opment and child care programs, training for personnel 
providing services to non-English language background 
children (including services to promote the acquisition of 
the English language), training for personnel providing 
services to children determined to be abused or neglected, 
training for personnel providing services to children re-
ferred by or receiving child welfare services, training for 
personnel in helping children cope with community vio-
lence, and resource access projects for personnel working 
with disabled children.’’. 
(e) ADDRESSING UNIQUE NEEDS.—Section 648 of 
the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) HELPING PERSONNEL BETTER SERVE MI-
GRANT
AND SEASONAL FARM-WORKING COMMUNITIES 
AND HOMELESS FAMILIES.—The Secretary shall provide, 
either directly or through grants, or other arrangements, 
funds for training of Head Start personnel in addressing 
the unique needs of migrant and seasonal working fami-
lies, families with a limited English proficiency, and home-
less families. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—More than 50 per-
cent of funds expended under this section shall be used 
to provide high quality, sustained, intensive, and class-
room-focused training and technical assistance in order to
100
have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruc-
tion. Funds shall be used to carry out activities related 
to any or all of the following: 
‘‘(1) Education and early childhood develop-
ment. 
‘‘(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety. 
‘‘(3) Family and community partnerships. 
‘‘(4) Other areas that impact the quality or 
overall effectiveness of Head Start programs. 
‘‘(i) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds under 
this subchapter used for training shall be used for needs 
identified annually by a grant applicant or delegate agency 
in their program improvement plan, except that funds 
shall not be used for long-distance travel expenses for 
training activities available locally or regionally or for 
training activities substantially similar to locally or region-
ally available training activities. 
‘‘(j)(1) The Secretary shall work in collaboration with 
the Head Start agencies that carry out migrant and sea-
sonal Head Start programs, State Collaboration Directors, 
the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Collaboration 
Project Director, and other appropriate entities—
‘‘(A) to accurately determine the number of 
children nationwide who are eligible to participate in
101
migrant and seasonal Head Start programs each 
year; and 
‘‘(B) to document how many of these children 
are receiving Head Start services each year; and 
‘‘(C) to the extent practicable, to ensure that 
access to migrant and seasonal Head Start pro-
grams for eligible children is comparable to access to 
other Head Start programs for other eligible chil-
dren; 
‘‘(2) In carrying out paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary 
shall consult with the Secretary of Education about the 
Department of Education’s systems for collecting and re-
porting data about, and maintaining records on, students 
from migrant and seasonal farmworker families. 
‘‘(3) Not later than 1 year after the effective date 
of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
the Congress detailing how the Department of Health and 
Human Services plans to carry out paragraph (1).’’. 
‘‘(k) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘eligible entities’ means an institution of higher edu-
cation or other entity with expertise in delivering training 
in early childhood development, family support, and other 
assistance designed to improve the delivery of Head Start 
services.’’.
102
SEC. 19. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) CLASSROOM TEACHERS.—Section 648A(a)(2) of 
the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a(a)(2)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that not later than September 30, 2010, 
at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers 
nationwide in center-based programs have—
‘‘(i) a baccalaureate or advanced de-
gree in early childhood education; or 
‘‘(ii) a baccalaureate or advanced de-
gree in a field related to early childhood 
education, with experience in teaching pre-
school children. 
‘‘(B) PROGRESS.—Each Head State agen-
cy shall provide to the Secretary a report indi-
cating the number and percentage of classroom 
instructors with child development associate 
credentials and associate, baccalaureate, or ad-
vanced degrees. The Secretary shall compile all 
program reports and make them available to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
of the United States House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Health, Education,
103
Labor, and Pensions of the United States Sen-
ate. 
‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT
FOR
NEW
HEAD 
START TEACHERS.—Within 3 years after the ef-
fective date of this subparagraph, the Secretary 
shall require that all Head Start teachers na-
tionwide in center-based programs hired fol-
lowing the effective date of this subparagraph—
‘‘(i) have an associate, baccalaureate, 
or advanced degree in early childhood edu-
cation; 
‘‘(ii) have an associate, baccalaureate, 
or advanced degree in a field related to 
early childhood education, with experience 
in teaching preschool children; or 
‘‘(iii) be currently enrolled in a pro-
gram of study leading to an associate de-
gree in early childhood education and 
agree to complete degree requirements 
within 3 years from the date of hire. 
‘‘(D) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec-
retary shall establish requirements to ensure 
that individuals who receive financial assistance 
under this subchapter in order to comply with 
the requirements under section 648A(a)(2)
104
shall subsequently teach in a Head Start center 
for a period of time equivalent to the period for 
which they received assistance or repay the 
amount of the funds. 
‘‘(E) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall 
require that any Federal funds provided directly 
or indirectly to comply with subparagraph (A) 
shall be used toward degrees awarded by an in-
stitution of higher education, as defined by sec-
tions 101 or 102 of the Higher Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1001–1002).’’. 
(b) CLASSROOM TEACHERS.—Section 648A of the 
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS.—Each 
Head Start agency and program shall create, in consulta-
tion with an employee, a professional development plan for 
all full-time employees who provide direct services to chil-
dren.’’. 
SEC. 20. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION. 
(a) 
NEW
IDEAS
AND
APPROACHES.—Section 
649(a)(1)(B) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9844(a)(1)(B)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) use the Head Start programs to de-
velop, test, and disseminate new ideas and ap-
105
proaches based on existing scientifically based 
research, for addressing the needs of low-in-
come preschool children (including children with 
disabilities and children determined to be 
abused or neglected) and their families and 
communities (including demonstrations of inno-
vative non-center based program models such as 
home-based and mobile programs), and other-
wise to further the purposes of this sub-
chapter.’’. 
(b) STUDY.—Section 649(d) of the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9844(d) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (7) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (8) by striking the semicolon 
and inserting a period; 
(3) by striking paragraph (9); and 
(4) by striking the last sentence. 
(c) EXPERT PANEL.—Section 649(g) of the Head 
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9844(g)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1)—
(A) by striking clause (i); and 
(B) by redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) 
as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; and
106
(2) in paragraph (7)(C)(i) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(i) Not later than September 30, 
2007, the Secretary shall transmit to the 
committees specified in clause (ii) the final 
report.’’. 
(d) NAS STUDY.—Section 649(h) of the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9844(h)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(h) NAS STUDY.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use 
funds allocated in section 640(a)(2)(C)(iii) to con-
tract with the National Academy of Sciences for the 
Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Na-
tional Research Council to establish an independent 
panel of experts which shall review and synthesize 
research, theory and applications in the social, be-
havioral and biological sciences and shall make rec-
ommendations on early childhood pedagogy with re-
gard to each of the following: 
‘‘(A) Age and developmentally appropriate 
Head Start academic requirements and out-
comes, including the domains in 641A(a)(B). 
‘‘(B) Differences in the type, length, mix 
and intensity of services necessary to ensure 
that children from challenging family and social
107
backgrounds including: low-income children, 
children of color, children with special needs, 
and children with limited English proficiency 
enter kindergarten ready to succeed. 
‘‘(C) Appropriate assessments of young 
children (including systematic observation as-
sessment in a child’s natural environment, and 
parent and provider interviews) for purposes of 
improving instruction, services, and program 
quality , and accommodations for children with 
disabilities and appropriate assessments for 
children with special needs (including needs re-
lated to the acquisition of the English lan-
guage). 
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The panel shall consist of 
multiple experts in each of the following areas: 
‘‘(A) Child development and education, in-
cluding cognitive, social, emotional, physical, 
approaches to learning, and other domains of 
child development and learning. 
‘‘(B) Professional development, including 
teacher preparation, to individuals who teach 
young children in programs. 
‘‘(C) Assessment of young children, includ-
ing screening, diagnostic and classroom-based
108
instructional assessment; children with special 
needs, including children with disabilities and 
limited English proficient children. 
‘‘(3) 
TIMING.—The 
National 
Academy 
of 
Sciences and the Board shall establish the panel not 
later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
the date of the enactment of the School Readiness 
Act of 2005. The panel shall complete its rec-
ommendations within 18 months of its convening. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATION
OF
PANEL
REPORT
REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—The 
recommendations 
of 
the 
panel shall be used as guidelines by the Secretary to 
develop, inform and revise, where appropriate, the 
Head Start education performance measures and 
standards and the assessments utilized in the Head 
Start program.’’. 
SEC. 21. REPORTS. 
Section 650(a) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9845) is amended— 
(1) by amending the first sentence to read as 
follows: 
‘‘At least once during every 2-year period, the Secretary 
shall prepare and submit, to the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
109
of the Senate, a report concerning the status of children 
(including disabled, homeless, and non-English language 
background children) in Head Start programs, including 
the number of children and the services being provided 
to such children.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (8) by inserting ‘‘, homeless-
ness’’ after ‘‘background’’. 
SEC. 22. LIMITATION ON RATE OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR 
COMPENSATION. 
Section 653 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9848) 
is amended—
(1) by striking the heading; 
(2) by striking ‘‘SEC. 653. The’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 653. WAGES AND COMPENSATION. 
‘‘(a) COMPARABILITY OF WAGES.—The’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL RATE LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, no Federal funds shall be used 
to pay all or any part of the compensation of an individual 
employed by a Head Start agency in carrying out pro-
grams under this subchapter, either as direct or indirect 
costs or any proration thereof, at a rate in excess of the 
rate then payable for level II of the Executive Schedule 
under section 5316 of title 5, United State Code.’’.
110
SEC. 23. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS. 
(a) GENERAL EFFECTIVE DATE.—Except as pro-
vided in subsection (b), this Act and the amendments 
made by this Act shall take effect on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(b) APPLICATION OF AMENDMENTS.—The amend-
ments made by this Act shall not apply with respect to 
any fiscal year that begins before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act.
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