[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4497 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4497

    To establish or expand prekindergarten early learning programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 3, 2004

  Mr. Kind (for himself, Mr. Hinchey, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Owens, and Mr. 
   Simmons) 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 than 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 educational 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) make available transportation for children to 
        participate in such programs; and
            (2) 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 agencies;
            (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 such 
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
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