Ready to Learn Act
PL 102-545 (S.3134), enacted 10/27/1992

106 STAT. 3586 
PUBLIC LAW 102-545—OCT. 27, 1992 
Public Law 102-545 
102d Congress 
An Act 
To expand the production and distribution of educational and instructional video 
programming and supporting educational materials for preschool and elementary 
Oct. 27, 1992 
school children as a tool to improve school readiness, to develop and distribute 
rg 3134] 
educational and instructional video progranrniing and support materials for par-
ents, child care providers, and educators of young children, to expand services 
provided by Head Start programs, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
Ready to Learn 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
Act 
20 u s e 2701 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
note. 
This Act may be cited as the "Ready to Learn Act". 
20 use 3161 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
It is the purpose of this Act to— 
(1) expand the av£iilability of educational and instructionsd 
video programming and supporting educational resources for 
preschool and elementary school children and their parents 
as a tool to improve school readiness and literacy; and 
(2) to develop and distribute educational and instructional 
video programming and support materials for parents, child 
care providers, and educators of young children. 
SEC. 3. READY TO LEARN PROGRAMS. 
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is 
amended by adding Eifter part F of title IV the following: 
"PART G—READY TO LEARN TELEVISION 
20 use 3161. 
'^EC. 4701. READY TO LEARN. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—^The Secretary is authorized to enter into 
contracts, cooperative agreements, or grants with entities described 
in section 4702(b) to develop, produce, and distribute educational 
and instructional video programming for preschool and elementary 
school children and their parents in order to facihtate the achieve-
ment of the national education goals. 
"(b) AVAILABILITY.—In making such contracts, cooperative 
agreements, or grants, the Secretary shall ensure that recipients 
make programming widely available with support materials as 
appropriate to young children, their parents, child care workers, 
and Head Start providers to increase the effective use of such 
programming. 
20 use 3161a. 
'^EC. 4702. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. 
Contracts. 
«(a) AWARDS.—^The Secretary shall award contracts, cooperative 
agreements, or grants to eUgible entities to— 
"(1) facilitate the development directly or through contracts 
with producers of children and family educational television 
programming, educational programming for preschool and 
elementary school children, and accompanying support mate-
PUBLIC LAW 102-545—OCT. 27, 1992 
106 STAT. 3587 
rials and services that promote the effective use of such pro-
gramming; and 
"(2) contract with entities (such as pubhc broadcasting 
entities and those funded under the Star Schools Assistance 
Act) in order that programs developed under this section are 
disseminated and distributed to the widest possible audience 
appropriate to be served by the programming by the most 
appropriate distribution technologies. 
"(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—^To be eligible to receive a contract, 
cooperative agreement, or grant under subsection (a), an entity 
sh£dl be— 
"(1) a nonprofit, nongovernmental entity able to dem-
onstrate a capacity for the development ana distribution of 
educational and instructional television programming of high 
quality for preschool and elementary school children; and 
"(2) able to demonstrate a capacity to contract with the 
producers of children's television programming for the purpose 
of developing educational television programming of high qual-
ity for preschool and elementary school children. 
"(c) CULTURAL EXPERIENCES.—Programming developed under 
this section shall reflect the recognition of diverse cultural experi-
ences and the needs and experiences of both boys and girls in 
engaging and preparing young children for schooling. 
"SEC. 4703. DUTIES OF SECRETARY. 
20 USC 3161b. 
"The Secretary is authorized— 
"(1) to establish and administer a Special Projects of 
National Significance program to award contracts, cooperative 
agreements, or grants to public and nonprofit private entities, 
or local public television stations or such public television sta-
tions that are part of a consortium with one or more State 
educational agencies, local educational agencies, local schools, 
institutions of higher education, or community-based organiza-
tions of demonstrated effectiveness, for the purpose of— 
"(A) addressing the learning needs of young children 
in limited English proficient households, and developing 
appropriate educational and instructional television pro-
gramming to foster the school readiness of such children; 
"(B) developing programming and support materials 
to increase family literacy skills among parents to assist 
parents in teaching their children and utilizing educational 
television programming to promote school readiness; and 
"(C) identifjing, supporting, and enhancing the effec-
tive use and outreach of innovative programs that promote 
school readiness; 
"(2) to estabUsh within the Department a clearinghouse 
to compile and provide information, referrals and model pro-
gram materials and programming obtained or developed under 
this part to parents, child care providers, and other appropriate 
individuals or entities to assist such individuals and entities 
in accessing programs and projects under this part; and 
"(3) to develop and 
disseminate 
training 
materials, 
including— 
"(A) interactive programs and programs adaptable to 
distance learning technologies that are designed to enhance 
knowledge of children's social and cognitive skill develop-
ment and positive adult-child interactions; and 
106 STAT. 3588 
PUBLIC LAW 102-545—OCT. 27, 1992 
"(B) support materials to promote the effective use 
of materials developed under paragraph (2); 
among parents, Head Start providers, in-home and center based 
day care providers, early childhood development personnel, and 
elementary school teachers, public libraries, and after school 
program personnel caring for preschool and elementary school 
children; 
"(4) coordinate activities with the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services in order to— 
"(A) maximize the utilization of quality educational 
programming by preschool and elementary school children, 
and make such programming widely available to federally 
funded programs serving such populations; and 
"(B) provide information to grantees of Federal pro-
grams that have major training components for early child-
hood development, including Head Start, Even Start, and 
State training activities funded under the Child Care 
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 regarding the avail-
ability and utilization of materials developed under para-
graph (3) to enhance parent and child care provider skills 
in early childhood development and education. 
20 use 3161c. 
"SEC. 4704. APPLICATIONS. 
"Each eligible entity desiring a contract, cooperative agreement, 
or grant under section 4701 or 4703 shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 
by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. 
20 use 3161d. 
"SEC. 4705. REPORTS AND EVALUATION. 
"(a) ANNUAL REPORT TO SECRETARY.—^An entity receiving funds 
under section 4701 shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an 
annual report which contains such information as the Secretary 
may require. At a minimum, the report shall describe the program 
activities undertaken with funds received under this section, 
including— 
"(1) the programming that has been developed directly 
or indirectly by the entity, and the target population of the 
programs developed; 
"(2) the support materials that have been developed to 
accompany the programming, and the method by which such 
materials are distributed to consumers and users of the pro-
gramming; 
"(3) the means by which programming developed under 
this section has been distributed, including the distance learn-
ing technologies that have been utilized to make programming 
available and the geographic distribution achieved through such 
technologies; and 
"(4) the initiatives undertaken by the entity to develop 
public-private partnerships to secure non-Federal support for 
the development and distribution and broadcast of educational 
and instructional programming. 
"(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall prepare and 
submit to the relevant committees of Congress a biannual report 
which includes— 
"(1) a summary of the information made available under 
section 4702(a); 
"(2) a description of the training materials made available 
under section 4703(3), the manner in which outreach has been 
PUBLIC LAW 102-545—OCT. 27, 1992 
106 STAT. 3589 
conducted to inform parents and child care providers of the 
availability of such materials, and the manner in which such 
materials have been distributed in accordance with such sec-
tion. 
"SEC. 4706. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
20 USC 3161e. 
"(a) IN GENERAL.—^There are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this part, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1994. Not less than 
60 percent of the amoiuits appropriated under this subsection for 
each fiscal year shall be used to carry out section 4702. 
"(b) SPECIAL PROJECTS.—Of the amount appropriated under 
subsection (1) for each fiscal year, at least 10 percent of such 
amount shall be utilized in each such fiscal year for activities 
under section 4703(1XC). 
"SEC. 4707. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. 
20 USC 3161f. 
' ^ i t h respect to the implementation of section 4702, entities 
receiving a contract, cooperative agreement, or grant from the Sec-
retary may use up to 5 percent of the amounts received under 
such section for the normal and customary expenses of administer-
ing the contract, cooperative agreement, or grant. 
"SEC. 4708. DEFINITION. 
20 USC 3161g. 
"For the purposes of this part, the term 'distance learning' 
means the transmission of educational or instructional program-
ming to geographically dispersed individuals and groups via tele-
communications.". 
Approved October 27, 1992. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 3134: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992): 
Oct. 1, considered and paissed Senate. 
Oct. 5, considered and paijsed House, amended. 
Oct. 7, Senate concurred in House amendment.