1.This Act may be cited as
the Foundations for Success Act of
2011
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)The United States
ranks 17th in reading, 31st in mathematics, 23rd in science, and 18th in
overall secondary education out of 36 developed nations, according to the
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
(2)According to data
compiled by the OECD, in 2008 the United States had a child poverty rate of
20.6 percent, which is the 4th highest child poverty rate of the 30 OECD
countries that are ranked in this category.
(3)Research
conducted by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre supports a direct link
between accessible, affordable child care and a decrease in child
poverty.
(4)According to the
National Center for Children in Poverty—
(A)at age 4,
children who live below the poverty line are 18 months below normal learning
achievement for their age group, by age 10 that gap is still present, and for
children living in the poorest families, the gap is even larger; and
(B)by the time
children from middle-income families with well-educated parents are in 3rd
grade, these children know about 12,000 words, while 3rd grade children from
low-income families, with undereducated parents who don’t talk to them as much,
have vocabularies of around 4,000 words, 1/3 as many words
as their middle-income peers.
(5)According to the
National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies—
(A)since 2000, the
cost of child care has increased twice as fast as the median income of families
with children;
(B)in 40 States, the
average annual cost for center-based care for an infant was higher than the
cost of 1 year of tuition and related fees at a 4-year public institution of
higher education; and
(C)the average
annual cost of center-based care for a 4-year old is 40 percent of the income
of a 2-parent family living at the poverty level ($18,310), while the average
cost for center-based care is almost 25 percent of income for families living
at 200 percent of the poverty level ($36,620).
(6)The Department of
Health and Human Services estimates that only 17 percent of eligible children
receive fee assistance for child care expenses through the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.).
(7)According to
pre[k]now, a campaign of the Pew Center on the States,—
(A)only 13 States
and the District of Columbia require school districts to offer full-day
kindergarten;
(B)only 3 States
currently make prekindergarten available to all 4-year olds, and State-funded
prekindergarten programs currently serve 3.7 percent of 3-year olds; and
(C)Head Start
programs serve less than half of the children who are eligible for early care
and education under the Head Start program.
(8)According to
RESULTS Educational Fund, Early Head Start serves less than 3 percent of
children who are eligible for early care and education under the Early Head
Start program.
(9)According to the
National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, each day,
more than 11,000,000 children under the age of 5 spend time outside the care of
their parents in early learning settings that vary greatly in terms of
quality.
(10)The National
Economic Development and Law Center reports that—
(A)child care
breakdowns lead to employee absences that cost businesses in the United States
$3,000,000,000 annually;
(B)in the United
States, 58 percent of women with children under the age of 6 participate in the
labor force;
(C)29 percent of
employed parents experienced some kind of child care breakdown in the past 3
months, and such child care breakdowns were associated with absenteeism,
tardiness, and reduced concentration at work; and
(D)a 1996 General
Accounting Office (GAO) report indicates that a lack of adequate child care
affects the ability of clients of job training programs to complete job
training successfully.
(11)A 2010 study
conducted by the Education International ECE Task Force reports that—
(A)in 2006, the
total Federal expenditure on child care for children ages 0 through 5 was
$20,400,000,000, which amounted to 0.2 percent of GDP;
(B)Federal funding
is largely targeted at children with disabilities and children from low-income
families;
(C)the Federal
Government underwrites 25 percent of the costs of child care, State and local
government underwrites 15 percent of the costs of child care, and parents pay
the remaining 60 percent of child care costs;
(D)on average,
low-income families pay 18 percent of their total family income for each child
who is enrolled in child care; and
(E)although
low-income families can benefit from free subsidies through the Child Care and
Development Fund, many low-income families make use of informal, unregulated
arrangements for child care.
(12)After adjusting
for inflation, in recent years, State funding for early care and education
programs has declined in 24 of the 38 States that have such programs.
(13)The average
annual cost per child of Head Start or similar programs is $7,028, and the
average cost of a high quality comprehensive, full-day, full-year, early child
care and education program is $13,009, while the average cost per year to house
a prisoner is $22,650.
(14)Based on the
work of James J. Heckman, the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of
Economics at the University of Chicago and director of the Economics Research
Center and the Center for Social Program Evaluation at the Harris School for
Public Policy—
(A)investments in
early care and education promote schooling, reduce crime, foster workforce
productivity, promote health through several channels, and reduce teenage
pregnancy;
(B)the rate of
return for investing in early childhood programs is in the range of 6 to 10
percent;
(C)districts can
anticipate savings from decreased grade retention and special education
placements, improved graduation rates, and greater success in institutions of
higher education and adulthood;
(D)remedial programs
cost more to produce the same level of skill attainment as early care and
education programs;
(E)of those students
retained at the same grade level more than once, 80 percent dropped out of
school, and of those retained at the same grade level in both elementary and
middle school, 94 percent dropped out of school;
(F)school dropouts
are 8 times more likely to be incarcerated, 82 percent of incarcerated
individuals are high school dropouts, and the United States has the highest
prison population in the world (748 incarcerated individuals per 100,000
people) (International Center for Prison Studies at King's College
London);
(G)family
environments of young children are major predictors of cognitive and
socioemotional abilities, as well as a variety of outcomes, such as crime and
health;
(H)family
environments in the United States have deteriorated over the past 40
years;
(I)a greater
proportion of children are being born into disadvantaged families, including
minorities and immigrant groups; and
(J)disadvantaged
families are least likely to have the economic and social resources to provide
the early developmental experience that every child needs as a basic
opportunity for future success in school, higher education, career, and
life.
(15)It is the
Government’s moral, ethical, and fiscal responsibility to offer the option to
parents of a high quality early care and education program for their young
children that promotes self-development, academic achievement, and active
engagement in learning for all children.
(16)Providing
children with universal access to early care and education programs
shall—
(A)promote
continuity of care;
(B)support
whole-child development, parent employment, and economic development;
(C)strengthen
program alignment and accountability; and
(D)improve
coordination across all State and Federal services that provide for the
cognitive, physical, social, and emotional needs of the child.
3.
(a)The
purpose of this Act is to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to States to
enable such States to establish a State Early Care and Education System, which
will provide all children in the State, ages 6 weeks to kindergarten, with
access to a full-time, high quality, developmentally appropriate, early care
and education program in order to—
(1)support the needs
of working families in the United States, and those families unable to afford
access to high quality early care and education programs that provide
comprehensive child and family-focused services designed to foster the
cognitive, physical, social, and emotional needs of children; and
(2)ensure that all
children are prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn and reach their
maximum potential.
(b)Model for
National Implementation
(1)The 10 States that are awarded grants under section
4(a)(1) shall serve as a model for national implementation, demonstrating the
development of successful, evidence-based, statewide, universal access, Early
Care and Education Systems.
(2)The long term goal is for every State to receive the
information and funding needed to redesign early care and education programs
serving children from birth through age 6 into a comprehensive and viable
statewide system that provides universal access to high quality early care and
education programs.
4.
(a)
(1)The Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Assistant
Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of
Health and Human Services, (referred to in this Act as the
Secretaries
) shall award a grant to 10 States, through a
competitive grant process, to enable each State to establish and support an
Early Care and Education System, which shall—
(A)provide all State
residents with the opportunity to enroll children, ages 6 weeks to
kindergarten, in an early care and education program on a full time
basis;
(B)provide access to
an early care and education program that gives each child an opportunity to
develop physical, social, and emotional skills; and
(C)improve school
readiness by contributing to the cognitive development, character skills, and
physical development of each child.
(2)
(A)The Secretaries shall, beginning 3 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, award grants to additional States through the same
process, for the same purpose, and with the same specifications as the grants
described in paragraph (1).
(B)The Secretaries shall determine the number of States that
will be eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph for each year, and the
Secretaries shall continue to make grants available under this paragraph until
each State has had an opportunity to receive grant funding under this
Act.
(b)A
grant awarded under this Act shall be for a period of 10 years.
5.
(a)To be eligible to
receive a grant under this Act, a State shall submit an application to the
Secretaries at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretaries may require.
(b)At a minimum, the application described in subsection
(a) shall include the following:
(1)An assurance that
the State has an active State Early Childhood Advisory Council, which
shall—
(A)serve as the
designated entity in accordance with section 7(a); or
(B)advise, and
coordinate with, the designated entity described in section 7(a).
(2)A reflection of
any active partnerships with, or resource commitments from, other agencies or
entities that are necessary to deliver the programs and services outlined in
the application.
(3)An assurance that
the State has in law, or will have in law within 1 year of receiving notice of
a grant award under this Act, a requirement that each school district in the
State offer full-day and full-week kindergarten.
(4)Demonstration of
a functioning P20 data system that will include data on children from birth
through kindergarten, who are participating in the State Early Care and
Education System, for the purpose of creating a longitudinal data system for
individual participant tracking.
(5)An identification
of the designated entity that shall be responsible for program development,
implementation, and oversight.
(6)A list of annual
program goals for each year of the 10-year grant period, and a timeline that
illustrates the projected milestones each year for reaching such program goals,
with an emphasis on the first 3 years.
(7)An assurance that
the State will submit annual summary reports that shall include any changes to
the timeline described in paragraph (6).
(8)A grant program
budget that includes—
(A)an annual budget
for each year of the grant program, which shall include a detailed narrative of
funding received from all sources, including Federal, State, and local
contributions, and an explanation of how this money will be leveraged within
the grant program;
(B)by year 6, a
consolidation of all funding streams; and
(C)by year 8, a
funding plan for program sustainability, specifically outlining how State and
local contributions, as well as a determined amount of Federal funding, will be
used to sustain the State Early Care and Education System.
(9)Strategies for
acquiring any additional data needed to develop an accurate budget,
representative of total child participation in all early care and education
programs provided by the State.
(10)An outreach plan
for increasing awareness of, and enrollment in, the State Early Care and
Education System.
(11)A transportation
plan, including an assessment of existing transportation providers and
projections for additional transportation providers and vehicles that meet
Federal and State safety standards for the transportation of infants and
toddlers.
(12)Cost estimates
for the improvement, repair, or expansion of program space and for the creation
of additional program space.
(13)Estimates of the
start-up costs of developing new early care and education programs that meet
the needs of a population that has, for a variety of documented reasons, no
early care and education options in their community.
(14)A plan for the
continuation of services for children transitioning from receiving services
under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1431
et seq.) to receiving services under Part B of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.) such that there is no
elimination of service, delay, or “dropped” services due to lack of funding or
lack of capacity for service providers.
(15)State child care
licensing standards that address, at a minimum,—
(A)specific staff to
child ratios for each age group or level within the program;
(B)the prevention
and control of infectious diseases;
(C)building and
physical premises safety; and
(D)health and safety
training for teaching staff as mandated by State child care licensing
agencies.
(16)For the purpose
of estimating enrollment and conducting a needs assessment, information
regarding the following data:
(A)The number of
children, by geographic location or district, age 6 weeks through 5 years
(including children who miss the cut-off date for public school enrollment in
kindergarten due to birth date) who are, as of the time of the application,
participating in—
(i)early childhood
development programs through assistance provided under the Child Care and
Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.);
(ii)early childhood
development programs through assistance provided under the State temporary
assistance for needy families program funded under part A of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
(iii)State-supported
early childhood development programs;
(iv)Part C or Part B
of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et
seq.);
(v)early childhood
development programs that receive funding from title I of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
(vi)tribal early
childhood development programs; and
(vii)early childhood
development programs located in public school facilities.
(B)The number of
early care and education programs, and the number of children, disaggregated by
age and geographic designation or district, who are enrolled, at the time of
the application, in—
(i)private school
early childhood programs;
(ii)nonprofit early
childhood programs;
(iii)for-profit
early childhood programs;
(iv)Head Start and
Early Head Start programs; and
(v)unlicensed early
care and education programs provided for children that are not related to the
provider.
(C)A list of home
visitation programs, such as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home
Visiting Grant Program, including—
(i)the
program goals of each such program; and
(ii)the number of
families, and the number of children, disaggregated by age, who are, at the
time of the application—
(I)participating in
each home visitation program; and
(II)on the waiting
list for each home visitation program.
(D)Staff educational
credentials, as described in paragraphs (2) and (10) of section 9(c).
(17)A transition
plan to ensure that kindergarten programs have access to the student records
and assessments, from prior enrollment in the State Early Care and Education
System, of incoming students.
(18)A description of
parent outreach strategies that kindergarten programs use, at the time of the
application, to encourage engagement of parents.
(19)A plan for a
statewide entrance assessment of each child entering kindergarten, which shall
be implemented no later than 1 year from the date of receiving notification of
a grant awarded under this Act.
(20)A description of
parent education programs for parents of young children, existing at the time
of the application, and information regarding the outcomes and success of such
programs.
(21)A requirement
that all licensed early care and education programs undergo annual inspections
by an entity designated by the State to conduct such inspections.
(22)A description of
a statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System, as described in section
9.
(23)A financial
statement that includes an assessment of resources existing at the time of the
application, including Federal, State, local, and private funds that are spent
on existing early care and education programs.
(24)A plan for
leveraging Federal, State, and local tax revenue from child care, preschool,
and health and nutrition programs, as well as private funds to carry out
activities described in this Act. The plan shall include—
(A)a method, during
year 6 of the grant period, for beginning to convert distinct Federal, State,
and local funding streams for a range of early child care and education
programs into permanent funding streams for the State Early Care and Education
System prior to the expiration of the grant;
(B)a description of
the amount that will be generated through existing Federal, State, and local
funding; and
(C)a description of
additional Federal funding that the State will need to ensure sustainability of
the Early Care and Education System upon completion of the 10-year grant
period.
(25)If a State
intends to use a sliding scale mechanism to raise additional revenue, as
described in section 10(c), the State shall submit a detailed description of
the sliding scale mechanism, including—
(A)the estimated
amount of revenue that the State expects to generate, or the percentage of
costs of the Early Care and Education System that the revenue will cover;
and
(B)the structure of
the sliding scale, including—
(i)whether the State
will require a parent or legal guardian to contribute based on—
(I)a percentage of a
parent or legal guardian's income;
(II)a different
predetermined amount; or
(III)an alternative
mechanism for calculation;
(ii)if
the sliding scale is structured as described in clause (i)(I), the percentage
amounts;
(iii)demonstrated
accommodations for families earning below a set amount;
(iv)any cap on the
amount of contribution; and
(v)any
designated exemptions from contribution.
(26)Statewide Early
Learning Standards for children ages 6 weeks to kindergarten that are aligned
with Head Start and Early Head Start child outcome standards in all
developmental domains, including learning standards related to—
(A)literacy;
(B)language;
(C)problem
solving;
(D)social
development;
(E)emotional
development; and
(F)physical
development.
(c)Incorporation
of Data and RecommendationsEach application submitted under this
section shall incorporate data and recommendations provided by—
(1)the National
Center on Child Care Subsidy and Administration and Accountability;
(2)the National
Center on Child Care Quality Improvement Systems;
(3)the National
Center on Child Care Professional Development System and Workforce
Initiatives;
(4)National Health
and Safety Performance Standards, Guidelines for Early Care and Education
Programs;
(5)Preventing
Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs;
(6)Caring for Our
Children Standards;
(7)the Quality
Rating and Improvement System Resource Guide and Cost Estimate Model;
and
(8)the Early
Childhood Professional Development Systems Toolkit.
6.In awarding grants
under this Act, the Secretaries shall select States that represent a geographic
sampling, and shall include a balance of States with rural and urban
populations.
7.
(a)A State that receives a grant under this Act shall
designate an entity to be responsible for controlling and directing the
development, funding, implementation, and monitoring of the State Early Care
and Education System. Designated entities may include the following:
(1)The State
Department of Education.
(2)An established
State Department of Early Childhood Education.
(3)The State
Department of Health or the State Department of Human Services.
(4)An active State
Early Childhood Advisory Council.
(b)A State that receives a grant under this Act shall use the
grant funds to pay the costs for the start-up and implementation of a State
Early Care and Education System, with an emphasis on supporting participating
programs in increasing their ratings according to the statewide Quality Rating
and Improvement System, as described in section 9, such that the continuous
improvement of program quality occurs. A State that receives a grant under this
Act may use grant funds for the following activities:
(1)To pay facility
expenses, including building, leasing, or renting space, or remodeling
facilities to accommodate infants, toddlers, and other preschool age children.
Such facilities may be in public schools, charter schools, or State or
federally funded program spaces.
(2)To pay
administrative expenses, including administrator and teaching staff
salaries.
(3)To develop and
implement Statewide Early Learning Standards, as described in section 5(b)(26),
for the early care and education of children ages 6 weeks through
kindergarten.
(4)To develop,
implement, and assess curriculum.
(5)To provide
equipment and materials that promote the cognitive, physical, social, and
emotional development of children.
(6)For professional
development, including the provision of scholarship and grant opportunities to
assist early care and education teaching staff to meet qualification standards
established by the State.
(7)To coordinate
with local health care providers for the provision of comprehensive services,
including health, nutrition, diagnostic screenings, and counseling.
(8)To support
infrastructure for longitudinal data collection and analysis.
8.Early Care and
Education Programs
(a)Parental Choice
of Early Care and Education Programs
(1)Parents may enroll children in an early care and
education program that operates as part of the State Early Care and Education
System established under section 4(a), or in an independent early care and
education program that operates outside the scope of the State Early Care and
Education System established under section 4(a).
(2)Parents shall be responsible for paying any tuition for
enrollment in an independent early care and education program that operates
outside the scope of the State Early Care and Education System established
under section 4(a).
(3)A State that receives a grant under this Act must set
minimum hours, which may depend upon the age of a child, that a child who is
enrolled in an early care and education program operating under the State Early
Care and Education System will be required to participate in such
program.
(b)Participation
of Early Care and Education Programs in the State Early Care and Education
System
(1)Each early care and education program, which meets
the requirements described in paragraph (2), in a State that receives a grant
under this Act, may choose to operate under the State Early Care and Education
System.
(2)Requirements
for ParticipationIn order to operate under the State Early Care
and Education System, an early care and education program shall—
(A)meet the State
criteria for a good risk program; and
(B)have a record of
continuous operation for not less than 5 years.
(c)Independent
Early Care and Education ProgramsEach State that receives a
grant under this Act shall require each independent child care and education
provider of an independent early care and education program that operates
outside the scope of the State Early Care and Education System established
under section 4(a) to meet the same State child care licensing standards, as
described in section (5)(b)(15), as programs funded under the grant in order to
receive State accreditation and to ensure consistency in program quality. The
State shall designate an entity which shall be responsible for providing
accreditation to independent early care and education programs.
(d)Early Care and
Education programs operating under the State Early Care and Education
SystemEach early care and education program, which provides
child care and education as part of the State Early Care and Education System
established under section 4(a), shall—
(1)be aligned with
the statewide Early Learning Standards described in section (5)(b)(26);
(2)incorporate
evidence-based teaching and learning practices that—
(A)emphasize
integrated learning structures;
(B)create positive
school climates led by effective teaching staff; and
(C)establish high
expectations and individualized achievement opportunities for each
child;
(3)provide required
services for children with disabilities;
(4)provide English
language instruction for English language learners;
(5)provide, or
operate in partnership with community-based health organizations for the
purpose of making a referral for—
(A)annual vision
screenings;
(B)annual dental
screenings;
(C)annual hearing
screenings;
(D)other health care
screenings;
(E)immunizations, as
needed;
(F)mental health
services, as needed; and
(G)ongoing promotion
of proper nutrition; and
(6)provide, or
partner with community-based organizations to provide, family support services,
including—
(A)access to
parenting classes;
(B)access to classes
in child development;
(C)educational
classes, such as GED attainment, and vocational training programs;
(D)job placement
programs;
(E)alcohol and
substance abuse treatment programs; and
(F)programs to help
improve literacy and English language competence.
9.Statewide
Quality Rating and Improvement System
(a)Each designated entity shall develop a Quality Rating and
Improvement System for early care and education programs for children ages 6
weeks through kindergarten.
(b)
(1)As part of the statewide Quality Rating and Improvement
System, each State that receives a grant under this Act shall designate an
entity to assign a rating to each early care and education program in such
State, including such programs that are part of the State Early Care and
Education System and such programs that operate independently.
(2)The rating described in paragraph (1) shall be based on an
assessment of each early care and education program in such State, and such
assessment shall incorporate the applicable components and standards of the
Quality Rating and Improvement System described in subsection (c).
(c)Components of
the Quality Rating and Improvement SystemThe statewide Quality
Rating and Improvement System developed under subsection (a) shall
include—
(1)standards
regarding the granting and renewal of licenses for the operation of early care
and education programs;
(2)standards
regarding the educational qualifications for teaching staff and program
administrators of early care and education programs;
(3)ongoing
professional development requirements for teaching staff and
administrators;
(4)standards to
determine the relevancy of curriculum selected by each early care and education
program to the established Statewide Early Learning Standards described in
section (5)(b)(26);
(5)classroom
environmental checklists, which shall be used to determine the quality of the
learning environment of each early care and education program;
(6)a goal of
national accreditation for programs, in order to reach the highest rating, in
accordance with subsection (b);
(7)parent
communication strategies, including parent outreach efforts for enrollment
purposes;
(8)ongoing
assessments of individual children, to be used in setting instructional goals
specific to each child and monitoring the progress of each child in order to
raise the quality of early care and education programs in the State;
(9)partnerships with
community colleges, institutions of higher education, or other entities
approved by the State, that result in the provision of—
(A)on-going,
relevant, research-based professional development for teaching staff in a
variety of early care and education settings;
(B)infant and
toddler specialists to address the unique challenges of providing group care
for infants and toddlers;
(C)specialists who
work with children with special needs, that will—
(i)support each
early care and education program in providing high quality, appropriate
services for children that need adaptive services and educational support;
and
(ii)provide
information to the parents of such children;
(D)mental health
professionals who specialize in working with young children, who will support
teaching staff in early care and education settings in providing services to
children with mental health needs and their families; and
(E)innovative use of
technology to deliver professional development in early care and education
program rooms to support teaching staff in real time; and
(10)the development
and implementation of a career plan for early care and education teaching staff
that will ensure—
(A)support to assist
each early care and education non-lead teacher in receiving—
(i)a
Child Development Associate credential; or
(ii)an
Associate in the Arts Degree in Child Development, or Child Development
Technology, or an equivalent degree; and
(B)support to assist
each lead teacher in receiving a bachelor's degree in child development, early
childhood education, early childhood special education, or an equivalent degree
in the field;
(C)within 4 years of
the start of each early care and education program that operates within the
State Early Care and Education System, each lead teacher in such program will
have, at a minimum, a Child Development Associate credential;
(D)within 4 years of
implementation of the first early care and education program that operates
within the State Early Care and Education System, a minimum of 50 percent of
non-lead teachers, across all programs within the State Early Care and
Education System will have an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education, or
a related field;
(E)within 8 years of
implementation of the first early care and education program that operates
within the State Early Care and Education System, 100 percent of lead teachers,
and 50 percent of program directors, across all programs within the State Early
Care and Education System, will have a bachelor's degree in child development,
early childhood education, or a related field determined by the designated
entity; and
(F)within 8 years of
implementation of the first early care and education program that operates
within the State Early Care and Education System, at least 75 percent of
non-lead teachers working with children, across all programs within the State
Early Care and Education System, will have, at a minimum, a Child Development
Associate credential.
10.
(a)Each designated entity shall provide an assurance that
grant funding provided under this Act will be used to supplement, and not
supplant, Federal, State, and local funds otherwise available to support early
learning programs and services.
(b)Consolidation
of Funding StreamsEach State receiving a grant under this Act
shall leverage existing Federal, State, and local funds, used for early care
and education programs, and shall consolidate such funds into 1 general funding
stream for the State Early Care and Education System prior to the end of the
10-year grant period.
(c)Each State receiving a grant under this Act may adopt a
sliding scale mechanism, which may allow for a specified amount of family
contribution (which must be based on family income, wealth, or some combination
of family income and wealth) to support funding and sustainability of the State
Early Care and Education System.
(d)Grant
funding provided under this Act shall provide for implementation and initial
sustainability support over the 10-year grant period. Each State that receives
a grant under this Act shall demonstrate future sustainability of the Early
Care and Education System before the final year of the initial 10-year grant
period. After 10 years, if the State Early Care and Education System has a
record of demonstrated success, the Secretaries shall continue to support the
program with funds appropriated under this Act, without fiscal year
limitations. The amount of such funding shall be determined 1 year prior to the
expiration of the 10-year grant period and shall be determined based on factors
established by the Secretaries.
(e)Each
State receiving a grant under this Act shall appropriately manage, and make
publicly available, data related to the State Early Care and Education System
in order to serve as a model for—
(1)implementing a
State Early Care and Education System; and
(2)effectively and
efficiently leveraging the use of resources.
11.
(a)Evaluation of
the State Early Care and Education System
(1)Each designated entity shall design and implement a
method for evaluating the State Early Care and Education System.
(2)The program evaluation required under subsection (a)
shall include a variety of assessment tools designed to measure, in
quantitative and qualitative terms, progress in reaching the outcomes and goals
established by the designated entity, including—
(A)improvements in
outcomes for children that are consistent with the Statewide Early Learning
Standards described in section 5(b)(26);
(B)improvements in
teaching staff qualifications and knowledge;
(C)improvements in
compensation for teaching staff;
(D)improvements in
the number of children served, including increases in the number of children
served, disaggregated by—
(i)age
(with a special emphasis on infants and toddlers);
(ii)family
income;
(iii)English
language learners; and
(iv)disabilities or
other special needs;
(E)increase in the
number of programs meeting the standards of the Quality Rating and Improvement
System described in section 9;
(F)cost-benefit
data, including expenditures and cost-saving benefits, as demonstrated by such
information as—
(i)reduction in
grade retention, special education referrals, supplemental educational
services, incidences of school suspension or expulsion, and middle school and
high school dropout rates; and
(ii)increases in
attendance, retention of teaching staff, enrollment in institutions of higher
education, and student academic performance;
(G)increase in the
number of children identified with a potential developmental delay prior to
school entry that received follow-up services within 3 months of
identification;
(H)increase in the
number of infant and toddler specialists providing training and on-site
mentoring to teaching staff;
(I)increase in the
number of mental health specialists providing training and ongoing mentoring to
teaching staff, administration, and parents of young children;
(J)increase in the
number of health specialists or nutritionists providing training and ongoing
mentoring to teaching staff; and
(K)measurable
changes in staffing patterns among early care and education programs that
indicate age appropriate staff to child ratios, established by the State, in
all age levels.
(b)
(1)Reports to the
SecretariesEach State that is awarded a grant under this Act
shall prepare and submit an annual report to the Secretaries, which shall
include the information described in subsection (a).
(2)Beginning in the 8th year of program implementation, the
Secretaries shall prepare and submit a biannual report to Congress, which shall
include a cost-benefit analysis of the grant program and evidence of effective
practices.
(c)The data from the evaluation required under
subsection (a) shall be made publicly available for the purpose of informing
other States about the most efficient and effective means for providing
statewide universal access to high quality early care and education to children
ages 6 weeks to kindergarten.
(d)Department of
Education and Department of Health and Human Services
MeasurementsEach State that is awarded a grant under this Act
shall agree to participate in any assessments that the Secretaries may
administer to grant recipients.
(e)Center for
Evaluation Support, Analysis, and ReportingThe Secretaries shall
develop and implement a Center for Evaluation Support, Analysis, and Reporting
for the purpose of storing and reporting data on effective and efficient early
care and education programs.
12.In this Act:
(1)The term “full time”—
(A)means, at a
minimum, 8 hours per day of early care and education programs, with
arrangements for additional care before and after the established hours;
(B)means, at a
minimum, 5 days per week of early care and education programs; and
(C)includes year
round provision of early care and education programs, specifically, throughout
the summer regardless of whether State elementary schools are providing such
programs, and such summer hours shall be consistent with regular early care and
education program hours.
(2)The term good risk program
means an early
care and education program that has demonstrated sustainability and
continuity.
(3)The term lead teacher
means the program
room educator who is primarily responsible for designing and instructing
participant learning activities and assessments and ensuring they are aligned
to performance measures and standards.
(4)The term non-lead teacher
means staff
responsible for supporting the lead teacher, such as paraprofessionals and
teaching aides.
(5)The term teaching staff
means lead teachers
and non-lead teachers.
13.Authorization
of AppropriationsThere is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be
necessary beginning for fiscal year 2012.