eligible families with a family member in the 
Armed Forces; 
(B) the quality and capacity of existing 
programs of early childhood home visitation for 
eligible families with a family member in the 
Armed Forces; 
(C) the gaps in programs of early child-
hood home visitation for eligible families with a 
family member in the Armed Forces; and 
(D) the type of program of early childhood 
home visitation necessary to address the gaps 
identified; 
(2) the program of early childhood home visita-
tion that will be supported by the grant under this 
section; 
(3) how the proposed program of early child-
hood home visitation will promote positive parenting 
skills and children’s early learning and development; 
(4) how the proposed program of early child-
hood home visitation will incorporate the authorized 
activities described in subsection (f); 
(5) how services provided through a grant 
under this section will use materials that are geared 
toward eligible families with a family member in the 
Armed Forces;
(6) how the activities under this section will 
build on and promote coordination with existing pro-
grams of early childhood home visitation, if such 
programs exist in the community, in an effort to 
promote an array of home visitation that ensures 
more eligible families with a family member in the 
Armed Forces are being served and are getting the 
most appropriate services to meet their needs; 
(7) how the program will ensure that— 
(A) eligible families with a family member 
in the Armed Forces are linked to schools; and 
(B) the activities under this section will 
support the preparation of children for school; 
(8) how channels of communication will be es-
tablished between staff of programs of early child-
hood home visitation and staff of other early child-
hood education programs, such as Head Start pro-
grams carried out under the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) and Early Head Start pro-
grams carried out under section 645A of such Act, 
preschool programs, family support programs, and 
child care programs, to facilitate the coordination of 
services for eligible families with a family member in 
the Armed Forces;
(9) how eligible families with a family member 
in the Armed Forces will be recruited and retained 
to receive services under this section; 
(10) how training and technical assistance will 
help staff of programs of early childhood home visi-
tation involved in activities under this section to 
more effectively serve eligible families with a family 
member in the Armed Forces; 
(11) how the eligible applicant will evaluate the 
activities supported under this section in order to 
demonstrate outcomes related to the— 
(A) increase in number of eligible families 
with a family member in the Armed Forces 
served by programs of early childhood home vis-
itation; 
(B) enhancement of participating parents’ 
knowledge of early learning and development; 
(C) enhancement of positive parenting 
practices related to early learning and develop-
ment; and 
(D) enhancement of children’s cognitive, 
language, social-emotional, and physical devel-
opment; and 
(12) such other information as the Secretary of 
Defense may require.
(d) APPROVAL OF LOCAL APPLICATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall select applicants for funding under this section 
based on the quality of the applications and the rec-
ommendations of a peer review panel, as described 
in paragraph (2). 
(2) PEER
REVIEW
PANEL.—The peer review 
panel shall include not less than— 
(A) 2 individuals who are experts in the 
field of home visitation; 
(B) 2 individuals who are experts in early 
childhood development; 
(C) 2 individuals who are experts in family 
support for military families; 
(D) 1 individual who is a board certified 
pediatrician or developmental pediatrician; and 
(E) 1 individual with experience in admin-
istering public or private (including community- 
based) child maltreatment prevention programs. 
(e) DURATION OF GRANTS.—Grants made under this 
section shall be for a period of no more than 3 years. 
(f) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—Each eligible appli-
cant that receives a grant under this section shall carry 
out the following activities:
(1) Providing to as many eligible families with 
a family member in the Armed Forces as prac-
ticable, voluntary early childhood home visitation, on 
not less frequently than a monthly basis, through 
the implementation of quality programs of early 
childhood home visitation that are research-based 
and that provide parents with— 
(A) knowledge of age appropriate child de-
velopment in cognitive, language, social-emo-
tional, and motor domains; 
(B) knowledge of realistic expectations of 
age-appropriate child behaviors; 
(C) knowledge of health and wellness 
issues for children and parents; 
(D) modeling, consulting, and coaching on 
parenting practices; 
(E) skills to interact with their child to en-
hance age-appropriate development; 
(F) skills to recognize and seek help for 
issues related to health, developmental delays, 
and social, emotional, and behavioral skills; and 
(G) activities designed to help parents be-
come full partners in the education of their chil-
dren.