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108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2412
To expand Parents as Teachers programs and other programs of early
childhood home visitation, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 12, 2004
Mr. Bond (for himself and Mr. Talent) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To expand Parents as Teachers programs and other programs of early
childhood home visitation, and for other purposes.
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 ``Education Begins at Home Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the home is the first and most important learning
environment for children, and parents are their children's
first and most influential teacher;
(2) through parent education and family support, we can
promote parents' ability to enhance their children's
development from birth until entry into kindergarten thereby
helping parents to prepare their children for success in
school;
(3) undiagnosed and unaddressed developmental and health
problems can impede overall child development and school
readiness;
(4) all parents deserve and can benefit from--
(A) research-based information regarding child
development;
(B) enrichment opportunities with their children;
and
(C) early opportunities to become involved with
their community and schools; and
(5) early childhood home visitation leads to positive
outcomes for children and families, including readiness for
school, improved child health and development, positive
parenting practices, and reductions in child maltreatment.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To enable States to deliver services under Parents as
Teachers programs, or other programs of early childhood home
visitation, to pregnant women and parents of children from
birth until entry into kindergarten in order to promote
parents' ability to support their children's optimal cognitive,
language, social-emotional, and physical development.
(2) To improve Early Head Start programs carried out under
section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a).
(3) To expand Parents as Teachers programs, or other
programs of early childhood home visitation, so as to more
effectively reach and serve families with English language
learners.
(4) To expand Parents as Teachers programs, or other
programs of early childhood home visitation, so as to more
effectively reach and serve families serving in the military.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible family.--The term ``eligible family'' means--
(A) a woman who is pregnant; or
(B) a parent or primary caregiver of a child who is
from birth until entry into kindergarten.
(2) Home visitation.--The term ``home visitation'' means
services provided in the permanent or temporary residence, or
in other familiar surroundings, of the individual receiving
such services.
(3) Secretary.--Except as provided in section 8, the term
``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
SEC. 5. STATE GRANTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITATION.
(a) Authorization.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
Secretary of Education, shall make grants to States to enable such
States to establish or expand Parents as Teachers programs, or other
programs of early childhood home visitation, as specified under
subsection (f). Each grant shall consist of the allotment determined
for a State under subsection (b).
(b) Determination of Reservations; Amount of Allotments;
Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) Reservations from appropriations.--From the total
amount made available to carry out this section for a fiscal
year, the Secretary shall reserve--
(A) 3 percent for an independent evaluation of the
activities carried out under this Act, as specified in
section 9;
(B) not more than 5 percent for Federal
administrative costs; and
(C) 2 percent for training and technical assistance
for States.
(2) State allotments for early childhood home visitation.--
(A) In general.--In accordance with subparagraph
(B), the Secretary shall allot among each of the States
the total amount made available to carry out this
section for any fiscal year and not reserved under
paragraph (1), to carry out early childhood home
visitation in accordance with this section.
(B) Determination of state allotments.--
(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii),
the Secretary shall allot the amount made
available under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal
year among the States in proportion to the
number of children, aged from birth to 5 years,
who reside within the State, compared to the
number of such individuals who reside in all
such States for that fiscal year.
(ii) Exception.--No State receiving an
allotment under clause (i) may receive more
than $20,000,000.
(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $400,000,000 for
the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2007.
(c) State Grant Applications.--A State that desires to receive a
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require. The application shall contain the following
information:
(1) An assurance that the Governor of the State has
designated a lead State agency, such as the State educational
agency or the State health and human services agency, to carry
out the activities under this section.
(2) An assurance that the State will, if requested,
participate in the independent evaluation under section 9.
(3) An assurance that the State will reserve 10 percent of
the grant funds for training and technical assistance of staff
of programs of early childhood home visitation.
(4) The results of a statewide needs assessment that
describes--
(A) the quality and capacity of existing programs
of early childhood home visitation in the State;
(B) the number and types of eligible families who
are receiving services under such programs; and
(C) the gaps in early childhood home visitation in
the State.
(5) A State plan containing the following:
(A) A description of the State's strategy to
establish or expand Parents as Teachers programs, or
other programs of early childhood home visitation, to
serve all eligible families in the State.
(B) A description of the Parents as Teachers
programs, or other programs of early childhood home
visitation, that will be supported by a grant under
this section.
(C) A description of how the proposed program of
early childhood home visitation will promote positive
parenting skills and children's early learning and
development.
(D) A description of how the proposed program of
early childhood home visitation will incorporate the
authorized activities described in subsection (f).
(E) How the lead State agency will build on and
promote coordination among existing programs of early
childhood home visitation in an effort to promote an
array of home visitation that ensures more eligible
families are being served and are getting the most
appropriate services to meet their needs.
(F) How the lead State agency will promote channels
of communication between staff of programs of early
childhood home visitation and staff of other early
childhood education programs, such as Head Start
programs carried out under the Head Start Act (42
U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) and Early Head Start programs
carried out under section 645A of such Act, preschool
programs, and child care programs, to facilitate the
coordination of services for eligible families.
(G) How the lead State agency will provide training
and technical assistance to staff of programs of early
childhood home visitation involved in activities under
this section to more effectively meet the needs of the
eligible families served.
(H) How the lead State agency will evaluate the
activities supported under this section in order to
demonstrate outcomes related to the enhancement of--
(i) parent knowledge of early learning and
development;
(ii) positive parenting practices related
to early learning and development; and
(iii) children's cognitive, language,
social-emotional, and physical development.
(I) Such other information as the Secretary may
require.
(d) Approval of Applications.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve an application
under this section based on the quality of the application and
the recommendations of a peer review panel, as described in
paragraph (2).
(2) Peer review panel.--The peer review panel shall include
not less than--
(A) 3 individuals who are experts in the field of
home visitation;
(B) 2 individuals who are experts in early
childhood development; and
(C) 1 individual with experience implementing a
statewide program of early childhood home visitation.
(e) Duration of Grants.--Grants made under this section shall be
for a period of no more than 3 years.
(f) State Uses of Funds.--Each State that receives a grant under
this section shall--
(1) provide to eligible families voluntary early childhood
home visitation, on not less frequently than a monthly basis
with greater frequency of services for those eligible families
identified with additional needs, through the implementation of
Parents as Teachers programs, or other programs of early
childhood home visitation, that provides parents with--
(A) knowledge of age appropriate child development
in cognitive, language, social-emotional, and motor
domains;
(B) knowledge of realistic expectations of age-
appropriate child behaviors;
(C) knowledge of health and wellness issues for
children and parents;
(D) modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting
practices;
(E) skills to interact with their child to enhance
age-appropriate development;
(F) skills to recognize and seek help for health
issues and developmental delays; and
(G) activities designed to help parents become full
partners in the education of their children;
(2) offer annual health, vision, hearing, and developmental
screening for children from birth until entry into
kindergarten;
(3) provide referrals for eligible families, as needed, to
additional resources available in the community, such as
center-based early education programs, child care services,
health or mental health services, family literacy programs,
employment agencies, and social services;
(4) offer group meetings, on not less frequently than a
monthly basis, for eligible families that--
(A) further enhance the information, activities,
and skill-building addressed during home visitation;
and
(B) offer opportunities for parents to meet with
and support each other;
(5) reserve 10 percent of the grant funds to provide
training and technical assistance, directly or through
contract, to early childhood home visitation and early
childhood care and education staff relating to--
(A) effective methods of conducting parent
education, home visiting, and promoting quality early
childhood development;
(B) the relationship of health and well-being of
pregnant women to prenatal and early childhood
development;
(C) early childhood development with respect to
children from birth until entry into kindergarten;
(D) methods to help parents promote emergent
literacy in their children from birth until entry into
kindergarten;
(E) health, vision, hearing, and developmental
screenings;
(F) strategies for helping eligible families with
special needs or those eligible families coping with
crisis;
(G) recruiting, supervising, and retaining
qualified staff;
(H) increasing services for underserved
populations;
(I) methods to help parents effectively respond to
their children's needs and behaviors; and
(J) implementation of ongoing program quality
improvement and evaluation of activities and outcomes;
(6) ensure coordination of programs of early childhood home
visitation, early childhood education and care, and early
intervention, through an existing or created State-level early
childhood coordinating body that includes--
(A) representatives from relevant State agencies;
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