113 S1674 IS: Parent Education and Family Engagement in Early Childhood Care and Education Act
U.S. Senate
2013-11-07
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Parent Education and Family Engagement
in Early Childhood Care and Education Act
.2.The purposes of this Act are—(1)to strengthen
families by helping all parents provide the best possible environment for the
healthy growth and development of their young children from birth through early
elementary school;(2)to support
parents in their role as their child's first and most important teacher by
enabling the participation of parents in the early learning process through
integrating parent education, joint parent-child interaction activities, and
family engagement into early childhood education programs; and(3)to facilitate
successful transitions into elementary school by providing continuity of
supports for children and parents.3.In this Act:(1)The term early childhood educator means any
State-licensed or State-regulated professional working in an early childhood care and education program,
including such a professional who is—(A)a child care provider;(B)a center-based
or family child care provider;(C)an infant or
toddler specialist;(D)an early
intervention specialist or early childhood special educator;(E)a home visitor
working for an early childhood care and education program described in
paragraph (2)(D);(F)an administrator,
such as a director, supervisor, or other early childhood care and education
leader;(G)a Head Start or
Early Head Start teacher or teacher assistant;(H)a preschool
teacher or other teacher, or teacher assistant;(I)an early
elementary school teacher; and(J)a trainer or
technical assistance provider.(2)Early childhood
care and education programThe term early childhood care
and education program means—(A)a State-licensed
or State-regulated program or provider, regardless of setting or funding
source, that provides early care and education for children from the ages of
birth to kindergarten entry, including any program operated by a child care
center or in a family child care home;(B)a preschool
program funded by the Federal Government or by a State or a local educational
agency (including any preschool program supported under section 619 or part C
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et
seq.));(C)an Early Head
Start program or Head Start program; or(D)a program that
delivers early childhood care and education services in a child’s home, such as
the maternal, infant, and early childhood home visiting programs established
under section 511 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 711) and home visits
supported under the Early Head Start program.(3)The term Early Head Start program
means an Early Head Start program supported under section 645A of the Head
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840).(4)The term Head Start program means the Head
Start program supported under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et
seq.).(5)The term high-need area means a defined
geographical area in which there is—(A)a high rate of
child poverty; and(B)(i)a limited supply
of high-quality, affordable, and culturally and linguistically competent early
childhood care and education program opportunities for children; or(ii)1 or more elementary schools that are identified under section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316).(6)The term local agency means—(A)a local
educational agency, as defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801);(B)an agency
administering an Early Head Start program or Head Start program;(C)a local agency
responsible for administering a home visiting program for young
children;(D)an agency
responsible for administering any other Federal, State, or local government
child care or early childhood education program;(E)a local early
childhood advisory council or coalition;(F)a local child
care resource and referral agency; or(G)a consortium of
agencies described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (F).(7)The
term parent has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).(8)The
term Secretaries means the Secretary of Education and the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting in accordance with the
interagency agreement described in section 10.(9)The
term State means each of the several States of the United States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands.4.Early childhood
parent education and family engagement program(a)(1)From the amounts made
available under section 11 and not reserved under paragraph (2), the
Secretaries are authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to States
to enable such States to support early childhood parent education and family
engagement activities by awarding subgrants to local agencies.(2)Of
the amounts appropriated to carry out this Act for a fiscal year, the
Secretaries may use not more than 3 percent to carry out section 8.(b)(1)A State that receives a grant under this section shall
contribute, to the activities assisted under such grant, matching funds in an
amount equal to not less than 20 percent of the amount of the grant.(2)The matching funds required under paragraph (1)—(A)shall be from
non-Federal sources; and(B)may be met
by—(i)contributions
that are in cash or in-kind; and(ii)State or local
funds or funds from any private source.5.(a)Each State desiring a grant under this Act shall submit
an application to the Secretaries at such time, in such manner, and accompanied
by such information as the Secretaries may reasonably require.(b)Each
application submitted under subsection (a) shall include the following:(1)A description of
how the State, through a local agency, will achieve the following goals:(A)Providing
families with increased opportunities, including through the use of culturally
and linguistically appropriate materials, to learn how to best support their
children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development during the
first 5 years of life in the family and home setting.(B)Increasing parent
involvement in their children’s early childhood care and education program
settings.(C)As applicable,
coordinating activities under this Act with—(i)parent
involvement and education supported under part C of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);(ii)parent training
and information centers authorized under section 671 of such Act (20 U.S.C.
1471);(iii)parent
engagement activities carried out under section 1118 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6318); and(iv)parental
information and resource centers supported under subpart 16 of part D of title
V of such Act (20 U.S.C. 7273 et seq.).(D)Facilitating
successful transitions between settings, including transitions between early
childhood care and education programs, transitions into elementary school, and
transitions between the early grades of elementary school.(2)A description of
how the State will—(A)engage and assist
local agencies in high-need areas in applying for subgrants under this
Act;(B)award subgrants
to local agencies serving high-need areas; and(C)provide technical
assistance to local agencies receiving subgrants in high-need areas to address
unique barriers to the implementation of the subgrant activities.(3)A description of
how the State will—(A)engage and assist
local agencies in rural communities in applying for subgrants under this Act;
and(B)provide technical
assistance to local agencies receiving subgrants in rural communities to
address unique barriers to implementation of the subgrant activities.6.(a)Distribution of
subgrantsA State that receives a grant under this Act for a
fiscal year—(1)shall use not
less than 83 percent of the grant funds to award subgrants to local agencies to
establish, expand, or enhance early childhood parent education and family
engagement programs involving children from birth through 5 years of age and
their parents; and(2)may use not more
than 15 percent of the grant funds to award subgrants to local agencies to
establish, expand, or enhance elementary school parent education and family
engagement programs serving children between 5 and 8 years of age and their
parents to assist with the transition to elementary school.(b)A
State may use not more than 2 percent of the amount received under this Act for
any fiscal year to pay for the administrative costs of the program supported by
the grant.7.(a)A State receiving a grant under this Act shall use
grant funds, in accordance with section 6(a), to award subgrants, on a
competitive basis, to local agencies to enable the local agencies to establish,
expand, or enhance early childhood and elementary school parent education and
family engagement programs through the activities described in subsection
(d).(b)A
local agency desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit an application
to the State at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the State may reasonably require.(c)Each
local agency receiving a subgrant under this section shall develop the program
carried out with grant funds in consultation with—(1)other Federal,
State, or local government-sponsored early childhood care and education
programs, including child care programs supported through Federal, State, or
local funding sources, Early Head Start programs, Head Start programs, early
childhood mental health providers, early intervention services, and home
visiting programs for young children, as appropriate; and(2)parents who will
be participating in the program carried out under the subgrant.(d)(1)A program carried out by a local agency receiving a
subgrant under this section shall include—(A)support for
parent education activities to enhance the skills of parents to provide for and
understand their children's learning processes and intellectual, social,
emotional, and physical development, including instruction in positive
parenting practices through parent-child interaction;(B)training and
professional development for early childhood educators in—(i)strategies for
engaging parents, especially working parents, in parent education activities;
and(ii)culturally and
linguistically appropriate approaches to discussing parenting, behavior
management, and healthy child development;(C)training for
parent educators and early childhood educators in—(i)detecting
challenges to children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional, or
behavioral development that may lead to learning problems and can be addressed
through the community resources described in paragraph (2)(A); and(ii)improving child
and family health, safety, and stability; and(D)coordination
between early childhood educators and instructional staff at elementary schools
in the same geographic area as the local agency, in order to establish ongoing
channels of communication to help teachers, early childhood educators, and
parents prepare children for school.(2)A program carried out by a local agency receiving a
subgrant under this section may include—(A)coordination
with, and referral to, related community resources, including, where
appropriate—(i)child care
subsidy services;(ii)health and
mental health services;(iii)early
intervention services provided under part C of Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act;(iv)employment and
financial services;(v)adult education
services; and(vi)home visiting
services;(B)indirect parental
involvement activities designed to update parents and families on the progress
of their children and the other activities of the program, such as
newsletter-related activities, parent-teacher conferences, or other parent
outreach activities, when the use of such indirect parental involvement
activities support the activities described in paragraph (1); and(C)other parent and
family education or engagement activities to improve the health, development,
and school readiness of children.(e)A
local agency receiving a subgrant under this section may not use such funds for
routine child care or early childhood education program services that are not
directly related to parent education or family engagement programs.(f)(1)A local agency that receives a subgrant under this section
shall submit an annual report to the State and to the Secretaries at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretaries may require,
including at a minimum—(A)data on the
number and characteristics of parents and families who have received services
from the local agency's program, including—(i)the
number and percentage of such families with incomes below the poverty line (as
defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in
accordance with section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42
U.S.C. 9902(2))) applicable to a family of the size involved; and(ii)the number and
percentage of such families that include children with high needs,
including—(I)children with
disabilities, as defined in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401), or with developmental delays, as defined in
section 632 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1432);(II)children who are
dual language learners;(III)children who
reside on Indian lands, as defined in section 8013 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7713); and(IV)children who are
migrant, homeless, or in foster care;(B)data
demonstrating an increase in the availability and quality of parent education
and family engagement services in communities in which the local agency
operates;(C)data describing
the training provided to teachers, early childhood educators, and
parents;(D)evidence of
improved support for parents and children to help promote successful
transitions for children into elementary school;(E)evidence that
parents developed positive relationships with early childhood care and
education staff and gained confidence in addressing family specific needs,
including—(i)family safety and
stability; and(ii)family health
and mental health; and(F)if a local agency
uses funds under this Act for permissible activities under subsection (d)(2),
evidence of coordination with, and referral to, related community resources,
including evidence that parents were referred to and accessed services
described in subsection (d)(2)(A).8.Research,
evaluation, and dissemination(a)The Secretaries shall enter into an agreement with the
National Academy of Sciences, under which the National Academy of Sciences
shall conduct a study and evaluation, including a report, on best practices
that support the purposes of this Act, including best practices—(1)for training
early childhood educators and parents in detecting children’s physical,
cognitive, social and emotional, or behavioral developmental issues that are
associated with learning problems;(2)for training and
professional development for early childhood educators (including early
childhood care and education program directors) in—(A)strategies for
engaging parents, especially working parents, in parent education activities;
and(B)culturally and
linguistically appropriate approaches to discussing parenting, behavior
management, and healthy child development, especially in areas with diverse
populations of children and families;(3)for training
parent educators and early childhood educators in identifying and preventing
child abuse and neglect; and(4)for referring
parents to community resources and services to address identified family
needs.(b)The evaluation described in subsection (a) shall carry
out all of the following:(1)Assess the impact
of each local agency's program, using evidence of the program's outcomes,
including—(A)increased quality
of parent education and engagement services within early childhood care and
education programs; and(B)improved child
and family health, safety, and stability.(2)Identify factors
that foster or hinder the successful implementation of each local agency's
program.(3)Utilize the data
on best practices, as described in subsection (a), to provide information to
each local agency that can be used to drive program improvement.(4)Generate and
disseminate information about best practices, as described in subsection (a),
that are associated with—(A)increased quality
of parent education and family engagement services within early childhood care
and education programs; and(B)improved child
and family health, safety, and stability.(c)Reporting
schedule and planThe Secretaries shall work with the National
Academy of Sciences to establish and approve a reporting schedule and a
research, evaluation, and dissemination plan for the evaluation described in
subsection (a).(d)The Secretaries shall submit an annual report to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the
Workforce of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives, on the lessons learned through programs funded
under this Act.9.(a)Supplement and
not supplantGrant and
subgrant funds provided under this Act shall supplement, and not supplant,
other Federal, State, and local funds that are available for early childhood
parent education and family engagement programs. States receiving grant funds,
and local agencies receiving subgrant funds, under this Act may provide
additional funds, other than those received under this Act, to enhance the
parent education and family engagement programs that are supported by such
grant or subgrant funds.(b)A State that receives
funds under this part for a fiscal year shall maintain the fiscal effort
provided by the State for the activities supported by the funds under this Act
at a level equal to or greater than the level of such fiscal effort for the
preceding fiscal year.(c)Family
participation in any program supported under this Act shall be voluntary and
shall not preclude the family's participation in other Federal, State, or local
programs.10.The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall jointly develop policies for, and administer
activities under, this Act in accordance with such terms as the Secretaries
shall set forth in an interagency agreement. Such interagency agreement, at a
minimum, shall include a description of the respective roles and
responsibilities of the Secretaries in carrying out this Act.11.Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be
necessary for fiscal years 2014 through 2019.