I
103D CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3842
To amend the Head Start Act to extend authorization of appropriations
for programs under that Act, to strengthen provisions designed to provide
quality assurance and improvement, to provide for orderly and appro-
priate expansion of such programs, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 10, 1994
Mr. MARTINEZ (for himself, Mr. FORD of Michigan, Mr. GOODLING, Ms.
MOLINARI, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. CLAY, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr.
MURPHY, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. OWENS, Mr. SAWYER, Mr.
PAYNE of New Jersey, Mrs. UNSOELD, Mrs. MINK, Mr. SCOTT, Mr.
ENGEL, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. ROMERO-
BARCELO´, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. DE LUGO, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr.
BAESLER, and Mr. UNDERWOOD) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
A BILL
To amend the Head Start Act to extend authorization of
appropriations for programs under that Act, to strength-
en provisions designed to provide quality assurance and
improvement, to provide for orderly and appropriate ex-
pansion of such 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; REFERENCES IN ACT; TABLE OF
CONTENTS.
(a) This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Head Start Act
Amendments of 1994’’.
(b) Except where otherwise specifically provided, ref-
erences in this Act shall be considered to be made to the
Head Start Act, or to a section or other provision thereof.
(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—
Sec. 1. Short title; references in Act.
Sec. 2. Monitoring and quality assurance.
Sec. 3. Appeals, notice, and hearing.
Sec. 4. Staff qualifications and development.
Sec. 5. Goals and priorities for training and technical assistance.
Sec. 6. Allocation of funds for program expansion.
Sec. 7. Allocation and use of funds for quality improvement.
Sec. 8. Transition coordination with schools.
Sec. 9. Research, demonstrations, evaluation, and reports.
Sec. 10. Initiative on families with infants and toddlers.
Sec. 11. Enhanced parental involvement.
Sec. 12. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 13. Minor and technical amendments.
Sec. 14. Effective date.
SEC. 2. MONITORING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Act is amended by inserting
after section 641 the following new section:
‘‘QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START
AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS
‘‘SEC. 641A. (a) QUALITY STANDARDS.—(1) ESTAB-
LISHMENT OF STANDARDS.—The Secretary shall establish
by regulation standards applicable to Head Start agencies,
programs, and projects under this subchapter, including—
‘‘(A) performance standards with respect to
services required to be provided, including health,
education, parental involvement, social and other
services;
‘‘(B) administrative and financial management
standards;
‘‘(C) standards relating to the condition and lo-
cation of facilities; and
‘‘(D) such other standards as the Secretary
finds appropriate.
‘‘(2) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The regulations
under this subsection shall indicate the minimum levels
of overall accomplishment that a Head Start agency or
program must achieve in order to meet the standards spec-
ified in paragraph (1).
‘‘(3) CONSIDERATIONS
IN
DEVELOPING
STAND-
ARDS.—In developing the regulations required under para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall—
‘‘(A) consult with experts in the fields of child
development, early childhood education, family serv-
ices, administration, and financial management, and
with persons with experience in the operation of
Head Start programs; and
‘‘(B) take into consideration—
‘‘(i) past experience with use of the stand-
ards currently in effect;
‘‘(ii) changes over the period the program
has been in effect in the circumstances and
problems typically facing Head Start children
and families;
‘‘(iii) developments concerning best prac-
tices with respect to child development, family
services, program administration, and financial
management; and
‘‘(iv) projected needs of an expanding
Head Start program;
‘‘(C) not later than one year after enactment of
this section, review and revise as necessary the per-
formance standards in effect under this subchapter
on the date of enactment of this section (but any re-
visions in performance standards shall not result in
the elimination of or any reduction in the scope or
types of health, education, parental involvement, so-
cial, or other services required to be provided under
such standards in effect on November 2, 1978).
‘‘(b) PERFORMANCE
MEASURES.—(1) IN
GEN-
ERAL.—Within one year after enactment of this section,
the Secretary, in consultation with representatives of
Head Start agencies and with experts in the fields of child
development, family services, and program management,
shall develop methods and procedures for measuring, an-
nually and over longer periods, the quality and effective-
ness of programs operated by Head Start agencies.
‘‘(2) DESIGN
OF
MEASURES.—The performance
measures developed under this subsection shall be de-
signed—
‘‘(A) to assess the various services provided by
Head Start programs and, to the extent the Sec-
retary finds appropriate, administrative and finan-
cial management practices;
‘‘(B) to be adaptable for use in self-assessment
and peer review of individual Head Start agencies
and programs; and
‘‘(C) for other program purposes as determined
by the Secretary.
‘‘(3) USE OF MEASURES.—The Secretary shall use
the performance measures developed pursuant to this sub-
section—
‘‘(A) to identify strengths and weaknesses in
the operation of Head Start programs nationally and
by region; and
‘‘(B) to identify problem areas that may require
additional training and technical assistance re-
sources.
‘‘(c) MONITORING OF LOCAL AGENCIES AND PRO-
GRAMS.—(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to determine wheth-
er Head Start agencies meet standards established under
this subchapter with respect to program, administrative,
fiscal, and other requirements, the Secretary shall conduct
the following reviews of designated Head Start agencies,
and of the Head Start programs operated by such agen-
cies:
‘‘(A) a full review of each such agency at least
once during each 3-year period;
‘‘(B) a review of each newly designated agency
immediately after the completion of the first year
such agency carries out a Head Start program;
‘‘(C) follow-up reviews including prompt return
visits to agencies and programs that fail to meet
minimum standards for participation; and
‘‘(D) other reviews as appropriate.
‘‘(2) CONDUCT OF REVIEWS.—The Secretary shall
ensure that reviews described in subparagraphs (A)
through (C) of paragraph (1)—
‘‘(A) are performed, to the maximum extent
practicable, by employees of the Department of
Health and Human Services who are knowledgeable
about Head Start programs; and
‘‘(B) are supervised by such an employee at the
site of such Head Start agency.
‘‘(d) CORRECTIVE ACTION; TERMINATION.—(1) If
the Secretary determines, on the basis of a review pursu-
ant to subsection (c), that a Head Start agency designated
pursuant to section 641 fails to meet the minimum stand-
ards for participation in programs under this subchapter,
the Secretary shall—
‘‘(A) inform the agency of the deficiencies that
must be corrected;
‘‘(B) with respect to each identified deficiency,
at the Secretary’s discretion (taking into consider-
ation the seriousness of the deficiency and the time
reasonably required to correct it), require the agen-
cy—
‘‘(i) to correct the deficiency immediately,
or
‘‘(ii) to comply with the requirements of
paragraph (2) concerning a quality improve-
ment plan; and
‘‘(C) initiate proceedings to terminate the des-
ignation of the agency unless the agency corrects the
deficiency as required by the Secretary pursuant to
subparagraph (B).
‘‘(2) QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—(A) Agency
Responsibilities.—In order to retain its designation under
this subchapter, a Head Start agency that is the subject
of a determination described in paragraph (1) shall—
‘‘(i) develop in a timely manner, obtain the Sec-
retary’s approval of, and implement a quality im-
provement plan that specifies—
‘‘(I) the deficiencies to be corrected;
‘‘(II) the actions to be taken to correct
such deficiencies; and
‘‘(III) the timetable for accomplishment of
the corrective actions identified; and
‘‘(ii) eliminate each deficiency identified, not
later than the date for elimination of such deficiency
specified in such plan (which shall not be later than
one year after the date the agency received notice of
the determination and of the specific deficiencies to
be corrected).
‘‘(B) SECRETARIAL
RESPONSIBILITY.—Not later
than thirty days after receiving from a Head Start agency
a proposed quality improvement plan pursuant to subpara-
graph (A), the Secretary shall either approve such pro-
posed plan or specify the reasons why the proposed plan
cannot be approved.
‘‘(3) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—To
the extent the Secretary finds feasible and appropriate
given available funding and other statutory responsibil-