H. R. 1429—16 
‘‘(2) to allow families of homeless children to apply to, 
enroll in, and attend Head Start programs while required docu-
ments, such as proof of residency, immunization and other 
medical records, birth certificates, and other documents, are 
obtained within a reasonable time frame; and 
‘‘(3) to coordinate individual Head Start programs with 
efforts to implement subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney- 
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.). 
‘‘(n) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to require 
a State to establish a publicly funded program of early childhood 
education and development, or to require any child to participate 
in such a publicly funded program, including a State-funded pre-
school program, or to participate in any initial screening before 
participating in a publicly funded program of early childhood edu-
cation and development, except as provided under sections 612(a)(3) 
and 635(a)(5) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3), 1435(a)(5)). 
‘‘(o) All curricula funded under this subchapter shall be based 
on scientifically valid research, and be age and developmentally 
appropriate. The curricula shall reflect all areas of child develop-
ment and learning and be aligned with the Head Start Child 
Outcomes Framework. Parents shall have the opportunity to 
examine any such curricula or instructional materials funded under 
this subchapter.’’. 
SEC. 7. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 
Section 641 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO DESIGNATE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to designate 
as a Head Start agency any local public or private nonprofit 
agency, including community-based and faith-based organiza-
tions, or for-profit agency, within a community, pursuant to 
the requirements of this section. 
‘‘(2) INTERIM POLICY.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), until 
such time as the Secretary develops and implements the system 
for designation renewal under this section, the Secretary is 
authorized to designate as a Head Start agency, any local 
public or private nonprofit agency, including community-based 
and faith-based organizations, or for-profit agency, within a 
community, in the manner and process utilized by the Secretary 
prior to the enactment of the Improving Head Start for School 
Readiness Act of 2007. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION FOR DESIGNATION RENEWAL.—To be consid-
ered for designation renewal, an entity shall submit an application 
to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 
may require. 
‘‘(c) SYSTEM FOR DESIGNATION RENEWAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop a system 
for designation renewal that integrates the recommendations 
of the expert panel convened under paragraph (2) to determine 
if a Head Start agency is delivering a high-quality and com-
prehensive Head Start program that meets the educational, 
health, nutritional, and social needs of the children and families 
it serves, and meets program and financial management
H. R. 1429—17 
requirements and standards described in section 641A(a)(1), 
based on— 
‘‘(A) annual budget and fiscal management data; 
‘‘(B) program reviews conducted under section 641A(c); 
‘‘(C) annual audits required under section 647; 
‘‘(D) classroom quality as measured under section 
641A(c)(2)(F); and 
‘‘(E) Program Information Reports. 
‘‘(2) EXPERT PANEL.—Not later than 3 months after the 
date of enactment of the Improving Head Start for School 
Readiness Act of 2007, the Secretary shall convene an expert 
panel of 7 members to make recommendations to the Secretary 
on the development of a transparent, reliable, and valid system 
for designation renewal. 
‘‘(3) COMPOSITION
OF
EXPERT
PANEL.—The Secretary, in 
convening such panel, shall appoint the following: 
‘‘(A)(i) One member, who has demonstrated com-
petency, as evidenced by training, expertise, and experi-
ence, in early childhood program accreditation. 
‘‘(ii) One member, who has demonstrated competency 
(as so evidenced) in research on early childhood develop-
ment. 
‘‘(iii) One member, who has demonstrated competency 
(as so evidenced) in governance and finance of nonprofit 
organizations. 
‘‘(iv) One member, who has demonstrated competency 
(as so evidenced) in delivery of services to populations 
of children with special needs and their families. 
‘‘(v) One member, who has demonstrated competency 
(as so evidenced) in assessment and evaluation of programs 
serving young children. 
‘‘(B) An employee from the Office of Head Start. 
‘‘(C) An executive director of a Head Start agency. 
‘‘(4) EXPERT PANEL REPORT.—Within 9 months after being 
convened by the Secretary, the expert panel shall issue a report 
to the Secretary that provides recommendations on a proposed 
system for designation renewal that takes into account the 
criteria in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1) 
to evaluate whether a Head Start agency is fulfilling its mission 
to deliver a high-quality and comprehensive Head Start pro-
gram, including adequately meeting its governance, legal, and 
financial management requirements. 
‘‘(5) PUBLIC COMMENT AND CONSIDERATION.—Not later than 
3 months after receiving the report described in paragraph 
(4), the Secretary shall publish a notice describing a proposed 
system for designation renewal in the Federal Register, 
including a proposal for the transition to such system, providing 
at least 90 days for public comment. The Secretary shall review 
and consider public comments prior to finalizing the system 
for designation renewal described in this subsection. 
‘‘(6) DESIGNATION
RENEWAL
SYSTEM.—Not later than 12 
months after publishing a notice describing the proposed system 
under paragraph (5), the Secretary shall implement the system 
for designation renewal and use that system to determine— 
‘‘(A) whether a Head Start grantee is successfully deliv-
ering a high-quality and comprehensive Head Start pro-
gram; and
H. R. 1429—18 
‘‘(B) whether the grantee has any unresolved defi-
ciencies found during the last triennial review under sec-
tion 641A(c). 
‘‘(7) IMPLEMENTATION
OF
THE
DESIGNATION
RENEWAL 
SYSTEM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A grantee who is determined under 
such system— 
‘‘(i) to be delivering a high-quality and comprehen-
sive Head Start program shall be designated (con-
sistent with section 643) as a Head Start agency for 
the period of 5 years described in section 638; 
‘‘(ii) to not be delivering a high-quality and com-
prehensive Head Start program shall be subject to 
an open competition as described in subsection (d); 
and 
‘‘(iii) in the case of an Indian Head Start agency, 
to not be delivering a high-quality and comprehensive 
Head Start program shall (notwithstanding clause (ii)) 
be subject to the requirements of subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) 
TRIBAL
GOVERNMENT
CONSULTATION
AND 
REEVALUATION.—On making a determination described in 
subparagraph (A)(iii), the Secretary shall engage in govern-
ment-to-government consultation with the appropriate 
tribal government or governments for the purpose of estab-
lishing a plan to improve the quality of Head Start pro-
grams operated by the Indian Head Start agency. Such 
plan shall be established and implemented within 6 months 
after the Secretary’s determination. Not more than 6 
months after the implementation of that plan, the Secretary 
shall reevaluate the performance of the Indian Head Start 
agency. If the Indian Head Start agency is still not deliv-
ering a high-quality and comprehensive Head Start pro-
gram, the Secretary shall conduct an open competition 
as described in subsection (d), subject to the limitations 
described in subsection (e). 
‘‘(8) TRANSPARENCY, RELIABILITY, AND VALIDITY.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure the system for designation renewal is fair, 
consistent, and transparent and is applied in a manner that 
renews designations, in a timely manner, grantees as Head 
Start agencies for periods of 5 years if such grantees are deliv-
ering high-quality and comprehensive Head Start programs. 
The Secretary shall periodically evaluate whether the criteria 
of the system are being applied in a manner that is transparent, 
reliable, and valid. 
‘‘(9) TRANSITION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Head Start agency shall be 
reviewed under the system for designation renewal 
described in paragraph (6), not later than 3 years after 
the implementation of such system. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A Head Start agency shall not be 
subject to the requirements of the system for designation 
renewal prior to 18 months after the date of enactment 
of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act 
of 2007. 
‘‘(C) SCHEDULE.—The Secretary shall establish and 
implement a schedule for reviewing each Head Start agency
H. R. 1429—19 
under the system for designation renewal described in para-
graph (6), consistent with subparagraphs (A) and (B). 
‘‘(10) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) make available to the Committee on Education 
and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate the report described in paragraph (4); 
‘‘(B) concurrently with publishing a notice in the Fed-
eral Register as described in paragraph (5), provide a report 
to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate that provides 
a detailed description of the proposed system described 
in paragraph (5), including a clear rationale for any dif-
ferences between the proposed system and the rec-
ommendations of the expert panel, if any such differences 
exist; and 
‘‘(C) prior to implementing the system for designation 
renewal, provide a report to the Committee on Education 
and Labor of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
Senate— 
‘‘(i) summarizing the public comment on the pro-
posed system and the Secretary’s response to such 
comment; and 
‘‘(ii) describing the final system for designation 
renewal and the plans for implementation of such 
system. 
‘‘(d) DESIGNATION WHEN NO ENTITY IS RENEWED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If no entity in a community is deter-
mined to be successfully delivering a high-quality and com-
prehensive Head Start program, as specified in subsection (c), 
the Secretary shall, after conducting an open competition, des-
ignate for a 5-year period a Head Start agency from among 
qualified applicants in such community. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGNATION.—In selecting from 
among qualified applicants for designation as a Head Start 
agency, the Secretary shall consider the effectiveness of each 
such applicant to provide Head Start services, based on— 
‘‘(A) any past performance of such applicant in pro-
viding services comparable to Head Start services, 
including how effectively such applicant provided such com-
parable services; 
‘‘(B) the plan of such applicant to provide comprehen-
sive health, educational, nutritional, social, and other serv-
ices needed to aid participating children in attaining their 
full potential, and to prepare children to succeed in school; 
‘‘(C) the plan of such applicant to attract and retain 
qualified staff capable of delivering, including imple-
menting, a high-quality and comprehensive program, 
including the ability to carry out a research based cur-
riculum aligned with the Head Start Child Outcomes 
Framework and, as appropriate, State early learning stand-
ards; 
‘‘(D) the ability of such applicant to maintain child- 
to-teacher ratios and family service worker caseloads that
H. R. 1429—20 
reflect best practices and are tied to high-quality service 
delivery; 
‘‘(E) the capacity of such applicant to serve eligible 
children with— 
‘‘(i) curricula that are based on scientifically valid 
research, that are developmentally appropriate, and 
that promote the school readiness of children partici-
pating in the program involved; and 
‘‘(ii) teaching practices that are based, as appro-
priate, on scientifically valid research, that are develop-
mentally appropriate, and that promote the school 
readiness of children participating in the program 
involved; 
‘‘(F) the plan of such applicant to meet standards 
described in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention 
to the standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
of such section; 
‘‘(G) the proposed budget of the applicant and plan 
of such applicant to maintain strong fiscal controls and 
cost-effective fiscal management; 
‘‘(H) the plan of such applicant to coordinate and 
collaborate with other public or private entities providing 
early childhood education and development programs and 
services for young children in the community involved, 
including— 
‘‘(i) programs implementing grant agreements 
under the Early Reading First and Even Start pro-
grams under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of title I 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 6381 et seq.); 
‘‘(ii) other preschool programs under title I of that 
Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); 
‘‘(iii) programs under section 619 and part C of 
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); 
‘‘(iv) State prekindergarten programs; 
‘‘(v) child care programs; 
‘‘(vi) the educational programs that the children 
in the Head Start program involved will enter at the 
age of compulsory school attendance; and 
‘‘(vii) local entities, such as a public or school 
library, for— 
‘‘(I) conducting reading readiness programs; 
‘‘(II) developing innovative programs to excite 
children about the world of books, including pro-
viding fresh books in the Head Start classroom; 
‘‘(III) assisting in literacy training for Head 
Start teachers; or 
‘‘(IV) supporting parents and other caregivers 
in literacy efforts; 
‘‘(I) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head 
Start program that the applicant proposes to carry out, 
with public and private entities that are willing to commit 
resources to assist the Head Start program in meeting 
its program needs; 
‘‘(J) the plan of such applicant—
H. R. 1429—21 
‘‘(i) to facilitate the involvement of parents 
(including grandparents and kinship caregivers, as 
appropriate) of children participating in the proposed 
Head Start program, in activities (at home and, if 
practicable, at the location of the Head Start program) 
designed to help such parents become full partners 
in the education of their children; 
‘‘(ii) to afford such parents the opportunity to 
participate in the development and overall conduct 
of the program at the local level, including transpor-
tation assistance, as appropriate; 
‘‘(iii) to offer (directly or through referral to local 
entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start pro-
grams under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), public and school libraries, and 
entities carrying out family support programs) to such 
parents— 
‘‘(I) family literacy services; and 
‘‘(II) parenting skills training; 
‘‘(iv) to offer to parents of participating children 
substance abuse counseling (either directly or through 
referral to local entities), if needed, including informa-
tion on the effect of drug exposure on infants and 
fetal alcohol syndrome; 
‘‘(v) at the option of such applicant, to offer 
(directly or through referral to local entities) to such 
parents— 
‘‘(I) training in basic child development 
(including cognitive, social, and emotional develop-
ment); 
‘‘(II) assistance in developing literacy and 
communication skills; 
‘‘(III) opportunities to share experiences with 
other parents (including parent-mentor relation-
ships); 
‘‘(IV) regular in-home visitation; 
‘‘(V) health services, including information on 
maternal depression; or 
‘‘(VI) any other activity designed to help such 
parents become full partners in the education of 
their children; 
‘‘(vi) to provide, with respect to each participating 
family, a family needs assessment that includes con-
sultation with such parents (including foster parents, 
grandparents, 
and 
kinship 
caregivers, 
where 
applicable), in a manner and language that such par-
ents can understand, to the extent practicable, about 
the benefits of parent involvement and about the activi-
ties described in this subparagraph in which such par-
ents may choose to become involved (taking into consid-
eration their specific family needs, work schedules, 
and other responsibilities); and 
‘‘(vii) to extend outreach to fathers (including 
father figures), in appropriate cases, in order to 
strengthen the role of those fathers in families, in 
the education of young children, and in the Head Start
H. R. 1429—22 
program, by working directly with the fathers through 
activities such as— 
‘‘(I) in appropriate cases, including the fathers 
in home visits and providing opportunities for 
direct father-child interactions; and 
‘‘(II) targeting increased male participation in 
the conduct of the program; 
‘‘(K) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs 
of limited English proficient children and their families, 
including procedures to identify such children, plans to 
provide trained personnel, and plans to provide services 
to assist the children in making progress toward the 
acquisition of the English language, while making meaning-
ful progress in attaining the knowledge, skills, abilities, 
and development described in section 641A(a)(1)(B); 
‘‘(L) the plan of such applicant to meet the diverse 
needs of the population served; 
‘‘(M) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist 
younger siblings of children who will participate in the 
Head Start program to obtain health services from other 
sources; 
‘‘(N) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs 
of children with disabilities, including procedures to iden-
tify such children, procedures for referral of such children 
for evaluation to State or local agencies providing services 
under section 619 or part C of the Individuals with Disabil-
ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.), and 
plans for collaboration with those State or local agencies; 
‘‘(O) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs 
of homeless children, including transportation needs, and 
the needs of children in foster care; and 
‘‘(P) other factors related to the requirements of this 
subchapter. 
‘‘(3) 
PRIORITY.—In 
selecting 
from 
among 
qualified 
applicants for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary 
shall give priority to applicants that have demonstrated 
capacity in providing effective, comprehensive, and well-coordi-
nated early childhood education and development services and 
programs to children and their families. 
‘‘(e) PROHIBITION AGAINST NON-INDIAN HEAD START AGENCY 
RECEIVING A GRANT FOR AN INDIAN HEAD START PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, except as provided in paragraph (2), under no condition 
may a non-Indian Head Start agency receive a grant to carry 
out an Indian Head Start program. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—In a community in which there is no 
Indian Head Start agency available for designation to carry 
out an Indian Head Start program, a non-Indian Head Start 
agency may receive a grant to carry out an Indian Head Start 
program but only until such time as an Indian Head Start 
agency in such community becomes available and is designated 
pursuant to this section. 
‘‘(f) INTERIM PROVIDER.—If no agency in a community is des-
ignated under subsection (d), and there is no qualified applicant 
in the community, the Secretary shall designate a qualified agency 
to carry out the Head Start program in the community on an
H. R. 1429—23 
interim basis until a qualified applicant from the community is 
designated under subsection (d). 
‘‘(g) PARENT AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary 
shall require that the practice of significantly involving parents 
and community residents in the area affected by the program 
involved, in the selection of Head Start agencies, be continued. 
‘‘(h) COMMUNITY.—For purposes of this subchapter, a commu-
nity may be a city, county, or multicity or multicounty unit within 
a State, an Indian reservation (including Indians in any off-reserva-
tion area designated by an appropriate tribal government in con-
sultation with the Secretary), or a neighborhood or other area 
(irrespective of boundaries or political subdivisions) that provides 
a suitable organizational base and possesses the commonality of 
interest needed to operate a Head Start program.’’. 
SEC. 8. STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND 
PROGRAMS. 
Section 641A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 641A. STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND 
PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) STANDARDS.— 
‘‘(1) CONTENT OF STANDARDS.—The Secretary shall modify, 
as necessary, program performance standards by regulation 
applicable to Head Start agencies and programs under this 
subchapter, including— 
‘‘(A) performance standards with respect to services 
required to be provided, including health, parental involve-
ment, nutritional, and social services, transition activities 
described in section 642A, and other services; 
‘‘(B) scientifically based and developmentally appro-
priate education performance standards related to school 
readiness that are based on the Head Start Child Outcomes 
Framework to ensure that the children participating in 
the program, at a minimum, develop and demonstrate— 
‘‘(i) language knowledge and skills, including oral 
language and listening comprehension; 
‘‘(ii) literacy knowledge and skills, including phono-
logical awareness, print awareness and skills, and 
alphabetic knowledge; 
‘‘(iii) mathematics knowledge and skills; 
‘‘(iv) science knowledge and skills; 
‘‘(v) cognitive abilities related to academic achieve-
ment and child development; 
‘‘(vi) approaches to learning related to child 
development and early learning; 
‘‘(vii) social and emotional development related to 
early learning, school success, and social problem-
solving; 
‘‘(viii) abilities in creative arts; 
‘‘(ix) physical development; and 
‘‘(x) in the case of limited English proficient chil-
dren, progress toward acquisition of the English lan-
guage while making meaningful progress in attaining 
the knowledge, skills, abilities, and development 
described in clauses (i) through (ix), including progress
H. R. 1429—24 
made through the use of culturally and linguistically 
appropriate instructional services; 
‘‘(C) administrative and financial management stand-
ards; 
‘‘(D) standards relating to the condition and location 
of facilities (including indoor air quality assessment stand-
ards, where appropriate) for such agencies, and programs, 
including regulations that require that the facilities used 
by Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agen-
cies and any delegate agencies) for regularly scheduled 
center-based and combination program option classroom 
activities— 
‘‘(i) shall meet or exceed State and local require-
ments concerning licensing for such facilities; and 
‘‘(ii) shall be accessible by State and local authori-
ties for purposes of monitoring and ensuring compli-
ance, unless State or local laws prohibit such access; 
and 
‘‘(E) such other standards as the Secretary finds to 
be appropriate. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS
REGARDING
STANDARDS.—In devel-
oping any modifications to standards required under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) consult with experts in the fields of child develop-
ment, early childhood education, child health care, family 
services (including linguistically and culturally appropriate 
services to non-English speaking children and their fami-
lies), administration, and financial management, and with 
persons with experience in the operation of Head Start 
programs; 
‘‘(B) take into consideration— 
‘‘(i) past experience with use of the standards in 
effect under this subchapter on the date of enactment 
of the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act 
of 2007; 
‘‘(ii) changes over the period since October 27, 
1998, in the circumstances and problems typically 
facing children and families served by Head Start agen-
cies; 
‘‘(iii) recommendations from the study on Develop-
mental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children 
by the National Academy of Sciences, consistent with 
section 649(j); 
‘‘(iv) developments concerning research-based prac-
tices with respect to early childhood education and 
development, children with disabilities, homeless chil-
dren, children in foster care, and family services, and 
best practices with respect to program administration 
and financial management; 
‘‘(v) projected needs of an expanding Head Start 
program; 
‘‘(vi) guidelines and standards that promote child 
health services and physical development, including 
participation in outdoor activity that supports chil-
dren’s motor development and overall health and nutri-
tion;