[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3365 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3365

To provide grants to local educational agencies to establish or expand 
   prekindergarten programs for children who are not yet enrolled in 
                             kindergarten.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 1999

 Mr. Andrews introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide grants to local educational agencies to establish or expand 
   prekindergarten programs for children who are not yet enrolled in 
                             kindergarten.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAM.

    Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

                   ``PART L--PREKINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS

``SEC. 10995A. FINDINGS.

    ``Congress finds the following:
            ``(1) Countless studies have shown what every parent 
        already knows: High-quality preschool education programs work. 
        They prepare children to learn when they go to school, and the 
        programs increase the success of students throughout their 
        lives.
            ``(2) Children who get a high-quality prekindergarten 
        education are more likely to increase their overall IQ, improve 
        their results on achievement tests, and increase their chances 
        of graduating from high school and pursuing some form of higher 
        education. These same children are less likely to repeat a 
        grade level and have less need for special education 
        instruction than those with no preschool background, thus 
        saving local educational agencies funds that might otherwise be 
        necessary to provide special education instruction.
            ``(3) Prekindergarten education makes an enormous 
        difference in the lives of children from lower-income families. 
        The following specific results were found for children eligible 
        for Head Start services or child care assistance, children who 
        belong to a single parent, 2-child families earning less than 
        $22,000 per year, or families of 4 earning less than $31,000 
        per year--
                    ``(A) 29 percent of the children who attended 
                prekindergarten program were employed in jobs paying 
                over $2,000 by age 27, as opposed to 7 percent of those 
                from the same income group who did not receive 
                prekindergarten education.
                    ``(B) Only 57 percent of the children who attended 
                a prekindergarten program grew up to become single 
                mothers, as opposed to 83 percent of the same income 
                group who did not attend a prekindergarten program.
                    ``(C) 36 percent of the children who attended a 
                prekindergarten program grew up to own their own homes, 
                as opposed to only 13 percent of the same income group 
                who did not attend such a program.
                    ``(D) Less than 13 percent of the boys in the group 
                who attended a prekindergarten program grew up to be 
                arrested 5 or more times, as opposed to 49 percent of 
                the boys from the same income group who did not attend 
                a prekindergarten program.

``SEC. 10995B. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to provide grants to 
local educational agencies with an approved application under section 
10995C to allow such agencies to establish or expand prekindergarten 
early learning programs to be operated by the local education agency.
    ``(b) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority for grants under 
this part to local educational agencies with the highest population of 
children, ages 3 to 5, not enrolled in a prekindergarten or 
kindergarten program.

``SEC. 10995C. APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--A local educational agency that desires to 
receive a grant under this part shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may reasonably require.
    ``(b) Content.--An application referred to in subsection (a), at a 
minimum, shall--
            ``(1) demonstrate a need for the establishment or expansion 
        of a prekindergarten program;
            ``(2) provide an assurance that each individual hired to 
        work with children in the prekindergarten program is a teacher 
        or child development specialist certified by the State;
            ``(3) provide an assurance that the ratio of teacher or 
        child development specialist to children shall not exceed 10-1;
            ``(4) provide an assurance that the local educational 
        agency will provide, either directly or through private 
        contributions, non-Federal matching funds equal to not less 
        than 50 percent of the amount of the grant award, these 
        contributions shall include in kind contributions and parental 
        co-payments;
            ``(5) provide an assurance that the local educational 
        agency will develop a sliding fee schedule to ensure that the 
        parents of a child who attends a prekindergarten program 
        established under this part share in the cost of providing the 
        prekindergarten program, but the amount of such contribution 
        shall not exceed $50 each week that a child attends such 
        program;
            ``(6) provide a description of how funds will be used to 
        coordinate with and build on, but not duplicate or supplant, 
        early childhood programs that exist in the community;
            ``(7) describe how the agency will use a collaborative 
        process with organizations and members of the community that 
        have an interest and experience in early childhood development 
        and education to establish prekindergarten programs;
            ``(8) describe how the agency will coordinate with and 
        expand, but not duplicate or supplant, early childhood programs 
        that exist in the community;
            ``(9) review scientifically based research on early 
        childhood education services that focus on language, literacy, 
        and reading development;
            ``(10) describe how the program will meet the diverse needs 
        of children, ages 3 through 5, in the community who are not 
        enrolled in kindergarten, including children who have special 
        needs;
            ``(11) describe how to employ methods that ensure a smooth 
        transition for participating students from early childhood 
        education to kindergarten and early elementary education;
            ``(12) describe the results the programs are intended to 
        achieve, and what tools to use to measure the progress in 
        attaining those results;
            ``(13) describe a plan to operate the program without using 
        funds made available under this part; and
            ``(14) provide an assurance that none of the funds received 
        under this part may be used for the construction or renovation 
        of existing or new facilities (except for minor remodeling 
        needed to accomplish the purposes of this part);

``SEC. 10995D. USES OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--A local educational agency that receives a grant 
award under this part may use funds received to establish or expand 
prekindergarten programs for children, ages 3 through 5, who are not 
enrolled in kindergarten.
    ``(b) Prekindergarten Programs.--Each prekindergarten program that 
is established pursuant to this part shall--
            ``(1) focus on the developmental needs of participating 
        children, including their social, cognitive, and language-
        development needs, and use research-based approaches that build 
        on competencies that lead to school success, particularly in 
        language and literacy development and in reading; and
            ``(2) ensure that participating children, at a minimum--
                    ``(A) understand and use language to communicate 
                for various purposes;
                    ``(B) understand and use increasingly complex and 
                varied vocabulary;
                    ``(C) develop and demonstrate an appreciation of 
                books;
                    ``(D) develop phonemic, print, and numeracy 
                awareness; and
                    ``(E) in the case of children with limited English 
                proficiency, progress toward acquisition of the English 
                language.

``SEC. 10995E. REPORTING.

    ``(a) Local Reports.--Each local educational agency that receives a 
grant award under this part shall submit to the Secretary annually a 
report that reviews the effectiveness of the prekindergarten program 
established with funds provided under this part.
    ``(b) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress 
annually a report that evaluates the prekindergarten programs 
established under this part.

``SEC. 10995F. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
$210,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $210,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, 
$1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, $1,500,000,000 for fiscal year 
2004, and $2,100,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.''.
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