[Senate Report 108-208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 413
108th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 108-208
======================================================================
HEAD START ACT
_______
November 24, 2003.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Gregg, from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions, submitted the following
R E P O R T
together with
ADDITIONAL VIEWS
[To accompany S. 1940]
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
reported an original bill (S. 1940) to reauthorize the Head
Start Act, and for other purposes, having considered the same,
reports favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that
the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose and Summary of the Bill..................................1
II. Background and Need for Legislation..............................2
III. Legislative History and Committee Action.........................3
IV. Explanation of Bill and Committee Views..........................4
V. Cost Estimate...................................................30
VI. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch....................30
VII. Regulatory Impact Statement.....................................30
VIII.Section-by-Section Analysis.....................................30
IX. Additional Views................................................50
X. Changes in Existing Law.........................................56
I. Purpose and Summary of the Bill
The Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act of
2003 reauthorizes and makes improvements in the Head Start
program in order to ensure that children in the program make
measurable progress toward attaining the goal of school
readiness. In order to accomplish this, the bill focuses on
four areas: (1) improved academic outcomes for children, (2)
improved teacher competency and high quality opportunities for
professional development, (3) better coordination and
collaboration with other programs in the state (including the
local public schools), and (4) greater accountability for those
providing these valuable services to children.
The bill authorizes $7.2 billion for fiscal year 2005, $7.6
billion for fiscal year 2006, $8.0 billion for fiscal year
2007, and such sums as may be necessary for subsequent years.
Each year, 13 percent of Head Start funding is set-aside for
the Secretary to allocate funds for Migrant and Seasonal Head
Start programs, Indian Head Start programs, training and
technical assistance for Head Start grantees and other
purposes. For research and evaluation each year $20 million is
reserved. The set-aside for Early Head Start is increased from
10 percent currently to a maximum of 18 percent in fiscal year
2009.
II. Background and Need for Legislation
Studies document a wide gap between lower and higher income
children before they enter kindergarten and despite significant
Federal investment, this gap persists. When children begin
school behind, they tend to remain behind. The research shows
that, on average, Head Start helps to narrow the achievement
gap between our nation's poorest children and their more
affluent peers, however, the committee believes
thatmodifications within the program could lead to greater outcomes for
Head Start children. Long-term positive outcomes and cost-savings
include improved school performance and behavior, reduced special
education placement, lower school dropout rates, and increased lifelong
earning potential.
Head Start was created in 1965 against this backdrop and
today stands as one of the nation's most popular domestic
programs. Built on the premise that effective intervention in
the lives of children can be best accomplished through family
and community involvement, Head Start attempts to involve
communities and families in both the design and implementation
of the program at the local level.
Today, Head Start provides educational and other
comprehensive support services to close to one million low
income preschool children in order to help prepare those
children for school. Because school readiness involves the
interrelationship between cognitive and intellectual
developmental, physical, social and emotional and other areas
of development, Head Start programs provide a broad array of
services determined to be necessary, based on an assessment of
child and family needs.
Head Start currently serves 910,000 children through 18,000
centers and 829 home-based programs in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories,
and provides services for migrant and Native American
populations. Unlike other Federal social services programs that
are funded through States, the Department of Health and Human
Services awards Head Start grants directly to local agencies,
called grantees, which deliver program services. Grantees,
estimated at 1570 in fiscal year 2003, may contract with other
organizations, called delegate agencies, to run all or part of
their programs. Grantees had such contracts with approximately
575 delegate agencies in fiscal year 2003. Grantees and
delegate agencies include public and private school systems,
community action agencies, faith-based organizations and other
private nonprofit and for profit organizations, local
governments, and Indian tribes.
Since the inception of Head Start nearly 40 years ago, the
face of poverty has changed dramatically. Single parent
families headed by women accounted for about one-third of the
poor in 1966; now they represent more than half of those living
in poverty. Children have now replaced the elderly as the group
most likely to be poor. One child in five in the United States
lives in poverty. Disadvantaged children who are part of a
racial or ethnic minority group face even harsher realities; 44
percent of all African American children, and 38 percent of all
Hispanic children, are poor.
As the needs of children and families changed, so has Head
Start. Head Start was first enacted into law in 1965 as a
summer program with a budget of $352 million. In 1995, an
appropriation of $3.3 billion allowed more than 2,000 locally
run Head Start programs to serve more than 730,000 children and
their families. The appropriation for fiscal year 2003 will be
more than double that of 1995--$6.8 billion.
By is nature, Head Start requires community input in order
to be responsive to community needs. Local programs may adapt
their services to serve Indian tribes or migrant and seasonal
farmworker communities, target homeless children or children of
drug-addicted parents or help families transitioning off
welfare.
In 1993, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna
Shalala appointed an Advisory Committee on Head Start Quality
and Expansion to examine closely the Head Start program and to
make recommendations for the future. The recommendations of the
Advisory Committee focused on three important areas: (1) the
need to improve quality; (2) the need to expand services; and
(3) the need to forge partnership with other community
providers, including closer coordination with elementary
schools, State, and locally sponsored programs, cooperating
with the private sector and linking Head Start with other
national initiatives. Reauthorizations in the past have
enhanced teacher qualifications, attention to cognitive areas
of development, created the early Head Start program, and led
to program standards and an outcomes framework that attend to
all areas of children's development and learning.
The Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act of
2003 builds on the current foundation by increasing the focus
on continued program quality and the achievement of important
educational and other outcomes for children that will ensure
their school readiness.
III. Legislative History and Committee Action
On October 29, 2003 the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions by a vote of 21-0 reported a
committee originated bill to reauthorize the Head Start
program.
Hearings and Testimony--Summary of Witnesses
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held
a hearing on July 22, 2003 at 10 a.m. entitled ``Reauthorizing
Head Start: Preparing Children to Succeed in School and in
Life''. The hearing focused on the reauthorization of Head
Start program, the President's proposal and H.R. 2210, ``The
School Readiness Act of 2003''.
The following witnesses testified:
Ms. Windy Hill, Associate Commissioner for the Head Start
Bureau Administration for Children, Youth and Families, U.S.
Department of Health and HumanServices, Washington, DC,
discussed strengthening the education component of Head Start and
improving coordination and integration of State and local childhood
services in support of President Bush's proposal;
Dr. G. Reid Lyon, Chief of the Child development and
Behavior Branch National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC,
emphasized the importance of basing early childhood programs on
developmental science and discussed the need for competent
teachers, better coordination with other early childhood
services, and called for a comprehensive assessment and
reporting system to ensure Head Start produces positive
outcomes;
Dr. Marnie S. Shaul, Director, Education, Workforce and
Income Security Issues, U.S. General Accounting Office,
Washington, DC, discussed that while Head Start is key among
the array of early childhood programs, there is no national
research on the effectiveness of the program. There are studies
that show that the skills of Head Start children have improved,
but there is no definitive evidence that this improvement is
related to participation in the program. A comprehensive study
is expected to be completed by 2006:
Ms. Amy Wilkins, Executive Director, Trust for Early
Education, Washington, DC, linked between qualified teachers to
better outcomes for students and also discussed the importance
of strong coordination between Federal and State policies and
funding to a successful Head Start program and called;
Ms. Janis Santos, Executive Director of the Holycoke-
Chicope-Springfield Head Start Center, Springfield,
Massachusetts recommended enhanced teacher qualifications for
Head Start teachers and stronger collaboration and strategic
planing at the State level. She recommended the government
redefine its priorities for Head Start by fully funding the
program and enrolling more families above the income
guidelines.
IV. Explanation of the Bill and Committee Views
Enhancing the School Readiness of Head Start Children
Knowledge about children's development and learning has
expanded greatly during the past two decades. Research in the
neurobiological and behavioral sciences suggests the importance
of a child's experience during the first years of life for
healthy brain development. From birth through age five,
children rapidly develop the capabilities on which subsequent
development builds. According to child development expert Dr.
T. Berry Brazelton, ``A child's experiences in the first months
and years of life determine whether he or she will enter school
eager to learn or not.''
Given all that has been learned about the development of
young children, the committee was surprised to discover the
lack of a single definition of school readiness that is
consistently used across this country. Research shows that
children who read well in the early grades are far more
successful in later years.
According to the National Institute for Child Health and
Development and other experts, school readiness consists of a
broad set of competencies such as cognitive, social, emotional,
physical, and language development, motivation and approaches
to learning, as well as discipline-specific domains including
the arts, literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies.
The academic and social competencies that define school
readiness start developing long before children enter the
elementary classroom.
The committee recognizes that the areas of a young
children's development is strongly interconnected, with
positive outcomes in one area relying on development in other
domains. As such, standards for early learning should, as much
as practicable, seek to address a wide range of domains. As
such, standards for early learning should, as much as
practicable, seek to address a wide range of domains. A group
of researchers at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development
Center at the University of North Carolina have defined school
readiness as the condition of children when they enter school,
and the capacity of schools to educate the children enrolled.
According to the research team, ``the readiness puzzle can only
be solved if the two pieces fit together'' (Bailey, 1999).
Studies indicate that children who are enrolled in Head
Start make some progress, but are still lagging far behind the
national average in school readiness. A recent publication by
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
Strengthening Head Start: What the Research Shows, provides an
indepth analysis of the outcomes for children and families
served by the Head Start program. Based on data from the Family
and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), the HHS analysis
concludes that both higher and lower achieving Head Start
children have low scores on school readiness evaluations
overall and show some limited progress after completion of the
Head Start program. In other words, Head Start children enter
and leave the program with below average skills and knowledge
levels (HHS, 2003).
These data indicate that many Head Start children are
entering kindergarten without the crucial knowledge levels that
have been proven to be excellent predictors of later school
success. The challenges that so many of these children will
experience later in tier academic careers are beginning well
before they enter school or enter Head Start. the importance of
all children achieving academic parity upon entry into
kindergarten is critical since children who start behind have
been shown to stay behind.
To accomplish the goal of ensuring that Head Start children
develop the cognitive, social and emotional competencies
necessary to succeed, the Head Start Improvements for School
Readiness Act significantly enhances program emphasis on
cognitive development and school readiness, while retaining the
commitment toproviding comprehensive social services. The
committee recognizes the importance of all domains of development in
order for a child to be school ready, however the committee believes
Head Start can be strengthened to help promote greater academic
outcomes and school readiness for Head Start children.
One of the critical components of school readiness is the
attainment of prereading abilities. As such, Head Start
programs should provide children from low income families a
high quality, oral language and literature rich environment.
Through scientific research, much has been learned about the
way children learn to read, and the strong foundation that is
important before children are given formal reading instruction
in kindergarten and first grade. Consistent with the Early
Reading First initiative launched as part of the No Child Left
Behind Act, Head Start must play a pivotal role in this effort.
In addition to caring for the emotional and social needs of
children under their care, Head Start programs must encourage
and promote cognitive development activities along with
professional development for teachers and staff based on
scientific research in reading.
Children who have limited preliteracy skills (i.e. weak
phonological awareness and weak phonemic awareness) are more
likely to struggle in attaining age-appropriate reading
instruction that should be taken into account by Head Start
teachers. For example, if children can correctly identify
letters of the alphabet before they enter kindergarten and
understand that letters represent sounds that make up words, it
is more likely that they will learn to read words in school
faster than children who do not possess this knowledge.
Experimental findings consistently confirm that children's
knowledge of the alphabet is a strong predictor of their later
progress in learning to read words accurately, quickly and
automatically. Professional development and instructional
activities should be designed to strengthen phonological
awareness and instruction to help children understand that
works are made up of letters, which correspond to sounds.
The committee also recognizes the importance of other
readiness skills for young children. For example, promoting
premathematics and prescience knowledge and abilities is an
important component of school readiness. These competencies may
be promoted through early science and math experiences,
including observing with senses, predicting, inferring,
defining and controlling variables, working in teams, and
communicating discoveries. Examples of science and math
experiences may include planting different seeds, with various
types of growing medium, light, and water; building towers with
various block sizes; employing ramps and different balls;
watching ice melt in different environments, etc.
Scientific advances continually modify the corps of
knowledge. The Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act
updates the Head Start quality standards and performance
measures to reflect those scientific advances that relate to
the areas of competence fundamental to children's school
readiness. Head Start grantees are required to demonstrate the
capacity to serve eligible children with scientifically based
programs that promote school readiness and meet quality
standards. Stronger quality standards under the bill will
require Head Start teachers to ensure that children enrolled in
the program develop and demonstrate the following: language
skills; prereading knowledge, including an interest in and
appreciation of books, reading and writing either alone or with
others; premathematics knowledge, such as recognition of
numbers and counting; cognitive abilities related to academic
achievement; and, social development important for environments
constructive for child development, early learning and school
success. The committee bill continues to require limited
English proficient (LEP) children to further develop their
language skills through Head Start, such as making progress
toward the acquisition of the English language, while focusing
also on the other requirements for children in the program.
While the statutory improvements of the committee bill are
expected to raise the cognitive abilities of Head Start
children, the committee believes that the Head Start
performance standards and measures defined in regulations by
the Secretary of Health and Human Services also need
significant revision in order to ensure child school readiness.
The committee has required that the results based performance
measures be reviewed and updated as needed, no less than every
four years, based on advances in the science of early childhood
development.
Head Start Alignment With K-12 Education
An alignment of goals and expectations extending from the
early years into later schooling, can support better
transitions from infant toddler care through preschool programs
to kindergarten and into the primary grades, as teachers work
within a consistent framework across educational settings.
Comprehensive standards, curricula, teaching practices and
assessments must be age, developmentally, and linguistically
appropriate for young children. These standards, curricula,
teaching practices, and assessments must be supported by
comprehensive services for children and by the professional
development for staff, so as to support each child's positive
development and educational growth. Care must be taken to
ensure that curricula and other practices that are appropriate
for older or more developmentally advanced children are used to
educate younger children.
Unfortunately, studies show that many children, including
and especially children from low income backgrounds, enter
school without the necessary skills and abilities to succeed.
States report that between 20 percent to nearly half of all
children entering school are not prepared to succeed in school.
Evidence further suggests that children who start behind tend
to stay behind. For these reasons, the committee recognizes the
importance of coordinating preschool programs, including Head
Start, with K-12 education goals. It is critical that Head
Start programs work closely with local educational agencies to
coordinate curricula and facilitate a smooth transition from
Head Start into school.
The Language Enrichment Activities Program, or LEAP,
developed for the Cone Head Start Center in Dallas has
demonstrated that strong curriculum and a relationship with a
community's local elementary school can advance and strengthen
the cognitive and communications skills of low income children.
Children attending the Cone Head Start Center have demonstrated
that children from low income families can perform at levels
comparable to children from a higher socioeconomic level when
given a quality preschool experience that includes a strong
curriculum aligned with the K-12 system, educated and trained
classroom teachers, and onsite monitoring of teacher
instruction and interaction with children.
In an effort to ensure that all children are proficient
readers by a young age, the No Child Left Behind Act authorizes
significant funds for reading programs such as Early Reading
First and Reading First. These programs establish clear and
specific expectations for what can and should happen for all
students by insisting that they have the necessary language,
cognitive, and early reading skills for continued success in
school.
The committee recognizes that the No Child Left Behind Act
and Head Start share the same goal of ensuring that all of our
nation's students are able to succeed in school. Therefore,
throughout the act, changes have been made to ensure greater
alignment of Head Start's services to early learning and school
readiness standards in respective States in which Head Start
programs operate and to the K-12 education system. The
committee urges programs to support teachers' work within a
consistent framework across educational settings, ensuring that
standards for early learning are addressed and supported by
support and professional development for staff, so as to
support each child's positive development and educational
growth.
The committee bill also updates the Head Start educational
standards in accordance with the latest scientifically based
research regarding the skills children need to have in order to
be successful in school.
The committee bill also helps to ensure a seamless system
of education for children of all ages by requiring States to
consult with their chief State school officer, local
educational agencies, and local Head Start agencies when
developing school readiness standards and general plans for the
coordinated delivery of early care and education services at
both the State and local level.
Increased Need for Coordination and Collaboration
Head Start has a long history of providing comprehensive
child development and support services to young children and
families with incomes at far below the poverty level. However,
in recent years, States have begun to expand their own early
childhood development initiatives. The National Conference of
State Legislatures reported in 1998 that 20 States used their
own funds to supplement Head Start. Currently, Federal and
State programs together provide approximately $23 billion in
funding for childcare and preschool education.
With so many different early childhood programs providing
services to the same target population, some States have
endeavored to improve coordination and collaboration among the
programs. The goal is to create a system that is more
responsive to the needs of working parents, and that supports
opportunities for children to participate in high quality
programs that involve communities in the planning and
implementation of service delivery.
The committee is concerned that the fragmented service
delivery system that has resulted from uncoordinated programs
can hinder program improvement and prevent needy children and
families from obtaining the full array of services for which
they qualify. Therefore the committee bill attempts to improve
the coordination of programs in order to reduce the duplication
of services, prevent under enrollment, and allow gaps in
services for needy children and families to be more easily
addressed.
The committee has addressed the importance of collaboration
by further expanding the current role of the Head Start
Collaborator in each State to no only collaborate and
coordinate in service delivery but also to promote alignment of
Head Start services with early learning and school readiness
goals and standards at the State level. Each Head Start State
Collaboration Office will conduct a needs assessment of Head
Start agencies in the State with respect to collaboration and
coordination of services for children, align services with
State early learning goals and standards, provide for greater
opportunities for professional development for Head Start
staff, and promote partnerships between Head Start and other
organizations.
The committee feels strongly that the Director of State
Collaboration should be a position of significant authority,
appointed by the Governor and preferably located within the
Office of the Governor. This centralized authority will allow
for a more comprehensive coordination of services statewide,
which will assist in providing ``wrap around'' child care
services and health care and employment services that are
critical to the working poor.
In an effort to engage all community stakeholders, the
committee bill specifies that a variety of new entities
participate in State collaboration activities. Some of these
entities include: State and local educational agencies, State
Departments of Health and Human Services, representatives of
the State Head Start association, representatives from the
State network for child care resource and referral agencies,
and community and faith based organizations. The addition of
these entities will allow all States to develop a more seamless
system for the provision of services to needy children and
families, as well as leveraging the experience and expertise of
a variety of organizations andindividuals.
The committee encourages the Secretary, in awarding
collaboration grants to the States, to award funds for
designation of a Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Collaboration
Project Director position and an Indian Head Start
Collaboration Project Director. Such positions should be
assigned the same responsibilities assigned to the State
Directors of Head Start Collaboration. While it is important
that the State Directors of Head Start Collaboration engage
with the migrant and Indian populations in their respective
States, these special Project Directors will ensure that the
specific issues faced by children and families served by
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Indian Head Start programs
are addressed. These positions will also serve as a conduit for
knowledge and understanding of these special populations served
by the Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
In the context of greater collaboration, the committee also
recognizes the important role of partnerships between Head
Start programs and school and public libraries in increasing
the preliteracy skills of Head Start participants. Many
librarians have worked extensively in the area of improving
family literacy and achieved success in integrating research
based literacy practices into their work with families with
prekindergarten children. Some Head Start programs across the
country have long had library partnerships, through which
librarians provide literacy training to Head Start staff;
utilize a lending library, mobile library van, or other efforts
to provide books to children; foster greater parental
involvement through reading programs; and offer outreach and
programs for limited English proficiency populations. The
committee is encouraged by these practices and urges their
continuation and expansion.
State Head Start Collaboration offices currently receive
about $8 million in funding each year. Given the new, expanded
role Head Start Collaboration offices will play under the bill,
the committee urges the Secretary to increase the investment in
collaboration offices, if it can be done without reducing the
level of services to Head Start children.
State Advisory Councils
In many States, as well as at the local level, there has
been movement to enhance coordination among the variety of
early childhood education programs through formal and
comprehensive State coordination arrangements. In some States,
significant coordination already exists among Head Start, Early
Start, child care and State prekindergarten programs and public
schools. In some cases, such coordination efforts have taken
the form of Councils or Governor's Cabinets.
In keeping with a desire for greater collaboration among
Head Start, early learning programs, and other related programs
serving young children in the State, the committee has
attempted to formalize coordination efforts in all States in a
highly inclusive way across the sectors and settings of early
childhood programs. In such efforts, the committee intends to
bring together a diverse and wide array of agencies,
organizations, and early childhood professionals, including
(but not limited to) Head Start, family and centerbased child
care, and State prekindergarten programs. For States with
similar preexisting Councils or entities, additional members
may need to be included in order to meet the inclusive list of
representatives for the council.
The State Advisory Councils in the committee bill are
intended to be consultative and encourage greater State level
coordination of efforts and understanding of shared goals for
young children, programs and the professionals who provide the
critical early education for children from birth until school
entry. In particular, the Council is charged with conducting a
State needs assessment, developing a professional development
system with a career lattice for early childhood program staff,
and making recommendations for a statewide, unified data
collection system. The committee requires each State Advisory
Council to provide opportunities for genuine public input in
both its needs assessment and its recommendations, as well as
meet with sufficient regularity to review and revise the needs
assessments and recommendations.
Training and Technical Assistance
The committee bill changes the training and technical
assistance set-aside from ``at least two percent'' in current
law to ``two percent'' and directs, for the first time, that
half of those funds be sent directly to local grantees so that
programs have a reliable source of funding for training and
technical assistance activities. The remaining 50 percent spent
by the Secretary provides the Secretary adequate flexibility to
conduct appropriate Federal training and technical assistance
to help individual programs meet the Head Start quality
standards.
The committee bill allows for training and technical
assistance funds to support a regional or State system of early
childhood education training and technical assistance. The
committee encourages the Secretary to include in its regional
system, assistance for the Migrant Seasonal Head Start program
and the American Indian/Alaska Native programs. The committee
encourages the Secretary to provide the training and technical
assistance for these two programs through national awards by
contractors with knowledge of, and experience in, working with
the populations served by these programs.
The committee bill also restricts the use of training and
technical assistance funds for travel expenditures associated
with attending conferences when similar training and technical
assistance is available locally. It is the committee's view
that occasional travel may be necessary, but that excessive
travel to Head Start conferences and events, especially
conferences and events outside of the continental U.S., is
generally not the most appropriate or effective use of Federal
training and technicalassistance funds. Whenever possible, Head
Start programs should utilize local or regionally based training
opportunities and should limit travel to occasions when an identified
training need cannot be met through local or regional resources. All
training and technical assistance expenditures should be consistent
with the needs identified in a grantee's annual plan for training and
technical assistance.
The committee believes that better information is needed on
how funds for training and technical assistance are spent both
by Head Start agencies and the Department of Health and Human
Services, and better accountability mechanisms for their use
are needed. The committee urges the Department of Health and
Human Services to require better data reporting on the use of
training and technical assistance dollars so that Congress has
access to more complete information when assessing the amount
of funds needed for this purposes. Better data reporting also
will help the Department and Congress identify the most
effective uses of these funds so that Head Start instructors
and administrators are gaining the knowledge needed to improve
program management and the delivery of services to children and
their families.
Funds for Quality Improvement
The Head Start Improvements for School Readiness Act
provides greater support for improving program quality by
significantly increasing the percentage of new dollars that
must be spent on quality improvement. Research has demonstrated
that the experiences of young children greatly affect all
aspects of their development, including cognitive development.
The level of commitment to quality improvement demonstrated in
the committee bill is critical if Head Start is to succeed in
improving the school readiness of participating children.
In an effort to ensure that Head Start programs are of the
highest possible quality, and to ensure that funds are
available to assist Head Start programs to reach new goals for
teacher quality, the committee bill requires the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to reserve 50 percent of all new Head
Start funds for purposes of quality improvement. Not less than
half of that 50 percent must be used to increase teacher
salaries and assist programs in recruiting and retaining
quality staff. Funds also may be spent on other functions that
have been determined to improve program performance, such as
providing ongoing professional development based on the latest
early childhood research on curriculum and teaching methods, or
improving communication with and outreach to families and
external partners.
Head Start Research and Evaluation
There is an ongoing need for high quality research about
the effectiveness of Head Start. During the last
reauthorization, the Congress took a giant step forward by
commissioning a national study on the impact of Head Start
services. This study will be the first of its kind to provide
valuable data comparing the outcomes of children in Head Start
with similar children who do not participate in this program.
The Family and Child Experiences Survey (known as FACES) also
can provide valuable information on program performance over
time, yet it is not designed to compare Head Start relative to
other children in other preschool programs serving a similar
population or other situations if not enrolled in Head Start.
The committee eagerly awaits data from the National Head Start
Impact Study, which is expected to demonstrate the
effectiveness of Head Start. In addition to current research,
with input from the Head Start community, research needs should
be continually assessed so that Congress can identify ways in
which Head Start can be strengthened to best meet the needs of
the children it serves.
The committee supports a one time directive to the National
Academy of Sciences to establish an independent panel of
experts to review the current body of early childhood research.
This review is needed to provide recommendations on age and
developmentally appropriate academic standards and measurable
benchmarks for achievement, the types of services (including
classroom instruction) necessary to ensure school readiness,
and appropriate methods to assess child progress in preparing
for school. This study also is needed to ensure a well informed
approach to developing school readiness standards and will
assist states in the process of developing and/or implementing
such standards. While the Secretary is not required to adopt
the recommendations of the panel, the committee hopes the
recommendations of this panel (and those of other experts in
the field) will inform and guide the Secretary as he determines
and implements the recommended educational standards for Head
Start participants.
The committee notes with some concern that there exists a
paucity of research focusing on American Indian and Alaska
Native Head Start programs, and therefore exists scant
information available on these programs. The committee strongly
recommends that the Secretary undertake a study or set of
studies designed to focus on this population, with a focus on
issues such as curriculum development, availability and need
for services, appropriate research methodologies and measures
for these populations, and best practices for teaching and
educating American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start
students. Furthermore, the committee underscores the importance
of providing tribes and tribal organizations (such as the
National Indian Head Start Directors Association) the
opportunity to contribute to and collaborate on this research,
with tribes retaining as much local control over this process
as is practicable.
Family Literacy
In keeping with the goal of improving school readiness and
valuing the role of parents in their children's education, the
committee bill renews its support for training and technical
assistance in the area of family literacy services. For
decades, Head Startprograms have coordinated with the Even
Start family literacy program. Since the 1998 reauthorization of Head
Start more than 5,000 Head Start staff have received training in
providing comprehensive family literacy services and nearly 20,000
children's books have been placed in Head Start classrooms. The
committee commends the work of the Head Start Bureau and the National
Center for Family Literacy in its conduct of the Head Start Family
Literacy Project. Not only have program grantees found the project's
training and technical assistance useful, but evaluations have proven
the merit of this important work. The committee encourages the
Secretary to ensure the continuity of these important services so that
Head Start children might be better prepared for school and Head Start
parents might be better able to fulfill their role as their child's
first and best teacher.
Father Involvement
The committee has included language requiring Head Start
programs to extend outreach to fathers, in appropriate cases,
in order to strengthen the role of fathers in families, in the
education of their young children, and in the Head Start
program. The committee hopes that Head Start agencies will take
appropriate steps to encourage fathers and father figures to
participate in the academic, social, and emotional development
of children enrolled in Head Start programs. The committee
feels strongly that fathers should be included in the program
in order to provide children with a more stable learning
environment and a better chance of long term emotional and
social health.
Underserved and At-Risk Populations
While all children served by Head Start are economically in
need, there are some subgroups of the eligible Head Start
population that are particularly at risk, and often
underserved. The children of migrant and seasonal workers are
one of the most underserved populations of Head Start eligible
children. According to a Department of Health and Human
Services 2001 study less than 19 percent of the eligible
children of migrant and seasonal workers receive Head Start
services. The committee bill attempts to increase the
participation of the children of migrant and seasonal workers
by increasing the percentage set aside to 5 percent.
In an effort to address the unique challenges faced by
American Indian and Alaska Native students, the committee bill
includes representatives of Tribal Head Start programs serving
large numbers of American Native and Alaska Native children as
participants in State level collaboration and coordination of
services and requires annual consultation with the Secretary.
The committee believes that increased input from tribal
programs that serve large numbers of American Indian and Alaska
Native students will allow for a better understanding of the
unique needs of these students.
Homeless children also face substantial barriers when it
comes to gaining and maintaining access to Head Start services.
The Department of Education's fiscal year 2000 Report to
Congress on the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
identified Head Start as a program presenting significant
barriers to access for homeless children. The committee bill
attempts to address this issue by increasing efforts to conduct
outreach to homeless families, and leveraging the experience of
the homeless liaisons in public schools that are required under
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Improvement Act. This
coordination assists in identifying barriers to serving
homeless children and facilitates a smooth transition when
homeless children move from Head Start to elementary schools.
The bill also addresses the issue of required paperwork, which
is one of the biggest barriers to enrolling homeless children
in Head Start. Homeless families often have difficulty
producing the necessary documents, such as birth certificates
and immunization records. The Head Start Improvements for
School Readiness Act models provisions in the No Child Left
Behind Act that allow eligible homeless students to enroll in
Head Start while those documents are being obtained (consistent
with State and local law). This will allow needy children to
begin accessing critical Head Start services at the earliest
possible opportunity.
Through the comprehensive services provided to young
children and their families, Head Start and Early Head Start
programs can play an important role in preventing the abuse and
neglect of children and in protecting children and ameliorating
the affects of maltreatment they may have already suffered.
Ensuring that children are ready to learn means ensuring that
children are safe at home and receive the kind of nurturing and
care that all children deserve.
Research shows that abused and neglected children are more
likely to suffer poor prospects for success in school; sexually
abused and neglected children are at a higher risk for academic
failure; that maltreatment appears to be an additional factor
over and above poverty that affects the academic achievement of
children; and a higher frequency of academic difficulties and
school behavior problems is reported among abused children.
The committee recognizes that abused and neglected children
and children at risk of maltreatment are in need of preventive
services and may benefit from Head Start and Early Head Start
services. The committee bill builds upon provisions already
existing in the Head Start statute that provide for (1) home
based services to Head Start children and their families, (2)
staff training in working with children who experience
violence, (3) training to parents in parenting skills and basic
child development, and (4) collaboration with other agencies
and organizations involved in child and family services.
Limited English Proficient Children and Families
Approximately 27 percent of the children served by Head
Start speak a language otherthan English at home and come to
Head Start centers not speaking any English. These children speak over
140 languages. After English, the most common languages spoken by Head
Start children are Spanish, Chinese, Hmong, and Vietnamese. Given
demographic projections for the immigrant community, the number of
children who will come to Head Start speaking a language other than
English will only increase in the forseeable future.
During this reauthorization of Head Start, the committee
prioritized improving the delivery of services for limited
English proficient children and their families. The bill
establishes a requirement that grantees set policies to
identify and serve limited English proficient students through
linguistically appropriate approaches so that such students
have a meaningful opportunity to participate in Head Start
programs.
The committee urges the Secretary and the Head Start Bureau
to continue and enhance activities to ensure that limited
English proficient students are served by high quality Head
Start programs, including activities to assist Head Start
grantees to adopt teaching strategies that provide language
rich learning environments, literacy development, and materials
appropriate for limited English proficient students.
The committee recognizes the development of Native language
immersion and cultural programs as an important strategy for
meeting the needs of children served by Indian Head Start
programs, guided by the discretion of the individual Tribal
grantees.
Children With Disabilities in Head Start
Head Start grantees are required to enroll and provide
comprehensive educational, medical, and social services to
children with disabilities and their families. Since 1972,
Congress has required that no less than 10 percent of the
children a grantee serves are children with disabilities.
Grantees are going above and beyond this requirement--children
with disabilities now comprise 13 percent of the total Head
Start population.
Today, over 125,000 disabled children participate in Head
Start with a variety of challenges including speech and
language impairments, autism, orthopedic impairments, mental
retardation, developmental delays, learning disabilities, and
other disabilities. Such children receive individualized
services in an inclusive, integrated environment that prepares
them for school. The population of children with disabilities
served in Head Start has increased by 17,000 children since
1997.
The committee recognizes the important role Head Start
plays in seeking out, identifying and serving low income
children with disabilities. Therefore, it encourages grantees
to maintain current strategies delineated in Federal
performance standards for comprehensively addressing the needs
of children with disabilities. Grantees must: continue outreach
to identify and enroll children with disabilities; provide
comprehensive educational, medical, and social services to
children with disabilities; coordinate programs and systems
(such as IDEA and Medicaid/EPSDT programs) to ensure that a
wide range of needs are met; and provide funding for provider
training and technical assistance specifically related to the
care of children with disabilities.
Assessments of Young Children
Recent research on child development and learning has shown
that focused attention to children's cognitive development as
well as their social, emotional, and physical development must
be integrated for children's optimal readiness for school.
Consistent with that research, Head Start programs are
currently guided in their curriculum and program practice by
the Head Start Outcomes Framework, which provides guidance on
all domains of child development and learning, with a variety
of indicators within each domain.
Recent reports conducted by the National Academy of
Sciences, such as Neurons to Neighborhoods and Eager to Learn,
have demonstrated the need to consider carefully the variation
in each child of his or her development and background in
developing standards for Head Start programs, expected outcomes
for Head Start children, and effective and appropriate pedagogy
and assessment.
The committee believes that educational assessments are an
essential component of program evaluation and improving student
achievement. Through valid assessments, much can be learned
about program strengths and weaknesses, what a child has or has
not learned, and which instructional techniques work best with
different children.
Currently, Head Start programs use locally designed
assessments to monitor child development and growth, and to
improve instruction and services to maximize children's
learning. The committee bill acknowledges the importance of
assessments in Head Start and has included a requirement that
agencies establish effective procedures and provide for the
regular assessment of Head Start children, such as
observational assessments, direct formal assessments, or parent
and provider interviews, taking into consideration the age of
the child. Because academic outcomes and assessments for young
children are emerging areas of knowledge and practice, the
committee recognizes the need to consult and rely on
recommendations from independent experts in the development and
application of such outcomes and assessments. As such, the
committee has included requirements in the Act that the
National Academy of Sciences review and make recommendations on
appropriate academic requirements, benchmarks, and assessments
for children in Head Start. The committee encourages the
Secretary to take the panel's recommendations, as well as those
of other experts in the field, into consideration when
reviewing, developing, and revising outcomes and assessments in
Head Start.
Teacher Quality and Staff Qualifications
The committee believes that well educated and skilled
teachers are a key to early childhood program quality and
better outcomes for children. Research consistently
demonstrates a link between the learning potential of children
and the knowledge, skills and competency of classroom teachers.
Teachers in Head Start must be adequately trained and educated,
particularly in effectively providing prereading, language, and
premathemaics instruction. This is a critical goal in order for
Head Start children to become adequately prepared for
kindergarten
While nationally, Head Start has met the requirement that
50 percent of its teachers have at least an Associates degree,
the committee feels we can, and should do better. Therefore the
committee bill includes a requirement that, no later than
September 30, 2009, all Head Start teachers in center-based
programs at least have an Associate's degree and experience in
early childhood education. The bill also requires that by
September 30, 2010, 50 percent of all Head Start teachers in
each center based program have a bachelor's degree in early
childhood and demonstrated teaching competencies in early
childhood.
The committee's primary objective is to improve outcomes
for children in Head Start programs by raising the quality of
the programs serving these children. The committee believes
that Head Start should be helping children develop their
literacy and language skills and promoting strong cognitive
development. The new teacher requirements will help Head Start
centers develop programs that can meet these needs as they
become better informed and skilled in providing effective
instruction and supports for children's development and
readiness for school.
According to the National Institute for Early Education
Research has found, ``[t]teachers who have earned a BA are
better equipped to provide high quality preschool education
than are teachers with a 2 year degree (AA), Child Development
Associate (CDA) certificate, or High School diploma (even when
these teachers have had training in child development.)''
Research clearly indicates that vocabulary is a critical
building block to later literacy. Research also shows that the
size and complexity of young children's vocabularies are
directly related to the size and complexity of the vocabularies
of the adults with whom children interact--both parents and
teachers. Well educated teachers who themselves have strong
literacy skills, rich vocabularies and employ complex speech
patterns, provide stronger early literacy experiences to
children than do teachers with lower levels of education.
Literacy and verbal skill levels are clearly linked to formal
educational attainment levels. For example: The National Adult
Literacy Survey found that individuals with Associate's degrees
are twice as likely to have literacy skills below the competent
level as are individuals who have earned Bachelor's degrees.
The committee understands that the requirement for the
number of individuals with Bachelor's degrees set out in the
legislation may be challenging for certain grantees, states,
and regions. Therefore the committee has given the Secretary
broad waiver authority for grantees, including rural and
seasonal programs, that can demonstrate a good faith effort to
satisfy the degree requirements as provided in the committee
bill.
The committee also notes the challenge facing Indian Head
Start programs which are often located in remote and isolated
areas without access to post secondary institutions. It is the
committee's hope, however, that these challenges can be
addressed by additional access to distance education. The
committee bill includes a proposal to provide additional
funding to Tribal Colleges and Universities. The committee
intends for this funding to help the staff of Indian Head Start
programs attend Tribal Colleges and Universities where such
institutions exist, in order to meet the teacher requirements
of this legislation in a way that respects the traditional
values of Native American tribes.
Finally, the committee bill requires all Head Start
grantees to create a professional development plan for all full
time employees who provide direct educational services to
children. The committee believes that this activity will result
in high quality professional development that directly benefits
the individual instructor, Head Start students, and the overall
program.
Program Quality
Head Start programs are operating in a highly competitive
job market due to the nation's economic strength. Head Start
employs over 198,000 dedicated staff members (including 51,000
teachers) to provide the comprehensive array of educational and
social services which comprise the Head Start program. While
program quality depends on the availability of quality
materials, equipment, and community partners to provide
comprehensive services, the quality of Head Start programs is
primarily dependent upon staff quality. Therefore, staff
development continues to be a high priority of this committee.
Programs must be able to attract and retain qualified staff
despite competition for skilled workers from a wide range of
industries beyond child development and educational service
areas and to develop and retain the qualified work force needed
to ensure Head Start program quality. Improved academic
achievement in Head Start simply cannot be accomplished without
well qualified Head Start teachers who are trained in evidence
based literacy techniques and understand the importance of a
language rich, interactive environment for children.
The committee recognizes that a well designed Head Start
classroom with an effective prereading program delivered by a
competent teacher is vital for later reading proficiencies and
school readiness. Head Start teachers must be equipped with an
understanding of how oral language, prereading and early
literacy develops in children and how parental and classroom
instruction and involvement can optimize that development.
Children need exposure to concepts about print, open-ended
conversations that grow their vocabularies and oral language
skills, an understanding of the relationships between letters
and sounds, ability in phonemic awareness and early writing as
well as prereading development. Teachers need professional
development that spans their training and careers to strengthen
the knowledge and skills for promoting children's language,
prereading and early writing, as well as other cognitive areas.
Quality programs contribute significantly to children's
development. There is growing recognition that participation in
high quality early childhood education and care programs are
important indicators of later school success and of children's
later success in life. This is due in part to the fact that
these programs impact children precisely at the point when
children's development is rapid, dramatic, and
multidimensional. The committee continues to place a
significant emphasis on program quality and has therefore
required 50 percent of new funds to be set aside for these
purposes.
Early Head Start
Neurological research demonstrates that it is during the
first three years of life that the brain undergoes its most
dramatic development, and children acquire the ability to
think, speak, learn, and reason. According to many brain
researchers, the development between the prenatal period and
the first years of life is more extensive than previously
thought and susceptible to long lasting early environmental
influences (Moughty, 2003). The groundbreaking report Starting
Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children cites,
``Babies raised by caring, attentive adults in safe,
predictable environments are better learners than those raised
with less attention in less secure settings.'' (Carnegie
Corporation of New York, 1994).
The critical development which occurs during the firs three
years of a child's life is well documented: all infants and
toddlers need positive learning experiences to foster their
intellectual, social, and emotional development and to lay the
foundation for later school success. Infants and toddlers
living in high-risk environments need additional supports to
promote their healthy growth and development. Disparities in
children's cognitive and social abilities become evident well
before they enter Head Start or PreKindergarten programs at age
four.
The Early Head Start program minimizes these disparities
and ensures that children enter school ready to learn. The
National Evaluation of Early Head Start--a rigorous, large
scale, random-assignment evaluation--concluded that Early Head
Start is making a positive difference in areas associated with
children's success in school, family self-sufficiency, and
parental support of child development.
In light of these findings, the committee has added
amendments to expand the Early Head Start program, increasing
the current 10 percent set aside of total Head Start
appropriations to 18 percent by 2009, so long as these
increases will not reduce services for children in Head Start
programs.
Services for parents to support their role as parents are a
critical component of the Early Head Start program. There is
considerable evidence to support the notion that programs that
combine child focused educational activities with explicit
attention to parent child interaction patterns and relationship
building have the greatest impact for at-risk children. The
National Evaluation of Early Head Start--a rigorous, large
scale, random assignment evaluation--concluded that EHS parents
were more involved and provided more support for their child's
language development and learning than control group parents.
This clearly shows that the two generation focus is critical to
the success of EHS.
The committee expects that Early Head Start programs will
continue to offer services to parents to support their role as
parents and will continue to be responsible for the provision
of services to parents that meet the Head Start Performance
Standards. These services may continue to be provided either
directly by the Early Head Start programs or through formal
partnerships with community agencies. Early Head Start programs
will continue to encourage parent participation in these
services.
Given the recent changes in the overall Head Start training
and technical assistance system, the committee encourages the
Secretary to ensure that Early Head Start programs and staff
continue to receive opportunities for specialized infant and
toddler training and technical assistance.
Designation and Competition of Head Start Agencies
The committee bill requires Head Start agencies to
establish program goals for improving the school readiness of
children participating in Head Start, and to include goals
related to meeting Head Start's performance standards as well
as educational outcome standards described in section 641A of
the Act. Specifically, the act requires existing Head Start
programs to address goals related to (1) improving school
readiness of children participating in the program (2) meeting
the performance standards, educational standards described in
section 641A and education expectations, and (3) establishing
results based school readiness goals that are aligned with
requirements and expectations for local public schools.
Expanding the universe of organizations eligible to compete
and operate Head Start programs may result in stronger Head
Start programs overall. The committee has therefore included a
provision requiring recompetition of Head Start grants every
five years. During the recompetition process priority is given
to any high performing Head Start agency that is (1) currently
receiving assistance (2) meets or exceeds the program and
financial management requirements, standards described in
section 641(A)(a)(1), or other requirements established by the
secretary, (3) has no unresolved programmatic deficiencies and
has not had findings of deficiencies during the last triennial
review; (4) can demonstrate active collaborations with the
State in the provision of services to children. The committee
duly anticipates high performing grantees to receive subsequent
redesignation as Head Start grantees.
Head Start Performance Standards, Educational Standards and Measures
As a national laboratory for early childhood development,
Head Start has always been concerned with the quality of its
programs and its effects on children and families. Since 1975,
Head Start has focused on the quality of services provided and
has assessed quality through process indicators, such as the
number of teachers with early childhood education degrees or
Child development Credentials. These indicators have been
measured primarily through compliance with the Head Start
Performance Standards using the ON-Site Program Review
Instrument (OSPRI) once every three years. Process indicators
will continue to be important to Head Start because of the
belief that the quality and quantity of services provided are
inextricably linked to the effects of the program.
In 1995, Head Start joined efforts throughout the Federal
Government to develop performance measures to promote
accountability through the assessment of program quality and
outcomes. These performance measures are helping Head Start
change its focus from process to outcomes and toward results
oriented evaluation in accordance with the Government
Performance and Results Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-620), the
recommendations of the 1993 Advisory Committee on Head Start
Quality and Expansion and the mandate of section 641A(b) of the
1994 Reauthorization of the Head Start Act.
The performance measures developed in response to enhanced
educational focus are providing methods and procedures for
assessing, annually and over long periods, the quality and
effectiveness of programs operated by Head Start agencies.
However, while the performance standards establish a
minimally acceptable level of services, they do not directly
measure program quality or effectiveness. Head Start's
performance measures, on the other hand, which provide a
measure of program quality and effectiveness, had not generally
been applied to local grantees until the 1998 reauthorization;
rather, they have been used to gauge a national picture of Head
Start program quality.
The National Reporting System
In 1998, the committee included and Congress passed a
provision requiring the current national performance measures
to be applied locally and specifically, to be applied as part
of the monitoring and triennial compliance reviews and directed
the Secretary to develop additional performance measures to
assess the educational achievement of children in Head Start.
The Department of Health and Human Services National Reporting
System was designed and implemented in order to fulfill this
objective.
The NRS is a brief, standardized test given at the
beginning and end of each program year to assess on a limited
set of language, literacy, and math indicators all four and
five years old in the Head Start program. The primary purpose
of the assessment is to have a common measurement instrument to
evaluate how well individual Head Start programs and grantees
are doing in preparing children for school.
There is general agreement by childhood development experts
on the use of assessments, and children are assessed regularly
in nearly every preschool program around the country, including
in all Head Start classrooms. Researchers agree that multiple
assessments of young children are needed to determine young
children's learning and development.
Currently, Head Start children participate in multiple
assessments that are locally designed and implemented. In some
cases, these assessments may be useful to inform the
instructional needs of individual children, but they can not be
used to evaluate and compare rates of progress and the
readiness of children in Head Start programs nationwide. The
new National Reporting System is not designed to replace nay of
the current assessments used by local programs. Rather, it is
an additional tool to enable program sot be identified that
would benefit from additional technical assistance in order to
make better progress in achieving school readiness.
The new national assessment is generally focused on
evaluating children's competencies in prereading,
premathematics, and language skills, and is conducted by
teachers and other staff familiar with the children in a play
based, interactive or observational manner. The assessment,
which will be conducted in 4 and 5 year old children enrolled
in Head Start, takes approximately 15-20 minutes per child and
will occur at the beginning and end of each year in Head Start
prior to kindergarten.
It is the committee's view that a stronger accountability
system is needed to ensure that Head Start children are
prepared for school. While the committee appreciates and
understands the concerns about specific aspects of the NRS,
specifically about the study design, content, administration,
and use of test results, the committee does not recommend
suspending the development of this much needed accountability
system. The committee urges the Administration to continue with
its efforts to develop anenhanced accountability system that is
capable of addressing all aspects of a child's development, instead of
narrowly focusing on only certain domains of school readiness. The
committee is confident that the Administration will continue to work in
good faith with all Members of Congress and the public to address
concerns about the new accountability system.
Transition
Successful transition from preschool into K-12 is one of
Head Start's primary objectives. The committee has long
recognized that transition activities are a partnership in
which the Head Start and local education agencies must
cooperate; therefore compatible transition requirements are
outlined both in the Head Start statute and in the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act.
Previously, the committee provided a set aside to fund
thirty one demonstration projects designed to identify and
replicate best practices for extending a Head Start like model
of comprehensive services into kindergarten and the first three
grades of elementary school, thereby facilitating the
transition of Head Start children into their local school
systems. Based on the success of this initiative, two
Information Memos sharing project results were disseminated to
all Head Start grantees. In addition, three training guides
have been developed and numerous training opportunities made
available to assist grantees in incorporating best practices
identified by this effort.
These demonstration projects were discontinued in fiscal
year 1996 consistent with the terms of their original awards.
The committee feels strongly about the continuation of the
transition activities which have been demonstrated to be
effective and should now be an integral part of every Head
Start program.
The committee commends the Administration's efforts to
foster an environment in which transition activities are
integrated into program operations in a manner similar to each
of the other vital services provided to families. It is the
committee's intent that those efforts continue and that
grantees be provided continued training and technical
assistance to make that goal a reality.
Accountability
While 85 percent of Head Start grantees provide quality
services according to the latest monitoring report issued by
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are
some grantees that are not fulfilling their obligation to
ensure that our nation's neediest children enter school with
the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. This is
evidenced by the approximately 170 Head Start programs that
have been terminated by the Department due to concerns over
their quality over the past 10 years.
The committee believes the current Head Start monitoring
system is not adequate to ensure that programs are consistently
delivering the level of high quality services necessary for
children to advance in all areas of development. Evidence that
program quality varies greatly is a concern of Congress and of
high performing grantees that are negatively impacted by the
poor quality of lower performing grantees. It is the
committee's view that the scheduled triennial review process,
coupled with an automatic renewal of grants on an annual basis,
does not provide adequate assurances to the Congress and the
public about Head Start program operations. Therefore the Head
Start Improvements and School Readiness Act requires that
triennial reviews occur, to the extent practicable, on an
unscheduled basis. It is the committee's view that unscheduled
reviews will help to ensure that all programs are performing at
the highest levels possible at all times.
The committee bill also requires that grantees develop
annual program goals and demonstrate that they have met, or are
making progress toward meeting these goals as a condition of
refunding. Priority for continuation of funding (which is now
automatic), will only be permitted for high performing
grantees. All other grantees will have their grants fully
recompeted every 5 years. The committee included this historic
new provision to ensure that Head Start grantees and the
programs under them strive for and are held accountable for
continuous quality improvement.
To help ensure that Head Start programs are providing the
highest quality services to students, the committee bill also
allows the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to
contract out for activities associated with the monitoring of
Head Start grantees. Monitoring is an important part of the
Department's responsibility for overseeing Head Start. In order
to ensure the integrity of the monitoring process, the
committee believes HHS should be allowed to contract out
monitoring responsibilities to impartial third parties who have
a demonstrated expertise in early childhood development and
Head Start program operations, including knowledge and
expertise about the Head Start performance standards. With an
independent evaluator in place, the committee and the public
can be assured that the monitoring process will not be
influenced, even unintentionally, by the personal relationships
between grantees and the regional offices that they rely on for
guidance and assistance.
Oversight and Monitoring
At least once every three years each Head Start and Early
Head Start agency receives a comprehensive onsite review by the
Department of Health and Human Services. These monitoring
reviews play a vital role in assuring that Head Start agencies
are providing high quality services.
The committee believes that oversight by the Secretary of
the Department of Health and Human Services is an important
element in ensuring that Head Start grantees meet the
guidelines established for their program. Appropriate oversight
ensures that programeffectiveness can be assessed and measured,
that only qualified programs continue to receive Federal funding, and
that inefficient or abusive use of Federal funds is halted.
The PRISM monitoring of Head Start grantees undertaken by
the Department is critical to realizing the goals of adequate
oversight of the program. Head Start's current monitoring
system is the gold standard in the field of early care and
education. As such, amendments are added to the act to ensure
that such monitoring is conducted in all Head Start centers, to
provide for greater accountability and oversight.
Currently, ACF regional office employees serve the dual
role of leading monitoring reviews and overseeing the provision
of training and technical assistance. We share the goal of the
Department in preserving the integrity of these two discrete
processes. However, the committee believes that, because of
their years of training and their expertise with the Head Start
program, its' regulations and policies, employees of the
Department of Health and Human Services should (to the extent
determined appropriate by the Secretary) continue to be
included on teams sent out to monitor and evaluate Head Start
programs.
Under-Enrollment
Under current law, Head Start grantees are expected to
fully meet their funded enrollment and to maintain a waiting
list. This is required in order to ensure program integrity and
ready access to program services by eligible low income
children. The committee is concerned about reports indicating
that some Head Start grantees have experience problems
achieving and maintaining their full funded enrollment and are
operating with significant under enrollment while others
experience shortfalls in their capacity to provide or maintain
services to eligible children. Given the importance of this
issue and its implications for Head Start, the committee
believes a statutory approach to dealing with under enrolled
grantees is warranted.
While the full extent to which Head Start programs are
under enrolled is unknown, the committee believes, given very
limited Federal resources, that under enrollment at any level
is an unacceptable and potentially a serious problem, and one
that needs an immediate solution.
The committee bill provides for reduction of Head Start
grants and redistribution of funds in cases of under
enrollment. The committee bill has been carefully drafted to
provide for shared accountability in addressing issues of
enrollment of Head Start children. The bill requires each Head
Start program to report on a monthly basis to the Secretary a
figure which reflects the program's actual enrollment,
including a description of an enrollment shortfall if such
actual enrollment is less than the funded enrollment prescribed
by the grant held by the Head Start agency.
The bill also requires the Secretary (on a semi-annual
basis) to determine which Head Start agencies are under-
enrolled, and directs the agency (in collaboration with the
Secretary) to provide for a plan and timetable in which to
address issues of under-enrollment in agencies operating will
less than 95 percent of enrollment.
In reviewing enrollment data, the committee bill directs
the Secretary to take into consideration the quality and extent
of outreach, recruitment, and community needs assessments,
changing demographics, mobility of populations, and the
identification of new underserved low income populations;
facilities related issues that may impact enrollment; the
ability to provide full-day programs, where needed, through
Head Start funds or through collaboration with other funds or
programs; the availability and use by families of other
preschool and child care options (including parental care) in
the local area; and agency management procedures that may
impact efficient enrollment. Agencies identified by the
Secretary shall be provided timely and on-going technical
assistance to reduce under-enrollment, but are considered to be
out of compliance immediately.
Upon receipt of technical assistance, the Head Start agency
will implement its plan to address under-enrollment. If 1 year
after the date of implementation of the plan, the Head Start
agency continues to operate at less than full enrollment, the
Secretary shall (where determined appropriate) continue to
provide technical assistance to the agency. If after 18 months,
a Head Start agency is still operating with an actual
enrollment that is less than 95 percent of the agency's funded
enrollment, the Secretary may designate such agency as
chronically under-enrolled and recapture, withhold, or reduce
the base grant by a percentage equal to the percentage
difference between funded and actual enrollment for the most
recent year in which the agency is determined to be under-
enrolled.
If the Secretary, after implementation of the plan, finds
that the causes of under-enrollment are beyond the agency's
control; the shortfall can reasonably be expected to be
temporary; or the number of slots allotted to the agency is
small enough that under-enrollment does not constitute a
significant shortfall, the Secretary may waive or reduce the
percentage reductions in the base grant.
The Secretary shall use the recovered funds to distribute
to other Head Start agencies within the State that demonstrate
that they will use such funds to increase enrollment in their
Head Start programs. If there is no agency within a State that
meets this requirement, the Secretary shall use such amounts to
redirect funds to other Head Start agencies.
Financial Audits
In addition to conducting on-site inspections, regional ACF
staff also monitor grantees'compliance with regulations by
annually reviewing their financial audit reports. Auditors may select
and review samples of financial transactions to determine whether a
grantee has followed established procedures and program regulations. If
a grantee administers more than one federal grant--as is often the case
with large nonprofit agencies, school districts, and municipalities--
relatively small grants may not be reviewed in much detail.
In addition to a lack of detail, financial audit reports
may not provide timely information for monitoring current
grantee operations. Grantees have 9 months to submit financial
audit reports for any given year. It may take several
additional months before officials in the HHS Office of
Inspector General review the audit report, summarize the
findings and submit the findings to the appropriate regional
officials. Grantees that are classified as ``high risk'' do not
face termination of their funding unless they are also
classified as deficient, which usually involves an on-site
inspection. As a result, ACF may wait up to 3 years until the
next regularly scheduled triennial inspection before it
classifies a high-risk grantee as deficient and requires it to
develop a quality improvement plan and face possible
termination from the program.
The committee is very concerned about this process and
encourages the Secretary to adopt additional measures that
would permit an annual review of grantee financial status.
Combat Pay Ineligibility
The committee feels strongly that as our soldiers are
overseas fighting to defend our freedom it is our
responsibility to make sure we take care of their children and
families. When soldiers receive combat pay because they are
working in dangerous situations this extra income should not
adversely affect their family's eligibility for programs such
as Head Start. The Subcommittee on Children and Families has
held a series of joint hearings with the Armed Services
Subcommittee on Personnel on issues affecting military
families. The committee included language to address the
problem of soldiers not being able to access certain benefits,
such as Head Start, due to income ineligibility when they
receive combat pay. This language is intended to ensure that
families in the military receiving combat pay and who would
otherwise be eligible for Head Start would not be deemed
ineligible because of that income supplement.
Grantee Responsibility to Seriously Deficient Delegate Agencies
This legislation includes language that would strengthen
the ability of Head Start grantees to defund delegate agencies
that have serious deficiencies. Head Start grantees, in
addition to the oversight already conducted by the Secretary,
are asked to clearly define procedures for defunding a
seriously deficient program as well as that program's appeals
process. It is the intent of the committee that such procedures
be fair to all parties but not unduly cumbersome or time-
consuming.
Grantees are expected to define their procedures for
evaluating delegate agencies to minimize the circumstances that
would necessitate defunding and ensure that all of its delegate
agencies are held accountable for performance and successfully
address any deficiencies in a timely manner.
Any delegate agency found seriously deficient must be
notified of the possibility of termination. During the notice
period, monthly monitoring visits and technical assistance may
be provided by the Head Start grantee. The grantee could also
elect to release funds on a reimbursement basis instead of in
advance, particularly in the event of questionable fiscal
practices by the delegate agency. After a reasonable notice
period, if deficiencies are not corrected, the termination will
take effect. The grantee is then responsible for ensuring
continuity of Head Start services for the children and families
affected.
Accessibility to Books in the Classroom
To further expand the availability of books in Head Start
classrooms, the committee bill recommends that State Head Start
Collaboration offices promote partnerships between Head Start
agencies and other organizations to enhance the Head Start
curriculum, including partnerships to promote more books in
Head Start classrooms.
Because of the importance of creating a literacy rich
environment for children in Head Start, the committee further
encourages the Secretary to recommend a sufficient number of
children's books for each Head Start classroom and to encourage
Head Start programs to collaborate with a local library, where
available, that is interested in that collaboration, to develop
innovative programs to excite children about the world of
books, such as programs that involve taking children to the
library for story hour; promoting use of library cards for
families so that children can bring books home; developing a
lending library or using a mobile library van; entering into a
financial agreement with the library to provide the Head Start
classroom book collection or to supplement the collection with
books on various themes of the week, to provide fresh books in
the classroom on a regular basis; and carrying out other
activities through partnerships, to promote literacy and
excitement about the world of print.
Centers of Excellence
The committee bill includes provisions from S. 1474, the
Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood, which was originally
proposed by Senator Alexander on July 28, 2003.The committee
included S. 1474 as part of the Head Start Improvements for School
Readiness Act because the committee supports the underlying goal of
giving grants to Head Start programs that are exemplary and leveraging
excellent programs to model best practices so that other programs can
achieve excellence. The legislation authorizes the Governors to
nominate and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create
a nationwide network of 200 Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood
build around exemplary Head Start programs.
All Head Start centers need to excel in school readiness,
accountability, and coordination of services; improving the
performance of all centers in these areas is the focus of this
legislation. States have primary responsibility for setting
standards for and funding public education. A child who arrives
at school too far behind the starting line may never catch up.
In addition, the state is in the best position to help
coordinate the variety of public and private programs that have
been created since Head Start was established. In order to
increase coordination between Head Start and the public schools
system and other State-run social service programs, such as
Medicaid and the child care block grant, centers that have the
potential to drive effective collaboration within their State
(including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) would be
nominated by their Governor.
The Secretary of HHS would select 149 Centers of Excellence
of the centers that receive nominations from their Governor.
The Secretary would name an additional 51 centers, with a goal
of having at least one Center of Excellence in each State and
the District of Columbia. It is also the committee's intent
that one or more Indian and migrant Head Start programs would
be also be recognized as Centers of Excellence. The committee
encourages Governors to look for exemplary Indian Head Start
programs and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs within
their respective states. In addition, it is the committee's
intent that Governors are encouraged to look to Head Start
centers offering Early Head Start programs. The significance of
years 0-3 in child development is now widely understood, and it
is important for Centers of Excellence to be able to encourage
best practices in serving the very young.
Head Start programs identified, as Centers of Excellence
would receive a Federal bonus grant of at least $100,000 and up
to $500,000 in each of 5 years, in addition to its base
funding. It is the committee's intent that bonus grant funding
for the Centers would vary depending on the number of children
served at a Center of Excellence. It is the hope of the
committee that as we continue to work through the legislative
process and new money is available some of this money will be
designated for the Centers of Excellence.
The Centers of Excellence bonus grants will be used for
centers:
(1) to work in their community to model the best of
what Head Start can do for at-risk children and
families, including getting those children ready for
school and ready for academic success,
(2) to coordinate all early childhood services in
their community,
(3) to offer training and support to all
professionals working with at-risk children,
(4) to track these families and ensure seamless
continuity of services from prenatal to age 8, with an
emphasis on working in partnership with public schools
to ensure that Head Start children succeed in school,
(5) to become models of excellence by all performance
measures and be willing to be held accountable for good
outcomes for our most disadvantaged children, and
(6) to have the flexibility to serve additional Head
Start or Early Head Start children or provide more
full-day services to better meet the needs of working
parents.
The committee has included Early Head Start, Migrant and
Seasonal Head Start, and Indian Head Start programs as
participants in the Centers of Excellence Program. The
committee feels that all Head Start programs could benefit
greatly by the exemplary practices modeled in Early Head Start
programs for infants and toddlers, as well as practices
tailored to the needs of children in Indian, Migrant, and
Seasonal Head Start programs. The committee has not included a
requirement to designate a minimum number of such agencies as
Centers of Excellence, but urges the Secretary to ensure that
at least one agency is selected from each of the Head Start
Bureau's American Indian/Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal
Head Start Program Branches.
Funding
The committee bill authorize the Head Start program at $7.2
billion for fiscal year 2005, $7.6 billion for fiscal year
2006, $8 billion for fiscal year 2007, and such sums for fiscal
years 2008 and 2009. By increasing the authorization level in
the Head Start program by $400 million in each of the next
three fiscal years, the committee is affirming its desire to
improve and enhance program quality while also reasonably
expanding the program to reach additional eligible children and
families living in poverty.
Participation in Head Start Programs
The committee recognizes that in large part, due to the
success of welfare reform, some low income families earning a
little above the Federal poverty level whose children would
benefit from Head Start services are not able to participate in
the program because they are not income eligible. Because of
the federal nature of the Head Start program, the committee
felt it important to use federal poverty level as the guide for
participation rather than State measures such as State median
income, for example. The committee has raised the eligibility
level from 100 percent to 130 percent of Federal poverty,
matching the eligibility level for the free school lunch,
school breakfast and special milk programs and providing
additional opportunities for participation byworking poor
families in Head Start.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs and Indian Head Start Programs
The committee has included several provisions to improve
access to Head Start services by children of migrant and
seasonal farm workers, as well as by Indian children.
According to a study conducted by the Department of Health
and Human Services in 2001, the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start
programs have consistently received less than 4 percent of the
Head Start annual appropriation over the last 8 years, enabling
them to serve only 19 percent of eligible migrant and seasonal
children, compared to 60 percent of the eligible population
served by regular Head Start. While the Indian Head Start
programs serves over 23,000 children each year, there still
exists a need to expand services to additional eligible
children.
The committee has moved to address this issue by ensuring
that, with respect to Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs,
not less than 5 percent of the Head Start annual appropriation
be directed to Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs. The
committee has also moved to expand needed services to the
Indian community by ensuring that not less than 4 percent of
the Head Start annual appropriation be directed to Indian Head
Start programs. The committee has taken care to ensure that
funding increases provided to enable these populations to reach
children currently on waiting lists and to establish new
programs in areas that lack services to these populations of
children not occur until it is clear that the number of
children served in existing Head Start programs is not reduced
as funding shortfalls are addressed.
Priority Funding and Regular Head Start Expansion Grants
The committee bill includes provisions that after current
Head Start programs are adjusted for inflation to ensure the
provision of comprehensive services to at least the same number
of children served in the preceding fiscal year, any remaining
funds are to be used 50 percent for quality improvement
activities and 50 percent for program expansion grants.
In allocating the remaining 50 percent of expansion funds,
the committee made it a priority to eliminate apparent
discrepancies in the allocation of Head Start dollars among the
States. The committee is responding to the inclusion of a 1978
hold harmless provision that has created a disparity in how
money was allocated between the States despite the increase in
appropriations. In short, since 1979, 22 States have been
funded at levels higher than their child poverty population
warranted. As a result, the ability of many States to serve
their eligible population has been compromised. For example,
some States such as Nevada are serving only 30 percent of their
eligible population and other States such as Maine serve 89
percent of their eligible population. In order to begin to
address this inequity, the committee has included the
requirement that 65 percent of any new money (expansion of the
current program) for Head Start would be allocated on a
priority basis to those States that are underfunded (based on
the percentage of eligible children being served in that
State.) Although the committee acknowledges this will not solve
the funding discrepancies between the States, we feel it is a
step in the right direction.
The committee also intends 65 percent of the Head Start
expansion funds be made available to programs in States
(including Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs), that
continue to have significant numbers of eligible children left
unserved.
V. Cost Estimate
Due to time constraints the Congressional Budget Office
estimate was not included in the report. When received by the
committee, it will appear in the Congressional Record at a
later time.
VI. Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1, the Congressional
Accountability Act (CAA) requires a description of the
application of this bill to the legislative branch. This bill
does not amend any act that applies to the legislative branch.
VII. Regulatory Impact Statement
The committee has determined that there will be minimal
increases in the regulatory burden imposed by this bill.
VIII. Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short Title
This Act may be cited as the ``Head Start Improvements for
School Readiness Act.''
Section 2. Statement of Purpose
This section modifies section 636 by adding the goal of
educational instruction inprereading, premathematics and
language skills in the promotion of school readiness and development.
Section 3. Definitions
This Section amends section 637 by adding community-based
organizations to the definition of potential delegate agencies
(2). Section 637(17) is amended to remove the Federated States
of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the
Republic of Palau from the definition of ``State.'' Section
637(18) defines ``homeless child'' as one who lacks a regular
or adequate nighttime residence or whose residence is a
temporary shelter as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act. Section 637(19) defines ``limited English
proficient'' with respect to a child as someone enrolled or
preparing to enroll in Head Start, someone who was not born in
the United States or whose native language is not English, or
someone whose difficulty in speaking or understanding English
may be sufficient to deny such child the opportunity to
participate fully in society or the ability to successfully
achieve in a classroom in which the language of instruction is
English.
Section 4. Financial Assistance for Head Start Programs
This Section amends section 638 to reauthorize financial
assistance to Head Start agencies for five years.
Section 5. Authorization of Appropriations
This Section amends section 639 to reauthorize the Head
Start Act at $7,215,000,000 for fiscal year 2005,
$7,615,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, $8,015,000,000 for fiscal
year 2007, and such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years
2008 and 2009.
From the amount appropriated, the Secretary can make
available up to $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 to carry out
research, demonstration, and evaluation activities including
longitudinal studies under section 649, and such sums for
fiscal years 2005-2009, of which no more than $7,000,000 used
for impact studies under section 649(g) for fiscal years 2004-
2009.
Section 6. Allotment of Funds
This Section amends section 640 by requiring the Secretary
to reserve a sum each fiscal year for Indian Head Start and
migrant and seasonal Head Start programs that is the total of
not less than 4 percent of the amount appropriated for Indian
programs under section 639 for that fiscal year and not less
than 5 percent of that appropriated amount for migrant and
seasonal programs, but not if reserving such percentages would
reduce the number of children served by Head Start programs
relative to the number of children served upon the date of
enactment of this Act. After ensuring that each grant recipient
for Indian and migrant and seasonal programs have received a
sufficient amount to serve the same number of children as were
served by the date of enactment, the Secretary shall distribute
65 percent of the remaining funds to priority grant recipients
in the States serving the smallest percentages of eligible
children and distributing the remaining 35 percent on a
competitive basis.
This Section outlines rules in the provision and
administration of technical and training assistance in great
detail including limiting assistance as described in section
648 in an amount for each fiscal year equal to 2 percent of the
amount appropriated under section 639 of which: 50 percent
shall be made available to agencies to comply with the
standards in section 641A(a)(1) and 50 percent shall be made
available to the Secretary to support a regional or State
system of early childhood education training and technical
assistance and to assist local programs including Indian and
migrant and seasonal programs or which not less than $3,000,000
shall be made available to carry out the activities described
in 648(d)(4). In order to provide assistance, this Section
requires the Secretary to reserve 50 percent of such excess
amount for each fiscal year 2005-2009.
This Section requires that funds for quality improvement
may be used to ensure such programs have adequate numbers of
qualified staff and that such staff is furnished adequate
training; developing and financing the salary scales and
benefits standards under section 644(a) and 653 to ensure that
salary levels and benefits are adequate to attract and retain
qualified staff for such programs. Quality improvement funds
may be used for salary increases to assist with implementation
of quality programs, improve staff qualification or encourage
staff to continually improve their skills and expertise.
Quality improvement from reserved funds may also take the
form of a collaboration grant from the Secretary to each State
to facilitate collaboration between Head Start agencies and
entities that carry out other activities designed to benefit
low-income families and children from birth to school entry.
Such grants shall be used to promote alignment of Head Start
services with State early learning and school readiness goals
and standards; encourage Head Start agencies to coordinate
activities with the State agency responsible for administering
the State program carried out under the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990; promote better linkages
between Head Start agencies and other child and family agencies
that provide health, mental health or family services, or other
child or family supportive services; and carry out activities
of the State Director of Head Start Collaboration. To improve
coordination and delivery of early education services to
children in the State, a State that receives such a grant is
required to appoint a State Director of Head Start
Collaboration; ensure that the Director holds a position with
sufficient authority and access to ensure that the
collaboration is effective and involves a range of State
agencies; and involve the State Head Start Association in the
selection of the Director and involve the Association in
determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the
collaboration office. Not later than one year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director must conduct anassessment
that addresses the needs of Head Start agencies in the State with
respect to collaborating, coordinating services, and implementing State
early learning and school readiness goals and standards to better serve
children enrolled in Head Start programs. Such assessment will be
updated annually and shall be made available to the public.
This Section also mandates an assessment of the
availability of high quality prekindergarten services for low-
income children in the State and requires the Director to
develop a strategic plan based on the assessment that will: (1)
enhance collaboration and coordination of Head Start services
with other entities providing early childhood programs and
services, health care, mental health care, welfare, child
protective services, education and community service
activities; family literacy services, reading readiness
programs, services related to disabled children and other
programs and services for LEP and homeless children; (2) assist
Head Start agencies to develop a plan for the provision of a
full working day, full calendar year services for children
enrolled in Head Start programs who need such care; (3) assist
Head Start agencies to align services with State early learning
and school readiness goals and standards and to facilitate
collaborative efforts to develop local school readiness
standards; (4) enable agencies in the State to better
coordinate professional development opportunities for Head
Start staff such as assisting 2- and 4-year public and private
institutions of higher education to develop articulation
agreements; awarding grants to such institutions to develop
model early childhood education programs; working with local
Head Start agencies to meet the degree requirements in section
648A(a)(2)(A); enabling State Head Start agencies to better
coordinate outreach to eligible families; (5) promote
partnership between Head Start agencies, State governments, and
the private sector to help ensure that low-income pre-school
children are receiving comprehensive services to prepare them
to enter school ready to learn; and (6) promote partnerships
between Head Start agencies, schools, law enforcement, and
substance abuse and mental health treatment agencies to
strengthen family and community environments and to reduce the
impact on child development of substance abuse, child abuse and
other high risk behaviors that compromise healthy development.
This Section requires the Governor of a State to establish
a council to serve as the State advisory council on
collaboration on early care and education activities for
children from birth to school entry. The State Advisory Council
shall include: the State Director of Head Start Collaboration;
a representative of the appropriate regional office of the
Administration for Children and Families; a representative of
the State educational agency and local educational agencies; a
representative of institutions of higher education; a
representative of the State agency responsible for mental
health care; a representative of the State agency responsible
for teacher professional standards; certification and
licensing; a representative of the State agency responsible for
child care; early childhood education professionals;
kindergarten teachers and teachers in grades 1 through 3; a
representative of the State agency responsible for programs
under part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Act; a
representative of the State interagency coordinating councils
established under section 641 of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act; a representative of the State Head
Start Association where appropriate; a representative of the
State network of child care resource and referral agencies; a
representative of community-based organizations; a
representative of State and local providers of early education
and child care; a representative of migrant and seasonal Head
Start programs and Indian Head Start programs; parents;
religious and business leaders; the head of the state library
administrative agency; representatives of State and local
organizations and other entities providing professional
development to early care and education providers; and a
representative of other entities determined to be relevant by
the chief executive officer of the State.
The State Advisory Council is responsible for conducting a
periodic statewide needs assessment concerning early care and
education programs; identifying barriers to and opportunities
for collaboration and coordination between entities carrying
out Federal and State child development, child care, and early
childhood education programs; developing recommendations
regarding means of establishing a unified data collection
system for early care and education programs throughout the
State; developing a statewide professional development and
career ladder plan for early care and education in the State.
The Council shall hold public hearings on the needs assessment
and recommendations described in this subsection and the
Council shall submit a statewide strategic report concerning
the needs assessment and recommendations to the State Director
of Head Start Collaboration and the chief executive officer of
the State. After submitting the report, the Council shall meet
periodically to review any implementation of the
recommendations and any changes in State and local needs.
The Secretary is required to use from amounts reserved and
allotted for programs described in 645A(a) of this subchapter
10 percent for fiscal year 2004, 11 percent for fiscal year
2005, 13 percent for fiscal year 2006, 15 percent for fiscal
year 2007, 17 percent for fiscal year 2008, and 18 percent for
fiscal year 2009, of the amount appropriated pursuant to
section 639(a).
This section requires the Secretary to establish procedures
to enable Head Start agencies to develop locally designed or
specialized service delivery models to address local community
needs including models that leverage existing capacity and
procedures to provide for the conversion of part-day programs
to full-day programs or part-day slots to full-day slots.
This section requires the Secretary to issue regulations to
ensure the appropriate supervision and background checks of
individuals with whom Head Start agencies contract to transport
Head Start children.
This section requires the Secretary to conduct an annual
consultation in each affectedHead Start region, with tribal
governments operating Head Start and Early Head Start programs and such
consultations will be for the purpose of better meeting the needs of
American Indian and Alaska Native children and families, taking into
consideration funding allocations, distribution formulas, and other
issues affecting Head Start services within tribal communities. Notice
of the consultation will be published in the Federal Register prior to
the consultations and a detailed report of such consultation shall be
prepared and made available to all tribal governments receiving funds
under this subchapter.
This Section requires the Secretary to issue regulations
and remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of
eligible homeless children in Head Start.
This subchapter does not require a State to establish a
program of early education for children in the State, nor does
it require any child to participate in a program of early
education in order to attend preschool, or to participate in
any initial screening prior to participation in such program.
This Section requires all funded curricula under this
subchapter to be scientifically-based, age appropriate and
available for parents to examine.
Section 7. Designation of Head Start Agencies
This Section amends section 641 by giving the Secretary
discretionary authority to designate any local public or
private non-profit or for-profit within a community, including
community-based organizations, as a Head Start agency. To be
designated as Head Start agencies that must establish program
goals for improving school readiness of children, including
goals for meeting the performance and educational standards as
described in 641A and shall establish results-based school
readiness goals that are aligned with requirements and
expectations of local public schools. To continue to receive
grants, agencies must demonstrate progress towards meeting such
goals.
In designation and redesignation the Secretary shall, in
consultation with each State's chief executive officer, give
priority to high performing, eligible agencies that: are
already receiving funds under Head Start, meet or exceed
program and financial management requirements, have no history
of deficiencies during the last three years, and can
demonstrate active collaboration with the State in the
provision of services for children.
However, if no entity is entitled to the priority, the
Secretary shall conduct an open competition and shall consider
the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide Head Start
services based on the plan of such applicant: (1) to consider
past performance of applicants in providing comparable services
to Head Start services; (2) to provide health, nutritional,
education, and social to prepare children to succeed in school;
(3) to use scientifically based programs that promote school
readiness; (4) the plan of such applicant to meet standards
outlined in 641A(a)(1); (5) the plan of such applicant to
coordinate the proposed Head Start program with other local
preschool programs, State prekindergarten programs, child care
programs, local educational agencies, and reading readiness;
(6) to coordinate with public and private entities who are
willing to commit resources to assist the Head Start program
meet its program needs; (7) to collaborate with a local library
to excite children about the world of books; (8) to involve
parents in the education of their children at home and at the
center and to give them the opportunity to participate in the
development and performance of the program at the local level;
to offer parents family literacy services, parenting skills
training, substance abuse counseling; to offer parents the
option to offer training in basic child development, assistance
in developing communication skills, opportunities for parents
to share experiences with other parents, any other activity
designed to help parents become full partners in the education
of their children; to provide each participating family a
family needs assessment that includes consultation with such
parents about the benefits of involvement in their child's
education; to extend outreach to fathers to strengthen the role
of fathers in families and in the education of their young
children, and in Head Start programs, by working directly with
fathers and father figures; (9) the plan of such applicant to
meet the needs of: LEP children and their families including
procedures to identify such children, plans to provide trained
personnel and plans to assist children in making progress
toward the acquisition of the English language; (10) to meet
the needs of disabled children; (11) who chooses to assist
younger siblings of children who will participate in the Head
Start program to obtain health services from other sources;
(12) and the plan of such applicant to collaborate with other
entities carrying out early childhood education and child care
programs in the community; and (13) to meet the needs of
homeless children and children in foster care.
Section 8. Quality Standards; Monitoring of Head Start Agencies and
Programs
This Section amends section 641A by requiring additional
education standards and minimum levels of accomplishment based
on recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences panel
(described in Section 649(h)) and other experts in the field of
early childhood education relating to: (1) language skills
related to listening, understanding, speaking, and
communicating including: understanding and use of a diverse
vocabulary (including knowing the names of colors) and
knowledge of how to use oral language to communicate for
various purposes; narrative abilities used, for example, to
comprehend, tell and respond to a story, or to comprehend
instructions; ability to detect and produce sounds of the
language the child speaks or is learning; and clarity of
pronunciation andspeaking in syntactically and grammatically
correct sentences; (2) prereading knowledge and skills including:
alphabet knowledge, knowing the letter names and associating letters
with their shapes and sounds in the language the child speaks or is
learning; phonological awareness and awareness of processes that
support reading, for example, rhyming, recognizing speech sounds and
separate syllables in spoken words, and putting speech sounds together
to make words; knowledge, interest in, and appreciation of books,
reading and writing, and knowledge that books have parts such as front,
back and title page; early writing, including the ability to write
one's own name and other words and phrases; and print awareness and
concepts, including recognizing different forms of print and
understanding the association between spoken and written words; (3)
premathematics knowledge and skills including number recognition; use
of early number concepts and operations, including counting, simple
adding and subtracting, and knowledge of quantitative relationships
such as part versus whole and comparison of numbers of objects; use of
early space and location concepts including recognizing shapes,
classification, striation, and understanding directionality; and early
pattern skills and measurement, including recognizing and extending
simple patterns and measuring length, weight and time; (4) scientific
abilities including building awareness about scientific skills and
methods, such as gathering, describing, and recording information,
making observations, explanations and predictions, and expanding
scientific knowledge of the environment, time, temperature, and cause
and effect relationships; (5) general cognitive abilities relate to
academic achievement and child development including reasoning,
planning, and problem-solving skills; ability to engage, sustain
attention, and persist on challenging tasks; intellectual curiosity,
initiative, and task engagement; and motivation to achieve and master
concepts and skills; (6) social and emotional development related to
early learning and school success including developing: the ability to
develop social relationships, demonstrate cooperative behaviors, and
relate to teachers and peers in positive and respectful ways; an
understanding of the consequences of actions, following rules, and
appropriately expressing feelings; a sense of self, such as self-
awareness, independence, and confidence; the ability to control
negative behaviors with teachers and peers that include impulsiveness,
aggression, and noncompliance; and knowledge of civic society and
surrounding communities; (7) physical development including developing
fine motor skills such as strength, manual dexterity, and hand-eye
coordination; and gross motor skills, such as balance and coordinated
movements; and (8) in the case of LEP children, progress towards
acquisition of the English language while making meaningful progress in
the aforementioned areas.
This Section requires that facilities used by Head Start
agencies for regularly scheduled center-based and combination
program option classroom activities be in compliance with State
and local requirements concerning licensing for such facilities
and that such facility shall be accessible by State and local
authorities for purposes of monitoring and ensuring compliance.
Additionally, this Section requires the Secretary, in
developing standards, to consider the unique challenges faced
by individual programs, including seasonal, short term or those
that serve rural populations, when developing standards
regulations. the Secretary is also required to consult with
Indian tribes, American Indian and Alaska Native experts in
early childhood development, linguists, and the National Indian
Head Start Directors Association in program standards review
and promulgation, and educational performance measures for
language acquisition and school readiness.
This Section amends section 641A by adding a new section,
``Evaluation is and Corrective Actions for Delegation Agencies;
(641A(a)(4)). This section requires the Secretary to establish
procedures for evaluating delegate agencies as well as
procedures for defunding delegate agencies and procedures for
appealing such defunding decisions. Each Head Start agency
shall evaluate its delegate agencies using procedures
established in this Act and shall inform the delegate agencies
of the deficiencies to be corrected. To ensure corrective
actions, the Head Start agency may: initiate procedures to
terminate the designation of the agency unless the agency
corrects the deficiency; conduct monthly monitoring visits to
such delegate agency until all deficiencies are corrected or
the Head Start agency decides to defund such delegate agency;
and release funds to such delegate agency only as
reimbursements until all deficiencies are corrected or the Head
Start agency decides to defund such delegate agency.
This Section requires performance measures to be
appropriate for the population served and be reviewed no less
than every four years based on advances in early childhood
development science.
This Section requires results-based outcome measures to be
designed for the purpose of promoting the competencies of Head
Start children with an emphasis on measuring those competencies
that have a strong scientifically-based predictability of a
child's school readiness and later performance in school. This
Section permits Head Start agencies to establish and implement
additional local results-based educational performance measures
and goals.
This Section mandates unannounced site inspections of Head
Start Centers and sets rules for prompt follow-up reviews to
agencies and programs that fail to meet one or more of the
performance measures developed by the Secretary, and in the
case of programs cited with substantial deficiencies a review
is required within 6 months of the initial citation. Reviews
may incorporate without or with limited prior notice as is
necessary to ensure the participation of parents and key staff
members. Reviews will be conducted by teams that include
individuals who are knowledgeable about Head Start and other
early childhood programs and, to the maximum extend
practicable, the diverse needs of eligible children and LEP
children and their families. Review willinclude assessment of
program effectiveness measured in accordance with the results-based
measures developed by the Secretary. Reviews will seek information from
communities and States about innovative or effective collaborative
efforts, barriers to collaboration, and collaboration efforts of Head
Start agencies. Review teams will also review and assess whether a
program is in conformity with the income eligibility requirements and
regulations of Section 645. Reviews will assess whether programs are
adequately addressing the population and community needs (including
LEP, migrant and seasonal farmworker children). Reviews will also
assess outcomes and performance as they relate to State-, local-, and
agency-determined school readiness goals.
This Section also requires that in order for a Head Start
agency to retain designation and continue to receive funds if
it has failed to meet quality standards or results-based
performance measures it must develop in a timely manner a
quality improvement plan subject to the Secretary's approval or
(in some cases) the sponsoring agency. The Secretary or
sponsoring agency must respond to the proposed improvement plan
within 30 days of receiving it from an agency, either approving
it, or giving reasons for not approving it. This Section
requires within 120 days of the fiscal year's end the Secretary
to publish a summary on the outcome findings which must be made
widely available to the public as well as to the parents of
Head Start children.
This Section establishes rules for allowing for the
reduction of grants and redistribution of funds in cases of
under-enrollment. Each Head Start agency is required to report
actual enrollment to the Secretary monthly and if that number
is below the funded enrollment stated in the base grant, the
agency must explain the enrollment shortfall. The Secretary
must determine which agencies are under-enrolled based on at
least 4 months of data. In cases of less than 95 percent
enrollment, the Secretary will develop in collaboration with
the agency, a plan and timetable for correcting under-
enrollment considering quality, extent of outreach, community
needs assessment, changing demographics, identification of new
underserved low-income populations, any facilities-related
issues affecting enrollment, ability to provide full-day
programs where needed through Head Start funds or through
collaboration with other funding sources where available, the
availability and use by families of other preschool and child
care options, and agency management procedures that may impact
enrollment.
This Section requires that the Secretary provide timely and
ongoing technical assistance to an agency for the purpose of
implementing the plan but if, after one year after the plan is
implemented and under-enrollment persists the Secretary shall
continue to provide technical assistance where determined
appropriate. After 18 months of being under-enrolled the
Secretary may designate such agency as chronically under-
enrolled and may recapture, withhold or reduce the base grant
by a percentage equal to the percentage difference between
funded and actual enrollment. But if the enrollment shortfall
is beyond the agency's control, is expected to be temporary or
the number of slots allotted to the agency is small enough that
under-enrollment does not constitute a significant shortfall,
the Secretary may waive or reduce percentage reductions.
In terms of redistribution of funds, the Secretary may use
amounts recovered through reductions in a fiscal year to
redirect funds to other Head Start agencies within the State to
increase enrollment in their programs. In the case that there
is no agency in the State that qualifies for the additional
grant money, the Secretary may redirect funds to Head Start
agencies in other States that do meet the requirements.
Recaptured funds from under-enrolled agencies serving Indian or
migrant children shall be awarded to other agencies serving
those same special populations.
The Secretary will adjust as necessary the funded
enrollment indicated in the grant award of a Head Start agency
receiving redistributed amounts.
Section 9. Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood
Subject to the availability of funds, this new Section 641B
requires the Secretary to establish a program in which he
designates up to 200 exemplary Head Start agencies as Centers
of Excellence in Early Childhood, with at least one designee
per state and the District of Columbia as well as not less than
one Indian Head Start program and not less than one migrant and
seasonal Head Start program, for a five-year term. During the
period of that designation and subject to the availability of
appropriations, the agency shall be eligible to receive a bonus
grant. State Governors shall nominate centers and applications
must contain such information as the Secretary may require, and
in case of Indian, migrant and seasonal Head Start programs,
program branches shall nominate centers for this distinction.
Applications shall include: (1) evidence that the Head
Start program has significantly improved the school readiness
and academic outcomes of Head Start children; (2) evidence that
the program meets or exceeds Head Start standards and
performance measures in section 641A (a) and (b) as evidenced
by successful completion of programmatic and monitoring reviews
and has no substantial deficiencies; (3) evidence that the
program is making progress toward attaining the goals in
section 648A; (4) evidence demonstrating the existence of a
collaborative partnership between the agency and the State or a
State agency; (5) a nomination letter from the Governor
demonstrating the agency's ability to carry out the
coordination, transition and training services of the program
to be carried out under the bonus grant, including coordination
of activities with State and local agencies that provide early
childhood services to children and families in the community;
and (6) information demonstrating the existence of or the
agency's plan to establish a local council for excellence in
early childhood education which shall include representatives
of all institutions, agencies, and groups involved in the work
of the center for eligible children and other at risk children
and their families.
The Secretary shall base the amount of the bonus grant on
the number of children served at the center of excellence and
subject to the availability of funding, make such a bonus grant
in an amount not less than $100,000/year which may be used to:
(1) provide services to additional eligible children; (2)
better meet the needs of working families in the community
served by the center by serving more children in Early Head
Start or full-working-day, full calendar year Head Start
programs; (3) model and disseminate best practices for
achieving early academic success including achieving school
readiness and developing rereading and premathematics skills
for at-risk children and achieving the English acquisition for
limited English proficient children, and to provide seamless
service delivery for eligible children and their families; (4)
coordinate early childhood and social services available in the
community served by the center for at-risk children prenatal
through age 8 and their families; (5) provide training for Head
Start teachers and staff and develop agency leaders; (6)
provide effective transitions between Head Start programs and
elementary school and to provide training and technical
assistance to help the providers increase their ability to work
with low-income, at-risk children and their families; and (7)
carry out other activities determined by the center to improve
the overall quality of the Head Start program.
The Secretary may revoke an agency's designation if it is
determined that the agency is not demonstrating adequate
performance.
In the second year as a center of excellence, the center
will work with its delegate agencies, other Head Start agencies
and other providers of early childhood services in the
community to encourage the agencies and providers to carry out
model programs and by the second year of such designation shall
establish the local council for excellence in early childhood
education.
This Section requires the Secretary to make a grant to an
independent organization to conduct research on the ability of
the centers of excellence to improve the school readiness of
Head Start children and to positively impact school results in
the earliest grades and shall also conduct research to measure
the success of the centers at encouraging delegate agencies and
additional Head Start agencies to meet measurable improvements
in the area of school readiness. The report is required no
later than 4 years after the date of enactment of the Head
Start Improvements for School Readiness Act of 2003 and is to
be submitted to the Secretary and Congress.
Under this Section, $90,000,000 is appropriated for fiscal
year 2004 and each subsequent year to make bonus grants to
centers of excellence including $2,500,000 to pay for the
Secretary's administrative costs in carrying out this section
and $2,000,000 for the research activities described under this
subsection.
Section 10. Powers and Functions of Head Start Agencies
This Section amends section 642 to require that in order to
be designated as a Head Start agency an agency must have
authority under its charter or applicable law to receive and
administer funds and contributions from private or local public
sources which may be used in support of a Head Start program,
and funds under any Federal or State assistance program
pursuant to which a public or private nonprofit or for profit
agency, could act as grantee, contractor, or sponsor of
projects appropriate for inclusion in a Head Start program.
Such agency must also be empowered to transfer funds and
delegate powers of its governing board and its overall program
responsibilities. These powers must include the power to make
transfers and delegations covering component projects in all
cases where this will contribute to efficiency and
effectiveness or further program objectives.
This Section also requires that in order to be designated a
Head Start agency must establish a program with all standards
set forth in 641A(a)(1), must: (1) establish a program with all
standards set forth in section 641A(a)(1); (2) demonstrate the
capacity to serve eligible children with scientifically based
curricula and other services that promote school readiness; (3)
establish effective procedures and provide for the regulator
assessment of Head Start children including observational and
direct formal assessment where appropriate; (4) seek the
involvement of parents, community members, and local businesses
in the design and implementation of the program; (5) provide
for the regular participation of parents and community members
in the implementation of such programs; (6) provide technical
and other support needed to enable such parents and area
residents to secure available assistance from public and
private sources; (7) establish effective procedures to
facilitate the involvement of parents of Head Start children in
activities designed to help such parents become full partners
in the education of their children; (8) conduct outreach to
schools in which Head Start children will enroll, local
educational agencies, the local business community, community-
based organizations, faith-based organizations, museums and
libraries to generate support and leverage the resources of the
entire local community in order to improve school readiness;
(9) offer services or referrals to parents of Head Start
children family literacy services and parenting skills
training, drug and alcohol counseling, including information on
the effect of drug exposure on infants and fetal alcohol
syndrome; and (10) at the option of such agency offer to such
parents training in basic child development and cognition,
assistance in developing literacy and communication skills,
opportunities to share experiences with other parents, regular
in home visitation, and any other activity designed to help
parents become full partners in the education of their children
including, (1) provide participating families a family needs
assessment, (2) consider providing services to assist younger
siblings of Head Start children to obtain health services from
other sources, (3) perform community outreach to encourage
volunteers for the Head Start program, (4) inform single
parents who participate in programs and activities about the
availability of child support services for purposes of
establishing paternity and acquiring child support, and (5)
refer eligibleparents to the child support offices of State and
local governments.
Each Head Start agency shall take steps to ensure to the
maximum extent possible that children maintain the
developmental and educational gains achieved in Head Start
programs and build upon such gains in further schooling.
In communities where both public prekindergarten programs
and Head Start programs operate, the Head Start agency shall
coordinate activities with the local educational agency and
other pre-k providers including outreach to identify eligible
children. With parental permission, Head Start staff will also
work with elementary schools to discuss teaching strategies and
options and ensure a smooth elementary school transition for
such children. The head of each Head Start agency shall
coordinate activities and collaborate with the State agency
responsible for administering the State program carried out
under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990
and other programs carrying out early childhood education and
development programs. Head Start agencies will also collaborate
with local educational agencies on shared use of transportation
and facilities and to reduce duplication of services while
increasing participation of underserved populations of eligible
children and exchanging information on the provision of
noneducational services to such children.
To promote continued parental involvement when children
transition to school, this Section requires Head Start agencies
to provide training to parents: to inform them about their
rights and responsibilities regarding their children's
education, to enable them to understand and work with schools
in order to communicate with teachers and other school
personnel; and to support the schoolwork of the children and to
participate to appropriate decisions relating to the education
of their children.
This Section mandates that each Head Start agency shall
consult with child development experts and classroom teachers
to develop teacher hiring and evaluation assessments which
shall measure: whether the teacher possesses an appropriate
literacy level to implement Head Start curricula and whether
the teacher has mastered other functions outlined in 648A(a)(1)
of this bill.
Head Start agencies are expected to enroll 100 percent of
its funded enrollment and maintain an active waiting list at
all time with ongoing outreach to communities to identify
underserved populations.
Section 11. Head Start Transition and Alignment with K-12 Education
This Section renames section 642A ``The Head Start
Transition and Alignment with K-12 Education.'' This Section is
amended to require each agency to coordinate with local
educational agencies and schools in which Head Start children
will enroll to: (1) develop and implement records transferring
procedures; (2) establish ongoing communication channels
between Head Start staff and school counterparts to facilitate
program coordination; (3) develop continuity of developmentally
appropriate curricula and practice between the Head Start
agency and local educational agency to ensure an effective
transition and appropriate shared expectations for learning and
development as the children make the transition to school; (4)
conduct parent-teacher meetings; (5) organize and participate
in joint training including transition-related training of
school and Head Start staff; (6) develop and implement family
outreach and support programs, taking LEP families into
consideration; (7) assist families, administrators and teachers
in enhancing educational and developmental continuity and
continuity of parental involvement in activities between Head
Start services and elementary school classes; (8) link Head
Start language, numeracy and literacy services with those
provided by local educational agencies; (9) help parents
understand the importance of parental involvement in a child's
academic success while teaching the parents strategies for
maintaining parental involvement as their child moves from the
Head Start program to elementary school; (10) develop and
implement a system to increase participation of underserved
eligible children in program; and (11) coordinate activities
and collaborate to ensure that curricula used in the Head Start
program is aligned with State Early Learning Standards
regarding cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
competencies that children entering kindergarten are expected
to demonstrate.
Section 12. Submission of Plans to Governors
This Section amends section 643 to require approval from a
State Governor of a proposed Head Start plan for a contract,
agreement, grant or other assistance before an agency may carry
out a Head Start program in the State. Governor approval is not
required, however, for Indian, migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs.
Section 13. Participation in Head Start Programs
This Section amends Section 645(a)(1)((A) by expanding the
eligibility for participation in Head Start programs to include
children whose families are below 130% of the poverty line.
This Section requires that military housing upgrades and
special pay relating to duty subject to hostile fire or combat
not be considered income for the purposes of determining Head
Start program eligibility of the children of uniformed services
members 645(a)(3)(B).
Section 14. Early Head Start Programs
This Section renames section 645A ``Early Head Start
Programs.'' Section 645A is amended by requiring Head Start
agencies to provide additional services to parents to support
their role as parents including parenting skills and basic
child development training. Such training includes home-based
services and family support services. ThisSection also requires
that Early Head Start agencies develop a systematic transitioning
process for children and parents from Early Head Start into Head Start
or other local early childhood education programs, as well as establish
communication channels between Early Head Start and Head Start staffs
to coordinate programs.
This Section amends Section 645A to include agencies
responsible for administering section 106 of the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Act as a group with which Early Head
Start agencies shall ensure formal linkages.
This Section expands the definition of ``Eligible Services
Providers'' to include tribal governments and entities
operating migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, as well as
community-based organizations that meet program participation
standards.
This Section also allows the Secretary to use funds for
training and technical assistance to provide professional
development and personnel enhancement activities on effective
methods of conducting parent education, home visiting, and
promoting quality early childhood development, on methods of
recruiting and retaining qualified staff and on methods to
increase program participation for underserved populations of
eligible children.
This Section mandates that not later than September 30,
2009, all teachers providing direct services to Early Head
Start children and families have a minimum of a child
development associate credential or an associate degree and
have been trained in early childhood development or equivalent
coursework.
This Section requires the Secretary to establish standards
for training, qualification, and the conduct of home visits for
home visitor staff in Early Head Start programs to further
enhance the quality of services provided to families of
participating children. Such standards established by the
Secretary shall include: structured child-focused home visiting
that promotes parents' ability to support the child's
cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development;
effective strengths-based parent education, including methods
to encourage parents as their child's first teachers; early
childhood development with respect to children from birth
through age 3; methods to help parents promote emergent
literacy in their children from birth to age 3; health, vision,
hearing and developmental screenings; strategies for helping
families coping with crisis; and the relationship of health and
well-being of pregnant women to prenatal and early child
development.
Section 15. Records and Audits
The Section amends section 647(a) by requiring each Head
Start agency receiving financial assistance to maintain and
submit a complete accounting of their administrative expenses
including salaries and compensation annually to the Secretary.
Section 16. Technical Assistance and Training
This Section amends section 648 by requiring the Secretary
to make available funds set aside in 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to
support a regional or State system of early childhood education
training and technical assistance that improves the capacity of
Head Start programs within a region or State to deliver
services in accordance with the Head Start standards described
in section 641A(a)(1). The Secretary shall: ensure that
agencies with demonstrated expertise in providing high quality
training and technical assistance to improve the delivery of
Head Start services, including the State Head Start
Association, State agencies, migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs, and other entities currently providing training and
technical assistance in early education are included in the
planning and coordination of the system; and encourage States
to supplement the funds authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii)
with Federal, State, or local funds other than Head Start
funds, to expand training and technical assistance activities
beyond Head Start agencies to include other providers of early
childhood services within a region or State.
In allocating resources for technical assistance and
training under this section, the Secretary shall also assist
Head Start agencies and programs in increasing the program
participation of eligible homeless children.
This Section recognizes Head Start personnel from community
and faith-based organizations as eligible to receive grants for
training in the use of the performing and visual arts to
include community and faith-based organizations.
This Section requires the Secretary to provide, either
directly or through grants or other arrangements, funds to
provide services to children determined to be abused or
neglected, training for personnel providing services to
children referred by entities providing child welfare services
or receiving child welfare services. The Secretary shall also
provide training and technical assistance funding for Head
Start personnel that addresses the unique needs of migrant and
seasonal farmworking families, LEP families and homeless
families.
This Section requires that funds used under this section
shall be used to provide high quality, sustained and intensive
training and technical assistance in order to have a positive
and lasting impact on classroom instruction. Such funds shall
be used to carry out activities related to one or more of the
following: education and early childhood development; child
health, nutrition and safety; family and community
partnerships; other areas that impact the quality or
effectiveness of Head Start programs.
This section does not permit training and technical
assistance funds to be used for long distance travel expenses
for training activities available locally or regionally or for
activities that are substantially similar to locally or
regionally available trainingactivities. Such funds shall be
used for needs identified annually by a grant applicant or delegate
agency in its program improvement plan.
Funds may be used to support local efforts to enhance early
language and preliteracy development of children in Head Start
programs and to provide children with high quality oral
language skills and environments that are rich in literature in
which to acquire language and preliteracy skills. Each agency,
in coordination with the appropriate State office and the
relevant State Head Start collaboration office shall ensure
that all of the agency's teachers receive ongoing training in
language and emergent literacy. Such training shall include
methods to promote phonological and phonemic awareness and
vocabulary development in age-appropriate and culturally and
linguistically appropriate manner. Literacy training shall be
culturally and linguistically appropriate and support
children's development in their home language. Literacy
training shall also include training in how to work with
parents to enhance positive language and early literacy
development at home. Literacy training shall also include
specific methods to best address the needs of children who have
speech and language delays or have other disabilities.
Section 17. Staff Qualifications and Development
This Section amends section 648A by requiring all center-
based Head Start teachers to have at least an associate degree
or equivalent coursework in early childhood or related
educational area and teachers must also demonstrate teaching
competencies including at a minimum, an appropriate level of
literacy, a demonstrated capacity to be highly engaged with
children and the ability to effectively implement and early
childhood curriculum as determined by the program director by
September 30, 2009.
This Section also requires all center-based Head Start
curriculum specialists and education coordinators have the
capacity to offer assistance to other teachers in the
implementation and adaptation of curricula to the group and
individual needs of a class and to have a baccalaureate or
advanced degree and coursework equivalent relating to early
childhood by September 30, 2007.
By September 30, 2007 all center-based Head Start teaching
assistants must: have at least a child development associate
credential; be enrolled in a program leading to an associate or
baccalaureate degree; or be enrolled in a child development
associate credential program to be completed within 2 years.
This Section requires that not later than September 30,
2010, 50 percent of all center-based Head Start teachers have a
baccalaureate degree relating to early childhood or a related
educational area (or equivalent coursework), and demonstrated
teaching competencies, as determined by the program including
at a minimum, an appropriate level of literacy, a demonstrated
capacity to be highly engaged with children and the ability to
effectively implement and early childhood curriculum.
The Secretary is to require Head Start agencies to
demonstrate continued progress and to submit an annual report
indicating the number and percentage of center-based classroom
instructors with child development associate credential or
associate, baccalaureate or graduate degrees. The Secretary is
required to compile and submit such program reports to the
House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
Head Start staff who receive financial assistance to pursue
a degree are required to teach or work in a Head Start program
for at least 3 years after the degree is obtained or repay the
total or prorated amount of the financial assistance received
based on the length of service completed after receiving the
degree.
The Secretary may waive post-secondary degree requirements
for an agency (1) that can demonstrate aggressive recruitment
efforts have been unsuccessful with people who meet the
requirements, (2) or if there is limited access to degree
programs due to remote location of the program involved, or (3)
if current Head Start staff is enrolled in a program that
grants the required degree and will be completed in a year. An
agency that receives such a waiver shall ensure that Head Start
teachers for the agency who have not met the postsecondary
degree requirements but are otherwise highly qualified and
competent shall be directly and appropriately supervised by a
teacher who has met or exceeded the degree requirements.
Waivers cannot be granted for more than one year.
Each Head Start agency and program is required to create a
professional development plan for all staff who provide direct
services to children in consultation with all employees
including a plan for classroom teachers and curriculum
specialists to meet the degree requirements.
Section 18. Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership
This Section amends the Act by authorizing the Secretary to
award at least 5-year grants to Tribal college and universities
to promote school readiness in Indian children by implementing
tribal culture and language programs and increasing the number
of degrees in early childhood education and related fields
among Indian Head Start agency staff, parents of Head Start
children, and members of the tribal community involved in
Indian Head Start. Such programs shall developed and
implemented in technology-mediated formats and grants may be
used for technology literacy programs for those served by or
associated with Indian Head Start. The Secretary will ensure
that the American Indian Programs Branch of the Head Start
Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services is
sufficiently staffed to administer the programs in this Section
and to provide appropriate technical assistance to the tribal
colleges and universities receiving grants. To receive grants,
tribal colleges and universities mustsubmit applications to the
Secretary for consideration including a certification that a
partnership has been established with at least one Indian Head Start
agency for the purpose of conducting these activities. This Section
authorizes $10,000,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year 2004
and such sums for fiscal years 2005-2008.
Section 19. Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation
This Section amends section 649 so that the Secretary will
also consider abused or neglected children when developing,
testing and disseminating new ideas for addressing the needs of
low-income children.
This Section requires the Secretary to contract with the
Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research
Council, the Board on Testing and Assessments and the Institute
of Medicine of the National Academies to establish an expert
panel to review and synthesize research and theories in the
social, behavioral, and biological sciences regarding early
childhood, and make recommendations regarding: (1) age and
developmentally appropriate Head Start academic requirements
and outcomes including the standards described in section
641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); (2) differences in the type, length, mix,
and intensity of services necessary to ensure school readiness
for children from challenging backgrounds; (3) appropriate
assessments of children including formal and systematic
observations in a child's natural environment; assessments of
children's development through parent and provider interviews;
assessments of appropriate accommodations for children with
disabilities, LEP, and from different cultural backgrounds; (4)
identification of existing or recommendations for the
development of, scientifically-based, valid and reliable
assessments that are capable of measuring child outcomes in the
domains important to school readiness, including language
skills, prereading ability, premathematics ability, cognitive
ability, scientific ability, social and emotional development,
and physical development; and (5) appropriate use and
application of valid and reliable assessments for such Head
Start programs.
The panel will consist of multiple experts in child
development, child education, professional development,
assessments of young children such as screening, diagnostic,
and classroom based instructional assessments, and this panel
shall include representatives from the Department of Health and
Human Services including representatives from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of
Mental Health, The National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, the Administration for Children and Families, the
National Association for the Education of Young Children, the
National Center for Learning Disabilities, the American Academy
of Pediatrics, the Institute of Education Sciences of the
Department of Education, the Government Accounting Office, and
other noted experts in early care and early childhood
education.
The panel will be established no later than 90 days after
the enactment of this Act and not later than one year after the
panel is established shall it complete and submit such
recommendations to the Secretary. Amendments made to section
641A(a)(1)(B)__ shall not be implemented by the Secretary until
the panel submits the report.
The Secretary shall, in appropriate cases, use the panel's
results and recommendations to develop and revise educational
performance measures, standards and assessments.
The Secretary shall also conduct a study on the status of
LEP children and their families in Head Start programs and no
later than September 30, 2008 shall the Secretary prepare and
submit a report containing the results of the study to Congress
including information on: the demographics of LEP children from
birth through age 5, including the number of such children
receiving Head Start services and the geographic distribution
of such children; the nature of Head Start services provided to
LEP children and their families including types, duration,
intensity, costs of family services and language assistance;
procedures in Head Start programs for the assessment of
language needs and the transition of LEP children to
kindergarten including the extent to which Head Start programs
meet the requirements of section 642A for LEP children; the
extent to which Head Start programs make use of funds under
section 640(a)(3) to improve the quality of Head Start services
provided to LEP children and their families; and the
qualifications and training provided to Head Start teachers
serving LEP children and families; the rate of progress made by
LEP children and their families in Head Start programs
including: (1) their rate of progress toward meeting
educational standards described in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii)
while enrolled in Head Start, measured between 1990 and 2003;
(2) the correlation between such progress and the type of
instruction and educational program provided to LEP children;
and (3) the correlation between such progress and the health
and family services provided by Head Start programs to LEP
children and their families.
The Secretary is required to submit interim reports to
Congress on the impact research carried out by this Panel.
Reports are due: September 30 of 2003, 2005, and 2006.
Section 20. Reports
Section 650(a) is amended so that the Secretary will also
consider homeless children in his reports concerning the status
of children. This section also updates the name of the Senate
committee charged with oversight of this legislation to
``Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.''
Section 21. Comparability of Wages
Section 653 is amended as to mandate that no individual is
to be compensated with federal funds in excess of the salary of
the Secretary. If this is violated, the Secretary shall
withhold from the base grant of the Head Start agency involved
for the next fiscal year, an amount equal to the aggregate
amount by which the salary that resulted in the violation
exceeded the salary of the Secretary.
Section 22. Limitation With Respect to Certain Unlawful Activities
This Section amends section 655 to forbid participation in
civil disturbance, rioting, or unlawful demonstration by
individuals assigned by or employed in Head Start agencies.
Section 23. Political Activities
This Section amends section 656(b) to forbid the
participation of any Head Start employee during the hours in
which such individual is working on behalf of such program in
any political activity associated with an election, or
contending faction or group, in an election for public or party
office, or any activity to provide voters or prospective voters
with transportation to the polls, or any voter registration
activity. The Secretary may issue rules and regulations to
enforce this section.
Section 24. Parental Consent Requirement for Health Services
This Section amends the Act to require written parental
consent before administrating or referring any health care
services or procedures including non-emergency intrusive
physical examination of a child in connection with
participation in a program. Such services that require written
parental permission include examinations: not immediately
necessary to protect the health or safety of a child, those
that require incision or those which involve exposure of
private body parts. This Section does not prohibit agencies
from using established methods for handling cases of child
abuse and neglect that comply with Federal, State or tribal
law.
IX. ADDITIONAL VIEWS
The signatories of these ``Additional Views'' support the
goals established in the Head Start Improvement for School
Readiness Act, and were pleased to work with Chairman Gregg and
the majority in drafting bipartisan legislation. However, there
are a few areas in the report where we would like to clarify
the basis of our views and support.
Enhancing the School Readiness of Head Start Children
Head Start is one of the most studied and evaluated early
childhood programs in America. Rigorous studies have found
that, after leaving the program, children who attend Head Start
make long-term gains. They are less likely to repeat a grade,
to require special education classes, or to commit crimes than
their non-Head Start peers. They are more likely to graduate
from high school and attend college.
Data from the national longitudinal study of Head Start--
known as the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES)--
demonstrates the positive development of Head Start children
and their families, as well as the quality of Head Start
classrooms. Key findings from FACES reveal that participation
in Head Start narrows the gap between Head Start children and
the general population of preschool-aged children in domains
representing key components of school readiness. FACES data
demonstrates a reduction in the school readiness gap between
disadvantaged children and their peers in vocabulary and
writing skills during the program. Socially, children in Head
Start show a reduction in problem behaviors, aggressive
behaviors, hyperactive behaviors, and withdrawn behaviors.
Physically, they show high rates of immunizations, health
screenings, treatment for disabilities, and enrollment in
health insurance plans. And as Head Start continues to evolve,
outcomes for children participating in the program continue to
improve. Data from the 2000 FACES study show that, as compared
to 1997, Head Start children show greater gains in book
knowledge, letter recognition, and print conventions.
Such progress in the cognitive, social, and physical
domains of child development indicates that children are
healthy and have the foundations needed to succeed later in
kindergarten. Once in kindergarten, children who participated
in Head Start demonstrate that they are ready to learn,
evidenced by substantial progress toward national norms in word
knowledge, letter recognition, math skills, and writing skills.
At the end of the kindergarten year, studies have shown that
children who participated in Head Start achieved scores of 93
in vocabulary, 96 in early writing skills, and 92 in
mathematics relative to a national normed score of 100.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report,
entitled Strengthening Head Start: What the Research Shows,
notes that ``Children graduating from Head Start remain far
behind the typical U.S. child.'' The signatories of these views
deem it both inappropriate and detrimental to gauge the success
of the Head Start program solely on the ability of children to
reach national norms or the 50th percentile in a given domain
of achievement or child developmental. Empirical evidence
clearly supports the effectiveness and value of Head Start.
Although children participating in Head Start lag behind the
national average as they complete the program, they make gains
while in the program. Furthermore, Head Start's effect is
ongoing: as the above findings from FACES demonstrate, Head
Start children leave the program ready to learn, and continue
to make gains throughout kindergarten. To date, no studies have
shown State preschool or other early childhood programs to be
more effective than Head Start.
In order to judge the full effectiveness of Head Start, an
appropriate comparison should be made not to children from
middle-income families as that national norm, but rather to
children from similar, low-income families who are not able to
participate in Head Start. An appropriate and balanced
assessment of the Head Start program would consider the expanse
of child gains in various domains during and after
participation in a Head Start program, taking into
consideration the scope of services provided under the program.
Because Head Start typically provides services only a few hours
a day for a few months of a year, an informed evaluation of
Head Start would not anticipate the program effects to overcome
all the detriments of poverty facing Head Start children and
their families.
Designation of Head Start Agencies
The Head Start Improvement for School Readiness Act makes
changes to specify how programs are designated and subsequently
re-designated, further informing the implications of a 5 year
term on Head Start funds to local grantees.
Consistent with designation requirements to establish goals
for improving school readiness of Head Start children and goals
for meeting the performance and educational standards under the
act, Head Start programs making progress toward such
requirements should be deemed programs of high quality. Such
programs in good standing should continue to receive their
grants awarded under this act without having to engage in a
full competitive process.
When a situation does trigger a competition for Head Start
funds (either through the loss of funding of an existing
program or the availability of any new funding), the Secretary,
in consultation with the Governor of the State involved, is
directed to grant priority to certain Head Start agencies in
the competitive process.
Specific to making a priority determination, pursuant to
programmatic deficiencies or findings of deficiencies defined
in the Head Start Improvement for School readiness Act, such
determination should be based on the criteria for program
deficiencies currently in use by the Department of Health and
Human Services. Program deficiencies are determined through the
PRISM on-site monitoring review, which occurs every 3 years to
evaluate overall program performance.
The PRISM review system considers 18 core questions and
over 200 individual items. Individual noncompliance findings
are often easily remedied; others indicate moreserious
performance issues that may lead to deficiencies. Such differences in
findings are not intended to be equally weighted for the purpose of
this provision. Current regulations provide a definition of deficiency
that relies on systematic findings that reflect several areas of
noncompliance linked to a common issue.
Deficiency is defined in Head Start's performance standards
(45 CFR Part 1304) as:
An area of performance in which an Early Head Start
or Head Start grantee agency is not in compliance with
state or federal requirements, included but not limited
to, the Head Start Act or one or more regulations under
parts 1301, 1304, 1305, 1306, or 1308 and which
involves: (A) a threat to the health and safety or
civil rights of children or staff; (B) a denial to
parents of the exercise of their full roles and
responsibilities related to program governance; (C) a
failure to perform substantially the requirements
related to early childhood development and health
services, family and community partnerships, or program
design and management; or (D) the misuse of Head Start
grant funds.
It is the intent of the signatories of these views that the
above definition of deficiencies be maintained for purposes of
determining priority for high performing Head Start agencies in
a competition for funding.
Head Start Research and Evaluation
Improving children's school readiness has been a priority
for Head Start since its inception. Recent research on child
development and learning has shown that focused attention to
children's cognitive development as well as their social,
emotional, and physical development must be integrated for
children's optimal readiness for school. Consistent with that
research, Head Start programs are currently guided in their
curriculum and program practice by the Head Start Outcomes
Framework, which provides guidance on all domains of child
development and learning, with a variety of indicators within
each domain.
Recent reports, such as Neurons to Neighborhoods and Eager
to Learn, have demonstrated the need to consider carefully the
variation in each child of his or her development, as well as
to provide for the cultural and linguistic environment and
background in developing standards for Head Start programs,
expected outcomes for Head Start children, and effective and
appropriate pedagogy and assessment.
In keeping with Head Start's tradition of improving school
readiness, the Head Start School Improvement for School
Readiness Act updates the program's educational standards to
reflect the advances in core areas of child development,
including language, pre-literacy, and pre-math skills, as well
as other cognitive abilities, social-emotional development, and
physical development.
Because academic outcomes and assessments for young
children are emerging areas of knowledge and practice, the act
also includes a review of Head Start's outcomes by the National
Academy of Sciences, to facilitate greater information and
recommendations on appropriate outcomes, as well as their
development and application. Once NAS completes its report and
recommendations, the Department of Health and Human Services
will apply the results of such study to develop, inform and
revise Head Start's outcomes. As such, any guidance or mandates
for new outcomes will be grounded in independent research and
informed by experts and practitioners in the child development
and early care and education fields.
Head Start Performance Standards, Educational Standards, and Measures
Head Start has a long tradition of delivering
comprehensive, high-quality services to foster the healthy and
positive development of low-income children, and to promote
their school-readiness. The Head Start Program Performance
Standards are designed to guide the implementation of Head
Start's goals and objectives.
Data collected by the U.S. Department of Education in 1998
shows that the quality of Head Start classrooms is good and
compares favorably to the quality of other preschools rated in
separate assessments. Findings show that Head Start programs
are more likely to meet national accreditation standards for
good quality early childhood development programs and to have
lower turnover rates than many other early childhood and child
care settings. They are also more likely to provide
comprehensive services and to involve parents in their
children's learning.
Head Start's performance standards are critical to
maintaining the highest quality of services in Head Start
centers. Such standards include mandatory regulations for Head
Start grantees and prescribe the definitive features of a
quality Head Start program. Beyond defining the process for
providing services to children in the program, the Head Start
Program Performance Standards guarantee services such as
immunizations, health services, nutrition education, and the
involvement of parents in programs.
The signatories of these views note the importance of Head
Start's performance standards, and recognize that such
standards are directly correlated to the gains in development
and school readiness outcomes made by Head Start children.
The National Reporting System
The Head Start Improvement for School Readiness Act
maintains Head Start's result-based performance measures, as
authorized under section 641A(d), to assess the impact of
services provided by Head Start programs and identify strengths
and weaknesses in the operation of Head Start programs.
Currently, Head Start programs use multiple assessments to
improve instruction, services, and overall program quality. In
addition to the assessments currently administered in Head
Start to measure child outcomes, the Department of Health and
Human Services has developed the NationalReporting System (NRS)
to fulfill the performance measurement requirements under the Head
Start Act.
The signatories of these views continue to express serious
concerns regarding the current design and implementation of the
NRS.
As noted in the committee views, the NRS currently measures
only two domains of child development: language/literacy and
pre-mathematics. Head Start promotes child development in at
least eight areas of development, including social-emotional
development and physical/health development. As such, the focus
on only two domains of child development falls critically short
of a balanced measure of school readiness, when all of the
eight domains are important to child development and are
interconnected. For example, a child's self-esteem grows if she
learns a new letter of the alphabet, and a child who is well
fed and engaged in positive, supportive relationships is able
to better master new cognitive tasks. Any national assessment
in Head Start should measure all domains important to child
development.
This NRS was also conceptualized and developed on a quick
timeline of approximately 1 year, which raises concerns
regarding the technical quality, scientific soundness, and
integrity of the assessment. Questions have been raised on the
reliability of individual items, as well as scientific
soundness of compiled items of the NRS at the sub-domain and
general levels. Pilot testing of the assessment does not
appropriately address such concerns, as the NRS was pilot
tested at only one time point, rather than at two points, as
would be appropriate for measuring growth over time.
Care must be taken to ensure fairness of the various test
items included in the NRS, and avoid biased items that would
require prior exposure to places or things to which typical
Head Start children may not have had exposure. It is critical
that appropriate adaptations are made to permit the full
participation of children with disabilities in Head Start, and
that attention is paid to ensure that the NRS is not
culturally, geographically, or ethnically biased.
Finally, adequate plans for the appropriate implementation
of any assessment in Head Start must be developed. As the NRS
has been implemented throughout Head Start programs, Directors
and staff have noted difficulty in accessing materials and
training to administer the assessment.
A robust accountability system should further Head Start's
mission of promoting school readiness. However, data from the
NRS or from child assessments should not drive funding and high
stakes accountability decisions in Head Start programs. Any
data gathered from child assessments should be appropriately
used to inform and improve instruction and program services in
Head Start--not to the detriment of programs. Without making
explicit the intended use of data from the NRS, unintended
negative consequences may result.
The signatories of these views support the development of
assessments in Head Start that are of the highest quality, fair
to all children, measure progress over time and from multiple
sources, measure all domains important to child development,
and include participation by independent experts in the field.
The purpose and use of data from assessments must always be
clear and shared by all stakeholders, and assessment data
should be used only for its intended purpose. The Head Start
Improvement for School Readiness Act requires the National
Academy of Sciences to review assessments for use in Head Start
programs. Consistent with that policy, the NRS should also be
reviewed and revised according to the recommendations of the
National Academy of Sciences panel, and plans for the
development and implementation for such assessment should be
informed by public comment.
The signatories of these views urge Congressional oversight
and further input in the development and implementation of the
National Reporting System, and deem those steps critical in
preserving the integrity of evaluation and accountability in
Head Start.
The signatories of these views look forward to working with
Chairman Gregg and other members of the committee to address
these issues as the Head Start Improvement for School Readiness
Act comes before the Senate for a final vote.
Edward M. Kennedy.
Chris Dodd.
Tom Harkin.
Barbara A. Mikulski.
James M. Jeffords.
Jeff Bingaman.
Patty Murray.
Jack Reed.
John Edwards.
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
X. Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with rule XXVI paragraph 12 of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the following provides a print of the
statute or the part or section thereof to be amended or
replaced (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in
black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law
in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):
HEAD START ACT
* * * * * * *
SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote school
readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of
low-income children through educational instruction in
prereading skills, premathematics skills, and language and
through the provision, to low-income children and their
families, of health, educational, nutritional, social, and
other services that are determined, based on family needs
assessments, to be necessary.
DEFINITIONS
Sec. 637. For purposes of this subchapter:
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(2) The term ``delegate agency'' means a public,
private nonprofit (including a community-based
organization), or for-profit organization or agency to
which a grantee has delegated all or part of the
responsibility of the grantee for operating a Head
Start program.
* * * * * * *
(17) The term ``State'' means a State, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia,
Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands of the United
States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern [Mariana
Islands, but for fiscal years ending before October 1,
2001 (and fiscal year 2002, if the legislation
described in section 640(a)(2)(B)(iii) has not been
enacted before September 30, 2001), also means the
Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.] Mariana
Islands.
(18) The term ``homeless child'' means a child
described in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)).
(19) The term ``limited English proficient'', used
with respect to a child, means a child--
(A) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in
a Head Start program, Early Head Start program,
or other early care and education program;
(B)(i) who was not born in the United States
or whose native language is a language other
than English;
(ii)(I) who is an Indian (including an
Alaskan Native) or a native resident of a
United States territory; and
(II) who comes from an environment where a
language other than English has had a
significant impact on the child's level of
English language proficiency; or
(iii) who is migratory, whose native language
is a language other than English, and who comes
from an environment where a language other than
English is dominant; and
(C) whose difficulty in speaking or
understanding the English language may be
sufficient to deny such child--
(i) the ability to successfully
achieve in a classroom in which the
language of instruction is English; or
(ii) the opportunity to participate
fully in society.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START PROGRAMS
Sec. 638. The Secretary may, upon application by an agency
which is eligible for designation as a Head Start agency
pursuant to section 641, provide financial assistance to such
agency for a period of 5 years for the planning, conduct,
administration, and evaluation of a Head Start program focused
primarily upon the children from low-income families who have
not reached the age of compulsory school attendance which (1)
will provide such comprehensive health, education, parental
involvement, nutritional, social, and other services as will
enable the children to attain their full potential and attain
school readiness; and (2) will provide for direct participation
of the parents of such children in the development, conduct,
and overall program direction at the local level.
AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS
[Sec. 639. (a) There are authorized to be appropriated for
carrying out the provisions of this subchapter such sums as may
be necessary for fiscal years 1999 through 2003.
[(b) From the amount appropriated under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall make available--
[(1) for each of fiscal years 1999 through 2003 to
carry out activities authorized under section 642A, not
more than $35,000,000 but not less than the amount that
was made available for such activities for fiscal year
1998;
[(2) not more than $5,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1999 through 2003 to carry out impact studies
under section 649(g); and
[(3) not more than $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1999,
and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal
years 2000 through 2003, to carry out other research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities, including
longitudinal studies, under section 649.]
SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated
for carrying out the provisions of this subchapter
$7,215,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $7,615,000,000 for fiscal
year 2006, $8,015,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, and such sums
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
(b) Specific Programs.--From the amount appropriated under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available to carry out
research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, including
longitudinal studies under section 649, not more than
$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may be
necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009, of which
not more than $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through
2009 shall be available to carry out impact studies under
section 649(g).
ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS; LIMITATIONS ON ASSISTANCE
Sec. 640. (a)(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(2) The Secretary shall reserve 13 percent of the amount
appropriated for each fiscal year for use in accordance with
the following order of priorities--
[(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for
children with disabilities, and migrant and seasonal
Head Start programs, except that there shall be made
available for each fiscal year for use by Indian Head
Start programs and by migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs, on a nationwide basis, not less than the
amount that was obligated for use by Indian Head Start
programs and by migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs for fiscal year 1998;]
(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for children
with disabilities, and migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs, except that--
(i) subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary shall reserve for
each fiscal year for use by Indian Head Start
and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs
(referred to in this subparagraph as `covered
programs'), on a nationwide basis, a sum that
is the total of not less than 4 percent of the
amount appropriated under section 639 for that
fiscal year (for Indian Head Start programs),
and not less than 5 percent of that
appropriated amount (for migrant and seasonal
Head Start programs), except that--
(I) if reserving the specified
percentages for Indian Head Start
programs and migrant and seasonal Head
Start programs would reduce the number
of children served by Head Start
programs, relative to the number of
children served on the date of
enactment of the Head Start
Improvements for School Readiness Act,
taking into consideration an
appropriate adjustment for inflation,
the Secretary shall reserve percentages
that approach, as closely as
practicable, the specified percentages
and that do not cause such a reduction;
and
(II) notwithstanding any other
provision of this subparagraph, the
Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal
year for use by Indian Head Start
programs and by migrant and seasonal
Head Start programs, on a nationwide
basis, not less than the amount that
was obligated for use by Indian Head
Start programs and by migrant and
seasonal Head Start programs for the
previous fiscal year;
(ii) after ensuring that each grant recipient
for a covered program has received an amount
sufficient to enable the grant recipient to
serve the same number of children in Head Start
programs as were served by such grant recipient
on the date of enactment of the Head Start
Improvements for School Readiness Act, taking
into consideration an appropriate adjustment
for inflation, and after allotting the funds
reserved under paragraph (3)(A) as specified in
paragraph (3)(D), the Secretary shall
distribute the remaining funds available under
this subparagraph for covered programs, by--
(I) distributing 65 percent of the
remainder by giving priority to grant
recipients in the States serving the
smallest percentages of eligible
children (as determined by the
Secretary); and
(II) distributing 35 percent of the
remainder on a competitive basis;''
* * * * * * *
[(C) training and technical assistance activities
which are sufficient to meet the needs associated with
program expansion and to foster program and management
improvement activities as described in section 648 of
this subchapter, in an amount for each fiscal year
which is not less than than 2 percent of the amount
appropriated for such fiscal year, of which not less
than $3,000,000 of the amount appropriated for such
fiscal year shall be made available to carry out
activities described in section 648(c)(4);]
(C) training and technical assistance activities that
are sufficient to meet the needs associated with
program expansion and to foster program and management
improvement activities as described in section 648, in
an amount for each fiscal year that is equal to 2
percent of the amount appropriated under section 639
for such fiscal year, of which--
(i) 50 percent shall be made available to
Head Start agencies to comply with the
standards described in section 641A(a)(1) and
with the transportation safety regulations
issued pursuant to subsection (i) and section
645A(b)(11), and for the uses described in
clauses (iii), (iv), and (vii) of paragraph
(3)(B);
(ii) 50 percent shall be made available to
the Secretary to support a regional or State
system of early childhood education training
and technical assistance and to assist local
programs (including Indian Head Start programs
and migrant and seasonal Head Start programs)
in meeting the standards described in section
641A(a)(1); and
(iii) not less than $3,000,000 of the amount
in clause (ii) appropriated for such fiscal
year shall be made available to carry out
activities described in section 648(d)(4);
* * * * * * *
(3)(A)(i) In order to provide assistance for activities
specified in subparagraph (C) directed at the goals specified
in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall reserve, from the
amount (if any) by which the funds appropriated under section
639(a) for a fiscal year exceed the adjusted prior year
appropriation, a share equal to the sum of--
(I) [60 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year
1999, 50 percent of such excess amount for fiscal year
2000, 47.5 percent of such excess amount for fiscal
year 2001, 35 percent of such excess amount for fiscal
year 2002, and] 25 percent of such excess amount for
fiscal year 2003 and 50 percent of such excess amount
for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009; and
* * * * * * *
(B) Funds reserved under this paragraph (referred to in
this paragraph as ``quality improvement funds'') shall be used
to accomplish any or all of the following goals:
(i) Ensuring that Head Start programs meet or exceed
[performance standards pursuant to section
641A(a)(1)(A).] standards and measures pursuant to
section 641A.
[(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate
numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff are
furnished adequate training, including developing
skills in working with children with non-English
language background and children with disabilities,
when appropriate.]
(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate
numbers of qualified staff, and that such staff is
furnished adequate training, including training to
promote the development of language skills,
premathematics skills, and prereading in young children
and in working with limited English proficient
children, children referred by child welfare services,
and children with disabilities, when appropriate.
[(iii) Ensuring that salary levels and benefits are
adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for such
programs.]
(iii) Developing and financing the salary scales and
benefits standards under section 644(a) and section
653, in order to ensure that salary levels and benefits
are adequate to attract and retain qualified staff for
such programs.
[(iv) Using salary increases to improve staff
qualifications, and to assist with the implementation
of career development programs, for the staff of Head
Start programs, and to encourage the staff to
continually improve their skills and expertise by
informing the staff of the availability of Federal and
State incentive and loan forgiveness programs for
professional development.]
(iv) Using salary increases to--
(I) assist with the implementation of quality
programs and improve staff qualifications;
(II) ensure that staff can promote the
language skills and literacy growth of children
and can provide children with a variety of
skills that have been identified, through
scientifically based early reading research, as
predictive of later reading achievement; and
(III) encourage the staff to continually
improve their skills and expertise by informing
the staff of the availability of Federal and
State incentive and loan forgiveness programs
for professional development.
(v) Improving community-wide strategic planning and
needs assessments for such programs and collaboration
efforts for such programs, including collaborations to
increase program participation by underserved
populations of eligible children
* * * * * * *
[(vii) Ensuring that such programs have qualified
staff that can promote language skills and literacy
growth of children and that can provide children with a
variety of skills that have been identified, through
scientifically based reading research, as predictive of
later reading achievement.
[(viii) Making such other improvements in the quality
of such programs as the Secretary may designate.]
(vii) Providing assistance to complete postsecondary
coursework including scholarships or other financial
incentives, such as differential and merit pay, to
enable Head Start teachers to improve competencies and
the resulting child outcomes.
(viii) Promoting the regular attendance and stability
of all Head Start children with particular attention to
highly mobile children, including children from migrant
and seasonal farmworking families (where appropriate),
homeless children, and children in foster care.
(ix) Making such other improvements in the quality of
such programs as the Secretary may designate.
(C) Quality improvement funds shall be used to carry out
any or all of the following activities:
(i)(I) Not less than one-half of the amount reserved
under this paragraph, to improve the compensation
(including benefits) of classroom teachers and other
staff of Head Start agencies and thereby enhance
recruitment and retention of qualified staff, including
recruitment and retention pursuant to achieving the
requirements set forth in section 648A(a). The
expenditure of funds under this clause shall be subject
to section 653. [Preferences in awarding salary
increases, in excess of cost-of-living allowances, with
such funds shall be granted to classroom teachers and
staff who obtain additional training or education
related to their responsibilities as employees of a
Head Start program.] Salary increases, in excess of
cost-of-living allowances, provided with such funds
shall be subject to the specific standards governing
salaries and salary increases established pursuant to
section 644(a).
* * * * * * *
(ii) To train classroom teachers and other staff to
meet the [education performance] additional educational
standards described in section 641A(a)(1)(B), through
activities--
(I) to promote children's language,
prereading and literacy growth, through
techniques identified through scientifically
based reading research;
[(II) If a Head Start agency certifies to the
Secretary for such fiscal year that part of the
funds set aside under sub-clause (I) to improve
wages cannot be expended by such agency to
improve wages because of the operation of
section 653, then such agency may expend such
part for any of the uses specified in this
subparagraph (other than wages.]
(II) to help limited English proficient
children attain the knowledge, skills, and
development specified in section
641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) and to promote the
acquisition of the English language by such
children and families;
* * * * * * *
[(IV) to provide training necessary to
improve the qualifications of the staff of the
Head Start agencies and to support staff
training, child counseling, and other services
necessary to address the problems of children
participating in Head Start programs, including
children from dysfunctional families, children
who experience chronic violence in their
communities, and children who experience
substance abuse in their families.]
(IV) to provide education and training
necessary to improve the qualifications of Head
Start staff, particularly assistance to enable
more instructors to be fully competent and to
meet the degree requirements under section
648A(a)(2)(A), and to support staff training,
child counseling, and other services necessary
to address the challenges of children
participating in Head Start programs, including
children from immigrant, refugee, and asylee
families, children from families in crisis,
children who experience chronic violence in
their communities, and children who experience
substance abuse in their families.
(iii) To employ additional Head Start staff,
including staff necessary to reduce the child-staff
ratio, educational staff who have the qualifications
described in section 648A(a), and staff necessary to
coordinate a Head Start program with other services
available to children participating in such program and
to their families.
* * * * * * *
(v) To supplement amounts provided under paragraph
(2)(C) to provide training necessary to improve the
qualifications of the staff of the Head Start agencies,
and to support staff training, child counseling, and
other services necessary to address the problems of
children participating in Head Start [programs,
including children from dysfunctional families,
children who experience chronic violence in their
communities, and children who experience substance
abuse in their families] programs.
(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families in an
effort to increase the program participation of
eligible homeless children.
(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and seasonal
farmworking families and families with limited English
proficient children.
[(vi)] (viii) Such other activities as the Secretary
may designate.
* * * * * * *
(4) Subject to section 639(b), the Secretary shall allot
the remaining amounts appropriated in each fiscal year among
the States, in accordance with latest satisfactory data so
that--
(A) each State receives an amount which is equal to
the amount the State received for fiscal year [1998];
2003, and
[(B) any amount available after all allotments are
made under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall
be distributed proportionately on the basis of the
number of children less than 5 years of age from
families whose income is below the poverty line.
[For purposes of this paragraph, for each fiscal year the
Secretary shall use the most recent data available on the
number of children less than 5 years of age from families whose
income is below the poverty line, as published by the
Department of Commerce, unless the Secretary and the Secretary
of Commerce determine that use of the most recent data
available would be inappropriate or unreliable. If the
Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce determine that some or
all of the data referred to in this paragraph are inappropriate
or unreliable, the Secretaries shall issue a report setting
forth their reasons in detail.]
(B) any amount available after all allotments are
made under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall
be distributed as follows:
(i) Each State shall receive an amount
sufficient to enable such State to serve the
same number of children in Head Start programs
as were served by such State on the data of
enactment of the Head Start Improvements for
School Readiness Act, taking into consideration
an appropriate adjustment for inflation.
(ii) After ensuring that each State has
received the amount described in clause (i) and
after allotting the funds reserved under
paragraph (3)(A) as specified in paragraph
(3)(D), the Secretary shall distribute the
remaining balance, by--
(I) distributing 65 percent of the
balance by giving priority to States
serving the smallest percentages of
eligible children (as determined by the
Secretary); and
(II) distributing 35 percent of the
balance on a competitive basis.
(5)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraph (4), the Secretary shall reserve such sums as may be
necessary to award the collaboration grants described in
subparagraphs (B) and (D).
[(B) From the reserved sums, the Secretary may award a
collaboration grant to each State to facilitate collaboration
regarding activities carried out in the State under this
subchapter, and other activities carried out in, and by, the
State that are designed to benefit low-income children and
families and to encourage Head Start agencies to collaborate
with entities involved in State and local planning processes
(including the State lead agency administering the financial
assistance received under the Child Care and Development Block
Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and the entities
providing resource and referral services in the State) in order
to better meet the needs of low-income children and families.
[(C) A State that receives a grant under subparagraph (B)
shall--
[(i) appoint an individual to serve as a State
liaison between--
[(I) the appropriate regional office of the
Administration for Children and Families and
agencies and individuals carrying out Head
Start programs in the State; and
[(II) agencies (including local educational
agencies) and entities carrying out programs
serving low-income children and families;
[(ii) involve the State Head Start Association in the
selection of the individual, and involve the
association in determinations relating to the ongoing
direction of the collaboration;
[(iii) ensure that the individual holds a position
with sufficient authority and access to ensure that the
collaboration described in subparagraph (B) is
effective and involves a range of State agencies;
[(iv) ensure that the collaboration described in
subparagraph (B) involves coordination of Head Start
services with health care, welfare, child care,
education, and community service activities, family
literacy services, activities relating to children with
disabilities (including coordination of services with
those State officials who are responsible for
administering part C and section 619 of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431-1445,
1419)), and services for homeless children;
[(v) include representatives of the State Head Start
Association and local Head Start agencies in unified
planning regarding early care and education services at
both the State and local levels, including
collaborative efforts to plan for the provision of
full-working-day, full calendar year early care and
education services for children; and
[(vi) encourage local Head Start agencies to appoint
a State level representative to represent Head Start
agencies within the State in conducting collaborative
efforts described in subparagraphs (B) and (D), and in
clause (v).
[(D) Following the award of collaboration grants described
in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall provide, from the
reserved sums, supplemental funds for collaboration grants--
[(i) to States that (in consultation with their State
Head Start Associations) develop statewide, regional,
or local unified plans for early childhood education
and child care that include the participation of Head
Start agencies; and
[(ii) to States that engage in other innovative
collaborative initiatives, including plans for
collaborative training and professional development
initiatives for child care, early childhood education
and Head Start service managers, providers, and staff.]
(B)(i) From the reserved sums, the Secretary shall award a
collaboration grant to each State to facilitate collaboration
between Head Start agencies and entities (including the State)
that carry out other activities designed to benefit low-income
families and children from birth to school entry.
(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to--
(I) encourage Head Start agencies to collaborate with
entities involved in State and local planning processes
to better meet the needs of low-income families and
children from birth to school entry;
(II) encourage Head Start agencies to coordinate
activities with the State agency responsible for
administering the State program carried out under the
Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42
U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and entities providing resources
and referral services in the State to make full-
working-day and full calendar year services available
to children;
(III) promote alignment of Head Start services with
State early learning and school readiness goals and
standards;
(IV) promote better linkages between Head Start
agencies and other child and family agencies, including
agencies that provide health, mental health, or family
services, or other child or family supportive services;
and
(V) carry out the activities of the State Director of
Head Start Collaboration authorized in subparagraph
(D).
(C) In order to improve coordination and delivery of early
education services to children in the State, a State that
receives a grant under subparagraph (B) shall--
(i) appoint an individual to serve as the State
Director of Head Start Collaboration;
(ii) ensure that the State Director of Head Start
Collaboration holds a position with sufficient
authority and access to ensure that the collaboration
described in subparagraph (B) is effective and involves
a range of State agencies; and
(iii) involve the State Head Start Association in the
selection of the Director and involve the Association
in determinations relating to the ongoing direction of
the collaboration office.
(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, after
consultation with the State Advisory Council described in
subparagraph (E), shall--
(i) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of the Head Start Improvements for School Readiness
Act, conduct an assessment that--
(I) addresses the needs of Head Start
agencies in the State with respect to
collaborating, coordinating services, and
implementing State early learning and school
readiness goals and standards to better serve
children enrolled in Head Start programs in the
State;
(II) shall be updated on an annual basis; and
(III) shall be made available to the general
public within the State;
(ii) assess the availability of high quality pre-
kindergarten services for low-income children in the
State;
(iii) develop a strategic plan that is based on the
assessment described in clause (i) that will--
(I) enhance collaboration and coordination of
Head Start services with other entities
providing early childhood programs and services
(such as child care and services offered by
museums), health care, mental health care,
welfare, child protective services, education
and community service activities, family
literacy services, reading readiness programs
(including such programs offered by public and
school libraries), services relating to
children with disabilities (including
coordination of services with those State
officials who are responsible for administering
section 619 and part C of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419,
1431 et seq.), and other early childhood
programs and services for limited English
proficient and homeless children (including
coordination of services with the Office of
Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children
and Youths under section 722(d)(3) of the
McKinney-Vinto Homeless Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 11432(d)(3)));
(II) assist Head Start agencies to develop a
plan for the provision of full-working-day,
full calendar year services for children
enrolled in Head Start programs who need such
care;
(III) assist Head Start agencies to align
services with State early learning and school
readiness goals and standards and to facilitate
collaborative efforts to develop local school
readiness standards; and
(IV) enable agencies in the State to better
coordinate professional development
opportunities for Head Start staff, such as
by--
(aa) assisting 2- and 4-year public
and private institutions of higher
education to develop articulation
agreements;
(bb) awarding grants to institutions
of higher education to develop model
early childhood education programs,
including practica or internships for
students to spend time in a Head Start
or prekindergarten program;
(cc) working with local Head Start
agencies to meet the degree
requirements described in section
648A(a)(2)(A), including providing
distance learning opportunities for
Head Start staff, where needed to make
higher education more accessible to
Head Start staff; and
(dd) enabling the State Head Start
agencies to better coordinate outreach
to eligible families;
(iv) promote partnerships between Head Start
agencies, State governments, and the private sector to
help ensure that preschool children from low-income
families are receiving comprehensive services to
prepare the children to enter school ready to learn;
(v) consult with the chief State school officer,
local educational agencies, and providers of early
childhood education and care to conduct unified
planning regarding early care and education services at
both the State and local levels, including undertaking
collaborative efforts to develop and make improvements
in school readiness standards;
(vi) promote partnerships (such as the partnerships
involved with the Free to Grow initiative) between Head
Start agencies, schools, law enforcement, and substance
abuse and mental health treatment agencies to
strengthen family and community environments and to
reduce the impact on child development of substance
abuse, child abuse, domestic violence, and other high
risk behaviors that compromise healthy development;
(vii) promote partnerships between Head Start
agencies and other organizations in order to enhance
the Head Start curriculum, including partnerships to
promote inclusion of more books in Head Start
classrooms and partnerships to promote coordination of
activities with the Ready-to-Learn Television program
carried out under subpart 3 of part D of title II of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6775 et seq.); and
(viii) identify other resources and organizations
(both public and private) for the provision of in-kind
services to Head Start agencies in the State.
(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall designate or
establish a council to serve as the State advisory council on
collaboration on early care and education activities for
children from birth to school entry (in this subchapter
referred to as the ``State Advisory Council'').
(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity to serve
as the State Advisory Council, if the entity includes
representatives described in subclause (I) through (XXIV) of
clause (iii).
(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall include,
to the maximum extent possible--
(I) the State Director of Head Start Collaboration;
(II) a representative of the appropriate regional
office of the Administration for Children and Families;
(III) a representative of the State educational
agency and local educational agencies;
(IV) a representative of institutions of higher
education;
(V) a representative (or representatives) of the
State agency (or agencies) responsible for health or
mental health care;
(VI) a representative of the State agency responsible
for teacher professional standards, certification, and
licensing;
(VII) a representative of the State agency
responsible for child care;
(VIII) early childhood education professionals;
(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in grades 1
through 3;
(X) health care professionals;
(XI) child development specialists, including
specialists in prenatal, infant, and toddler
development;
(XII) a representative of the State agency
responsible for assisting children with developmental
disabilities;
(XIII) a representative of the State agency
responsible for programs under part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1431 et seq.);
(XIV) a representative of the State interagency
coordinating councils established under section 641 of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20
U.S.C. 1441);
(XV) a representative of the State Head Start
Association (where appropriate), and other
representatives of Head Start programs in the State;
(XVI) a representative of the State network of child
care resources and referral agencies;
(XVII) a representative of community-based
organizations;
(XVIII) a representative of State and local providers
of early childhood education and child care;
(XIX) a representative of migrant and seasonal Head
Start programs and Indian Head Start programs (where
appropriate);
(XX) parents;
(XXI) religious and business leaders;
(XXII) the head of the State library administrative
agency;
(XXIII) representatives of State and local
organizations and other entities providing professional
development to early care and education providers; and
(XXIV) a representative of other entities determined
to be relevant by the chief executive officer of the
State.
(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be responsible
for, in addition to responsibilities assigned to the council by
the chief executive officer of the State--
(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment
concerning early care and education programs for
children from birth to school entry;
(bb) identifying barriers to, and opportunities for,
collaboration and coordination between entities
carrying out Federal and State child development, child
care, and early childhood education programs;
(cc) developing recommendations regarding means of
establishing a unified data collection system for early
care and education programs throughout the State;
(dd) developing a statewide professional development
and career ladder plan for early care and education in
the State; and
(ee) reviewing and approving the strategic plan,
regarding collaborating and coordinating services to
better serve children enrolled in Head Start programs,
developed by the State Director of Head Start
Collaboration under subparagraph (D)(iii).
(II) The State Advisory Council shall hold public hearings
and provide an opportunity for public comment on the needs
assessment and recommendations described in subclause (I). The
State Advisory Council shall submit a statewide strategic
report containing the needs assessment and recommendations
described in subclause (I) to the State Director of Head Start
Collaboration and the chief executive officer of the State.
(III) After submission of a statewide strategic report
under subclause (II), the State Advisory Council shall meet
periodically to review any implementation of the
recommendations in such report and any changes in State and
local needs.
[(E)] (F) * * *
* * * * * * *
[(F)] (G) * * *
(6)(A) From amounts reserved and allotted pursuant to
paragraphs (2) and (4), the Secretary shall use, for grants for
programs described in section 645A(a), a portion of the
combined total of such amounts equal to [7.5 percent for fiscal
year 1999, 8 percent for fiscal year 2000, 9 percent for fiscal
year 2001, 10 percent for fiscal year 2002, and 10 percent for
fiscal year 2003, of the amount appropriated pursuant to
section 639(a), except as provided in subparagraph (B)] 10
percent for fiscal year 2004, 11 percent for fiscal year 2005,
13 percent for fiscal year 2006, 15 percent for fiscal year
2007, 17 percent for fiscal year 2008, and 18 percent for
fiscal year 2009, of the amount appropriated pursuant to
section 639(a).
[(B)(i) If the Secretary does not submit an interim report
on the preliminary finding of the Early Head Start impact study
currently being conducted by the Secretary (as of the date of
enactment of the Head Start Amendments of 1998) to the
appropriate committees by June 1, 2001, the amount of the
reserved portion for fiscal year 2002 that exceeds the reserved
portion for fiscal year 2001, if any, shall be used for quality
improvement activities described in section 640(a)(3) and shall
not be used to serve an increased number of eligible children
under section 645A.
[(ii) If the Secretary does not submit a final report on
the Early Head Start impact study to the appropriate committees
by June 1, 2002, or if the Secretary finds in the report that
there are substantial deficiencies in the programs carried out
under section 645A, the amount of the reserved portion for
fiscal year 2003 that exceeds the reserved portion for fiscal
year 2002, if any, shall be used for quality improvement
activities described in section 640(a)(3) and shall not be used
to serve an increased number of eligible children under section
645A.
[(iii) In this subparagraph:
[(I) The term ``appropriate committees'' means the
Committee on Education and the Workforce and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human
Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate.
[(II) The term ``reserved portion'', used with
respect to a fiscal year, means the amount required to
be used in accordance with subparagraph (A) for that
fiscal year.]
[(C)] (B)(i) For any fiscal year for which the Secretary
determines that the amount appropriated under section 639(a) is
not sufficient to permit the Secretary to reserve the portion
described in subparagraph (A) without reducing the number of
children served by Head Start programs or adversely affecting
the quality of Head Start services, relative to the number of
children served and the quality of the services during the
preceding fiscal year, the Secretary may reduce the percentage
of funds [required to be] reserved for the portion described in
subparagraph (A) for the fiscal year for which the
determination is made, but not below the percentage required to
be so reserved for the preceding fiscal year.
* * * * * * *
(f) The Secretary shall establish procedures to enable Head
Start agencies to develop locally designed or specialized
service delivery models to address local community [needs]
needs, including--
(1) models that leverage the capacity and
capabilities of the delivery system of early childhood
education and child care; and
(2) procedures to provide for the conversion of part-
day programs to full-day programs or part-day slots to
full-day slots.
(g)(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(A) * * *
* * * * * * *
[(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken
community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments
involving other community organizations and public
agencies serving children and families (including
organizations serving families in whose home English is
not the language customarily spoken), and organizations
and public entities serving children with
disabilities;]
(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken
communitywide strategic planning and needs assessments
involving other community organizations and Federal,
State, and local public agencies serving children and
families (including organizations and agencies
providing family support services and protective
services to children and families and organizations
serving families in whose homes English is not the
language customarily spoken), and individuals,
organizations, and public entities serving children
with disabilities and homeless children including the
local educational agency liaison designated under
section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii);
(D) the extent to which the family and community
needs assessment of the applicant reflects a need to
provide full-working-day or full calendar year services
and the extent to which, and manner in which, the
applicant demonstrates the ability to collaborate and
participate with [other local] the State and local
community providers of child care or preschool services
to provide full-working-day full calendar year
services;
(E) the numbers of eligible children in each
community who would like to participate but are not
participating in a Head Start program or any other
early childhood program;
* * * * * * *
(G) the extent to which the applicant proposes to
foster partnerships with other service providers in a
manner that will leverage the existing delivery systems
of such services and enhance the resource capacity of
the applicant; and
(H) the extent to which the applicant, in providing
services, plans to coordinate with the local
educational agency serving the community involved,
including the local educational agency liaison
designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
11432(g)(1)(J)(ii), and with schools in which children
participating in a Head Start program operated by such
agency will enroll following such program, regarding
such services and the education services provided by
such local educational agency.
* * * * * * *
(i) The Secretary shall issue regulations establishing
requirements for the safety features, and the safe operation,
of vehicles used by Head Start agencies to transport children
participating in Head Start programs and requirements to ensure
the appropriate supervision and background checks of
individuals with whom the agencies contract to transport those
children.
* * * * * * *
(l)(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(4)(A) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the Secretary
shall conduct an annual consultation in each affected Head
Start region, with tribal governments operating Head Start and
Early Head Start programs.
(B) The consultations shall be for the purpose of better
meeting the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children
and families pertinent to subsections (a), (b), and (c) of
section 641, taking into consideration funding allocations,
distribution formulas, and other issues affecting the delivery
of Head Start services within tribal communities.
(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the
consultations in the Federal Register prior to conducting the
consultations.
(D) A detailed report of each consultation shall be
prepared and made available, on a timely basis, to all tribal
governments receiving funds under this subchapter.
(m) Enrollment of Homeless Children.--The Secretary shall
issue regulations to remove barriers to the enrollment and
participation of eligible homeless children in Head Start
programs. Such regulations shall require Head Start agencies
to--
(1) implement policies and procedures to ensure that
eligible homeless children are identified and receive
appropriate priority for enrollment;
(2) allow homeless children to apply to, enroll in,
and attend Head Start programs while required
documents, such as proof of residency, proof of
immunization, and other medical records, birth
certificates, and other documents, are obtained within
a reasonable timeframe (consistent with State law); and
(3) coordinate individual Head Start programs with
efforts to implement subtitle B of title VII of the
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431
et seq.).
(n) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this subchapter shall
be construed to require a State to establish a program of early
education for children in the State, to require any child to
participate in a program of early education in order to attend
preschool, or to participate in any initial screening prior to
participation in such program, except as provided under section
612(a)(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)) and consistent with section 614(a)(1)(C)
of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(a)(1)(C)).
(o) Materials.--All curricula funded under this subchapter
shall be scientifically based and age appropriate. Parents
shall have the opportunity to examine any such curricula or
instructional materials funded under this subchapter.
[Sec. 641. (a) The Secretary is authorized to designate as
a Head Start agency any local public or private nonprofit or
for-profit agency, within a community, which (1) has the power
and authority to carry out the purposes of this subchapter and
perform the functions set forth in section 642 within a
community; and (2) is determined by the Secretary (in
consultation with the chief executive officer of the State
involved, if such State expends non-Federal funds to carry out
Head Start programs) to be capable of planning, conducting,
administering, and evaluating, either directly or by other
arrangements, a Head Start program.
[(b) For purposes of this subchapter, a community may be a
city, county, or multicity or multicounty unit within a State,
an Indian reservation (including Indians in any off-reservation
area designated by an appropriate tribal government in
consultation with the Secretary), or a neighborhood or other
area (irrespective of boundaries or political subdivisions)
which provides a suitable organizational base and possesses the
commonality of interest needed to operate a Head Start program.
[(c)(1) In the administration of the provisions of this
section (subject to paragraph (2)), the Secretary shall, in
consultation with the chief executive officer of the State
involved if such State expends non-Federal funds to carry out
Head Start programs, give priority in the designation of Head
Start agencies to any local public or private nonprofit or for-
profit agency which is receiving funds under any Head Start
program on the date of the enactment of this Act unless the
Secretary determines that the agency involved fails to meet
program and financial management requirements, performance
standards described in section 641A(a)(1), results-based
performance measures developed by the Secretary under section
641A(b), or other requirements established by the Secretary.
[(2) If there is no agency of the type referred to in
paragraph (1) because of any change in the assistance furnished
to programs for economically disadvantaged persons, the
Secretary shall, in consultation with the chief executive
officer of the State if such State expends non-Federal funds to
carry out Head Start programs, give priority in the designation
of Head Start agencies to any successor agency that is
operating a Head Start program in substantially the same manner
as the predecessor agency that did receive funds in the fiscal
year preceding the fiscal year for which the determination is
made.
[(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
subsection, the Secretary shall not give such priority to any
agency with respect to which financial assistance has been
terminated, or an application for refunding has been denied,
under this subchapter by the Secretary after affording such
agency reasonable notice and opportunity for a full and fair
hearing in accordance with section 646(a)(3).
[(d) If no entity in a community is entitled to the
priority specified in subsection (c), then the Secretary may
designate a Head Start agency form among qualified applicants
in such community. In selecting from among qualified applicants
for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall
give priority to any qualified agency that functioned as a Head
Start delegate agency in the community and carried out a Head
Start program that the Secretary determines met or exceeded
such performance standards and such results-based performance
measures. In selecting from among qualified applicants for
designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall
consider the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide
Head Start services, based on--
[(1) any past performance of such applicant in
providing services comparable to Head Start services,
including how effectively such applicant provided such
comparable services;
[(2) the plan of such applicant to provide
comprehensive health, nutritional, educational, social,
and other services needed to aid participating children
in attaining their full potential;
[(3) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the
Head Start program it proposes to carry out, with other
preschool programs, including Even Start programs under
part B of chapter 1 of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et
seq.) and programs under part C and section 619 of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1431-1445, 1419), and with the educational programs
such children will enter at the age of compulsory
school attendance;
[(4) the plan of such applicant--
[(A) to seek the involvement of parents of
participating children in activities (at home
and in the center involved where practicable)
designed to help such parents become full
partners in the education of their children;
[(B) to afford such parents the opportunity
to participate in the development, conduct, and
overall performance of the program at the local
level;
[(C) to offer (directly or through referral
to local entities, such as entities carrying
out Even Start programs under part B of chapter
1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.),
public and school libraries, and family support
programs) to such parents--
[(i) family literacy services; and
[(i) parenting skills training;
[(D) to offer to parents of participating
children substance abuse counseling (either
directly or through referralto local entities),
including information on drug-exposed infants and fetal alcohol
syndrome;
[(E) at the option of such applicant, to
offer (directly or through referral to local
entities) to such parents--
[(i) training in basic child
development;
[(ii) assistance in developing
communication skills;
[(iii) opportunities for parents to
share experiences with other parents;
or
[(iv) any other activity designed to
help such parents become full partners
in the education of their children; and
[(F) to provide, with respect to each
participating family, a family needs assessment
that includes consultation with such parents
about the benefits of parent involvement and
about the activities described in subparagraphs
(C) (D), and (E) in which such parents may
choose to become involved (taking into
consideration their specific family needs, work
schedules, and other responsibilities);
[(5) the ability of such applicant to carry out the
plans described in paragraphs (2), (3), and (4);
[(6) other factors related to the requirements of
this subchapter;
[(7) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of
non-English background children and their families,
including needs related to the acquisition of the
English language;
[(8) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of
children with disabilities;
[(9) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist
younger siblings of children who will participate in
the proposed Head Start program to obtain health
services from other sources; and
[(10) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with
other entities carrying out early childhood education
and child care programs in the community.
[(e) If no agency in the community receives priority
designation under subsection (c), and there is no qualified
applicant in the community, the Secretary shall designate a
qualified agency to carry out the Head Start program in the
community on an interim basis until a qualified applicant from
the community is so designated.
[(f) The Secretary shall require that the practice of
significantly involving parents and area residents affected by
the program in selection of Head Start agencies be continued.
[(g) If the Secretary determines that a nonprofit agency
and a for-profit agency have submitted applications for
designation of equivalent quality under subsection (d), the
Secretary may give priority to the nonprofit agency. In
selecting from among qualified applicants for designation as a
Head Start agency under subsection (d), the Secretary shall
give priority to applicants that have demonstrated capacity in
providing comprehensive early childhood services to children
and their families.]
SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES.
(a) Designation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to
designate as a Head Start agency any local public or
private nonprofit or for-profit agency, within a
community-base organization that--
(A) has power and authority to carry out the
purpose of this subchapter and perform the
functions set forth in section 642 within a
community; and
(B) is determined to be capable of planning,
conducting, administering, and evaluating,
either directly or by other arrangements, a
Head Start program.
(2) Required goals for designation.--In order to be
designated as a Head Start agency, an entity described
in paragraph (1) shall establish program goals for
improving the school readiness of children
participating in a program under this subchapter,
including goals for meeting the performance standards
and additional educational standards described in
section 641A and shall establish results-based school
readiness goals that are aligned with requirements and
expectations for local public schools.
(3) Eligibility for subsequent grants.--In order to
receive a grant under this subchapter subsequent to the
initial grant provided following the date of enactment
of the Head Start Improvements for School Readiness
Act, an entity described in paragraph (1) shall
demonstrate that the entity has met or is making
progress toward meeting the goals described in
paragraph (2).
(b) Communities.--For purposes of this subchapter, a
community may be a city, county, or multicity or multicounty
unit within a State, an Indian reservation (including Indians
in any off-reservation area designated by an appropriate tribal
government in consultation with the Secretary), or a
neighborhood or other area (irrespective of boundaries or
political subdivisions) that provides a suitable organizational
base and possesses the commonality of interest needed to
operate a Head Start program.
(c) Priority in Designation.--In administering the
provisions of this section, the Secretary shall, in
consultation with the chief executive officer of the State
involved, give priority in the designation (including
redesignation) of Head Start agencies to any high-performing
Head Start agency or delegate agency that--
(1) is receiving assistance under this subchapter;
(2) meets or exceeds program and financial management
requirements, standards described in section
641A(a)(1), results-based outcome measures described in
section 641A(b)(4), or other requirements established
by the Secretary;
(3) has no unresolved programmatic deficiencies and
has not had findings of deficiencies during the last
triennial review under section 641A(c); and
(4) can demonstrate, through agreements such as
memoranda of understanding, active collaboration with
the State in the provision of services for children
(such as the provision of extended day services,
education, professional development and training for
staff, and other types of cooperative endeavors).
(d) Designation When Entity Has Priority.--If no entity in
a community is entitled to the priority specified in subsection
(c), the Secretary shall, after conducting an open competition,
designate a Head Start agency from among qualified applicants
in such community.
(e) Effectiveness.--In selecting from among qualified
applicants for designation as a Head Start agency, the
Secretary shall consider the effectiveness of each such
applicant to provide Head Start services, based on--
(1) any past performance of such applicant in
providing services comparable to Head Start services,
including how effectively such applicant provided such
comparable services;
(2) the plan of such applicant to provide
comprehensive health, educational, nutritional, social,
and other services needed to aid participating children
in attaining their full potential, and to prepare
children to succeed in school;
(3) the capacity of such applicant to serve eligible
children with scientifically based programs that
promote school readiness of children participating in
the program;
(4) the plan of such applicant to meet standards set
forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention
to the standards set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B)
of such section;
(5) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head
Start program the applicant proposes to carry out with
other preschool programs, including--
(A) the Early Reading First and Even Start
programs under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of
title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 et seq.,
6381 et seq.);
(B) programs under section 619 and part C of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);
(C) State prekindergarten programs;
(D) child care programs;
(E) the educational programs that the
children in the Head Start program involved
will enter at the age of compulsory school
attendance; and
(F) reading readiness programs such as those
conducted by public and school libraries;
(6) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head
Start program that the applicant proposes to carry out
with public and private entities who are willing to
commit resources to assist the Head Start program in
meeting its program needs;
(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with a
local library, where available, that is interested in
that collaboration, to--
(A) develop innovative programs to excite
children about the world of books, such as
programs that involve--
(i) taking children to the library
for a story hour;
(ii) promoting the use of library
cards;
(iii) developing a lending library or
using a mobile library van; and
(iv) providing fresh books in the
Head Start classroom on a regular
basis;
(B) assist in literacy training for Head
Start teachers; and
(C) support parents and other caregivers in
literacy efforts;
(8) the plan of such applicant--
(A) to seek the involvement of parents of
participating children in activities (at home
and in the center involved where practicable)
designed to help such parents become full
partners in the education of their children;
(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to
participate in the development and overall
conduct of the program at the local level;
(C) to offer (directly or through referral to
local entities, such as entities carrying out
Even Start programs under subpart 3 of part B
of title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.),
public and school libraries, and entities
carrying out family support programs) to such
parents--
(i) family literacy services; and
(ii) parenting skills training;
(D) to offer to parents of participating
children substance abuse counseling (either
directly or through referral to local
entities), including information on the effect
of drug exposure on infants and fetal alcohol
syndrome;
(E) at the option of such applicant, to offer
(directly or through referral to local
entities) to such parents--
(i) training in basic child
development (including cognitive
development);
(ii) assistance in developing
literacy and communication skills;
(iii) opportunities to share
experiences with other parents
(including parent mentor
relationships);
(iv) regular in-home visitation; or
(v) any other activity designed to
help such parents become full partners
in the education of their children;
(F) to provide, with respect to each
participating family, a family needs assessment
that includes consultation with such parents
about the benefits of parent involvement and
about the activities described in subparagraphs
(C), (D), and (E) in which such parents may
choose to become involved (taking into
consideration their specific family needs, work
schedules, and other responsibilities); and
(G) to extend outreach to fathers, in
appropriate cases, in order to strengthen the
role of fathers in families, in the education
of their young children, and in the Head Start
program, by working directly with fathers and
father figures through activities such as--
(i) in appropriate cases, including
fathers in home visits and providing
opportunities for direct father-child
interactions; and
(ii) targeting increased male
participation in the conduct of the
program;
(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out the
plans described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5);
(10) other factors related to the requirements of
this subchapter;
(11) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of
limited English proficient children and their families,
including procedures to identify such children, plans
to provide trained personnel, and plans to provide
services to assist the children in making progress
toward the acquisition of the English language;
(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of
children with disabilities;
(13) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist
younger siblings of children who will participate in
the Head Start program, to obtain health services from
other sources;
(14) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with
other entities carrying out early childhood education
and child care programs in the community; and
(15) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of
homeless children and children in foster care.''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 641A. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND
PROGRAMS.
(a) Quality Standards.--
(1) * * *
(A) performance standards with respect to
services required to be provided, including
health, parental involvement, nutritional,
social, transition activities described in
section [642(d)] 642(c), and other services;
(B)(i) [education performance standards]
educational performance standards to ensure the
school readiness of children participating in a
Head Start program, on completion of the Head
Start program and prior to entering school; and
[(ii) additional education performance
standards to ensure that the children
participating in the program, at a minimum--
[(I) develop phonemic, print, and
numeracy awareness;
[(II) understand and use language to
communicate for various purposes;
[(III) understand and use
increasingly complex and varied
vocabulary;
[(IV) develop and demonstrate and
appreciation of books; and
[(V) in the case of non-English
background children, progress toward
acquisition of the English language.]
(ii) additional educational standards based
on the recommendations of the National Academy
of Sciences panel described in section 649(h)
and other experts in the field, to ensure that
the curriculum involved addresses, and that the
children participating in the program show
appropriate progress toward developing and
applying, the recommended educational outcomes,
after the panel considers the appropriateness
of additional educational standards relating
to--
(I) language skills related to
listening, understanding, speaking, and
communicating, including--
(aa) understanding and use of
a diverse vocabulary (including
knowing the names of colors)
and knowledge of how to use
oral language to communicate
for various purposes;
(bb) narrative abilities
used, for example, to
comprehend, tell, and respond
to a story, or to comprehend
instructions;
(cc) ability to detect and
produce sounds of the language
the child speaks or is
learning; and
(dd) clarity of pronunciation
and speaking in syntactically
and grammatically correct
sentences;
(II) prereading knowledge and skills,
including--
(aa) alphabet knowledge
including knowing the letter
names and associating letters
with their shapes and sounds in
the language the child speaks
or is learning;
(bb) phonological awareness
and processes that support
reading, for example, rhyming,
recognizing speech sounds and
separate syllables in spoken
words, and putting speech
sounds together to make words;
(cc) knowledge, interest in,
and appreciation of books,
reading, and writing (either
alone or with others), and
knowledge that books have parts
such as the front, back, and
title page;
(dd) early writing, including
the ability to write one's own
name and other words and
phrases; and
(ee) print awareness and
concepts, including recognizing
different forms of print and
understanding the association
between spoken and written
words;
(III) premathematics knowledge and
skills, including--
(aa) number recognition;
(bb) use of early number
concepts and operations,
including counting, simple
adding and subtracting, and
knowledge of quantitative
relationships such as part
versus whole and comparison of
numbers of objects;
(cc) use of early space and
location concepts including
recognizing shapes,
classification, striation, and
understanding directionality;
and
(dd) early pattern skills and
measurement, including
recognizing and extending
simple patterns and measuring
length, weight, and time;
(IV) scientific abilities,
including--
(aa) building awareness about
scientific skills and methods,
such as gathering, describing,
and recording information,
making observations, and making
explanations and predictions;
and
(bb) expanding scientific
knowledge of the environment,
time, temperature, and cause
and effect relationships;
(V) general cognitive abilities
related to academic achievement and
child development, including--
(aa) reasoning, planning, and
problemsolving skills;
(bb) ability to engage,
sustain attention, and persist
on challenging tasks;
(cc) intellectual curiosity,
initiative, and task
engagement; and
(dd) motivation to achieve
and master concepts and skills;
(VI) social and emotional development
related to early learning and school
success, including developing--
(aa) the ability to develop
social relationships,
demonstrate cooperative
behaviors, and relate to
teachers and peers in positive
and respectful ways;
(bb) an understanding of the
consequences of actions,
following rules, and
appropriately expressing
feelings;
(cc) a sense of self, such as
self-awareness, independence,
and confidence;
(dd) the ability to control
negative behaviors with
teachers and peers that include
impulsiveness, aggression, and
noncompliance; and
(ee) knowledge of civic
society and surrounding
communities;
(VII) physical development, including
developing--
(aa) fine motor skills, such
as strength, manual dexterity,
and hand-eye coordination; and
(bb) gross motor skills, such
as balance and coordinated
movements; and
(VIII) in the case of limited English
proficient children, progress toward
acquisition of the English language
while making meaningful progress in
attaining the knowledge, skills,
abilities, and development described in
subclauses (I) through (VII);
* * * * * * *
(D) standards relating to the condition and
location of facilities for such agencies,
programs, and [projects; and] projects,
including regulations that require that the
facilities used by Head Start agencies
(including Early Head Start agencies) and
delegate agencies for regularly scheduled
center-based and combination program option
classroom activities--
(i) shall be in compliance with State
and local requirements concerning
licensing for such facilities; and
(ii) shall be accessible by State and
local authorities for purposes of
monitoring and ensuring compliance.
* * * * * * *
(2) Considerations in developing standards.--In
developing the regulations required under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall--
(A) * * *
(B) take into consideration--
(i) past experience with use of the
standards in effect under this
subchapter on [the date of enactment of
this section] the date of enactment of
the Head Start Improvements for School
Readiness Act;
(ii) changes over the period since
[the date of enactment of this Act] the
date of enactment of the Head Start
Improvements for School Readiness Act
in the circumstances and problems
typically facing children and families
served by Head Start agencies;
* * * * * * *
(vi) changes in the population of
children who are eligible to
participate in Head Start programs,
including the language background and
family structure of such children[;
and];
(vii) the need for, and state-of-the-
art developments relating to, local
policies and activities designed to
ensure that children participating in
Head Start programs make a successful
transition to [public schools] the
schools that the children will be
attending; and
(viii) the unique challenges faced by
individual programs, including those
programs that are seasonal or short
term and those programs that serve
rural populations; and
(C)(i) review and revise as necessary the
performance standards in effect under this
subsection; and
(ii) ensure that any such revisions in the
performance standards will not result in the
elimination of or any reduction in the scope or
types of health, education, parental
involvement, nutritional, social, or other
services required to be provided under such
standards as in effect on [the date of
enactment of the Coats Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1998] the date of
enactment of the Head Start Improvements for
School Readiness Act.
(D) consult with Indian tribes, American
Indian and Alaska Native experts in early
childhood development, linguists, and the
National Indian Head Start Directors
Association on the review and promulgation of
program standards and measures (including
standards and measures for language acquisition
and school readiness).
* * * * * * *
(4) Evaluations and corrective actions for delegate
agencies.--
(A) Procedures.--The Head Start agency shall
establish procedures relating to its delegate
agencies, including--
(i) procedures for evaluating
delegate agencies;
(ii) procedures for defunding
delegate agencies; and
(iii) procedures for appealing a
defunding decision relating to a
delegate agency.
(B) Evaluations.--Each Head Start agency--
(i) shall evaluate its delegate
agencies using the procedures
established pursuant to this section,
including subparagraph (A); and
(ii) shall inform the delegate
agencies of the deficiencies identified
through the evaluation that shall be
corrected.
(C) Remedies to ensure corrective actions.--
In the event that the Head Start agency
identifies a deficiency for a delegate agency
through the evaluation, the Head Start agency
may--
(i) initiate procedures to terminate
the designation of the agency unless
the agency corrects the deficiency;
(ii) conduct monthly monitoring
visits to such delegate agency until
all deficiencies are corrected or the
Head Start agency decides to defund
such delegate agency; and
(iii) release funds to such delegate
agency only as reimbursements until all
deficiencies are corrected or the Head
Start agency decides to defund such
delegate agency.
(D) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this
paragraph shall be construed to impact or
obviate the responsibilities of the Secretary
with respect to Head Start agencies or delegate
agencies receiving funding under this
subchapter.
(b) * * *
(1) * * *
[(2) Characteristics of measures.--] (2)
Characteristics and use of measures._The performance
measures developed under this subsection shall--
(A) be used to assess the impact of the
various services provided by Head Start
programs and, to the extent the Secretary finds
appropriate, administrative and financial
management practices of such programs;
(B) be adaptable for use in self-assessment,
peer review, and program evaluation of
individual Head Start agencies and programs[,
not later than July 1, 1999; and];
(C) be developed for other program purposes
determined by the Secretary[.];
[The performance measures shall include the performance
standards described in subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii).]
(D) measure characteristics that are strongly
predictive (as determined on a scientific
basis) of a child's school readiness and later
performance in school;
(E) be appropriate for the population served;
and
(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 years,
based on advances in the science of early
childhood development.
The performance measures shall include the performance
standards and additional educational standards
described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection
(a)(1).
(3) Use of measures.--The Secretary shall use the
performance measures developed pursuant to this
subsection--
(A) to identify strengths and weaknesses in
the operation of Head Start programs
nationally, regionally, and locally[; and];
(B) to identify problem areas that may
require additional training and technical
assistance resources[.]; and
(C) to enable Head Start agencies to
individualize programs of instruction to better
meet the needs of the child involved.
[(4) Educational performance measures.--Such results-
based performance measures shall include educational
performance measures that ensure that children
participating in Head Start programs--
[(A) know that letters of the alphabet are a
special category of visual graphics that can be
individually named;
[(B) recognize a word as a unit of print;
[(C) identify at least 10 letters of the
alphabet; and
[(D) associate sounds with written words.]
(4) Results-based outcome measures.--Results-based
outcome measures shall be designed for the purpose of
promoting the knowledge, skills, abilities, and
development, described in subsection (a)(1)(B)(ii) of
children participating in Head Start programs that are
strongly predictive (as determined on a scientific
basis) of a child's school readiness and later
performance in school.
[(5) Additional local results-based performance
measures.--In addition to other applicable results-
based performance measures, Head Start agencies may
establish local results-based educational performance
measures.]
(5) Additional local results-based educational
measures and goals.--Head Start agencies may establish
and implement additional local results-based
educational measures and goals.
(c) Monitoring of Local Agencies and Programs.--
(1) In general.--In order to determine whether Head
Start agencies meet standards established under this
subchapter and results-based performance measures
developed by the Secretary under subsection (b) with
respect to program, administrative, financial
management, and other requirements, the Secretary shall
conduct the following reviews of designated Head Start
agencies, and of the Head Start programs and Head Start
centers operated by such agencies:
(A) A full review of each [such agency] Head
Start center at least once during each 3-year
period.
(B) * * *
[(C) Followup reviews including prompt return
visits to agencies and programs that fail to
meet the standards.]
(C) Unannounced site inspections of Head
Start centers, as appropriate.
(D) Followup reviews including--
(i) prompt return visits to agencies,
programs, and centers that fail to meet
1 or more of the performance measures
developed by the Secretary under
subsection (b); and
(ii) a review of programs with
citations that include findings of
deficiencies not later than 6 months
after the date of such citation.
[(D)] (E) Other reviews as appropriate.
[(2) Conduct of reviews.--The Secretary shall ensure
that reviews described in subparagraphs (A) through (C)
of paragraph (1)--
[(A) are performed, to the maximum extent
practicable, by employees of the Department of
Health and Human Services who are knowledgeable
about Head Start programs;
[(B) are supervised by such an employee at
the site of such Head Start agency;
[(C) are conducted by review teams that shall
include individuals who are knowledgeable about
Head Start programs and, to the maximum extent
practicable, the diverse (including linguistic
and cultural) needs of eligible children
(including children with disabilities) and
their families;
[(D) include as part of the reviews of the
programs, a review and assessment of program
effectiveness, as measured in accordance with
the results-based performance measures
developed by the Secretary pursuant to
subsection (b) and with the performance
standards established pursuant to subparagraphs
(A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1);
[(E) seek information from the communities
and the States involved about the performance
of the programs, and the efforts of the Head
Start agencies to collaborate with the entities
carrying out early childhood education and
child care programs in the community.]
(2) Conduct of Reviews.--The Secretary shall ensure
that reviews described in paragraph (1)--
(A) that incorporate a monitoring visit, may
incorporate the visit without prior notice of
the visit to the agency involved or with such
limited prior notice as is necessary to ensure
the participation of parents and key staff
members;
(B) are conducted by review teams that shall
include individuals who are knowledgeable about
Head Start and other early childhood education
programs and, to the maximum extent
practicable, the diverse (including linguistic
and cultural) needs of eligible children
(including children with disabilities) and
limited English proficient children and their
families;
(C) include as part of the reviews of the
programs, a review and assessment of program
effectiveness, as measured in accordance with
the results-based performance measures
developed by the Secretary pursuant to
subsection (b) and with the standards
established pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and
(B) of subsection (a)(1);
(D) seek information from the communities and
States where Head Start programs exist about
innovative or effective collaborative efforts,
barriers to collaboration, and the efforts of
the Head Start agencies to collaborate with the
entities carrying out early childhood education
and child care programs in the community;
(E) include as part of the reviews of the
programs, a review and assessment of whether
the programs are in conformity with the income
eligibility requirements under section 645 and
regulations promulgated under such section;
(F) include as part of the reviews of the
programs, a review and assessment of whether
programs have adequately addressed the
population and community needs (including needs
of populations of limited English proficient
children and children of migrant and seasonal
farmworking families); and
(G) include as part of the reviews of the
programs, data from the results of periodic
child assessments, and a review and assessment
of child outcomes and performance as they
relate to State, local, and agency-determined
school readiness goals.
(d) Corrective Action; Termination.--
(1) Determination.--If the Secretary determines, on
the basis of a review pursuant to subsection (c), that
a Head Start agency designated pursuant to section 641
fails to meet the standards described in subsection (a)
or results-based performance measures developed by the
Secretary under subsection (b), the Secretary shall--
(A) inform the agency of the deficiencies
that shall be corrected and identify the
technical assistance to be provided consistent
with (3);
* * * * * * *
(e) Summaries of Monitoring Outcomes.--Not later than 120
days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall
publish a summary report on the findings of reviews conducted
under subsection (c) and on the outcomes of quality improvement
plans implemented under subsection (d), during such fiscal
year, [Such report shall be widely disseminated and available
for public review in both written and electronic formats.] The
information contained in such report shall be made available to
all parents with children receiving assistance under this
subchapter in an understandable and uniform format, and to the
extent practicable, provided in a language that the parents can
understand. Such information shall be made widely available
through public means such as distribution through public
agencies, and, at a minimum, by posting such information on the
Internet immediately upon publication.
(f) Reduction of Grants and Redistribution of Funds in
Cases of Under-Enrollment.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Actual enrollment.--The term ``actual
enrollment'' means, with respect to the program
of a Head Start agency, the actual number of
children enrolled in such program and reported
by the agency (as required in paragraph (2)) in
a given month.
(B) Base grant.--The term ``base grant''
means, with respect to a Head Start agency for
a fiscal year, that portion of the grant
derived--
(i) from amounts reserved for use in
accordance with section 640(a)(2)(A),
for a Head Start agency administering
an Indian Head Start program or migrant
and seasonal Head Start program;
(ii) from amounts reserved for
payments under section 640(a)(2)(B); or
(iii) from amounts available under
section 640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among
States under section 640(a)(4).
(C) Funded enrollment.--The term ``funded
enrollment'' means, with respect to the program
of a Head Start agency in a fiscal year, the
number of children that the agency is funded to
serve through a grant for the program during
such fiscal year, as indicated in the grant
agreement.
(2) Enrollment reporting requirement for current
fiscal year.--Each entity carrying out a Head Start
program shall report on a monthly basis to the
Secretary and the relevant Head Start agency--
(A) the actual enrollment in such program;
and
(B) if such actual enrollment is less than
the funded enrollment, any apparent reason for
such enrollment shortfall.
(3) Secretarial review and plan.--The Secretary
shall--
(A) on a semiannual basis, determine which
Head Start agencies are operating with an
actual enrollment that is less than the funded
enrollment based on not less than 4 consecutive
months of data;
(B) for each such Head Start agency operating
a program with an actual enrollment that is
less than 95 percent of its funded enrollment,
as determined under subparagraph (A), develop,
in collaboration with such agency, a plan and
timetable for reducing or eliminating under-
enrollment taking into consideration--
(i) the quality and extent of the
outreach, recruitment, and community
needs assessment conducted by such
agency;
(ii) changing demographics, mobility
of populations, and the identification
of new underserved low-income
populations;
(iii) facilities-related issues that
may impact enrollment;
(iv) the ability to provide full-day
programs, where needed, through Head
Start funds or through collaboration
with entities carrying out other
preschool or child care programs, or
programs with other funding sources
(where available);
(v) the availability and use by
families of other preschool and child
care options (including parental care)
in the local catchment area; and
(vi) agency management procedures
that may impact enrollment; and
(C) provide timely and ongoing technical
assistance to each agency described in
subparagraph (B) for the purpose of
implementing the plan described in such
subparagraph.
(4) Implementation.--Upon receipt of the technical
assistance described in paragraph (3)(C), a Head Start
agency shall immediately implement the plan described
in paragraph (3)(B).
(5) Secretarial action for continued under-
enrollment.--If, 1 year after the date of
implementation of the plan described in paragraph
(3)(B), the Head Start agency continues to operate a
program at less than full enrollment, the Secretary
shall, where determined appropriate, continue to
provide technical assistance to such agency.
(6) Secretarial review and adjustment for chronic
under-enrollment.--
(A) In general.--If, after receiving
technical assistance and developing and
implementing a plan to the extent described in
paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) for 18 months, a
Head Start agency is still operating a program
with an actual enrollment that is less than 95
percent of its funded enrollment, the Secretary
may--
(i) designate such agency as
chronically under-enrolled; and
(ii) recapture, withhold, or reduce
the base grant for the program by, a
percentage equal to the percentage
difference between funded enrollment
and actual enrollment for the program
for the most recent year in which the
agency is determined to be under-
enrolled under paragraph (2)(B).
(B) Waiver or limitation of reductions.--If
the Secretary, after the implementation of the
plan described in paragraph (3)(B), finds
that--
(i) the causes of the enrollment
shortfall, or a portion of the
shortfall, are beyond the agency's
control (such as serving significant
numbers of migrant or seasonal
farmworker, homeless, foster, or other
highly mobile children);
(ii) the shortfall can reasonably be
expected to be temporary; or
(iii) the number of slots allotted to
the agency is small enough that under-
enrollment does not constitute a
significant shortfall,
the Secretary may, as appropriate, waive or
reduce the percentage recapturing, withholding,
or reduction otherwise required by subparagraph
(A).
(C) Procedural requirements; effective
date.--The actions taken by the Secretary under
this paragraph with respect to a Head Start
agency shall take effect 1 day after the date
on which--
(i) the time allowed for appeal under
section 646(a) expires without an
appeal by the agency; or
(ii) the action is upheld in an
administrative hearing under section
646.
(7) In general.--The Secretary shall use amounts
recovered from a Head Start agency through recapturing,
withholding, or reduction under paragraph (6) in a
fiscal year--
(i) in the case of a Head Start
agency administering an Indian Head
Start program or a migrant and seasonal
Head Start program, whose base grant is
derived from amounts specified in
paragraph (1)(C)(i), to redirect funds
to 1 or more agencies that--
(I) are administering Head
Start programs serving the same
special population; and
(II) demonstrate that the
agencies will use such
redirected funds to increase
enrollment in their Head Start
programs in such fiscal year;
or
(ii) in the case of a Head Start
agency in a State, whose base grant is
derived from amounts specified in
clause (ii) or (iii) of paragraph
(1)(C), to redirect funds to 1 or more
agencies that--
(I) are administering Head
Start programs in the same
State; and
(II) make the demonstration
described in clause (i)(II).
(B) Special rule.--If there is no agency
located in a State that meets the requirements
of subclauses (I) and (II) of subparagraph
(A)(ii), the Secretary shall use amounts
described in subparagraph (A) to redirect funds
to Head Start agencies located in other States
that make the demonstration described in
subparagraph (A)(i)(II).
(C) Adjustment to funded enrollment.--The
Secretary shall adjust as necessary the
requirements relating to funded enrollment
indicated in the grant agreement of a Head
Start agency receiving redistributed amounts
under this paragraph.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``center of
excellence'' means a Center of Excellence in Early Childhood
designated under subsection (b).
(b) Designation and Bonus Grants.--The Secretary shall,
subject to the availability of funds under this subchapter,
including under subsection (f), establish a program under which
the Secretary shall--
(1) designate not more than 200 exemplary Head Start
agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) as
Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood; and
(2) make bonus grants to the centers of excellence to
carry out the activities described in subsection (d).
(c) Application and Designation.--
(1) Application.--
(A) Nomination and submission.--
(i) In general.--To be eligible to
receive a designation as a center of
excellence under subsection (b), a Head
Start agency in a State shall be
nominated by the Governor of the State
and shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
(ii) Indian and migrant and seasonal
head start programs.--In the case of an
agency operating an Indian Head Start
program or a migrant and seasonal Head
Start program, to be eligible to
receive a designation as a center of
excellence under subsection (b), such
an agency shall be nominated by the
Governor of the State and by its
program branch and shall submit an
application to the Secretary in
accordance with clause (i).
(B) Contents.--At a minimum, the application
shall include--
(i) evidence that the Head Start
program carried out by the agency has
significantly improved the school
readiness of, and enhanced academic
outcomes for, children who have
participated in the program;
(ii) evidence that the program meets
or exceeds standards and performance
measures described in subsections (a)
and (b) of section 641A, as evidenced
by successful completion of
programmatic and monitoring reviews,
and has no findings of deficiencies
with respect to the standards and
measures;
(iii) evidence that the program is
making progress toward meeting the
requirements described in section 648A;
(iv) evidence demonstrating the
existence of a collaborative
partnership between the Head Start
agency and the State (or a State
agency);
(v) a nomination letter from the
Governor, demonstrating the agency's
ability to carry out the coordination,
transition, and training services of
the program to be carried out under the
bonus grant involved, including
coordination of activities with State
and local agencies that provide early
childhood services to children and
families in the community served by the
agency; and
(vi) information demonstrating the
existence of, or the agency's plan to
establish, a local council for
excellence in early childhood, which
shall include representatives of all
the institutions, agencies, and groups
involved in the work of the center for,
and the local provision of services to,
eligible children and other at-risk
children, and their families.
(2) Selection.--In selecting agencies to designate as
centers of excellence under subsection (b), the
Secretary shall designate not less than 1 from each of
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto
Rico.
(3) Term of designation.--
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B),
the Secretary shall designate a Head Start
agency as a center of excellence for a 5-year
term. During the period of that designation,
subject to the availability of appropriations,
the agency shall be eligible to receive a bonus
grant under subsection (b).
(B) Revocation.--The Secretary may revoke an
agency's designation under subsection (b) if
the Secretary determines that the agency is not
demonstrating adequate performance or has had
findings of deficiencies described in paragraph
(1)(B)(ii).
(4) Amount of bonus grant.--The Secretary shall base
the amount of funding provided through a bonus grant
made under subsection (b) to a center of excellence on
the number of children served at the center of
excellence. The Secretary shall, subject to the
availability of funding, make such a bonus grant in an
amount of not less than $100,000 per year.
(d) Use of Funds.--
(1) Activities.--A center of excellence that receives
a bonus grant under subsection (b) may use the funds
made available through the bonus grant--
(A) to provide Head Start services to
additional eligible children;
(B) to better meet the needs of working
families in the community served by the center
by serving more children in existing Early Head
Start programs (existing as of the date the
center is designated under this section) or in
full-working-day, full calendar year Head Start
programs;
(C) to model and disseminate best practices
for achieving early academic success, including
achieving school readiness and developing
prereading and premathematics skills for at-
risk children and achieving the acquisition of
the English language for limited English
proficient children, and to provide seamless
service delivery for eligible children and
their families;
(D) to coordinate early childhood and social
services available in the community served by
the center for at-risk children (prenatal
through age 8) and their families, including
services provided by child care providers,
health care providers, and providers of income-
based financial assistance, and other State and
local services;
(E) to provide training and cross training
for Head Start teachers and staff, and to
develop agency leaders;
(F) to provide effective transitions between
Head Start programs and elementary school, to
facilitate ongoing communication between Head
Start and elementary school teachers concerning
children receiving Head Start services, and to
provide training and technical assistance to
providers who are public elementary school
teachers and other staff of local educational
agencies, child care providers, family service
providers, and other providers of early
childhood services, to help the providers
described in this subparagraph increase their
ability to work with low-income, at-risk
children and their families; and
(G) to carry out other activities determined
by the center to improve the overall quality of
the Head Start program carried out by the
agency and the program carried out under the
bonus grant involved.
(2) Involvement of other head start agencies and
providers.--Not later than the second year for which
the center receives a bonus grant under subsection (b),
the center, in carrying out activities under this
subsection, shall work with the center's delegate
agencies, several additional Head Start agencies, and
other providers of early childhood services in the
community involved, to encourage the agencies and
providers described in this sentence to carry out model
programs. The center shall establish the local council
described in subsection (c)(1)(B)(vi).
(e) Research and Reports.--
(1) Research.--The Secretary shall, subject to the
availability of funds to carry out this subsection,
make a grant to an independent organization to conduct
research on the ability of the centers of excellence to
improve the school readiness of children receiving Head
Start services, and to positively impact school results
in the earliest grades. The organization shall also
conduct research to measure the success of the centers
of excellence at encouraging the center's delegate
agencies, additional Head Start agencies, and other
providers of early childhood services in the
communities involved to meet measurable improvement
goals, particularly in the area of school readiness.
(2) Report.--Not later than 48 months after the date
of enactment of the Head Start Improvements for School
Readiness Act, the organization shall prepare and
submit to the Secretary and Congress a report
containing the results of the research described in
paragraph (1).
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated for fiscal year 2004 and each subsequent fiscal
year--
(1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to centers of
excellence under subsection (b) to carry out activities
described in subsection (d);
(2) $2,500,000 to pay for the administrative costs of
the Secretary in carrying out this section, including
the cost of a conference of centers of excellence; and
(3) $2,000,000 for research activities described in
subsection (e).
* * * * * * *
[POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES
[Sec. 642. (a) In order to be designated as a Head Start
agency under this subchapter, an agency must have authority
under its charter or applicable law to receive and administer
funds under this chapter, funds and contributions from private
or local public sources which may be used in support of a Head
Start program, and funds under any Federal or State assistance
program pursuant to which a public or private nonprofit or for-
profit agency (as the case may be) organized in accordance with
this subchapter, could act as grantee, contractor, or sponsor
of projects appropriate for inclusion in a Head Start program.
Such an agency must also be empowered to transfer funds so
received, and to delegate powers to other agencies, subject to
the powers of its governing board and its overall program
responsibilities. The power to transfer funds and delegate
powers must include the power to make transfers and delegations
covering component projects in all cases where this will
contribute to efficiency and effectiveness or otherwise further
program objectives.
[(b) In order to be so designated, a Head Start agency
shall also--
[(1) establish effective procedures by which parents
and area residents concerned will be enabled to
directly participate in decisions that influence the
character of programs affecting their interests;
[(2) provide for their regular participation in the
implementation of such programs;
[(3) provide technical and other support needed to
enable parents and area residents to secure on their
own behalf available assistance from public and private
sources;
[(4) seek the involvement of parents of participating
children in activities designed to help such parents
become full partners in the education of their
children, and to afford such parents the opportunity to
participate in the development, conduct, and overall
performance of the program at the local level;
[(5) offer (directly or through referral to local
entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start
programs under part B of chapter 1 of title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 2741 et seq.)), to parents of participating
children, family literacy services and parenting skills
training;
[(6) offer to parents of participating children
substance abuse counseling (either directly or through
referral to local entities), including information on
drug-exposed infants and fetal alcohol syndrome;
[(7) at the option of such agency, offer (directly or
through referral to local entities), to such parents--
[(A) training in basic child development;
[(B) assistance in developing communication
skills;
[(C) opportunities to share experiences with
other parents;
[(D) regular in-home visitation; or
[(E) any other activity designed to help such
parents become full partners in the education
of their children;
[(8) provide, with respect to each participating
family, a family needs assessment that includes
consultation with such parents about the benefits of
parent involvement and about the activities described
in paragraphs (4) through (7) in which such parents may
choose to be involved (taking into consideration their
specific family needs, work schedules, and other
responsibilities);
[(9) consider providing services to assist younger
siblings of children participating in its Head Start
program to obtain health services from other sources;
[(10) perform community outreach to encourage
individuals previously unaffiliated with Head Start
programs to participate in its Head Start program as
volunteers; and
[(11)(A) inform custodial parents in single-parent
families that participate in programs, activities, or
services carried out or provided under this subchapter
about the availability of child support services for
purposes of establishing paternity and acquiring child
support; and
[(B) refer eligible parents to the child support
offices of State and local governments.
[(c) The head of each Head Start agency shall coordinate
and collaborate with the State agency responsible for
administering the State program carried out under the Child
Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et
seq.), and other early childhood education and development
programs, including Even Start programs under part B of chapter
1 of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 2741 et seq.) and programs under part C and
section 619 of the Individuals withDisabilities Education Act
(20 U.S.C. 1431-1445, 1419), serving the children and families served
by the Head Start agency to carry out the provisions of this
subchapter.
[(d)(1) Each Head Start agency shall take steps to ensure,
to the maximum extent possible, that children maintain the
developmental and educational gains achieved in Head Start
programs and build upon such gains in further schooling.
[(2) A Head Start agency may take steps to coordinate with
the local educational agency serving the community involved and
with schools in which children participating in a Head Start
program operated by such agency will enroll following such
program, including--
[(A) collaborating on the shared use of
transportation and facilities; and
[(B) exchanging information on the provision of
noneducational services to such children.
[(3) In order to promote the continued involvement of the
parents of children that participate in Head Start programs in
the education of their children upon transition to school, the
Head Start agency shall--
[(A) provide training to the parents--
[(i) to inform the parents about their rights
and responsibilities concerning the education
of their children; and
[(ii) to enable the parents to understand and
work with schools in order to communicate with
teachers and other school personnel, to support
the school work of their children, and to
participate as appropriate in decisions
relating to the education of their children;
and
[(B) take other actions, as appropriate and feasible,
to support the active involvement of the parents with
schools, school personnel, and school-related
organizations.
[(4) The Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of
Education, shall--
[(A) evaluate the effectiveness of the projects and
activities funded under section 642A;
[(B) disseminate to Head Start agencies information
(including information from the evaluation required by
subparagraph (A)) on effective policies and activities
relating to the transition of children from Head Start
programs to public schools; and
[(C) provide technical assistance to such agencies to
promote and assist such agencies to adopt and implement
such effective policies and activities.
[(e) Head Start agencies shall adopt, in consultation with
experts in child development and with classroom teachers, an
assessment to be used when hiring or evaluating any classroom
teacher in a center-based Head Start program. Such assessment
shall measure whether such teacher has mastered the functions
described in section 648A(a)(1).
[SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION.
[Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate with
the local educational agency serving the community involved and
with schools in which children participating in a Head Start
program operated by such agency will enroll following such
program, including--
[(1) developing and implementing a systematic
procedure for transferring, with parental consent, Head
Start program records for each participating child to
the school in which such child will enroll;
[(2) establishing channels of communication between
Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools
(including teachers, social workers, and health staff)
to facilitate coordination of programs;
[(3) conducting meetings involving parents,
kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head
Start program teachers to discuss the educational,
developmental, and other needs of individual children;
[(4) organizing and participating in joint
transition-related training of school and Head Start
staff;
[(5) developing and implementing a family outreach
and support program in cooperation with entities
carrying out parental involvement efforts under title I
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
[(6) assisting families, administrators, and teachers
in enhancing educational and developmental continuity
between Head Start services and elementary school
classes; and
[(7) linking the services provided in such Head Start
program with the education services provided by such
local educational agency.]
SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--In order to be designated as a Head Start
agency under this subchapter, an agency shall have authority
under its charter or applicable law to receive and administer
funds provided under this subchapter, funds and contributions
from private or local public sources that may be used in
support of a Head Start program, and funds provided under any
Federal or State assistance program pursuant to which a public
or private nonprofit or for-profit agency (as the case may be)
organized in accordance with this subchapter, could act as a
grantee, contractor, or sponsor of projects appropriate for
inclusion in a Head Start program. Such an agency shall also be
empowered to transfer funds so received, and to delegate powers
to other agencies, subject to the powers of its governing board
and its overall program responsibilities. The power to transfer
funds and delegate powers shall include the power to make
transfers and delegations covering component projects in all
cases in which that power will contribute to efficiency and
effectiveness or otherwise further program objectives.
(b) Additional Requirements.--In order to be designated as a
Head Start agency under this subchapter, a Head Start agency
shall also--
(1) establish a program with all standards set forth
in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the
standards set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of
such section;
(2) demonstrate the capacity to serve eligible
children with scientifically based curricula and other
interventions and support services that help promote
the school readiness of children participating in the
program;
(3) establish effective procedures and provide for
the regular assessment of Head Start children,
including observational and direct formal assessment,
where appropriate;
(4) seek the involvement of parents, area residents,
and local business in the design and implementation of
the program;
(5) provide for the regular participation of parents
and area residents in the implementation of the
program;
(6) provide technical and other support needed to
enable such parents and area residents to secure, on
their own behalf, available assistance from public and
private sources;
(7) establish effective procedures to facilitate the
involvement of parents of participating children in
activities designed to help such parents become full
partners in the education of their children, and to
afford such parents the opportunity to participate in
the development and overall conduct of the program at
the local level;
(8) conduct outreach to schools in which Head Start
children will enroll, local educational agencies, the
local business community, community-based
organizations, faith-based organizations, museums, and
libraries to generate support and leverage the
resources of the entire local community in order to
improve school readiness;
(9) offer (directly or through referral to local
entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start
programs under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6381 et seq.)), to parents of participating
children, family literacy services, and parenting
skills training;
(10) offer to parents of participating children
substance abuse and other counseling (either directly
or through referral to local entities), if needed,
including information on the effect of drug exposure on
infants and fetal alcohol syndrome;
(11) at the option of such agency, offer (directly or
through referral to local entities), to such parents--
(A) training in basic child development
(including cognitive development);
(B) assistance in developing literacy and
communication skills;
(C) opportunities to share experiences with
other parents (including parent mentor
relationships);
(D) regular in-home visitation; or
(E) any other activity designed to help such
parents become full partners in the education
of their children;
(12) provide, with respect to each participating
family, a family needs assessment that includes
consultation with such parents about the benefits of
parent involvement and about the activities described
in this subsection in which such parents may choose to
be involved (taking into consideration their specific
family needs, work schedules, and other
responsibilities);
(13) consider providing services to assist younger
siblings of children participating in its Head Start
program, to obtain health services from other sources;
(14) perform community outreach to encourage
individuals previously unaffiliated with Head Start
programs to participate in its Head Start program as
volunteers; and
(15)(A) inform custodial parents in single-parent
families that participate in programs, activities, or
services carried out or provided under this subchapter
about the availability of child support services for
purposes of establishing paternity and acquiring child
support; and
(B) refer eligible parents to the child support
offices of State and local governments.
(c) Progress.--
(1) In general.--Each Head Start agency shall take
steps to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that
children maintain the developmental and educational
gains achieved in Head Start programs and build upon
such gains in further schooling.
(2) Coordination.--
(A) Local educational agency.--In communities
where both public prekindergarten programs and
Head Start programs operate, a Head Start
agency shall collaborate and coordinate
activities with the local educational agency or
other public agency responsible for the
operation of the prekindergarten program and
providers of prekindergarten, including
outreach activities to identify eligible
children.
(B) Elementary schools.--Head Start staff
shall, with the permission of the parents of
children enrolled in Head Start programs,
regularly communicate with the elementary
schools such children will be attending to--
(i) share information about such
children;
(ii) get advice and support from the
teachers in such elementary schools
regarding teaching strategies and
options; and
(iii) ensure a smooth transition to
elementary school for such children.
(C) Other programs.--The head of each Head
Start agency shall coordinate activities and
collaborate with the State agency responsible
for administering the State program carried out
under the Child Care and Development Block
Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), and
other entities carrying out early childhood
education and development programs, programs
under subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431
et seq.), Even Start programs under subpart 3
of part B of title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381
et seq.), and programs under section 619 and
part C of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C 1419, 1431 et seq.),
serving the children and families served by the
Head Start agency.
(3) Collaboration.--A Head Start agency shall take
steps to coordinate activities with the local
educational agency serving the community involved and
with schools in which children participating in a Head
Start program operated by such agency will enroll
following such program, including--
(A) collaborating on the shared use of
transportation and facilities;
(B) collaborating to reduce the duplication
of services while increasing the program
participation of underserved populations of
eligible children; and
(C) exchanging information on the provision
of noneducational services to such children.
(4) Parental involvement.--In order to promote the
continued involvement of the parents of children that
participate in Head Start programs in the education of
their children upon transition to school, the Head
Start agency shall--
(A) provide training to the parents--
(i) to inform the parents about their
rights and responsibilities concerning
the education of their children; and
(ii) to enable the parents--
(I) to understand and work
with schools in order to
communicate with teachers and
other school personnel;
(II) to support the
schoolwork of their children;
and
(III) to participate as
appropriate in decisions
relating to the education of
their children; and
(B) take other actions, as appropriate and
feasible, to support the active involvement of
the parents with schools, school personnel, and
school-related organizations.
(d) Assessment.--Each Head Start agency shall adopt, in
consultation with experts in child development and with
classroom teachers, an assessment to be used when hiring or
evaluating any classroom teacher in a center-based Head Start
program. Such assessment shall measure whether such teacher has
mastered the functions described in section 648A(a)(1) and
attained a level of literacy appropriate to implement Head
Start curricula.
(e) Funded Enrollment; Waiting List.--Each Head Start
agency shall enroll 100 percent of its funded enrollment and
maintain an active waiting list at all times with ongoing
outreach to the community and activities to identify
underserved populations.''.
SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT WITH K-12 EDUCATION.
Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate
activities with the local educational agency serving the
community involved and with schools in which children
participating in a Head Start program operated by such agency
will enroll following such program, including--
(1) developing and implementing a systematic
procedure for transferring, with parental consent, Head
Start program records for each participating child to
the school in which such child will enroll;
(2) establishing ongoing channels of communication
between Head Start staff and their counterparts in the
schools (including teachers, social workers, health
staff, and local educational agency liaisons designated
under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)))
to facilitate coordination of programs;
(3) developing continuity of developmentally
appropriate curricula and practice between the Head
Start agency and local educational agency to ensure an
effective transition and appropriate shared
expectations for children's learning and development as
the children make the transition to school;
(4) conducting meetings involving parents,
kindergarten or elementary school teachers, and Head
Start teachers to discuss the educational,
developmental, and other needs of individual children;
(5) organizing and participating in joint training,
including transition-related training of school staff
and Head Start staff;
(6) developing and implementing a family outreach and
support program, in cooperation with entities carrying
out parental involvement efforts under title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), and family outreach and support
efforts under subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et
seq.), taking into consideration the language needs of
limited English proficient parents;
(7) assisting families, administrators, and teachers
in enhancing educational and developmental continuity
and continuity of parental involvement in activities
between Head Start services and elementary school
classes;
(8) linking the services provided in such Head Start
program with the education services, including services
relating to language, literacy, and numeracy, provided
by such local educational agency;
(9) helping parents understand the importance of
parental involvement in a child's academic success
while teaching the parents strategies for maintaining
parental involvement as their child moves from the Head
Start program to elementary school;
(10) developing and implementing a system to increase
program participation of underserved populations of
eligible children, including children with disabilities
and limited English proficient children; and
(11) coordinating activities and collaborating to
ensure that curricula used in the Head Start program is
aligned with State early learning standards with regard
to cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
competencies that children entering kindergarten are
expected to demonstrate.
* * * * * * *
SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS
Sec. 643. In carrying out the provisions of this
subchapter, no contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance
shall be made for the purpose of carrying out a Head Start
program within a State unless a plan setting forth such
proposed contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance has
been submitted to the chief executive officer of the State for
approval, and such plan has not been disapproved by such
officer within 45 days of such submission, or, if disapproved
(for reasons other than failure of the program to comply with
State health, safety, and child care laws, including
regulations applicable to comparable child care programs in the
State), has been reconsidered by the Secretary and found by the
Secretary to be fully consistent with the provisions and in
furtherance of the purposes of this subchapter, as evidenced by
a written statement of the Secretary's findings that is
transmitted to such officer. Funds to cover the costs of the
proposed contract, agreement, grant, or other assistance shall
be obligated from the appropriation which is current at the
time the plan is submitted to such officer. This section shall
not, however, apply to contracts, agreements, grant, loans, or
other assistance to Indian and migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs in existence on the date of enactment of the Head
Start Improvements for School Readiness Act, or to any
institution of higher education in existence on the date of the
enactment of this Act.
* * * * * * *
PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS
Sec. 645. (a)(1) The Secretary shall be regulation
prescribe eligibility for the participation of person in Head
Start programs assisted under this subchapter. Except as
provided in paragraph (2), such criteria may provide--
(A) that children from low-income families shall be
eligible for paticipation in programs assisted under
this subchapter if their families' incomes are below
130 percent of the poverty line, or if their families
are eligible or, in the absence of child care, would
potentially be eligible for public assistance; and
* * * * * * *
(3)(A) In this paragraph:
(i) The term ``dependent'' has the meaning given the
term in paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of section
401(a) of title 37, United States Code.
(ii) The terms ``member'' and ``uniformed services''
have the meanings given the terms in paragraphs (23)
and (3), respectively, of section 101 of title 37,
United States Code.
(B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of a member of
the uniformed services shall not be considered to be income for
purposes of determining the eligibility of a dependent of such
member for programs funded under this subchapter:
(i) The amount of any special pay payable under
section 310 if title 37, United States Code, relating
to duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger.
(ii) The amount of basic allowance payable under
section 403 of such title, including any such amount
that is provided on behalf of the member for housing
that is acquired or constructed under the alternative
authority for the acquisition and improvement of
military housing under subchapter IV of chapter 169 of
title 10, United States Code, or any other related
provision of law.
(4) After demonstrating a need through a community needs
assessment, a Head Start agency may apply to the Secretary to
convert part-day sessions, particularly consecutive part-day
sessions, into full-day sessions.
* * * * * * *
[SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND
TODDLERS.]
SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--* * *
* * * * * * *
(4) [provide services to parents to support their
role as parents] provide additional services to parents
to support their role as parents (including parenting
skills training and training in basic child
development) and to help the families move toward self-
sufficiency (including educational and employment
services as appropriate);
(5) coordinate services with services (including
home-based services) provided by programs in the State
and programs in the community (including programs for
infants and toddlers with disabilities) to ensure a
comprehensive array of services (such as health and
mental health services, and family support services);
* * * * * * *
(7) develop and implement a systematic procedure for
transitioning children and parents from an Early Head
Start program into a Head Start program or another
local early childhood education program;
(8) establish channels of communication between staff
of Early Head Start programs and staff of Head Start
programs or other local early childhood education
programs, to facilitate the coordination of programs;
[(7)] (9) in the case of a Head Start agency that
operates a program and that also provides Head Start
services through the age of mandatory school
attendance, ensure that children and families
participating in the program receive such services
through such age;
[(8)] (10) ensure formal linkages with the agencies
and entities described in section 644(b) of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1444(b)) [and providers], providers of early
intervention services for infants and toddlers with
disabilities under the Individual with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and the
agencies responsible for administering section 106 of
the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C.
5106a); and
[(9)] (11) meet such other requirements concerning
design and operation of the program described in
subsection (a) as the Secretary may establish.
(d) Eligible Service Providers.--To be eligible to receive
assistance under this section, an entity shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
Entities that may apply to carry out activities under this
section include--
(1) entities operating Head Start programs under this
subchapter including tribal governments and entities
operating migrant and seasonal Head Start programs; and
(2) other public entities, and nonprofit or for-
profit private entities, including community-based
organizations, capable of providing child and family
services that meet the standards for participation in
programs under this subchapter and meet such other
appropriate requirements relating to the activities
under this section as the Secretary may establish.
* * * * * * *
(g) Monitoring, Training, Technical Assistance, and
Evaluation.--
(1) Requirement.--* * *
* * * * * * *
[(iv) providing professional
development and personnel enhancement
activities, including the provision of
funds to recipients of grants under
subsection (a) for the recruitment and
retention of qualified staff with an
appropriate level of education and
experience.]
(iv) providing professional
development and personnel enhancement
activities, including the provision of
funds to recipients of grants under
subsection (a), relating to--
(I) effective methods of
conducting parent education,
home visiting, and promoting
quality early childhood
development;
(II) recruiting and retaining
qualified staff; and
(III) increasing program
participation for underserved
populations of eligible
children.
* * * * * * *
(h) Staff Qualifications and Development.--
(1) Center-based staff.--The Secretary shall ensure
that, not later than September 30, 2009, all teachers
providing direct services to Early Head Start children
and families in Early Head Start centers have a minimum
of a child development associate credential or an
associate degree, and have been trained (or have
equivalent course work) in early childhood development.
(2) Home visitor staff.--
(A) Standards.--In order to further enhance
the quality of home visiting services provided
to families of children participating in home-
based, center-based, or combination program
options under this subchapter, the Secretary
shall establish standards for training,
qualifications, and the conduct of home visits
for home visitor staff in Early Head Start
programs.
(B) Contents.--The standards for training,
qualifications, and the conduct of home visits
shall include content related to--
(i) structured child-focused home
visiting that promotes parents' ability
to support the child's cognitive,
social, emotional, and physical
development;
(ii) effective strengths-based parent
education, including methods to
encourage parents as their child's
first teachers;
(iii) early childhood development
with respect to children from birth
through age 3;
(iv) methods to help parents promote
emergent literacy in their children
from birth through age 3;
(v) health, vision, hearing, and
developmental screenings;
(vi) strategies for helping families
coping with crisis; and
(vii) the relationship of health and
well-being of pregnant women to
prenatal and early child development.
* * * * * * *
RECORDS AND AUDITS
Sec. 647. (a) [Each recipient of] Each Head Start agency,
Head Start center, or Early Head Start center receiving
financial assistance under this subchapter shall keep such
records as the Secretary shall prescribe, including records
which fully disclose the amount and disposition by such
recipient of the proceeds of such financial assistance, the
total cost of the project or undertaking in connection with
which such financial assistance is given or used, the amount of
that portion of the cost of the project or undertaking supplied
by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an
effective audit.
(b) * * *
* * * * * * *
(c) Each Head Start agency, Head Start center, or Early
Head Start center receiving financial assistance under this
subchapter shall maintain, and annually submit to the
Secretary, a complete accounting of its administrative
expenses, including expenses for salaries and compensation
funded under this subchapter and provide such additional
documentation as the Secretary may require.
* * * * * * *
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING
Sec. 648. (a) The Secretary shall provide, directly or
through grants or other arrangements (1) technical assistance
to communities in developing, conducting, and administering
programs under this subchapter; and (2) training for
specialized or other personnel needed in connection with Head
Start programs, in accordance with the process, and the
provisions for allocating resources, set forth in subsections
[(b) and (c)] (b), (c), and (d).
(b) The Secretary shall make available funds set aside in
section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a regional or State system
of early childhood education training and technical assistance
that improves the capacity of Head Start programs to deliver
services in accordance with the standards described in section
641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the standards
described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section. The
Secretary shall--
(1) ensure that agencies with demonstrated expertise
in providing high quality training and technical
assistance to improve the delivery of Head Start
services, including the State Head Start Associations,
State agencies, migrant and seasonal Head Start
programs, and other entities providing training and
technical assistance in early education, for the region
or State are included in the planning and coordination
of the system; and
(2) encourage States to supplement the funds
authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) with Federal,
State, or local funds other than Head Start funds, to
expand training and technical assistance activities
beyond Head Start agencies to include other providers
of other early childhood services within a region or
State.
[(b)] (c) The process for determining the technical
assistance and training activities to be carried out under this
section shall--
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
[(c)] (d) In allocating resources for technical assistance
and training under this section, the Secretary shall--
(1) give priority consideration to--
(A) * * *
* * * * * * *
(B) assisting Head Start agencies in--
(i) ensuring the school readiness of
children; and
(ii) meeting the [educational
performance measures] measures
described in section 641A(b)(4);
(2) supplement amounts provided under section
640(a)(3)(C)(ii) in order to address the training and
career development needs of classroom staff (including
instruction for providing services to children with
disabilities and for activities described in section
1221(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371(b)(3))) and nonclassroom
staff, including home visitors and other staff working
directly with families, including training relating to
increasing parent involvement and service designed to
increase family literacy and improve parenting skills;
* * * * * * *
(5) assist Head Start agencies and programs in
conducting and participating in communitywide strategic
planning and needs assessment, including assessing the
needs of homeless children and their families;
* * * * * * *
(10) assist Head Start agencies in developing
innovative program models, including mobile and home-
based programs[; and];
(11) provide support for Head Start agencies
(including policy councils and policy committees, as
defined in regulation) that meet the standards
described in section 641A(a) but that have, as
documented by the Secretary through reviews conducted
pursuant to section 641A(c), significant programmatic,
quality, and fiscal issues to address[.]; and
(12) assist Head Start agencies and programs in
increasing the program participation of eligible
homeless children.
[(d)](e) The Secretary may provide, either directly or
through grants to public or private nonprofit entities
including community-based organizations,, training for Head
Start personnel in the use of the performing and visual arts
and interactive programs using electronic media to enhance the
learning experience of Head Start children. Special
consideration shall be given to entities that have demonstrated
effectiveness in educational programming for preschool children
that includes components for parental involvement, care
provider training, and developmentally appropriate related
activities.
[(e)](f) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or
through grants or other arrangements, funds from programs
authorized under this subchapter to support an organization to
administer a centralized child development and national
assessment program leading to recognized credentials for
personnel working in early childhood development and child care
programs, training for personnel providing services to non-
English language background children (including services to
promote the acquisition of the English language), or providing
services to children determined to be abused or neglected,
training for personnel providing services to children referred
by entities providing child welfare services or receiving child
welfare services, training for personnel in helping children
cope with community violence, and resource access projects for
personnel working with disabled children.
(g) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through
grants or other arrangements, funds for training of Head Start
personnel in addressing the unique needs of migrant and
seasonal farmworking families, families with limited English
proficiency, and homeless families.
(h) Funds used under this section shall be used to provide
high quality, sustained, and intensive, training and technical
assistance in order to have a positive and lasting impact on
classroom instruction. Funds shall be used to carry out
activities related to 1 or more of the following:
(1) Education and early childhood development.
(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety.
(3) Family and community partnerships.
(4) Other areas that impact the quality or overall
effectiveness of Head Start programs.
(i) Funds used under this section for training shall be
used for needs identified annually by a grant applicant or
delegate agency in its program improvement plan, except that
funds shall not be used for long-distance travel expenses for
training activities--
(1) available locally or regionally; or
(2) substantially similar to locally or regionally
available training activities.
(j)(1) To support local efforts to enhance early language
and preliteracy development of children in Head Start programs,
and to provide the children with high-quality oral language
skills, and environments that are rich in literature, in which
to acquire language and preliteracy skills, each Head Start
agency, in coordination with the appropriate State office and
the relevant State Head Start collaboration office, shall
ensure that all of the agency's Head Start teachers receive
ongoing training in language and emergent literacy (referred to
in this subsection as ``literacy training''), including
appropriate curricula and assessments to improve instruction
and learning. Such training shall include training in methods
to promote phonological and phonemic awareness and vocabulary
development in an age-appropriate and culturally and
linguistically appropriate manner.
(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the local
level in order--
(A) to be provided, to the extent feasible, in the
context of the Head Start programs of the State
involved and the children the program serves; and
(B) to be tailored to the early childhood literacy
background and experience of the teachers involved.
(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and
linguistically appropriate and support children's development
in their home language.
(4) The literacy training shall include training in how to
work with parents to enhance positive language and early
literacy development at home.
(5) The literacy training shall include specific methods to
best address the needs of children who are English language
learners, have speech and language delays, including problems
with articulation, or have other disabilities.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 648A. STAFF QUALIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT.
(A) Classroom Teachers.--
(1) Professional requirements.--* * *
* * * * * * *
[(2) Degree requirements.--
[(A) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure
that not later than September 30, 2003, at
least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers
nationwide in center-based programs have--
[(i) an associate, baccalaureate, or
advanced degree in early childhood
education; or
[(ii) an associate, baccalaureate, or
advanced degree in a field related to
early childhood education, with
experience in teaching preschool
children.
[(B) Progress.--The Secretary shall require
Head Start agencies to demonstrate continuing
progress each year to reach the result
described in subparagraph (A).]
(2) Degree requirements.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure
that--
(i) not later than September 30,
2009, all Head Start teachers in
center-based programs have at least--
(I)(aa) an associate degree
(or equivalent coursework)
relating to early childhood; or
(bb) an associate degree in a
related educational area and,
to the extent practicable,
coursework relating to early
childhood; and
(II) demonstrated teaching
competencies, as determined by
the program director involved
(including, at a minimum, an
appropriate level of literacy,
a demonstrated capacity to be
highly engaged with children,
and a demonstrated ability to
effectively implement an early
childhood curriculum); and
(ii) not later than September 30,
2007, all Head Start curriculum
specialists and education coordinators
in center-based programs have--
(I) the capacity to offer
assistance to other teachers in
the implementation and
adaptation of curricula to the
group and individual needs of a
class; and
(II)(aa) a baccalaureate or
advanced degree relating to
early childhood; or
(bb) a baccalaureate or
advanced degree and coursework
equivalent to a major relating
to early childhood;
(iii) not later than September 30,
2007, all Head Start teaching
assistants in center-based programs
have--
(I) at least a child
development associate
credential;
(II) enrolled in a program
leading to an associate or
baccalaureate degree; or
(III) enrolled in a child
development associate
credential program to be
completed within 2 years; and
(iv) not later than September 30,
2010, 50 percent of all Head Start
teachers in each center-based program
have a baccalaureate degree relating to
early childhood or a related
educational area (or equivalent
coursework), and demonstrated teaching
competencies, as determined by the
program director involved (including,
at a minimum, an appropriate level of
literacy, a demonstrated capacity to be
highly engaged with children, and a
demonstrated ability to effectively
implement an early childhood
curriculum).
(B) Progress.--
(i) Report.--The Secretary shall--
(I) require Head Start
agencies to--
(aa) demonstrate
continuing progress
each year to reach the
result described in
subparagraph (A);
(bb) submit to the
Secretary a report
indicating the number
and percentage of
classroom instructors
in center-based
programs with child
development associate
credentials or
associate,
baccalaureate, or
graduate degrees; and
(II) compile and submit a
summary of all program reports
described in subclause (I)(bb)
to the Committee on Education
and the Workforce of the House
of Representatives and the
Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate.
(C) Service requirements.--The Secretary
shall establish requirements to ensure that, in
order to enable Head Start agencies to comply
with the requirements of subparagraph (A),
individuals who receive financial assistance
under this subchapter to pursue a degree
described in subparagraph (A) shall--
(i) teach or work in a Head Start
program for a minimum of 3 years after
receiving the degree; or
(ii) repay the total or a prorated
amount of the financial assistance
received based on the length of service
completed after receiving the degree.
[(3) Alternative credentialing requirements.--The
Secretary shall ensure that, for center-based programs,
each Head Start classroom that does not have a teacher
that meets the requirements of clause (i) or (ii) of
paragraph (2)(A) is assigned one teacher who has--
[(A) a child development associate credential
that is appropriate to the age of the children
being served in center-based programs;
[(B) a State-awarded certificate for
preschool teachers that meets or exceeds the
requirements for a child development associate
credential; or
[(C) a degree in a field related to early
childhood education with experience in teaching
preschool children and a State-awarded
certificate to teach in a preschool program.
[(4) Waiver.--
[(A) In general.--On request, the Secretary
shall grant a 180-day waiver of the
requirements of paragraph (3), for a Head Start
agency that can demonstrate that the agency has
unsuccessfully attempted to recruit an
individual who has a credential, certificate,
or degree described in paragraph (3), with
respect to an individual who--
[(i) is enrolled in a program that
grants any such credential,
certificate, or degree; and
[(ii) will receive such credential,
certificate, or degree under the terms
of such program not later than 180 days
after beginning employment as a teacher
with such agency.
[(B) Limitation.--The Secretary may not grant
more than one such waiver with respect to such
individual.]
``(3) Waiver.--
(A) In general.--On request, the Secretary
may grant a waiver of the postsecondary degree
requirements of paragraph (2) for 1 or more
Head Start agencies, either individually,
statewide, or throughout a region, that can
demonstrate--
(i) that continuing aggressive
statewide and national efforts have
been unsuccessful at recruiting an
individual to serve as a Head Start
teacher or curriculum specialist or
education coordinator who meets the
requirements of paragraph (2)(A);
(ii) limited access to degree
programs (including quality distance
learning programs), due to the remote
location of the program involved; or
(iii) that Head Start staff members
are, as of the day the waiver is
granted, is enrolled in a program
that--
(I) grants the required
degree; and
(II) will be completed within
1 year.
(B) Limitation.--An agency that receives a
waiver under subparagraph (A) shall ensure that
Head Start teachers for the agency, as of the
day the waiver is granted, who have not met the
postsecondary degree requirements of paragraph
(2) but are otherwise highly qualified and
competent shall be directly and appropriately
supervised by a teacher who has met or exceeded
the requirements of this subchapter.
(C) Duration.--The Secretary may not grant a
waiver under subparagraph (A) for a period that
exceeds 1 year.
* * * * * * *
(c) Family Service Workers.-- * * *
(1) * * *
(2) promote the development of model curricula (on
subjects including parenting training and family
literacy) designed to ensure the attainment of
appropriate competencies by individuals working or
planning to work in the field of early childhood and
family services; [and]
(3) promote the establishment of a credential that
indicates attainment the competencies and that is
accepted nationwide[.] ; and
(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies to meet
the needs of special populations (including limited
English proficient populations).
(d) Head Start Fellowships.--
(1) Authority.-- * * *
* * * * * * *
(3) Assignments of fellows.--
(A) * * *
(B) * * *
(C) No placement in lobbying organizations.--
Head Start Fellowship positions may not be
located in any agency, including a center,
whose primary purpose, or one of whose major
purposes, is to influence Federal, State, or
local legislation.
* * * * * * *
(e) Model Staffing Plans.-- * * *
(f) Professional Development Plans.--Every Head Start agency
and center shall create, in consultation with employees of the
agency or center (including family service workers), a
professional development plan for employees who provide direct
services to children, including a plan for classroom teachers,
curriculum specialists, and education coordinators to meet the
requirements set forth in subsection (a).
* * * * * * *
SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY-HEAD START PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.
(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to promote
social competencies and school readiness in Indian children.
(b) Tribal College or University-Head Start Partnership
Program.--
(1) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to award
grants, for periods of not less than 5 years, to Tribal
Colleges and Universities to--
(A) implement education programs that include
education concerning tribal culture and
language and increase the number of associate,
baccalaureate, and graduate degrees in early
childhood education and related fields that are
earned by Indian Head Start agency staff
members, parents of children served by such an
agency, and members of the tribal community
involved;
(B) develop and implement the programs under
subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated
formats; and
(C) provide technology literacy programs for
Indian Head Start agency staff members and
children and families of children served by
such an agency.
(2) Staffing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
American Indian Programs Branch of the Head Start
Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services
shall have staffing sufficient to administer the
programs under this section and to provide appropriate
technical assistance to Tribal Colleges and
Universities receiving grants under this section
(c) Application.--Each Tribal College or University
desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application
to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary may require, including a
certification that the Tribal College or University has
established a partnership with 1 or more Indian Head Start
agencies for the purpose of conducting the activities described
in subsection (b).
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for
fiscal year 2004 and such sums as may be necessary for each of
fiscal years 2005 through 2008.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning
given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(2) Tribal college or university.--The term ``Tribal
College or University''--
(A) has the meaning given such term in
section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1059c); and
(B) means an institution determined to be
accredited or a candidate for accreditation by
a nationally recognized accrediting agency or
association.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 649. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION.
(a) In General--
(1) Requirement; general purposes.--* * *
(A) * * *
(B) use the Head Start programs to develop,
test, and disseminate new ideas and approaches
for addressing the needs of low-income
preschool children (including children with
disabilities and children determined to be
abused or neglected and their families and
communities (including demonstrations of
innovative noncenter-based program models such
as home-based and mobile programs), and
otherwise to further the purposes of this
subchapter.
* * * * * * *
(d) Specific Objectives.-- * * *
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(8) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge
is insufficient, and that will otherwise contribute to
fulfilling the purposes of this subchapter; and
[(9) study the experiences of small, medium, and
large States with Head Start programs in order to
permit comparisons of children participating in the
programs with eligible children who did not participate
in the programs, which study--
[(A) may include the use of a data set that
existed prior to the initiation of the study;
and
[(B) shall compare the educational
achievement, social adaptation, and health
status of the participating children and the
eligible nonparticipating children; and]
[(10)] (9) provide for--
(A) * * *
* * * * * * *
(E) * * *
[The Secretary shall ensure that an appropriate entity carries
out a study described in paragraph (9), and prepares and
submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a report
containing the results of the study, not later than September
30, 2002.]
* * * * * * *
(g) National Head Start Impact Research.--
(1) Expert panel.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall appoint
an independent panel consisting of experts in
program evaluation and research, education, and
early childhood programs--
[(i) to review, and make
recommendations on, the design and plan
for the research (whether conducted as
a single assessment or as a series of
assessments) described in paragraph
(2), within 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Coats Human Services
Reauthorization Act of 1998;]
[(ii)] (i) to maintain and advise the
Secretary regarding the progress of the
research; and
[(iii)] (ii) to comment, if the panel
so desires, on the interim and final
research reports submitted under
paragraph (7).
* * * * * * *
(7) Reports.--
(A) Submission of interim reports.-- * * *
* * * * * * *
(C) Transmittal of reports to congress.--
(i) In general.--The Secretary shall
transmit, to the committees described
in clause (ii), the first interim
report by September 30, [1999] 2003,
the second interim report by September
30, [2001] 2005, and the final report
by September 30, [2003] 2006.
(ii) Committees.--The committees
referred to in clause (i) are the
Committee on Education and the
Workforce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on
[Labor and Human Resources] Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate.
* * * * * * *
[(h) Quality Improvement Study.--
[(1) Study.--the Secretary shall conduct a study
regarding the use and effects of use of the quality
improvement funds made available under section
640(a)(3) since fiscal year 1991.
[(2) Report.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit
to Congress not later than September 2000 a report
containing the results of the study, including
information on--
[(A) the types of activities funded with the
quality improvement funds;
[(B) the extent to which the use of the
quality improvement funds has accomplished the
goals of section 640(a)(3)(B);
[(C) the effect of use of the quality
improvement funds on teacher training,
salaries, benefits, recruitment, and retention;
and
[(D) the effect of use of the quality
improvement funds on the development of
children receiving services under this
subchapter.]
(h) National Academy of Sciences Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall enter into a
contract with the Board on Children, Youth, and
Families of the National Research Council, the Board on
Testing and Assessments, and the Institute of Medicine,
of the National Academy of Sciences to establish an
independent panel of experts to review and synthesize
research and theories in the social, behavioral, and
biological sciences regarding early childhood, and make
recommendations with regard to each of the following:
(A) Age- and developmentally appropriate Head
Start academic requirements and outcomes,
including the standards described in section
641A(a)(1)(B)(ii).
(B) Differences in the type, length, mix, and
intensity of services that are necessary to
ensure that children from challenging family or
social backgrounds (including low-income
children, children with disabilities, and
limited English proficient children) enter
kindergarten ready to succeed.
(C) Appropriate assessments of young children
for the purposes of improving instruction,
services, and program quality, including--
(i) formal and systematic
observational assessments in a child's
natural environment;
(ii) assessments of children's
development through parent and provider
interviews;
(iii) assessments of appropriate
accommodations for children with
disabilities;
(iv) appropriate assessments for
children with disabilities, limited
English proficient children, and
children from different cultural
backgrounds; and
(v) other assessments used in Head
Start programs.
(D) Identification of existing, or
recommendations for the development of,
scientifically-based, valid and reliable
assessments that are capable of measuring child
outcomes in the domains important to school
readiness, including language skills,
prereading ability, premathematics ability,
cognitive ability, scientific ability, social
and emotional development, and physical
development;
(E) Appropriate use and application of valid
and reliable assessments for Head Start
programs identified in accordance with
subparagraph (D).
(2) Composition.--
(A) In general.--The panel described in
paragraph (1) shall consist of multiple experts
in each of the following areas:
(i) Child development (including
cognitive, social, emotional, and
physical development) and child
education (including approaches to
learning).
(ii) Professional development,
including preparation of individuals
who teach young children.
(iii) Assessment of young children
(including children with disabilities
and limited English proficient
children), including screening,
diagnostic, and classroom-based
instructional assessment.
(B) Representatives.--The panel described in
paragraph (1) shall be selected and appointed
by the National Academy of Sciences and shall
include, to the extent practicable,
representatives of--
(i) the Department of Health and
Human Services, including
representatives of--
(I) the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention;
(II) the National Institute
of Mental Health; and
(III) the National Institute
of Child Health and Human
Development;
(ii) the National Association for the
Education of Young Children;
(iii) the National Center for
Learning Disabilities;
(iv) the American Academy of
Pediatrics;
(v) the Institute of Education
Sciences of the Department of
Education;
(vi) the General Accounting Office;
and
(vii) other entities with noted
experts in the fields of early care and
early childhood education, including
additional representatives of Federal
agencies.
(3) Timing.--
(A) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of the Head Start
Improvements for School Readiness Act, the
Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the
National Research Council, the Board on Testing
and Assessments, and the Institute of Medicine,
of the National Academy of Sciences shall
establish the panel described in paragraph (1),
including selecting and appointing the members
of the panel. Representatives described in
paragraph (2) shall be selected and appointed
after consultation with the Secretary.
(B) Recommendations.--Not later than 1 year
after the panel described in paragraph (1) is
established, the panel shall complete, and
submit to the Secretary a report containing,
the recommendations described in paragraph (1).
The Secretary shall not implement the
amendments made to section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) by
the Head Start Improvements for School
Readiness Act until the panel submits the
report.
(4) Application of panel report.--The Secretary shall
use the results of the review and recommendations
described in paragraph (1) to (where appropriate)
develop, inform, and revise--
(A) the educational standards, and the
performance measures, described in section
641A; and
(B) the assessments utilized in the Head
Start programs.
(5) Contract.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
contract referred to in paragraph (1) provides that--
(A) the National Academy of Sciences shall
receive through the contract--
(i)(I) a total amount if the panel
described in paragraph (1) submits the
report described in paragraph (3)(B)
not later than the date that is 1 year
after the panel is established; or
(II) \1/2\ of the total amount if the
panel submits the report later than
that date; and
(ii)(I) not more than \1/2\ of the
total amount, prior to the date on
which the panel is established; and
(II) the remainder of the sum
described in subclause (I) or (II) of
clause (i), as appropriate, after the
panel submits the report; and
(B) the Secretary may require additional
penalties, including repayment of funds, as
appropriate, for failure to submit the report
or to carry out other duties under this
subsection.
(i) Services to Limited English Proficient Children and
Families.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on
the status of limited English proficient children and
their families in Head Start or Early Head Start
programs.
(2) Report.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit
to Congress, not later than September 2008, a report
containing the results of the study, including
information on--
(A) the demographics of limited English
proficient children from birth through age 5,
including the number of such children receiving
Head Start or Early Head Start services and the
geographic distribution of children described
in this subparagraph;
(B) the nature of Head Start or Early Head
Start services provided to limited English
proficient children and their families,
including the types, content, duration,
intensity, and costs of family services,
language assistance, and educational services;
(C) procedures in Head Start programs for the
assessment of language needs and the transition
of limited English proficient children to
kindergarten, including the extent to which
Head Start programs meet the requirements of
section 642A for limited English proficient
children;
(D) the qualifications and training provided
to Head Start and Early Head Start teachers
serving limited English proficient children and
their families;
(E) the rate of progress made by limited
English proficient children and their families
in Head Start programs and Early Head Start
programs, including--
(i) the rate of progress of the
limited English proficient children
toward meeting the additional
educational standards described in
section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) while
enrolled in Head Start programs,
measured between 1990 and 2003;
(ii) the correlation between such
progress and the type of instruction
and educational program provided to the
limited English proficient children;
and
(iii) the correlation between such
progress and the health and family
services provided by Head Start
programs to limited English proficient
children and their families; and
(F) the extent to which Head Start programs
make use of funds under section 640(a)(3) to
improve the quality of Head Start services
provided to limited English proficient children
and their families.''.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 650. REPORTS.
(a) Status of Children.--At least once during every 2-year
period, the Secretary shall prepare and submit, to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on [Labor and Human
Resources] Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the
Senate, a report concerning the status of children (including
disabled and non-English language background children) in Head
Start programs, including the number of children and the
services being provided to such children. Such report shall
include--
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(8) information concerning children participating in
programs that receive Head Start funding,including
information on family income, racial and ethnic
background, homelessness, disability, and receipt of
benefits under part A of title IV of the Social
Security Act;
* * * * * * *
COMPARABILITY OF WAGES
Sec. 653. [The Secretary shall take] (a) The Secretary
shall take such action as may be necessary to assure that
persons employed in carrying out programs financed under this
subchapter shall not receive compensation at a rate which is
(1) in excess of the average rate of compensation paid in the
area where the program is carried out to a substantial number
of the persons providing substantially comparable services, or
in excess of the average rate of compensation paid to a
substantial number of the persons providing substantially
comparable services in the area of the person's immediately
preceding employment, whichever is higher; [or (2)] (2) in
excess of the salary of the Secretary, in the case of an
individual compensated with funds awarded under this subchapter
or the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9901 et
seq.); or (3) less than the minimum wage rate prescribed in
section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. The
Secretary shall encourage Head Start agencies to provide
compensation according to salary scales that are based on
training and experience.
(b) If in any fiscal year the restriction described in
subsection (a)(2) is violated, the Secretary shall withhold
from the base grant of the Head Start agency involved (as
defined in section 641A(f)(1)) for the next fiscal year, an
amount equal to the aggregate amount by which the salary that
resulted in the violation exceeded the salary of the Secretary.
* * * * * * *
LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES
Sec. 655. No individual employed or assigned by or in any
Head Start agency or other agency assisted under this
subchapter shall, pursuant to or during the performance of
services rendered in connection with any program or activity
conducted or assisted under this subchapter by such Head Start
agency or such other agency, plan, initiate, participate in, or
otherwise aid or assist in the conduct of any unlawful
demonstration, rioting, or civil disturbance.
* * * * * * *
[POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
[Sec. 656. (a) For purposes of]
[SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.
(a) State or Local Agency._For purpose of chapter 15 of
title 5, United States Code, any agency which assumes
responsibility for planning, developing, and coordinating Head
Start programs and receives assistance under this subchapter
shall be deemed to be a State or local agency. For purposes of
clauses (1) and (2) of section 150(2)(a) of such title, any
agency receiving assistance under this subchapter shall be
deemed to be a State or local agency.
[(b) Programs assisted under this subchapter shall not be
carried on in a manner involving the use of program funds, the
provision of services, or the employment or assignment of
personnel in a manner supporting or resulting in the
identification of such programs with (1) any partisan or
nonpartisan political activity or any other political activity
associated with a candidate, or contending faction or group, in
an election for public or party office; (2) any activity to
provide voters or prospective voters with transportation to the
polls or similar assistance in connection with any such
election; or (3) or any voter registration activity. The
Secretary, after consultation with the Office of Personnel
Management, shall issue rules and regulations to provide for
the enforcement of this section, which shall include provisions
for summary suspension of assistance or other action necessary
to permit enforcement on an emergency basis.]
(b) Restrictions.--
(1) In general.--A program assisted under this
subchapter, and any individual employed by, or assigned
to, a program assessed under this subchapter (during
the hours in which such individual is working on behalf
of such program), shall not engage in--
(A) any partisan or nonpartisan political
activity or any other political activity
associated with a candidate, or contending
faction or group, in an election for public or
party office;
(B) any activity to provide voters or
prospective voters with transportation to the
polls or similar assistance in connection with
any such election; or
(C) any voter registration activity.
(2) Rules and regulations.--The Secretary, after
consultation with the Director of the Office of
Personnel Management, may issue rules and regulations
to provide for the enforcement of this section, which
may include provisions for summary suspension of
assistance or other action necessary to permit
enforcement on an emergency basis.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 657. * * *
SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NONEMERGENCY INTRUSIVE
PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS.
(a) Definition.--The term ``nonemergency intrusive physical
examination'' means, with respect to a child, a physical
examination that--
(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the
health or safety of the child or the health or safety
of another individual; and
(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, or
involves exposure of private body parts.
(b) Requirement.--A Head Start agency shall obtain written
parental consent before administration of, or referral for, any
health care service provided or arranged to be provided,
including any nonemergency intrusive physical examination of a
child in connection with participation in a program under this
subchapter.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to prohibit agencies from using established methods,
for handling cases of suspected or known child abuse and
neglect, that are in compliance with applicable Federal, State,
or tribal law.
* * * * * * *