H. R. 1429—47 
migrant or seasonal Head Start programs to facilitate collaboration 
among Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) 
and entities that carry out activities designed to benefit low-income 
children from birth to school entry, and their families. The national 
administrative offices shall use the funds made available through 
the grants to carry out the authorities and responsibilities described 
in subparagraph (B) and paragraphs (3) and (4), as appropriate. 
‘‘(B) Grants described in subparagraph (A) shall be used to— 
‘‘(i) assist Head Start agencies to collaborate with entities 
involved in State and local planning processes to better meet 
the needs of low-income children from birth to school entry, 
and their families; 
‘‘(ii) assist Head Start agencies to coordinate activities with 
the State agency responsible for administering the State pro-
gram carried out under the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and entities providing 
resource and referral services in the State, to make full- 
working-day and full calendar year services available to chil-
dren; 
‘‘(iii) promote alignment of curricula used in Head Start 
programs and continuity of services with the Head Start Child 
Outcomes Framework and, as appropriate, State early learning 
standards; 
‘‘(iv) promote better linkages between Head Start agencies 
and other child and family agencies, including agencies that 
provide health, mental health, or family services, or other child 
or family supportive services, such as services provided under 
section 619 or part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); and 
‘‘(v) carry out the activities of the State Director of Head 
Start Collaboration authorized in paragraph (4). 
‘‘(3) In order to improve coordination and delivery of early 
childhood education and development to children in the State, a 
State that receives a collaboration grant under paragraph (2) shall— 
‘‘(A) appoint or designate an individual to serve as, or 
carry out the responsibilities of, the State Director of Head 
Start Collaboration; 
‘‘(B) ensure that the State Director of Head Start Collabora-
tion holds a position with sufficient authority and access to 
ensure that the collaboration described in paragraph (2) is 
effective and involves a range of State agencies; and 
‘‘(C) involve the State Head Start Association in the selec-
tion of the Director and involve the Association in determina-
tions relating to the ongoing direction of the collaboration office 
involved. 
‘‘(4) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration shall— 
‘‘(A) not later than 1 year after the State receives a 
collaboration grant under paragraph (2), conduct an assessment 
that— 
‘‘(i) addresses the needs of Head Start agencies in 
the State with respect to collaboration, coordination and 
alignment of services, and alignment of curricula and 
assessments used in Head Start programs with the Head 
Start Child Outcomes Framework and, as appropriate, 
State early learning standards; 
‘‘(ii) shall be updated on an annual basis; and
H. R. 1429—48 
‘‘(iii) shall be made available to the general public 
within the State; 
‘‘(B) develop a strategic plan that is based on the assess-
ment described in subparagraph (A) that will— 
‘‘(i) enhance collaboration and coordination of Head 
Start services by Head Start agencies with other entities 
providing early childhood education and development (such 
as child care or services offered by museums), health care, 
mental health care, welfare, child protective services, edu-
cation and community service activities, family literacy 
services, reading readiness programs (including such pro-
grams offered by public and school libraries), services 
relating to children with disabilities, other early childhood 
education and development for limited English proficient 
children and homeless children, and services provided for 
children in foster care and children referred to Head Start 
programs by child welfare agencies, including agencies and 
State officials responsible for services described in this 
clause; 
‘‘(ii) assist Head Start agencies to develop a plan for 
the provision of full working-day, full calendar year services 
for children enrolled in Head Start programs who need 
such services; 
‘‘(iii) assist Head Start agencies to align curricula and 
assessments used in Head Start programs with the Head 
Start Child Outcomes Framework and, as appropriate, 
State early learning standards; 
‘‘(iv) enable Head Start agencies to better access profes-
sional development opportunities for Head Start staff, such 
as by working with Head Start agencies to enable the 
agencies to meet the degree requirements described in sec-
tion 648A(a)(2)(A), including providing distance learning 
opportunities for Head Start staff, where needed to make 
higher education more accessible to Head Start staff; and 
‘‘(v) enable the Head Start agencies to better conduct 
outreach to eligible families; 
‘‘(C) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies, 
State and local governments, and the private sector to help 
ensure that children from low-income families, who are in Head 
Start programs or are preschool age, are receiving comprehen-
sive services to prepare the children for elementary school; 
‘‘(D) consult with the chief State school officer, local edu-
cational agencies, and providers of early childhood education 
and development, at both the State and local levels; 
‘‘(E) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies, 
schools, law enforcement, relevant community-based organiza-
tions, and substance abuse and mental health treatment agen-
cies to strengthen family and community environments and 
to reduce the impact on child development of substance abuse, 
child abuse, domestic violence, and other high-risk behaviors 
that compromise healthy development; 
‘‘(F) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies 
and other organizations in order to enhance Head Start pro-
gram quality, including partnerships to promote inclusion of 
more books in Head Start classrooms;
H. R. 1429—49 
‘‘(G) identify other resources and organizations (both public 
and private) for the provision of in-kind services to Head Start 
agencies in the State; and 
‘‘(H) serve on the State Advisory Council in order to assist 
the efforts of Head Start agencies to engage in effective 
coordination and collaboration.’’. 
(b) STATE EARLY EDUCATION AND CARE.—Section 642B of the 
Head Start Act, as added by subsection (a), is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(b)(1)(A) The Governor of the State shall— 
‘‘(i) designate or establish a council to serve as the State 
Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care for 
children from birth to school entry (in this subchapter referred 
to as the ‘State Advisory Council’); and 
‘‘(ii) designate an individual to coordinate activities of the 
State Advisory Council, as described in subparagraph (D)(i). 
‘‘(B) The Governor may designate an existing entity in the 
State to serve as the State Advisory Council, and shall appoint 
representatives to the State Advisory Council at the Governor’s 
discretion. In designating an existing entity, the Governor shall 
take steps to ensure that its membership includes, to the extent 
possible, representatives consistent with subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(C) Members of the State Advisory Council shall include, to 
the maximum extent possible— 
‘‘(i) a representative of the State agency responsible for 
child care; 
‘‘(ii) a representative of the State educational agency; 
‘‘(iii) a representative of local educational agencies; 
‘‘(iv) a representative of institutions of higher education 
in the State; 
‘‘(v) a representative of local providers of early childhood 
education and development services; 
‘‘(vi) a representative from Head Start agencies located 
in the State, including migrant and seasonal Head Start pro-
grams and Indian Head Start programs; 
‘‘(vii) the State Director of Head Start Collaboration; 
‘‘(viii) a representative of the State agency responsible for 
programs under section 619 or part C of the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); 
‘‘(ix) a representative of the State agency responsible for 
health or mental health care; and 
‘‘(x) representatives of other entities determined to be rel-
evant by the Governor of the State. 
‘‘(D)(i) The State Advisory Council shall, in addition to any 
responsibilities assigned to the Council by the Governor of the 
State— 
‘‘(I) conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment con-
cerning the quality and availability of early childhood education 
and development programs and services for children from birth 
to school entry, including an assessment of the availability 
of high-quality pre-kindergarten services for low-income chil-
dren in the State; 
‘‘(II) identify opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration 
and coordination among Federally-funded and State-funded 
child development, child care, and early childhood education 
programs and services, including collaboration and coordination
H. R. 1429—50 
among State agencies responsible for administering such pro-
grams; 
‘‘(III) develop recommendations for increasing the overall 
participation of children in existing Federal, State, and local 
child care and early childhood education programs, including 
outreach to underrepresented and special populations; 
‘‘(IV) develop recommendations regarding the establish-
ment of a unified data collection system for public early child-
hood education and development programs and services 
throughout the State; 
‘‘(V) develop recommendations regarding statewide profes-
sional development and career advancement plans for early 
childhood educators in the State; 
‘‘(VI) assess the capacity and effectiveness of 2- and 4- 
year public and private institutions of higher education in 
the State toward supporting the development of early childhood 
educators, including the extent to which such institutions have 
in place articulation agreements, professional development and 
career advancement plans, and practice or internships for stu-
dents to spend time in a Head Start or prekindergarten pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(VII) make recommendations for improvements in State 
early learning standards and undertake efforts to develop high- 
quality comprehensive early learning standards, as appropriate. 
‘‘(ii) The State Advisory Council shall hold public hearings 
and provide an opportunity for public comment on the activities 
described in clause (i). The State Advisory Council shall submit 
a statewide strategic report addressing the activities described in 
clause (i) to the State Director of Head Start Collaboration and 
the Governor of the State. 
‘‘(iii) After submission of a statewide strategic report under 
clause (ii), the State Advisory Council shall meet periodically to 
review any implementation of the recommendations in such report 
and any changes in State and local needs. 
‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary shall use the portion reserved under 
section 640(a)(4)(A)(iii) to award, on a competitive basis, one-time 
startup grants of not less than $500,000 to eligible States to enable 
such States to pay for the Federal share of developing and imple-
menting a plan pursuant to the responsibilities included under 
paragraph (1)(D)(i). A State that receives funds under this para-
graph shall use such funds to facilitate the development or enhance-
ment of high-quality systems of early childhood education and care 
designed to improve school preparedness through one or more of 
the following activities— 
‘‘(i) promoting school preparedness of children from birth 
through school entry, including activities to encourage families 
and caregivers to engage in highly interactive, developmentally 
and age-appropriate activities to improve children’s early social, 
emotional, and cognitive development, support the transition 
of young children to school, and foster parental and family 
involvement in the early education of young children; 
‘‘(ii) supporting professional development, recruitment, and 
retention initiatives for early childhood educators; 
‘‘(iii) enhancing existing early childhood education and 
development programs and services (in existence on the date 
on which the grant involved is awarded), including quality