[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5658 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5658
To establish universal child care and early learning programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 30, 2025
Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms.
Chu, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Thompson
of Mississippi, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. Vargas, Ms. Balint, Mr. Lynch, Ms.
Meng, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Morelle, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Evans of
Pennsylvania, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mrs.
Ramirez, Mr. Deluzio, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Garcia of California,
Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Garamendi, Mrs.
Dingell, Mr. Nadler, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. McGarvey, Mr.
Lieu, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Levin, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mr. Norcross,
Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Stansbury, and Ms. Brown) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education
and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish universal child care and early learning programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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This Act may be cited as the ``Child Care for Every Community
Act''.

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The purposes of this title are--
(1) to provide all young children with a fair and full
opportunity to reach their full potential, by establishing and
expanding programs, to create universal, comprehensive child
care and early learning programs that are available to all
young children;
(2) to ensure that families can access affordable, high-
quality child care and early learning programs regardless of
circumstance;
(3) to promote the school readiness of all young children
by enhancing their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical
development--
(A) in a learning environment that supports
children's growth in language, literacy, mathematics,
science, cognitive abilities, social and emotional
functioning, creative arts, physical skills, and
approaches to learning; and
(B) through the provision to children and their
families of health, educational, nutritional, social,
and other services that are determined, based on family
needs assessments, to be necessary;
(4) to recognize and build upon the experience and success
gained through the Head Start program, the military child care
program, and similar efforts;
(5) to provide that decisions on the nature of such child
care and early learning programs be made at the community level
with the full involvement of parents, family members, and other
individuals and organizations in the community; and
(6) to establish the legislative framework for child care
and early learning services.

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TITLE I

-CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS

For purposes of this title:
(1) Child care and early learning program.--The term
``child care and early learning program'' means any program
that provides child care and early learning services in child
care and early learning centers (including schools) or in
family child care homes.
(2) Child with a disability.--The term ``child with a
disability'' means--
(A) a child with a disability, as defined in
section 602(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(3)); and
(B) an infant or toddler with a disability, as
defined in section 632(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C.
1432(5)).
(3) Community.--The term ``community'' means a city,
county, or multicity or multicounty unit within a State, an
Indian reservation (including Indians in any nearby 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 child care and
early learning program.
(4) Covered child.--The term ``covered child'' means a
child who--
(A) is not yet required to attend school, under the
laws of compulsory school attendance of the State in
which the child resides; and
(B) meets the requirements of regulations issued
under section 124.
(5) Dual language learner.--The term ``dual language
learner'' means a child who is acquiring two or more languages
at the same time, or a child who is learning a second language
while continuing to develop the child's first language,
including a child who may also be identified by a State or
locality as ``bilingual'', ``an English language learner'',
``limited English proficient'', ``an English learner'', or a
child who speaks a ``language other than English''.
(6) Family literacy services.--The term ``family literacy
services'' means services that--
(A) are family literacy services, as defined in
section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832); and
(B) meet the requirements of section 641A of such
Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a).
(7) Financial assistance.--The term ``financial
assistance'' includes assistance provided by grant, agreement,
or contract, for which payments may be made in installments and
in advance or by way of reimbursement with necessary
adjustments on account of overpayments or underpayments.
(8) Full-working-day.--The term ``full-working-day'' means
not less than 10 hours per day. Nothing in this paragraph shall
be construed to require an entity to provide services to a
child who has not reached the age of compulsory school
attendance for more than the number of hours per day permitted
by State law (including regulation) for the provision of
services to such a child.
(9) Health.--The term ``health'', when used to refer to
services or care provided to children enrolled in a child care
and early learning program, their parents, or their siblings,
shall be interpreted to refer to both physical and mental
health.
(10) Homeless child.--The term ``homeless child'' means an
individual described in section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)).
(11) Indian.--The term ``Indian'' means an individual who
is--
(A) a member of an Indian Tribe or band, as
membership is defined by the Tribe or band, including--
(i) any Tribe or band terminated since
1940; and
(ii) any Tribe or band recognized by the
State in which the Tribe or band resides;
(B) a descendant of an individual described in
subparagraph (A);
(C) considered by the Secretary of the Interior to
be an Indian for any purpose;
(D) an Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
(E) a member of an organized Indian group that
received a grant under the Indian Education Act of 1988
as in effect on October 19, 1994.
(12) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means the
governing body of any individually identified and federally
recognized Indian or Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, pueblo,
village, or community (including an affiliated Tribal group or
component reservation) included on the list published pursuant
to section 104(a) of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List
Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131(a)).
(13) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(14) Local educational agency.--The term ``local
educational agency'' has the meaning given such term in section
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
(15) Locality.--The term ``locality'' means any city,
municipality, county, or other political subdivision of a State
having general governmental powers, or any combination of such
political subdivisions.
(16) Low-income.--The term ``low-income'', used with
respect to a child or other individual, means an individual in
a family with a family income that is not more than 200 percent
of the poverty line.
(17) Migrant or seasonal child care and early learning
program.--The term ``migrant or seasonal child care and early
learning program'' means--
(A) with respect to services for migrant
farmworkers, a child care and early learning program
that serves families who are engaged in agricultural
labor and who have changed their residence from one
geographic location to another in the preceding 2-year
period; and
(B) with respect to services for seasonal
farmworkers, a child care and early learning program
that serves families who are engaged primarily in
seasonal agricultural labor and who have not changed
their residence to another geographic location in the
preceding 2-year period.
(18) Military child care program.--The term ``military
child care program'' means the program carried out under
subchapter II of chapter 88 of title 10, United States Code.
(19) Native hawaiian.--The term ``Native Hawaiian'' has the
meaning given the term in section 6207 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
(20) Poverty line.--The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management
and Budget) based on the most recent data available from the
Bureau of the Census--
(A) adjusted to reflect the percentage change in
the Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers,
issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the
annual or other interval immediately preceding the date
on which such adjustment is made; and
(B) adjusted for family size.
(21) Professional development.--The term ``professional
development'' means the career-pathway aligned mechanisms that
contribute to ensuring that a member of the early care and
education workforce, in any setting, has or is working towards
obtaining the degrees and other credentials needed to
demonstrate the necessary knowledge and competencies for
quality provision of child care and early learning services.
(22) Scientifically valid research.--The term
``scientifically valid research'' includes applied research,
basic research, and field-initiated research, in which the
rationale, design, and interpretation are soundly developed in
accordance with principles of scientific research.
(23) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
(24) Stakeholder.--The term ``stakeholder'' means a
community-based employer of child care providers, a labor
organization representing child care providers, a joint labor-
management partnership advocating for child care standards, an
entity operating a trust fund that provides training and
education for child care providers, or a nonprofit organization
that represents parents of children eligible for services in a
program carried out under this title.
(25) State.--The term ``State'' means--
(A) a State, as defined in section 637 of the Head
Start Act; and
(B) the Republic of Palau--
(i) for each of fiscal years 2026 through
2030; and
(ii) (if legislation approving a new
agreement regarding United States assistance
for the Republic of Palau has not been enacted
by September 30, 2028), for each subsequent
fiscal year for which such legislation has not
been enacted.
(26) Tribal land.--The term ``Tribal land'' means a
reservation, the land of an Indian Tribe, or land designated by
Hawaii as under the control of Native Hawaiians for purposes of
this title.
(27) Tribal organization.--The term ``Tribal organization''
means--
(A) the recognized governing body of any Indian
Tribe, and any legally established organization of
Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered
by such governing body or which is democratically
elected by the adult members of the Indian community to
be served by such organization and which includes the
maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its
activities, except that in any case where a contract is
let or grant made to an organization to perform
services benefitting more than one Indian Tribe, the
approval of each such Indian Tribe shall be a
prerequisite to the letting or making of such contract
or grant; and
(B) includes a Native Hawaiian organization, as
defined in section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517) and a private
nonprofit organization established for the purpose of
serving youth who are Indians or Native Hawaiians.

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(a) Appropriations.--There are authorized to be appropriated and
there are appropriated to carry out this title (other than the
activities described in subsection (b)), including meeting the
entitlement requirements of section 111(b), such sums as may be
necessary.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out activities under sections 135, 136, 137, 138,
151, 152, and such administrative activities as the Secretary
determines to be necessary and appropriate to carry out this title,
$500,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2036.
Subtitle A--Prime Sponsors and Providers

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PROGRAMS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide financial assistance
for carrying out child care and early learning programs under this
title to prime sponsors, to provide family-centered services to
children to promote their development and learning, pursuant to plans
and applications approved in accordance with the provisions of this
title.
(b) Entitlement.--Each covered child shall be entitled to
participate in a child care and early learning program that meets the
requirements of this title. The entitlement shall not be a capped
entitlement.

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(a) Allocation to Activities.--The Secretary shall allocate the
amounts appropriated for carrying out this title for any fiscal year
after fiscal year 2025, in the following manner:
(1) Child care and early learning programs.--The amount
made available under section 103(a) shall be used for the
purpose of providing financial assistance to carry out child
care and early learning programs under this title for covered
children, other than activities described in paragraph (2).
(2) Administrative and enhancement activities.--Of the
amounts appropriated under section 103(b)--
(A) such portion, but not less than 50 percent,
shall be used for the purpose of carrying out
activities under sections 135 and 136 and such
administrative activities as the Secretary determines
to be necessary and appropriate to carry out this
title;
(B) such portion, but not less than 20 percent,
shall be used for the purpose of carrying out
activities under section 151; and
(C) the remainder of such amounts shall be used for
the purpose of carrying out activities under sections
137, 138, and 152.
(3) Flexibility for emergency supplemental funding.--
Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the Secretary may, after
providing appropriate notice and written justification to
Congress, redirect any amounts appropriated under section
103(b) as the Secretary determines to be necessary and
appropriate to carry out section 151 for the purpose of
carrying out activities under section 151.
(b) Publication.--As soon as practicable after funds are
appropriated under section 103(b) for any fiscal year, the Secretary
shall publish in the Federal Register the amounts made available for
that fiscal year to carry out each of the activities described in
subsection (a)(2).
(c) Payments.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Authority for payments.--In accordance with
this subsection, the Secretary shall pay, from the
allocation under subsection (a)(1), the Federal share
of the costs of providing child care and early learning
programs, in accordance with plans under sections 113
and 114 that have been approved as provided in this
title.
(B) Manner and timing for payments.--The Secretary
may make such financial assistance as may be necessary
to carry out this title. The Secretary may also
withhold funds otherwise payable under this title in
order to recover any amounts expended in the current or
immediately prior fiscal year in violation of any
provision of this title or any term or condition of
financial assistance under this title.
(2) Federal share.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in
subparagraphs (B) and (C) and section 151, the Federal
share of the costs of providing child care and early
learning programs for covered children shall be no less
than 90 percent.
(B) Children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.--
The Secretary shall pay for 100 percent of the costs of
providing child care and early learning programs for
covered children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers
under this title.
(C) Native american children.--The Secretary shall
pay each prime sponsor designated under section 113 for
100 percent of the costs of providing child care and
early learning programs for covered children in Indian
Tribes and Native Hawaiian covered children under this
title.
(D) Administrative amount.--When making a payment
described in paragraph (1) to any prime sponsor for the
Federal share of the costs of providing a child care
and early learning program, the Secretary shall also
make a payment to the prime sponsor of not more than
100 percent of the costs for staff and other
administrative expenses of the prime sponsor, including
such costs and expenses related to quality improvement
(such as conducting monitoring and training) and
operating the Child Care and Early Learning Council,
but not to exceed an amount which is reasonable when
compared with such costs and expenses for other prime
sponsors.
(3) Rate analysis.--
(A) Process.--The Secretary shall, on the basis of
recommendations by a committee of experts and
stakeholders outside the Department of Health and Human
Services, establish and implement a process for
determining the costs described in paragraph (1)(A) and
ensuring that the requirement of subparagraph (B) is
met.
(B) Sufficiency requirement.--The Secretary shall
ensure that the Federal share determined under
paragraph (2) is sufficient to ensure that a prime
sponsor can meet all requirements under this title,
including the national program standards under section
121, compensation provisions under section 136(b), and
provisions relating to comprehensive services and
access to services.
(4) Non-federal share.--
(A) Sources.--The non-Federal share of the costs
described in paragraph (1) may be provided through
public or private funds (including labor union or
employer contributions) and may be in cash or in kind,
fairly evaluated, including facilities, goods, or
services.
(B) Fees from families.--Fees collected for
services provided pursuant to section 114(j) may be
used toward the non-Federal share. Such fees collected
from a family may not exceed 7 percent of the family
income, regardless of the number of children served
from that family.
(C) Excess contributions.--If, with respect to any
fiscal year, a prime sponsor provides a non-Federal
share, for any program that exceeds its requirements
for such a share, such excess may be applied toward
meeting the requirements for such a share for the
subsequent fiscal year under this title.
(d) Maintenance of Effort.--No State or locality shall reduce its
expenditures for child care and early learning programs (including
home-based child care and early learning programs) because of financial
assistance provided under this title.

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(a) Authority To Designate.--
(1) Qualified entities.--In accordance with the provisions
of this section, a State, locality, Indian Tribe, Tribal
organization, or public or private nonprofit agency or
organization, meeting the requirements of this title may be
designated by the Secretary as a prime sponsor for the purpose
of entering into arrangements to carry out child care and early
learning programs under this title.
(2) Prime sponsorship plans.--An entity may be designated
by the Secretary as a prime sponsor for a period of fiscal
years only pursuant to an application in the form of a prime
sponsorship plan which was submitted by such entity and
approved by the Secretary in accordance with the provisions of
this title. At a minimum, the plan shall--
(A) describe the service area to be served and how
the program will be delivered;
(B) provide a comprehensive child care and early
learning plan, as described in section 114(b);
(C) demonstrate that the entity has engaged with
the community involved, including parents who might
participate in such a child care and early learning
program, family members of such parents, and other
stakeholders, individuals, and organizations, in the
community, to determine the need and interest for such
a child care and early learning program in a service
area, in a manner that takes into account a wide array
of perspectives, especially those from marginalized
populations; and
(D) demonstrate that the entity has the authority
under its charter or applicable law to receive and
administer funds under this title, funds and
contributions from private or public sources that may
be used in support of a child care and early learning
program, and funds under a Federal or State assistance
program that may be so used.
(3) Approval.--No prime sponsorship plan, or modification
of the plan, submitted by an entity under this section shall be
approved by the Secretary unless the Secretary determines, in
accordance with regulations which the Secretary shall
prescribe, that--
(A) the local educational agency for the service
area and other appropriate educational and training
agencies and institutions have had an opportunity to
submit comments to the entity and to the Secretary;
(B) appropriate officials from Indian Tribes or
Tribal organizations have had an opportunity to submit
comments to the entity and to the Secretary; and
(C) the Governor of the State has had an
opportunity to submit comments to the entity and to the
Secretary.
(4) Joint submission.--In order to contribute to the
effective administration of this title, the Secretary shall
establish appropriate procedures to permit an entity described
in subsection (a)(1) and a State to submit jointly a single
comprehensive child care and early learning plan for the
service areas the entity and State propose. If the Secretary
approves such a plan, the Secretary may designate the entity as
a prime sponsor, and the State as a prime sponsor, for the
corresponding service areas.
(b) Additional Approval Procedures.--
(1) Locality over population threshold.--The Secretary
shall approve a prime sponsorship plan submitted by a locality
if--
(A) the locality meets a population threshold
determined by the Secretary, except that the Secretary
may waive the population threshold if it creates a
barrier to providing child care and early learning
services in a service area of a specified type, such as
a rural region;
(B) the plan meets the requirements of subsection
(a) and includes adequate provisions for carrying out
child care and early learning programs in the area of
such locality; and
(C) the locality is a--
(i) city;
(ii) county; or
(iii) other unit of general local
government, including a local educational
agency, as defined in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Localities with common geographical area.--In the event
that the area under the jurisdiction of a unit of general local
government described in clause (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv) of
paragraph (1)(C) includes any common geographical area with the
geographical area covered by another such unit of general local
government, the Secretary shall designate to serve such common
area the unit of general local government that--
(A) the Secretary determines has the capability of
more effectively carrying out the purposes of this
title with respect to such area; and
(B) has submitted a plan which meets the
requirements of subsection (a) and includes adequate
provisions for carrying out child care and early
learning programs in such area.
(3) Localities.--
(A) Submission by combination.--In the event that
the Secretary determines that a locality does not meet
the requirements for designation as a prime sponsor
under this section, the Secretary shall take steps to
encourage the submission of a prime sponsorship plan,
covering the area of such locality, by a combination of
localities which are adjoining and possess a sufficient
commonality of interest.
(B) Approval.--The Secretary shall approve a prime
sponsorship plan submitted by such a combination of
localities, if the Secretary determines that the plan
so submitted meets the requirements of subsection (a)
and includes adequate provisions for carrying out child
care and early learning programs in the area covered by
the combination of such localities.
(4) Indian tribes and tribal organizations.--The Secretary
shall approve a prime sponsorship plan submitted by an Indian
Tribe or Tribal organization if the Secretary determines that
the plan so submitted meets the requirements of subsection (a)
and includes adequate provisions for carrying out child care
and early learning programs in the area to be served.
(5) States.--The Secretary shall approve a prime
sponsorship plan submitted by a State if the Secretary
determines that the plan so submitted--
(A) meets the requirements of subsection (a);
(B) includes adequate provisions for carrying out
child care and early learning programs in the area to
be served;
(C) contains a commitment to coordinating the
State's early childhood programs to create a cohesive
system, for children from birth to entry into
kindergarten, for providing child care and early
learning services;
(D) demonstrates that the State can deliver a child
care and early learning program that ensures coverage
of--
(i) the entire State; or
(ii) the portions of the State that are not
proposed to be covered by other entities
submitting applications under subsection
(a)(2); and
(E) demonstrates that the State can deliver such a
program with sufficient local administration,
governance, and input.
(6) Two phases of application review.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish two
phases of review for applications in the form of prime
sponsorship plans. Entities submitting such
applications for the first phase of review shall be
given preference for designation under subsection (a).
(B) First phase.--States, Indian Tribes, Tribal
organizations, entities applying to carry out migrant
or seasonal child care and early learning programs, and
entities and States submitting applications jointly may
submit applications described in subparagraph (A) for
the first phase of application review.
(C) Second phase.--Localities, public or private
nonprofit agencies or organizations, and entities
described in subparagraph (B) may submit applications
described in subparagraph (A) for the second phase of
application review.
(D) Priority.--During each phase of application
review, the Secretary shall give priority to
applications describing programs that will serve a
significant number of low-income children, children
with disabilities, dual language learner children,
homeless children, or children in foster care, or will
offer child care and early learning services during
nonstandard hours.
(c) Disapproval; Withdrawal of Approval.--A prime sponsorship plan
submitted under this section may be disapproved or a prior designation
of a prime sponsor may be withdrawn only if the Secretary, in
accordance with regulations which the Secretary shall prescribe, has
provided--
(1) written notice of intention to disapprove such plan or
withdraw such designation, including a statement of the
reasons;
(2) a reasonable time in which to submit corrective
amendments to such plan or undertake other necessary corrective
action; and
(3) an opportunity for a public hearing upon which basis an
appeal to the Secretary may be taken as of right.
(d) Unserved Areas.--From amounts allocated under section 103(b) in
the event that a prime sponsorship plan has not been submitted or
approved, if a prime sponsor designation has been withdrawn, or if the
needs of seasonal and migrant farmworkers, minority groups, or low-
income individuals are not being met, for a service area, the Secretary
shall develop and implement a program of outreach to identify a prime
sponsor. If necessary, the Secretary may enter into an agreement with
an organization, such as a national nonprofit organization, to serve as
the prime sponsor for such an area. The Secretary shall meet the
requirements described in subsection (g) before entering into the
agreement.
(e) Designation Renewal.--
(1) Designation renewal.--A prime sponsor shall obtain
renewal of the designation of the prime sponsor not more
frequently than every 3 years and not less frequently than
every 5 years.
(2) System for designation renewal.--The Secretary shall
develop a system for prime sponsors to renew their designation,
under which the Secretary shall determine if a prime sponsor is
delivering a high-quality and comprehensive child care and
early learning program that meets the health, educational,
nutritional, and social needs of the children and families it
serves, and meets program and financial management requirements
and standards described in section 121(a), and governance and
legal requirements.
(f) Prohibition Against Entities Other Than Indian Tribes or Tribal
Organizations Receiving a Grant for a Child Care and Early Learning
Program on Indian Land.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, except as provided in paragraph (2), under no condition
may an entity other than an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization
receive a grant to carry out a child care and early learning
program on Tribal land.
(2) Exceptions.--
(A) No indian tribe or tribal organization
available.--In a service area in which there is no
Indian Tribe or Tribal organization available for
designation to carry out a child care and early
learning program on Indian land, an entity that is not
a Tribal organization may receive a grant to carry out
a child care and early learning program on Indian land,
but only until such time as an Indian Tribe or Tribal
organization in such service area becomes available and
is designated pursuant to this section.
(B) Joint prime sponsors.--For a service area that
consists of any non-reservation Indian land, if the
Indian Tribe or Tribal organization involved is not
interested in serving or does not have the capacity to
serve the entire service area, the Indian Tribe or
Tribal organization may work with another prime sponsor
to jointly serve as prime sponsors for the service
area.
(g) Family, Child Care Worker, and Community Participation.--The
Secretary shall--
(1) significantly involve parents, family members, family
child care home providers, child care and early learning staff,
labor unions, and community residents in the service area for
the program involved, in the process for designation of prime
sponsors; and
(2) ensure that the persons selected to be involved in that
process shall reflect the diversity of the service area, with
respect to income, culture, race and ethnicity, language, and
status as a migrant or seasonal farmworker, Indian, or Native
Hawaiian.

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(a) In General.--A prime sponsor may use financial assistance made
available under section 112(a)(1) to enter into an agreement with a
delegate provider to carry out services as part of the child care and
early learning program.
(b) Application.--To be able to receive financial assistance under
subsection (a) for a fiscal year as a delegate provider to carry out
services as part of the child care and early learning program, a public
or private agency or organization shall submit a delegate provider
application to a prime sponsor, at such time and in such manner as the
prime sponsor may require, that provides--
(1) that the delegate provider applicant is an entity that
is a locality, local educational agency, faith-based
organization, public or private nonprofit or for-profit agency
or organization, family child care network or association,
employer or business organization, labor union, employee or
labor-management organization, home-based child care provider,
or public or private educational agency or institution; and
(2) that the entity will provide for such fiscal control
and fund accounting procedures as the Secretary shall prescribe
to ensure proper disbursement of and accounting for Federal
funds.
(c) Approval.--A delegate provider application may be approved by a
prime sponsor upon its determination that such application meets the
requirements of this section and that the services to be provided will
otherwise further the objectives and satisfy the appropriate provisions
of the prime sponsor's child care and early learning plan as approved
pursuant to section 114. On approval of the application, the entity
shall be considered to be a delegate provider, for purposes of this
title.
(d) Family and Community Involvement.--Prime sponsors shall involve
parents, family members, and community members in the selection process
of delegate providers.
Subtitle B--Standards

47df3d5d3242967247591318918e00eb6159f156dc6d0947f7be7ed08cf94fe3

7ef34b4621b7a9d7cc5f02bf44541bc1006af83ce8bb048506aba7e0ba00e0f4

(a) In General.--Each prime sponsor shall take steps to coordinate
with the local educational agency serving the service area and with
schools in which children participating in a child care and early
learning program will enroll following such program to promote
continuity of services and effective transitions, including--
(1) developing and implementing a systematic procedure for
transferring, with parental consent, child care and early
learning program records for each participating child to the
school in which such child will enroll;
(2) establishing ongoing channels of communication between
child care and early learning program staff and their
counterparts in the schools (including teachers, social
workers, 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)), and health
staff) to facilitate coordination of programs;
(3) establishing ongoing communications between the prime
sponsor and local educational agency for developing continuity
of developmentally appropriate curricular objectives and for
shared expectations for children's learning and development as
the children transition to school;
(4) organizing and participating in joint training,
including transition-related training for school staff and
child care and early learning program staff;
(5) establishing comprehensive transition policies and
procedures that support children transitioning to school,
including by engaging the local educational agency in the
establishment of such policies;
(6) conducting outreach to parents and elementary school
(such as kindergarten) teachers to discuss the educational,
developmental, and other needs of individual children;
(7) helping parents of dual language learner children
understand--
(A) the instructional and other services provided
by the school in which such child will enroll after
participation in the child care and early learning
program; and
(B) as appropriate, the information provided to
parents of dual language learners under section
1112(e)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of the 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(e)(3));
(8) developing and implementing a family outreach and
support program, in cooperation with entities carrying out
parent and family engagement 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 parents of dual language
learner children;
(9) assisting families, administrators, and teachers in
enhancing educational and developmental continuity and
continuity of parental involvement in activities between child
care and early learning services and elementary school classes;
(10) linking the services provided in such child care and
early learning program with educational services, including
services relating to language, literacy, and numeracy, provided
by such local educational agency;
(11) helping parents (including in this paragraph
grandparents and kinship caregivers, as appropriate) to
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 a
child care and early learning program to elementary school;
(12) helping parents understand the instructional and other
services provided by the school in which their child will
enroll after participation in the child care and early learning
program; and
(13) developing and implementing a system to increase child
care and early learning program participation of underserved
populations of eligible children.
(b) Dissemination and Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall--
(1) disseminate to prime sponsors information on effective
policies and activities relating to the transition of children
from child care and early learning programs to public schools;
and
(2) provide technical assistance to such prime sponsors to
promote and assist such prime sponsors to adopt and implement
such effective policies and activities.

0e94fdc3014792d9e3e829c132d82c24831f80c1bac20c741071d77e4f56633b

In accordance with the purposes of this title, the Secretary shall
establish procedures to ensure that adequate nutrition services will be
provided in child care and early learning programs under this title. In
ensuring the provision of those services, the Secretary may enter into
an arrangement with the Secretary of Agriculture to make use of the
summer food service program and the child and adult care food program
carried out under sections 13 and 17 of the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1761, 1766) and relevant programs under the
Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), to the fullest
extent appropriate and consistent with the provisions of such Acts.

602f5652007b73e6ce76fb38904abbd00fe7cdf32c26e42e3cf334e8b00335fc

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe
eligibility for the participation of persons in child care and early
learning programs assisted under this title.
(b) Eligible Ages.--Such regulation shall provide that all children
who are younger than the age of compulsory school attendance shall be
eligible regardless of family income, disability status, citizenship
status, employment of a family member, or circumstance.
(c) Prime Sponsor Eligibility Determination Responsibilities.--A
prime sponsor shall--
(1) determine eligibility under this title based on
standards prescribed by the Secretary under subsection (a);
(2) not establish more stringent or exclusive requirements
for eligibility under this title than the eligibility standards
prescribed by the Secretary; and
(3) serve all families that request child care and early
learning services through the prime sponsor's program.
Subtitle C--Administration

c06b1a18dc4516f51e8401dfdf41fcf68a88fee43a445b5624dae583824a0da0

(a) Principal Agency.--The Office of Child Care of the Department
of Health and Human Services shall be the principal agency of the
Department for the administration of this title and for the
coordination of child care and early learning programs and other
activities relating to child care and early learning.
(b) Coordination of Child Care Programs.--
(1) In general.--
(A) Department of health and human services.--The
Secretary shall take all necessary action to coordinate
child care and early learning programs under the
Secretary's jurisdiction, including with the Office of
Head Start.
(B) Department of education.--The Secretary shall
take all necessary action to coordinate such programs
with the Department of Education.
(2) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate
regulations to ensure that entities that are funded by the
Department of Health and Human Services to carry out activities
relating to child care and early learning will coordinate the
activities with the programs carried out under this title.
(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall ensure that
joint technical assistance efforts will result in the
development of coordinated efforts--
(A) between the offices within the Department of
Health and Human Services; and
(B) between the Department of Health and Human
Services and other Federal agencies, including the
Department of Education, that carry out those
activities.
(c) Procedures, Policies, Regulations.--The Secretary may establish
such procedures, policies, and regulations as may be necessary to carry
out this title.

61adc22471b47d39fd7a1b9d5f001e0ce5371926468c057444f4e5096b892f8d

(a) Requirements and Standards.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish
administrative requirements and standards consistent with the
requirements and standards described in subsections (a) through
(f), and (h), of section 644 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C.
9839). The established requirements and standards shall apply
to the child care and early learning programs carried out under
this title, and the prime sponsors carrying out such programs,
as the case may be.
(2) Adjustments.--The Secretary may make such adjustments
to the requirements, standards, qualifications, development
activities, and limitations specified in paragraph (1) and
sections 133(a), 134, 136(a), 139, and 141, as may be necessary
to ensure effective administration of this title.
(3) Administrative controls.--The Secretary shall prescribe
regulations to ensure that programs under this title have
adequate internal administrative controls, accounting
requirements, personnel standards, evaluation procedures, and
other policies as may be necessary to promote the effective use
of funds.
(b) Facilities.--
(1) Owned or leased by federal agencies.--The Secretary,
after consultation with other appropriate officials of the
Federal Government, shall within 16 months after the date of
enactment of this Act prepare and submit to Congress a report
that--
(A) describes the extent to which facilities owned
or leased by Federal agencies (including departments)
could be made available to prime sponsors, through
appropriate arrangements, for use as facilities for
child care and early learning programs under this title
during times and periods when the owned or leased
facilities are not utilized fully for their usual
purposes; and
(B) the Secretary's recommendations (including
recommendations for changes through legislation) or
proposed actions for such use.
(2) Owned or leased in service area.--The Secretary shall
require, as a condition for the receipt of financial assistance
under this title, that any prime sponsor under this title agree
to conduct a review and prepare and submit to the Secretary a
report that--
(A) describes the extent to which facilities owned
or leased by such prime sponsor, or by other
organizations in the service area, could be made
available, through appropriate arrangements, for use as
facilities for child care and early learning programs
under this title during times and periods when the
owned or leased facilities are not utilized fully for
their usual purposes; and
(B) the prime sponsor's proposed actions for such
use.
(c) Capital Expenditures.--
(1) Construction.--Upon a determination by the Secretary
that suitable facilities (including public school facilities)
are not otherwise available to prime sponsors to carry out
child care and early learning programs, that the lack of
suitable facilities will inhibit the operation of such
programs, and that construction of such facilities is more
cost-effective than purchase of available facilities or
renovation, the Secretary, in the discretion of the Secretary,
may authorize the use of financial assistance under this title
to make payments for capital expenditures related to
construction of facilities that will be used to carry out such
programs. The Secretary shall establish uniform procedures for
prime sponsors to request approval for such payments, and shall
promote, to the extent practicable, the collocation of child
care and early learning programs with other programs serving
children and families.
(2) Construction, renovation, vehicle purchase.--Such
payments may be used for capital expenditures (including paying
the cost of amortizing the principal, and paying interest on,
loans) such as expenditures for--
(A) construction of facilities that are not in
existence on the date of the determination, if such
construction is more cost-effective than purchase or
renovation;
(B) major renovation of facilities in existence on
such date, if major renovation is more cost-effective
than purchase, construction, or minor renovation; and
(C) purchase of vehicles used for programs
conducted at child care and early learning program
facilities eligible for a payment under this
subsection.
(3) Wages for construction or renovation.--All laborers and
mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the
construction or renovation of facilities to be used to carry
out child care and early learning programs under this title
shall be paid wages that are not less than the wages prevailing
on similar construction or renovation in the service area, as
determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with
subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code
(commonly known as the ``Davis-Bacon Act'').

0a40c70949df161ad861da484dc68e9421634b5fb81d0f6ef832403ec667920b

(a) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish appeals, notice,
hearing, and other procedures consistent (except as otherwise provided
in this section) with the procedures described in section 646 of the
Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9841). The established procedures shall apply
to the child care and early learning programs carried out under this
title, and the prime sponsors carrying out such programs, as the case
may be.
(b) Withholding of Funds.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall take the action
described in paragraph (2) whenever the Secretary, after
reasonable notice and opportunity for a hearing for any prime
sponsor (including a delegate provider), finds--
(A) that the prime sponsor has failed to comply
substantially with any requirement set forth in the
plan of the prime sponsor approved under section 113 or
114;
(B) that the delegate provider has failed to comply
substantially with any requirement set forth in the
application of the provider approved pursuant to
section 115(c); or
(C) that in the operation of any program (or
services) carried out by any such prime sponsor (or
delegate provider) under this title the prime sponsor
(or delegate provider) has failed to comply
substantially with any applicable provision of this
title, including a regulation promulgated under this
title.
(2) Action.--On making a finding under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall notify the prime sponsor or delegate provider
involved of the findings and that no further payments may be
made to such prime sponsor or delegate provider under this
title (or in the Secretary's discretion that any such prime
sponsor shall not make further payments under this title to
specified delegate providers affected by the failure) until the
Secretary is satisfied that there is no longer any such failure
to comply, or the noncompliance will be promptly corrected. The
Secretary may authorize the continuation of payments with
respect to any program or service assisted under this title
which is being carried out pursuant to the corresponding plan
or application referred to in paragraph (1) and which is not
involved in the noncompliance.

4a7dc6de07e0e3ad02ad89946f11777a973c431afb0488d444596fc13da43884

The Secretary shall establish record and audit requirements
consistent with the requirements described in section 647 of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9842). The established requirements shall apply to
the child care and early learning programs carried out under this
title, and the prime sponsors carrying out such programs, as the case
may be.

fed5de116b5f3bff85469ec708f19ddd209c8e5ffe4242d60f51370456ecbdf2

(a) Preservice and Inservice Training.--The Secretary is authorized
to make payments to provide financial assistance to enable individuals
employed or preparing for employment in child care and early learning
programs assisted under this title, including volunteers, to
participate in programs of preservice or inservice training for
professional or nonprofessional personnel, to be conducted by any prime
sponsor carrying out a child care and early learning program, or any
institution of higher education, including a community college, or by
any combination of those prime sponsors or institutions. The financial
assistance shall include scholarships and funding for books,
transportation, and other comprehensive needs.
(b) Prime Sponsor Technical Assistance and Planning.--The Secretary
is authorized to, directly or through grant or contract, make technical
assistance available to entities who are eligible and seek to become
prime sponsors, and to prime sponsors, to assist the entities and prime
sponsors in planning, developing, and carrying out child care and early
learning programs.
(c) Prime Sponsor Facilities Assistance.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to make,
directly or through grant or contract, technical assistance and
other support available to providers of services through child
care and early learning programs, to support the providers in
meeting applicable facilities codes, if the providers are--
(A) providers in rural areas;
(B) family child care home providers; or
(C) providers serving children belonging to Indian
Tribes, Native Hawaiian children, children of migrant
and seasonal farmworkers, low-income children, or
underserved children (including children with
disabilities, homeless children, children who have been
abused or neglected, and children in foster care).
(2) Applicable facilities code.--In this subsection, the
term ``applicable facilities code'' means--
(A) a code promulgated under section 121(b)(4), for
a provider in a State not described in subparagraph
(B); and
(B) a code or standards determined to be sufficient
under section 121(b)(6), for a provider in a State to
which the code or standards apply.
(d) Prime Sponsor Financial Assistance.--
(1) In general.--Prime sponsors shall carry out training
and quality improvement activities, including--
(A) activities that support child care and early
learning programs (including providers) in meeting
national program standards; and
(B) supporting staff in meeting qualifications
described in section 136, including providing paid
release time to staff, to engage in activities that
enable the staff to meet the qualifications.
(2) Financial assistance.--The Secretary is authorized to
make financial assistance available to prime sponsors to carry
out such training and quality improvement activities.
(e) Staff Training.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations
implementing a training program for staff of child care and early
learning programs assisted under this title, based on the training
program of the military child care program. Satisfactory completion of
the training program, which may be accomplished through a professional
preparation or development program, shall be a condition of employment
of any person as a member of the staff of such a child care and early
learning program. The training program established under this
subsection shall cover, at a minimum, training in each of the
following:
(1) Early childhood development.
(2) Activities and disciplinary techniques appropriate for
children of different ages.
(3) Child abuse prevention and detection.
(4) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency
medical procedures.
(f) Workforce Development and Diversity.--
(1) Outreach program.--From amounts allocated under section
103(b), the Secretary shall develop and implement a program of
outreach to recruit and train professionals from diverse
backgrounds to become teachers in child care and early learning
programs.
(2) Grants.--
(A) In general.--From amounts allocated under
section 103(b), the Secretary is authorized to award
grants, for a period of not less than 5 years, to--
(i) entities that carry out training
through a fund sponsored at least in part by a
labor organization; and
(ii) institutions of higher education, with
priority for part B institutions, Hispanic-
serving institutions, and Tribal Colleges and
Universities (as the 3 types of institutions
are defined in clauses (i) through (iii) of
section 241(1)(A) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1033(1)(A))).
(B) Use of funds.--An institution that receives
such a grant may--
(i) use the grant funds--
(I) to improve the child care and
early learning workforce;
(II) to recruit child care and
early learning teachers and other staff
who want to obtain additional
credentials related to child care and
early learning;
(III) to recruit and train
professionals from diverse backgrounds
to become teachers in child care and
early learning programs;
(IV) to promote access and
affordability through direct student
support, grants, scholarships, and
other forms of student financial aid to
students pursuing early childhood
coursework and degrees in order to
reduce or eliminate the need for such
students to take out loans for the
related costs of attendance;
(V) to create seamless,
articulated, teacher preparation
pathways; and
(VI) to develop institutional
policies that award credit for
students' previous postsecondary early
childhood coursework and degrees as
well as for demonstrated competency
through--
(aa) prior work experience;
and
(bb) apprenticeships that
lead to credentials, or
associate or baccalaureate
degrees; and
(ii) make a portion of the grant funds
available for students training to become staff
of child care and early learning programs, to
cover the corresponding tuition and other costs
of attendance.

7679cd5f1e5baca8ad0c89114a05723ab545e05c77fcce9f5a6644837a69aba0

(a) Qualification and Development.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, after consultation with
other Federal agencies and on the basis of the recommendations
of the Committee established pursuant to section 121(a)(3),
shall establish staff qualification and development
requirements based on such requirements described in section
648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a), based on such
requirements being implemented by the military child care
program (including certification of family child care home
providers), and including a requirement to satisfactorily
complete training under section 135(e). The established
requirements shall include the requirements described in
subsection (b) (relating to compensation). The established
requirements shall apply to the child care and early learning
programs carried out under this title, and the prime sponsors
carrying out such programs, as the case may be.
(2) Objectives.--The established requirements shall be
designed to--
(A)(i) lead to high-quality child care and early
learning service delivery, including the use of
targeted strategies and resources provided by prime
sponsors to ensure the diverse, incumbent child care
and early learning workforce retains access to
employment in such programs; and
(ii) take into account workforce recruitment
challenges and the need for a diverse workforce;
(B) create a pathway for members of the child care
and early learning service workforce to build on their
credentials; and
(C) provide enough time (which shall be not less
than 6 years after the date of that establishment) for
staff to meet any educational requirements in the
established requirements.
(b) Pay.--
(1) Competitive rates of compensation.--For the purpose of
providing child care and early learning programs with a
qualified and stable workforce, each prime sponsor shall ensure
that employees (including employees of a delegate provider) at
a child care and early learning center and family child care
home providers, including teachers and other staff of family
child care home providers, shall be paid under a pay scale that
provides for rates of compensation that--
(A)(i) except as provided in clause (ii), are
comparable with the rates of compensation paid to
employees of the corresponding local educational agency
with similar training, seniority, and experience; or
(ii) for a position not typically found at the
corresponding local educational agency, are the rates
specified in the pay scale for the military child care
program; and
(B) are not less than a living wage, as determined
by the Secretary.
(2) Periodic reviews.--In recommending and establishing
requirements under subsection (a) and this subsection, the
Committee established pursuant to section 121(a)(3) and the
Secretary, respectively, shall periodically conduct reviews of
the rates of compensation for employers, teachers, and staff
described in paragraph (1). The Committee and Secretary shall
determine whether the rates are increasing at a pace that is
not less than the rate of the Consumer Price Index--All Urban
Consumers, and shall adjust the rates to ensure such an
increase.
(3) Limitation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, no Federal funds may be used to pay any part of the
compensation of an employee, teacher, or staff member described
in paragraph (1) to carry out a child care and early learning
program, if such compensation, including non-Federal funds,
exceeds a rate equal to the rate payable for level II of the
Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, United States
Code.
(4) Compensation.--In this subsection, the term
``compensation''--
(A) includes salary, bonuses, periodic payments,
severance pay, the value of any vacation time, the
value of a compensatory or paid leave benefit, and the
fair market value of any employee perquisite or
benefit; and
(B) includes any prime sponsor expenditure for a
health, medical, life insurance, disability,
retirement, or any other employee welfare or pension
benefit.
(c) Curriculum Support.--
(1) In general.--Prime sponsors shall establish and
implement a plan to ensure all teachers in a child care and
early learning program, including family child care home
providers, have curriculum support.
(2) Curriculum support.--That curriculum support--
(A) may include the use of curriculum specialists,
as in the military child care program; and
(B) shall include--
(i) special teaching activities at
locations that are easily accessible by the
teachers;
(ii) daily oversight and instruction of
employees providing child care and early
learning services;
(iii) daily assistance in the preparation
of lesson plans, provided through individual
specialists or resources for staff that allow
teachers to engage in professional
responsibilities such as daily lesson planning;
(iv) assistance with child abuse prevention
and detection;
(v) assistance with activities to promote
children's cognitive development, behavior
management, and mental health; and
(vi) assistance with improving the delivery
of instruction and with measuring and tracking
children's outcomes.

7e5dedc5ea03c973256535838b32a10ef584f6c3eb324b8e3eabb0c851240925

(a) General Objectives.--The Secretary shall carry out a continuing
program of research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, in order
to--
(1) focus national research efforts to attain a fuller
understanding of the processes of child development and early
learning outcomes and the effects of programs on those
processes and outcomes;
(2) foster continuous improvement in the quality of the
child care and early learning programs carried out under this
title and in their effectiveness in enabling participating
children and their families to succeed in school and otherwise;
(3) ensure that the results of research and related
development efforts are reflected in the conduct of programs
affecting children through the improvement and expansion of
child care and early learning programs; and
(4) develop, test, and disseminate information on new ideas
for addressing the needs of low-income and underserved children
(including children with disabilities, homeless children,
children who have been abused or neglected, and children in
foster care) and their families and communities, and furthering
in other ways the purposes of this title.
(b) Specific Objectives.--The research, demonstration, and
evaluation activities under this title shall include components
designed to--
(1) permit ongoing assessment of the quality and
effectiveness of the child care and early learning programs
under this title;
(2) contribute to developing knowledge concerning factors
associated with the quality and effectiveness of child care and
early learning programs and in identifying ways in which
services provided under this title may be improved;
(3) assist in developing knowledge concerning the factors
that promote or inhibit healthy development and effective
functioning of children and their families, including physical,
mental, vision, and oral health, both during and following
participation in a child care and early learning program;
(4) permit comparisons of children and families
participating in child care and early learning programs--
(A) with children and families receiving other
child care, or early childhood education and
development, services or programs; and
(B) with other appropriate control groups;
(5) contribute to understanding the characteristics and
needs of population groups eligible for services provided under
this title and the impact of such services on the individuals
served and the service areas in which such services are
provided;
(6) provide for disseminating and promoting the use of the
findings from such research, demonstration, and evaluation
activities;
(7) promote exploration of areas in which knowledge is
insufficient, and that will otherwise contribute to fulfilling
the purposes of this title;
(8)(A) contribute to understanding the impact of child care
and early learning services delivered in classrooms that
include both children with disabilities and children who are
not children with disabilities, on both types of children; and
(B) disseminate promising practices for increasing the
availability and quality of child care and early learning
services that are so delivered and classrooms described in
subparagraph (A);
(9) contribute to understanding the impact of different
child care and early learning models, including those with
varying teacher compensation, preparation, and workplace
supports, in addressing educational disparities and
inequalities, including disparities and inequalities based on
income, and disparities and inequalities based on culture, and
race and ethnicity;
(10) contribute to the understanding of providing effective
child care and early learning programs to dual language learner
children, children with disabilities, culturally diverse
families, racially and ethnically diverse families, children
belonging to an Indian Tribe, Native Hawaiian children, and
children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and to service
areas with many low-income children; and
(11) carry out--
(A) research to determine the nature of child
development processes and the impact of various
influences upon those processes, including workplace
conditions and supports, to develop techniques to
measure and evaluate child development, to develop
standards to evaluate professional and paraprofessional
child development personnel, and to determine how child
care and early learning and related programs conducted
in either family child care homes or centers affect
child development processes;
(B) research to test alternative methods of
providing child development and related services, and
to develop and test innovative approaches to achieve
maximum development of children;
(C) evaluation of findings from research conducted
under this paragraph and the development of and
effective application of those findings;
(D) dissemination and application of results from
research and related development efforts and
demonstration projects to child care and early learning
programs, related programs, and early childhood
education;
(E) production of informational systems and other
resources necessary to support the activities
authorized under this paragraph; and
(F) integration of national child development
research efforts under this title into a focused
national research program, including the coordination
of research and development conducted by entities under
this section with research and development conducted by
other agencies, organizations, and individuals.
(c) Conduct of Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation
Activities.--The Secretary, in order to conduct research,
demonstration, and evaluation activities under this section--
(1) may carry out such activities directly, or through
grants to, or contracts or cooperative agreements with, public
or private entities;
(2) shall, to the extent appropriate, undertake such
activities in collaboration with Federal agencies (other than
the Department of Health and Human Services), and with non-
Federal agencies, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations,
conducting similar activities;
(3) shall ensure that evaluation of such activities in a
specific program is conducted by persons not directly involved
in the operation of such program;
(4) may require prime sponsors to provide for independent
evaluations;
(5) may approve, in appropriate cases, community-based
cooperative research and evaluation efforts to enable prime
sponsors to collaborate with qualified researchers not directly
involved in program administration or operation of a program
funded under this title; and
(6) may collaborate with organizations with expertise in
inclusive educational strategies for preschoolers who are
children with disabilities.
(d) Coordination of Research.--
(1) Transfers.--Funds available to any Federal agency
(including a department) for the purposes stated in subsection
(a) or the activities stated in subsection (b) shall be
available for transfer, with the approval of the head of the
agency involved, in whole or in part, to the Secretary for such
use as is consistent with the purposes for which such funds
were appropriated, and the funds so transferred shall be
expendable by the Secretary for the purposes for which the
transfer was made.
(2) Coordination.--In carrying out activities under this
section, the Secretary shall--
(A) coordinate, through the Office of Child Care
and Early Learning, established under section 131, all
child development research, training, and related
development efforts conducted by the Department of
Health and Human Services and, to the extent feasible,
by other agencies, organizations, and individuals;
(B) consult with--
(i) individuals from relevant academic
disciplines;
(ii) individuals who are involved in the
operation of child care and early learning
programs and individuals who are involved in
the operation of other child and family service
programs;
(iii) appropriate officials from Indian
Tribes and Tribal organizations; and
(iv) individuals from organizations
involved with, and academic disciplines related
to, children and families, ensuring that the
individuals consulted under this subparagraph
reflect the multicultural nature of the
children and families served by the child care
and early learning programs and the
multidisciplinary nature of the programs;
(C) whenever feasible and appropriate, obtain the
views of persons participating in and served by
programs assisted under this title with respect to
activities under this section; and
(D) establish, to the extent appropriate, working
relationships with faculty members of institutions of
higher education, as defined in section 101 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), located
in the area in which any evaluation under this section
is being conducted, to participate in such evaluation,
unless there is no such institution of higher education
willing and able to participate in such evaluation.
(3) Council.--
(A) In general.--There is established a Child
Development Research Council, consisting of--
(i) a representative of the Office of Child
Care and Early Learning (who shall serve as
chairperson); and
(ii) a representative from each of the
Federal agencies and offices determined to be
appropriate by the Secretary.
(B) Meetings.--The Council shall meet at least
annually and at such more frequent times as the Council
may determine to be necessary.
(C) Duties.--The Council shall ensure coordination
of child care and early learning services under the
jurisdiction of the agencies and offices represented on
the Council and carry out the provisions of this
section so as to ensure--
(i) maximum utilization of available
resources through the prevention of duplication
of activities;
(ii) a division of labor, insofar as is
compatible with the purposes of each of the
agencies or offices represented on the Council,
among those agencies and offices to ensure
maximum progress toward the achievement of the
purposes of this section; and
(iii) recommendation of priorities for
federally funded research and related
development that are related to the purposes of
this section and those stated in section 101.
(e) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall make an annual report to
Congress--
(1) summarizing--
(A) the Secretary's activities and accomplishments
during the preceding year under this section; and
(B) the grants, contracts, or other arrangements
entered into during the preceding year under this
section; and
(2) making such recommendations as the Secretary may
determine to be appropriate.
(f) Plan.--The Secretary shall develop, and periodically update, a
plan governing the research, demonstration, and evaluation activities
under this section.
(g) Ownership of Results.--The Secretary shall take necessary steps
to ensure that all studies, reports, proposals, and data produced or
developed with Federal funds under this title shall become the property
of the United States.

b0d0cbb97eef96fb73e67f9136f9e8ee14f0c7b613c89dd62caea34300fed556

(a) In General.--At least once during every 2-year period, the
Secretary shall prepare a report concerning the status of children
(including low-income children, children with disabilities, dual
language learner children, homeless children, children in foster care,
children participating in child care and early learning programs on
Indian land, and children participating in migrant or seasonal child
care and early learning programs) participating in child care and early
learning programs, including the number of participating children and
the services being provided to such children.
(b) Contents.--Such report shall include--
(1) a statement for the then most recently concluded fiscal
year specifying--
(A) the amount of funds received, by prime sponsors
that are designated under section 113, to provide child
care and early learning services in a period before
such fiscal year; and
(B) the amount of funds received, by prime sponsors
that are newly designated under section 113, to provide
such services in such fiscal year;
(2) a description of the distribution of child care and
early learning services relative to the distribution of
children who are in need of child care and early learning
programs, including geographic distribution within States, and
information on the number of children receiving those services;
(3) a statement identifying how funds made available under
section 112(a)(1) were distributed and used at national,
regional, and local levels;
(4) a statement specifying the amount of funds provided as
the non-Federal share of the costs of child care and early
learning programs, and the source of such funding;
(5) the cost per child of carrying out child care and early
learning programs, and how such cost varies by region;
(6) a description of the level and nature of participation
of parents and family members in child care and early learning
programs as volunteers and in other capacities;
(7) information concerning child care and early learning
center staff, including salaries, education, training,
experience, and staff turnover;
(8) information concerning children participating in child
care and early learning programs, including information on
family income, cultural background, racial and ethnic
background, homelessness, whether such a child is in foster
care or was referred by a child welfare agency, disability, and
whether the child's family receives benefits under part A of
title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
(9) using data from the monitoring conducted under section
121--
(A) a description of the extent to which programs
funded under this title comply with program standards
and regulations in effect under this title;
(B) a description of the types and condition of
facilities in which such programs are located; and
(C) the types of organizations that receive funds
under this title through such programs;
(10) a description of the types of services provided
through the programs to children and their families, both on
site and through referrals, including services related to
health, mental health, dental care, vision care, parenting
education, physical fitness, and literacy training;
(11) information from a study of the delivery of child care
and early learning programs to Indian children, to Native
Hawaiian children, and to children of migrant or seasonal
farmworker families;
(12) information on the delivery of disability-related
services in order to--
(A) determine whether child care and early learning
programs are making timely referrals to the State or
local agency responsible for providing services under
section 619 or part C of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et
seq.);
(B) identify barriers to timely evaluations and
eligibility determinations by the State or local agency
responsible for providing services under section 619 or
part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act; and
(C) determine under what circumstances and for what
length of time child care and early learning programs
are providing disability-related services for children
who have not been determined under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) to
be children with disabilities; and
(13) information on how child care and early learning
programs serve populations of low-income children, minority
children, and dual language learner children, the extent to
which disparities exist in early learning outcomes of
participants in such programs, and how such programs address
disparities in early learning outcomes.
(c) Submission.--The Secretary shall submit each report prepared
under subsection (a) to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Workforce of
the House of Representatives.

7ce9f28c06986baac2bc092492fcdbbe14e9c3c47174fc7204d92e40637c30af

The Secretary shall establish nondiscrimination requirements
consistent with the requirements described in section 654 of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9849). The established requirements shall apply to
the child care and early learning programs carried out under this
title, and the prime sponsors carrying out such programs, as the case
may be.

531c7c55e6091e1a81af61452a606b16d3a0c051bac55cacdbe985f3d0ddfc9b

For the purpose of affording adequate notice of funding available
under this title, appropriations for carrying out this title are
authorized to be included in an appropriation Act for the fiscal year
preceding the fiscal year for which the appropriations are available
for obligation.

25e711325c1d0d1da03e5676ac68cf89443aa644237f3df66725fa71ea174d5a

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS.
The Secretary shall establish a parental consent requirement
consistent with the requirement described in section 657A of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9852a). The established requirement shall apply to
the child care and early learning programs carried out under this
title, and the prime sponsors carrying out such programs, as the case
may be.
Subtitle D--Special Programs

75b2d7f75c2f7bcb6059ce5c0fa9f6873207880ea44645d655436460126069fd

(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to provide
supplemental financial assistance for the activities described in
subsection (b) or the purposes described in subsection (c), to prime
sponsors, who--
(1) demonstrate barriers--
(A) to scaling the services and processes needed to
fully implement the prime sponsors' child care and
early learning programs; and
(B) to meeting the national program standards; and
(2) need financial assistance, as determined by the
Secretary, for those activities or purposes, respectively.
(b) Activities.--The Secretary may provide the supplemental
financial assistance for activities consisting of--
(1) conducting a facilities review as described in section
132(b)(2) and accessing adequate facilities;
(2) establishing coordination arrangements and processes
with other entities, including local educational agencies and
related entities, organizations delivering health and social
services in the service area involved, and the State;
(3) establishing training and professional development
protocols and processes under sections 135 and 136;
(4) meeting accreditation requirements;
(5) providing supports to enable family child care home
providers to participate as providers within the child care and
early learning program carried out by the prime sponsor
involved and to enable the prime sponsor to meet the national
program standards;
(6) securing materials and resources for professional
learning opportunities; and
(7) other activities related to the establishment,
expansion, and scaling of services and processes needed to
fully implement the prime sponsor's child care and early
learning program and enable the prime sponsor to meet the
national program standards.
(c) Purposes.--The Secretary may provide the supplemental financial
assistance to a prime sponsor that meets the requirements of subsection
(a) and has difficulty in providing a non-Federal share because the
prime sponsor serves an area with a high concentration of families with
a family income of not more than, or slightly above, 200 percent of the
poverty line, for the purposes of increasing the Federal share of the
costs described in section 121(c)(2)(A).

21526828f72870210a83dceb7f04a2d23a8118868e688b638c1a213140bcb8c8

(a) Grants.--On approving an application submitted by any State,
the Secretary is authorized to provide a grant to the State for
carrying out activities described in subsection (b).
(b) Use of Funds.--A State that receives a grant under subsection
(a) may use the grant funds for--
(1) identifying child care and early learning services
goals and needs within the State;
(2) furnishing child care providers with start-up funding
and technical assistance;
(3) supporting compensation for the child care and early
learning workforce comparable to compensation for the primary
education workforce, which may include retention or bonus
awards;
(4) establishing or expanding the operation of community-
or neighborhood-based family child care networks by providing
grants and contracts for training;
(5) supporting the recruitment, training, and professional
development of the child care and early learning workforce;
(6) assisting in the establishment of Child Care and Early
Learning Councils and strengthening the capability of such
Councils to effectively advise on the child care and early
learning programs;
(7) encouraging the cooperation and participation of State
agencies in providing child care and early learning services,
including health, family planning, mental health, education,
nutrition, family, social, and rehabilitative services if that
cooperation and participation are requested by appropriate
prime sponsors in the development and implementation of child
care and early learning plans;
(8) encouraging the full utilization of resources and
facilities for child care and early learning programs within
the State;
(9) disseminating the results of research on child care and
early learning programs;
(10) conducting programs for the exchange of personnel
involved in child care and early learning programs within the
State;
(11) assisting prime sponsors in the acquisition or
improvement of facilities for child care and early learning
programs;
(12) assessing State and local licensing codes as the codes
relate to child care and early learning programs within the
State;
(13) developing information useful in reviewing prime
sponsorship plans described in section 113(a) and child care
and early learning plans described in section 114(b);
(14) facilitating collaboration among prime sponsors and
delegate providers within the State;
(15) supporting a unified, birth-through-school-entry,
early childhood system, including carrying out activities
related to establishing braided or blended funding arrangements
to promote the integration of services to children and
families; and
(16) making grants and contracts to cover a portion of the
fixed operating expenses of eligible providers of services
through a child care and early learning program serving
eligible children receiving assistance under this section, to
support increased wages, program stability, and continuity of
services for all children in such program.
(c) Maintenance of Effort.--No State or community shall reduce its
expenditures for child care and early learning programs (including
home-based child care and early learning programs) because of financial
assistance provided under this section.

1c577c255ff6a2b91693eec8e172161251a8b0c67d964c3ce530dbbb05347512

(a) Maintenance of Effort.--Section 658J of the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858h) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Maintenance of Effort.--
``(1) In general.--No State shall receive such a payment
for a fiscal year if the State reduces its total State
expenditures for child care services for the prior fiscal year
below the average of such expenditures for the 3 fiscal years
preceding that prior fiscal year.
``(2) Total state expenditures.--For purposes of this
subsection, total State expenditures for child care services
include State expenditures to carry out this subchapter and the
Child Care for Every Community Act.''.
(b) Relationship to the Child Care for Every Community Act.--
Section 658M of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990
(42 U.S.C. 9858k) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Relationship to the Child Care for Every Community Act.--An
eligible child who is eligible for child care and early learning
services under the Child Care for Every Community Act shall only
receive child care services under this subchapter that the child is
ineligible for under that Act.''.
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c38014960b17b6ea3ab9b03d59de8dd675f59acb55f0fb6d19a01d9f19e7071a

Child Care for Every Community Act — HR. 5658

Other Sections

TITLE I

TITLE II

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