126
‘‘SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES 
WITH CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE. 
‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 
grants, in accordance with this section for programs (to 
be known as ‘Early Head Start programs’) that provide 
family-centered services for low-income families with very 
young children designed to promote the development of the 
children, and to enable their parents to fulfill their roles 
as parents and to move toward self-sufficiency. Faith-
based and community-based organizations continue to be 
eligible, on the same basis as other organizations, to par-
ticipate in any program under this section for which they 
are otherwise eligible. 
‘‘(b) SCOPE AND DESIGN OF PROGRAMS.—In car-
rying out a program described in subsection (a), an entity 
receiving assistance under this section shall—
‘‘(1) provide, either directly or through referral, 
early, continuous, intensive, and comprehensive child 
development and family support services that will 
enhance the physical, social, emotional, and intellec-
tual development of participating children; 
‘‘(2) ensure that the level of services provided 
to families responds to their needs and cir-
cumstances; 
‘‘(3) promote positive parent-child interactions;
127
‘‘(4) provide services to parents to support their 
role as parents (including parenting skills training 
and training in basic child development) and to help 
the families move toward self-sufficiency (including 
educational and employment services as appro-
priate); 
‘‘(5) coordinate services with services provided 
by programs in the State (including home-based 
services) and programs in the community (including 
programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities 
and programs for homeless infants and toddlers) to 
ensure a comprehensive array of services (such as 
health and mental health services and family support 
services); 
‘‘(6) ensure formal linkages with local Head 
Start programs in order to provide for continuity of 
services for children and families; 
‘‘(7) in the case of a Head Start agency that 
operates a program and that also provides Head 
Start services through the age of mandatory school 
attendance, ensure that children and families partici-
pating in the program receive such services through 
such age; 
‘‘(8) ensure formal linkages with the agencies 
and entities described in section 644(b) of the Indi-
128
viduals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
1444(b)) and providers of early intervention services 
for infants and toddlers with disabilities under the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 
U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) and the agency responsible for 
administering section 106 of the Child Abuse Pre-
vention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a); 
‘‘(9) develop and implement a systematic proce-
dure for transitioning children and parents from an 
Early Head Start program under this section into a 
Head Start program or other local early childhood 
education program; 
‘‘(10) establish channels of communication be-
tween staff of Early Head Start programs under 
this section and staff of Head Start programs or 
other local early childhood education programs, to 
facilitate the coordination of programs; and 
‘‘(11) meet such other requirements concerning 
design and operation of the program described in 
subsection (a) as the Secretary may establish. 
‘‘(c) PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE.—Persons 
who may participate in programs described in subsection 
(a) include—
‘‘(1) pregnant women; and 
‘‘(2) families with children under age 3;
129
who meet the income criteria specified for families in sec-
tion 645(a)(1). 
‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE SERVICE PROVIDERS.—To be eligible 
to receive assistance under this section, an entity shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. Entities that may apply to carry out 
activities under this section include—
‘‘(1) entities operating Head Start programs 
under this subpart; 
‘‘(2) Indian Head Start programs; and 
‘‘(3) other public entities, and nonprofit or for-
profit private entities, including community-based 
and faith-based organizations, capable of providing 
child and family services that meet the standards for 
participation in programs under this subchapter and 
meet such other appropriate requirements relating to 
the activities under this section as the Secretary may 
establish. 
‘‘(e) SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS.—From the 
portion specified in section 640(a)(6), the Secretary shall 
award grants under this subsection on a competitive basis 
to applicants meeting the criteria specified in subsection 
(d) (giving priority to entities with a record of providing
130
early, continuous, and comprehensive childhood develop-
ment and family services). 
‘‘(f) DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding grants to eligible 
applicants under this section, the Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) ensure an equitable national geographic 
distribution of the grants; and 
‘‘(2) award grants to applicants proposing to 
serve communities in rural areas and to applicants 
proposing to serve communities in urban areas. 
‘‘(g) MONITORING, TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSIST-
ANCE, AND EVALUATION.—
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—To ensure the successful 
operation of programs assisted under this section, 
the Secretary shall use funds from the portion speci-
fied in section 640(a)(6) to monitor the operation of 
such programs, evaluate their effectiveness, and pro-
vide training and technical assistance tailored to the 
particular needs of such programs. 
‘‘(2) TRAINING
AND
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE 
ACCOUNT.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount made 
available to carry out this section for any fiscal 
year, not less than 5 percent, and not more 
than 10 percent, shall be reserved to fund a 
training and technical assistance account. In
131
determining the amount so reserved, the Sec-
retary shall consider the number of new pro-
grams serving pregnant women, infants, tod-
dlers, and their families, recognizing their need 
for more intensive training and technical assist-
ance services during program expansion. 
‘‘(B) ACTIVITIES.—Of the funds in the ac-
count described in subparagraph (A) 
‘‘(i) not less than 50 percent shall be 
available to local entities that carry out 
Early Head Start programs for training 
and technical assistance activities in order 
to make program improvements identified 
by such entities; 
‘‘(ii) not less than 30 percent shall be 
available to the Secretary to support a 
State-based system of early childhood edu-
cation training and technical assistance to 
local entities that carry out Early Head 
Start programs that shall meet the re-
quirements of subparagraph (C), including 
the creation, management, and support of 
a national network of the State-based in-
fant-toddler specialists specified in such 
subparagraph; and
132
‘‘(iii) the remainder of such amount 
shall be available to the Secretary to assist 
local entities that carry out Early Head 
Start programs in meeting and exceeding 
the 
standards 
described 
in 
section 
641A(a)(1), including—
‘‘(I) making grants to, and enter-
ing into contracts with, organizations 
with specialized expertise relating to 
infants, toddlers, and families and the 
capacity needed to provide direction 
and support to a national training 
and technical assistance system, in 
order to provide such direction and 
support; 
‘‘(II) providing ongoing training 
and technical assistance on Early 
Head Start program development and 
improvement 
for 
regional 
staff 
charged with monitoring and over-
seeing the administration of the pro-
gram carried out under this section; 
‘‘(III) developing training and 
technical assistance materials and re-
sources to support program develop-
133
ment and improvement and best prac-
tices in providing services to children 
and families served by Early Head 
Start programs; 
‘‘(IV) creating special training 
and technical assistance initiatives 
targeted to serving high risk popu-
lations, such as children in the child 
welfare system and homeless children; 
‘‘(V) providing ongoing training 
and technical assistance to Early 
Head Start grantees, and support and 
program planning and implementation 
assistance for new recipients of such 
grants, including the conversion of 
Head Start grants to Early Head 
Start grants; and 
‘‘(VI) providing professional de-
velopment designed to increase pro-
gram participation for underserved 
populations of eligible children. 
‘‘(C) CONTRACTS.—For the purposes of 
delivering a State-based training and technical 
assistance system, as described in subparagraph 
(B)(ii), that will meet the needs of local grant-
134
ees and provide high quality, sustained, and in-
tensive training and technical assistance on pro-
gramming for infants and toddlers to Early 
Head Start programs and in order to help such 
programs meet or exceed the program perform-
ance standards described in section 641A(a)(1), 
the Secretary shall—
‘‘(i) enter into contracts in each State 
with 1 or more entities that have a dem-
onstrated expertise in supporting the deliv-
ery of high quality programs for pregnant 
women and children less that 3 years of 
age, except that bi-State or multi-State 
contracts may be entered into if the demo-
graphics of proximal States make such a 
system more appropriate; 
‘‘(ii) ensure that contracts awarded 
under clause (I) are in an amount suffi-
cient to provide for each state a minimum 
of one full-time specialist with expertise in 
the development of children under age 
three and programming for pregnant 
women and such children; 
‘‘(iii) to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, ensure that the contracts awarded
135
Under clause (I) and the services provided 
therein are integrated with and augment 
the contract or contracts awarded and 
services provided under section 648 (n); 
and 
‘‘(iv) ensure that the entities de-
scribed in clause (I) determine the types of 
services to be provided through consulta-
tion with—
‘‘(I) local entities that carry out 
Early Head Start programs; 
‘‘(II) the State Head Start col-
laboration office; and 
‘‘(III) the State Head Start As-
sociation. 
‘‘(h) CENTER-BASED STAFF.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that, not later than September 30, 2009, all teach-
ers providing direct services to children and families par-
ticipating in early Head Start programs located in early 
Head Start centers have a minimum of a child develop-
ment associate credential, and have been trained (or have 
equivalent course work) in early childhood development. 
‘‘(i) STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.—
‘‘(1) HOME
VISITOR
STAFF
STANDARDS.—In 
order to further enhance the quality of home visiting
136
services provided to families of children participating 
in home-based, center-based, or combination pro-
gram options under this subchapter, the Secretary 
shall establish standards for training, qualifications, 
and the conduct of home visits for home visitor staff 
in Early Head Start programs. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF STANDARDS.—The stand-
ards for training, qualifications, and the conduct of 
home visits shall include content related to—
‘‘(A) structured child-focused home visiting 
that promotes parents’ ability to support the 
child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical 
development; 
‘‘(B) effective strengths-based parent edu-
cation, including methods to encourage parents 
as their child’s first teachers; 
‘‘(C) early childhood development with re-
spect to children from birth through age 3; 
‘‘(D) methods to help parents promote 
emergent literacy in their children from birth 
through age 3; 
‘‘(E) ascertaining what health and develop-
mental services the family receives and working 
with these providers to eliminate gaps in service 
by offering annual health, vision, hearing, and
137
developmental screening for children from birth 
to entry into kindergarten, when needed; 
‘‘(F) strategies for helping families coping 
with crisis; and 
‘‘(G) the relationship of health and well-
being of pregnant women to prenatal and early 
child development.’’. 
SEC. 14. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH 
CARE SERVICES. 
The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831) is amended 
by inserting after section 645A the following: 
‘‘SEC. 645B. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR 
HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘health care service’ includes—
‘‘(A) any nonemergency intrusive physical 
examination; and 
‘‘(B) any screening, including but not lim-
ited to, a medical, dental, developmental, men-
tal health, social, or behavioral screening. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘nonemergency intrusive physical 
examination’ means, with respect to a child, a phys-
ical examination that—
138
‘‘(A) is not immediately necessary to pro-
tect the health or safety of such child, or the 
health or safety of another individual; and 
‘‘(B) includes incision or is otherwise 
invasive, or includes exposure of private body 
parts. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENT.—Before administering any 
health care service to a child (or referring a child to obtain 
such service) in connection with participation in a program 
under this subchapter, a Head Start agency and an entity 
that receives assistance under section 645A shall obtain 
the written consent of a parent of such child indicating 
consent for each specific health care service to be per-
formed. 
‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—
‘‘(1) Nothing in this section shall be construed 
to prohibit a Head Start agency or an entity that re-
ceives assistance under section 645A from using es-
tablished methods for handling cases of suspected or 
known child abuse and neglect, that are in compli-
ance with applicable Federal, State, or tribal law. 
‘‘(2) Nothing in this subchapter shall be con-
strued to permit a Head Start agency, an entity that 
receives assistance under section 645A, or the per-
sonnel of such agency or entity to administer any
139
health care service to a child (or to refer a child to 
obtain such service) without the informed written 
consent of a parent of such child indicating consent 
for each specific health care service to be performed. 
‘‘(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed 
to require a Head Start agency or an entity that re-
ceives assistance under section 645A to provide sep-
arate consent forms for each specific health care 
service.’’. 
SEC. 15. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING. 
Section 646(a)(3) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9841(a)(3)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(3) if financial assistance under this sub-
chapter is terminated or reduced, an application for 
a noncompeting continuation award is denied based 
on a previous failure to comply with terms applicable 
to financial assistance previously provided under this 
subchapter, or suspension of financial assistance is 
continued for more than 30 days, the recipient with 
respect to whom such action is taken shall have the 
opportunity to appeal such action in accordance with 
such procedures, except that no funds made avail-
able under this subchapter may be used to reimburse 
any such recipient for legal fees and other costs in-
curred in pursuing such an appeal; and’’.
140
SEC. 16. RECORDS AND AUDITS. 
Section 647 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9842) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) Each recipient of financial assistance under this 
subchapter shall—
‘‘(1) maintain, and annually submit to the Sec-
retary, a complete accounting of its administrative 
expenses (including a detailed statement identifying 
the amount of financial assistance provided under 
this subchapter used to pay expenses for salaries 
and compensation and the amount (if any) of other 
funds used to pay such expenses); 
‘‘(2) within 30 days after the completion of an 
audit conducted in the manner and to the extent 
provided in chapter 75 of title 31, United States 
Code (commonly known as the ‘Single Audit Act 
Amendments of 1996’), submit to the Secretary a 
copy of the audit management letter and of any 
audit findings as it relates to the Head Start pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(3) provide such additional documentation as 
the Secretary may require.’’. 
SEC. 17. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 
Section 648 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843) 
is amended to read as follows:
141
‘‘SEC. 648. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING. 
‘‘(a) The Secretary shall provide, directly or through 
grants or other arrangements—
‘‘(1) technical assistance to communities in de-
veloping, conducting, and administering programs 
under this subchapter; and 
‘‘(2) training for specialized or other personnel 
needed in connection with Head Start programs, in 
accordance with the process, and the provisions for 
allocating resources, set forth in subsections (b) and 
(c). 
‘‘(b) The process for determining the technical assist-
ance and training activities to be carried out under this 
section shall—
‘‘(1) ensure that the needs of local Head Start 
agencies and programs relating to improving pro-
gram quality and to program expansion are ad-
dressed to the maximum extent feasible; 
‘‘(2) incorporate mechanisms to ensure respon-
siveness to local needs, including an ongoing proce-
dure for obtaining input from the individuals and 
agencies carrying out Head Start programs; and 
‘‘(3) ensure the provision of technical assistance 
to assist Head Start agencies, entities carrying out 
other child care and early childhood programs, com-
munities, and States in collaborative efforts to pro-
142
vide quality full-working-day, full calendar year serv-
ices, including technical assistance related to identi-
fying and assisting in resolving barriers to collabora-
tion. 
‘‘(c) In allocating resources for technical assistance 
and training under this section, the Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) give priority consideration to—
‘‘(A) activities to correct program and 
management deficiencies identified through re-
views carried out pursuant to section 641A(c) 
(including the provision of assistance to local 
programs in the development of quality im-
provement plans under section 641A(d)(2)); 
and 
‘‘(B) assisting Head Start agencies in—
‘‘(i) ensuring the school readiness of 
children; and 
‘‘(ii) meeting the educational perform-
ance 
measures 
described 
in 
section 
641A(b)(4); 
‘‘(2) supplement amounts provided under sec-
tion 640(a)(3)(C)(ii) in order to address the training 
and career development needs of classroom staff (in-
cluding instruction for providing services to children 
with disabilities), and nonclassroom staff, including
143
home visitors and other staff working directly with 
families, including training relating to increasing 
parent involvement and services designed to increase 
family literacy and improve parenting skills; 
‘‘(3) assist Head Start agencies in the develop-
ment of collaborative initiatives with States and 
other entities within the States, to foster effective 
early childhood professional development systems; 
‘‘(4) provide technical assistance and training, 
either directly or through a grant, contract, or coop-
erative agreement with an entity that has experience 
in the development and operation of successful fam-
ily literacy services programs, for the purpose of—
‘‘(A) assisting Head Start agencies pro-
viding family literacy services, in order to im-
prove the quality of such family literacy serv-
ices; and 
‘‘(B) enabling those Head Start agencies 
that demonstrate effective provision of family 
literacy services, based on improved outcomes 
for children and their parents, to provide tech-
nical assistance and training to other Head 
Start agencies and to service providers that 
work in collaboration with such agencies to pro-
vide family literacy services;
144
‘‘(5) assist Head Start agencies and programs 
in conducting and participating in community-wide 
strategic planning and needs assessment, including 
the needs of homeless children and their families; 
‘‘(6) assist Head Start agencies and programs 
in developing and implementing full-working-day and 
full-calendar-year programs where community need 
is clearly identified and making the transition to 
such programs, with particular attention to involving 
parents and programming for children throughout 
the day, and assist the agencies and programs in ex-
pediting the sharing of information about innovative 
models for providing full-working-day, full calendar 
year services for children; 
‘‘(7) assist Head Start agencies in better serv-
ing the needs of families with very young children; 
‘‘(8) assist Head Start agencies and programs 
in the development of sound management practices, 
including financial management procedures; 
‘‘(9) assist in efforts to secure and maintain 
adequate facilities for Head Start programs; 
‘‘(10) assist Head Start agencies in developing 
innovative program models, including mobile and 
home-based programs;
145
‘‘(11) provide support for Head Start agencies 
(including policy councils and policy committees) 
that meet the standards described in section 
641A(a) but that have, as documented by the Sec-
retary through reviews conducted pursuant to sec-
tion 641A(c), significant programmatic, quality, and 
fiscal issues to address; 
‘‘(12) assist Head Start agencies and programs 
in increasing program participation of homeless chil-
dren; 
‘‘(13) assist Head Start agencies and Head 
Start programs in improving outreach to, and the 
quality of services available to, limited English pro-
ficient children and their families, particularly in 
communities that have experienced a large percent-
age increase in the population of limited English 
proficient individuals, as measured by the Bureau of 
the Census; 
‘‘(14) assist Head Start agencies in developing 
appropriate methods and approaches for identifying 
and working with children and families experiencing 
toxic stress; 
‘‘(15) assist programs in improving outreach to 
serve additional children with disabilities, if such 
program’s enrollment opportunities or funded enroll-
146
ment for children with disabilities is less than 10 
percent; 
‘‘(16) provide assistance to address the unique 
needs of programs located in rural communities, in-
cluding—
‘‘(A) removing barriers related to the re-
cruitment and retention of Head Start teachers 
in rural communities; 
‘‘(B) developing innovative and effective 
models of professional development for improv-
ing staff qualifications and skills for staff living 
in rural communities; 
‘‘(C) removing barriers related to outreach 
efforts to eligible families in rural communities; 
‘‘(D) removing barriers to parent involve-
ment in Head Start programs in rural commu-
nities; 
‘‘(E) removing barriers to providing home 
visiting services in rural communities; and 
‘‘(F) removing barriers to obtaining health 
screenings for Head Start participants in rural 
communities; and 
‘‘(17) assist Head Start agencies and programs 
to increase the capacity of classroom staff to meet 
the needs of eligible children in inclusive classrooms.
147
‘‘(d) The Secretary may provide, either directly or 
through grants to public or private nonprofit entities, 
training for Head Start personnel in the use of the per-
forming and visual arts and interactive programs using 
electronic media to enhance the learning experience of 
Head Start children. Special consideration shall be given 
to entities that have demonstrated effectiveness in edu-
cational programming for preschool children that includes 
components for parental involvement, care provider train-
ing, and developmentally appropriate related activities. 
‘‘(e) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or 
through grants or other arrangements, funds from pro-
grams authorized under this subchapter to support an or-
ganization to administer a centralized child development 
and national assessment program leading to recognized 
credentials for personnel working in early childhood devel-
opment and child care programs, training for personnel 
providing services to limited English proficient children 
(including services to promote the acquisition of the 
English language), training for personnel providing serv-
ices to children determined to be abused or neglected, 
training for personnel providing services to children re-
ferred by or receiving child welfare services, training for 
personnel in helping children cope with community vio-
lence, resource access projects for personnel working with
148
disabled children, and training for appropriate personnel 
to recognize common health, including mental health, 
problems in children for appropriate referral. 
‘‘(f) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or 
through grants, or other arrangements, funds for training 
of Head Start personnel in addressing the unique needs 
of migrant and seasonal working families, families with 
1 or more children with disabilities, families with a limited 
English proficiency, homeless families, and children and 
families experiencing toxic stress. 
‘‘(g) More than 50 percent of funds expended under 
this section shall be used to provide high quality, sus-
tained, intensive, and classroom-focused training and tech-
nical assistance in order to have a positive and lasting im-
pact on classroom instruction. Funds shall be used to 
carry out activities related to any or all of the following: 
‘‘(1) Education and early childhood develop-
ment. 
‘‘(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety. 
‘‘(3) Family and community partnerships and 
services. 
‘‘(4) Other areas that impact the quality or 
overall effectiveness of Head Start programs. 
‘‘(h) The Secretary shall develop and implement a 
program of outreach to recruit and train minority men
149
to become Head Start teachers in order to reflect the com-
munities in which Head Start children live and to increase 
the provision of quality services and instruction to children 
with diverse backgrounds. 
‘‘(i) Funds under this subchapter used for training 
shall be used for needs identified annually by a grant ap-
plicant or delegate agency in their program improvement 
plan, except that funds shall not be used for long-distance 
travel expenses for training activities available locally or 
regionally or for training activities substantially similar to 
locally or regionally available training activities. 
‘‘(j) 
Funds 
made 
available 
under 
section 
640(a)(2)(C)(i) shall be used by a Head Start agency for 
any of the following: 
‘‘(1) Activities that ensure that Head Start pro-
grams meet or exceed the program performance 
standards described in section 641A(a)(1). 
‘‘(2) Activities that ensure that Head Start pro-
grams have adequate numbers of trained, qualified 
staff who have skills in working with children and 
families, including children and families who are lim-
ited English proficient and children with disabilities. 
‘‘(3) Activities to pay expenses, including direct 
training for expert consultants working with any
150
staff, to improve the management and implementa-
tion of Head Start services and systems. 
‘‘(4) Activities that help ensure that Head Start 
programs have qualified staff who can promote lan-
guage skills and literacy growth of children and who 
can provide children with a variety of skills that 
have been identified as predictive of later reading 
achievement, school success, and the skills, knowl-
edge, abilities, development, and progress described 
in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii). 
‘‘(5) Activities to improve staff qualifications 
and to assist with the implementation of career de-
velopment programs and to encourage the staff to 
continually improve their skills and expertise, includ-
ing developing partnerships with programs that re-
cruit, train, place, and support college students in 
Head Start centers to deliver an innovative early 
learning program to preschool children. 
‘‘(6) Activities that help local programs ensure 
that the arrangement, condition, and implementation 
of the learning environments in Head Start pro-
grams are conducive to providing effective program 
services to children and families. 
‘‘(7) Activities to provide training necessary to 
improve the qualifications of Head Start staff and to
151
support staff training, child counseling, health serv-
ices, and other services necessary to address the 
needs of children enrolled in Head Start programs, 
including children from families in crises, children 
who experience chronic violence or homelessness, 
children who experience substance abuse in their 
families, and children under 3 years of age, where 
applicable. 
‘‘(8) Activities to provide classes or in-service-
type programs to improve or enhance parenting 
skills, job skills, adult and family literacy, including 
financial literacy, or training to become a classroom 
aide or bus driver in a Head Start program. 
‘‘(9) Additional activities deemed appropriate to 
the improvement of Head Start agencies’ programs, 
as determined by the agencies’ technical assistance 
and training plans. 
‘‘(10) Any other activities regarding the use of 
funds as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(k) The Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) work in collaboration with the Head Start 
agencies that carry out Indian Head Start pro-
grams, the Indian Head Start collaboration director, 
and other appropriate entities, including tribal gov-
152
ernments and the National Indian Head Start Di-
rectors Association—
‘‘(A) to undertake a study or set of studies 
designed to focus on the American Indian and 
Alaska Native Head Start-eligible population, 
with a focus on issues such as curriculum devel-
opment, availability and need for services, ap-
propriate research methodologies and measures 
for these populations, and best practices for 
teaching and educating American Indian and 
Alaska Native Head Start Children; 
‘‘(B) to accurately determine the number 
of children nationwide who are eligible to par-
ticipate in Indian Head Start programs each 
year; 
‘‘(C) to document how many of these chil-
dren are receiving Head Start services each 
year; 
‘‘(D) to the extent practicable, to ensure 
that access to Indian Head Start programs for 
eligible children is comparable to access to other 
Head Start programs for other eligible children; 
and 
‘‘(E) to make the funding decisions re-
quired in section 640(a)(2)(A)(iii), after com-
153
pletion of the studies required in that section, 
taking into account: 
‘‘(i) the Federal government’s unique 
trust responsibility to American Indians 
and Alaska Natives; 
‘‘(ii) limitations faced by tribal com-
munities in accessing non-Federal sources 
of funding to supplement Federal funding 
for early childhood programs; and 
‘‘(iii) other factors that uniquely and 
adversely impact children in American In-
dian and Alaska Native communities such 
as highly elevated poverty, unemployment 
and violent crime rates, as well as de-
pressed levels of educational achievement 
and limited access to non-Federal health, 
social and educational resources; 
‘‘(2) in carrying out paragraph (1), consult with 
the Secretary of Education about the Department of 
Education’s systems for collecting and reporting 
data about, and maintaining records on, American 
Indian and Alaska Native students; 
‘‘(3) not later than 9 months after the effective 
date of this subsection, publish in the Federal Reg-
ister a notice of how the Secretary plans to carry out
154
paragraph (1) and shall provide a period for public 
comment. To the extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall consider comments received before submitting 
a report to the Congress; 
‘‘(4) not later than 1 year after the effective 
date of this subsection, submit a report to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, detailing 
how the Department of Health and Human Services 
plans to carry out paragraph (1); 
‘‘(5) through regulation, ensure the confiden-
tiality of any personally identifiable data, informa-
tion, and records collected or maintained by the Sec-
retary, by Head Start agencies that carry out Indian 
Head Start programs, and by State Directors of 
Head Start Collaboration, by the Indian Head Start 
Collaboration Project Director and by other appro-
priate entities pursuant to this subsection (Such reg-
ulations shall provide the policies, protections, and 
rights equivalent to those provided a parent, stu-
dent, or educational agency or institution under sec-
tion 444 of the General Education Provisions Act.); 
and
155
‘‘(6) ensure that nothing in this subsection shall 
be construed to authorize the development of a na-
tionwide database of personally identifiable informa-
tion on individuals involved in studies or other col-
lections of data under this subsection. 
‘‘(l) The Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) in order to increase access to Head Start 
services for eligible migrant and seasonal children, 
work in collaboration with migrant and seasonal 
Head Start providers, the Department of Agri-
culture (land grant universities), the Department of 
Labor, the Bureau of Migrant Health, and the De-
partment of Education to—
‘‘(A) establish a system for collecting and 
reporting data on farm workers and their fami-
lies in order to adequately account for the num-
ber of seasonal and migrant children that are 
eligible for Head Start and determine how 
many of these eligible children receive services; 
‘‘(B) identify barriers that prevent eligible 
migrant and seasonal children from accessing 
Head Start services and develop a plan for 
eliminating barriers and increasing enrollment; 
and
156
‘‘(C) develop a system through which mi-
grant and seasonal Head Start programs can 
effectively track health records and educational 
documents as a child moves from state to state; 
‘‘(2) not later than 6 months after the effective 
date of this subsection, publish in the Federal Reg-
ister a notice on how the Secretary plans to carry 
out the activities identified in paragraph (1) and 
shall provide a period for public comment. To the 
extent practicable, the Secretary shall consider com-
ments received before implementing any of the ac-
tivities identified in paragraph (1); 
‘‘(3) not later than 1 year after the effective 
date of this subsection, submit a report to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Health, Education, Labor 
and Pensions Committee of the Senate detailing how 
the Secretary plans to carry out the activities identi-
fied in (1); 
‘‘(4) submit a report to Congress annually on 
the migrant and seasonal Head Start program in-
cluding a report on the progress made in carrying 
out the activities identified in paragraph (1), the 
progress made in reaching out to and serving eligible 
migrant and seasonal children, and information on
157
states where migrant and seasonal children are still 
underserved; 
‘‘(5) through regulation, ensure the protection 
of the confidentiality of any personally identifiable 
data, information, and records collected or main-
tained by the Secretary, by Head Start agencies that 
carry out migrant and seasonal Head Start pro-
grams, by the State director of Head Start Collabo-
ration, by the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker 
Collaboration project Director (Such regulations 
shall provide the policies, protections, and rights 
equivalent to those provided a parent, student, or 
educational agency or institution under section 444 
of the General Education Provisions Act.); and 
‘‘(6) ensure that nothing in this subsection shall 
be construed to authorize the development of a na-
tionwide database of personally identifiable informa-
tion on individuals involved in studies or other col-
lections of data under this subsection. 
‘‘(m) For purposes of this section, the term ‘eligible 
entities’ means an institution of higher education or other 
entity with expertise in delivering training in early child-
hood development, family support, and other assistance 
designed to improve the delivery of Head Start services.
158
‘‘(n) For the purposes of delivering a State-based 
training and technical assistance system, as described in 
section 640(a)(C)(ii), that will meet the needs of local 
grantees and provide high quality, sustained, and intensive 
training and technical assistance to Head Start programs 
in order to help them meet or exceed the program per-
formance standards described in section 641A(a)(1), the 
Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) enter into contracts in each State with 1 
or more entities who have a demonstrated expertise 
in supporting the delivery of high quality early edu-
cation programs, except that bi-State contracts may 
be entered in to if the demographics of proximal 
States make such a system more appropriate; 
‘‘(2) ensure that the entities described in sub-
paragraph (1) determine the types of services to be 
provided through consultation with—
‘‘(A) local Head Start agencies; 
‘‘(B) the State Head Start collaboration 
office; and 
‘‘(C) the State Head Start Association; 
‘‘(3) provide a report, to the Committee on 
Education and Labor of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. no later than 90
159
days after the end of the fiscal year, summarizing 
the funding for such contracts and the activities car-
ried out thereunder. 
‘‘(4) periodically evaluate the usefulness of the 
delivery of services in each State and their effective-
ness in promoting program quality; and 
‘‘(5) ensure that in entering into such contracts 
as described in paragraph (1), such entities will ad-
dress the needs of grantees in both urban and rural 
communities. 
‘‘(o) To support enhanced early language and 
preliteracy development of children in Head Start pro-
grams, and to provide the children with high-quality oral 
language skills, and environments that are rich in lit-
erature, in which to acquire language and preliteracy 
skills, each Head Start agency shall ensure that—
‘‘(1) all of the agency’s Head Start teachers re-
ceive ongoing training in language and emergent lit-
eracy (referred to in this subsection as ‘literacy 
training’), and including appropriate curricula and 
assessment to improve instruction and learning; 
‘‘(2) such literacy training shall include training 
in methods to promote vocabulary development and 
phonological awareness (including phonemic aware-
ness) in a developmentally, culturally, and linguis-
160
tically appropriate manner and support children’s 
development in their home language; 
‘‘(3) the literacy training shall include training 
in how to work with parents to enhance positive lan-
guage and early literacy development at home; 
‘‘(4) the literacy training shall include specific 
methods to best address the needs of children who 
are limited English proficient; and 
‘‘(5) the literacy training shall include training 
on how to best address the language and literacy 
needs of children with disabilities, including training 
on how to work with specialists in language develop-
ment. 
‘‘(p) The Secretary is encouraged to contract, on a 
competitive basis, with an institution of higher education 
(as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965) to develop an on-line graduate-level professional 
development program with the goal of improving the lead-
ership of those working in Head Start programs and im-
proving teacher quality and the capacity of effective Head 
Start teachers. 
‘‘(q) INDOOR AIR QUALITY.—The Secretary shall 
consult with experts on issues of air quality related to chil-
dren’s health and inform Head Start agencies of existing
161
programs or combination of programs that provide meth-
ods for improving indoor air quality. 
‘‘(r) DEMONSTRATION FOR CAREER LADDER PART-
NERSHIPS WITH TRIBAL COLLEGES AND HISPANIC-SERV-
ING INSTITUTIONS.—
‘‘(1) TRIBAL COLLEGE CAREER LADDER DEM-
ONSTRATION PROGRAM.—The Secretary is author-
ized to award demonstration grants, for periods of 
not less than 5 years, to tribal colleges and univer-
sities to—
‘‘(A) implement education programs that 
include education concerning tribal culture and 
language and increase the number of associate, 
baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early 
childhood and related fields that are earned by 
Indian Head Start agency staff members, par-
ents of children served by such an agency, and 
members of the tribal community involved; 
‘‘(B) develop and implement the programs 
under subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated 
formats, including providing the programs 
through such means as distance learning and 
use of advanced technology, as appropriate; and 
‘‘(C) provide technology literacy programs 
for Indian Head Start agency staff members
162
and children and families of children served by 
such an agency. 
‘‘(2) HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS CAREER 
LADDER
DEMONSTRATION
PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary is authorized to award demonstration grants, 
for periods of not less than 5 years, to Hispanic-
serving institutions to—
‘‘(A) provide assistance for stipends and 
costs related to tuition, fees, and books for en-
rolling Head Start agency staff members and 
parents of children served by such an agency in 
courses required to complete the degree and 
certification requirements to become bilingual 
teachers in early childhood education and re-
lated fields; 
‘‘(B) develop career ladder program cur-
ricula to increase the number of associate’s, 
bachelor’s, and graduate degrees earned by 
Head Start agency staff who have the linguistic 
skills and expertise to teach in programs serv-
ing a large number of limited English proficient 
children and parents of children served by such 
an agency; and 
‘‘(C) other activities to upgrade the skills 
and qualifications of noncertified educational
163
personnel to meet the professional standards in 
section 648A(a)(1), including certification and 
licensure as bilingual education teachers and 
other educational personnel who serve limited 
English proficient children. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENT.—Individuals who receive 
assistance under paragraphs (1) and (2) shall subse-
quently teach in a Head Start center for a period of 
time equivalent to the period for which they received 
assistance or repay the amount of funds. 
‘‘(s) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVER-
SITIES HEAD START PARTNERSHIPS.—In order to pro-
mote quality services and instruction to children with di-
verse backgrounds, the Secretary shall work in collabora-
tion with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to—
‘‘(1) implement education programs that in-
clude education to increase the number of associate, 
baccalaureate, and advanced degrees in early child-
hood education and related fields that are earned by 
Head Start agency staff members, and parents of 
children served by such an agency; and 
‘‘(2) carry out other activities to upgrade the 
skills and qualifications of noncertified educational 
personnel to meet the professional standards in sec-
tion 648A(a).
164
Individuals who receive assistance under this paragraph 
shall subsequently teach in a center-based Head Start pro-
gram for a period of time equivalent to the period for 
which they received assistance or shall repay such assist-
ance.’’. 
SEC. 18. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT. 
Section 648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9843a) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(a)’’ and all that follows 
through paragraph (2), and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(a) CLASSROOM TEACHERS.—
‘‘(1) 
PROFESSIONAL
REQUIREMENTS.—The 
Secretary shall ensure that each Head Start class-
room in a center-based program is assigned 1 teach-
er who has demonstrated competency to perform 
functions that include—
‘‘(A) planning and implementing learning 
experiences that advance the intellectual and 
physical development of children, including im-
proving the readiness of children for school by 
developing their literacy, phonemic, and print 
awareness, their understanding and use of lan-
guage, their understanding and use of increas-
165
ingly complex and varied vocabulary, their ap-
preciation of books, their understanding of early 
math and early science, their problem solving 
abilities, and their approaches to learning; 
‘‘(B) establishing and maintaining a safe, 
healthy learning environment; 
‘‘(C) supporting the social and emotional 
development of children; and 
‘‘(D) encouraging the involvement of the 
families of the children in a Head Start pro-
gram and supporting the development of rela-
tionships between children and their families. 
‘‘(2) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
ensure that not later than September 30, 2013, 
at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers 
nationwide in center-based programs have—
‘‘(i) a baccalaureate, or advanced de-
gree in early childhood education; 
‘‘(ii) a baccalaureate or advanced de-
gree in a field related to early childhood 
education, with experience in teaching pre-
school children; or 
‘‘(iii) except that teachers providing 
services in migrant and seasonal Head
166
Start classrooms that serve children under 
age 3 shall be required to meet the teacher 
requirements described in section 645A(h). 
‘‘(B) PROGRESS REPORT.—
‘‘(i) On an annual basis, each Head 
Start agency shall provide to the Secretary 
a report indicating the number and per-
centage of classroom instructors with child 
development/ early childhood education as-
sociate credentials and associate, bacca-
laureate, or advanced degrees, and number 
of classroom instructors who successfully 
transferred associate credit and completed 
a baccalaureate degree disaggregated by 
race, ethnicity, and proficiency in a lan-
guage other than English, with a descrip-
tion of those languages. 
‘‘(ii) Not later than September 30, 
2008 the Secretary shall compile and 
transmit reports received under (i) to the 
Committee on Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate.
167
‘‘(C) PROGRESS.—Each Head Start agen-
cy shall provide to the Secretary a report indi-
cating the number and percentage of teachers 
and teacher’s aides with child development as-
sociate credentials and associate, baccalaureate, 
or advanced degrees. The Secretary shall com-
pile all program reports and make them avail-
able to the Committee on Education and Labor 
of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate. 
‘‘(D) REQUIREMENT
FOR
NEW
HEAD 
START
TEACHERS.—In accordance with rules 
issued by the Secretary and made effective 2 
years after the effective date of this subpara-
graph, all Head Start agencies shall require 
that all Head Start teachers hired after such 
rules take effect to provide Head Start services 
in center-based programs—
‘‘(i) have an associate, baccalaureate, 
or advanced degree in early childhood edu-
cation or a related field; or 
‘‘(ii) be currently enrolled in a pro-
gram of study leading to an associate de-
gree in early childhood education or a re-
168
lated field, and agree to complete degree 
requirements not later than 3 years after 
the date of hire. 
‘‘(E) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec-
retary shall establish requirements to ensure 
that individuals who receive financial assistance 
under this subchapter in order to comply with 
the requirements under section 648A(a)(2) 
shall subsequently teach in a Head Start center 
for a period of time equivalent to the period for 
which they received assistance or repay the 
amount of the funds. 
‘‘(F) LIMITATION.—The Secretary shall re-
quire that any Federal funds provided directly 
or indirectly to comply with subparagraph (A) 
shall be used toward degrees awarded by an in-
stitution of higher education, as defined by sec-
tions 101 or 102 of the Higher Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002).’’, and 
(B) in paragraph (3)—
(i) in subparagraph (B) by striking 
‘‘or’’ at the end, 
(ii) in subparagraph (C) by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’, 
and
169
(iii) by adding at the end, the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) a baccalaureate and has been admit-
ted into the Teach For America program, 
passed a rigorous early childhood content exam, 
such as the Praxis II, participated in a Teach 
For America summer training institute that in-
cludes teaching preschool children, and is re-
ceiving ongoing professional development and 
support from Teach For America’s professional 
staff.’’, and 
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(c) FAMILY SERVICE WORKERS.—To improve the 
quality and effectiveness of staff providing in-home and 
other services (including needs assessment, development of 
service plans, family advocacy, and coordination of service 
delivery) to families of children participating in Head 
Start programs, the Secretary, in coordination with con-
cerned public and private agencies and organizations ex-
amining the issues of standards and training for family 
service workers, shall—
‘‘(1) review and, as necessary, revise or develop 
new qualification standards for Head Start staff 
providing such services;
170
‘‘(2) review, and as necessary, revise or develop 
maximum caseload requirements, as suggested by 
best practices; 
‘‘(3) promote the development of model cur-
ricula (on subjects including parenting training and 
family literacy) designed to ensure the attainment of 
appropriate competencies by individuals working or 
planning to work in the field of early childhood and 
family services; and 
‘‘(4) promote the establishment of a credential 
that indicates attainment of the competencies and 
that is accepted nationwide.’’, and 
(3) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS.—Each 
Head Start agency and program shall create, in consulta-
tion with an employee, a professional development plan for 
all full-time Head Start employees who provide direct serv-
ices to children and shall ensure that such plans are regu-
larly evaluated for their impact on teacher and staff effec-
tiveness. 
‘‘(g) STAFF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCE-
DURES.—Before a Head Start agency employs an indi-
vidual, such agency shall—
‘‘(1) conduct an interview of such individual;
171
‘‘(2) verify the personal and employment ref-
erences provided by such individual; and 
‘‘(3) obtain—
‘‘(A) a State, tribal, or Federal criminal 
record check covering all jurisdictions where the 
grantee provides Head Start services to chil-
dren; 
‘‘(B) a State, tribal, or Federal criminal 
record check as required by the law of the juris-
diction where the grantee provides Head Start 
services; or 
‘‘(C) a criminal record check as otherwise 
required by Federal law. 
‘‘(h) INCENTIVES FOR HEAD START TEACHERS AND 
EARLY HEAD START TEACHERS.—
‘‘(1) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.—It is the pur-
pose of this subsection to encourage individuals to 
begin and continue teaching in Head Start programs 
and Early Head Start programs. 
‘‘(2) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—From the sums appro-
priated pursuant to paragraph (9), the Sec-
retary of Education, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, is au-
thorized carry out a program to forgive, in ac-
172
cordance with this subsection, the student loan 
debt of any borrower who has one or more 
loans described under subparagraph (B) made 
on or after October 1, 1998, and who—
‘‘(i) commits to working as a Head 
Start teacher or an Early Head Start 
teacher for at least 3 consecutive complete 
program years; 
‘‘(ii) has a bachelor’s degree in a field 
related to early childhood education; and 
‘‘(iii) is not in default on a loan for 
which the borrower seeks forgiveness. 
‘‘(B) METHOD OF LOAN FORGIVENESS.—
To provide the loan forgiveness authorized in 
subclause (A), the Secretary of Education, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, shall, subject to subsubclause 
(C), carry out a program—
‘‘(i) through the holder of the loan, to 
assume the obligation to repay a qualified 
loan amount for a loan made under section 
428 or 428H of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078, 1078–8); and 
‘‘(ii) to cancel a qualified loan amount 
for a Federal Direct Stafford Loan or a
173
Federal 
Direct 
Unsubsidized 
Stafford 
Loan made under part D of title IV of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.). 
‘‘(C) 
TREATMENT
OF
CONSOLIDATION 
LOANS.—A loan amount for a loan made under 
section 428C or section 455(g) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1078–3, 1087e(g)) may be a qualified 
loan amount for the purposes of subclause (B) 
only to the extent that such loan amount was 
used to repay a loan made under section 428 or 
428H, a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, or a 
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan for 
a borrower who meets the requirements of sub-
clause (A), as determined in accordance with 
regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Edu-
cation, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFIED LOAN AMOUNT.—After the be-
ginning of the qualifying employment described in 
subparagraph (2)(A)(i) and upon approval of a bor-
rower’s application under subparagraph (5), the Sec-
retary of Education, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, shall forgive 
under this subsection not more than $10,000 of the
174
student loan obligation of a borrower that is out-
standing at the beginning of such employment. 
‘‘(4) AWARD
BASIS.—Loan forgiveness under 
this subsection shall be on a first-come, first-served 
basis and subject to the availability of appropria-
tions. 
‘‘(5) APPLICATION FOR FORGIVENESS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each borrower desir-
ing loan forgiveness under this subsection shall 
submit a complete and accurate application to 
the Secretary of Education at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary of Education, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices, may require. 
‘‘(B) SERVICE
AGREEMENT.—Each such 
application shall contain an agreement by the 
borrower—
‘‘(i) to complete the commitment de-
scribed in subclause (2)(A)(i) within 6 
years after receiving loan forgiveness under 
this subsection; or 
‘‘(ii) to repay the portion required by 
the regulations under subclause (6)(A) if