I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4497 
To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 3, 2004 
Mr. KIND (for himself, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. OWENS, and Mr. 
SIMMONS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning 
programs. 
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 ‘‘Providing Resources 
and Education for Kids Act (Pre-K)’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Kindergarten teachers estimate that 1 in 3 
children enters the classroom unprepared to meet 
the challenges of school.
(2) A 1998 report regarding the prevention of 
reading difficulties in young children found that— 
(A) preschool children need high quality 
language and literacy environments in and out 
of their homes; and 
(B) children need to arrive in the first 
grade with strong language and cognitive skills 
and the motivation to learn to read in order to 
benefit from classroom instruction. 
(3) The first 5 years is a very critical time in 
a child’s development, and a child’s brain develop-
ment is far more susceptible to adverse influences 
than had been previously realized. 
(4) High quality prekindergarten programs can 
affect a child’s long-term success in areas such as 
school achievement, higher earnings as adults, and 
decreased involvement with the criminal justice sys-
tem. 
(5) Studies of several State prekindergarten ini-
tiatives offer convincing evidence of the benefits of 
early education for children at risk of school failure. 
These benefits include higher mathematics and read-
ing achievement, stronger learning skills, increased 
creativity, better school attendance, improved health,
and greater involvement by parents in their chil-
dren’s education. 
(6) Only 1 State, Georgia, currently has a pre-
kindergarten initiative that is universally available to 
all children in the State. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to improve 
school readiness for young children by providing grants 
to States to assist in the creation or expansion of early 
childhood education programs for children ages 5 and 
under. 
SEC. 2. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Secretary of the Department of Health and 
Human Services, is authorized to provide grants to State 
educational agencies, or their equivalent, to allow such 
agencies to establish or expand prekindergarten early 
learning programs. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant award under this Act, a State shall submit an 
application to the Secretary at such time and in 
such form and manner as the Secretary may reason-
ably require and include the information described in 
paragraph (2).
(2) APPLICATION.—The application referred to 
in paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum— 
(A) a description of the prekindergarten 
early learning program that the State will es-
tablish; 
(B) a statement regarding how the State 
educational agency will administer funds to 
local educational agencies; 
(C) a description of the methods to be used 
to reach out to local educational agencies to 
promote this new program and ensure that in-
formation is distributed on an equitable basis to 
all local educational agencies; 
(D) a description of the goals in imple-
menting a prekindergarten early learning pro-
gram and how such goals will be achieved; 
(E) a description regarding how public 
schools and community partnerships may work 
together to reach the maximum number of chil-
dren; 
(F) a description regarding how the State 
educational agency will share information with 
other local educational agencies regarding suc-
cessful and innovative programs; and
(G) a description of the long-term strate-
gies for financing prekindergarten early learn-
ing programs. 
(c) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of the 
cost of projects funded under this Act shall not ex-
ceed— 
(A) 50 percent for the first fiscal year; 
(B) 45 percent for the second fiscal year; 
(C) 40 percent for the third fiscal year; 
(D) 30 percent for the fourth fiscal year; 
and 
(E) 25 percent for the fifth fiscal year and 
each subsequent year. 
(2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT
SUPPLANT.—A State 
educational agency or local educational agency shall 
use funds received under this Act only to supplement 
the amount of funds that would, in the absence of 
such Federal funds, be made available from non- 
Federal sources for the education of children partici-
pating in programs assisted under this Act, and not 
to supplant such funds. 
SEC. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. 
(a) RESERVATION FOR OUTLYING AREAS.—From the 
amount made available under section 7 to carry out this
Act, the Secretary shall reserve a total of 1 percent to 
provide assistance to the outlying areas on the basis of 
their respective need for such assistance according to such 
criteria as the Secretary determines will best carry out the 
purpose of this Act. 
(b) STATE DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall allo-
cate the remainder of the amount made available under 
section 7 (after the reservation in subsection (a)) among 
eligible State educational agencies as follows: 
(1) 50 percent of such amount which bears the 
same ratio as the number of children ages 5 and 
under, inclusive, in the State bears to the number of 
such children in all States. 
(2) 50 percent of such amount shall be distrib-
uted according to each State’s share of allocations 
under part A of title I of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965. 
(c) ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS.—Of the amount made 
available to a State educational agency under subsection 
(b), such agency may use not more than 5 percent of such 
amount for administrative purposes. 
SEC. 4. LOCAL ACTIVITIES. 
(a) LOCAL APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant award under this Act, a local educational agency
shall submit an application to the State educational agen-
cy that includes— 
(1) a description of its proposed prekinder-
garten early learning program; 
(2) the goals and standards for such a pro-
gram; 
(3) a description of how the agency may work 
in conjunction with child care providers outside of 
the public schools to provide community-based kin-
dergarten early learning programs; and 
(4) any other information the State educational 
agency may reasonably require. 
(b) GENERAL USES OF FUNDS.—A local educational 
agency that receives a grant award under this Act shall 
use such funds to establish or expand a prekindergarten 
early learning program for children ages 5 and under in 
accordance with subsection (c). 
(c) REQUIREMENTS.—Each local educational agency 
that receives funds under this Act for a prekindergarten 
early learning program shall— 
(1) make available transportation for children 
to participate in such programs; and 
(2) ensure that the ratio of children to staff for 
a prekindergarten early learning program does not 
exceed 18:2.
(d) PERMISSIBLE USES OF FUNDS.—A local edu-
cational agency that receives funds under this Act may 
use such funds— 
(1) for professional development for prekinder-
garten teachers and teacher assistants; 
(2) to provide health care services, such as pri-
mary preventative health and safety programs and 
health screening programs, and to promote enroll-
ment in health insurance programs; 
(3) to work in conjunction with child care pro-
viders outside of the public schools to provide com-
munity-based prekindergarten early learning pro-
grams; and 
(4) to increase salaries for child care providers 
who work in prekindergarten early learning pro-
grams; 
(5) to provide funds to community partnerships. 
SEC. 5. ACCOUNTABILITY. 
(a) LOCAL REPORTS.—Each local educational agency 
that receives a grant award under this Act shall submit 
a report to the State educational agency every 2 years 
that— 
(1) describes the agency’s activities;
(2) reports the number of children being served 
by new or expanded prekindergarten early learning 
programs; 
(3) describes any improvements in student 
achievement and school readiness; and 
(4) describes how the agency has reached the 
goals set forth in its application under section 
4(a)(1) in providing early learning programs for 
children ages 5 and under. 
(b) STATE REPORTS.—Each State educational agen-
cy that receives a grant award under this Act shall submit 
to the Secretary, not less than once every 2 years, a de-
tailed summary of the information submitted under sub-
section (a). Such report shall also include a description 
regarding— 
(1) how the State educational agency adminis-
tered funds to the local educational agencies; 
(2) the measures taken and the effectiveness of 
such efforts of the State educational agency in 
reaching out to local educational agencies to promote 
the program and ensuring information was distrib-
uted on an equitable basis; 
(3) how the State educational agency shared in-
formation with other local educational agencies re-
garding successful and innovative programs; and
(4) the status of the State educational agency 
in developing long-term strategies for financing pre- 
K early learning programs. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘community partnership’’ means 
an alliance between a local educational agency and 
1 or more of the following entities: 
(A) Child care agency. 
(B) Special education provider. 
(C) Community-based organization. 
(2) The term ‘‘outlying area’’ means the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States 
Virgin Islands. 
(3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Education. 
(4) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the 50 
States and the District of Columbia. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 2005 through 2009. 
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