viduals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
1419, 1431 et seq.) for the duration of the grant. 
(d) CRITERIA USED
IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In 
awarding grants under section 3(a), the Secretary shall 
award grants under such section, on a competitive basis, 
to those States that have demonstrated the greatest 
progress in establishing and committing to maintain a sys-
tem of high-quality State early learning programs, on a 
competitive basis, based on the State’s commitment to 
meeting and developing, as necessary, the components de-
scribed in subsection (c)(4). 
(e) STATE USES OF FUNDS.—A State receiving a 
grant under section 3(a) shall use the grant funds for ac-
tivities that implement or improve the system components 
described in subsection (c)(4) and help State early learn-
ing programs meet and sustain higher levels of program 
quality standards and move more low-income children into 
higher quality programs, consistent with the plan sub-
mitted in accordance with subsection (c). 
(f) FUNDS TO EXPAND ACCESS.—A State may apply 
to the Secretary to reserve not more than 25 percent of 
the amount of the grant to expand access for children 
from low-income families, proportional to the disparities 
by age group identified in subsection (c)(8), to the highest 
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quality State early learning programs that offer full-day, 
full-year services. 
SEC. 5. DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
(a) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In order to receive a 
grant under section 3(b), a State shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary shall require, 
including a description of how the State will develop a plan 
consistent with section 4(c). 
(b) GRANT PERIOD.—Grants under section 3(b)— 
(1) may be awarded for a period of not to ex-
ceed 3 years; and 
(2) may be extended, for a 2-year period, sub-
ject to approval by the Secretary, and based on the 
State’s progress in— 
(A) increasing the number and percentage 
of children from low-income families in each age 
group of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, en-
rolled in high-quality State early learning pro-
grams; 
(B) increasing the number of high-quality 
State early learning programs in low-income 
communities; and 
(C) incorporating the program quality 
findings and recommendations, as appropriate. 
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(c) STATE USES OF FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A State receiving a grant 
under section 3(b) shall use the grant funds to un-
dertake activities to develop the components of early 
learning services described in section 4(c)(4) that 
will allow the State to become eligible and competi-
tive for a grant described in section 3(a). 
(2) PRIORITY.—In improving the quality of 
State early learning programs in the State, the State 
shall prioritize the quality of State early learning 
programs serving children from low-income families. 
SEC. 6. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION. 
From funds reserved under section 3(c)(1)(B), the 
Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices, acting jointly and in accordance with section 11, shall 
carry out activities to ensure the success of grants to 
States under this Act. 
SEC. 7. BENCHMARKS; INDICATORS; REPORTING. 
(a) INDICATORS.—The Secretary shall define, by reg-
ulation, indicators to be used to measure success on the 
activities carried out under a grant under this Act, the 
primary indicator of which shall be increasing the number 
and percentage of low-income children in high-quality, 
State early learning programs. 
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(b) BENCHMARKS.—Each State receiving a grant 
under this Act shall— 
(1) develop quantifiable benchmarks for the 
State and the activities supported under the grant 
based on the indicators described in subsection (a) 
that are applicable to the State; 
(2) submit the benchmarks for approval to the 
Secretary; and 
(3) report to the Secretary on progress in meet-
ing such benchmarks as required by the Secretary. 
(c) DISAGGREGATION.—The indicators and bench-
marks described in this section shall be disaggregated. 
SEC. 8. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
The 
Secretary 
shall 
reserve 
not 
more 
than 
$5,000,000 from amounts appropriated under this Act to 
directly, or through grant or contract, provide technical 
assistance to eligible entities to prepare the entities to 
qualify, apply for, and maintain grants under section 4 
or 5. 
SEC. 9. FINANCIAL HARDSHIP WAIVER. 
The Secretary may waive or reduce a requirement 
under this Act regarding the non-Federal share of a State 
or maintenance of effort of a State if the State dem-
onstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to finan-
cial hardship. 
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SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ refers to an in-
dividual from birth through the day the individual 
enters kindergarten. 
(2) DISADVANTAGED.—The term ‘‘disadvan-
taged’’, when used with respect to a child, means— 
(A) a child from a low-income family; 
(B) a homeless child; 
(C) a child in the custody of a child wel-
fare agency; 
(D) a child with a developmental delay or 
disability; or 
(E) a child who is limited English pro-
ficient. 
(3) EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS.—The term 
‘‘early learning standards’’ means a set of expecta-
tions for the learning and development of children 
from birth through entry into kindergarten that— 
(A) emphasize significant developmentally 
appropriate content and outcomes that describe 
what children should know and be able to do 
across all domains, including language, literacy, 
mathematics, science, social development, emo-
tional development, health and physical well- 
being, and approaches to learning; 
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(B) are based on research about the proc-
esses, sequences, and long-term influence of 
early learning and development; 
(C) identify approaches to learning that 
are developmentally appropriate (including cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate) and sup-
portive of positive outcomes for all children; 
(D) are aligned with the appropriate State 
academic content standards for kindergarten 
through grade 3; 
(E) inform providers, programs, teachers, 
schools, parents, and the community on what 
young children are expected to learn; and 
(F) guide providers, programs, teachers, 
and schools in supporting children to help chil-
dren meet high expectations. 
(4) HOMELESS CHILDREN.—The term ‘‘home-
less children’’ has the meaning given the term 
‘‘homeless children and youths’’ in section 725(2) of 
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 11434a(2)). 
(5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 
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(6) LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT.—The term 
‘‘limited English proficient’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9832). 
(7) LOW-INCOME.—The term ‘‘low-income’’, 
when used with respect to a child, means a child 
whose family income is described in section 
658P(4)(B) of the Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(4)(B)). 
(8) PROGRAM QUALITY STANDARDS.—The term 
‘‘program quality standards’’ means the characteris-
tics of State early learning programs, across a range 
of settings, that have an impact on children’s devel-
opment and learning. Such characteristics include— 
(A) the ratio of early learning providers to 
children; 
(B) staff qualifications; 
(C) the quality and effectiveness of inter-
actions between early learning providers and 
children and the children’s families in the pro-
gram; 
(D) the program philosophy and cur-
riculum; 
(E) the quality and quantity of equipment 
and materials; 
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(F) the quality of the physical environ-
ment; and 
(G) safety and health provisions and other 
applicable Federal or State requirements with 
respect to State early learning programs. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 9101 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801). 
(11) STATE EARLY LEARNING PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘‘State early learning program’’ has the mean-
ing given the term ‘‘early childhood education pro-
gram’’ in section 103 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003). 
SEC. 11. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION; BENCHMARKS AND 
CONSULTATION. 
(a) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall transfer 
amounts reserved for research and evaluation under 
section 3(c)(1)(B) to the Institute of Education 
Sciences, to be used— 
(A) for the evaluation of grants or other 
assistance funded under such section; 
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(B) to support research on policies and 
practices related to such grants; and 
(C) to disseminate the results of such re-
search and evaluation. 
(2) COLLABORATION.—The evaluation and re-
search described in paragraph (1) shall be carried 
out in collaboration with— 
(A) the appropriate evaluation divisions 
within the Department of Education; 
(B) the office within the Department of 
Education administering the grants that are the 
subject of the evaluation and research; and 
(C) the Department of Health and Human 
Services and the Department of Labor as ap-
propriate. 
(b) DEVELOPING INDICATORS AND BENCHMARKS.— 
In developing indicators and benchmarks for programs 
funded under this Act, the Secretary shall consult with 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Di-
rector of the Institute of Education Sciences. 
SEC. 12. APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act $350,000,000 for fiscal year 
2016 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
4 succeeding fiscal years. 
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(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds appropriated 
under this section for fiscal year 2016 shall be available 
through September 30, 2017. 
Æ 
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