[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 553 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 553

    To help establish and enhance early childhood family education 
                   programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2001

 Mr. Wellstone introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To help establish and enhance early childhood family education 
                   programs, 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 ``Early Childhood Family Education 
Pilot Project Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is--
            (1) to strengthen families by helping all parents provide 
        the best possible environment for the healthy growth and 
        development of their young children who are between the ages of 
        0 and 5 years; and
            (2) to support parents in their role as their child's first 
        and most important teacher by enabling the parents' 
        participation in the early learning process through integrating 
        early childhood education, parent education, and joint parent-
        child interaction activities in a comprehensive program.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) In General.--The terms used in this Act have the meanings given 
the terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801).
    (b) Local Agency.--In this Act, the term ``local agency'' means--
            (1) a local educational agency;
            (2) a school that administers early childhood education 
        programs;
            (3) an agency administering a Head Start, Early Head Start, 
        or Even Start program; and
            (4) an agency administering any other Federal, State, or 
        local government child care or early childhood education 
        program within a local school district.

SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    The Secretary is authorized to award grants from amounts made 
available under section 11 to States having applications approved under 
section 5 to enable such States to award subgrants in accordance with 
the requirements of section 6.

SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Each State desiring a grant under this Act shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require.
    (b) Contents.--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) Helping parents support their children's 
                optimal physical, intellectual, social, and emotional 
                development during the first 5 years of life.
                    (B) Increasing parent involvement in children's 
                learning, development, and education.
                    (C) Enhancing effective communication and healthy 
                parent-child-family relationships.
                    (D) Encouraging the development and effective use 
                of community resources for families.
                    (E) Preventing child abuse, family violence, and 
                other negative family outcomes.
                    (F) Making educational materials available for home 
                use.
                    (G) Coordinating activities under this Act with 
                parent involvement and education under part C of the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
                1431 et seq.).
            (2) A description of how the State will target funds to the 
        highest need areas with need being determined from the levels 
        of access to high quality early childhood education 
        opportunities and numbers of children living in poverty 
        relative to the population of the area.
            (3) An assurance that within the criteria described in 
        paragraph (2) the State will award subgrants equitably among 
        the geographic regions of the State.
    (c) Peer Review.--The Secretary shall use a peer review process in 
reviewing applications submitted under subsection (a) for the purpose 
of selecting States to receive grants under this Act. Applications 
shall be peer reviewed by a panel of experts in early childhood and 
family education.

SEC. 6. STATE USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) Subgrants.--A State that receives a grant under this Act for a 
fiscal year shall use the grants funds to award subgrants to local 
agencies to enable such local agencies to establish or enhance early 
childhood family education programs involving children between 0 and 5 
years of age and their parents.
    (b) Administration.--A State may use not more than 5 percent of the 
amount received under this Act for any fiscal year to pay for 
administrative costs.
    (c) Waiver of Age Requirement.--If a State administers a program 
that provides early childhood family education in all school districts 
or areas in the State that desire to participate in the program under 
this Act, and families in those school districts or areas are provided 
universal access to early childhood family education programs, then the 
State may use funds provided under this Act to award subgrants to local 
agencies for activities authorized under this Act that serve children 
who are not older than 8.

SEC. 7. LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Each local agency receiving a subgrant under this 
Act shall use subgrant funds to develop and carry out a program to 
establish or enhance early childhood family education programs.
    (b) Consultation.--Each local agency receiving a subgrant under 
this Act shall develop the program described in subsection (a) in 
consultation with, and shall provide for ongoing advice from, other 
Federal, State or local government sponsored early childhood education 
programs in the local area, including child care, Head Start, Early 
Head Start, and Even Start programs.
    (c) Requirements.--Each program carried out by a local agency under 
this section shall comply with the following requirements:
            (1) Universal access.--The program shall be open to every 
        family who lives within the boundaries of the school district 
        served by the local agency, including every such family with a 
        young child having special developmental or health needs.
            (2) Setting.--The program shall be center-based or school-
        based and shall provide instruction to parents and children 
        together or in concurrent settings.
            (3) Activities.--The program shall include--
                    (A) early childhood education activities to enhance 
                children's intellectual, social, emotional, and 
                physical development;
                    (B) 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;
                    (C) activities that include parent-child 
                interaction;
                    (D) activities designed to detect children's 
                physical, intellectual, emotional, or behavioral 
                problems that may cause learning problems;
                    (E) coordination with and referral to related 
                community resources;
                    (F) coordination with local elementary schools, 
                including activities such as joint professional 
                development and training in early childhood 
                development, appropriate practices, and kindergarten 
                and first grade standards and curricula to help 
                teachers, early childhood educators, and parents 
                prepare children for school;
                    (G) training for teachers, early childhood 
                educators, and parents in identifying and preventing 
                child abuse and neglect; and
                    (H) other programs or activities to improve the 
                health, development, and school readiness of children.
            (4) Staff.--Each teacher in the program shall meet the 
        applicable State requirements for State-funded pre-kindergarten 
        programs or parent education programs, as applicable.
    (d) Restrictions.--Local agencies receiving subgrant funds under 
this section may not use such funds for--
            (1) parental involvement activities, such as newsletter 
        related activities, parent-teacher conferences, or other parent 
        outreach activities, except for the use of such parental 
        involvement activities to support the activities described in 
        subsection (c); or
            (2) routine child care or early childhood education 
        services, as contrasted to supplemental activities that serve 
        parents and children together or in concurrent settings.
    (e) Advisory Council.--
            (1) In general.--Each local agency receiving a subgrant 
        under this Act, in consultation with the local educational 
        agency or local governing board, as appropriate, serving the 
        local agency shall appoint an advisory council from individuals 
        residing in the school district in which the program funded by 
        the subgrant is to be provided.
            (2) Members.--A majority of the members of the advisory 
        council shall be parents who are participating in the program.
            (3) Duties.--The advisory council shall assist the local 
        educational agency or local governing board, as appropriate, in 
        developing, planning, and monitoring the program assisted under 
        this section.
            (4) Report.--In carrying out the advisory council's duties, 
        the council shall report to the local educational agency or 
        local governing board, as appropriate, serving the local agency 
        administering the program assisted under this section.

SEC. 8. EVALUATION.

    (a) In general.--Each State receiving a grant under this Act shall 
prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual evaluation of the 
effectiveness of the programs carried out within such State using grant 
funds received under this Act.
    (b) Submission to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit the results 
of the evaluations prepared under subsection (a) to Congress.

SEC. 9. SUPPLEMENT AND NOT SUPPLANT.

    Grant and subgrant funds provided under this Act shall supplement, 
and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds that are 
available for early childhood family education 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 early childhood family education programs that 
are supported by such grant or subgrant funds.

SEC. 10. VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION.

    Family participation in any program funded under this Act shall be 
voluntary and shall not preclude participation in other Federal, State, 
or local programs.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, 
200,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and for each of the 4 succeeding 
fiscal years.
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