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

                                                       Calendar No. 104
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, Mr. Alexander, Mr. 
  Harkin, Mr. Hatch, and Ms. Mikulski) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

                             March 29, 2007

               Reported by Mr. Kennedy, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Head Start for School 
Readiness Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 636. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the 
school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive 
and social development--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 637 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9832) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ``, 
        including financial literacy,'' after ``Parent 
        literacy'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in paragraph (17), by striking ``Mariana 
        Islands,'' and all that follows and inserting ``Mariana 
        Islands.''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(18) The term `deficiency' means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) a systemic or substantial material 
                failure of an agency in an area of performance that the 
                Secretary determines involves--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) a threat to the health, 
                        safety, or civil rights of children or 
                        staff;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) a denial to parents of the 
                        exercise of their full roles and 
                        responsibilities related to program 
                        operations;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) a failure to comply with 
                        standards related to early childhood 
                        development and health services, family and 
                        community partnerships, or program design and 
                        management;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) the misuse of funds under 
                        this subchapter;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) systemic failure of the board of 
                directors of an agency to fully exercise its legal and 
                fiduciary responsibilities;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) substantial failure of an agency to 
                meet the administrative requirements of section 
                644(b);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) having an unresolved area of 
                noncompliance.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(22) The term `limited English proficient', used 
        with respect to a child, means a child--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) who is enrolled or preparing to 
                enroll in a Head Start program, Early Head Start 
                program, or other early care and education 
                program;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B)(i) who was not born in the United 
                States or whose native language is a language other 
                than English;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) whose difficulties in speaking or 
                understanding the English language may be sufficient to 
                deny such child--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) the ability to successfully 
                        achieve in a classroom in which the language of 
                        instruction is English; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) the opportunity to 
                        participate fully in society.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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).''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR HEAD START 
              PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    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''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 639. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Allotment.--Section 640(a) of the Head Start Act (42 
U.S.C. 9835(a)) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in paragraph (2)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by striking subparagraph (A) and 
                inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking subparagraph (C) and 
                inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(I) activities that ensure that 
                        Head Start programs meet or exceed the program 
                        performance standards described in section 
                        641A(a)(1);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(IX) additional activities 
                        deemed appropriate to the improvement of Head 
                        Start agencies' programs, as determined by the 
                        agencies' technical assistance and training 
                        plans; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(X) any other activities 
                        regarding the use of funds as determined by the 
                        Secretary;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) 50 percent shall be made available 
                to the Secretary--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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);'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
                ``agencies;'' and inserting ``agencies);''; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in paragraph (3)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in subparagraph (A)(i)(I)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking ``60 percent of 
                        such excess amount for fiscal year 1999'' and 
                        all that follows through ``2003;''; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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;'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in subparagraph (B)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in clause (i), by striking 
                        ``performance standards'' and all that follows 
                        and inserting ``standards and measures pursuant 
                        to section 641A.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by striking clause (ii) and 
                        inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) by striking clause (iii) and 
                        inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) by striking clause (iv) and 
                        inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(iv) Using salary increases to--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) assist with the implementation of 
                quality programs and improve staff 
                qualifications;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(III) encourage the staff to continually 
                improve their skills and expertise--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(aa) through the implementation 
                        of career development programs; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(bb) through the completion of 
                        postsecondary coursework in early childhood 
                        education.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) in clause (v)--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) by striking 
                                ``community-wide'' and inserting 
                                ``communitywide''; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) by inserting ``, 
                                including collaborations to increase 
                                program participation by underserved 
                                populations of eligible children'' 
                                before the period; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (vi) by striking clauses (vii) and 
                        (viii) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ix) Making such other improvements in the 
        quality of such programs as the Secretary may 
        designate.'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in subparagraph (C)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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).'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) in clause (ii)--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) in subclause (I), by 
                                inserting ``, pre-literacy,'' after 
                                ``language'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (III) by striking 
                                subclause (II) and inserting the 
                                following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (IV) by striking subclause 
                                (IV) and inserting the 
                                following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) in clause (iii), by 
                        inserting ``, educational staff who have the 
                        qualifications described in section 648A(a),'' 
                        after ``ratio'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) in clause (v), by striking 
                        ``programs, including'' and all that follows 
                        and inserting ``programs.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) by redesignating clause (vi) 
                        as clause (x); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (vi) by inserting after clause (v) 
                        the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(vi) To conduct outreach to homeless families in 
        an effort to increase the program participation of eligible 
        homeless children.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(vii) To conduct outreach to migrant and 
        seasonal farmworking families and families with limited English 
        proficient children.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in paragraph (4), in the first sentence--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                ``1998'' and inserting ``2007''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and 
                inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) any amount available after all allotments 
        are made under subparagraph (A) for such fiscal year shall be 
        distributed as follows:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(ii) After ensuring that each State has 
                received the amount described in clause (i), the 
                Secretary shall distribute the remaining balance, by--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) in paragraph (5)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and 
                (F) as subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking subparagraphs (B), (C), 
                and (D) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(ii) Grants described in clause (i) shall be used to--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(III) promote alignment of Head Start services 
        with State early learning standards, as appropriate, and the 
        Head Start Child Outcomes Framework;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(V) carry out the activities of the State 
        Director of Head Start Collaboration authorized in subparagraph 
        (D).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(i) appoint or designate an individual to serve 
        as, or carry out the responsibilities of, the State Director of 
        Head Start Collaboration;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(D) The State Director of Head Start Collaboration, 
reporting to the State Advisory Council described in subparagraph (E), 
shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(i) not later than 1 year after the State 
        receives a collaboration grant under subparagraph (B), conduct 
        an assessment that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(II) shall be updated on an annual 
                basis; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(III) shall be made available to the 
                general public within the State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ii) develop a strategic plan that is based on 
        the assessment described in clause (i) that will--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(III) assist Head Start agencies to 
                align services with State early learning standards, as 
                appropriate, and the Head Start Child Outcomes 
                Framework; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(IV) enable Head Start agencies in the 
                State to better access professional development 
                opportunities for Head Start staff, such as by--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(bb) enabling the State Head 
                        Start agencies to better conduct outreach to 
                        eligible families;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(vii) identify other resources and organizations 
        (both public and private) for the provision of in-kind services 
        to Head Start agencies in the State.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(E)(i) The Governor of the State shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(II) designate an individual to coordinate 
        activities of the State Advisory Council, as described in 
        clause (iv)(I).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(ii) The Governor may designate an existing entity to 
serve as the State Advisory Council, if the entity includes 
representatives consistent with clause (iii).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(iii) Members of the State Advisory Council shall 
include, to the maximum extent possible--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(I) the State Director of Head Start 
        Collaboration;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(II) a representative of the appropriate 
        regional office of the Administration for Children and 
        Families;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(III) a representative of the State educational 
        agency and local educational agencies;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(IV) a representative of institutions of higher 
        education;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(V) a representative (or representatives) of the 
        State agency (or agencies) responsible for health or mental 
        health care;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(VI) a representative of the State agency 
        responsible for professional standards, certification, and 
        licensing for early childhood educators;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(VII) a representative of the State agency 
        responsible for child care;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(VIII) early childhood educators, including 
        professionals with expertise in second language acquisition and 
        instructional strategies in teaching limited English proficient 
        children;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(IX) kindergarten teachers and teachers in 
        grades 1 through 3;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(X) health care professionals;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XI) child development specialists, including 
        specialists in prenatal, infant, and toddler 
        development;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XII) a representative of the State agency 
        responsible for assisting children with developmental 
        disabilities;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XV) a representative of the State Head Start 
        Association (where appropriate), and other representatives of 
        Head Start programs in the State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XVI) a representative of the State network of 
        child care resource and referral agencies;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XVII) a representative of community-based 
        organizations;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XVIII) a representative of State and local 
        providers of early childhood education and child 
        care;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XIX) a representative of Indian Head Start 
        programs (where appropriate) and a representative of migrant 
        and seasonal Head Start programs (where appropriate);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XX) parents;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXI) religious and business leaders;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXII) the head of the State library 
        administrative agency;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXIII) representatives of State and local 
        organizations and other entities providing professional 
        development to early care and education providers;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXIV) a representative from the Office of 
        Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths in 
        the State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXV) a State legislator; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(XXVI) a representative of other entities 
        determined to be relevant by the Governor of the 
        State.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(iv)(I) The State Advisory Council shall be responsible 
for, in addition to responsibilities assigned to the council by the 
Governor of the State--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(aa) conducting a periodic statewide needs 
        assessment concerning early care and education programs for 
        children from birth to school entry;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(cc) developing recommendations regarding means 
        of establishing a unified data collection system for early care 
        and education programs throughout the State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(dd) developing a statewide professional 
        development and career ladder plan for early care and education 
        in the State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ff) assessing the availability of high quality 
        prekindergarten services for low-income children in the 
        State;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(gg) assisting 2- and 4-year public and private 
        institutions of higher education to develop articulation 
        agreements;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ii) undertaking collaborative efforts to 
        develop, and make recommendations for improvements in, State 
        early learning standards.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(I) facilitate the development of high-quality 
        systems of early care and early education programs and 
        activities designed to improve school preparedness;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(II) increase and make effective use of existing 
        and new delivery systems and funds for early care and early 
        education; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(III) enhance existing early care and early 
        education services (in existence on the date on which the grant 
        involved is awarded).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(I) a description of the State's State Advisory 
        Council's responsibilities under subparagraph 
        (E)(iv)(I);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(V) a description of how the State plans to 
        sustain activities under this subparagraph beyond the grant 
        period.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(iv) The Federal share of the cost described in clause 
(ii) shall be 30 percent, and the State shall provide the non-Federal 
share.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) in paragraph (6)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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).'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking subparagraph 
                (B);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking 
                ``required to be'' each place it appears; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
                subparagraph (B).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Service Delivery Models.--Section 640(f) of the Head 
Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(f)) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) In establishing the procedures the Secretary shall 
establish procedures to provide for--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(A) the conversion of part-day programs to full-
        day programs or part-day slots to full-day slots; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) serving additional infants and toddlers 
        pursuant to section 645(a)(5).''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Additional Funds.--Section 640(g)(2) of the Head Start 
Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(g)(2)) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
        following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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));'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subparagraph (D)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by striking ``community'' and 
                inserting ``communitywide''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking ``other local'' and 
                inserting ``the State and local'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ``would like 
        to participate but'' after ``community who'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ``leverage 
        the existing delivery systems of such services and'' after 
        ``manner that will''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) the appointment of a national Indian Head 
        Start collaboration director and a national migrant and 
        seasonal Head Start program collaboration director.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(C) The Secretary shall publish a notification of the 
consultations in the Federal Register prior to conducting the 
consultations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Homeless Children.--Section 640 of the Head Start Act 
(42 U.S.C. 9835) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) implement policies and procedures to ensure 
        that homeless children are identified and receive appropriate 
        priority for enrollment;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 7. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 641. DESIGNATION OF HEAD START AGENCIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Designation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) is determined to have the capacity 
                to plan, conduct, administer, and evaluate, either 
                directly or by other arrangements, a Head Start 
                program.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Required goals for designation.--In order to 
        be designated as a Head Start agency, an entity described in 
        paragraph (1) shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) have a governing body--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) with legal and fiscal 
                        responsibility for administering and overseeing 
                        programs under this subchapter;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) that fully participates in 
                        the development, planning, and evaluation of 
                        the programs to ensure the operation of 
                        programs of high quality;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) that has procedures to 
                        facilitate meaningful consultation and 
                        collaboration about decisions of the governing 
                        body and the policy council established under 
                        paragraph (3).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Establishment of policy council upon 
        designation.--Upon receiving designation as a Head Start 
        agency, the agency shall establish a policy council that--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) in accordance with paragraph (5)(C), 
                shall make decisions that influence the character of 
                programs consistent with paragraph (5)(F); 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) with the governing body, shall 
                establish processes to resolve internal 
                disputes.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) Governing body and policy council.--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Establishment of governing body.--
                Each Head Start agency shall establish a governing body 
                in accordance with paragraph (2)(B).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Composition of governing body.--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) In general.--The governing 
                        body shall be composed as follows:</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) Not less than 1 
                                member of the governing body shall have 
                                a background in fiscal 
                                management.</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) Not less than 1 
                                member of the governing body shall have 
                                a background in early childhood 
                                development.</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) Not less than 1 
                                member of the governing body shall be a 
                                licensed attorney familiar with issues 
                                that come before the governing 
                                body.</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) Conflict of interest.--
                        Members of the governing body shall--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) not have a conflict 
                                of interest with the Head Start agency 
                                or delegate agencies; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) not receive 
                                compensation for the purposes of 
                                serving on the governing body or for 
                                providing services to the Head Start 
                                agency.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) Responsibilities of governing 
                body.--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) In general.--The governing 
                        body shall be responsible for--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) the selection of 
                                delegate agencies and such agencies' 
                                service areas;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) establishing 
                                procedures and criteria for 
                                recruitment, selection, and 
                                enrollment;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) all funding 
                                applications and amendments to funding 
                                applications for programs under this 
                                subchapter;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(IV) establishing 
                                procedures and guidelines to access and 
                                collect the information described in 
                                paragraph (6);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(V) review and approval 
                                of--</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(aa) the annual 
                                        self-assessment, financial 
                                        audit, and findings from the 
                                        Federal monitoring review, of 
                                        the Head Start agency or 
                                        delegate agency; and</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(bb) such 
                                        agency's progress in carrying 
                                        out the programmatic and fiscal 
                                        intent of such agency's grant 
                                        application;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(VI) developing 
                                procedures for how members of the 
                                policy council of the Head Start agency 
                                are selected, consistent with 
                                subparagraph (E)(ii);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(VII) financial audits, 
                                accounting, and reporting;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(IX) review and approval 
                                of the community assessment, including 
                                any updates to such 
                                assessment.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) safeguard Federal 
                                funds;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) comply with laws 
                                and regulations that have an impact on 
                                financial statements;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) detect or prevent 
                                noncompliance with this subchapter; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(IV) receive financial 
                                audit reports and direct and monitor 
                                staff implementation of corrective 
                                actions.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) Committees.--The governing 
                        body shall, to the extent practicable and 
                        appropriate, establish--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) Establishment of policy council.--
                Each Head Start agency shall establish a policy council 
                in accordance with paragraph (3).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) Composition of policy council.--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) In general.--The policy 
                        council shall consist of--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) Conflict of interest.--
                        Members of the policy council shall--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) not have a conflict 
                                of interest with the Head Start agency 
                                or delegate agencies; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) not receive 
                                compensation for serving on the policy 
                                council or for providing services to 
                                the Head Start agency.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) Responsibilities of policy 
                council.--The policy council shall be responsible for--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) program planning, 
                        including--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) program 
                                recruitment, selection, and enrollment 
                                priorities; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) budget planning 
                                for program expenditures consistent 
                                with subparagraph (C)(i)(VII), 
                                including polices for reimbursement and 
                                participation in policy council 
                                activities;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) monthly program information 
                summaries;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) program enrollment reports, 
                including attendance reports for children whose care is 
                partially subsidized by another public 
                agency;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) monthly reports of meals and snacks 
                provided through programs of the Department of 
                Agriculture;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) the financial audit;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) the annual self-assessment, 
                including any findings related to the annual self-
                assessment;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(G) the community assessment of the Head 
                Start agency's service area and any applicable 
                updates;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(H) communication and guidance from the 
                Secretary; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) the program information 
                reports.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Redesignation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Is receiving assistance under this 
                subchapter.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Meets or exceeds program and 
                financial management requirements or standards 
                described in section 641A(a)(1).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) Has no unresolved deficiencies, 
                including having resolved any deficiencies found during 
                the last triennial review under section 
                641A(c).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) Completes and submits the 
                appropriate reapplication forms as required by the 
                Secretary.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Prohibition Against Non-Indian Head Start Agency 
Receiving a Grant for an Indian Head Start Program.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) any past performance of such applicant in 
        providing services comparable to Head Start services, including 
        how effectively such applicant provided such comparable 
        services;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) the plan of such applicant to coordinate the 
        Head Start program the applicant proposes to carry out with 
        other preschool programs, including--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) other preschool program under title 
                I of that Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) programs under section 619 and part 
                C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 
                (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) State prekindergarten 
                programs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) child care programs;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) the educational programs that the 
                children in the Head Start program involved will enter 
                at the age of compulsory school attendance; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(G) reading readiness programs such as 
                those conducted by public and school 
                libraries;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(7) the plan of such applicant to collaborate 
        with a local library, where available, that is interested in 
        that collaboration, to--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) develop innovative programs to 
                excite children about the world of books, such as 
                programs that involve--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) taking children to the 
                        library for a story hour;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) promoting the use of 
                        library cards;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) developing a lending 
                        library or using a mobile library van; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) providing fresh books in 
                        the Head Start classroom on a regular 
                        basis;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) assist in literacy training for Head 
                Start teachers; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) support parents and other caregivers 
                in literacy efforts;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(8) the plan of such applicant--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) family literacy services; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) parenting skills 
                        training;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) at the option of such applicant, to 
                offer (directly or through referral to local entities) 
                to such parents--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) training in basic child 
                        development (including cognitive 
                        development);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) assistance in developing 
                        literacy and communication skills;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) opportunities to share 
                        experiences with other parents (including 
                        parent mentor relationships);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) regular in-home visitation; 
                        or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(v) any other activity designed 
                        to help such parents become full partners in 
                        the education of their children;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) in appropriate cases, 
                        including fathers in home visits and providing 
                        opportunities for direct father-child 
                        interactions; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) targeting increased male 
                        participation in the conduct of the 
                        program;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(9) the ability of such applicant to carry out 
        the plans described in paragraphs (2), (4), and (5);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(10) other factors related to the requirements 
        of this subchapter;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(12) the plan of such applicant to meet the 
        needs of children with disabilities;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(14) the plan of such applicant to collaborate 
        with other entities carrying out early childhood education and 
        child care programs in the community;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(16) the plan of such applicant to recruit and 
        retain qualified staff.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 8. QUALITY STANDARDS; MONITORING OF HEAD START AGENCIES 
              AND PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 641A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9836a) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in subsection (a)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 
                ``642(d)'' and inserting ``642(c)'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (1)(B)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in clause (i), by striking 
                        ``education performance standards'' and 
                        inserting ``educational performance 
                        standards''; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by striking clause (ii) and 
                        inserting the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(I) language skills related to 
                        listening, understanding, speaking, and 
                        communicating;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(II) pre-literacy knowledge and 
                        skills;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(III) premathematics knowledge 
                        and skills;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(IV) scientific 
                        abilities;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(V) general cognitive abilities 
                        related to academic achievement and child 
                        development;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(VI) social and emotional 
                        development related to early learning and 
                        school success;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(VII) physical development; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) shall be in compliance with 
                        State and local requirements concerning 
                        licensing for such facilities; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) shall be accessible by 
                        State and local authorities for purposes of 
                        monitoring and ensuring compliance; 
                        and'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) in paragraph (2)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in subparagraph (B)--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (III) in clause (iii), by 
                                inserting ``homeless children, children 
                                in foster care,'' after ``children with 
                                disabilities,'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (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;'';</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (V) by striking clause 
                                (vii) and inserting the 
                                following:</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(vii) the unique challenges 
                        faced by individual programs, including those 
                        programs that are seasonal or short term and 
                        those programs that serve rural 
                        populations;'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) by adding at the end the 
                        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) by adding at the end the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) Evaluations and corrective actions for 
        delegate agencies.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Procedures.--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) In general.--Subject to 
                        clause (ii), the Head Start agency shall 
                        establish procedures relating to its delegate 
                        agencies, including--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) procedures for 
                                evaluating delegate agencies;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) procedures for 
                                defunding delegate agencies; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) procedures for 
                                appealing a defunding decision relating 
                                to a delegate agency.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Evaluations.--Each Head Start 
                agency--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) shall evaluate its delegate 
                        agencies using the procedures established 
                        pursuant to this section, including 
                        subparagraph (A); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) shall inform the delegate 
                        agencies of the deficiencies identified through 
                        the evaluation that shall be 
                        corrected.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) initiating procedures to 
                        terminate the designation of the agency unless 
                        the agency corrects the deficiency;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) releasing funds to such 
                        delegate agency--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) only as 
                                reimbursements, until all deficiencies 
                                are corrected or the Head Start agency 
                                decides to defund such delegate agency; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) only if there is 
                                continuity of services for children and 
                                families.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (b)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (2)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking the paragraph 
                        heading and inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Characteristics and use of measures.--
        '';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) in subparagraph (B), by 
                        striking ``, not later than July 1, 1999; and'' 
                        and inserting a semicolon;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) in subparagraph (C), by 
                        striking the period and inserting a 
                        semicolon;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iv) by striking the flush matter 
                        following subparagraph (C); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (v) by adding at the end the 
                        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) measure characteristics that are 
                strongly predictive (as determined on a scientific 
                basis) of a child's school readiness and later 
                performance in school;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) be appropriate for the population 
                served; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) be reviewed not less than every 4 
                years, based on advances in the science of early 
                childhood development.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (3)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in subparagraph (A), by 
                        striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
                        semicolon;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) in subparagraph (B), by 
                        striking the period and inserting ``; and''; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) by adding at the end the 
                        following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) to enable Head Start agencies to 
                individualize programs of instruction to better meet 
                the needs of the child involved.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in subsection (c)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking subparagraph (C) 
                        and inserting the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) Unannounced site inspections of Head 
                Start programs for health and safety reasons, as 
                appropriate.'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by redesignating subparagraph 
                        (D) as subparagraph (E); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) by inserting after 
                        subparagraph (C) the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) Notwithstanding subparagraph (C), 
                followup reviews, including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) a review of programs with 
                        citations that include findings of deficiencies 
                        not later than 6 months after the date of such 
                        citation; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and 
                inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Conduct of reviews.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall 
                ensure that reviews described in paragraph (1)--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) in subsection (d)(1)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
                ``and identify the technical assistance to be provided 
                consistent with paragraph (3)'' after 
                ``corrected'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(f) Self-Assessments.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Report and improvement plans.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(g) Reduction of Grants and Redistribution of Funds in 
Cases of Under-Enrollment.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) from amounts reserved for 
                        payments under section 640(a)(2)(B); 
                        or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) from amounts available 
                        under section 640(a)(2)(D) or allotted among 
                        States under section 640(a)(4).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) the actual enrollment in such 
                program; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) if such actual enrollment is less 
                than the funded enrollment, any apparent reason for 
                such enrollment shortfall.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Secretarial review and plan.--The Secretary 
        shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) the quality and extent of 
                        the outreach, recruitment, and communitywide 
                        needs assessment conducted by such 
                        agency;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) changing demographics, 
                        mobility of populations, and the identification 
                        of new underserved low-income 
                        populations;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) facilities-related issues 
                        that may impact enrollment;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(v) the availability and use by 
                        families of other preschool and child care 
                        options (including parental care) in the local 
                        catchment area; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(vi) agency management 
                        procedures that may impact enrollment; 
                        and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(6) Secretarial review and adjustment for 
        chronic under-enrollment.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) designate such agency as 
                        chronically under-enrolled; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Waiver or limitation of 
                reductions.--If the Secretary, after the implementation 
                of the plan described in paragraph (3)(B), finds that--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) the shortfall can 
                        reasonably be expected to be temporary; 
                        or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) the time allowed for appeal 
                        under section 646(a) expires without an appeal 
                        by the agency; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) the action is upheld in an 
                        administrative hearing under section 
                        646.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(7) Redistribution of funds.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) are administering 
                                Head Start programs serving the same 
                                special population; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) demonstrate that 
                                the agencies will use such redirected 
                                funds to increase enrollment in their 
                                Head Start programs in such fiscal 
                                year; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) are administering 
                                Head Start programs in the same State; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) make the 
                                demonstration described in clause 
                                (i)(II).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) provides evaluations and technical 
        assistance to improve overall performance management; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 9. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 641B. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN EARLY 
              CHILDHOOD.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `center of 
excellence' means a Center of Excellence in Early Childhood designated 
under subsection (b).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) make bonus grants to the centers of 
        excellence to carry out the activities described in subsection 
        (d).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Application and Designation.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Application.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Nomination and submission.--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Contents.--At a minimum, the 
                application shall include--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) evidence that the program 
                        is making progress toward meeting the 
                        requirements described in section 
                        648A;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) programs carried out 
                                under the Child Care and Development 
                                Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 
                                et seq.);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) other programs 
                                carried out under this subchapter, 
                                including the Early Head Start programs 
                                carried out under section 
                                645A;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(bb) other preschool 
                                programs carried out under title I of 
                                that Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.);</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(V) State 
                                prekindergarten programs; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(VI) other early care 
                                and education programs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) Term of designation.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(d) Use of Funds.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Activities.--A center of excellence that 
        receives a bonus grant under subsection (b)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) may use the funds made available 
                through the bonus grant--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) to provide Head Start 
                        services to additional eligible 
                        children;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Research and Reports.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2008 through 
2012--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) $90,000,000 to make bonus grants to centers 
        of excellence under subsection (b) to carry out activities 
        described in subsection (d);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) $500,000 to pay for the administrative costs 
        of the Secretary in carrying out this section; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) $2,000,000 for research activities described 
        in subsection (e).''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 10. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START 
              AGENCIES.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 642. POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF HEAD START 
              AGENCIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) In General.--''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by striking subsections (b) through (e) and 
        inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Additional Requirements.--In order to be designated 
as a Head Start agency under this subchapter, a Head Start agency shall 
also--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) establish effective procedures and provide 
        for the regular assessment of Head Start children, including 
        observational and direct formal assessment, where 
        appropriate;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) require each delegate agency to create a 
        policy committee, which shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) serve in an advisory capacity to the 
                delegate agency, to make decisions and recommendations 
                regarding program planning and operation and parental 
                involvement.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(6) seek the involvement of parents, area 
        residents, and local business in the design and implementation 
        of the program;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(7) provide for the regular participation of 
        parents and area residents in the implementation of the 
        program;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(13) at the option of such agency, offer 
        (directly or through referral to local entities), to such 
        parents--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) training in basic child development 
                (including cognitive development);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) assistance in developing literacy 
                and communication skills;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) opportunities to share experiences 
                with other parents (including parent mentor 
                relationships);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) regular in-home visitation; 
                or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) any other activity designed to help 
                such parents become full partners in the education of 
                their children;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(15) consider providing services to assist 
        younger siblings of children participating in its Head Start 
        program, to obtain health services from other 
        sources;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(16) perform community outreach to encourage 
        individuals previously unaffiliated with Head Start programs to 
        participate in its Head Start program as volunteers;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) refer eligible parents to the child support 
        offices of State and local governments;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Transition Activities To Facilitate Continued 
Progress.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Coordination.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) share information about such 
                        children;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) collaborate with the 
                        teachers in such elementary schools regarding 
                        teaching strategies and options; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) ensure a smooth transition 
                        to elementary school for such 
                        children.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) collaborating on the shared use of 
                transportation and facilities, in appropriate 
                cases;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) collaborating to reduce the 
                duplication of services while increasing the program 
                participation of underserved populations of eligible 
                children; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) exchanging information on the 
                provision of noneducational services to such 
                children.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) provide training to the parents--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) to inform the parents about 
                        their rights and responsibilities concerning 
                        the education of their children; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) to enable the parents, upon 
                        the transition of their children to school--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) to understand and 
                                work with schools in order to 
                                communicate with teachers and other 
                                school personnel;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) to support the 
                                schoolwork of their children; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) to participate as 
                                appropriate in decisions relating to 
                                the education of their children; 
                                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) take other actions, as appropriate 
                and feasible, to support the active involvement of the 
                parents with schools, school personnel, and school-
                related organizations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 11. HEAD START TRANSITION.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 642A. HEAD START TRANSITION AND ALIGNMENT WITH K-12 
              EDUCATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(6) organizing and participating in joint 
        training, including transition-related training of school staff 
        and Head Start staff;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 12. SUBMISSION OF PLANS TO GOVERNORS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 643 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9838) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in the first sentence--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by striking ``chief executive 
                officer'' and inserting ``Governor''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking ``45'' and inserting 
                ``30'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in the last sentence, by striking ``, 
        however,''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 13. COSTS OF DEVELOPING AND ADMINISTERING A 
              PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 644(b) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9839(b)) 
is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by striking ``Except'' and inserting ``(1) 
        Except''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(i) the agency submits an application for a 
        grant year containing an assurance that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) the agency will serve a greater 
                percentage of children in the community involved than 
                were served in the preceding grant year; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(B) In subparagraph (A), the term `improved outcome' 
means--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(i) an increase in average teacher 
        salary;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ii) an increase in the number of qualified 
        teachers;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(iii) a significant increase in the number of 
        children who receive full-day Head Start services;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(iv) a decrease in the caseload for family 
        workers; or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(v) an increase in transportation options for 
        families.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 14. PARTICIPATION IN HEAD START PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 645 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9840) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in subsection (a)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in subparagraph (A), by 
                        inserting ``130 percent of'' after ``below''; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by adding at the end the 
                following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(3)(A) In this paragraph:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(ii) a description of how the needs of eligible 
        Head Start children are being and will be served;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(iv) evidence that the agency meets the same 
        eligibility criteria as recipients of grants under section 
        645A.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(B) In approving such applications, the Secretary shall 
take into account the costs of serving persons under section 
645A.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 15. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 645A. EARLY HEAD START PROGRAMS.'';</DELETED>

        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (b)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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)'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 
                (7), (8), and (9) as paragraphs (6), (8), (11), (12), 
                and (13), respectively;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by inserting ``(including 
                        home-based services)'' after ``with 
                        services'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by inserting ``and homeless 
                        infants and toddlers'' after ``disabilities''; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (iii) by inserting ``, and family 
                        support services'' after ``health 
                        services'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) by inserting after paragraph (6), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(7) ensure that children with documented 
        behavioral problems, including problems involving behavior 
        related to prior or existing trauma, receive appropriate 
        screening and deferral;'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) by inserting after paragraph (8), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) in paragraph (12), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking ``and providers'' 
                        and inserting ``, providers''; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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.)'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in subsection (d)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``, 
                including tribal governments and entities operating 
                migrant and seasonal Head Start programs'' after 
                ``subchapter''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, 
                including community-based organizations'' after 
                ``private entities'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) in subsection (g)(2)(B), by striking clause 
        (iv) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) providing professional 
                        development and personnel enhancement 
                        activities, including the provision of funds to 
                        recipients of grants under subsection (a), 
                        relating to--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) effective methods of 
                                conducting parent education, home 
                                visiting, and promoting quality early 
                                childhood development;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) recruiting and 
                                retaining qualified staff; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) increasing program 
                                participation for underserved 
                                populations of eligible 
                                children.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(h) Staff Qualifications and Development.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Home visitor staff.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Contents.--The standards for 
                training, qualifications, and the conduct of home 
                visits shall include content related to--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) structured child-focused 
                        home visiting that promotes parents' ability to 
                        support the child's cognitive, social, 
                        emotional, and physical development;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) effective strengths-based 
                        parent education, including methods to 
                        encourage parents as their child's first 
                        teachers;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) early childhood 
                        development with respect to children from birth 
                        through age 3;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(v) health, vision, hearing, and 
                        developmental screenings;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(vi) strategies for helping 
                        families coping with crisis; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(vii) the relationship of health 
                        and well-being of pregnant women to prenatal 
                        and early child development.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 16. APPEALS, NOTICE, AND HEARING AND RECORDS AND 
              FINANCIAL AUDITS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) a right to file a notice of appeal 
                of a decision within 30 days of notice of the decision 
                from the Secretary; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) the Secretary shall develop and publish 
        procedures (including mediation procedures) to be used in order 
        to--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) resolve in a timely manner conflicts 
                potentially leading to an adverse action between--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) recipients of financial 
                        assistance under this subchapter; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) delegate agencies, or 
                        policy councils of Head Start 
                        agencies;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) avoid the need for an administrative 
                hearing on an adverse action; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) the Secretary may suspend funds to a grantee 
        under this subchapter--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), for not more than 30 days; or</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Records and Financial Audits.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Accounting.--Section 647 of the Head Start Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 9842) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 17. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 648 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ``(b) and 
        (c)'' and inserting ``(b), (c), and (d)'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 
        as subsections (c) through (f), respectively;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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).'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking 
                ``educational performance measures'' and inserting 
                ``measures'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, 
                including assessing the needs of homeless children and 
                their families'' after ``needs assessment'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) by striking paragraph (7) and 
                inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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);'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) in paragraph (10), by striking ``; 
                and'' and inserting a semicolon;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) in paragraph (11), by striking the 
                period and inserting a semicolon; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) by adding at the end the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(12) assist Head Start agencies in increasing 
        the program participation of homeless children;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(14) provide training and technical assistance 
        to Head Start agencies to assist such agencies in conducting 
        self-assessments;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated, by 
        inserting ``including community-based organizations,'' after 
        ``nonprofit entities,'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Education and early childhood 
        development.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Child health, nutrition, and 
        safety.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Family and community partnerships.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) Other areas that impact the quality or 
        overall effectiveness of Head Start programs.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) available locally or regionally; 
        or</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) substantially similar to locally or 
        regionally available training activities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(2) The literacy training shall be provided at the local 
level in order--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(B) to be tailored to the early childhood 
        literacy background and experience of the teachers 
        involved.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(3) The literacy training shall be culturally and 
linguistically appropriate and support children's development in their 
home language.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(4) The literacy training shall include training in how 
to work with parents to enhance positive language and early literacy 
development at home.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(5) The literacy training shall include specific methods 
to best address the needs of children who are limited English 
proficient.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 18. STAFF QUALIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 648A of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9843a) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (2) 
        and inserting the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Degree requirements.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall 
                establish staff qualification goals to ensure that--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) not later than September 30, 
                        2012, all Head Start teachers nationwide in 
                        center-based programs have at least--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I)(aa) an associate 
                                degree (or equivalent coursework) 
                                relating to early childhood; 
                                or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(bb) an associate degree 
                                in a related educational area and, to 
                                the extent practicable, coursework 
                                relating to early childhood; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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);</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) not later than September 
                        30, 2010, all Head Start curriculum specialists 
                        and education coordinators nationwide in 
                        center-based programs have--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II)(aa) a baccalaureate 
                                or advanced degree relating to early 
                                childhood; or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(bb) a baccalaureate or 
                                advanced degree and coursework 
                                equivalent to a major relating to early 
                                childhood;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) not later than September 
                        30, 2010, all Head Start teaching assistants 
                        nationwide in center-based programs have--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) at least a child 
                                development associate 
                                credential;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) enrolled in a 
                                program leading to an associate or 
                                baccalaureate degree; or</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) enrolled in a 
                                child development associate credential 
                                program to be completed within 2 years; 
                                and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) Progress.--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) Report.--The Secretary 
                        shall--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) require Head Start 
                                agencies to--</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(aa) describe 
                                        continuing progress each year 
                                        toward achieving the goals 
                                        described in subparagraph 
                                        (A);</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) teach or work in a Head 
                        Start program for a minimum of 3 years after 
                        receiving the degree; or</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) repay the total or a 
                        prorated amount of the financial assistance 
                        received based on the length of service 
                        completed after receiving the 
                        degree.'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (c)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' 
                at the end;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking the 
                period and inserting ``; and''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) by adding at the end the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) promote the use of appropriate strategies to 
        meet the needs of special populations (including limited 
        English proficient populations).'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in subsection (d)(3)(C) by inserting ``, 
        including a center,'' after ``any agency''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 19. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HEAD START 
              PARTNERSHIP.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 648B. TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY HEAD START 
              PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to promote 
social competencies and school readiness in Indian children.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Tribal College or University Head Start Partnership 
Program.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to 
        award grants, for periods of not less than 5 years, to Tribal 
        Colleges and Universities to--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) provide technology literacy programs 
                for Indian Head Start agency staff members and children 
                and families of children served by such an 
                agency.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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)).</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Tribal college or university.--The term 
        `Tribal College or University'--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) has the meaning given such term in 
                section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 1059c); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) means an institution determined to 
                be accredited or a candidate for accreditation by a 
                nationally recognized accrediting agency or 
                association.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 20. RESEARCH, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND EVALUATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 649 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9844) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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'';</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (d)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), 
                (7), (8), (9), and (10), as paragraphs (6), (7), (8), 
                (9), (10), and (11);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 
                following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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;'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) by striking paragraph (10), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (A);</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) by redesignating paragraph (11), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (A), as paragraph (10); 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) by striking the last 
                sentence;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) in subsection (g)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in paragraph (1)(A)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking clause (i); 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by redesignating clauses (ii) 
                        and (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), 
                        respectively; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (7)(C)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) in clause (i), by striking 
                        ``2003'' and inserting ``2008''; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) in clause (ii)--</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (I) by striking 
                                ``Education and the Workforce'' and 
                                inserting ``Education and Labor''; 
                                and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    (II) by striking ``Labor 
                                and Human Resources'' and inserting 
                                ``Health, Education, Labor, and 
                                Pensions''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(h) Review of Assessments.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) use the results of the study to 
                develop, inform, and revise the standards and measures 
                described in section 641A.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Development and refinement.--In developing 
        and refining any assessment used in the Head Start programs, 
        the Secretary shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) receive recommendations from the 
                Panel on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for 
                Young Children of the National Academy of Sciences; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) with respect to the development or 
                refinement of such assessment, ensure--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) consistency with relevant, 
                        nationally recognized professional and 
                        technical standards;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) validity and reliability 
                        for all purposes for which assessments under 
                        this subchapter are designed and 
                        used;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iii) developmental and 
                        linguistic appropriateness of such assessments 
                        for children assessed, including children who 
                        are limited English proficient; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(iv) that the results can be 
                        used to improve the quality of, accountability 
                        of, and training and technical assistance in, 
                        Head Start programs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Additional requirements.--The Secretary, in 
        carrying out the process described under paragraph (2), shall 
        ensure that--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) staff administering any assessments 
                under this subchapter have received appropriate 
                training to administer such assessments;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) appropriate accommodations for 
                children with disabilities and children who are limited 
                English proficient are made;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) the English and Spanish (and any 
                other language, as appropriate) forms of such 
                assessments are valid and reliable; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) such assessments are not used to 
                exclude children from Head Start programs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(4) Suspended implementation of national 
        reporting system.--The Secretary shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) suspend implementation and terminate 
                further development and use of the National Reporting 
                System; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) incorporate, as appropriate, 
                recommendations under paragraph (2)(A) into any 
                assessment used in the Head Start programs.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(j) Services to Limited English Proficient Children and 
Families.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--
        </DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) the qualifications of and training 
                provided to Head Start and Early Head Start teachers 
                serving limited English proficient children and their 
                families;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) the rate of progress made by limited 
                English proficient children and their families in Head 
                Start programs and Early Head Start programs, 
                including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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;</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) the correlation between 
                        such progress and the type of instruction and 
                        educational program provided to the limited 
                        English proficient children; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 21. REPORTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 650 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9846) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) in subsection (a)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 
                (1)--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking ``Education and 
                        the Workforce'' and inserting ``Education and 
                        Labor'';</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                        Resources'' and inserting ``Health, Education, 
                        Labor, and Pensions''; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (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)'';</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) in paragraph (8), by inserting 
                ``homelessness, children in foster care,'' after 
                ``ethnic background,''; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) in the flush matter at the end--
                </DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (i) by striking ``Education and 
                        the Workforce'' and inserting ``Education and 
                        Labor''; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    (ii) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                        Resources'' and inserting ``Health, Education, 
                        Labor, and Pensions''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) in subsection (b)--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) by striking ``Education and the 
                Workforce'' and inserting ``Education and Labor''; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) by striking ``Labor and Human 
                Resources'' and inserting ``Health, Education, Labor, 
                and Pensions''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 22. COMPARABILITY OF WAGES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Section 653 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9848) is 
amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by striking ``The Secretary shall take'' and 
        inserting ``(a) The Secretary shall take''; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 23. LIMITATION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN UNLAWFUL 
              ACTIVITIES.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>SEC. 24. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 656. POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) State or Local Agency.--For purposes of''; 
and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(b) Restrictions.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) any activity to provide voters or 
                prospective voters with transportation to the polls or 
                similar assistance in connection with any such 
                election.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 25. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR HEALTH 
              SERVICES.</DELETED>

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

<DELETED>``SEC. 657A. PARENTAL CONSENT REQUIREMENT FOR NONEMERGENCY 
              INTRUSIVE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Definition.--The term `nonemergency intrusive 
physical examination' means, with respect to a child, a physical 
examination that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) is not immediately necessary to protect the 
        health or safety of the child or the health or safety of 
        another individual; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) requires incision or is otherwise invasive, 
        or involves exposure of private body parts.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.''</DELETED>

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 (which may include an 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 any of paragraphs (1) through (17) of section 
        648(d), 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 who are limited English proficient and 
                        their families 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 childhood development 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 determined 
                        appropriate for the improvement of Head Start 
                        agencies' programs, as determined in 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 training and 
                        technical assistance on early childhood 
                        education and care or to support, through 
                        grants or other arrangements, a State system of 
                        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 of migrant or seasonal 
        farmworkers (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 their 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 
        farmworker 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, as teachers of 
        English as a second language, and for other educational 
        personnel who serve limited English proficient children.'';
            (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) in subparagraph (A), by inserting after 
                ``paragraph (4)'' the following: ``(and amounts 
                reserved, before such allotments, for national 
                administrative offices)'';
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as 
                subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively;
                    (C) 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 
childhood education and care 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 involved.
    ``(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 education and care (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 education and care 
                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 childhood education and 
        care 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 childhood 
        education and care 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 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 
        childhood educators and child care 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 childhood education and care 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 
        childhood education and care throughout the State;
            ``(dd) developing a statewide professional development and 
        career ladder plan for early childhood education and care 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 programs of early childhood 
        education and care, 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 childhood education and care designed to improve school 
        preparedness;
            ``(II) increase and make effective use of existing and new 
        delivery systems and funds for early childhood education and 
        care; and
            ``(III) enhance existing early childhood education and care 
        (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 and care 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
                    (D) in subparagraph (G), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B) of this paragraph--
                            (i) in clause (i)(I), by striking ``child 
                        care and early childhood education programs and 
                        resources'' and inserting ``early childhood 
                        education and care programs and resources''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``Federal 
                        child care or early childhood education'' and 
                        inserting ``Federal early childhood education 
                        or child care''; 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 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)--
                    (A) by inserting ``would like to participate but'' 
                after ``community who''; and
                    (B) by striking ``early childhood program'' and 
                inserting ``early childhood education and care 
                program'';
            (4) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ``leverage the 
        existing delivery systems of such services (existing as of the 
        date of the allocation decision) 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--
            (1) by striking ``(i)'' and inserting ``(i)(1)'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), as so designated, 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.''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(2)(A) For purposes of part 1310 of title 45, Code of Federal 
Regulations, as in effect on the date of enactment of the Head Start 
for School Readiness Act, any vehicle in use to transport children for 
a Head Start program as of January 1, 2007, shall not be subject to a 
requirement under that part regarding rear emergency exit doors for 2 
years after that date of enactment.
    ``(B) The Secretary shall revise allowable alternate vehicle 
standards described in that part 1310 (or any corresponding similar 
regulation or ruling) to exempt from Federal seat spacing requirements 
any vehicle used to transport children for a Head Start program, if the 
vehicle is equipped with child restraint systems consistent with that 
part 1310 (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling). Such 
revision shall be made in a manner consistent with the findings of the 
Federal Transit Administration of the Department of Transportation, 
pursuant to its study on occupant protection on Head Start transit 
vehicles, related to Government Accountability Office report GAO-06-
767R.''.
    (e) Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs.--Section 640(l) of 
the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9835(l)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and seasonal farmworker 
        families'' and inserting ``or seasonal farmworkers''; and
            (2) 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 or 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 (including 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 or 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 or 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 
        or 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 childhood 
education and care for children in the State, to require any child to 
participate in a program in order to attend preschool, or to 
participate in any initial screening prior to participation in a 
program of early childhood education and care, 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 education 
                                and care.
                                    ``(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 
                                (including any delegate agency); 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 (including any 
                                        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 programs of the Head 
                                Start agency (including any delegate 
                                agency), 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 
                                programs of the Head Start agency 
                                (including any delegate agency).
                            ``(ii) Selection.--Parents serving on the 
                        policy council shall be elected by parents of 
                        children currently enrolled in the programs of 
                        the Head Start agency (including any delegate 
                        agency) and shall represent, proportionately, 
                        all program options and settings operated by 
                        the Head Start agency (including any delegate 
                        agency).
                            ``(iii) Conflict of interest.--Members of 
                        the policy council shall--
                                    ``(I) not have a conflict of 
                                interest with the Head Start agency 
                                (including any delegate agency); 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 (including any 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 standards described in 
                section 641A(a)(1) (including program and financial 
                management requirements).
                    ``(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) 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 facilitate 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), if needed, 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 (including 
                foster parents and grandparents, where applicable) 
                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 providing early childhood education and care 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.
    ``(f) 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.
    ``(g) 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 education and care 
to children and their families.
    ``(h) 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.
    ``(i) 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.''.

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 
                including any 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)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``early 
                                        childhood education and 
                                        development'' and inserting 
                                        ``early childhood education and 
                                        care''; and
                                            (bb) 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 education 
                and care, 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 (including any 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 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) Followup reviews, including--
                            ``(i) prompt return visits as necessary for 
                        failure to meet 1 or more of the performance 
                        measures developed by the Secretary under 
                        subsection (b);
                            ``(ii) a review of agencies and 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 or program 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 programs and other early 
                        childhood education and care 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 
                        providing early childhood education and care 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 or seasonal 
                        farmworkers);
                            ``(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 
                        agencies and 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)(D), 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 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 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 agency's effectiveness and progress in 
        meeting program goals and objectives and in implementing and 
        complying with standards described in subsection (a)(1).
            ``(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 
        (including each Early Head Start agency and including any 
        delegate agency) shall establish and implement procedures for 
        the ongoing monitoring of their Head Start (including 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), 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 or 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 funds made 
                        available under this subchapter 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 community 
                        served; 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 funded 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 children of migrant or 
                        seasonal farmworkers, 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 or 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), in the case of a 
                Head Start agency described in 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 Head Start 
        programs.''.

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 providers of early childhood 
                        education and care in the local community 
                        involved;
                            ``(v) a nomination letter from the 
                        Governor, or appropriate regional office, 
                        demonstrating the agency's ability to provide 
                        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 education 
                        and care 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 childhood education and care, 
                        will coordinate 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 programs of early 
                                childhood education and care.
            ``(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 
        or 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 or other underserved populations, and may make bonus 
        grants to programs that do an exceptional job meeting the needs 
        of children in such populations.
            ``(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--
                            ``(i) best practices for 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
                            ``(ii) best practices for providing 
                        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 education and care 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 education 
                        and care, 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 education and 
                        care, 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 described in subsection (a) or (b) of section 641A), 
        and other providers of early childhood education and care in 
        the community involved, to encourage the agencies and providers 
        described in this paragraph 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 education and care 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 carry out 
        subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 641(f)(8);
            ``(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) establish effective procedures to carry out section 
        641(f)(8)(C);
            ``(12) establish effective procedures to carry out section 
        641(f)(8)(D);
            ``(13) establish effective procedures to carry out section 
        641(f)(8)(E);
            ``(14) establish effective procedures to carry out section 
        641(f)(8)(F);
            ``(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 providing early childhood 
                education and care, 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.

    ``(a) In General.--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 parents of limited English proficient children;
            ``(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, as appropriate, 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.
    ``(b) Construction.--In this section, a reference to a Head Start 
agency, or its program, services, facility, or personnel, shall not be 
construed to be a reference to an Early Head Start agency, or its 
program, services, facility, or personnel.''.

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 an Early Head Start program under section 645A 
and a Head Start program may, at its discretion, at any time during the 
grant period involved, reallocate funds between the Early Head Start 
program and the 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 to a Head Start program or another local program of 
        early childhood education and care;
            ``(10) establish channels of communication between staff of 
        Early Head Start programs and staff of Head Start programs or 
        other local providers of early childhood education and care, 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 not later than 30 days after notice of the 
                decision from the Secretary; and
                    ``(B) access to a full and fair hearing of the 
                appeal, not later than 120 days after 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 center, including each 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 center, including each 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 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 childhood education and care, 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 funds made 
        available under this subchapter, to expand training and 
        technical assistance activities beyond Head Start agencies to 
        include other providers of other early childhood education and 
        care within a State (including such a consortium).'';
            (4) in paragraph (3) of subsection (c), as redesignated by 
        paragraph (2), by striking ``child care and early childhood 
        programs'' and inserting ``early childhood education and care 
        programs'';
            (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by paragraph (2)--
                    (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 (3), by striking ``early childhood 
                professional development systems'' and inserting 
                ``professional development systems regarding early 
                childhood education and care'';
                    (D) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``, including 
                assessing the needs of homeless children and their 
                families'' after ``needs assessment'';
                    (E) 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);'';
                    (F) in paragraph (10), by striking ``; and'' and 
                inserting a semicolon;
                    (G) in paragraph (11), by striking the period and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (H) 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.'';
            (6) in subsection (e), as redesignated by paragraph (2), by 
        inserting ``including community-based organizations,'' after 
        ``nonprofit entities,'';
            (7) in subsection (f), as redesignated by paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking ``early childhood development and 
                child care programs'' and inserting ``early childhood 
                education and care programs''; and
                    (B) 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
            (8) 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 
farmworker 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 (including any 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)--
                    (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 advanced 
                                        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 that progress by 
                        partnering with institutions of higher 
                        education or other programs that recruit, 
                        train, place, and support college students to 
                        deliver an innovative program of early 
                        childhood education and care 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 or credential 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.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``(i) or (ii)'' 
                and inserting ``(i) or (iv)'';
            (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 populations of limited 
        English proficient children).'';
            (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, and teaching assistants to meet the requirements set 
forth in subsection (a).
    ``(g) Construction.--In this section, a reference to a Head Start 
agency, or its program, services, facility or personnel, shall not be 
considered to be a reference to an Early Head Start agency, or its 
program, services, facility or personnel.''.

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 
                advanced 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 other Head Start programs;'';
                    (C) in paragraph (6), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A), by striking ``child care, early 
                childhood education, or child development services'' 
                and inserting ``early childhood education and care 
                services'';
                    (D) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (E) by striking paragraph (10), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (A);
                    (F) by redesignating paragraph (11), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (A), as paragraph (10); 
                and
                    (G) by striking the last sentence;
            (3) in subsection (e)(3), by striking ``child care, early 
        childhood education, or child development services'' and 
        inserting ``early childhood education and care services'';
            (4) in subsection (g)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A)--
                            (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 
                        striking ``education, and early childhood 
                        programs'' and inserting ``and early childhood 
                        education and care programs'';
                            (ii) by striking clause (i); and
                            (iii) by redesignating clauses (ii) and 
                        (iii) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively;
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``, and research, 
                education, and early childhood programs'' and inserting 
                ``and research, and early childhood education and care 
                programs'';
                    (C) in paragraph (5)(D)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``early 
                        childhood programs'' and inserting ``early 
                        childhood education and care programs''; and
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ``early 
                        childhood program'' and inserting ``early 
                        childhood education and care program''; and
                    (D) 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
            (5) 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 any agent 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 under this subchapter.
    ``(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 (including 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 
                (including Early Head Start) services and the 
                geographic distribution of children described in this 
                subparagraph;
                    ``(B) the nature of Head Start (including 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 (including 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 
                (including 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 the progress 
                        described in this subparagraph and the type of 
                        instruction and educational program provided to 
                        the limited English proficient children; and
                            ``(iii) the correlation between the 
                        progress described in this subparagraph 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,'';
                    (C) in paragraph (14)--
                            (i) by striking ``Alaskan Natives'' and 
                        inserting ``Alaska Natives''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``migrant and'' and 
                        inserting ``migrant or''; and
                    (D) 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'';
                    (B) by striking ``Labor and Human Resources'' and 
                inserting ``Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions''; 
                and
                    (C) by striking ``Native Alaskan'' and inserting 
                ``Alaska Native''.

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 or 
        in, 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.''.

SEC. 26. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.

    Section 2501(c)(1)(C) of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (42 
U.S.C. 247b-1 note) is amended by striking ``9840a(h)'' and inserting 
``9840a''.
                                                       Calendar No. 104

110th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                 S. 556

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                             March 29, 2007

                       Reported with an amendment