I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2560 
To amend the Head Start Act to authorize block grants to States for 
prekindergarten education, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 15, 2021 
Mr. BANKS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Head Start Act to authorize block grants 
to States for prekindergarten education, 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 Improve-
ment Act’’. 
SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS. 
The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is 
amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 635. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This subchapter may be cited as the ‘Head Start 
Act’. 
‘‘SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. 
‘‘It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the 
school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their 
cognitive, social, and emotional development in a learning 
environment that supports children’s growth in language, 
literacy, mathematics, science, social and emotional func-
tioning, creative arts, physical skills, and approaches to 
learning. 
‘‘SEC. 637. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘For purposes of this subchapter: 
‘‘(1) DELEGATE AGENCY.—The term ‘delegate 
agency’ means a public, private nonprofit (including 
a community-based organization, as defined in sec-
tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), or for-profit 
organization or agency to which an eligible entity 
has delegated all or part of the responsibility of the 
grantee for administering funds under this sub-
chapter. 
‘‘(2) 
EDUCATION
SAVINGS
ACCOUNT.—The 
term ‘education savings account’ means a savings 
account, authorized under State law, that is used by 
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a parent only for the educational expenses, including 
prekindergarten expenses, of the parent’s child. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means the recipient of a subgrant under section 
639(d)(3)(A). 
‘‘(4) FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘fi-
nancial assistance’ includes assistance provided by 
grant, agreement, or contract, and payments may be 
made in installments and in advance or by way of 
reimbursement with necessary adjustments on ac-
count of overpayments or underpayments. 
‘‘(5) GRANT RECIPIENT.—The term ‘grant re-
cipient’ means the recipient of a grant under section 
639(a). 
‘‘(6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ 
means any tribe, band, nation, pueblo, or other orga-
nized group or community of Indians, including any 
Native village described in section 3(c) of the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(c)) 
or established pursuant to such Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 
et seq.), that is recognized as eligible for the special 
programs and services provided by the United States 
to Indians because of their status as Indians. 
‘‘(7) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘local educational agency’ has the meaning given 
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such term in section 9101 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(8) LOW-INCOME CHILD.—The term ‘low-in-
come child’ means a child who is 3, 4, or 5 years 
of age and is from a family with an income below 
100 percent of the poverty line for the most recent 
fiscal year for which satisfactory data are available. 
‘‘(9) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 
means the official poverty line (as defined by the Of-
fice of Management and Budget)— 
‘‘(A) adjusted to reflect the percentage 
change in the Consumer Price Index For All 
Urban Consumers, issued by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, occurring in the 1-year period 
or other interval immediately preceding the date 
such adjustment is made; and 
‘‘(B) adjusted for family size. 
‘‘(10) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘Secretary’ 
means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
‘‘(11) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means a State, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of 
Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Is-
lands of the United States, and the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands. The term includes 
the Republic of Palau, except during any period for 
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which a Compact of Free Association is in effect, 
contains provisions for early childhood education or 
development, and prohibits the assistance provided 
under this subchapter. 
‘‘SEC. 638. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subchapter $10,613,095,000 for each of fiscal years 
2022 through 2031. 
‘‘SEC. 639. BLOCK GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE STATES AND IN-
DIAN TRIBES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of this subchapter, beginning on October 1 of the 
first fiscal year following the date of enactment of the 
Head Start Improvement Act, from the amounts appro-
priated to carry out this subchapter under section 638 for 
a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible 
States and Indian tribes from allotments made under sub-
section (b) in accordance with this section. 
‘‘(b) ALLOTMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) FORMULA.—The Secretary shall allot the 
amount appropriated under section 638 for a fiscal 
year among the eligible States and Indian tribes in 
proportion to the number of children, who are 3, 4, 
or 5 years of age, who are from families with in-
comes below 100 percent of the poverty line for the 
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most recent fiscal year for which satisfactory data 
are available and who are in an eligible State or In-
dian tribe, compared to the number of such children 
for that fiscal year who are in all eligible States or 
Indian tribes. 
‘‘(2) CALCULATION.—For purposes of counting 
the number of children who are in an eligible State 
under paragraph (1), the children who are counted 
in an eligible Indian tribe in that State shall be ex-
cluded. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, a State or Indian tribe shall submit 
an application to the Secretary that includes the number 
of low-income children in the State or Indian tribe. 
‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A grant recipient under 
this section shall use 100 percent of the grant 
funds— 
‘‘(A) for prekindergarten education pro-
grams in the State or Indian tribe involved; 
‘‘(B) for the administration of the pro-
grams described in subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(C) to provide direct technical assistance, 
oversight, monitoring, research, and training 
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with respect to the programs described in sub-
paragraph (A). 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—The Governor, or other 
chief executive, of each grant recipient shall certify 
that all grant funds received under this section will 
be used to directly or indirectly provide comprehen-
sive education to low-income children. 
‘‘(3) GRANT RECIPIENT RESPONSIBILITIES.—A 
grant recipient shall— 
‘‘(A) award subgrants to eligible entities 
(as defined by the grant recipient) to enable 
such entities to provide, directly or through a 
delegate agency, prekindergarten education pro-
grams in the State or Indian tribe involved; 
‘‘(B) establish rules and standards for the 
entities awarded subgrants under subparagraph 
(A); and 
‘‘(C) monitor compliance by entities award-
ed subgrants under subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(4) FLEXIBILITY.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of Federal law (other than this section)— 
‘‘(A) to the extent permitted under State 
law, a grant recipient may use the grant funds 
to establish a portable voucher system that al-
lows a parent of a low-income child to use a 
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portion of the grant funds, other available pub-
lic funds, or private funds to pay some or all of 
the costs of attendance at a private prekinder-
garten education program; and 
‘‘(B) to the extent permitted under State 
law, a grant recipient may use the grant funds 
to establish an education savings account that 
allows a parent of a low-income child to use a 
portion of the grant funds, or other available 
public or private funds added to the account, 
for expenses related to prekindergarten edu-
cation. 
‘‘(5) MEMBERS OF INDIAN TRIBES.—A member 
of an Indian tribe who is eligible to receive services 
pursuant to a program funded under this section 
may elect to receive such services from any eligible 
entity for the State or Indian tribe in which the 
member resides. 
‘‘(e) MATCHING FUNDS.—A grant recipient shall pro-
vide matching funds from non-Federal sources equal to 
20 percent of the amount of the grant to carry out the 
activities described in this section. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—No eligible entity 
that receives a subgrant to provide a program under this 
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subchapter shall use more than 15 percent of the subgrant 
funds for the administrative costs of the program. 
‘‘SEC. 640. LIMITATIONS ON ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to re-
quire a grant recipient to establish a publicly funded pro-
gram of early childhood education and development, or to 
require any child to participate in such a publicly funded 
program, including a preschool program funded by a grant 
recipient, or to participate in any initial screening (other 
than a health screening) before participating in a publicly 
funded program of early childhood education and develop-
ment, except as provided under sections 612(a)(3) and 
635(a)(5) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3), 1435(a)(5)). 
‘‘SEC. 641. GOALS; MONITORING. 
‘‘(a) SELF-ASSESSMENTS.—Not less frequently than 
once each program year, each grant recipient shall conduct 
a comprehensive self-assessment of the effectiveness and 
progress of the grant recipient’s program under this sub-
chapter in meeting program goals established by the grant 
recipient. The self-assessment shall include a determina-
tion of the number of low-income children served by the 
program carried out by the grant recipient under this sub-
chapter. 
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