I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4042 
To provide grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2015 
Mr. CASTRO of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide grants for high-quality prekindergarten 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 ‘‘Pre-K for USA Act.’’ 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The United States ranks 25th in early 
learning enrollment with fewer than 3 out of 10 
four-year-olds enrolled in high-quality prekinder-
garten programs. 
(2) Studies show that children with access to 
high-quality prekindergarten programs are less likely 
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to repeat a grade or drop out of high school, and 
more likely to succeed in their careers. 
(3) Every public dollar spent on high-quality 
prekindergarten programs returns $7 through a re-
duced need for spending on other services such as 
remedial education, grade repetition, and special 
education. 
(4) Children who attended prekindergarten are 
less likely to develop drug problems, commit a fel-
ony, and go to prison, and are half as likely to be 
arrested. 
(5) Children who attended prekindergarten usu-
ally have higher grade point averages and are more 
likely to attend a four-year college. 
(6) About 40 percent of school districts do not 
offer prekindergarten programs. 
(7) Over half of school districts that have pre- 
kindergarten programs offer only part-day pro-
grams. 
(8) Texas missed out on up to $118.48 million 
in Federal funding to expand prekindergarten pro-
grams. 
(9) Reports showed that in 2011 the Texas leg-
islature cut approximately $5.4 billion in education 
funding and eliminated the $200 million in grants it 
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offered to schools to expand prekindergarten pro-
grams from half-day to full-day. 
(10) In response to the State of Texas’ edu-
cation funding cuts, certain local governments took 
it upon themselves to fund full-day prekindergarten 
programs. 
(11) For these reasons, certain localities, in-
cluding local governments and local educational 
agencies would benefit from direct application pre-
kindergarten Federal program funding. 
SEC. 3. PREKINDERGARTEN DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, shall award competitive grants to States, local 
educational agencies, or other local government entities 
that wish to increase their capacity and build the infra-
structure within the State to offer high-quality prekinder-
garten programs. 
(b) GRANT DURATION.—The Secretary shall award 
grants under this Act for a period of not more than 3 
years. Such grants shall not be renewed. 
(c) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A Governor, or chief execu-
tive officer of a State, a local educational agency, or 
another local government entity that desires to re-
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ceive a grant under this Act shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary of Education at such time, in 
such manner, and accompanied by such information 
as the Secretary may reasonably require. 
(2) DEVELOPMENT OF STATE APPLICATION.— 
In developing an application for a grant under this 
Act, a State shall consult with the State Advisory 
Council on Early Childhood Education and Care and 
incorporate their recommendations, where applicable. 
(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this Act, a State, local educational 
agency, or other local government entity shall con-
tribute for the activities for which the grant was 
awarded non-Federal matching funds in an amount 
equal to not less than 20 percent of the amount of 
the grant. 
(2) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—To satisfy the re-
quirement of paragraph (1), a State, local edu-
cational agency, or other local government entity 
may use— 
(A) non-Federal resources in the form of 
State funding, local funding, or contributions 
from philanthropy or other private sources, or 
a combination of such resources; or 
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a program in a fiscal year if the State, agency, or entity 
received funding for the program in such fiscal year. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec-
tion— 
(1) $750,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each of 
fiscal years 2017 through 2025. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE LOCAL ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble local entity’’ means— 
(A) a local educational agency, including a 
charter school or a charter management organi-
zation that acts as a local educational agency, 
or an educational service agency in partnership 
with a local educational agency; 
(B) an entity (including a Head Start pro-
gram or licensed child care setting) that carries 
out, administers, or supports an early childhood 
education program; or 
(C) a consortium of entities described 
under subparagraph (A) or (B). 
(2) FULL-DAY.—The term ‘‘full-day’’ means a 
day that is— 
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(A) equivalent to a full school day at the 
public elementary schools in the State; and 
(B) not less than 5 hours. 
(3) HIGH-QUALITY
PREKINDERGARTEN
PRO-
GRAM.—The term ‘‘high-quality prekindergarten 
program’’ means a prekindergarten program sup-
ported by an eligible local entity that includes, at a 
minimum, the following elements based on nationally 
recognized standards: 
(A) Serves children who— 
(i) are age 4 or children who are age 
3 or 4, by the eligibility determination date 
(including children who turn age 5 while 
attending the program); or 
(ii) have attained the legal age for 
State-funded prekindergarten. 
(B) Requires high staff qualifications, in-
cluding that teachers meet the requirements of 
1 of the following clauses: 
(i) The teacher has a bachelor’s de-
gree in early childhood education or a re-
lated field with coursework that dem-
onstrates competence in early childhood 
education; 
(ii) The teacher— 
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(I) has a bachelor’s degree in any 
field; 
(II) has demonstrated knowledge 
of early childhood education through 
passage of a State-approved assess-
ment in early childhood education; 
(III) engages in ongoing profes-
sional development in early childhood 
education for not less than 2 years; 
and 
(IV) is enrolled in a State-ap-
proved educator preparation program 
in which the teacher receives ongoing 
training and support in early child-
hood 
education 
and 
is 
making 
progress toward the completion of the 
program in not more than 3 years; or 
(iii) The teacher has a bachelor’s de-
gree in any field with a credential, license, 
or endorsement that demonstrates com-
petence in early childhood education. 
(C) Maintains a maximum class size of 20 
children. 
(D) Maintains a child to instructional staff 
ratio that does not exceed 10 to 1. 
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(E) Offers a full-day program. 
(F) Provides developmentally appropriate 
learning environments and evidence-based cur-
ricula that are aligned with the State’s early 
learning and development standards. 
(G) Offers instructional staff salaries com-
parable to kindergarten through grade 12 
teaching staff. 
(H) Provides for ongoing monitoring and 
program evaluation to ensure continuous im-
provement. 
(I) Offers accessible comprehensive services 
for children that— 
(i) include, at a minimum— 
(I) screenings for vision, dental, 
health (including mental health), and 
development and referrals, and assist-
ance obtaining services, when appro-
priate; 
(II) family engagement opportu-
nities (taking into account home lan-
guage), such as parent conferences 
(including parent input about their 
child’s development) and support serv-
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ices, such as parent education and 
family literacy services; 
(III) nutrition services, including 
nutritious meals and snack options 
aligned with requirements set by the 
most recent Child and Adult Care 
Food Program guidelines promulgated 
by the Department of Agriculture as 
well as regular, age-appropriate, nu-
trition education for children and 
their families; 
(IV) programs coordinated with 
local educational agencies and entities 
providing programs authorized under 
section 619 and part C of the Individ-
uals with Disabilities Education Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1419 and 1431 et seq.); 
(V) physical activity programs 
aligned with evidence-based guide-
lines, such as those recommended by 
the Institute of Medicine, and that 
take into account and accommodate 
children with disabilities; and 
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(VI) additional support services, 
as appropriate, based on the findings 
of a needs analysis; and 
(ii) are provided on-site, to the max-
imum extent feasible. 
(J) Provides high-quality professional de-
velopment for staff, including regular in-class 
observation for teachers and teacher assistants 
by individuals trained in observation and which 
may include evidence-based coaching. 
(K) Meets the education performance 
standards in effect under section 641A(a)(1)(B) 
of 
the 
Head 
Start 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
9836a(a)(1)(B)). 
(L) Maintains evidence-based health and 
safety standards. 
(4) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local edu-
cational agency’’ and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings 
given the terms in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
Æ 
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