[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2616 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2616

  To promote public-private partnerships to strengthen investment in 
   early childhood development for children from birth to entry into 
    kindergarten in order to ensure healthy development and school 
                      readiness for all children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 2007

  Ms. DeLauro (for herself and Mr. Courtney) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote public-private partnerships to strengthen investment in 
   early childhood development for children from birth to entry into 
    kindergarten in order to ensure healthy development and school 
                      readiness for all children.

    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 Investment Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The cumulative process of a child's development and 
        learning begins at birth. Research indicates that the physical, 
        cognitive, social, and emotional development that takes place 
        from birth through age 5 is crucial for a child's future 
        achievement in school and life.
            (2) Parents are the first teachers of their children and, 
        accordingly, parental support and parental involvement play a 
        critical role in a child's positive development and early 
        learning experiences.
            (3) High-quality early childhood development programs and 
        services yield substantial advantages for young children and 
        their families in terms of better health, readiness for school, 
        and economic well-being.
            (4) Research indicates that training and higher education 
        for early childhood development personnel result in a better 
        quality environment for children, which in turn promotes 
        greater child development. Yet access to training and higher 
        education for early childhood development personnel is limited 
        for a variety of reasons, including limited availability and 
        cost. Low wages associated with working in an early childhood 
        development program contribute to high staff turnover in the 
        program. For personnel who receive training, early childhood 
        development programs are often unable to raise the compensation 
        of staff due to budget constraints.
            (5) Investments in early childhood development pay 
        dividends for children, in terms of--
                    (A) improved and more successful transition to 
                kindergarten;
                    (B) higher academic performance;
                    (C) better employment opportunities and higher 
                earnings; and
                    (D) lower incidence of crime and dependence on 
                public welfare.
            (6) Our Nation's economy benefits from early childhood 
        development investments through a better prepared workforce, 
        stronger growth, and rising standards of living, and society 
        will benefit from less crime, enhanced schools, and children 
        who are better prepared to participate as citizens in a 
        democratic society.
            (7) Public-private partnerships have the ability to 
        leverage the assets of public and private entities in terms of 
        financial resources, expertise, and infrastructure in order to 
        maximize and align investments in early childhood development.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    It is the purpose of this Act to provide Federal incentives for 
States to create or enhance partnerships between or among public and 
private entities to improve the access to and the quality of early 
childhood development programs for all children from birth to entry 
into kindergarten, in order to foster healthy growth and school 
readiness for all children.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the board of directors 
        established under section 6(c).
            (2) Early childhood development.--The term ``early 
        childhood development'' means the attention to children's 
        development and learning, including physical, cognitive, 
        social, and emotional development and approaches to learning, 
        for children of any age from birth to entry into kindergarten 
        with developmentally appropriate quality standards that lead to 
        school readiness with respect to early literacy, mathematics, 
        cognitive, social, and emotional benchmarks, and other 
        appropriate benchmarks.
            (3) Early childhood development program.--The term ``early 
        childhood development program'' means--
                    (A) a child care center, or family child care, that 
                is legally operating under State law and complies with 
                State and local requirements for the provision of child 
                care;
                    (B) a Head Start program carried out under the Head 
                Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);
                    (C) an Early Head Start program carried out under 
                section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a);
                    (D) a parenting education program, including a home 
                visiting program;
                    (E) a health and mental health screening program 
                and follow up health care programs; or
                    (F) a State or local prekindergarten program,
        that provides services for children of any age from birth to 
        entry into kindergarten.
            (4) Eligible partnership.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``eligible partnership'' 
                means a partnership consisting of private and public 
                entities that shall include--
                            (i) an organization, or consortium of 
                        organizations, described in section 501(c)(3) 
                        of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is 
                        exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
                        such Act; and
                            (ii) a State.
            (5) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (6) Parent.--The term ``parent'' means a biological or 
        adoptive parent, a stepparent, a foster parent, or a legal 
        guardian of, or a person standing in loco parentis to, a child.
            (7) Secretary.--Unless otherwise specified, the term 
        ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
            (8) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United 
        States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants.--From funds appropriated under section 11 and not 
reserved under subsection (d)(2) and section 9(e), the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Education, may award a grant to not 
more than 1 eligible partnership serving each State to pay the Federal 
share of the costs of enabling the eligible partnership to engage the 
public and private sector in order to--
            (1) strengthen the quality of early childhood development 
        opportunities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers 
        throughout the State;
            (2) promote school readiness; and
            (3) increase access to the early childhood development 
        programs.
    (b) Duration.--The Secretary shall award a grant under this Act for 
a period of not less than 3 years and not more than 5 years.
    (c) Award Basis for Grants.--Grants under this Act shall be awarded 
on the basis of the number of children in the State from birth through 
age 5.
    (d) Grants to Indian Tribes.--
            (1) Requests for applications.--The Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Education, shall submit to 
        Indian tribes requests for applications for grants under this 
        section.
            (2) Reservation.--Of the amounts appropriated to carry out 
        this Act, the Secretary shall reserve 1 percent to award grants 
        to eligible partnerships serving Indian tribes.

SEC. 6. ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Memorandum of Understanding.--
            (1) In general.--In order to be eligible for a grant under 
        this Act, all members of the eligible partnership shall enter 
        into and sign a memorandum of understanding that shall clearly 
        describe the goal, strategy, structure, and governance of the 
        eligible partnership.
            (2) Additional members.--An eligible partnership assisted 
        under this Act may add new members to the partnership, but each 
        such new member shall enter into and sign the memorandum of 
        understanding described in paragraph (1).
    (b) Eligible Partnership Duties.--An eligible partnership assisted 
under this Act shall--
            (1) coordinate efforts of nonprofit or for-profit private 
        entities, the Federal Government, and State governments in 
        order to implement high quality investments in early childhood 
        development, including parent education and support, child 
        care, preschool, and other related early childhood development 
        activities to better promote healthy child development and 
        school readiness within the State; and
            (2) serve as the fiscal agent for the grant under this Act 
        and work in coordination with any early childhood council or 
        advisory body in the State that has, as the council or advisory 
        body's primary function, the coordination of early childhood 
        development programs across the State.
    (c) Board of Directors.--
            (1) Membership.--
                    (A) In general.--An eligible partnership assisted 
                under this Act shall be led by a board of directors.
                    (B) Representation.--The members of the Board shall 
                represent--
                            (i) the private and public sector; and
                            (ii) the range of sectors of child 
                        development (including health and mental health 
                        development), including early childhood 
                        development programs and providers, government 
                        agencies, philanthropic and business 
                        organizations, and other stakeholders.
                    (C) Private sector representation.--Not less than 
                51 percent of the representation of the Board shall 
                consist of private sector representatives, including--
                            (i) representatives of nonprofit entities;
                            (ii) representatives of foundations; and
                            (iii) not less than 3 business 
                        representatives.
            (2) Diversity.--An eligible partnership assisted under this 
        Act shall reflect the diversity of the State served by the 
        eligible partnership.
            (3) Guidance.--The Board shall be guided by the memorandum 
        of understanding described in subsection (a)(1).
            (4) Board duties.--The Board shall--
                    (A) oversee the vision and strategic planning of 
                the eligible partnership;
                    (B) establish policies and procedures for the 
                ongoing operations and activities of the eligible 
                partnership;
                    (C) establish an application process for awarding 
                subgrants to State or community-wide initiatives; and
                    (D) conduct oversight of goals, performance 
                measures, and outcomes of expenditures, for activities 
                assisted under this Act.
    (d) Timing.--An eligible partnership assisted under this Act may be 
a partnership that is in existence on the day before the date of 
enactment of this Act or is established on or after such day.

SEC. 7. APPLICATION.

    Each eligible partnership desiring a grant under this Act shall 
submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. Each 
application shall contain, at a minimum, the following:
            (1) A description of--
                    (A) the goals, mission, and activities of the 
                eligible partnership, including specific goals with 
                respect to--
                            (i) serving the complete range of children 
                        from birth to entry into kindergarten, 
                        including infants, toddlers, and preschoolers; 
                        and
                            (ii) serving children from low-income 
                        families and communities, children with special 
                        needs, children who are English language 
                        learners, and children from emerging 
                        populations; and
                    (B) how the goals, mission, and activities of the 
                eligible partnership are coordinated and aligned with 
                the overall State strategy (including the State's goals 
                and benchmarks), and State initiatives in existence on 
                the day before the date the application is submitted, 
                with respect to early childhood development programs 
                for all children in the State from birth to entry into 
                kindergarten.
            (2) A detailed description of the eligible partnership's 
        structure, including a list of the entities participating in 
        the eligible partnership, the members of the Board serving the 
        eligible partnership, and the responsibilities of each such 
        entity or member.
            (3) A plan for soliciting additional public and private 
        entities to become members of the eligible partnership.
            (4) A copy of the memorandum of understanding described in 
        section 6(a)(1).
            (5) A detailed description of the need assessment and cost 
        models used to determine how the funds of the eligible 
        partnership will be distributed within the State.
            (6) A financing plan for the activities assisted under the 
        grant that includes utilizing existing funding streams and 
        leveraging additional funds to match the Federal share provided 
        under this Act.
            (7) An explanation of how results and outcomes from 
        activities assisted under the grant will be demonstrated and 
        measured.

SEC. 8. USES OF FUNDS.

    Grant funds made available under this Act shall be used--
            (1) to strengthen the financing of services and systems of 
        early childhood development across settings and sectors in a 
        State for all children from birth to kindergarten, including 
        the financing of programs under the Child Care and Development 
        Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), under the 
        Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), and under section 645A 
        of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a) (Early Head Start 
        programs), State or local prekindergarten programs, and home 
        visiting and other parent education programs; and
            (2) to accomplish the purpose of this Act by providing 
        subgrants to State or community-wide initiatives that may 
        include activities to--
                    (A) enhance and develop quality parenting support 
                and education;
                    (B) provide education and professional development 
                to and improved compensation for the early childhood 
                workforce and teachers, in order to--
                            (i) enhance the knowledge and skills of the 
                        early childhood workforce and teachers; and
                            (ii) attract and retain quality early 
                        childhood development program staff;
                    (C) provide services, training, and technical 
                assistance, outreach, quality improvements, and support 
                to early childhood development programs serving 
                children who are from low-income families and 
                communities, children with special needs, and children 
                who are English language learners, especially such 
                programs serving the needs of working families, by 
                providing full-day, full-year opportunities for 
                children;
                    (D) renovate and upgrade early childhood facilities 
                or establish pooled early childhood facility funds, 
                except that not more than 10 percent of the grant funds 
                awarded to an eligible partnership under this Act may 
                be used for construction;
                    (E) provide developmental screenings, health 
                consultations, and mental health consultations, in 
                early childhood development programs; and
                    (F) increase coordination between and among early 
                childhood development providers and local educational 
                agencies in order to--
                            (i) ease the transition for children 
                        between preschool and kindergarten;
                            (ii) ensure the effective and efficient 
                        delivery of services to children; and
                            (iii) provide joint professional 
                        development for early childhood educators and 
                        teachers in kindergarten through grade 2 to 
                        improve curriculum alignment and ensure the 
                        school readiness of the children.

SEC. 9. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of the activities 
assisted under this Act shall be 50 percent for the first year of the 
grant, 40 percent for the second year of the grant, and 30 percent for 
each succeeding year of the grant.
    (b) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share of the cost of the 
activities assisted under this Act may be provided in cash or in kind, 
fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, and services, and may be 
provided from State, local, or private sources.
    (c) Maintenance of Effort.--The Secretary shall not award a grant 
under this Act to any eligible partnership unless the Secretary first 
determines that the total expenditures by the State and its political 
subdivisions to support early childhood development programs (other 
than funds used to pay the non-Federal share under this section) for 
the fiscal year for which the determination is made is equal to or 
greater than such expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.
    (d) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds received under this Act 
shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and 
local public funds expended to promote early childhood development 
programs and activities.
    (e) Reservation for Administration, Technical Assistance, and 
Evaluation.--The Secretary shall reserve not more than a total of 3 
percent of the funds appropriated under section 11 for a fiscal year 
for the costs of administering this Act, providing technical assistance 
under this Act, and evaluating activities assisted under this Act.

SEC. 10. REPORT.

    Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under this Act shall 
submit a written report, on an annual basis, to the Secretary that 
describes--
            (1) the progress made by the eligible partnership with 
        respect to the goals described in section 7(1) and the 
        activities assisted under the grant; and
            (2) how the activities assisted under the grant were 
        aligned with and supported the State's goals and benchmarks in 
        early childhood education.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$8,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $10,000,000,000 for fiscal year 
2009, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 
2010, 2011, and 2012.
                                 <all>