I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2787
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to
increase the availability of, and improve quality care for, children with
disabilities, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AUGUST 2, 2001
Mrs. MEEK
of Florida (for herself, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. RUSH, Mr.
BLAGOJEVICH, Mr. PETRI, and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant
Act of 1990 to increase the availability of, and improve
quality care for, children with disabilities, 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. REFERENCE.
Whenever in this Act a section or other provision is
amended, such amendment shall be considered to be made
to that section or other provision of the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858
et seq.).
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings:
(1) Two-thirds of mothers with children under
6 years of age are in the workforce.
(2) More than 10 percent of children under the
age of 6 have a disability; children living in low-in-
come communities have a higher incidence of dis-
ability.
(3) The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act requires early intervention services to be pro-
vided to infants and toddlers with disabilities in a
natural environment, typically the child’s home or a
child care setting.
(4) The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act requires special education preschool services to
be delivered in the least restrictive environment, with
a preschooler’s nondisabled peers.
(5) The General Accounting Office reports that
the ‘‘supply of infant care, care for special needs
children, and care during nonstandard hours has
been more limited than the overall supply’’. There is
even less care for those children who live in low-in-
come communities.
(6) Children with disabilities or special health
care needs are barred from many child care pro-
grams due to myth, stereotype, and fear about dis-
ability and because staff lack sufficient training to
meet the needs of such children.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to increase
the supply of quality child care for children with disabil-
ities.
SEC. 3. APPLICATION AND PLAN.
Section 658E(c) (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2)(H)—
(A) by striking ‘‘, and families’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘, families’’; and
(B) by inserting before the final period ‘‘,
and families that have children with disabil-
ities’’; and
(2) in paragraph (3)(B)—
(A) by striking ‘‘size) and to’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘size), to’’; and
(B) by inserting before the final period ‘‘,
and to children with disabilities’’.
SEC. 4. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD
CARE.
Section 658G (42 U.S.C. 9858e) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘A State’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—A State’’;
(2) by amending subsection (a) (as so des-
ignated by paragraph (1) of this section) by adding
at the end the following: ‘‘Such activities may in-
clude activities listed in subsection (b).’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections:
‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES
FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABIL-
ITIES.—
‘‘(1) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that receives
funds to carry out this subchapter for a fiscal year
after fiscal year 2001, shall use not less than 5 per-
cent of the total amount of such funds for one or
more of the activities described in paragraph (2)
that are designed to increase the availability of qual-
ity child care for children with disabilities.
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Activities referred
to in paragraph (1) are the following:
‘‘(A) TRAINING
AND
TECHNICAL
ASSIST-
ANCE.—Ongoing 
comprehensive 
system 
of
training and technical assistance for the fol-
lowing: