I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2528 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to States to pay 
the Federal share of carrying out full-day prekindergarten programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2015 
Mrs. DAVIS of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to 
States to pay the Federal share of carrying out full- 
day 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. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Expanded Access to Real Learning for our Young Act’’ 
or the ‘‘EARLY Act’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
UNIVERSAL 
PREKINDERGARTEN 
AND 
EARLY 
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZATION.—From amounts ap-
propriated under subsection (g), the Secretary of Edu-
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cation is authorized to award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to States to pay the Federal share of carrying out 
full-day prekindergarten programs. 
(b) STATE APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 
this Act, a State shall submit to the Secretary an applica-
tion at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. 
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—A State that receives a grant 
under this Act shall use such grant funds to carry out 
a prekindergarten program that, at a minimum— 
(1) if practicable, is located at a public school 
in the State or, if not practicable, is carried out by 
a private or other community provider; 
(2) permits each 4-year-old child in the State to 
be voluntarily enrolled by the child’s parent in the 
prekindergarten program, and which is made avail-
able at no cost to families who make a combined in-
come of up to 400 percent of the poverty line; 
(3) is a full-day program that runs the length 
of the regular school year; 
(4) maintains a maximum class size of 20 chil-
dren, with at least 1 prekindergarten teacher per 
classroom; 
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(5) ensures that the ratio of children to pre-
kindergarten teachers and teacher aides does not ex-
ceed 10 to 1; 
(6) is taught by teachers who are paid a salary 
comparable to teachers of kindergarten through 
grade 12 at public schools in the State; 
(7) requires the State in which the program is 
located to determinate a minimum level of parental 
engagement in their child’s program; and 
(8) meets any other criteria that the Secretary 
may require. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to States that will 
use the grants to carry out a prekindergarten program at 
a public school. 
(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a grant 
under this Act shall not exceed 75 percent of the costs 
of carrying out the activities described in subsection (c). 
(f) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds re-
ceived under this Act shall be used to supplement and not 
supplant other Federal early childhood education funds in 
the State. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
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