II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1431 

To provide for a statewide early childhood education professional development 

and career system, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 17, 2007 

Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. VOINOVICH) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for a statewide early childhood education professional development and career system, 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. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

4 Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

5 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

6 the following: 


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1 ‘‘PART C—EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRO2 FESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CAREER 

3 SYSTEM 

4 ‘‘SEC. 231. SHORT TITLE. 

5 ‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Early Childhood Edu6 cation Professional Development and Career System 

7 Grants Act’. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 232. FINDINGS. 

9 ‘‘Congress makes the following findings: 

10 ‘‘(1) According to 2005 data from the Bureau 

11 of the Census, nearly 12,000,000 children under the 

12 age of 5 are in some type of child care arrangement. 

13 ‘‘(2) The knowledge and skills of individuals in 

14 early childhood education programs, including ad15 ministrators, directors, teachers, and other staff, is 

16 a predictor of the ability to provide high quality ex17 periences for children in such programs. 

18 ‘‘(3) Early childhood professionals enter the 

19 early childhood education field through various 

20 paths. Some individuals have completed early child21 hood education professional preparation programs 

22 prior to working in an early childhood education pro23 gram. 

24 ‘‘(4) The delivery system of education, profes25 sional development, and training for early childhood 

26 educators has disparate standards and funding. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Funding for such education, professional 

2 development, and training is fragmented, sporadic, 

3 and insufficient. 

4 ‘‘(6) Compensation (salaries and benefits) for 

5 early childhood education program personnel is woe6 fully inadequate, and creates a crisis in the attrac7 tion and retention of high quality staff and direc8 tors. 

9 ‘‘(7) To attract and retain qualified adults to 

10 work in early childhood programs, there must be via11 ble career lattices that provide opportunities for con12 tinued professional development and increased com13 pensation. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 233. PURPOSE. 

15 ‘‘It is the purpose of this part— 

16 ‘‘(1) to improve the quality of the early child17 hood education workforce by creating a statewide 

18 early childhood education professional development 

19 and career system linked to appropriate compensa20 tion for early childhood education program staff, di21 rectors, and administrators; and 

22 ‘‘(2) to create— 

23 ‘‘(A) a coherent system of core com24 petencies, pathways to qualifications, creden25 tials, degrees, quality assurances, access, and 


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1 outreach for early childhood education program 

2 staff, directors, and administrators; 

3 ‘‘(B) articulation agreements so that early 

4 childhood education professionals can have 

5 smooth transitions among degrees; and 

6 ‘‘(C) compensation initiatives for individ7 uals working in an early childhood education 

8 program that reflect the individuals’ credentials, 

9 degrees and experience. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 234. DEFINITION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION 

11 PROGRAM. 

12 ‘‘In this part, the term ‘early childhood education 

13 program’ means— 

14 ‘‘(1) a family child care program, center-based 

15 child care program, State prekindergarten program, 

16 school program, or other out-of-home early childhood 

17 development care program, that— 

18 ‘‘(A) is licensed or regulated by the State; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(B) serves 2 or more unrelated children 

21 from birth until entry into kindergarten; 

22 ‘‘(2) a Head Start Program carried out under 

23 the Head Start Act; or 

24 ‘‘(3) an Early Head Start Program carried out 

25 under section 645A of the Head Start Act. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 235. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 

3 award grants to States in accordance with the provisions 

4 of this part to enable such States— 

5 ‘‘(1) to establish a State Task Force described 

6 in section 236; 

7 ‘‘(2) to support the activities of the State Task 

8 Force described in section 237; and 

9 ‘‘(3) to pay the costs of the activities described 

10 in the statewide plan submitted pursuant to section 

11 238(b). 

12 ‘‘(b) COMPETITIVE BASIS.—Grants under this part 

13 shall be awarded on a competitive basis. 

14 ‘‘(c) DURATION.—Grants under this part shall be 

15 awarded for a period of 5 years. 

16 ‘‘(d) EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In 

17 awarding grants under this part the Secretary shall take 

18 into consideration providing an equitable geographic dis19 tribution of the grants. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 236. ESTABLISHMENT OF STATE EARLY CHILDHOOD 

21 EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

22 AND CAREER SYSTEM TASK FORCE. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Governor of the State shall 

24 establish, or may designate an existing entity to serve as, 

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1 opment and Career System Task Force (hereafter in this 

2 part referred to as the ‘State Task Force’). 

3 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The State Task Force shall in4 clude, to the maximum extent possible— 

5 ‘‘(1) a representative of the State agency that 

6 administers the Child Care and Development Block 

7 Grant; 

8 ‘‘(2) a representative of the State agency that 

9 regulates child care providers; 

10 ‘‘(3) a representative of the State educational 

11 agency; 

12 ‘‘(4) a representative of the State agency re13 sponsible for higher education; 

14 ‘‘(5) a representative of the State entity that 

15 establishes requirements for teacher licensure, cer16 tification, or professional standards for early child17 hood educators; 

18 ‘‘(6) the State Director of Head Start Collabo19 ration; 

20 ‘‘(7) a representative of an institution of higher 

21 education that awards an associate degree; 

22 ‘‘(8) a representative of an institution of higher 

23 education that awards a baccalaureate or graduate 

24 degree; 


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1 ‘‘(9) 1 or more providers of an early childhood 

2 education program who represent the diverse range 

3 of early childhood education program settings; 

4 ‘‘(10) a representative of the State network of 

5 child care resource and referral agencies; 

6 ‘‘(11) a representative of a State organization 

7 representing providers of early childhood education 

8 programs that provide— 

9 ‘‘(A) professional development to staff in 

10 early childhood education programs; and 

11 ‘‘(B) other assistance; 

12 ‘‘(12) a representative of any statewide early 

13 childhood workforce scholarship or supplement ini14 tiative; and 

15 ‘‘(13) a representative of any other entity the 

16 Governor of the State determines relevant to the ac17 tivities of the State Task Force. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 237. STATE TASK FORCE ACTIVITIES. 

19 ‘‘(a) ACTIVITIES.—The State Task Force shall— 

20 ‘‘(1) coordinate and communicate regularly 

21 with, and provide recommendations for a statewide 

22 early childhood professional development and career 

23 system to, the State early learning council or similar 

24 State entity charged with creating a comprehensive 

25 system of early childhood education in the State; 


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1 ‘‘(2) develop a plan for a comprehensive state2 wide professional development and career system, for 

3 individuals working in early childhood education pro4 grams or for early childhood education providers, 

5 that includes— 

6 ‘‘(A) methods of providing outreach to 

7 early childhood education program staff, direc8 tors, and administrators, including how out9 reach is made to non-English speaking pro10 viders, to enable the staff, directors, and admin11 istrators to be aware of the opportunities and 

12 resources available under the plan; 

13 ‘‘(B) developing a unified data collection 

14 and dissemination system for early childhood 

15 education training, professional development, 

16 and higher education programs, and providing 

17 resources for paying the costs of enrollment and 

18 completion in such training, professional devel19 opment, and programs; 

20 ‘‘(3) conduct a periodic statewide survey con21 cerning— 

22 ‘‘(A) the demographics of individuals work23 ing in early childhood education programs in 

24 the State, including information disaggregated 

25 by— 


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1 ‘‘(i) race, gender, and ethnicity; 

2 ‘‘(ii) compensation levels; 

3 ‘‘(iii) type of early childhood education 

4 program setting; 

5 ‘‘(iv) specialized knowledge of child 

6 development; 

7 ‘‘(v) years of experience in an early 

8 childhood education program; and 

9 ‘‘(vi) attainment of— 

10 ‘‘(I) academic credit for 

11 coursework; 

12 ‘‘(II) an academic degree; 

13 ‘‘(III) a credential; 

14 ‘‘(IV) licensure; or 

15 ‘‘(V) certification in early child16 hood education; and 

17 ‘‘(B) opportunities for and barriers to high 

18 quality professional development, training, and 

19 higher education degree programs, in early 

20 childhood development and learning; 

21 ‘‘(4) develop a statewide professional develop22 ment and career lattice providing for a variety of 

23 early childhood professional roles with varying pro24 fessional qualifications and responsibilities for early 

25 childhood education personnel, including strategies 


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1 to enhance the compensation (salaries and benefits) 

2 of such personnel, and provide resources for paying 

3 the costs of enrollment and completion in the train4 ing, professional development, and programs related 

5 to the career lattice; 

6 ‘‘(5) assist 2- and 4-year public and private in7 stitutions of higher education to develop articulation 

8 agreements and mechanisms, including transforming 

9 diverse training, professional development, and expe10 rience into academic credit; 

11 ‘‘(6) provide for mentoring and coaching pro12 grams to support new teachers in and directors of 

13 early childhood education programs; 

14 ‘‘(7) provide for career development advising 

15 with respect to the field of early childhood education, 

16 including informing an individual regarding— 

17 ‘‘(A) entry into and continuing education 

18 requirements for professional roles in the field; 

19 ‘‘(B) available financial assistance; and 

20 ‘‘(C) professional development and career 

21 advancement in the field; 

22 ‘‘(8) support programs of institutions of higher 

23 education that provide an associate, a baccalaureate, 

24 or a graduate degree in early childhood education in 


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1 order to meet the standards a of national accrediting 

2 agency or association for such degree program; and 

3 ‘‘(9) provide for a system of quality assurance 

4 with respect to the early childhood education profes5 sional development and career system, including 

6 standards or qualifications for individuals and enti7 ties who offer training and professional development 

8 in early childhood education. 

9 ‘‘(b) PUBLIC HEARINGS.—The State Task Force 

10 shall hold public hearings and provide an opportunity for 

11 public comment on the activities described in the statewide 

12 plan described in section 238(b). 

13 ‘‘(c) PERIODIC REVIEW.—After submission to the 

14 Secretary of a statewide plan described in section 238(b), 

15 the State Task Force shall meet periodically to review im16 plementation of the statewide plan and to recommend any 

17 changes to the statewide plan the State Task Force deter18 mines necessary. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 238. STATE APPLICATION AND STATEWIDE PLAN. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State desiring a grant 

21 under this part shall submit an application to the Sec22 retary at such time, in such manner and accompanied by 

23 such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. 

24 Each such application shall include a description of— 

25 ‘‘(1) the membership of the State Task Force; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the activities for which assistance will be 

2 used; 

3 ‘‘(3) other Federal, State, local, and private re4 sources that will be available to support the activi5 ties of the State Task Force described in section 

6 237; 

7 ‘‘(4) the availability within the State of train8 ing, teacher preparation, professional development, 

9 compensation initiatives, and career systems related 

10 to early childhood education; and 

11 ‘‘(5) the resources available within the State for 

12 such training, teacher preparation, professional de13 velopment, compensation initiatives, and career sys14 tems. 

15 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS OF STATEWIDE PLAN.—Not later 

16 than 1 year after receiving a grant under this part, a State 

17 shall submit a statewide plan to the Secretary that shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) describe other Federal, State, local, and 

19 private resources that will be used in combination 

20 with a grant under this section to develop or expand 

21 the State’s early childhood education professional 

22 development and career system; 

23 ‘‘(2) describe the ways in which the State will— 

24 ‘‘(A) coordinate the various State and local 

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1 cation professional development and career sys2 tem; and 

3 ‘‘(B) ensure that individuals working in 

4 early childhood education programs in the State 

5 reflect the diversity of children served by the 

6 programs; 

7 ‘‘(3) describe the ways in which the State will 

8 use the funds received under this part and any other 

9 funds available to the State to carry out the activi10 ties described in section 237; and 

11 ‘‘(4) describe the ways the State Task Force 

12 will carry out the activities described in section 237. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 239. REPORT AND EVALUATION. 

14 ‘‘(a) STATE REPORT.—Each State receiving a grant 

15 under this part shall— 

16 ‘‘(1) evaluate the activities assisted under this 

17 part to determine— 

18 ‘‘(A) the effectiveness of the activities as19 sisted under this part in achieving State goals; 

20 ‘‘(B) the impact of a career lattice for indi21 viduals working in early childhood education 

22 programs; 

23 ‘‘(C) the impact of the activities assisted 

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1 quirements for individuals in the field of early 

2 childhood development; 

3 ‘‘(D) the impact of the activities assisted 

4 under this part and the impact of the statewide 

5 plan on the quality of education, professional 

6 development and training related to early child7 hood education programs that is offered in the 

8 State; and 

9 ‘‘(E) the change in compensation and re10 tention of individuals working in early childhood 

11 education programs within the State resulting 

12 from the activities assisted under this part; and 

13 ‘‘(2) submit a report at the end of the grant pe14 riod to the Secretary regarding the evaluation de15 scribed in paragraph (1). 

16 ‘‘(b) SECRETARY’S EVALUATION.—Not later than 

17 September 30, 2013, the Secretary, in consultation with 

18 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall pre19 pare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, 

20 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 

21 Education and Labor of the House of Representatives an 

22 evaluation of the State reports submitted under subsection 

23 (a)(2). 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 240. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 

4 2008 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

Æ 


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