I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6946 
To establish an Early Learning Challenge Fund to support States in building 
and strengthening systems of high-quality early learning and development 
programs, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 
Mr. HIMES (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, and Mr. POLIS) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish an Early Learning Challenge Fund to support 
States in building and strengthening systems of high- 
quality early learning and development programs, 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 ‘‘Supporting Early 
Learning Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to support States in build-
ing and strengthening systems of high-quality early learn-
ing and development programs. 
SEC. 3. PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED. 
(a) QUALITY PATHWAYS GRANTS.—The Secretary of 
Education shall use funds made available to carry out this 
Act for a fiscal year to award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to States that have demonstrated the greatest 
progress in establishing and committing to maintain a sys-
tem of high-quality State early learning programs, con-
sistent with section 4. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.—The Secretary may 
use funds made available to carry out this Act for a fiscal 
year to award grants, on a competitive basis, in accord-
ance with section 5 to States that demonstrate a commit-
ment to establishing and committing to maintain a high- 
quality system of early learning that will include the com-
ponents described in section 4(c)(4) but are not— 
(1) eligible to be awarded a grant under sub-
section (a); or 
(2) awarded such a grant after application. 
(c) RESERVATIONS OF FEDERAL FUNDS.— 
(1) RESEARCH, EVALUATION, AND ADMINISTRA-
TION.—From the amount made available to carry 
out this Act for a fiscal year, the Secretary— 
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(A) shall reserve not more than 2 percent 
to administer this Act jointly with the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services for expenses of 
both agencies pursuant to the interagency 
agreement described in subsection (h); and 
(B) shall reserve not more than 5 percent 
to carry out activities under section 6. 
(2) TRIBAL
SCHOOL
READINESS
PLANNING 
DEMONSTRATION.—After making the reservations 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reserve 5 
percent for a competitive grant demonstration pro-
gram for Indian tribes to develop and implement 
school readiness plans and programs that— 
(A) increase access to high-quality State 
early learning programs that improve health, 
social, emotional, cognitive, and physical out-
comes and school readiness; and 
(B) support Native culture in a tribally ad-
ministered early learning program, including 
American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start 
and Early Head Start programs. 
(d) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In applying for a grant 
under this Act, a Governor shall designate or establish a 
State-level entity (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘State’’) 
for administration of the grant. Such entity— 
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(1) shall coordinate proposed activities with the 
State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Edu-
cation and Care (established pursuant to section 
642B(b)(1)(A) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9837b(b)(1)(A))) and shall incorporate plans and 
recommendations from such Council in the applica-
tion, where applicable; and 
(2) shall submit the application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may reasonably re-
quire. 
(e) PRIORITY IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In awarding 
grants under this Act, the Secretary shall give priority to 
States— 
(1) whose applications contain assurances that 
the State will use, in part, funds reserved under sec-
tion 658G of the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858e) for activities 
described in section 4(c)(4); 
(2) that demonstrate efforts to build public-pri-
vate partnerships, including partnerships with non-
profits and private entities, designed to accomplish 
the purpose of this Act; and 
(3) that have invested their own funds in early 
childhood education. 
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(f) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS FOR EVALUA-
TIONS.—Funds available under this Act may be used 
for evaluating children for the purposes of— 
(A) improving instruction or classroom en-
vironment; 
(B) targeting professional development; 
(C) determining the need for health, men-
tal health, disability, or family support services; 
(D) informing the quality improvement 
process at the State level; 
(E) program evaluation for the purposes of 
program improvement and parent information; 
(F) research conducted as part of the na-
tional evaluation described under section 5; or 
(G) assessing children’s level of readiness 
for school success across a broad range of do-
mains of learning and development, including 
physical well-being and motor development, so-
cial and emotional development, approaches to-
ward learning, language development, and cog-
nition and general knowledge. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds 
available under this Act may not be used for any of 
the following: 
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(A) Assessments that provide rewards or 
sanctions for individual children or teachers. 
(B) A single assessment used as the pri-
mary or sole method for assessing program ef-
fectiveness. 
(g) MAINTENANCE
OF EFFORT.—With respect to 
each period for which a State is awarded a grant under 
this Act, the expenditures by the State on State early 
learning programs shall not be less than the greater of 
the level of the expenditures for such programs in the 
prior fiscal year or as of the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
(h) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services shall jointly 
develop policy for, and administer, this Act in ac-
cordance with such terms as the Secretaries shall set 
forth in an interagency agreement. 
(2) 
OBLIGATION
AND
DISBURSEMENT
OF 
FUNDS BY SECRETARY OF EDUCATION.—The Sec-
retary of Education shall be responsible for obli-
gating and disbursing funds and ensuring compli-
ance with applicable laws and administrative require-
ments, in accordance with the General Education 
Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1221 et seq.) and parts 
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74 through 80 of title 34, Code of Federal Regula-
tions. 
SEC. 4. QUALITY PATHWAYS GRANTS. 
(a) GRANT PERIOD.—Grants under section 3(a)— 
(1) may be awarded for a period of 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) meeting the components described in 
subsection (c)(4); 
(C) increasing the number of high-quality 
State early learning programs in low-income 
communities; and 
(D) incorporating the program quality 
findings and recommendations, as appropriate. 
(b) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Subject to section 9, 
to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a) or 
(b) of section 3, a State shall contribute to the activities 
assisted under the grant, non-Federal matching funds in 
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an amount equal to not less than 15 percent of the amount 
of the grant. 
(c) STATE APPLICATIONS.—In order to receive a 
grant under section 3(a), a State’s application under sec-
tion 3(d) shall include a plan that includes the following: 
(1) A description of how the State will use 
funds prioritized for those programs serving high 
proportions of low-income children in accordance 
with subsection (e) to improve health, social, emo-
tional, cognitive, physical development, and school 
readiness for young children by implementing quality 
initiatives to improve State early learning programs 
serving disadvantaged children from birth to entry 
into kindergarten to lead to a greater percentage of 
children from low-income families participating in 
high-quality State early learning programs. 
(2) A description of the benchmarks, consistent 
with section 7, the State will establish to dem-
onstrate that a greater percentage of children from 
low-income families are participating in high-quality 
State early learning programs. 
(3) A description of how the State will integrate 
existing State early learning programs and services 
into a comprehensive system for early learning and 
development. 
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(4) A description of how the State will imple-
ment a system of high-quality State early learning 
programs and services that includes the following 
components: 
(A) A governance structure. 
(B) State early learning standards. 
(C) A process to ensure that State early 
learning standards are integrated into the in-
structional and programmatic practices of State 
early learning programs and services. 
(D) A tiered program rating and improve-
ment system that fully integrates early learning 
standards, applicable State licensing require-
ments, program quality standards, and other 
applicable State regulatory standards, which, at 
a minimum, shall include standards regarding 
preservice and ongoing training for staff in 
early childhood development, health, and safety, 
and other program standards as required by the 
State, and that— 
(i) is designed to improve quality and 
effectiveness across different types of early 
learning settings; 
(ii) has progressively higher levels of 
program quality leading to quality levels 
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consistent with or higher than nationally 
recognized, high-quality program quality 
standards that are valid and reliable for 
State early learning programs, such as the 
Head Start performance standards de-
scribed in section 641A of the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a); 
(iii) determines the extent to which in-
dividual programs across different types of 
settings integrate the State’s early learning 
standards for the purpose of improving in-
structional and programmatic practices; 
(iv) addresses quality for and effective 
inclusion of children with disabilities or de-
velopmental delays across all early learning 
settings; 
(v) 
addresses 
staff 
qualifications, 
training, and professional development and 
education; 
(vi) addresses the quality of early 
learning facilities; 
(vii) builds the capacity of State early 
learning programs and communities to pro-
mote parents’ and families’ understanding 
of the State’s early learning system and 
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the rating of the programs in which their 
child is enrolled; 
(viii) provides financial incentives and 
other supports designed to achieve and 
sustain higher levels of quality; and 
(ix) includes mechanisms for evalu-
ating how programs are meeting the 
State’s program quality standards and pro-
gressively higher levels of quality. 
(E) A system of program review and moni-
toring that is designed— 
(i) to rate providers using the system 
described in subparagraph (D) in a way 
that is accessible and useful to parents; 
(ii) to assess and improve pro-
grammatic 
practices 
and 
instructional 
practices; and 
(iii) to provide high-quality environ-
ments that can engage children with mate-
rials, curricula, and experiences appro-
priate to the developmental level of the 
child. 
(F) A process to support and increase the 
number of State early learning programs inte-
grating instructional and programmatic prac-
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tices that guide and improve instructional prac-
tice, professional development of staff, and serv-
ices that— 
(i) include developmentally appro-
priate, culturally and linguistically appro-
priate, ongoing, classroom-based instruc-
tional assessments for each domain of child 
development and learning; and 
(ii) are aligned with the curriculum 
used in the State early learning program 
and with the State early learning stand-
ards or the Head Start Child Outcomes 
Framework (as described in the Head 
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.)), as ap-
plicable. 
(G) A plan for providing comprehensive 
preservice preparation and professional develop-
ment to create, educate, and support a knowl-
edgeable, highly skilled, and well-compensated 
workforce, across all types of early childhood 
settings serving all children from birth to kin-
dergarten entry. 
(H) Outreach strategies that incorporate 
multiple strategies for parent, expectant parent, 
and family involvement and education. 
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(I) A plan to promote understanding by 
parents and families of— 
(i) the State’s program rating system, 
as described in subparagraph (D); and 
(ii) the rating of the program in which 
their child is enrolled. 
(J) A coordinated system to facilitate 
prompt screening, referral, and provision of 
services related to health, mental health, dis-
ability, and family support for children partici-
pating in State early learning programs. 
(K) A process for evaluating school readi-
ness in children that reflects all of the major 
domains of development, and that— 
(i) is used to guide practice and im-
prove State early learning programs; and 
(ii) includes multiple measures of 
school readiness at kindergarten entry, and 
which shall reflect a sample across the 
State. 
(L) A comprehensive plan that promotes 
nutrition and wellness in early learning settings, 
and which— 
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(i) includes program standards for the 
healthful development of infants, toddlers, 
and young children; 
(ii) encourages the provision of foods 
and beverages in accordance with the 
guidelines of the Richard B. Russell Na-
tional School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 
et seq.), and which incorporates age appro-
priate recommendations to reduce the con-
sumption and excess of sugar, saturated 
fat, and sodium; and 
(iii) reflects physical activity rec-
ommendations which are appropriate for 
young children from birth through kinder-
garten entry. 
(M) A plan to implement or enhance the 
State’s data system for early learning pro-
grams, including— 
(i) alignment and interoperability be-
tween the data system for early learning 
programs for children and data systems for 
elementary and secondary education so 
that progress on key data elements can be 
tracked over time with minimal duplica-
tion; and 
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(ii) uniform data collection from all 
providers that receive public funding about 
the quality of early learning programs, es-
sential information about the children and 
families that participate in such programs, 
and the qualifications and compensation of 
the early learning workforce in such pro-
grams. 
(N) A plan to ensure effective transitions 
between State early learning programs and the 
kindergarten through grade 3 public school sys-
tem in the State. 
(O) A plan for how the State will deter-
mine which State early learning programs re-
ceived significant direct funding under this Act, 
and are not making sufficient quality improve-
ment, including a description of the technical 
assistance the State will provide to such pro-
grams and how the State shall determine when 
to shift unspent funds under this Act to other 
State early learning programs in the same geo-
graphic region serving similar populations, to 
the extent practicable. 
(5) A description of how the State will ensure 
that programs receiving funds under this Act are 
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participating in the State tiered program rating sys-
tem described in paragraph (4)(D). 
(6) A description of how the funds provided 
under the grant will be targeted to enhance the qual-
ity of early learning programs in order to increase 
the number and percentage of children from low-in-
come families in high-quality State early learning 
programs, including children— 
(A) in each age group (infants, toddlers, 
and preschoolers); 
(B) living in rural and urban areas; 
(C) who are among the most disadvan-
taged children; and 
(D) who need access to full-day, full-year 
State early learning programs. 
(7) A description of the steps the State will 
take to ensure that all center-based child care pro-
grams, family child care programs, State-funded 
prekindergarten, Head Start programs under the 
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and other 
State early learning programs are included in the 
State system described in paragraph (4). 
(8) A description of disparities by age group 
(infants, toddlers, and preschoolers) and race and 
ethnicity of available high-quality State early learn-
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ing programs in low-income communities and the 
steps the State will take to decrease such disparities, 
if applicable. 
(9) A description of how the State facilitates 
access to high-quality State early learning programs 
for each of the populations described in subpara-
graphs (A) through (E) of section 10(2), such as 
through subsidies for children in State early learning 
programs. 
(10) A description of how the State will align 
early learning standards with— 
(A) appropriate State academic content 
standards for kindergarten through grade 3; 
and 
(B) elements of program quality standards. 
(11) A description of how the State will im-
prove interagency collaboration and coordinate the 
early childhood programs and services throughout 
the State. 
(12) A description of the timeframe the State 
proposes to develop and implement the elements de-
scribed in such State’s application. 
(13) A description of how the State will imple-
ment a process for improving the quality of early 
learning services to better meet the needs of the 
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most disadvantaged children, including children who 
are limited English proficient and children with dis-
abilities. 
(14) An assurance that the grant will be used 
to improve the quality of State early learning pro-
grams across a range of types of settings and pro-
viders of such programs, and all ages of children 
(from birth to kindergarten entry). 
(15) An assurance that the Governor has des-
ignated or created a State Advisory Council on 
Early Childhood Education and Care (established 
pursuant to section 642B(b)(1)(A) of the Head 
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A))), has taken 
steps to ensure that membership includes all rep-
resentatives described in section 642B(b)(1)(C) of 
such Act, and has consulted with such State Advi-
sory Council on Early Childhood Education and 
Care in applying for a grant under this Act. 
(16) An assurance that the grant will be used 
only to supplement, and not to supplant, Federal, 
State, and local funds otherwise available to support 
existing State early learning programs and services. 
(17) An assurance that the State will continue 
to participate in section 619 and part C of the Indi-
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