I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1476
To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning programs.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 4, 2001
Mr. KIND introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
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
exceed—
(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 education
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 agency;
(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—
(1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;
(2) $750,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and
(3) such sums as may be necessary for each of
fiscal years 2004 through 2006.
Æ