Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 5574 (ih) To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an adoption awareness program; to establish the Adoption Awareness Commission; and to promote adoptions through increased public awareness and increased tax incentives. [I...H.R. 5574 (ih) To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an adoption awareness program; to establish the Adoption Awareness Commission; and to promote adoptions through increased public awareness and increased tax incentives. [I...
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5573
To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 26, 2000
Mr. Kind introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Providing Resources and Education
for Kids Act (Pre-K)''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Kindergarten teachers estimate that 1 in 3 children
enters the classroom unprepared to meet the challenges of
school.
(2) A 1998 report regarding the prevention of reading
difficulties in young children found that--
(A) preschool children need high quality language
and literacy environments in and out of their homes;
and
(B) children need to arrive in the first grade with
strong language and cognitive skills and the motivation
to learn to read in order to benefit from classroom
instruction.
(3) The first 5 years is a very critical time in a child's
development, and a child's brain development is far more
susceptible to adverse influences then had been previously
realized.
(4) High quality prekindergarten programs can affect a
child's long-term success in areas such as school achievement,
higher earnings as adults, and decreased involvement with the
criminal justice system.
(5) Studies of several State prekindergarten initiatives
offer convincing evidence of the benefits of early education
for children at risk of school failure. These benefits include
higher mathematics and reading achievement, stronger learning
skills, increased creativity, better school attendance,
improved health, and greater involvement by parents in their
children's education.
(6) Only 1 State, Georgia, currently has a prekindergarten
initiative that is universally available to all children in the
State.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to improve school
readiness for young children by providing grants to States to assist in
the creation or expansion of early childhood education programs for
children ages 5 and under.
SEC. 2. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Services, is authorized to
provide grants to State educational agencies, or their equivalent, to
allow such agencies to establish or expand prekindergarten early
learning programs.
(b) Eligibility.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant award
under this Act, a State shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time and in such form and manner as the
Secretary may reasonably require and include the information
described in paragraph (2).
(2) Application.--The application referred to in paragraph
(1) shall include, at a minimum--
(A) a description of the prekindergarten early
learning program that the State will establish;
(B) a statement regarding how the State educational
agency will administer funds to local educational
agencies;
(C) a description of the methods to be used to
reach out to local educational agencies to promote this
new program and ensure that information is distributed
on an equitable basis to all local educational
agencies;
(D) a description of the goals in implementing a
prekindergarten early learning program and how such
goals will be achieved;
(E) a description regarding how public schools and
community partnerships may work together to reach the
maximum number of children;
(F) a description regarding how the State
educational agency will share information with other
local educational agencies regarding successful and
innovative programs; and
(G) a description of the long-term strategies for
financing prekindergarten early learning programs.
``(c) Federal Share.--
``(1) In general.--The Federal share of the cost of
projects funded under this Act shall not exceed--
``(A) 50 percent for the first fiscal year;
``(B) 45 percent for the second fiscal year;
``(C) 40 percent for the third fiscal year;
``(D) 30 percent for the fourth fiscal year; and
``(E) 25 percent for the fifth fiscal year and each
subsequent year.
``(2) Supplement, not supplant.--A State educational agency
or local educational agency shall use funds received under this
Act only to supplement the amount of funds that would, in the
absence of such Federal funds, be made available from non-
Federal sources for the education of children participating in
programs assisted under this Act, and not to supplant such
funds.
SEC. 3. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.
(a) Reservation for Outlying Areas.--From the amount made available
under section 7 to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall reserve a
total of 1 percent to provide assistance to the outlying areas on the
basis of their respective need for such assistance according to such
criteria as the Secretary determines will best carry out the purpose of
this Act.
(b) State Distribution.--The Secretary shall allocate the remainder
of the amount made available under section 7 (after the reservation in
subsection (a)) among eligible State educational agencies as follows:
(1) 50 percent of such amount which bears the same ratio as
the number of children ages 5 and under, inclusive, in the
State bears to the number of such children in all States.
(2) 50 percent of such amount shall be distributed
according to each State's share of allocations under part A of
title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
(c) Administrative Funds.--Of the amount made available to a State
educational agency under subsection (b), such agency may use not more
than 5 percent of such amount for administrative purposes.
SEC. 4. LOCAL ACTIVITIES.
(a) Local Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant award
under this Act, a local educational agency shall submit an application
to the State educational agency that includes--
(1) a description of its proposed prekindergarten early
learning program;
(2) the goals and standards for such a program;
(3) a description of how the agency may work in conjunction
with child care providers outside of the public schools to
provide community-based kindergarten early learning programs;
and
(4) any other information the State educational agency may
reasonably require.
(b) General Uses of Funds.--A local education agency that receives
a grant award under this Act shall use such funds to establish or
expand a prekindergarten early learning program for children ages 5 and
under in accordance with subsection (c).
(c) Requirements.--Each local educational agency that receives
funds under this Act for a prekindergarten early learning program
shall--
(1) provide a full day and full year program that
incorporates child care and education into one program;
(2) make available transportation for children to
participate in such programs; and
(3) ensure that the ratio of children to staff for a
prekindergarten early learning program does not exceed 18:2.
(d) Permissible Uses of Funds.--A local educational agency that
receives funds under this Act may use such funds--
(1) for professional development for prekindergarten
teachers and teacher assistants;
(2) to provide health care services, such as primary
preventative health and safety programs and health screening
programs, and to promote enrollment in health insurance
programs;
(3) to work in conjunction with child care providers
outside of the public schools to provide community-based
prekindergarten early learning programs; and
(4) to increase salaries for child care providers who work
in prekindergarten early learning programs;
(5) to provide funds to community partnerships.
SEC. 5. ACCOUNTABILITY.
(a) Local Reports.--Each local educational agency that receives a
grant award under this Act shall submit a report to the State
educational agency every 2 years that--
(1) describes the agency's activities;
(2) reports the number of children being served by new or
expanded prekindergarten early learning programs;
(3) describes any improvements in student achievement and
school readiness; and
(4) describes how the agency has reached the goals set
forth in its application under section 4(a)(1) in providing
early learning programs for children ages 5 and under.
(b) State Reports.--Each State educational agency that receives a
grant award under this Act shall submit to the Secretary, not less than
once every 2 years, a detailed summary of the information submitted
under subsection (a). Such report shall also include a description
regarding--
(1) how the State educational agency administered funds to
the local educational agency;
(2) the measures taken and the effectiveness of such
efforts of the State educational agency in reaching out to
local educational agencies to promote the program and ensuring
information was distributed on an equitable basis;
(3) how the State educational agency shared information
with other local educational agencies regarding successful and
innovative programs; and
(4) the status of the State educational agency in
developing long-term strategies for financing pre-K early
learning programs.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ``community partnership'' means an alliance
between a local educational agency and 1 or more of the
following entities:
(A) Child care agency.
(B) Special education provider.
(C) Community-based organization.
(2) The term ``outlying area'' means the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
(3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Education.
(4) The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States and the
District of Columbia.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
(1) $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;
(2) $750,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and
(3) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years
2004 through 2006.
<all>
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
|
| GovRecords.org presents information on various agencies of the United States Government. Even though all information is believed to be credible and accurate, no guarantees are made on the complete accuracy of our government records archive. Care should be taken to verify the information presented by responsible parties. Please see our reference page for congressional, presidential, and judicial branch contact information. GovRecords.org values visitor privacy. Please see the privacy page for more information. |
 |