I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5815 

To amend the Head Start Act to expand and improve participation in Head 

Start programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 

Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. LOFGREN, and Mr. LANDSMAN) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Head Start Act to expand and improve participation in Head Start 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 ‘‘Head Start Expansion 

5 and Improvement Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY UNDER PUBLIC ASSIST7 ANCE. 

8 Section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832) 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(27) The term ‘public assistance’ means public 

2 assistance programs including temporary assistance 

3 for needy families established under part A of title 

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

5 seq.), supplemental security income carried out 

6 under title XVI of the Social Security Act (42 

7 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.), the supplemental nutrition as8 sistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act 

9 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), special supple10 mental nutrition program for women, infants, and 

11 children established under section 17 of the Child 

12 Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), and the 

13 State children’s health insurance programs under 

14 title XXI of the Social Security Act 1397aa et 

15 seq.).’’. 

16 SEC. 3. INCREASE FAMILY INCOME THRESHOLD. 

17 Section 645(a)(a)(1) of the Head Start Act (42 

18 U.S.C. 9870(a)(a)(1)) is amended— 

19 (1) in paragraph (A) by striking ‘‘(a)(a)(1)(A)’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘(a)(1)(A)’’, and 

21 (2) in subparagraph (B)— 

22 (A) in clause (i) by inserting ‘‘138 per23 cent’’ after ‘‘below’’, and 

24 (B) in clause (iii)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘include— (I)’’ and in2 serting ‘‘include’’, and 

3 (ii) by striking subclause (II). 

4 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 Section 639 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9834) 

6 is amended by striking: ‘‘(other than section 657B) 

7 $7,350,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $7,650,000,000 for 

8 fiscal year 2009, $7,995,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and 

9 such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 

10 2011 and 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘(other than sections 657B 

11 and 657C) $36,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

12 2025 through 2030’’. 

13 SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR HEAD START INFRASTRUCTURE. 

14 The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is 

15 amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 657C. GRANTS FOR HEAD START INFRASTRUCTURE. 

17 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The 

18 Secretary shall establish a program to make grants to 

19 Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agencies 

20 to construct or improve facilities to provide Head Start 

21 services (including Early Head Start services)). 

22 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANTS.—To be eligible to re23 ceive a grant under subsection (a), a Head Start agency 

24 shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, 


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1 and containing such information as the Secretary may re2 quire. 

3 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority for 

4 grants requested by eligible applicants respect to facilities 

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(1) were built before 1970; 

7 ‘‘(2) have not had a major renovation since its 

8 construction; 

9 ‘‘(3) have received 1 or more findings in the 

10 safe and clean environments key performance area 

11 (KPA); 

12 ‘‘(4) have hazardous conditions, materials, or 

13 equipment that may cause harm to children, fami14 lies, or staff; 

15 ‘‘(5) have an environment that is not free of air 

16 pollutants, including mold, smoke, lead, pesticides, 

17 and herbicides, as well as soil and water pollutants; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(6) lack preparedness for fire and other emer20 gencies. 

21 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Eligible use of grant funds 

22 to improve and update Head Start infrastructure in23 clude— 

24 ‘‘(1) updates, renovations, and repairs to ad25 dress structural issues; 


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1 ‘‘(2) building or acquiring additional classroom 

2 space, common areas, play areas; 

3 ‘‘(3) updating heating, cooling, and ventilation 

4 systems; 

5 ‘‘(4) building and expanding playgrounds and 

6 outdoor spaces; 

7 ‘‘(5) removing, renovating, and acquiring fur8 nishings; 

9 ‘‘(6) installing and updating bathroom facilities, 

10 including the installation of child-size sinks and toi11 lets; 

12 ‘‘(7) reducing or removing toxic industrial com13 pounds; 

14 ‘‘(8) updates to safety and emergency prepared15 ness, such as upgrading sprinkler systems and in16 stalling emergency lighting; 

17 ‘‘(9) weatherization; 

18 ‘‘(10) improvements to water, sewer, and 

19 plumbing systems; and 

20 ‘‘(11) establishing, expanding, or improving 

21 technology to support children’s academic and socio22 emotional learning. 

23 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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1 $1,000,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

2 2030.’’. 

3 SEC. 6. LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR HEAD START AND EARLY 

4 HEAD START CHILDCARE WORKERS. 

5 Part D of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 

6 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.) is amended by adding at 

7 the end the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 460A. LOAN CANCELLATION FOR HEAD START AND 

9 EARLY HEAD START CHILDCARE WORKERS. 

10 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 

11 carry cancel the balance of interest, principal, and fees 

12 due, in accordance with subsection (b), on any eligible 

13 Federal Direct Loan not in default for a borrower who 

14 for a 3-year (consecutive or non-consecutive) period after 

15 the date of enactment of the Head Start Expansion and 

16 Improvement Act of 2023— 

17 ‘‘(1) has been employed, on a full-time basis, by 

18 a Head Start program or an Early Head Start pro19 gram carried out under the Head Start Act (42 

20 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.); and 

21 ‘‘(2) pursuant to such employment, has pro22 vided care or instruction to children enrolled in such 

23 program. 

24 ‘‘(b) LOAN CANCELLATION AMOUNT.—After the con25 clusion of the 3-year period described in subsection (a), 


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1 the Secretary shall cancel the obligation to repay the bal2 ance of principal, interest, and fees due as of the time 

3 of such cancellation, on the eligible Federal Direct Loans 

4 made to the borrower under this part. 

5 ‘‘(c) INELIGIBILITY FOR DOUBLE BENEFITS.—No 

6 borrower may, for the same service, receive a reduction 

7 of loan obligations under both this section and section 

8 428J, 455(m), or 460. 

9 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall develop and 

10 make publicly available an application for borrowers who 

11 wish to receive loan forgiveness under this section, which 

12 shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) be made readily available for qualifying 

14 childcare workers to file for loan forgiveness; and 

15 ‘‘(2) include any certification requirements that 

16 the Secretary determines are necessary to verify 

17 qualifying service. 

18 ‘‘(e) ELIGIBLE FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN DEFINED.— 

19 The term ‘eligible Federal Direct Loan’ means a Federal 

20 Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct PLUS Loan, or 

21 Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, or a Federal 

22 Direct Consolidation Loan.’’. 


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1 SEC. 7. HEAD START EMPLOYEE SALARY-INCREASE GRANT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 

5 and Human Services shall establish and carry out a pro6 gram to make grants for the purpose of supplementing, 

7 not supplanting, the compensation paid by Head Start 

8 agencies to the employees of such agencies. 

9 (b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—The Secretary shall 

10 develop a formula to determine grant amounts, taking into 

11 consideration— 

12 (1) the gaps between the compensation paid by 

13 the respective Head Start agency to its employees 

14 and the employee compensation paid by other early 

15 childhood education employers in the relevant geo16 graphical area, 

17 (2) the cost of living in the geographical area 

18 in which such agency is located, including median in19 come and housing costs, and 

20 (3) the number of employee vacancies of such 

21 agency. 

22 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—A Head Start agency that re23 ceives a grant shall use grant funds to supplement, and 

24 not to supplant, the compensation paid to the employees 

25 of such agency. 


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1 (d) APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be ap2 propriated to carry out this section $6,800,000,000 for 

3 each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2030. 

Æ 


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