for low-in17 come student parents; or 

18 ‘‘(E) to enhance the quality of campus19 based child care services, including improve20 ments to— 

21 ‘‘(i) move to the next tier or level of 

22 the State tiered and transparent system 

23 for measuring the quality of child care pro24 viders; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1403 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) implement the training and pro2 fessional development required for child 

3 care providers through the Child Care and 

4 Development Block Grant Act of 2014 

5 (Public Law 113–186); or 

6 ‘‘(iii) implement quality improvements 

7 toward achieving accreditation from a na8 tionally recognized accrediting body.’’; 

9 (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

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

13 education desiring a grant under this section shall 

14 submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 

15 in such manner, and accompanied by such informa16 tion as the Secretary may require. Such application 

17 shall— 

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

19 eligible institution described in subsection 

20 (b)(4); 

21 ‘‘(B) specify the amount of funds re22 quested; 

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

24 students at the institution for accessible and afVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1403.IS S1403

pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 1403 IS

1 fordable child care services by including in the 

2 application— 

3 ‘‘(i) information regarding student de4 mographics; 

5 ‘‘(ii) an assessment of child care ca6 pacity on or near campus; 

7 ‘‘(iii) information regarding the exist8 ence of waiting lists for child care services 

9 on or near campus; 

10 ‘‘(iv) information regarding additional 

11 needs created by concentrations of poverty 

12 or by geographic isolation; and 

13 ‘‘(v) other relevant data; 

14 ‘‘(D) contain a description of the activities 

15 to be assisted, including whether the grant 

16 funds will support an existing child care pro17 gram or a new child care program; 

18 ‘‘(E) identify the resources, including tech19 nical expertise and financial support, the insti20 tution will draw upon to support the child care 

21 program and the participation of low-income 

22 students in the program (such as accessing so23 cial services funding, using student activity fees 

24 to help pay the costs of child care, using re25 sources obtained by meeting the needs of parVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1403.IS S1403

pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 1403 IS

1 ents who are not low-income students, and ac2 cessing foundation, corporate, or other institu3 tional support) and demonstrate that the use of 

4 the resources will not result in increases in stu5 dent tuition; 

6 ‘‘(F) contain an assurance that the institu7 tion will meet the child care needs of low-in8 come students through the provision of services, 

9 or through a contract for the provision of serv10 ices; 

11 ‘‘(G) describe the extent to which the child 

12 care program will coordinate with the institu13 tion’s early childhood education curriculum, to 

14 the extent the curriculum is available, to meet 

15 the needs of the students in the early childhood 

16 education program at the institution, and the 

17 needs of the parents and children participating 

18 in the child care program assisted under this 

19 section; 

20 ‘‘(H) in the case of an institution seeking 

21 assistance for a new child care program— 

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

23 period from receipt of the grant through 

24 the provision of the child care services, de25 lineating the specific steps the institution 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 1403 IS

1 will take to achieve the goal of providing 

2 low-income students with child care serv3 ices; 

4 ‘‘(ii) specify any measures the institu5 tion will take to assist low-income students 

6 with child care during the period before 

7 the institution provides child care services; 

8 ‘‘(iii) include a plan for identifying re9 sources needed for the child care services, 

10 including space in which to provide child 

11 care services, and technical assistance if 

12 necessary; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) include plans to assure quality of 

14 campus-based child care facilities; 

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

16 assistance for a campus-based child care pro17 gram in existence on the date of the applica18 tion— 

19 ‘‘(i) provide information regarding the 

20 number of low-income students served 

21 through campus-based child care on such 

22 date; 

23 ‘‘(ii) provide information on the age 

24 groups of children to be served; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 1403 IS

1 ‘‘(iii) specify any measures the institu2 tion will take to assist students eligible 

3 under this section who are waitlisted for 

4 the campus-based child care program; 

5 ‘‘(iv) provide information regarding 

6 the application of subsidies or a sliding fee 

7 scale for child care services; 

8 ‘‘(v) specify what staff positions will 

9 be supported by funding under this sec10 tion, and how those staff positions support 

11 the purpose under subsection (a); 

12 ‘‘(vi) provide information on the total 

13 number of children served by the campus14 based child care program, and number of 

15 children of students served; and 

16 ‘‘(vii) specify if funding will be used to 

17 enhance program quality as described in 

18 subsection (b)(5)(E); 

19 ‘‘(J) in the case of an institution seeking 

20 assistance that will contract for the provision of 

21 child care services— 

22 ‘‘(i) provide information on the age 

23 groups of children to be served; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 1403 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) provide information regarding 

2 the application of subsidies or a sliding fee 

3 scale for child care services; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) provide information regarding 

5 parameters the institution will use in se6 lecting child care providers in contracting 

7 for the provision of services, including— 

8 ‘‘(I) assessment of program qual9 ity; and 

10 ‘‘(II) geographic location; 

11 ‘‘(K) contain an assurance that any child 

12 care facility assisted under this section will 

13 meet the applicable State and local government 

14 licensing, certification, approval, or registration 

15 requirements; 

16 ‘‘(L) describe how information regarding 

17 the availability of subsidized child care will be 

18 provided to students; 

19 ‘‘(M) contain an assurance that the insti20 tution, when applicable, will make information 

21 available to students receiving child care serv22 ices provided under this section about the eligi23 bility of such students for assistance under the 

24 supplemental nutrition assistance program 

25 under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 1403 IS

1 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and the program of block 

2 grants for States for temporary assistance for 

3 needy families established under part A of title 

4 IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et 

5 seq.); 

6 ‘‘(N) contain an abstract summarizing the 

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

9 subsection (a); and 

10 ‘‘(O) contain a plan for any child care fa11 cility assisted under this section to become ac12 credited within 3 years of the date the institu13 tion first receives assistance under this section. 

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

15 may provide technical assistance to eligible institu16 tions to help such institutions qualify for, apply for, 

17 and maintain a grant under this section.’’; 

18 (4) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall give 

22 priority in awarding grants under this section— 

23 ‘‘(A) first to institutions of higher edu24 cation that submit applications describing pro25 grams that leverage significant local or instituVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:05 May 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1403.IS S1403

pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 1403 IS

1 tional resources, including in-kind contribu2 tions, to support the activities assisted under 

3 this section; and 

4 ‘‘(B) to institutions of higher education 

5 that submit applications describing programs 

6 that utilize a sliding fee scale for child care 

7 services provided under this section in order to 

8 support a high number of low-income parents 

9 pursuing postsecondary education at the insti10 tution, after the institution gives priority to in11 stitutions described in subparagraph (A). 

12 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary may not 

13 give priority in awarding grants under this section 

14 to institutions of higher education that propose 

15 projects that are designed to increase access to edu16 cational choice.’’; 

17 (5) in subsection (e)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking the 

19 semicolon at the end of clause (i) and inserting 

20 the following: ‘‘which shall include— 

21 ‘‘(I) the number of full- and part22 time students, respectively, receiving 

23 child care services under this section; 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 1403 IS

1 ‘‘(II) whether the institution re2 stricts eligibility for child care services 

3 to only full-time students; and 

4 ‘‘(III) the number of students re5 ceiving child care services under this 

6 section who— 

7 ‘‘(aa) remain enrolled at the 

8 institution during the academic 

9 year for which they received such 

10 services; 

11 ‘‘(bb) graduate from the in12 stitution during the academic 

13 year for which they received such 

14 services; 

15 ‘‘(cc) transfer to a different 

16 institution during the academic 

17 year for which they received such 

18 services; or 

19 ‘‘(dd) withdrew from the in20 stitution during the academic 

21 year for which they received such 

22 services;’’; 

23 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

24 paragraph (3); 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 1403 IS

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

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT.— 

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

5 basis, the Secretary shall submit to the author6 izing committees a report that includes— 

7 ‘‘(i) a summary of the information de8 scribed in paragraph (1); and 

9 ‘‘(ii) each abstract submitted under 

10 subsection (c)(1)(N) by an institution of 

11 higher education that receives a grant 

12 under this section. 

13 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec14 retary shall make each report submitted under 

15 subparagraph (A) publicly available. 

16 ‘‘(C) STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION.—The 

17 Secretary shall work with relevant stakeholders 

18 to determine the manner in which the data de19 scribed under subparagraph (A) is collected in 

20 order to ensure compliance with such subpara21 graph.’’; and 

22 (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

23 following: 

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

25 shall provide technical assistance to institutions of 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 1403 IS

1 higher education receiving grants under this section 

2 to help such institutions meet necessary reporting 

3 requirements.’’; 

4 (6) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub5 section (h); 

6 (7) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol7 lowing: 

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

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

10 religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation 

11 and gender identity), or disability, be excluded from par12 ticipation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to 

13 discrimination by any program funded, in whole or in part, 

14 with funds made available under this section or with 

15 amounts appropriated for grants, contracts, or certificates 

16 administered with such funds.’’; and 

17 (8) in subsection (h), as redesignated by para18 graph (6), by striking ‘‘such sums as may be nec19 essary for fiscal year 2009 and each of the five suc20 ceeding fiscal years’’ and inserting ‘‘$200,000,000 

21 for fiscal year 2020 and each succeeding fiscal 

22 year’’. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS