I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8236 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to State educational 
agencies to facilitate the provision of pre-kindergarten programs that 
reduce the cost of education services and result in positive educational 
outcomes, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 2, 2024 
Mr. NUNN of Iowa (for himself, Ms. PEREZ, and Mrs. HINSON) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to 
State educational agencies to facilitate the provision of 
pre-kindergarten programs that reduce the cost of edu-
cation services and result in positive educational out-
comes, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pre-K for Kids Act 
of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE PRE-KINDER-
GARTEN PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award, on a 
competitive basis, grants to State educational agencies to 
facilitate, through subgrants to local educational agencies, 
the provision of pre-kindergarten programs that— 
(1) reduce the cost of education services, in-
cluding with respect to at-risk children; 
(2) result in positive educational and develop-
mental outcomes; 
(3) are likely to have a positive fiscal impact on 
local governmental entities; and 
(4) are based on a model pre-kindergarten pro-
gram. 
(b) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 
seeking a grant under this section shall submit to 
the Secretary an application in such form, at such 
time, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(2) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give pri-
ority to State educational agencies who serve a ma-
jority of families in the State whose family income 
is at or below 250 percent of the Federal poverty 
line, as defined by the most recently revised poverty 
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income guidelines published by the Department of 
Health and Human Services. 
(c) GRANT USES.—A State educational agency that 
receives a grant under this section shall use such grant 
funds to award subgrants to local educational agencies in 
accordance with subsection (d). 
(d) SUBGRANTS.— 
(1) APPLICATION.—A local educational agency 
seeking a subgrant under this subsection shall sub-
mit to the State educational agency an application 
in such form, at such time, and containing such in-
formation as the State educational agency may re-
quire, including the program proposal described in 
paragraph (2). 
(2) PROGRAM
PROPOSAL.—The program pro-
posal shall include the following: 
(A) A description of how the local edu-
cational agency will carry out the innovative fi-
nancing partnership described in subsection (e). 
(B) A description of the pre-kindergarten 
services that will be provided by a service pro-
vider described in paragraph (2)(A) of such 
subsection pursuant to such partnership. 
(C) An assurance that the local edu-
cational agency will agree to an evaluation by 
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an independent evaluator described in para-
graph (2)(C) of such subsection pursuant to 
such partnership of the pre-kindergarten pro-
grams provided under this subsection. 
(D) A description of the ways in which the 
program will be carried out in order to have a 
positive fiscal impact on the local government. 
(3) EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS.— 
(A) CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION.—In eval-
uating an application submitted by a local edu-
cational agency under paragraph (1), the State 
educational agency shall consider the following: 
(i) Whether the program proposal 
submitted by the local educational agency 
includes all required information. 
(ii) Whether the program described by 
such proposal— 
(I) will achieve the objectives de-
scribed in paragraphs (1) through (4) 
of subsection (a) and result in signifi-
cant performance improvements; and 
(II) is likely to have a positive 
fiscal impact on the local government. 
(B) PRIORITY.—In evaluating an applica-
tion submitted by a local educational agency 
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under paragraph (1), the State educational 
agency may give priority to a local educational 
agency that— 
(i) demonstrates intent to partner 
with a service provider that demonstrates a 
strong commitment to ongoing professional 
development for employees; 
(ii) demonstrates intent to partner 
with public and private service providers; 
(iii) demonstrates intent to use new 
and enhanced services for children; 
(iv) serves a majority of families 
whose family income is at or below 250 
percent of the Federal poverty line, as de-
fined by the most recently revised poverty 
income guidelines published by the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services; 
(v) serves a majority of immigrant 
and refugee families; 
(vi) serves areas with waiting lists for 
high-quality pre-kindergarten programs; 
(vii) serves a rural community; 
(viii) includes a plan to utilize private 
funds in addition to funds provided by the 
local 
educational 
agency 
(other 
than 
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subgrant funds received under this sub-
section) to provide pre-kindergarten serv-
ices to— 
(I) students in rural areas; and 
(II) students who belong to a 
family described in clause (iv); 
(ix) demonstrates strategies to im-
prove early mathematic skills and early lit-
eracy skills, including the literacy skills of 
children who have been identified as 
English learners; 
(x) demonstrates strategies to in-
crease family engagement and connect 
families to community resources; 
(xi) provides a comprehensive child 
development program; 
(xii) establishes a student-to-teacher 
ratio of not more than 10 students to 
every 1 teacher; 
(xiii) demonstrates substantial paren-
tal involvement; 
(xiv) demonstrates community sup-
port; 
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(xv) utilizes services provided by serv-
ice 
providers 
described 
in 
subsection 
(e)(2)(A); or 
(xvi) includes a plan for program eval-
uation that includes the measurement of 
student outcomes in addition to the out-
comes 
measured 
under 
subsection 
(e)(2)(C). 
(4) SUBGRANT
USES.—A local educational 
agency receiving a subgrant under this subsection 
shall use such subgrant funds to provide pre-kinder-
garten programs described in subsection (a) through 
the innovative financing partnership described in 
subsection (e). 
(e) INNOVATIVE FINANCING PARTNERSHIP.— 
(1) PARTNERSHIP
DESCRIBED.—A local edu-
cational agency receiving a subgrant under sub-
section (d) shall enter into a partnership that in-
cludes each of the parties described in paragraph 
(2). 
(2) PARTIES.—The parties to a partnership de-
scribed in paragraph (1) are as follows: 
(A) One or more service providers who pro-
vide, as part of a pre-kindergarten program 
provided by a local educational agency pursuant 
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to subsection (d), pre-kindergarten services to 
3-year-old and 4-year-old children from families 
whose family income is at or below 250 percent 
of the Federal poverty line, as defined by the 
most recently revised poverty income guidelines 
published by the Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
(B) One or more investors who provide, in 
accordance with paragraph (4), the capital for 
pre-kindergarten services under the partnership, 
including philanthropic investors seeking a full 
or partial return of principal. 
(C) An independent evaluator to determine 
whether the pre-kindergarten programs pro-
vided pursuant to subsection (d) achieve the ob-
jectives described in paragraphs (1) through (4) 
of subsection (a). 
(D) One or more outcomes payers de-
scribed in paragraph (3). 
(3) OUTCOMES PAYER.—An outcomes payer in-
cludes any governmental entity, including the child 
development coordinating council of the State, or 
any private entity that agrees to commit to pay to 
an investor described in paragraph (2)(B) the prin-
cipal invested by, and the interest owed to, such in-
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vestor if the independent evaluator described in sub-
paragraph (C) of such paragraph makes the deter-
mination described in such subparagraph. 
(4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—The non-Fed-
eral share of the costs of an activity carried out with 
a grant awarded under this section shall be— 
(A) not less than 40 percent of such costs; 
and 
(B) provided by an investor described in 
paragraph (2)(B). 
(f) REPORTS.— 
(1) SERVICE
PROVIDER
REPORT.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the formation of the 
innovative financing partnership under subsection 
(e), and every 6 months thereafter, a service pro-
vider that is a party to an innovative financing part-
nership under subsection (e) shall submit to the 
State educational agency a report on the progress of 
the pre-kindergarten services provided by such serv-
ice provider as part of a pre-kindergarten program 
provided by a local educational agency pursuant to 
subsection (d). 
(2) INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR REPORT.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the first day 
of operation of a pre-kindergarten program provided 
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by a local educational agency pursuant to subsection 
(d), and every 12 months thereafter, an independent 
evaluator who is a party to an innovative financing 
partnership under subsection (e) shall submit to the 
State educational agency a report on the progress of 
such pre-kindergarten program. 
(3) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORT.— 
Not later than 180 days after receiving each inde-
pendent evaluator report described in paragraph (2), 
the State educational agency shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the outcomes of the programs car-
ried out by local educational agencies that received 
a subgrant under subsection (d) and that are served 
by such State educational agency. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local edu-
cational agency’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, and ‘‘State edu-
cational agency’’ have the meanings given such 
terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) MODEL
PRE-KINDERGARTEN
PROGRAM.— 
The term ‘‘model pre-kindergarten program’’ means 
a pre-kindergarten program with existing data which 
demonstrates that the program, or substantially 
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similar programs, had a positive fiscal impact on 
governmental entities. 
(3) POSITIVE FISCAL IMPACT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘positive fis-
cal impact’’ means, when used with respect to 
a local government, an increase in tax revenue, 
decrease in expenditures, or a combination of 
the two, that a local educational agency receiv-
ing a subgrant under this section estimates will, 
at the conclusion of the covered period, result 
in an amount of revenue that is greater than 
the amount of the subgrant received pursuant 
to this section. 
(B) COVERED PERIOD.—For purposes of 
subparagraph (A), the term ‘‘covered period’’ 
means the period— 
(i) beginning on the date on which an 
innovative financing partnership is formed; 
and 
(ii) ending on the date that is 10 
years after such date. 
(4) RURAL
COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘rural 
community’’ means a community with a population 
of not more than 50,000 people. 
Æ 
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