[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 556 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 556

       To reauthorize the Head Start Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 2007

   Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Alexander) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To reauthorize the Head Start Act, 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 ``Head Start for School Readiness 
Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

    Section 636 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831) is amended to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.

    ``It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the school 
readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive and 
social development--
            ``(1) with a learning environment that supports cognitive 
        development (including the growth of language, pre-literacy, 
        and premathematics skills) and the growth of social, emotional, 
        and physical skills; and
            ``(2) through the provision to low-income children and 
        their families of health, educational, nutritional, social, and 
        other services that are determined, based on family needs 
        assessments, to be necessary.''.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``(including a 
        community-based organization, as defined in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801))'' after ``nonprofit'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ``, including 
        financial literacy,'' after ``Parent literacy'';
            (3) in paragraph (17), by striking ``Mariana Islands,'' and 
        all that follows and inserting ``Mariana Islands.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(18) The term `deficiency' means--
                    ``(A) a systemic or substantial material failure of 
                an agency in an area of performance that the Secretary 
                determines involves--
                            ``(i) a threat to the health, safety, or 
                        civil rights of children or staff;
                            ``(ii) a denial to parents of the exercise 
                        of their full roles and responsibilities 
                        related to program operations;
                            ``(iii) a failure to comply with standards 
                        related to early childhood development and 
                        health services, family and community 
                        partnerships, or program design and management;
                            ``(iv) the misuse of funds under this 
                        subchapter;
                            ``(v) loss of legal status or financial 
                        viability, loss of permits, debarment from 
                        receiving Federal grants or contracts, or the 
                        improper use of Federal funds; or
                            ``(vi) failure to meet any other Federal or 
                        State requirement that the agency has shown an 
                        unwillingness or inability to correct, after 
                        notice from the Secretary, within the period 
                        specified;
                    ``(B) systemic failure of the board of directors of 
                an agency to fully exercise its legal and fiduciary 
                responsibilities;
                    ``(C) substantial failure of an agency to meet the 
                administrative requirements of section 644(b);
                    ``(D) failure of an agency to demonstrate that the 
                agency attempted to meet the coordination and 
                collaboration requirements with entities described in 
                section 640(a)(5)(D)(ii)(I); or
                    ``(E) having an unresolved area of noncompliance.
            ``(19) The term `homeless child' means a child described in 
        section 725(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 11434a(2)).
            ``(20) The term `institution of higher education' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            ``(21) The term `interrater reliability' means the extent 
        to which 2 or more independent raters or observers consistently 
        obtain the same result when using the same assessment tool.
            ``(22) The term `limited English proficient', used with 
        respect to a child, means a child--
                    ``(A) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in a 
                Head Start program, Early Head Start program, or other 
                early care and education program;
                    ``(B)(i) who was not born in the United States or 
                whose native language is a language other than English;
                    ``(ii)(I) who is a Native American, Alaska Native, 
                or a native resident of an outlying area (as defined in 
                section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
                Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)); and
                    ``(II) who comes from an environment where a 
                language other than English has had a significant 
                impact on the child's level of English language 
                proficiency; or
                    ``(iii) who is migratory, whose native language is 
                a language other than English, and who comes from an 
                environment where a language other than English is 
                dominant; and
                    ``(C) whose difficulties in speaking or 
                understanding the English language may be sufficient to 
                deny such child--
                            ``(i) the ability to successfully achieve 
                        in a classroom in which the language of 
                        instruction is English; or
                            ``(ii) the opportunity to participate fully 
                        in society.
            ``(23) The term `unresolved area of noncompliance' means 
        failure to correct a noncompliance item within 120 days, or 
        within such additional time (if any) authorized by the 
        Secretary, after receiving from the Secretary notice of such 
        noncompliance item, pursuant to section 641A(d).''.

SEC. 4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START PROGRAMS.

    Section 638 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9833) is amended by 
inserting ``for a period of 5 years'' after ``provide financial 
assistance to such agency''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 639 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9834) is amended to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated for 
carrying out the provisions of this subchapter $7,350,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2008, $7,650,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, $7,995,000,000 
for fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of 
fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
    ``(b) Specific Programs.--From the amount appropriated under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available to carry out 
research, demonstration, and evaluation activities, including 
longitudinal studies under section 649, not more than $20,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
years 2009 through 2012, of which not more than $7,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2008 through 2012 shall be available to carry out impact 
studies under section 649(g).''.

SEC. 6. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS.

    (a) Allotment.--Section 640(a) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
9835(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(A) Indian Head Start programs, services for children 
        with disabilities, and migrant and seasonal Head Start 
        programs, except that the Secretary shall reserve for each 
        fiscal year for use by Indian Head Start and migrant and 
        seasonal Head Start programs (referred to in this paragraph as 
        `covered programs'), on a nationwide basis, a sum that is the 
        total of a percentage specified by the Secretary that is not 
        less than 4 percent of the amount appropriated under section 
        639 for that fiscal year (for Indian Head Start programs) and a 
        percentage specified by the Secretary that is not less than 5 
        percent of that appropriated amount (for migrant and seasonal 
        Head Start programs) (referred to in this paragraph as the 
        `specified percentages'), except that--
                    ``(i) if reserving the specified percentages would 
                reduce the number of children served by Head Start 
                programs, relative to the number of children served on 
                the date of enactment of the Head Start for School 
                Readiness Act, taking into consideration an appropriate 
                adjustment for inflation, the Secretary shall reserve 
                percentages that approach, as closely as practicable, 
                the specified percentages and that do not cause such a 
                reduction; and
                    ``(ii) notwithstanding any other provision of this 
                subparagraph, the Secretary shall reserve for each 
                fiscal year for use by Indian Head Start programs and 
                by migrant and seasonal Head Start programs, on a 
                nationwide basis, not less than the amount that was 
                obligated for use by Indian Head Start programs and by 
                migrant and seasonal Head Start programs for the 
                previous fiscal year;'';
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(C) training and technical assistance activities that are 
        sufficient to meet the needs associated with program expansion 
        and to foster program and management improvement activities as 
        described in section 648, in an amount for each fiscal year 
        that is not less than 2 percent of the amount appropriated 
        under section 639 for such fiscal year, of which--
                    ``(i) 50 percent shall be made available to Head 
                Start agencies to use directly, or by establishing 
                local or regional agreements with community experts, 
                institutions of higher education, or private 
                consultants, for any of the following training and 
                technical assistance activities, including--
                            ``(I) activities that ensure that Head 
                        Start programs meet or exceed the program 
                        performance standards described in section 
                        641A(a)(1);
                            ``(II) activities that ensure that Head 
                        Start programs have adequate numbers of 
                        trained, qualified staff who have skills in 
                        working with children and families, including 
                        children and families who are limited English 
                        proficient and children with disabilities;
                            ``(III) activities to pay expenses, 
                        including direct training for expert 
                        consultants working with any staff, to improve 
                        the management and implementation of Head Start 
                        services and systems;
                            ``(IV) activities that help ensure that 
                        Head Start programs have qualified staff who 
                        can promote language skills and literacy growth 
                        of children and who can provide children with a 
                        variety of skills that have been identified as 
                        predictive of later reading achievement, school 
                        success, and the skills, knowledge, abilities, 
                        development, and progress described in section 
                        641A(a)(1)(B)(ii);
                            ``(V) activities to improve staff 
                        qualifications and to assist with the 
                        implementation of career development programs 
                        and to encourage the staff to continually 
                        improve their skills and expertise, including 
                        developing partnerships with programs that 
                        recruit, train, place, and support college 
                        students in Head Start centers to deliver an 
                        innovative early learning program to preschool 
                        children;
                            ``(VI) activities that help local programs 
                        ensure that the arrangement, condition, and 
                        implementation of the learning environments in 
                        Head Start programs are conducive to providing 
                        effective program services to children and 
                        families;
                            ``(VII) activities to provide training 
                        necessary to improve the qualifications of Head 
                        Start staff and to support staff training, 
                        child counseling, health services, and other 
                        services necessary to address the needs of 
                        children enrolled in Head Start programs, 
                        including children from families in crises, 
                        children who experience chronic violence or 
                        homelessness, children who experience substance 
                        abuse in their families, and children under 3 
                        years of age, where applicable;
                            ``(VIII) activities to provide classes or 
                        in-service-type programs to improve or enhance 
                        parenting skills, job skills, adult and family 
                        literacy, including financial literacy, or 
                        training to become a classroom aide or bus 
                        driver in a Head Start program;
                            ``(IX) additional activities deemed 
                        appropriate to the improvement of Head Start 
                        agencies' programs, as determined by the 
                        agencies' technical assistance and training 
                        plans; or
                            ``(X) any other activities regarding the 
                        use of funds as determined by the Secretary;
                    ``(ii) 50 percent shall be made available to the 
                Secretary--
                            ``(I) to provide directly early childhood 
                        education training and technical assistance or 
                        to support, through grants or other 
                        arrangements, a State system of early childhood 
                        education training and technical assistance 
                        (which may include such a system for a 
                        consortium of States within a region); and
                            ``(II) to assist local programs (including 
                        Indian Head Start programs and migrant and 
                        seasonal Head Start programs) in meeting the 
                        standards described in section 641A(a)(1); and
                    ``(iii) not less than $3,000,000 of the amount in 
                clause (ii) appropriated for such fiscal year shall be 
                made available to carry out activities described in 
                section 648(d)(4);'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``agencies;'' 
                and inserting ``agencies);''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end of the flush matter at the 
                end the following: ``In no case shall the Secretary use 
                funds appropriated under this subchapter to expand or 
                create additional slots or services in non-Indian and 
                non-migrant and seasonal Head Start programs until the 
                amounts based on the specified percentages for Indian 
                Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal Head Start 
                programs pursuant to subparagraph (A) are reached. The 
                Secretary shall require each Head Start agency to 
                report at the end of each budget year on how funds 
                provided to carry out subparagraph (C)(i) were used.'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(I)--
                            (i) by striking ``60 percent of such excess 
                        amount for fiscal year 1999'' and all that 
                        follows through ``2003;''; and
                            (ii) by inserting the following: ``30 
                        percent of such excess amount for fiscal year 
                        2008, and 40 percent of such excess amount for 
                        each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012;'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking 
                        ``performance standards'' and all that follows 
                        and inserting ``standards and measures pursuant 
                        to section 641A.'';
                            (ii) by striking clause (ii) and inserting 
                        the following:
            ``(ii) Ensuring that such programs have adequate numbers of 
        qualified staff, and that such staff is furnished adequate 
        training, including training to promote the development of 
        language, premathematics, and pre-literacy skills in young 
        children and in working with limited English proficient 
        children, children in foster care, children referred by child 
        welfare services, and children with disabilities, when 
        appropriate.'';
                            (iii) by striking clause (iii) and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(iii) Developing and financing the salary scales and 
        benefits standards under section 644(a) and section 653, in 
        order to ensure that salary levels and benefits are adequate to 
        attract and retain qualified staff for such programs.'';
                            (iv) by striking clause (iv) and inserting 
                        the following:
            ``(iv) Using salary increases to--
                    ``(I) assist with the implementation of quality 
                programs and improve staff qualifications;
                    ``(II) ensure that staff can promote the language 
                skills and literacy growth of children and can provide 
                children with a variety of skills that have been 
                identified, through scientifically based early reading 
                research, as predictive of later reading achievement, 
                as well as the skills, knowledge, abilities, 
                development, and progress described in section 
                641A(a)(1)(B)(ii); and
                    ``(III) encourage the staff to continually improve 
                their skills and expertise--
                            ``(aa) through the implementation of career 
                        development programs; and
                            ``(bb) through the completion of 
                        postsecondary coursework in early childhood 
                        education.'';
                            (v) in clause (v)--
                                    (I) by striking ``community-wide'' 
                                and inserting ``communitywide''; and
                                    (II) by inserting ``, including 
                                collaborations to increase program 
                                participation by underserved 
                                populations of eligible children'' 
                                before the period; and
                            (vi) by striking clauses (vii) and (viii) 
                        and inserting the following:
            ``(vii) Providing assistance to complete postsecondary 
        coursework, to enable Head Start teachers to improve 
        competencies and the resulting child outcomes, including 
        informing the teachers of the availability of Federal and State 
        incentive and loan forgiveness programs.
            ``(viii) Promoting the regular attendance and stability of 
        all Head Start children with particular attention to highly 
        mobile children, including children from migrant and seasonal 
        farmworking families (where appropriate), homeless children, 
        and children in foster care.
            ``(ix) Making such other improvements in the quality of 
        such programs as the Secretary may designate.'';
                    (C) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking the last 
                        sentence and inserting ``Salary increases, in 
                        excess of cost-of-living allowances, provided 
                        with such funds shall be subject to the 
                        specific standards governing salaries and 
                        salary increases established pursuant to 
                        section 644(a).'';
                            (ii) in clause (ii)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                subclause (I), by striking ``education 
                                performance'' and all that follows 
                                through ``641A(a)(1)(B)'' and inserting 
                                ``standards and measures described in 
                                section 641A'';
                                    (II) in subclause (I), by inserting 
                                ``, pre-literacy,'' after ``language'';
                                    (III) by striking subclause (II) 
                                and inserting the following:
                    ``(II) to help limited English proficient children 
                attain the knowledge, skills, abilities, and 
                development specified in section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) and 
                to promote the acquisition of the English language by 
                such children and families;''; and
                                    (IV) by striking subclause (IV) and 
                                inserting the following:
                    ``(IV) to provide education and training necessary 
                to improve the qualifications of Head Start staff, 
                particularly assistance to enable more instructors to 
                be fully competent and to meet the degree requirements 
                under section 648A(a)(2)(A), and to support staff 
                training, child counseling, and other services 
                necessary to address the challenges of children 
                participating in Head Start programs, including 
                children from immigrant, refugee, and asylee families, 
                children from families in crisis, homeless children, 
                children in foster care, children referred to Head 
                Start programs by child welfare agencies, and children 
                who are exposed to chronic violence or substance 
                abuse.'';
                            (iii) in clause (iii), by inserting ``, 
                        educational staff who have the qualifications 
                        described in section 648A(a),'' after 
                        ``ratio'';
                            (iv) in clause (v), by striking ``programs, 
                        including'' and all that follows and inserting 
                        ``programs.'';
                            (v) by redesignating clause (vi) as clause 
                        (x); and
                            (vi) by inserting after clause (v) the 
                        following:
            ``(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families in an 
        effort to increase the program participation of eligible 
        homeless children.
            ``(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and seasonal 
        farmworking families and families with limited English 
        proficient children.
            ``(viii) To partner with institutions of higher education 
        and nonprofit organizations, including community-based 
        organizations, that recruit, train, place, and support college 
        students, to serve as mentors and reading partners to preschool 
        children in Head Start programs.
            ``(ix) To upgrade the qualifications and skills of 
        educational personnel to meet the professional standards 
        described in section 648A(a)(1), including certification and 
        licensure as bilingual education teachers, teachers of English 
        as a second language, and for other educational personnel who 
        serve limited English proficient students.'';
            (3) in paragraph (4), in the first sentence--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``1998'' and 
                inserting ``2007''; and
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(B) any amount available after all allotments are made 
        under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall be 
        distributed as follows:
                    ``(i) Each State shall receive an amount sufficient 
                to serve the same number of children in Head Start 
                programs in each State as were served on the date of 
                enactment of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, 
                taking into consideration an appropriate adjustment for 
                inflation.
                    ``(ii) After ensuring that each State has received 
                the amount described in clause (i), the Secretary shall 
                distribute the remaining balance, by--
                            ``(I) distributing 65 percent of the 
                        balance among the States serving less than 60 
                        percent (as determined by the Secretary) of 
                        children who are 3 or 4 years of age from 
                        families whose income is below the poverty 
                        line, by allotting to each of those States an 
                        amount that bears the same relationship to that 
                        65 percent as the number of children who are 
                        less than 5 years of age from families whose 
                        income is below the poverty line (referred to 
                        in this clause as `young low-income children') 
                        in that State bears to the number of young low-
                        income children in all those States; and
                            ``(II) distributing 35 percent of the 
                        balance among the States, by allotting to each 
                        State an amount that bears the same 
                        relationship to that 35 percent as the number 
                        of young low-income children in that State 
                        bears to the number of young low-income 
                        children in all the States.'';
            (4) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as 
                subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively; and
                    (B) by striking subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) and 
                inserting the following:
    ``(B)(i) From the reserved sums, the Secretary shall award a 
collaboration grant to each State and to each national administrative 
office serving Indian Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal Head 
Start programs to facilitate collaboration between Head Start agencies 
and entities (including the State or national administrative office) 
that carry out other activities designed to benefit low-income families 
and children from birth to school entry. The national administrative 
offices shall use the funds made available through the grants to carry 
out the authorities and responsibilities described in subparagraphs (B) 
and (C).
    ``(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to--
            ``(I) assist Head Start agencies to collaborate with 
        entities involved in State and local planning processes to 
        better meet the needs of low-income families and children from 
        birth to school entry;
            ``(II) assist Head Start agencies to coordinate activities 
        with the State agency responsible for administering the State 
        program carried out under the Child Care and Development Block 
        Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) and entities 
        providing resource and referral services in the State, to make 
        full-working-day and full calendar year services available to 
        children;
            ``(III) promote alignment of Head Start services with State 
        early learning standards, as appropriate, and the Head Start 
        Child Outcomes Framework;
            ``(IV) promote better linkages between Head Start agencies 
        and other child and family agencies, including agencies that 
        provide health, mental health, or family services, or other 
        child or family supportive services, such as services provided 
        under section 619 or part C of the Individuals with 
        Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.); and
            ``(V) carry out the activities of the State Director of 
        Head Start Collaboration authorized in subparagraph (D).
    ``(C) In order to improve coordination and delivery of early 
education services to children in the State, a State that receives a 
collaboration grant under subparagraph (B) shall--
            ``(i) appoint or designate an individual to serve as, or 
        carry out the responsibilities of, the State Director of Head 
        Start Collaboration;
            ``(ii) ensure that the State Director of Head Start 
        Collaboration holds a position with sufficient authority and 
        access to ensure that the collaboration described in 
        subparagraph (B) is effective and involves a range of State 
        agencies; and
            ``(iii) involve the State Head Start Association in the 
        selection of the Director and involve the Association in 
        determinations relating to the ongoing direction of the 
        collaboration office.
    ``(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, reporting to 
the State Advisory Council described in subparagraph (E), shall--
            ``(i) not later than 1 year after the State receives a 
        collaboration grant under subparagraph (B), conduct an 
        assessment that--
                    ``(I) addresses the needs of Head Start agencies in 
                the State with respect to collaboration, coordination 
                of services, and alignment of services with State early 
                learning standards, as appropriate, and the Head Start 
                Child Outcomes Framework;
                    ``(II) shall be updated on an annual basis; and
                    ``(III) shall be made available to the general 
                public within the State;
            ``(ii) develop a strategic plan that is based on the 
        assessment described in clause (i) that will--
                    ``(I) enhance collaboration and coordination of 
                Head Start services with other entities providing early 
                childhood programs and services (such as child care or 
                services offered by museums), health care, mental 
                health care, welfare, child protective services, 
                education and community service activities, family 
                literacy services, reading readiness programs 
                (including such programs offered by public and school 
                libraries), services relating to children with 
                disabilities, other early childhood programs and 
                services for limited English proficient children and 
                homeless children, and services provided for children 
                in foster care and children referred to Head Start 
                programs by child welfare agencies, including agencies 
                and State officials responsible for such services;
                    ``(II) assist Head Start agencies to develop a plan 
                for the provision of full-working-day, full calendar 
                year services for children enrolled in Head Start 
                programs who need such care;
                    ``(III) assist Head Start agencies to align 
                services with State early learning standards, as 
                appropriate, and the Head Start Child Outcomes 
                Framework; and
                    ``(IV) enable Head Start agencies in the State to 
                better access professional development opportunities 
                for Head Start staff, such as by--
                            ``(aa) working with local Head Start 
                        agencies to meet the degree requirements 
                        described in section 648A(a)(2)(A), including 
                        providing distance learning opportunities for 
                        Head Start staff, where needed to make higher 
                        education more accessible to Head Start staff; 
                        and
                            ``(bb) enabling the State Head Start 
                        agencies to better conduct outreach to eligible 
                        families;
            ``(iii) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies, 
        State and local governments, and the private sector to help 
        ensure that children from low-income families, who are in Head 
        Start programs or are preschool age, are receiving 
        comprehensive services to prepare the children to enter school 
        ready to learn;
            ``(iv) consult with the chief State school officer, local 
        educational agencies, and providers of early childhood 
        education and care, regarding early care and education services 
        at both the State and local levels;
            ``(v) promote partnerships (such as the partnerships 
        involved with the Free to Grow initiative) between Head Start 
        agencies, schools, law enforcement, relevant community-based 
        organizations, and substance abuse and mental health treatment 
        agencies to strengthen family and community environments and to 
        reduce the impact on child development of substance abuse, 
        child abuse, domestic violence, and other high risk behaviors 
        that compromise healthy development;
            ``(vi) promote partnerships between Head Start agencies and 
        other organizations in order to enhance the Head Start 
        curriculum, including partnerships to promote inclusion of more 
        books in Head Start classrooms and partnerships to promote 
        coordination of activities with the Ready-to-Learn Television 
        program carried out under subpart 3 of part D of title II of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        6775 et seq.); and
            ``(vii) identify other resources and organizations (both 
        public and private) for the provision of in-kind services to 
        Head Start agencies in the State.
    ``(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall--
            ``(I) designate or establish a council to serve as the 
        State advisory council on collaboration on early care and 
        education activities for children from birth to school entry 
        (in this subchapter referred to as the `State Advisory 
        Council'); and
            ``(II) designate an individual to coordinate activities of 
        the State Advisory Council, as described in clause (iv)(I).
    ``(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity to serve as 
the State Advisory Council, if the entity includes representatives 
consistent with clause (iii).
    ``(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall include, to the 
maximum extent possible--
            ``(I) the State Director of Head Start Collaboration;
            ``(II) a representative of the appropriate regional office 
        of the Administration for Children and Families;
            ``(III) a representative of the State educational agency 
        and local educational agencies;
            ``(IV) a representative of institutions of higher 
        education;
            ``(V) a representative (or representatives) of the State 
        agency (or agencies) responsible for health or mental health 
        care;
            ``(VI) a representative of the State agency responsible for 
        professional standards, certification, and licensing for early 
        childhood educators;
            ``(VII) a representative of the State agency responsible 
        for child care;
            ``(VIII) early childhood educators, including professionals 
        with expertise in second language acquisition and instructional 
        strategies in teaching limited English proficient children;
            ``(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in grades 1 
        through 3;
            ``(X) health care professionals;
            ``(XI) child development specialists, including specialists 
        in prenatal, infant, and toddler development;
            ``(XII) a representative of the State agency responsible 
        for assisting children with developmental disabilities;
            ``(XIII) a representative of the State agency responsible 
        for programs under section 619 or part C of the Individuals 
        with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);
            ``(XIV) a representative of the State interagency 
        coordinating councils established under section 641 of the 
        Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1441);
            ``(XV) a representative of the State Head Start Association 
        (where appropriate), and other representatives of Head Start 
        programs in the State;
            ``(XVI) a representative of the State network of child care 
        resource and referral agencies;
            ``(XVII) a representative of community-based organizations;
            ``(XVIII) a representative of State and local providers of 
        early childhood education and child care;
            ``(XIX) a representative of Indian Head Start programs 
        (where appropriate) and a representative of migrant and 
        seasonal Head Start programs (where appropriate);
            ``(XX) parents;
            ``(XXI) religious and business leaders;
            ``(XXII) the head of the State library administrative 
        agency;
            ``(XXIII) representatives of State and local organizations 
        and other entities providing professional development to early 
        care and education providers;
            ``(XXIV) a representative from the Office of Coordinator 
        for Education of Homeless Children and Youths in the State;
            ``(XXV) a State legislator; and
            ``(XXVI) a representative of other entities determined to 
        be relevant by the Governor of the State.
    ``(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be responsible for, in 
addition to responsibilities assigned to the council by the Governor of 
the State--
            ``(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs assessment 
        concerning early care and education programs for children from 
        birth to school entry;
            ``(bb) identifying barriers to, and opportunities for, 
        collaboration and coordination among entities carrying out 
        federally-funded and State-funded child development, child 
        care, and early childhood education programs;
            ``(cc) developing recommendations regarding means of 
        establishing a unified data collection system for early care 
        and education programs throughout the State;
            ``(dd) developing a statewide professional development and 
        career ladder plan for early care and education in the State;
            ``(ee) reviewing and approving the strategic plan, 
        regarding collaborating and coordinating services to better 
        serve children enrolled in Head Start programs, developed by 
        the State Director of Head Start Collaboration under 
        subparagraph (D)(iii);
            ``(ff) assessing the availability of high quality 
        prekindergarten services for low-income children in the State;
            ``(gg) assisting 2- and 4-year public and private 
        institutions of higher education to develop articulation 
        agreements;
            ``(hh) awarding grants to assist institutions of higher 
        education to develop model early childhood education programs, 
        including practica or internships for students to spend time in 
        a Head Start or prekindergarten program; and
            ``(ii) undertaking collaborative efforts to develop, and 
        make recommendations for improvements in, State early learning 
        standards.
    ``(II) The State Advisory Council shall hold public hearings and 
provide an opportunity for public comment on the activities described 
in subclause (I). The State Advisory Council shall submit a statewide 
strategic report addressing the activities described in subclause (I) 
to the State Director of Head Start Collaboration and the Governor of 
the State.
    ``(III) After submission of a statewide strategic report under 
subclause (II), the State Advisory Council shall meet periodically to 
review any implementation of the recommendations in such report and any 
changes in State and local needs.
    ``(F)(i)(I) Prior to carrying out paragraph (4), the Secretary 
shall reserve a portion to carry out this subparagraph for a fiscal 
year. The Secretary shall reserve the portion from the amount (if any) 
by which the funds appropriated under section 639(a) for the fiscal 
year exceed the adjusted prior year appropriation (as defined in 
paragraph (3)(A)(ii)), without reducing the share available for quality 
improvement funds described in paragraph (3)(B).
    ``(II) To the extent consistent with subclause (I), the Secretary 
shall reserve $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. Funds reserved under 
this subclause shall remain available for obligation through fiscal 
year 2012.
    ``(ii) The Secretary shall use the portion reserved under clause 
(i) to award, on a competitive basis, one-time startup grants of not 
less than $500,000 to eligible States to enable such States to pay for 
the Federal share of the cost of further developing and implementing 
the recommendations and plans for which the State's State Advisory 
Council is responsible under subparagraph (E)(iv)(I). Such grants 
shall--
            ``(I) facilitate the development of high-quality systems of 
        early care and early education programs and activities designed 
        to improve school preparedness;
            ``(II) increase and make effective use of existing and new 
        delivery systems and funds for early care and early education; 
        and
            ``(III) enhance existing early care and early education 
        services (in existence on the date on which the grant involved 
        is awarded).
    ``(iii) To be eligible to receive a grant under this subparagraph, 
a State shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, for a 
3-year period, at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary shall require, including--
            ``(I) a description of the State's State Advisory Council's 
        responsibilities under subparagraph (E)(iv)(I);
            ``(II) a description, for each fiscal year, of how the 
        State will make effective use of funds available under this 
        subparagraph, with funds described in clause (iv), to create an 
        early childhood education system, by developing or enhancing 
        programs and activities described in subparagraph (E)(iv)(I);
            ``(III) a description of the State early learning standards 
        and the State's goals for increasing the number of children 
        entering kindergarten ready to learn;
            ``(IV) information identifying the agency or joint 
        interagency office and individual designated to carry out the 
        activities under this subparagraph, which may be the individual 
        designated under subparagraph (E)(i)(II); and
            ``(V) a description of how the State plans to sustain 
        activities under this subparagraph beyond the grant period.
    ``(iv) The Federal share of the cost described in clause (ii) shall 
be 30 percent, and the State shall provide the non-Federal share.
    ``(v) Funds made available under this subparagraph shall be used to 
supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds 
expended to carry out activities related to early childhood education 
and care in the State.
    ``(vi) Not later than 18 months after the date a State receives a 
grant under this subparagraph, the State shall submit an interim report 
to the Secretary. A State that receives a grant under this subparagraph 
shall submit a final report to the Secretary at the end of the grant 
period.''; and
            (5) in paragraph (6)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``7.5 
                percent'' and all that follows and inserting ``not less 
                than 12 percent for fiscal year 2008, not less than 14 
                percent for fiscal year 2009, not less than 16 percent 
                for fiscal year 2010, not less than 18 percent for 
                fiscal year 2011, and not less than 20 percent for 
                fiscal year 2012, of the amount appropriated pursuant 
                to section 639(a).'';
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (B);
                    (C) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ``required 
                to be'' each place it appears; and
                    (D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
                subparagraph (B).
    (b) Service Delivery Models.--Section 640(f) of the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9835(f)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(f) The'' and inserting ``(f)(1) Not 
        later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Head Start 
        for School Readiness Act, the'';
            (2) by striking ``needs.'' and inserting ``needs, including 
        models that leverage the capacity and capabilities of the 
        delivery system of early childhood education and child care.''; 
        and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2) In establishing the procedures the Secretary shall establish 
procedures to provide for--
            ``(A) the conversion of part-day programs to full-day 
        programs or part-day slots to full-day slots; and
            ``(B) serving additional infants and toddlers pursuant to 
        section 645(a)(5).''.
    (c) Additional Funds.--Section 640(g)(2) of the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9835(g)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(C) the extent to which the applicant has undertaken 
        communitywide strategic planning and needs assessments 
        involving other community organizations and Federal, State, and 
        local public agencies serving children and families (including 
        organizations and agencies providing family support services 
        and protective services to children and families and 
        organizations serving families in whose homes English is not 
        the language customarily spoken), and individuals, 
        organizations, and public entities serving children with 
        disabilities, children in foster care, and homeless children 
        including the local educational agency liaison designated under 
        section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii));'';
            (2) in subparagraph (D)--
                    (A) by striking ``community'' and inserting 
                ``communitywide''; and
                    (B) by striking ``other local'' and inserting ``the 
                State and local'';
            (3) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ``would like to 
        participate but'' after ``community who'';
            (4) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ``leverage the 
        existing delivery systems of such services and'' after ``manner 
        that will''; and
            (5) in subparagraph (H), by inserting ``, including the 
        local educational agency liaison designated under section 
        722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)),'' after ``community involved''.
    (d) Vehicle Safety Requirements.--Section 640(i) of the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(i)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
``The regulations shall also establish requirements to ensure the 
appropriate supervision of, and appropriate background checks for, 
individuals with whom the agencies contract to transport those 
children.''.
    (e) Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs.--Section 640(l) of 
the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(l)) is amended by striking paragraph 
(3) and inserting the following:
    ``(3) In carrying out this subchapter, the Secretary shall continue 
the administrative arrangement at the national level for meeting the 
needs of Indian children and children of migrant and seasonal 
farmworkers and shall ensure--
            ``(A) that appropriate funding is provided to meet such 
        needs, including training and technical assistance provided by 
        staff with knowledge of and experience in working with such 
        populations; and
            ``(B) the appointment of a national Indian Head Start 
        collaboration director and a national migrant and seasonal Head 
        Start program collaboration director.
    ``(4)(A) For the purposes of paragraph (3), the Secretary shall 
conduct an annual consultation in each affected Head Start region, with 
tribal governments operating Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
    ``(B) The consultations shall be for the purpose of better meeting 
the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families 
pertinent to subsection (a)(2)(A), taking into consideration funding 
allocations, distribution formulas, and other issues affecting the 
delivery of Head Start services within tribal communities.
    ``(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the 
consultations in the Federal Register prior to conducting the 
consultations.
    ``(D) A detailed report of each consultation shall be prepared and 
made available, on a timely basis, to all tribal governments receiving 
funds under this subchapter.
    ``(5)(A) In order to increase access to Head Start services for 
children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, the Secretary shall work 
in collaboration with providers of migrant and seasonal Head Start 
programs, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Labor, and the 
Secretary of Education to--
            ``(i) collect, report, and share data on farmworkers and 
        their families in order to adequately account for the number of 
        children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who are eligible 
        for Head Start services and determine how many of such children 
        receive the services; and
            ``(ii) identify barriers that prevent children of migrant 
        and seasonal farmworkers who are eligible for Head Start 
        services from accessing Head Start services, and develop a plan 
        for eliminating such barriers, including certain requirements 
        relating to tracking, health records, and educational 
        documents.
    ``(B) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Head 
Start for School Readiness Act, the Secretary shall publish in the 
Federal Register a notice about how the Secretary plans to carry out 
the activities identified in subparagraph (A) and shall provide a 
period for public comment. To the extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall consider comments received before implementing any of the 
activities identified in subparagraph (A).
    ``(C) Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the 
Head Start for School Readiness Act, the Secretary shall submit a 
report to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate detailing how the Secretary plans to carry out 
the activities identified in subparagraph (A).
    ``(D) The Secretary shall take appropriate caution to ensure the 
protection of the confidentiality of any personally identifiable data, 
information, and records collected or maintained regarding children and 
families served by migrant and seasonal Head Start programs.
    ``(E) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the 
development of a nationwide database of personally identifiable data, 
information, or records on individuals involved in studies or other 
collections of data under this paragraph.''.
    (f) Homeless Children.--Section 640 of the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9835) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Enrollment of Homeless Children.--The Secretary shall issue 
regulations to remove barriers to the enrollment and participation of 
homeless children in Head Start programs. Such regulations shall 
require Head Start agencies to--
            ``(1) implement policies and procedures to ensure that 
        homeless children are identified and receive appropriate 
        priority for enrollment;
            ``(2) allow homeless children to apply to, enroll in, and 
        attend Head Start programs while required documents, such as 
        proof of residency, proof of immunization, and other medical 
        records, birth certificates, and other documents, are obtained 
        within a reasonable timeframe; and
            ``(3) coordinate individual Head Start programs with 
        efforts to implement subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-
        Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.).
    ``(n) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this subchapter shall be 
construed to require a State to establish a program of early education 
for children in the State, to require any child to participate in a 
program of early education in order to attend preschool, or to 
participate in any initial screening prior to participation in such 
program, except as provided under section 612(a)(3) of the Individuals 
with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(3)) and consistent 
with section 635(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1435(a)(5)).
    ``(o) Curricula.--All curricula funded under this subchapter shall 
be scientifically based, developmentally and linguistically based (to 
the extent practicable), and age appropriate. The curricula shall 
reflect all areas of child development and learning. Parents shall have 
the opportunity to examine any such curricula or instructional 
materials funded under this subchapter.''.

SEC. 7. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES.

    Section 641 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836) is amended to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES.

    ``(a) Designation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to designate 
        as a Head Start agency any local public or private nonprofit or 
        for-profit agency, within a community, including a community-
        based organization that--
                    ``(A) has power and authority to carry out the 
                purpose of this subchapter and perform the functions 
                set forth in section 642 within a community; and
                    ``(B) is determined to have the capacity to plan, 
                conduct, administer, and evaluate, either directly or 
                by other arrangements, a Head Start program.
            ``(2) Required goals for designation.--In order to be 
        designated as a Head Start agency, an entity described in 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) establish program goals for improving the 
                school readiness of children participating in a program 
                under this subchapter, including goals for meeting the 
                performance standards and additional educational 
                standards described in section 641A and shall establish 
                results-based school readiness goals that are aligned 
                with the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, State 
                early learning standards (as appropriate), and 
                requirements and expectations for local public schools; 
                and
                    ``(B) have a governing body--
                            ``(i) with legal and fiscal responsibility 
                        for administering and overseeing programs under 
                        this subchapter;
                            ``(ii) that fully participates in the 
                        development, planning, and evaluation of the 
                        programs to ensure the operation of programs of 
                        high quality;
                            ``(iii) that is responsible for ensuring 
                        compliance with Federal laws and regulations, 
                        including the performance standards described 
                        in section 641A, as well as applicable State, 
                        tribal, and local laws and regulations, 
                        including laws defining the nature and 
                        operations of the governing body; and
                            ``(iv) that has procedures to facilitate 
                        meaningful consultation and collaboration about 
                        decisions of the governing body and the policy 
                        council established under paragraph (3).
            ``(3) Establishment of policy council upon designation.--
        Upon receiving designation as a Head Start agency, the agency 
        shall establish a policy council that--
                    ``(A) in accordance with paragraph (5)(C), shall 
                make decisions that influence the character of programs 
                consistent with paragraph (5)(F); and
                    ``(B) with the governing body, shall establish 
                processes to resolve internal disputes.
            ``(4) Eligibility for subsequent grants.--In order to 
        receive a grant under this subchapter subsequent to the initial 
        grant provided following the date of enactment of the Head 
        Start for School Readiness Act, an entity described in 
        paragraph (1) shall demonstrate that the entity has met or is 
        making progress toward meeting the goals described in paragraph 
        (2)(A).
            ``(5) Governing body and policy council.--
                    ``(A) Establishment of governing body.--Each Head 
                Start agency shall establish a governing body in 
                accordance with paragraph (2)(B).
                    ``(B) Composition of governing body.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The governing body shall 
                        be composed as follows:
                                    ``(I) Not less than 1 member of the 
                                governing body shall have a background 
                                in fiscal management.
                                    ``(II) Not less than 1 member of 
                                the governing body shall have a 
                                background in early childhood 
                                development.
                                    ``(III) Not less than 1 member of 
                                the governing body shall be a licensed 
                                attorney familiar with issues that come 
                                before the governing body.
                                    ``(IV) Additional members shall 
                                reflect the community to be served, and 
                                include parents of children who are 
                                currently, or were formerly, enrolled 
                                in Head Start programs.
                                    ``(V) In the case in which the 
                                governing body is a part of a Head 
                                Start agency that is a public agency, 
                                members of the governing body shall 
                                include elected or appointed public 
                                officials.
                            ``(ii) Consultants.--In the case that 
                        persons described in clause (i) are not 
                        available to serve as members of the governing 
                        body, the governing body shall make use of 
                        consultants in the areas described in clause 
                        (i) to work directly with the governing body.
                            ``(iii) Conflict of interest.--Members of 
                        the governing body shall--
                                    ``(I) not have a conflict of 
                                interest with the Head Start agency or 
                                delegate agencies; and
                                    ``(II) not receive compensation for 
                                the purposes of serving on the 
                                governing body or for providing 
                                services to the Head Start agency.
                    ``(C) Responsibilities of governing body.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The governing body shall 
                        be responsible for--
                                    ``(I) the selection of delegate 
                                agencies and such agencies' service 
                                areas;
                                    ``(II) establishing procedures and 
                                criteria for recruitment, selection, 
                                and enrollment;
                                    ``(III) all funding applications 
                                and amendments to funding applications 
                                for programs under this subchapter;
                                    ``(IV) establishing procedures and 
                                guidelines to access and collect the 
                                information described in paragraph (6);
                                    ``(V) review and approval of--
                                            ``(aa) the annual self-
                                        assessment, financial audit, 
                                        and findings from the Federal 
                                        monitoring review, of the Head 
                                        Start agency or delegate 
                                        agency; and
                                            ``(bb) such agency's 
                                        progress in carrying out the 
                                        programmatic and fiscal intent 
                                        of such agency's grant 
                                        application;
                                    ``(VI) developing procedures for 
                                how members of the policy council of 
                                the Head Start agency are selected, 
                                consistent with subparagraph (E)(ii);
                                    ``(VII) financial audits, 
                                accounting, and reporting;
                                    ``(VIII) personnel policies and 
                                procedures regarding hiring, 
                                termination, salary scales (and changes 
                                made to the scale), and salaries of the 
                                Executive Director, Head Start 
                                Director, the Director of Human 
                                Resources, the Chief Fiscal Officer, 
                                and any equivalent position; and
                                    ``(IX) review and approval of the 
                                community assessment, including any 
                                updates to such assessment.
                            ``(ii) Conduct of responsibilities.--The 
                        governing body shall ensure the development and 
                        approval of an internal control structure to 
                        facilitate those responsibilities in order to--
                                    ``(I) safeguard Federal funds;
                                    ``(II) comply with laws and 
                                regulations that have an impact on 
                                financial statements;
                                    ``(III) detect or prevent 
                                noncompliance with this subchapter; and
                                    ``(IV) receive financial audit 
                                reports and direct and monitor staff 
                                implementation of corrective actions.
                            ``(iii) Committees.--The governing body 
                        shall, to the extent practicable and 
                        appropriate, establish--
                                    ``(I) advisory committees to 
                                oversee responsibilities related to 
                                financial auditing and finances of the 
                                Head Start agency, as well as 
                                compliance with Federal, State, and 
                                local laws and regulations; and
                                    ``(II) at the discretion of the 
                                governing body, additional advisory 
                                committees to study and make 
                                recommendations on areas related to the 
                                improvement of the Head Start program.
                    ``(D) Establishment of policy council.--Each Head 
                Start agency shall establish a policy council in 
                accordance with paragraph (3).
                    ``(E) Composition of policy council.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The policy council shall 
                        consist of--
                                    ``(I) parents of children currently 
                                enrolled in the Head Start agency or 
                                delegate agency's programs, which shall 
                                constitute a majority of the membership 
                                of the policy council; and
                                    ``(II) members at large of the 
                                community served by the Head Start 
                                agency, which may include parents of 
                                children previously enrolled in the 
                                Head Start agency or delegate agency's 
                                programs.
                            ``(ii) Selection.--Parents serving on the 
                        policy council shall be elected by parents of 
                        children currently enrolled in the Head Start 
                        agency or delegate agency's programs and shall 
                        represent, proportionately, all program options 
                        and settings operated by the Head Start agency 
                        or delegate agency.
                            ``(iii) Conflict of interest.--Members of 
                        the policy council shall--
                                    ``(I) not have a conflict of 
                                interest with the Head Start agency or 
                                delegate agencies; and
                                    ``(II) not receive compensation for 
                                serving on the policy council or for 
                                providing services to the Head Start 
                                agency.
                    ``(F) Responsibilities of policy council.--The 
                policy council shall be responsible for--
                            ``(i) program planning, including--
                                    ``(I) program design, including 
                                long- and short-term program goals, all 
                                funding applications and amendments to 
                                funding applications, and objectives 
                                based on the annual communitywide 
                                assessment and self-assessment;
                                    ``(II) program recruitment, 
                                selection, and enrollment priorities; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) budget planning for program 
                                expenditures consistent with 
                                subparagraph (C)(i)(VII), including 
                                polices for reimbursement and 
                                participation in policy council 
                                activities;
                            ``(ii) program operation consistent with 
                        subparagraph (C)(i)(VIII), including 
                        implementation of standards of conduct for 
                        program staff, contractors, and volunteers and 
                        criteria for the employment and dismissal of 
                        program staff; and
                            ``(iii) activities to support the active 
                        involvement of parents in supporting program 
                        operations, including policies to ensure that 
                        the Head Start program is responsive to 
                        community and parent needs.
            ``(6) Information sharing.--The governing body and the 
        policy council shall share with each other regular and accurate 
        information for use by both entities about program planning, 
        policies, and Head Start agency operations, including--
                    ``(A) monthly financial statements (including 
                detailed credit card account expenditures for any 
                employee with a Head Start agency credit card or who 
                seeks reimbursement for charged expenses);
                    ``(B) monthly program information summaries;
                    ``(C) program enrollment reports, including 
                attendance reports for children whose care is partially 
                subsidized by another public agency;
                    ``(D) monthly reports of meals and snacks provided 
                through programs of the Department of Agriculture;
                    ``(E) the financial audit;
                    ``(F) the annual self-assessment, including any 
                findings related to the annual self-assessment;
                    ``(G) the community assessment of the Head Start 
                agency's service area and any applicable updates;
                    ``(H) communication and guidance from the 
                Secretary; and
                    ``(I) the program information reports.
            ``(7) Training and technical assistance.--Appropriate 
        training and technical assistance shall be provided to the 
        members of the governing body and the policy council to ensure 
        that the members understand the information the members receive 
        and can effectively oversee and participate in the programs of 
        the Head Start agency.
    ``(b) Communities.--For purposes of this subchapter, a community 
may be a city, county, or multicity or multicounty unit within a State, 
an Indian reservation (including Indians in any off-reservation area 
designated by an appropriate tribal government in consultation with the 
Secretary), or a neighborhood or other area (irrespective of boundaries 
or political subdivisions) that provides a suitable organizational base 
and possesses the commonality of interest needed to operate a Head 
Start program.
    ``(c) Redesignation.--
            ``(1) In general.--In administering the provisions of this 
        section, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the Governor 
        of the State involved, redesignate as a Head Start agency any 
        Head Start agency or delegate agency that is high performing, 
        as determined by meeting each of the following criteria:
                    ``(A) Is receiving assistance under this 
                subchapter.
                    ``(B) Meets or exceeds program and financial 
                management requirements or standards described in 
                section 641A(a)(1).
                    ``(C) Has no unresolved deficiencies, including 
                having resolved any deficiencies found during the last 
                triennial review under section 641A(c).
                    ``(D) Can demonstrate, through agreements such as 
                memoranda of understanding, active collaboration with 
                the State or local community in the provision of 
                services for children (such as the provision of 
                extended day services, education, professional 
                development and training for staff, and other types of 
                cooperative endeavors).
                    ``(E) Completes and submits the appropriate 
                reapplication forms as required by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Limitation.--A Head Start agency with a triennial 
        review under section 641A(c) scheduled not later than 18 months 
        after the date of enactment of the Head Start for School 
        Readiness Act shall not be subject to the criteria described in 
        paragraph (1) for that review in order to be redesignated. The 
        Head Start agency shall be subject to the criteria for any 
        subsequent triennial review.
    ``(d) Designation When No Entity Is Redesignated.--If no entity in 
a community is redesignated according to subsection (c), the Secretary 
shall, after conducting an open competition, designate a Head Start 
agency from among qualified applicants in such community.
    ``(e) Prohibition Against Non-Indian Head Start Agency Receiving a 
Grant for an Indian Head Start Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law except as provided in paragraph (2), under no condition may 
        a non-Indian Head Start agency receive a grant to carry out an 
        Indian Head Start program.
            ``(2) Exception.--In a community in which there is no 
        Indian Head Start agency available for designation to carry out 
        an Indian Head Start program, a non-Indian Head Start agency 
        may receive a grant to carry out an Indian Head Start program 
        but only until such time as an Indian Head Start agency in such 
        community becomes available and is designated pursuant to this 
        section.
    ``(f) Effectiveness.--In selecting from among qualified applicants 
for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall consider 
the effectiveness of each such applicant to provide Head Start 
services, based on--
            ``(1) any past performance of such applicant in providing 
        services comparable to Head Start services, including how 
        effectively such applicant provided such comparable services;
            ``(2) the plan of such applicant to provide comprehensive 
        health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services 
        needed to aid participating children in attaining their full 
        potential, and to prepare children to succeed in school;
            ``(3) the capacity of such applicant to serve eligible 
        children with programs that use scientifically based research 
        that promote school readiness of children participating in the 
        program;
            ``(4) the plan of such applicant to meet standards set 
        forth in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the 
        standards set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such 
        section;
            ``(5) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head 
        Start program the applicant proposes to carry out with other 
        preschool programs, including--
                    ``(A) the Early Reading First and Even Start 
                programs under subparts 2 and 3 of part B of title I of 
                the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6371 et seq., 6381 et seq.);
                    ``(B) other preschool program under title I of that 
                Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
                    ``(C) programs under section 619 and part C of the 
                Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 
                1419, 1431 et seq.);
                    ``(D) State prekindergarten programs;
                    ``(E) child care programs;
                    ``(F) the educational programs that the children in 
                the Head Start program involved will enter at the age 
                of compulsory school attendance; and
                    ``(G) reading readiness programs such as those 
                conducted by public and school libraries;
            ``(6) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the Head 
        Start program that the applicant proposes to carry out with 
        public and private entities who are willing to commit resources 
        to assist the Head Start program in meeting its program needs;
            ``(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with a 
        local library, where available, that is interested in that 
        collaboration, to--
                    ``(A) develop innovative programs to excite 
                children about the world of books, such as programs 
                that involve--
                            ``(i) taking children to the library for a 
                        story hour;
                            ``(ii) promoting the use of library cards;
                            ``(iii) developing a lending library or 
                        using a mobile library van; and
                            ``(iv) providing fresh books in the Head 
                        Start classroom on a regular basis;
                    ``(B) assist in literacy training for Head Start 
                teachers; and
                    ``(C) support parents and other caregivers in 
                literacy efforts;
            ``(8) the plan of such applicant--
                    ``(A) to seek the involvement of parents of 
                participating children in activities (at home and in 
                the center involved where practicable) designed to help 
                such parents become full partners in the education of 
                their children;
                    ``(B) to afford such parents the opportunity to 
                participate in the development and overall conduct of 
                the program at the local level, including through 
                providing transportation costs;
                    ``(C) to offer (directly or through referral to 
                local entities, such as entities carrying out Even 
                Start programs under subpart 3 of part B of title I of 
                the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), public and school libraries, and 
                entities carrying out family support programs) to such 
                parents--
                            ``(i) family literacy services; and
                            ``(ii) parenting skills training;
                    ``(D) to offer to parents of participating children 
                substance abuse counseling (either directly or through 
                referral to local entities), including information on 
                the effect of drug exposure on infants and fetal 
                alcohol syndrome;
                    ``(E) at the option of such applicant, to offer 
                (directly or through referral to local entities) to 
                such parents--
                            ``(i) training in basic child development 
                        (including cognitive development);
                            ``(ii) assistance in developing literacy 
                        and communication skills;
                            ``(iii) opportunities to share experiences 
                        with other parents (including parent mentor 
                        relationships);
                            ``(iv) regular in-home visitation; or
                            ``(v) any other activity designed to help 
                        such parents become full partners in the 
                        education of their children;
                    ``(F) to provide, with respect to each 
                participating family, a family needs assessment that 
                includes consultation with such parents about the 
                benefits of parent involvement and about the activities 
                described in subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E) in which 
                such parents may choose to become involved (taking into 
                consideration their specific family needs, work 
                schedules, and other responsibilities); and
                    ``(G) to extend outreach to fathers, in appropriate 
                cases, in order to strengthen the role of fathers in 
                families, in the education of their young children, and 
                in the Head Start program, by working directly with 
                fathers and father figures through activities such as--
                            ``(i) in appropriate cases, including 
                        fathers in home visits and providing 
                        opportunities for direct father-child 
                        interactions; and
                            ``(ii) targeting increased male 
                        participation in the conduct of the program;
            ``(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out the plans 
        described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5);
            ``(10) other factors related to the requirements of this 
        subchapter;
            ``(11) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of 
        limited English proficient children and their families, 
        including procedures to identify such children, plans to 
        provide trained personnel, and plans to provide services to 
        assist the children in making progress toward the acquisition 
        of the English language;
            ``(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of 
        children with disabilities;
            ``(13) the plan of such applicant who chooses to assist 
        younger siblings of children who will participate in the Head 
        Start program, to obtain health services from other sources;
            ``(14) the plan of such applicant to collaborate with other 
        entities carrying out early childhood education and child care 
        programs in the community;
            ``(15) the plan of such applicant to meet the needs of 
        homeless children and children in foster care, including the 
        transportation needs of such children; and
            ``(16) the plan of such applicant to recruit and retain 
        qualified staff.
    ``(g) Interim Basis.--If there is not a qualified applicant in a 
community for designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall 
designate a qualified agency to carry out the Head Start program in the 
community on an interim basis until a qualified applicant from the 
community is so designated.
    ``(h) Involvement of Parents and Area Residents.--The Secretary 
shall continue the practice of involving parents and area residents who 
are affected by programs under this subchapter in the selection of 
qualified applicants for designation as Head Start agencies.
    ``(i) Priority.--In selecting from among qualified applicants for 
designation as a Head Start agency, the Secretary shall give priority 
to applicants that have demonstrated capacity in providing effective, 
comprehensive, and well-coordinated early childhood services to 
children and their families.''.

SEC. 8. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES AND 
              PROGRAMS.

    Section 641A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``642(d)'' and 
                inserting ``642(c)'';
                    (B) in paragraph (1)(B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``education 
                        performance standards'' and inserting 
                        ``educational performance standards''; and
                            (ii) by striking clause (ii) and inserting 
                        the following:
                    ``(ii) additional educational standards based on 
                the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences 
                panel described in section 649(h) and other experts in 
                the field, to ensure that the curriculum involved 
                addresses, and that the children participating in the 
                program show appropriate progress toward developing and 
                applying, the recommended educational outcomes, after 
                the panel considers the appropriateness of additional 
                educational standards relating to--
                            ``(I) language skills related to listening, 
                        understanding, speaking, and communicating;
                            ``(II) pre-literacy knowledge and skills;
                            ``(III) premathematics knowledge and 
                        skills;
                            ``(IV) scientific abilities;
                            ``(V) general cognitive abilities related 
                        to academic achievement and child development;
                            ``(VI) social and emotional development 
                        related to early learning and school success;
                            ``(VII) physical development; and
                            ``(VIII) in the case of limited English 
                        proficient children, progress toward 
                        acquisition of the English language (which may 
                        include progress made with linguistically 
                        appropriate instructional services) while 
                        making meaningful progress in attaining the 
                        knowledge, skills, abilities, and development 
                        described in subclauses (I) through (VII);'';
                    (C) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking ``projects; 
                and'' and inserting ``projects, including regulations 
                that require that the facilities used by Head Start 
                agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) and 
                delegate agencies for regularly scheduled center-based 
                and combination program option classroom activities--
                            ``(i) shall be in compliance with State and 
                        local requirements concerning licensing for 
                        such facilities; and
                            ``(ii) shall be accessible by State and 
                        local authorities for purposes of monitoring 
                        and ensuring compliance; and'';
                    (D) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by striking 
                                ``the date of enactment of this 
                                section'' and inserting ``the date of 
                                enactment of the Head Start for School 
                                Readiness Act'';
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``the date of enactment of this Act'' 
                                and inserting ``the date of enactment 
                                of the Head Start for School Readiness 
                                Act'';
                                    (III) in clause (iii), by inserting 
                                ``homeless children, children in foster 
                                care,'' after ``children with 
                                disabilities,'';
                                    (IV) in clause (vi), by striking 
                                ``including the language'' and all that 
                                follows and inserting ``including 
                                changes in the language background and 
                                family structure of such children, and 
                                changes in the population and number of 
                                such children who are in foster care or 
                                are homeless children;'';
                                    (V) by striking clause (vii) and 
                                inserting the following:
                            ``(vii) the unique challenges faced by 
                        individual programs, including those programs 
                        that are seasonal or short term and those 
                        programs that serve rural populations;'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii), by striking 
                        ``the date of enactment of the Coats Human 
                        Services Reauthorization Act of 1998.'' and 
                        inserting ``the date of enactment of the Head 
                        Start for School Readiness Act; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) consult with Indian tribes, American Indian 
                and Alaska Native experts in early childhood 
                development, linguists, and the National Indian Head 
                Start Directors Association on the review and 
                promulgation of program standards and measures 
                (including standards and measures for language 
                acquisition and school readiness).'';
                    (E) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Evaluations and corrective actions for delegate 
        agencies.--
                    ``(A) Procedures.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), 
                        the Head Start agency shall establish 
                        procedures relating to its delegate agencies, 
                        including--
                                    ``(I) procedures for evaluating 
                                delegate agencies;
                                    ``(II) procedures for defunding 
                                delegate agencies; and
                                    ``(III) procedures for appealing a 
                                defunding decision relating to a 
                                delegate agency.
                            ``(ii) Termination.--The Head Start agency 
                        may not terminate a delegate agency's contract 
                        or reduce a delegate agency's service area 
                        without showing cause or demonstrating the 
                        cost-effectiveness of such a decision.
                    ``(B) Evaluations.--Each Head Start agency--
                            ``(i) shall evaluate its delegate agencies 
                        using the procedures established pursuant to 
                        this section, including subparagraph (A); and
                            ``(ii) shall inform the delegate agencies 
                        of the deficiencies identified through the 
                        evaluation that shall be corrected.
                    ``(C) Remedies to ensure corrective actions.--In 
                the event that the Head Start agency identifies a 
                deficiency for a delegate agency through the 
                evaluation, the Head Start agency shall take action, 
                which may include--
                            ``(i) initiating procedures to terminate 
                        the designation of the agency unless the agency 
                        corrects the deficiency;
                            ``(ii) conducting monthly monitoring visits 
                        to such delegate agency until all deficiencies 
                        are corrected or the Head Start agency decides 
                        to defund such delegate agency; and
                            ``(iii) releasing funds to such delegate 
                        agency--
                                    ``(I) only as reimbursements, until 
                                all deficiencies are corrected or the 
                                Head Start agency decides to defund 
                                such delegate agency; and
                                    ``(II) only if there is continuity 
                                of services for children and families.
                    ``(D) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph shall be construed to impact or obviate the 
                responsibilities of the Secretary with respect to Head 
                Start agencies or delegate agencies receiving funding 
                under this subchapter.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking the paragraph heading and 
                        inserting the following:
            ``(2) Characteristics and use of measures.--'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``, 
                        not later than July 1, 1999; and'' and 
                        inserting a semicolon;
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
                        period and inserting a semicolon;
                            (iv) by striking the flush matter following 
                        subparagraph (C); and
                            (v) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) measure characteristics that are strongly 
                predictive (as determined on a scientific basis) of a 
                child's school readiness and later performance in 
                school;
                    ``(E) be appropriate for the population served; and
                    ``(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 years, 
                based on advances in the science of early childhood 
                development.
        The performance measures shall be issued by regulation and 
        shall include the performance standards and additional 
        educational standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 
        subsection (a)(1).''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``; 
                        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
                        period and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) to enable Head Start agencies to 
                individualize programs of instruction to better meet 
                the needs of the child involved.'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking subparagraph (C) and 
                        inserting the following:
                    ``(C) Unannounced site inspections of Head Start 
                programs for health and safety reasons, as 
                appropriate.'';
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 
                        subparagraph (E); and
                            (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 
                        the following:
                    ``(D) Notwithstanding subparagraph (C), followup 
                reviews, including--
                            ``(i) prompt return visits as necessary to 
                        agencies and programs that fail to meet 1 or 
                        more of the performance measures developed by 
                        the Secretary under subsection (b);
                            ``(ii) a review of programs with citations 
                        that include findings of deficiencies not later 
                        than 6 months after the date of such citation; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) followup reviews that incorporate a 
                        monitoring visit without prior notice of the 
                        visit to the agency involved or with such 
                        limited prior notice as is necessary to ensure 
                        the participation of parents and key staff 
                        members.''; and
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(2) Conduct of reviews.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
                reviews described in paragraph (1)--
                            ``(i) are performed, to the maximum extent 
                        practicable, by employees of the Department of 
                        Health and Human Services who are knowledgeable 
                        about Head Start programs;
                            ``(ii) are conducted by review teams that 
                        shall include individuals who are knowledgeable 
                        about Head Start and other early childhood 
                        education programs and, to the maximum extent 
                        practicable, the diverse (including linguistic 
                        and cultural) needs of eligible children 
                        (including children with disabilities, homeless 
                        children, and children in foster care) and 
                        limited English proficient children and their 
                        families, and personnel management, financial 
                        accountability, and systems development and 
                        monitoring;
                            ``(iii) include as part of the reviews of 
                        the programs, a review and assessment of 
                        program effectiveness, including strengths and 
                        weaknesses, as measured in accordance with the 
                        results-based performance measures developed by 
                        the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b) and 
                        with the standards established pursuant to 
                        subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (a)(1);
                            ``(iv) seek information from the 
                        communities and States where Head Start 
                        programs exist about innovative or effective 
                        collaborative efforts, barriers to 
                        collaboration, and the efforts of the Head 
                        Start agencies to collaborate with the entities 
                        carrying out early childhood education and 
                        child care programs in the community;
                            ``(v) include as part of the reviews of the 
                        programs, a review and assessment of whether 
                        the programs are in conformity with the income 
                        eligibility requirements under section 645 and 
                        regulations promulgated under such section;
                            ``(vi) include as part of the reviews of 
                        the programs, a review and assessment of 
                        whether programs have adequately addressed 
                        population and community needs (including needs 
                        of populations of limited English proficient 
                        children and children of migrant and seasonal 
                        farmworking families);
                            ``(vii) include as part of the reviews of 
                        the programs, a review and assessment of 
                        whether programs have adequately addressed the 
                        needs of children with disabilities;
                            ``(viii) include as part of the reviews of 
                        the programs, data from the results of periodic 
                        child assessments, and a review and assessment 
                        of child outcomes and performance as they 
                        relate to agency-determined school readiness 
                        goals described in section 641(a)(2)(A); and
                            ``(ix) in the case of Early Head Start 
                        programs, are conducted by a review team that 
                        includes individuals who are knowledgeable 
                        about the development of infants and toddlers.
                    ``(B) Training; quality and consistency.--The 
                Secretary, from funds available under section 
                640(a)(2)(C)(ii), shall provide periodic training for 
                supervisors and members of review teams in such topics 
                as program management and financial audit performance. 
                The Secretary shall ensure the quality and consistency 
                across and within regions of reviews and non-compliance 
                and deficiency determinations by conducting periodic 
                interrater reliability checks.'';
            (4) in subsection (d)(1)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``or fails to address the communitywide 
                strategic plan and needs assessment identified in 
                section 640(g)(2)(C),'' after ``subsection (b),''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``and 
                identify the technical assistance to be provided 
                consistent with paragraph (3)'' after ``corrected'';
            (5) in subsection (e), by striking the last sentence and 
        inserting ``The information contained in such report shall be 
        made available to all parents with children receiving 
        assistance under this subchapter in an understandable and 
        uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language 
        that the parents can understand. Such information shall be made 
        widely available through public means such as distribution 
        through public agencies, and, at a minimum, by posting such 
        information on the Internet immediately upon publication.''; 
        and
            (6) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Self-Assessments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each 
        program year, with the consultation and participation of policy 
        councils, and, as applicable, policy committees, and, as 
        appropriate, other community members, each agency receiving 
        funds under this subchapter shall conduct a comprehensive self-
        assessment of the effectiveness and progress in meeting program 
        goals and objectives and in implementing and complying with 
        Head Start program performance standards.
            ``(2) Report and improvement plans.--
                    ``(A) Report.--An agency conducting a self-
                assessment shall report the findings of the self-
                assessment to the relevant policy council, policy 
                committee, governing body, and regional office of the 
                Administration for Children and Families of the 
                Department of Health and Human Services. Each self-
                assessment shall identify areas of strength and 
                weakness.
                    ``(B) Improvement plan.--The agency shall develop 
                an improvement plan approved by the governing body of 
                the agency to strengthen any areas identified in the 
                self-assessment as weaknesses or in need of 
                improvement. The agency shall report the areas to the 
                appropriate regional office of the Administration for 
                Children and Families.
            ``(3) Ongoing monitoring.--Each Head Start agency, Early 
        Head Start agency, and delegate agency shall establish and 
        implement procedures for the ongoing monitoring of their Head 
        Start and Early Head Start programs, to ensure that the 
        operations of the programs work toward meeting program goals 
        and objectives and Head Start performance standards.
            ``(4) Training and technical assistance.--Funds may be made 
        available, through section 648(d)(13), for training and 
        technical assistance to assist agencies in conducting self-
        assessments.
    ``(g) Reduction of Grants and Redistribution of Funds in Cases of 
Under-Enrollment.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Actual enrollment.--The term `actual 
                enrollment' means, with respect to the program of a 
                Head Start agency, the actual number of children 
                enrolled in such program and reported by the agency (as 
                required in paragraph (2)) in a given month.
                    ``(B) Base grant.--The term `base grant' means, 
                with respect to a Head Start agency for a fiscal year, 
                that portion of the grant derived--
                            ``(i) from amounts reserved for use in 
                        accordance with section 640(a)(2)(A), for a 
                        Head Start agency administering an Indian Head 
                        Start program or migrant and seasonal Head 
                        Start program;
                            ``(ii) from amounts reserved for payments 
                        under section 640(a)(2)(B); or
                            ``(iii) from amounts available under 
                        section 640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among States 
                        under section 640(a)(4).
                    ``(C) Funded enrollment.--The term `funded 
                enrollment' means, with respect to the program of a 
                Head Start agency in a fiscal year, the number of 
                children that the agency is funded to serve through a 
                grant for the program during such fiscal year, as 
                indicated in the grant award.
            ``(2) Enrollment reporting requirement for current fiscal 
        year.--Each entity carrying out a Head Start program shall 
        report on a monthly basis to the Secretary and the relevant 
        Head Start agency--
                    ``(A) the actual enrollment in such program; and
                    ``(B) if such actual enrollment is less than the 
                funded enrollment, any apparent reason for such 
                enrollment shortfall.
            ``(3) Secretarial review and plan.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) on a semiannual basis, determine which Head 
                Start agencies are operating with an actual enrollment 
                that is less than the funded enrollment based on not 
                less than 4 consecutive months of data;
                    ``(B) for each such Head Start agency operating a 
                program with an actual enrollment that is less than 95 
                percent of its funded enrollment, as determined under 
                subparagraph (A), develop, in collaboration with such 
                agency, a plan and timetable for reducing or 
                eliminating under-enrollment taking into 
                consideration--
                            ``(i) the quality and extent of the 
                        outreach, recruitment, and communitywide needs 
                        assessment conducted by such agency;
                            ``(ii) changing demographics, mobility of 
                        populations, and the identification of new 
                        underserved low-income populations;
                            ``(iii) facilities-related issues that may 
                        impact enrollment;
                            ``(iv) the ability to provide full-day 
                        programs, where needed, through Head Start 
                        funds or through collaboration with entities 
                        carrying out other preschool or child care 
                        programs, or programs with other funding 
                        sources (where available);
                            ``(v) the availability and use by families 
                        of other preschool and child care options 
                        (including parental care) in the local 
                        catchment area; and
                            ``(vi) agency management procedures that 
                        may impact enrollment; and
                    ``(C) provide timely and ongoing technical 
                assistance to each agency described in subparagraph (B) 
                for the purpose of implementing the plan described in 
                such subparagraph.
            ``(4) Implementation.--Upon receipt of the technical 
        assistance described in paragraph (3)(C), a Head Start agency 
        shall immediately implement the plan described in paragraph 
        (3)(B).
            ``(5) Secretarial action for continued under-enrollment.--
        If, 1 year after the date of implementation of the plan 
        described in paragraph (3)(B), the Head Start agency continues 
        to operate a program at less than full enrollment, the 
        Secretary shall, where determined appropriate, continue to 
        provide technical assistance to such agency.
            ``(6) Secretarial review and adjustment for chronic under-
        enrollment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If, after receiving technical 
                assistance and developing and implementing a plan to 
                the extent described in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) 
                for 9 months, a Head Start agency is still operating a 
                program with an actual enrollment that is less than 95 
                percent of its funded enrollment, the Secretary may--
                            ``(i) designate such agency as chronically 
                        under-enrolled; and
                            ``(ii) recapture, withhold, or reduce the 
                        base grant for the program by a percentage 
                        equal to the percentage difference between 
                        funded enrollment and actual enrollment for the 
                        program for the most recent year in which the 
                        agency is determined to be under-enrolled under 
                        paragraph (3)(A).
                    ``(B) Waiver or limitation of reductions.--If the 
                Secretary, after the implementation of the plan 
                described in paragraph (3)(B), finds that--
                            ``(i) the causes of the enrollment 
                        shortfall, or a portion of the shortfall, are 
                        beyond the agency's control (such as serving 
                        significant numbers of migrant or seasonal 
                        farmworker children, homeless children, 
                        children in foster care, or other highly mobile 
                        children);
                            ``(ii) the shortfall can reasonably be 
                        expected to be temporary; or
                            ``(iii) the number of slots allotted to the 
                        agency is small enough that under-enrollment 
                        does not constitute a significant shortfall, 
                        the Secretary may, as appropriate, waive or 
                        reduce the percentage recapturing, withholding, 
                        or reduction otherwise required by subparagraph 
                        (A).
                    ``(C) Procedural requirements; effective date.--The 
                actions taken by the Secretary under this paragraph 
                with respect to a Head Start agency shall take effect 1 
                day after the date on which--
                            ``(i) the time allowed for appeal under 
                        section 646(a) expires without an appeal by the 
                        agency; or
                            ``(ii) the action is upheld in an 
                        administrative hearing under section 646.
            ``(7) Redistribution of funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall use amounts 
                recovered from a Head Start agency through recapturing, 
                withholding, or reduction under paragraph (6) in a 
                fiscal year--
                            ``(i) in the case of a Head Start agency 
                        administering an Indian Head Start program or a 
                        migrant and seasonal Head Start program, whose 
                        base grant is derived from amounts specified in 
                        paragraph (1)(B)(i), to redirect funds to 1 or 
                        more agencies that--
                                    ``(I) are administering Head Start 
                                programs serving the same special 
                                population; and
                                    ``(II) demonstrate that the 
                                agencies will use such redirected funds 
                                to increase enrollment in their Head 
                                Start programs in such fiscal year; or
                            ``(ii) in the case of a Head Start agency 
                        in a State, whose base grant is derived from 
                        amounts specified in clause (ii) or (iii) of 
                        paragraph (1)(B), to redirect funds to 1 or 
                        more agencies that--
                                    ``(I) are administering Head Start 
                                programs in the same State; and
                                    ``(II) make the demonstration 
                                described in clause (i)(II).
                    ``(B) Special rule.--If there is no agency located 
                in a State that meets the requirements of subclauses 
                (I) and (II) of subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary 
                shall use amounts described in subparagraph (A) to 
                redirect funds to Head Start agencies located in other 
                States that make the demonstration described in 
                subparagraph (A)(i)(II).
                    ``(C) Adjustment to funded enrollment.--The 
                Secretary shall adjust as necessary the requirements 
                relating to funded enrollment indicated in the grant 
                agreement of a Head Start agency receiving 
                redistributed amounts under this paragraph.
    ``(h) Contract With Nonprofit Intermediary Organization.--From 
funds reserved under clause (i) or (ii) of section 640(a)(2)(C) or from 
whatever other resources the Secretary determines appropriate, in 
carrying out the provisions of this section, the Secretary or a Head 
Start agency may contract with a nonprofit intermediary organization 
that--
            ``(1) provides evaluations and technical assistance to 
        improve overall performance management; and
            ``(2) has an exclusive focus of improving the performance 
        management and the use of technology in assessing performance 
        and meeting Head Start regulations and can provide on-site, 
        hands-on guidance with the implementation of the 
        recommendations.''.

SEC. 9. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.

    The Head Start Act is amended by inserting after section 641A (42 
U.S.C. 9836a) the following:

``SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.

    ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `center of excellence' 
means a Center of Excellence in Early Childhood designated under 
subsection (b).
    ``(b) Designation and Bonus Grants.--The Secretary shall, subject 
to the availability of funds under this subchapter, including under 
subsection (f), establish a program under which the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) designate not more than 200 exemplary Head Start 
        agencies (including Early Head Start agencies, Indian Head 
        Start agencies, and migrant and seasonal Head Start agencies) 
        as Centers of Excellence in Early Childhood; and
            ``(2) make bonus grants to the centers of excellence to 
        carry out the activities described in subsection (d).
    ``(c) Application and Designation.--
            ``(1) Application.--
                    ``(A) Nomination and submission.--
                            ``(i) In general.--To be eligible to 
                        receive a designation as a center of excellence 
                        under subsection (b), except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), a Head Start agency in a State 
                        shall be nominated by the Governor of the State 
                        and shall submit an application to the 
                        Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
                        containing such information as the Secretary 
                        may require.
                            ``(ii) Indian and migrant and seasonal head 
                        start programs.--In the case of an Indian Head 
                        Start agency or a migrant or seasonal Head 
                        Start agency, to be eligible to receive a 
                        designation as a center of excellence under 
                        subsection (b), such an agency shall be 
                        nominated by the head of the appropriate 
                        regional office of the Department of Health and 
                        Human Services and shall submit an application 
                        to the Secretary in accordance with clause (i).
                    ``(B) Contents.--At a minimum, the application 
                shall include--
                            ``(i) evidence that the Head Start program 
                        carried out by the agency has significantly 
                        improved the school readiness of, and enhanced 
                        academic outcomes for, children who have 
                        participated in the program;
                            ``(ii) evidence that the program meets or 
                        exceeds standards and performance measures 
                        described in subsections (a) and (b) of section 
                        641A, as evidenced by successful completion of 
                        programmatic and monitoring reviews, and has no 
                        findings of deficiencies with respect to the 
                        standards and measures;
                            ``(iii) evidence that the program is making 
                        progress toward meeting the requirements 
                        described in section 648A;
                            ``(iv) evidence demonstrating the existence 
                        of a collaborative partnership among the Head 
                        Start agency, the State (or a State agency), 
                        and other early care and education providers in 
                        the local community involved;
                            ``(v) a nomination letter from the 
                        Governor, or appropriate regional office, 
                        demonstrating the agency's ability to carry out 
                        the coordination, transition, and training 
                        services of the program to be carried out under 
                        the bonus grant involved, including 
                        coordination of activities with State and local 
                        agencies that provide early childhood services 
                        to children and families in the community 
                        served by the agency;
                            ``(vi) information demonstrating the 
                        existence of a local council for excellence in 
                        early childhood, which shall include 
                        representatives of all the institutions, 
                        agencies, and groups involved in the work of 
                        the center for, and the local provision of 
                        services to, eligible children and other at-
                        risk children, and their families; and
                            ``(vii) a description of how the Center, in 
                        order to expand accessibility and continuity of 
                        quality early care and education, will 
                        coordinate the early care and education 
                        activities assisted under this section with--
                                    ``(I) programs carried out under 
                                the Child Care and Development Block 
                                Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 
                                seq.);
                                    ``(II) other programs carried out 
                                under this subchapter, including the 
                                Early Head Start programs carried out 
                                under section 645A;
                                    ``(III)(aa) Early Reading First and 
                                Even Start programs carried out under 
                                subparts 2 and 3 of part B of title I 
                                of the Elementary and Secondary 
                                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6371 
                                et seq., 6381 et seq.);
                                    ``(bb) other preschool programs 
                                carried out under title I of that Act 
                                (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); and
                                    ``(cc) the Ready-to-Learn 
                                Television program carried out under 
                                subpart 3 of part D of title II of that 
                                Act (20 U.S.C. 6775 et seq.);
                                    ``(IV) programs carried out under 
                                section 619 and part C of the 
                                Individuals with Disabilities Education 
                                Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);
                                    ``(V) State prekindergarten 
                                programs; and
                                    ``(VI) other early care and 
                                education programs.
            ``(2) Selection.--In selecting agencies to designate as 
        centers of excellence under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
        designate not less than 1 from each of the 50 States, the 
        District of Columbia, an Indian Head Start program, a migrant 
        and seasonal Head Start program, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico.
            ``(3) Priority.--In making bonus grant determinations under 
        this section, the Secretary shall give priority to programs 
        that, through their applications, demonstrate that they are of 
        exceptional quality and would serve as exemplary models for 
        programs in the same geographic region. The Secretary may also 
        consider the populations served by the applicants, such as 
        programs that serve large proportions of limited English 
        proficient students or other underserved populations, and may 
        make bonus grants to programs that do an exceptional job 
        meeting the needs of such children.
            ``(4) Term of designation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Secretary shall designate a Head Start agency as a 
                center of excellence for a 5-year term. During the 
                period of that designation, subject to the availability 
                of appropriations, the agency shall be eligible to 
                receive a bonus grant under subsection (b).
                    ``(B) Revocation.--The Secretary may revoke an 
                agency's designation under subsection (b) if the 
                Secretary determines that the agency is not 
                demonstrating adequate performance or has had findings 
                of deficiencies described in paragraph (1)(B)(ii).
            ``(5) Amount of bonus grant.--The Secretary shall base the 
        amount of funding provided through a bonus grant made under 
        subsection (b) to a center of excellence on the number of 
        children eligible for Head Start services in the community 
        involved. The Secretary shall, subject to the availability of 
        funding, make such a bonus grant in an amount of not less than 
        $200,000 per year.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) Activities.--A center of excellence that receives a 
        bonus grant under subsection (b)--
                    ``(A) shall use the funds made available through 
                the bonus grant to model and disseminate, to other Head 
                Start centers in the State involved, best practices for 
                achieving early academic success, including achieving 
                school readiness and developing pre-literacy and 
                premathematics skills for at-risk children and 
                achieving the acquisition of the English language for 
                limited English proficient children, and to provide 
                seamless service delivery for eligible children and 
                their families;
                    ``(B) may use the funds made available through the 
                bonus grant--
                            ``(i) to provide Head Start services to 
                        additional eligible children;
                            ``(ii) to better meet the needs of working 
                        families in the community served by the center 
                        by serving more children in existing Early Head 
                        Start programs (existing as of the date the 
                        center is designated under this section) or in 
                        full-working-day, full calendar year Head Start 
                        programs;
                            ``(iii) to further coordinate early 
                        childhood and social services available in the 
                        community served by the center for at-risk 
                        children (birth through age 8), their families, 
                        and pregnant women;
                            ``(iv) to provide training and cross 
                        training for Head Start teachers and staff, 
                        child care providers, public and private 
                        preschool and elementary school teachers, and 
                        other providers of early childhood services, 
                        and training and cross training to develop 
                        agency leaders;
                            ``(v) to provide effective transitions 
                        between Head Start programs and elementary 
                        school, to facilitate ongoing communication 
                        between Head Start and elementary school 
                        teachers concerning children receiving Head 
                        Start services, and to provide training and 
                        technical assistance to providers who are 
                        public elementary school teachers and other 
                        staff of local educational agencies, child care 
                        providers, family service providers, and other 
                        providers of early childhood services, to help 
                        the providers described in this clause increase 
                        their ability to work with low-income, at-risk 
                        children and their families;
                            ``(vi) to develop or maintain partnerships 
                        with institutions of higher education and 
                        nonprofit organizations, including community-
                        based organizations, that recruit, train, 
                        place, and support college students to serve as 
                        mentors and reading partners to preschool 
                        children in Head Start programs; and
                            ``(vii) to carry out other activities 
                        determined by the center to improve the overall 
                        quality of the Head Start program carried out 
                        by the agency and the program carried out under 
                        the bonus grant involved.
            ``(2) Involvement of other head start agencies and 
        providers.--A center that receives a bonus grant under 
        subsection (b), in carrying out activities under this 
        subsection, shall work with the center's delegate agencies and 
        several additional Head Start agencies (especially agencies 
        that are low-performing on the standards or performance 
        measures established under this subchapter), and other 
        providers of early childhood services in the community 
        involved, to encourage the agencies and providers described in 
        this sentence to carry out model programs.
    ``(e) Research and Reports.--
            ``(1) Research.--The Secretary shall, subject to the 
        availability of funds to carry out this subsection, award a 
        grant or contract to an independent organization to conduct 
        research on the ability of the centers of excellence to improve 
        the school readiness of children receiving Head Start services, 
        and to positively impact school results in the earliest grades. 
        The organization shall also conduct research to measure the 
        success of the centers of excellence at encouraging the 
        center's delegate agencies, additional Head Start agencies, and 
        other providers of early childhood services in the communities 
        involved to meet measurable improvement goals, particularly in 
        the area of school readiness.
            ``(2) Report.--Not later than 48 months after the date of 
        enactment of the Head Start for School Readiness Act, the 
        organization shall prepare and submit to the Secretary and 
        Congress a report containing the results of the research 
        described in paragraph (1).
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012--
            ``(1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to centers of 
        excellence under subsection (b) to carry out activities 
        described in subsection (d);
            ``(2) $500,000 to pay for the administrative costs of the 
        Secretary in carrying out this section; and
            ``(3) $2,000,000 for research activities described in 
        subsection (e).''.

SEC. 10. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES.

    Section 642 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837) is amended--
            (1) by striking all that precedes ``In order'' the first 
        place it appears and inserting the following:

``SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START AGENCIES.

    ``(a) In General.--''; and
            (2) by striking subsections (b) through (e) and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(b) Additional Requirements.--In order to be designated as a Head 
Start agency under this subchapter, a Head Start agency shall also--
            ``(1) establish a program with all standards set forth in 
        section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to the standards 
        set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section;
            ``(2) demonstrate the capacity to serve eligible children 
        with scientifically based curricula and other interventions and 
        support services that help promote the school readiness of 
        children participating in the program;
            ``(3) establish effective procedures and provide for the 
        regular assessment of Head Start children, including 
        observational and direct formal assessment, where appropriate;
            ``(4) establish effective procedures, for determining the 
        needs of children, that include high quality research based 
        developmental screening tools that have been demonstrated to be 
        valid, reliable, and accurate for children from a range of 
        backgrounds;
            ``(5) require each delegate agency to create a policy 
        committee, which shall--
                    ``(A) be comprised of members of the community to 
                be served, including parents of children who are 
                currently enrolled in the Head Start programs of the 
                Head Start agency; and
                    ``(B) serve in an advisory capacity to the delegate 
                agency, to make decisions and recommendations regarding 
                program planning and operation and parental 
                involvement.
            ``(6) seek the involvement of parents, area residents, and 
        local business in the design and implementation of the program;
            ``(7) provide for the regular participation of parents and 
        area residents in the implementation of the program;
            ``(8) provide technical and other support needed to enable 
        such parents and area residents to secure, on their own behalf, 
        available assistance from public and private sources;
            ``(9) establish effective procedures to facilitate the 
        involvement of parents of participating children in activities 
        designed to help such parents become full partners in the 
        education of their children, and to afford such parents the 
        opportunity to participate in the development and overall 
        conduct of the program at the local level;
            ``(10) conduct outreach to schools in which Head Start 
        children will enroll, local educational agencies, the local 
        business community, community-based organizations, faith-based 
        organizations, museums, and libraries to generate support and 
        leverage the resources of the entire local community in order 
        to improve school readiness;
            ``(11) offer (directly or through referral to local 
        entities, such as entities carrying out Even Start programs 
        under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.)), to 
        parents of participating children, family literacy services, 
        and parenting skills training;
            ``(12) offer to parents of participating children substance 
        abuse and other counseling (either directly or through referral 
        to local entities), if needed, including information on the 
        effect of drug exposure on infants and fetal alcohol syndrome;
            ``(13) at the option of such agency, offer (directly or 
        through referral to local entities), to such parents--
                    ``(A) training in basic child development 
                (including cognitive development);
                    ``(B) assistance in developing literacy and 
                communication skills;
                    ``(C) opportunities to share experiences with other 
                parents (including parent mentor relationships);
                    ``(D) regular in-home visitation; or
                    ``(E) any other activity designed to help such 
                parents become full partners in the education of their 
                children;
            ``(14) provide, with respect to each participating family, 
        a family needs assessment that includes consultation with such 
        parents (including foster parents and grandparents, where 
        applicable) about the benefits of parent involvement and about 
        the activities described in this subsection in which such 
        parents may choose to be involved (taking into consideration 
        their specific family needs, work schedules, and other 
        responsibilities);
            ``(15) consider providing services to assist younger 
        siblings of children participating in its Head Start program, 
        to obtain health services from other sources;
            ``(16) perform community outreach to encourage individuals 
        previously unaffiliated with Head Start programs to participate 
        in its Head Start program as volunteers;
            ``(17)(A) inform custodial parents in single-parent 
        families that participate in programs, activities, or services 
        carried out or provided under this subchapter about the 
        availability of child support services for purposes of 
        establishing paternity and acquiring child support; and
            ``(B) refer eligible parents to the child support offices 
        of State and local governments;
            ``(18) provide parents of limited English proficient 
        children outreach and information in an understandable and 
        uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language 
        that the parents can understand; and
            ``(19) at the option of such agency, partner with an 
        institution of higher education and a nonprofit organization to 
        provide college students with the opportunity to serve as 
        mentors or reading partners to Head Start participants.
    ``(c) Transition Activities To Facilitate Continued Progress.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each Head Start agency shall collaborate 
        with the entities listed in this subsection, to the maximum 
        extent possible, to ensure the successful transition of Head 
        Start children to school, so that such children are able to 
        build upon the developmental and educational gains achieved in 
        Head Start programs in further schooling.
            ``(2) Coordination.--
                    ``(A) Local educational agency.--In communities 
                where both public prekindergarten programs and Head 
                Start programs operate, a Head Start agency shall 
                collaborate and coordinate activities with the local 
                educational agency or other public agency responsible 
                for the operation of the prekindergarten program and 
                providers of prekindergarten, including outreach 
                activities to identify eligible children.
                    ``(B) Elementary schools.--Head Start staff shall, 
                with the permission of the parents of children enrolled 
                in Head Start programs, regularly communicate with the 
                elementary schools such children will be attending to--
                            ``(i) share information about such 
                        children;
                            ``(ii) collaborate with the teachers in 
                        such elementary schools regarding teaching 
                        strategies and options; and
                            ``(iii) ensure a smooth transition to 
                        elementary school for such children.
                    ``(C) Other programs.--The head of each Head Start 
                agency shall coordinate activities and collaborate with 
                the State agency responsible for administering the 
                State program carried out under the Child Care and 
                Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et 
                seq.), other entities carrying out early childhood 
                education and development programs, and the agencies 
                responsible for administering section 106 of the Child 
                Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a), 
                parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.), programs under 
                subtitle B of title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
                Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), Even Start 
                programs under subpart 3 of part B of title I of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6381 et seq.), and programs under section 619 
                and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.), serving 
                the children and families served by the Head Start 
                agency.
            ``(3) Collaboration.--A Head Start agency shall take steps 
        to coordinate activities with the local educational agency 
        serving the community involved and with schools in which 
        children participating in a Head Start program operated by such 
        agency will enroll following such program, including--
                    ``(A) collaborating on the shared use of 
                transportation and facilities, in appropriate cases;
                    ``(B) collaborating to reduce the duplication of 
                services while increasing the program participation of 
                underserved populations of eligible children; and
                    ``(C) exchanging information on the provision of 
                noneducational services to such children.
            ``(4) Parental involvement.--In order to promote the 
        continued involvement of the parents of children that 
        participate in Head Start programs in the education of their 
        children, the Head Start agency shall--
                    ``(A) provide training to the parents--
                            ``(i) to inform the parents about their 
                        rights and responsibilities concerning the 
                        education of their children; and
                            ``(ii) to enable the parents, upon the 
                        transition of their children to school--
                                    ``(I) to understand and work with 
                                schools in order to communicate with 
                                teachers and other school personnel;
                                    ``(II) to support the schoolwork of 
                                their children; and
                                    ``(III) to participate as 
                                appropriate in decisions relating to 
                                the education of their children; and
                    ``(B) take other actions, as appropriate and 
                feasible, to support the active involvement of the 
                parents with schools, school personnel, and school-
                related organizations.
    ``(d) Assessment or Evaluation.--Each Head Start agency shall 
adopt, in consultation with experts in child development and with 
classroom teachers, an assessment or evaluation to measure whether 
classroom teachers have mastered the functions described in section 
648A(a)(1) and have attained a level of literacy appropriate to 
implement Head Start curricula.
    ``(e) Funded Enrollment; Waiting List.--Each Head Start agency 
shall enroll 100 percent of its funded enrollment and maintain an 
active waiting list at all times with ongoing outreach to the community 
and activities to identify underserved populations.
    ``(f) Technical Assistance and Training Plan.--In order to receive 
funds under this subchapter, a Head Start agency shall develop an 
annual technical assistance and training plan. Such plan shall be based 
on the agency's self-assessment, the communitywide needs assessment, 
and the needs of parents to be served by such agency.''.

SEC. 11. HEAD START TRANSITION.

    Section 642A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837a) is amended to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT WITH K-12 EDUCATION.

    ``Each Head Start agency shall take steps to coordinate activities 
with the local educational agency serving the community involved and 
with schools in which children participating in a Head Start program 
operated by such agency will enroll following such program, which may 
include--
            ``(1) developing and implementing a systematic procedure 
        for transferring, with parental consent, Head Start program 
        records for each participating child to the school in which 
        such child will enroll;
            ``(2) establishing ongoing channels of communication 
        between Head Start staff and their counterparts in the schools 
        (including teachers, social workers, health staff, and local 
        educational agency liaisons designated under section 
        722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii))) to facilitate coordination of 
        programs;
            ``(3) establishing comprehensive transition policies and 
        procedures that support children transitioning to school, 
        including by engaging the local education agency in the 
        establishment of such policies;
            ``(4) developing a continuity of developmentally 
        appropriate curricular objectives and practices between the 
        Head Start agency and local educational agency, that reflect 
        shared expectations for children's learning and development for 
        the transition to school;
            ``(5) conducting outreach to parents, elementary school 
        (such as kindergarten) teachers, and Head Start teachers to 
        discuss the educational, developmental, and other needs of 
        individual children;
            ``(6) organizing and participating in joint training, 
        including transition-related training of school staff and Head 
        Start staff;
            ``(7) developing and implementing a family outreach and 
        support program, in cooperation with entities carrying out 
        parental involvement efforts under title I of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), 
        and family outreach and support efforts under subtitle B of 
        title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
        U.S.C. 11431 et seq.), taking into consideration the language 
        needs of limited English proficient parents;
            ``(8) assisting families, administrators, and teachers in 
        enhancing educational and developmental continuity and 
        continuity of parental involvement in activities between Head 
        Start services and elementary school classes;
            ``(9) linking the services provided in such Head Start 
        program with the education services, including services 
        relating to language, literacy, and numeracy, provided by such 
        local educational agency;
            ``(10) helping parents understand the importance of 
        parental involvement in a child's academic success while 
        teaching the parents strategies for maintaining parental 
        involvement as their child moves from the Head Start program to 
        elementary school;
            ``(11) helping parents understand the instructional and 
        other services provided by the school in which their child will 
        enroll after participation in the Head Start program; and
            ``(12) coordinating activities and collaborating to ensure 
        that curricula used in the Head Start program are aligned with 
        State early learning standards and the Head Start Child 
        Outcomes Framework with regard to cognitive development 
        (including language, pre-literacy, and premathematics 
        competencies), and social, emotional, and physical competencies 
        that children entering kindergarten are expected to 
        demonstrate.''.

SEC. 12. SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS.

    Section 643 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9838) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``chief executive officer'' and 
                inserting ``Governor''; and
                    (B) by striking ``45'' and inserting ``30'';
            (2) in the last sentence, by striking ``, however,''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following: ``This section 
        shall not apply to contracts, agreements, grants, loans, or 
        other assistance for Indian Head Start programs and migrant and 
        seasonal Head Start programs.''.

SEC. 13. COSTS OF DEVELOPING AND ADMINISTERING A PROGRAM.

    Section 644(b) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9839(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``Except'' and inserting ``(1) Except''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2)(A) The limitation prescribed by paragraph (1) shall not 
prohibit a Head Start agency from expending an amount in excess of 
allowable direct costs associated with developing and administering a 
program assisted under this subchapter, if--
            ``(i) the agency submits an application for a grant year 
        containing an assurance that--
                    ``(I) the agency will serve a greater percentage of 
                children in the community involved than were served in 
                the preceding grant year; and
                    ``(II) the agency will not diminish services 
                provided to currently enrolled children (as of the date 
                of the application), including the number of hours and 
                days such services are provided;
            ``(ii) any such excess amount does not exceed 5 percent of 
        the total costs, including the required non-Federal 
        contributions to such costs, of such program; and
            ``(iii) in the event that the applicant applies to expend 
        any such excess amount in a subsequent grant year, the 
        applicant continues to serve the same number of children as 
        proposed in the initial application submitted under this 
        paragraph and accomplishes, relative to the prior Head Start 
        agency, at least 3 of the 5 improved outcomes.
    ``(B) In subparagraph (A), the term `improved outcome' means--
            ``(i) an increase in average teacher salary;
            ``(ii) an increase in the number of qualified teachers;
            ``(iii) a significant increase in the number of children 
        who receive full-day Head Start services;
            ``(iv) a decrease in the caseload for family workers; or
            ``(v) an increase in transportation options for families.
    ``(C) The Secretary shall approve not more than 10 applications 
described in subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, and to the extent 
practicable shall ensure participation under this paragraph of a 
diverse group of Head Start agencies, including public, private 
nonprofit, and for-profit agencies operating Head Start programs.''.

SEC. 14. PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS.

    Section 645 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``130 
                        percent of'' after ``below''; and
                            (ii) in the flush matter at the end, by 
                        adding at the end the following: ``A homeless 
                        child shall be deemed eligible for Head Start 
                        services.''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(3)(A) In this paragraph:
            ``(i) The term `dependent' has the meaning given the term 
        in paragraphs (2)(A) and (4)(A)(i) of section 401(a) of title 
        37, United States Code.
            ``(ii) The terms `member' and `uniformed services' have the 
        meanings given the terms in paragraphs (23) and (3), 
        respectively, of section 101 of title 37, United States Code.
    ``(B) The following amounts of pay and allowance of a member of the 
uniformed services shall not be considered to be income for purposes of 
determining the eligibility of a dependent of such member for programs 
funded under this subchapter:
            ``(i) The amount of any special pay payable under section 
        310 of title 37, United States Code, relating to duty subject 
        to hostile fire or imminent danger.
            ``(ii) The amount of basic allowance payable under section 
        403 of such title, including any such amount that is provided 
        on behalf of the member for housing that is acquired or 
        constructed under the alternative authority for the acquisition 
        and improvement of military housing under subchapter IV of 
        chapter 169 of title 10, United States Code, or any other 
        related provision of law.
    ``(4) After demonstrating a need through a communitywide needs 
assessment, a Head Start agency may apply to the Secretary to convert 
part-day sessions, particularly consecutive part-day sessions, into 
full-day sessions.
    ``(5)(A) Consistent with a communitywide needs assessment, a Head 
Start agency may apply to the Secretary to serve additional infants and 
toddlers if the agency submits an application to the Secretary 
containing--
            ``(i) a description of how the needs of pregnant women, 
        infants, and toddlers will be addressed in accordance with 
        section 645A(b), and with regulations prescribed by the 
        Secretary pursuant to section 641A in areas including the 
        agency's approach to child development and provision of health 
        services, approach to family and community partnerships, and 
        approach to program design and management;
            ``(ii) a description of how the needs of eligible Head 
        Start children are being and will be served;
            ``(iii) assurances that the agency will participate in 
        technical assistance activities (including a planning period, 
        start-up site visits, and national training activities) in the 
        same manner as recipients of grants under section 645A; and
            ``(iv) evidence that the agency meets the same eligibility 
        criteria as recipients of grants under section 645A.
    ``(B) In approving such applications, the Secretary shall take into 
account the costs of serving persons under section 645A.
    ``(C) Any Head Start agency designated under this section and 
permitted to use grant funds under subparagraph (A) to serve additional 
infants and toddlers shall be considered to be an Early Head Start 
agency and shall be subject to the same rules, regulations, and 
conditions as apply to recipients of grants under section 645A for 
those grant funds.''; and
            (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, an Indian 
tribe that operates both a Head Start program and an Early Head Start 
program under section 645A may, at its discretion, at any time during 
the grant period involved, reallocate funds between the Head Start 
program and the Early Head Start program in order to address 
fluctuations in client population, including pregnant women and 
children birth to compulsory school age. The reallocation of such funds 
between programs by an Indian tribe shall not serve as the basis for 
the Secretary to reduce a base grant (as defined in section 641A(g)(1)) 
for either program in succeeding years.''.

SEC. 15. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.

    Section 645A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840a) is amended--
            (1) by striking the section heading and inserting the 
        following:

``SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.'';

            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``provide 
                services to parents to support their role as parents'' 
                and inserting ``provide additional services and 
                research-based activities to parents to support their 
                role as parents (including parenting skills training 
                and training in basic child development)'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), (7), (8), 
                and (9) as paragraphs (6), (8), (11), (12), and (13), 
                respectively;
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) where appropriate and in conjunction with services 
        provided under this section to the children's immediate 
        families (or as approved by the Secretary), provide home-based 
        services to family child care homes, and kin caregivers, caring 
        for infants and toddlers who also participate in Early Head 
        Start programs, to provide continuity in supporting the 
        children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical 
        development;'';
                    (D) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) by inserting ``(including home-based 
                        services)'' after ``with services'';
                            (ii) by inserting ``and homeless infants 
                        and toddlers'' after ``disabilities''; and
                            (iii) by inserting ``, and family support 
                        services'' after ``health services'';
                    (E) by inserting after paragraph (6), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), the following:
            ``(7) ensure that children with documented behavioral 
        problems, including problems involving behavior related to 
        prior or existing trauma, receive appropriate screening and 
        deferral;'';
                    (F) by inserting after paragraph (8), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), the following:
            ``(9) develop and implement a systematic procedure for 
        transitioning children and parents from an Early Head Start 
        program into a Head Start program or another local early 
        childhood education program;
            ``(10) establish channels of communication between staff of 
        Early Head Start programs and staff of Head Start programs or 
        other local early childhood education programs, to facilitate 
        the coordination of programs;''; and
                    (G) in paragraph (12), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) by striking ``and providers'' and 
                        inserting ``, providers''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``, and the agencies 
                        responsible for administering section 106 of 
                        the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 5106a) and parts B and E of title IV 
                        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et 
                        seq. and 670 et seq.)'' after ``(20 U.S.C. 1400 
                        et seq.)'';
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, including 
                tribal governments and entities operating migrant and 
                seasonal Head Start programs'' after ``subchapter''; 
                and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, including 
                community-based organizations'' after ``private 
                entities'';
            (4) in subsection (g)(2)(B), by striking clause (iv) and 
        inserting the following:
                            ``(iv) providing professional development 
                        and personnel enhancement activities, including 
                        the provision of funds to recipients of grants 
                        under subsection (a), relating to--
                                    ``(I) effective methods of 
                                conducting parent education, home 
                                visiting, and promoting quality early 
                                childhood development;
                                    ``(II) recruiting and retaining 
                                qualified staff; and
                                    ``(III) increasing program 
                                participation for underserved 
                                populations of eligible children.'';
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Staff Qualifications and Development.--
            ``(1) Center-based staff.--The Secretary shall establish 
        staff qualification goals to ensure that, not later than 
        September 30, 2012, all teachers providing direct services to 
        Early Head Start children and families in Early Head Start 
        centers have a minimum of a child development associate 
        credential or an associate degree, and have been trained (or 
        have equivalent course work) in early childhood development 
        with a focus on infant and toddler development.
            ``(2) Home visitor staff.--
                    ``(A) Standards.--In order to further enhance the 
                quality of home visiting services provided to families 
                of children participating in home-based, center-based, 
                or combination program options under this subchapter, 
                the Secretary shall establish standards for training, 
                qualifications, and the conduct of home visits for home 
                visitor staff in Early Head Start programs.
                    ``(B) Contents.--The standards for training, 
                qualifications, and the conduct of home visits shall 
                include content related to--
                            ``(i) structured child-focused home 
                        visiting that promotes parents' ability to 
                        support the child's cognitive, social, 
                        emotional, and physical development;
                            ``(ii) effective strengths-based parent 
                        education, including methods to encourage 
                        parents as their child's first teachers;
                            ``(iii) early childhood development with 
                        respect to children from birth through age 3;
                            ``(iv) methods to help parents promote 
                        emergent literacy in their children from birth 
                        through age 3, including use of research-based 
                        strategies to support the development of 
                        literacy and language skills for children who 
                        are limited English proficient;
                            ``(v) health, vision, hearing, and 
                        developmental screenings;
                            ``(vi) strategies for helping families 
                        coping with crisis; and
                            ``(vii) the relationship of health and 
                        well-being of pregnant women to prenatal and 
                        early child development.''.

SEC. 16. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING AND RECORDS AND FINANCIAL AUDITS.

    (a) Appeals, Notice, and Hearing.--Section 646(a) of the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9841(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) 
and inserting the following:
            ``(3) financial assistance under this subchapter may be 
        terminated or reduced, and an application for refunding may be 
        denied, after the recipient has been afforded reasonable notice 
        and opportunity for a full and fair hearing, including--
                    ``(A) a right to file a notice of appeal of a 
                decision within 30 days of notice of the decision from 
                the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) access to a full and fair hearing of the 
                appeal, not later than 120 days from receipt by the 
                Secretary of the notice of appeal;
            ``(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish procedures 
        (including mediation procedures) to be used in order to--
                    ``(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts 
                potentially leading to an adverse action between--
                            ``(i) recipients of financial assistance 
                        under this subchapter; and
                            ``(ii) delegate agencies, or policy 
                        councils of Head Start agencies;
                    ``(B) avoid the need for an administrative hearing 
                on an adverse action; and
                    ``(C) prohibit a Head Start agency from expending 
                financial assistance awarded under this subchapter for 
                the purpose of paying legal fees pursuant to an appeal 
                under paragraph (3), except that such fees shall be 
                reimbursed by the Secretary if the agency prevails in 
                such decision; and
            ``(5) the Secretary may suspend funds to a grantee under 
        this subchapter--
                    ``(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), for 
                not more than 30 days; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a grantee under this 
                subchapter that has multiple and recurring deficiencies 
                for 180 days or more and has not made substantial and 
                significant progress toward meeting the goals of the 
                grantee's quality improvement plan or eliminating all 
                deficiencies identified by the Secretary, during the 
                hearing of an appeal described in paragraph (3), for 
                any amount of time, including permanently.''.
    (b) Records and Financial Audits.--
            (1) Heading.--Section 647 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 
        9842) is amended by striking the section heading and inserting 
        the following: ``records and financial audits''.
            (2) Recipients.--Section 647(a) of the Head Start Act (42 
        U.S.C. 9842(a)) is amended by striking ``Each recipient of'' 
        and inserting ``Each Head Start agency, Head Start center, or 
        Early Head Start center receiving''.
            (3) Financial audits.--Subsections (a) and (b) of section 
        647 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9842) are amended by 
        striking ``audit'' and inserting ``financial audit''.
            (4) Accounting.--Section 647 of the Head Start Act (42 
        U.S.C. 9842) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Each Head Start agency, Head Start center, or Early Head 
Start center receiving financial assistance under this subchapter shall 
maintain, and annually submit to the Secretary, a complete accounting 
of its administrative expenses, including expenses for salaries and 
compensation funded under this subchapter and provide such additional 
documentation as the Secretary may require.''.

SEC. 17. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING.

    Section 648 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``(b) and (c)'' and 
        inserting ``(b), (c), and (d)'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) as 
        subsections (c) through (f), respectively;
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
    ``(b) The Secretary shall make available funds set aside in section 
640(a)(2)(C)(ii) to support a State system of early childhood education 
training and technical assistance (which may include such a system for 
a consortium of States within a region) that improves the capacity of 
Head Start programs to deliver services in accordance with the 
standards described in section 641A(a)(1), with particular attention to 
the standards described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of such section. 
The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) ensure that agencies with demonstrated expertise in 
        providing high-quality training and technical assistance to 
        improve the delivery of Head Start services, including the 
        State Head Start Associations, State agencies, Indian Head 
        Start agencies, migrant and seasonal Head Start agencies, and 
        other entities providing training and technical assistance in 
        early education, for the State (including such a consortium of 
        States within a region) are included in the planning and 
        coordination of the system; and
            ``(2) encourage States (including such consortia) to 
        supplement the funds authorized in section 640(a)(2)(C)(ii) 
        with Federal, State, or local funds other than Head Start 
        funds, to expand training and technical assistance activities 
        beyond Head Start agencies to include other providers of other 
        early childhood services within a State (including such a 
        consortium).'';
            (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking 
                ``educational performance measures'' and inserting 
                ``measures'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and for 
                activities described in section 1222(d) of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6372(d))'' after ``children with disabilities'';
                    (C) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, including 
                assessing the needs of homeless children and their 
                families'' after ``needs assessment'';
                    (D) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(7) assist Head Start agencies in better serving the 
        needs of families with very young children, including providing 
        support and program planning and implementation assistance for 
        Head Start agencies that apply to serve or are serving 
        additional infants and toddlers with funds previously used for 
        3- and 4-year-olds in accordance with section 645(a)(5);'';
                    (E) in paragraph (10), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (F) in paragraph (11), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (G) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(12) assist Head Start agencies in increasing the program 
        participation of homeless children;
            ``(13) provide training and technical assistance to members 
        of governing bodies, policy councils, and, as appropriate, 
        policy committees, to ensure that the members can fulfill their 
        functions;
            ``(14) provide training and technical assistance to Head 
        Start agencies to assist such agencies in conducting self-
        assessments;
            ``(15) assist Head Start agencies in improving outreach to, 
        and the quality of services available to, limited English 
        proficient children and their families, including such services 
        to help such families learn English, particularly in 
        communities that have experienced a large percentage increase 
        in the population of limited English proficient individuals, as 
        measured by the Bureau of the Census;
            ``(16) provide activities that help ensure that Head Start 
        programs have qualified staff who can promote prevention of 
        childhood obesity by integrating into the programs 
        developmentally appropriate research-based initiatives that 
        stress the importance of physical activity and nutrition 
        choices made by children and family, through daily classroom 
        and family routines; and
            ``(17) assist Indian Head Start agencies to provide on-site 
        and off-site training to staff, using approaches that identify 
        and enhance the positive resources and strengths of Indian 
        children and families, to improve parent and family engagement 
        and staff development, particularly with regard to child and 
        family development.'';
            (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``including community-based organizations,'' after ``nonprofit 
        entities,'';
            (6) in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by inserting 
        ``or providing services to children determined to be abused or 
        neglected, training for personnel providing services to 
        children referred by entities providing child welfare services 
        or receiving child welfare services,'' after ``English 
        language)''; and
            (7) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) The Secretary shall provide, either directly or through 
grants or other arrangements, funds for training of Head Start 
personnel in addressing the unique needs of migrant and seasonal 
farmworking families, families with limited English proficiency, and 
homeless families.
    ``(h) Funds used under this section shall be used to provide high 
quality, sustained, and intensive, training and technical assistance in 
order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction. 
Funds shall be used to carry out activities related to 1 or more of the 
following:
            ``(1) Education and early childhood development.
            ``(2) Child health, nutrition, and safety.
            ``(3) Family and community partnerships.
            ``(4) Other areas that impact the quality or overall 
        effectiveness of Head Start programs.
    ``(i) Funds used under this section for training shall be used for 
needs identified annually by a grant applicant or delegate agency in 
its program improvement plan, except that funds shall not be used for 
long-distance travel expenses for training activities--
            ``(1) available locally or regionally; or
            ``(2) substantially similar to locally or regionally 
        available training activities.
    ``(j)(1) To support local efforts to enhance early language and 
preliteracy development of children in Head Start programs, and to 
provide the children with high-quality oral language skills, and 
environments that are rich in literature, in which to acquire language 
and preliteracy skills, each Head Start agency, in coordination with 
the appropriate State office and the relevant State Head Start 
collaboration office, shall ensure that all of the agency's Head Start 
teachers receive ongoing training in language and emergent literacy 
(referred to in this subsection as `literacy training'), including 
appropriate curricula and assessments to improve instruction and 
learning. Such training shall include training in methods to promote 
phonological awareness (including phonemic awareness) and vocabulary 
development in an age-appropriate and culturally and linguistically 
appropriate manner.
    ``(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the local level in 
order--
            ``(A) to be provided, to the extent feasible, in the 
        context of the Head Start programs of the State involved and 
        the children the program involved serves; and
            ``(B) to be tailored to the early childhood literacy 
        background and experience of the teachers involved.
    ``(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and linguistically 
appropriate and support children's development in their home language.
    ``(4) The literacy training shall include training in how to work 
with parents to enhance positive language and early literacy 
development at home.
    ``(5) The literacy training shall include specific methods to best 
address the needs of children who are limited English proficient.
    ``(6) The literacy training shall include training on how to best 
address the language and literacy needs of children with disabilities, 
including training on how to work with specialists in language 
development.''.

SEC. 18. STAFF QUALIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT.

    Section 648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (2) and 
        inserting the following:
            ``(2) Degree requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 
                staff qualification goals to ensure that--
                            ``(i) not later than September 30, 2012, 
                        all Head Start teachers nationwide in center-
                        based programs have at least--
                                    ``(I)(aa) an associate degree (or 
                                equivalent coursework) relating to 
                                early childhood; or
                                    ``(bb) an associate degree in a 
                                related educational area and, to the 
                                extent practicable, coursework relating 
                                to early childhood; and
                                    ``(II) demonstrated teaching 
                                competencies, as determined by the 
                                program director involved (including, 
                                at a minimum, an appropriate level of 
                                literacy, a demonstrated capacity to be 
                                highly engaged with children, and a 
                                demonstrated ability to effectively 
                                implement an early childhood 
                                curriculum);
                            ``(ii) not later than September 30, 2010, 
                        all Head Start curriculum specialists and 
                        education coordinators nationwide in center-
                        based programs have--
                                    ``(I) the capacity to offer 
                                assistance to other teachers in the 
                                implementation and adaptation of 
                                curricula to the group and individual 
                                needs of a class; and
                                    ``(II)(aa) a baccalaureate or 
                                advanced degree relating to early 
                                childhood; or
                                    ``(bb) a baccalaureate or advanced 
                                degree and coursework equivalent to a 
                                major relating to early childhood;
                            ``(iii) not later than September 30, 2010, 
                        all Head Start teaching assistants nationwide 
                        in center-based programs have--
                                    ``(I) at least a child development 
                                associate credential;
                                    ``(II) enrolled in a program 
                                leading to an associate or 
                                baccalaureate degree; or
                                    ``(III) enrolled in a child 
                                development associate credential 
                                program to be completed within 2 years; 
                                and
                            ``(iv) not later than September 30, 2013, 
                        50 percent of all Head Start teachers in 
                        center-based programs in each State (and 
                        geographic region for Indian Head Start 
                        programs and for migrant and seasonal Head 
                        Start programs) have a baccalaureate degree 
                        relating to early childhood (or a related 
                        educational area), and demonstrated teaching 
                        competencies, as determined by the program 
                        director involved (including, at a minimum, an 
                        appropriate level of literacy, a demonstrated 
                        capacity to be highly engaged with children, 
                        and a demonstrated ability to effectively 
                        implement an early childhood curriculum).
                    ``(B) Teacher in-service requirement.--Each Head 
                Start teacher shall attend not less than 15 clock hours 
                of professional development per year. Such professional 
                development shall be high quality, sustained, 
                intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a 
                positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction 
                and the teacher's performance in the classroom, and 
                regularly evaluated for effectiveness.
                    ``(C) Progress.--
                            ``(i) Report.--The Secretary shall--
                                    ``(I) require Head Start agencies 
                                to--
                                            ``(aa) describe continuing 
                                        progress each year toward 
                                        achieving the goals described 
                                        in subparagraph (A);
                                            ``(bb) submit to the 
                                        Secretary a report indicating 
                                        the number and percentage of 
                                        classroom instructors in 
                                        center-based programs with 
                                        child development associate 
                                        credentials or associate, 
                                        baccalaureate, or graduate 
                                        degrees; and
                                    ``(II) compile and submit a summary 
                                of all program reports described in 
                                subclause (I)(bb) to the Committee on 
                                Education and Labor of the House of 
                                Representatives and the Committee on 
                                Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
                                of the Senate.
                            ``(ii) Demonstrate progress.--A Head Start 
                        agency may demonstrate progress by partnering 
                        with institutions of higher education or other 
                        programs that recruit, train, place, and 
                        support college students to deliver an 
                        innovative early learning program to preschool 
                        children.
                    ``(D) Service requirements.--The Secretary shall 
                establish requirements to ensure that, in order to 
                enable Head Start agencies to comply with the 
                requirements of subparagraph (A), individuals who 
                receive financial assistance under this subchapter to 
                pursue a degree described in subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) teach or work in a Head Start program 
                        for a minimum of 3 years after receiving the 
                        degree; or
                            ``(ii) repay the total or a prorated amount 
                        of the financial assistance received based on 
                        the length of service completed after receiving 
                        the degree.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies to meet the 
        needs of special populations (including limited English 
        proficient populations).'';
            (3) in subsection (d)(3)(C) by inserting ``, including a 
        center,'' after ``any agency''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Professional Development Plans.--Every Head Start agency and 
center shall create, in consultation with employees of the agency or 
center (including family service workers), a professional development 
plan for employees who provide direct services to children, including a 
plan for classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, and education 
coordinators to meet the requirements set forth in subsection (a).''.

SEC. 19. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HEAD START PARTNERSHIP.

    The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 648A the following:

``SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START PARTNERSHIP 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to promote social 
competencies and school readiness in Indian children.
    ``(b) Tribal College or University Head Start Partnership 
Program.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants, 
        for periods of not less than 5 years, to Tribal Colleges and 
        Universities to--
                    ``(A) implement education programs that include 
                education concerning tribal culture and language and 
                increase the number of associate, baccalaureate, and 
                graduate degrees in early childhood education and 
                related fields that are earned by Indian Head Start 
                agency staff members, parents of children served by 
                such an agency, and members of the tribal community 
                involved;
                    ``(B) develop and implement the programs under 
                subparagraph (A) in technology-mediated formats, 
                including providing the programs through such means as 
                distance learning and use of advanced technology, as 
                appropriate; and
                    ``(C) provide technology literacy programs for 
                Indian Head Start agency staff members and children and 
                families of children served by such an agency.
            ``(2) Staffing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        American Indian Programs Branch of the Head Start Bureau of the 
        Department of Health and Human Services shall have staffing 
        sufficient to administer the programs under this section and to 
        provide appropriate technical assistance to Tribal Colleges and 
        Universities receiving grants under this section.
    ``(c) Application.--Each Tribal College or University desiring a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary, 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require, including a certification that the Tribal 
College or University has established a partnership with 1 or more 
Indian Head Start agencies for the purpose of conducting the activities 
described in subsection (b).
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 
2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 
through 2012.
    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            ``(2) Tribal college or university.--The term `Tribal 
        College or University'--
                    ``(A) has the meaning given such term in section 
                316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1059c); and
                    ``(B) means an institution determined to be 
                accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a 
                nationally recognized accrediting agency or 
                association.''.

SEC. 20. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION.

    Section 649 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9844) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ``, children 
        determined to be abused or neglected, homeless children, and 
        children in foster care'' after ``children with disabilities'';
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), (7), (8), 
                (9), and (10), as paragraphs (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), 
                and (11);
                    (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) identify successful strategies that promote good oral 
        health and provide effective linkages to quality dental 
        services through pediatric dental referral networks, for 
        infants and toddlers participating in Early Head Start programs 
        and children participating in Head Start programs;'';
                    (C) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (D) by striking paragraph (10), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A);
                    (E) by redesignating paragraph (11), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (A), as paragraph (10); 
                and
                    (F) by striking the last sentence;
            (3) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A)--
                            (i) by striking clause (i); and
                            (ii) by redesignating clauses (ii) and 
                        (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; 
                        and
                    (B) in paragraph (7)(C)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``2003'' and 
                        inserting ``2008''; and
                            (ii) in clause (ii)--
                                    (I) by striking ``Education and the 
                                Workforce'' and inserting ``Education 
                                and Labor''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                                Resources'' and inserting ``Health, 
                                Education, Labor, and Pensions''; and
            (4) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the following:
    ``(h) Review of Assessments.--
            ``(1) Application of study.--When the study on 
        Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children by 
        the National Academy of Sciences is made available to the 
        Secretary, the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) incorporate the results of the study, as 
                appropriate and in accordance with paragraphs (2) and 
                (3), into each assessment used in the Head Start 
                programs; and
                    ``(B) use the results of the study to develop, 
                inform, and revise the standards and measures described 
                in section 641A.
            ``(2) Development and refinement.--In developing and 
        refining any assessment used in the Head Start programs, the 
        Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) receive recommendations from the Panel on 
                Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young 
                Children of the National Academy of Sciences; and
                    ``(B) with respect to the development or refinement 
                of such assessment, ensure--
                            ``(i) consistency with relevant, nationally 
                        recognized professional and technical 
                        standards;
                            ``(ii) validity and reliability for all 
                        purposes for which assessments under this 
                        subchapter are designed and used;
                            ``(iii) developmental and linguistic 
                        appropriateness of such assessments for 
                        children assessed, including children who are 
                        limited English proficient; and
                            ``(iv) that the results can be used to 
                        improve the quality of, accountability of, and 
                        training and technical assistance in, Head 
                        Start programs.
            ``(3) Additional requirements.--The Secretary, in carrying 
        out the process described under paragraph (2), shall ensure 
        that--
                    ``(A) staff administering any assessments under 
                this subchapter have received appropriate training to 
                administer such assessments;
                    ``(B) appropriate accommodations for children with 
                disabilities and children who are limited English 
                proficient are made;
                    ``(C) the English and Spanish (and any other 
                language, as appropriate) forms of such assessments are 
                valid and reliable; and
                    ``(D) such assessments are not used to exclude 
                children from Head Start programs.
            ``(4) Suspended implementation of national reporting 
        system.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) suspend implementation and terminate further 
                development and use of the National Reporting System; 
                and
                    ``(B) incorporate, as appropriate, recommendations 
                under paragraph (2)(A) into any assessment used in the 
                Head Start programs.
    ``(i) Special Rule.--The use of assessment items and data on any 
assessment authorized under this subchapter by an agent or agents of 
the Federal Government to rank, compare, or otherwise evaluate 
individual children or teachers, or to provide rewards or sanctions for 
individual children or teachers is prohibited. The Secretary shall not 
use the results of a single assessment as the sole method for assessing 
program effectiveness or making grantee funding determinations at the 
national, regional, or local level.
    ``(j) Services to Limited English Proficient Children and 
Families.--
            ``(1) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study on the 
        status of limited English proficient children and their 
        families in Head Start or Early Head Start programs.
            ``(2) Report.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit to 
        Congress, not later than September 2011, a report containing 
        the results of the study, including information on--
                    ``(A) the demographics of limited English 
                proficient children from birth through age 5, including 
                the number of such children receiving Head Start or 
                Early Head Start services and the geographic 
                distribution of children described in this 
                subparagraph;
                    ``(B) the nature of Head Start or Early Head Start 
                services provided to limited English proficient 
                children and their families, including the types, 
                content, duration, intensity, and costs of family 
                services, language assistance, and educational 
                services;
                    ``(C) procedures in Head Start programs for the 
                assessment of language needs and the transition of 
                limited English proficient children to kindergarten, 
                including the extent to which Head Start programs meet 
                the requirements of section 642A for limited English 
                proficient children;
                    ``(D) the qualifications of and training provided 
                to Head Start and Early Head Start teachers serving 
                limited English proficient children and their families;
                    ``(E) the rate of progress made by limited English 
                proficient children and their families in Head Start 
                programs and Early Head Start programs, including--
                            ``(i) the rate of progress of the limited 
                        English proficient children toward meeting the 
                        additional educational standards described in 
                        section 641A(a)(1)(B)(ii) while enrolled in 
                        Head Start programs, measured between 1990 and 
                        2006;
                            ``(ii) the correlation between such 
                        progress and the type of instruction and 
                        educational program provided to the limited 
                        English proficient children; and
                            ``(iii) the correlation between such 
                        progress and the health and family services 
                        provided by Head Start programs to limited 
                        English proficient children and their families; 
                        and
                    ``(F) the extent to which Head Start programs make 
                use of funds under section 640(a)(3) to improve the 
                quality of Head Start services provided to limited 
                English proficient children and their families.''.

SEC. 21. REPORTS.

    Section 650 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9846) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``Education and the 
                        Workforce'' and inserting ``Education and 
                        Labor'';
                            (ii) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                        Resources'' and inserting ``Health, Education, 
                        Labor, and Pensions''; and
                            (iii) by striking ``(including disabled and 
                        non-English language background children)'' and 
                        inserting ``(including children with 
                        disabilities, limited English proficient 
                        children, and children participating in Indian 
                        Head Start programs and migrant and seasonal 
                        Head Start programs)'';
                    (B) in paragraph (8), by inserting ``homelessness, 
                children in foster care,'' after ``ethnic 
                background,''; and
                    (C) in the flush matter at the end--
                            (i) by striking ``Education and the 
                        Workforce'' and inserting ``Education and 
                        Labor''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                        Resources'' and inserting ``Health, Education, 
                        Labor, and Pensions''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``Education and the Workforce'' and 
                inserting ``Education and Labor''; and
                    (B) by striking ``Labor and Human Resources'' and 
                inserting ``Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions''.

SEC. 22. COMPARABILITY OF WAGES.

    Section 653 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9848) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Secretary shall take'' and inserting 
        ``(a) The Secretary shall take''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) No Federal funds shall be used to pay the compensation of an 
individual employed by a Head Start agency in carrying out programs 
under this subchapter, either as direct or indirect costs or any 
proration of such costs, in an amount in excess of an amount based on 
the rate payable for level II of the Executive Schedule under section 
5313 of title 5, United States Code.''.

SEC. 23. LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES.

    Section 655 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9850) is amended by 
inserting ``or in'' after ``assigned by''.

SEC. 24. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.

    Section 656 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9851) is amended--
            (1) by striking all that precedes ``chapter 15'' and 
        inserting the following:

``SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) State or Local Agency.--For purposes of''; and
            (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(b) Restrictions.--
            ``(1) In general.--A program assisted under this 
        subchapter, and any individual employed by, or assigned to, a 
        program assisted under this subchapter (during the hours in 
        which such individual is working on behalf of such program), 
        shall not engage in--
                    ``(A) any partisan or nonpartisan political 
                activity or any other political activity associated 
                with a candidate, or contending faction or group, in an 
                election for public or party office; or
                    ``(B) any activity to provide voters or prospective 
                voters with transportation to the polls or similar 
                assistance in connection with any such election.
            ``(2) Rules and regulations.--The Secretary, after 
        consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel 
        Management, may issue rules and regulations to provide for the 
        enforcement of this section, which may include provisions for 
        summary suspension of assistance or other action necessary to 
        permit enforcement on an emergency basis.''.

SEC. 25. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH SERVICES.

    The Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:

``SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NONEMERGENCY INTRUSIVE 
              PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS.

    ``(a) Definition.--The term `nonemergency intrusive physical 
examination' means, with respect to a child, a physical examination 
that--
            ``(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the health or 
        safety of the child or the health or safety of another 
        individual; and
            ``(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, or 
        involves exposure of private body parts.
    ``(b) Requirement.--A Head Start agency shall obtain written 
parental consent before administration of, or referral for, any health 
care service provided or arranged to be provided, including any 
nonemergency intrusive physical examination of a child in connection 
with participation in a program under this subchapter.
    ``(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to prohibit agencies from using established methods, for 
handling cases of suspected or known child abuse and neglect, that are 
in compliance with applicable Federal, State, or tribal law.''.
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