I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1528
To amend the Head Start Act to make quality improvements in Head Start
programs, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 30, 1993
Mr. GOODLING (for himself, Ms. MOLINARI, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. CUNNINGHAM,
Mr. PETRI, Mr. GUNDERSON, and Mr. HOEKSTRA) introduced the follow-
ing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
A BILL
To amend the Head Start Act to make quality improvements
in Head Start programs, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Head Start Quality
Improvement Act’’.
SEC. 2. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT FUNDS.
Section 637(5)(B) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9832(5)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘25 percent’’ and in-
serting ‘‘30 percent’’.
any Federal funds that would otherwise have
been available to carry out such reviews, audits,
examinations, and evaluations; and
‘‘(iii) 12.5 percent shall be made available
to make grants to Head Start agencies that ex-
ceed the outcome measures described in section
651(b)(2), for carrying out the quality improve-
ment activities described in paragraph (3)(A).’’.
SEC. 5. HEAD START AGENCIES.
(a) GRANTS.—Section 641(a) of the Head Start Act
(42 U.S.C. 9836(a)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(2) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(a)’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) The Secretary may make grants to designated
Head Start agencies to carry out Head Start programs
under this Act.
‘‘(3) The first grant awarded to an agency serving
a community after the date of enactment of this para-
graph, and first designation of such agency as a Head
Start agency after such date, shall be for a period of 7
years. Subsequent grants and designations shall be made
for periods of not less than 7 years.
‘‘(4) To be eligible to be designated as a Head Start
agency and receive such a grant, an agency shall submit
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.’’.
(b) REVIEWS AND INTERIM EVALUATIONS.—Section
641(c) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836(c)) is
amended—
(1) by striking paragraph (1);
(2) in paragraph (2)—
(A) in subparagraph (A)—
(i) by striking ‘‘and shall’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘and shall conduct an interim evalua-
tion including a site visit at the site of
such agency at least once each year, in
order to’’; and
(ii) by inserting ‘‘, including outcome
measures described in section 651(b)(2),’’
after ‘‘requirements’’; and
(B) in subparagraph (C)—
(i) by striking ‘‘The’’ and inserting
‘‘In addition to conducting the reviews and
interim evaluations required under sub-
paragraphs (A) and (B), the’’; and
(ii) by striking ‘‘followup reviews’’ and
inserting ‘‘followup reviews and interim
evaluations’’;
(3) in paragraph (3)—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ‘‘review’’ and inserting ‘‘review
or interim evaluation’’;
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘re-
view’’ and inserting ‘‘review or interim evalua-
tion’’; and
(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘such
review at the site of such agency’’ and inserting
‘‘such a site visit, conducted as part of a review
or interim evaluation’’;
(4) in paragraph (4)—
(A) by striking ‘‘(4)’’ and inserting
‘‘(4)(A)’’;
(B) in subparagraph (A) (as so designated
by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph) by
striking ‘‘review’’ and inserting ‘‘review or in-
terim evaluation’’; and
(C) add at the end the following:
‘‘(B) If, in carrying out such a review or interim eval-
uation, the Secretary identifies program deficits in the
programs provided by the agency, the Secretary—
‘‘(i) may require the agency to take corrective
action to correct the program deficits;
‘‘(ii) shall provide technical assistance under
section 648(a) for the 1-year period beginning on
the date of the review or interim evaluation; and
‘‘(iii) may conduct a full review of the program.
‘‘(C)(i) In addition to any other authority of the Sec-
retary to revoke the designation of an agency as a Head
Start agency, if the Secretary determines that the agency
described in subparagraph (B) has not corrected program
deficits related to the outcome measures described in sec-
tion 651(b)(2) within 1 year after the review or interim
evaluation described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary
may revoke such designation of the agency.
‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall provide notice and an oppor-
tunity for comment to the agency prior to revoking the
designation of the agency.
‘‘(iii) After so revoking the designation of an agency
that serves a community, the Secretary may designate, in
accordance with subsection (d), an agency described in
subsection (a) as a Head Start agency to serve the com-
munity and make grants under subsection (a) to such
agency.’’; and
(5) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and
(4) as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively.
(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—Section 641(d) of the Head
Start Act 942 U.S.C. 9836(d)) is amended—
(1) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘If there
is’’ and all that follows through ‘‘then the’’ and in-
serting ‘‘The’’;
(2) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘cri-
teria,’’ and all that follows and inserting ‘‘including
outcome measures described in section 651(b)(2),
criteria, and standards, in effect on the date of des-
ignation.’’;
(3) at the end of paragraph (8), by striking
‘‘and’’;
(4) at the end of paragraph (9), by striking the
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(10) the ability of the applicant to ensure con-
tinuity of Head Start services.’’.
(d) EXISTING HEAD START AGENCIES.—
(1) APPLICATION.—Each agency that is a des-
ignated Head Start agency under section 641 of the
Head Start Act on the date of enactment of this Act
shall submit an application to the Secretary of
Health and Human Services as described in section
641(a)(4) of such Act (as added by subsection (a)
of this section) and in accordance with the schedule
described in paragraph (2), in order to be eligible
to—
(A) be designated as a Head Start agency;
and
(B) receive a grant,
for an additional period under section 641 of such
Act.
(2) SCHEDULE.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services shall by regulation establish a
schedule for the submission of applications as re-
quired in paragraph (1), which schedule shall ensure
the submission of all such applications within 7
years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(e) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—
Section 651(g)(10) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9846(g)(10)) is amended by striking ‘‘evaluations con-
ducted under section 641(c)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘reviews
and 
interim 
evaluations 
conducted 
under 
section
641(c)(1)’’.
SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY.
Section 645(a)(1) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9840(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(1)(A) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe
eligibility criteria for the participation of persons in Head
Start programs assisted under this subchapter.
‘‘(B) Except as provided in paragraph (2), such cri-
teria may provide—
‘‘(i) that a child from a low-income family shall
be eligible for participation in a program assisted
under this subchapter if the child is from—
‘‘(I) a family that has an income below the
poverty line; or
‘‘(II) a family that is eligible or, in the ab-
sence of child care, would potentially be eligible
for public assistance;
‘‘(ii) pursuant to such regulations as the Sec-
retary shall prescribe, that programs assisted under
this subchapter may include, to a reasonable extent,
participation of children in the area served who
would benefit from such programs but whose fami-
lies do not meet the low-income criteria prescribed
pursuant to clause (i); and
‘‘(iii) that a child shall be eligible for participa-
tion in such a program if the child is from a family
described in subclause (I) or (II) of clause (i) on a
date not more than 2 years before such participa-
tion, regardless of whether the child was of an ap-
propriate age to participate in such a program on
such date.’’.
SEC. 7. NOTICE, HEARINGS, AND APPEALS.
The Head Start Act is amended by repealing section
646 (42 U.S.C. 9841) and inserting the following:
‘‘SEC. 646. NOTICE, HEARINGS, AND APPEALS.
‘‘The Secretary shall establish and implement proce-
dures for providing notice, an opportunity for a hearing,
and an opportunity for an appeal to persons who are grant
recipients or applicants for grants under this Act. Such
procedures shall be consistent with other procedures of the
Department of Health and Human Services for providing
such notice and such opportunities with respect to similar
financial assistance.’’.
SEC. 8. OUTCOME MEASURES.
Section 651(b) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9846(b)) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(b)’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations es-
tablishing outcome measures for Head Start agencies car-
rying out Head Start programs under this subchapter,
which regulations shall require that, effective January 1,
1995, each Head Start agency carrying out such a Head
Start program shall—
‘‘(A)(i) conduct initial assessments of devel-
opmental skills, including physical development, self-
help skills, social development, academic develop-
ment, and communication skills, for not less than 90
percent of the children who have been enrolled in the
program for not less than 90 days;
‘‘(ii) conduct exit assessments of such devel-
opmental skills for not less than 90 percent of the
children who—
‘‘(I) have been enrolled in the program for
not less than 6 months; and
‘‘(II) are leaving the program;
‘‘(iii) provide remedial activities to not less than
90 percent of the children enrolled in the program
who have identified developmental delays, to address
the delays;
‘‘(iv) prepare a medical, dental, and devel-
opmental history for not less than 90 percent of the
children who have been enrolled in the program for
not less than 90 days;
‘‘(v) conduct medical, vision, hearing, and den-
tal screenings for not less than 90 percent of the
children who have been enrolled in the program for
not less than 90 days;
‘‘(vi) conduct medical and dental examinations
for not less than 90 percent of the children who have
been enrolled in the program for not less than 6
months;
‘‘(vii) provide necessary treatment to not less
than 90 percent of the children with identified medi-
cal and dental needs who are enrolled in the pro-
gram; and
‘‘(viii) fully immunize, in accordance with Head
Start guidelines, all of the children who have been
enrolled in the program for not less than 90 days;
‘‘(B)(i) prepare a family needs assessment,
which utilizes a formal assessment tool and meets
such specifications as the Secretary may require, for
not less than 80 percent of the families of children
enrolled in the program;
‘‘(ii) prepare a family assistance plan, which
outlines the specific measures to be taken by the
staff of the Head Start agency and members of the
family to meet the needs of the family, for not less
than 75 percent of such families;
‘‘(iii) provide assistance to not less than 75 per-
cent of such families who have identified needs, to
assist such families in meeting the goals and objec-
tives of the family assistance plan;
‘‘(iv) provide an opportunity to participate in a
parenting skills program, or other assistance de-
signed to improve parenting skills, to not less than
90 percent of such families who have identified
needs related to parenting skills;
‘‘(v) provide education and job skills assistance,
including participation in literacy, job search, and
other activities, to facilitate participation in appro-
priate education and job skills programs, to not less
than 90 percent of families described in clause (i)
who have identified needs for such assistance; and
‘‘(vi) provide an opportunity to participate in
volunteer activities related to the operation of the
program, to not less than 75 percent of the parents
of children enrolled in the program; and
‘‘(C)(i) submit to the Secretary a written man-
agement plan specifying, at a minimum, the admin-
istrative procedures, classroom operations, job de-
scriptions, salary schedules, staffing plan, and
records management, of the Head Start agency;
‘‘(ii) submit to the Secretary a written plan
specifying the goals and activities of the agency, and
measurable outcomes concerning, at a minimum—
‘‘(I) the staff to child ratios for classroom
teachers, supervisory staff, support staff, social
services staff, and other categories of center
staff;
‘‘(II) the outreach activities;
‘‘(III) the facilities improvements;
‘‘(IV) the enrollment;
‘‘(V) the use of quality improvement funds;
‘‘(VI) the inservice and preservice training
for employees;
‘‘(VII) the home visiting services;
‘‘(VIII) the educational programming;
‘‘(IX) the parent participation in activities;
and
‘‘(X) the program expansion,
of the agency;
‘‘(iii) implement a uniform recordkeeping sys-
tem that meets such requirements as the Secretary
may require with respect to information, including,
at a minimum, education, developmental, health, so-
cial service, assessment, and special needs informa-
tion, about the children, and the families of the chil-
dren, enrolled in the program;
‘‘(iv) increase, by 25 percent each year, the per-
centage of teachers providing services through the
Head Start agency who are certified according to
such criteria as the Secretary may determine to be
appropriate, until all such teachers are so certified;
‘‘(v) develop—
‘‘(I) a variety of volunteer opportunities for
the parents of the children enrolled in the pro-
gram, which shall include opportunities to par-
ticipate in management of the Head Start agen-
cy, on advisory boards, or in providing class-
room assistance, outreach, or support services;
and
‘‘(II) other mechanisms to encourage the
participation of such parents;
‘‘(vi) meet all applicable licensing standards for
child care facilities in the State and community in
which the Head Start agency is located; and
‘‘(vii) transmit the exit assessments described in
subparagraph (A)(ii) for not less than 75 percent of
the children enrolled in the program—
‘‘(I) to the next elementary school in which
such a child is enrolled; or
‘‘(II) in the case of a child who is enrolled
in a program under the Head Start Transition
Project Act, to such program.’’.
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HR 1528 IH——2