[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8236 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8236

     To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to State 
 educational agencies to facilitate the provision of pre-kindergarten 
   programs that reduce the cost of education services and result in 
         positive educational outcomes, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2024

 Mr. Nunn of Iowa (for himself, Ms. Perez, and Mrs. Hinson) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                           and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to State 
 educational agencies to facilitate the provision of pre-kindergarten 
   programs that reduce the cost of education services and result in 
         positive educational outcomes, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pre-K for Kids Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award, on a competitive basis, 
grants to State educational agencies to facilitate, through subgrants 
to local educational agencies, the provision of pre-kindergarten 
programs that--
            (1) reduce the cost of education services, including with 
        respect to at-risk children;
            (2) result in positive educational and developmental 
        outcomes;
            (3) are likely to have a positive fiscal impact on local 
        governmental entities; and
            (4) are based on a model pre-kindergarten program.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) In general.--A State educational agency seeking a grant 
        under this section shall submit to the Secretary an application 
        in such form, at such time, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require.
            (2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to State 
        educational agencies who serve a majority of families in the 
        State whose family income is at or below 250 percent of the 
        Federal poverty line, as defined by the most recently revised 
        poverty income guidelines published by the Department of Health 
        and Human Services.
    (c) Grant Uses.--A State educational agency that receives a grant 
under this section shall use such grant funds to award subgrants to 
local educational agencies in accordance with subsection (d).
    (d) Subgrants.--
            (1) Application.--A local educational agency seeking a 
        subgrant under this subsection shall submit to the State 
        educational agency an application in such form, at such time, 
        and containing such information as the State educational agency 
        may require, including the program proposal described in 
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Program proposal.--The program proposal shall include 
        the following:
                    (A) A description of how the local educational 
                agency will carry out the innovative financing 
                partnership described in subsection (e).
                    (B) A description of the pre-kindergarten services 
                that will be provided by a service provider described 
                in paragraph (2)(A) of such subsection pursuant to such 
                partnership.
                    (C) An assurance that the local educational agency 
                will agree to an evaluation by an independent evaluator 
                described in paragraph (2)(C) of such subsection 
                pursuant to such partnership of the pre-kindergarten 
                programs provided under this subsection.
                    (D) A description of the ways in which the program 
                will be carried out in order to have a positive fiscal 
                impact on the local government.
            (3) Evaluation of applications.--
                    (A) Criteria for evaluation.--In evaluating an 
                application submitted by a local educational agency 
                under paragraph (1), the State educational agency shall 
                consider the following:
                            (i) Whether the program proposal submitted 
                        by the local educational agency includes all 
                        required information.
                            (ii) Whether the program described by such 
                        proposal--
                                    (I) will achieve the objectives 
                                described in paragraphs (1) through (4) 
                                of subsection (a) and result in 
                                significant performance improvements; 
                                and
                                    (II) is likely to have a positive 
                                fiscal impact on the local government.
                    (B) Priority.--In evaluating an application 
                submitted by a local educational agency under paragraph 
                (1), the State educational agency may give priority to 
                a local educational agency that--
                            (i) demonstrates intent to partner with a 
                        service provider that demonstrates a strong 
                        commitment to ongoing professional development 
                        for employees;
                            (ii) demonstrates intent to partner with 
                        public and private service providers;
                            (iii) demonstrates intent to use new and 
                        enhanced services for children;
                            (iv) serves a majority of families whose 
                        family income is at or below 250 percent of the 
                        Federal poverty line, as defined by the most 
                        recently revised poverty income guidelines 
                        published by the Department of Health and Human 
                        Services;
                            (v) serves a majority of immigrant and 
                        refugee families;
                            (vi) serves areas with waiting lists for 
                        high-quality pre-kindergarten programs;
                            (vii) serves a rural community;
                            (viii) includes a plan to utilize private 
                        funds in addition to funds provided by the 
                        local educational agency (other than subgrant 
                        funds received under this subsection) to 
                        provide pre-kindergarten services to--
                                    (I) students in rural areas; and
                                    (II) students who belong to a 
                                family described in clause (iv);
                            (ix) demonstrates strategies to improve 
                        early mathematic skills and early literacy 
                        skills, including the literacy skills of 
                        children who have been identified as English 
                        learners;
                            (x) demonstrates strategies to increase 
                        family engagement and connect families to 
                        community resources;
                            (xi) provides a comprehensive child 
                        development program;
                            (xii) establishes a student-to-teacher 
                        ratio of not more than 10 students to every 1 
                        teacher;
                            (xiii) demonstrates substantial parental 
                        involvement;
                            (xiv) demonstrates community support;
                            (xv) utilizes services provided by service 
                        providers described in subsection (e)(2)(A); or
                            (xvi) includes a plan for program 
                        evaluation that includes the measurement of 
                        student outcomes in addition to the outcomes 
                        measured under subsection (e)(2)(C).
            (4) Subgrant uses.--A local educational agency receiving a 
        subgrant under this subsection shall use such subgrant funds to 
        provide pre-kindergarten programs described in subsection (a) 
        through the innovative financing partnership described in 
        subsection (e).
    (e) Innovative Financing Partnership.--
            (1) Partnership described.--A local educational agency 
        receiving a subgrant under subsection (d) shall enter into a 
        partnership that includes each of the parties described in 
        paragraph (2).
            (2) Parties.--The parties to a partnership described in 
        paragraph (1) are as follows:
                    (A) One or more service providers who provide, as 
                part of a pre-kindergarten program provided by a local 
                educational agency pursuant to subsection (d), pre-
                kindergarten services to 3-year-old and 4-year-old 
                children from families whose family income is at or 
                below 250 percent of the Federal poverty line, as 
                defined by the most recently revised poverty income 
                guidelines published by the Department of Health and 
                Human Services.
                    (B) One or more investors who provide, in 
                accordance with paragraph (4), the capital for pre-
                kindergarten services under the partnership, including 
                philanthropic investors seeking a full or partial 
                return of principal.
                    (C) An independent evaluator to determine whether 
                the pre-kindergarten programs provided pursuant to 
                subsection (d) achieve the objectives described in 
                paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (a).
                    (D) One or more outcomes payers described in 
                paragraph (3).
            (3) Outcomes payer.--An outcomes payer includes any 
        governmental entity, including the child development 
        coordinating council of the State, or any private entity that 
        agrees to commit to pay to an investor described in paragraph 
        (2)(B) the principal invested by, and the interest owed to, 
        such investor if the independent evaluator described in 
        subparagraph (C) of such paragraph makes the determination 
        described in such subparagraph.
            (4) Matching requirement.--The non-Federal share of the 
        costs of an activity carried out with a grant awarded under 
        this section shall be--
                    (A) not less than 40 percent of such costs; and
                    (B) provided by an investor described in paragraph 
                (2)(B).
    (f) Reports.--
            (1) Service provider report.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of the formation of the innovative financing 
        partnership under subsection (e), and every 6 months 
        thereafter, a service provider that is a party to an innovative 
        financing partnership under subsection (e) shall submit to the 
        State educational agency a report on the progress of the pre-
        kindergarten services provided by such service provider as part 
        of a pre-kindergarten program provided by a local educational 
        agency pursuant to subsection (d).
            (2) Independent evaluator report.--Not later than 180 days 
        after the date of the first day of operation of a pre-
        kindergarten program provided by a local educational agency 
        pursuant to subsection (d), and every 12 months thereafter, an 
        independent evaluator who is a party to an innovative financing 
        partnership under subsection (e) shall submit to the State 
        educational agency a report on the progress of such pre-
        kindergarten program.
            (3) State educational agency report.--Not later than 180 
        days after receiving each independent evaluator report 
        described in paragraph (2), the State educational agency shall 
        submit to Congress a report on the outcomes of the programs 
        carried out by local educational agencies that received a 
        subgrant under subsection (d) and that are served by such State 
        educational agency.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) ESEA terms.--The terms ``local educational agency'', 
        ``Secretary'', and ``State educational agency'' have the 
        meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Model pre-kindergarten program.--The term ``model pre-
        kindergarten program'' means a pre-kindergarten program with 
        existing data which demonstrates that the program, or 
        substantially similar programs, had a positive fiscal impact on 
        governmental entities.
            (3) Positive fiscal impact.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``positive fiscal 
                impact'' means, when used with respect to a local 
                government, an increase in tax revenue, decrease in 
                expenditures, or a combination of the two, that a local 
                educational agency receiving a subgrant under this 
                section estimates will, at the conclusion of the 
                covered period, result in an amount of revenue that is 
                greater than the amount of the subgrant received 
                pursuant to this section.
                    (B) Covered period.--For purposes of subparagraph 
                (A), the term ``covered period'' means the period--
                            (i) beginning on the date on which an 
                        innovative financing partnership is formed; and
                            (ii) ending on the date that is 10 years 
                        after such date.
            (4) Rural community.--The term ``rural community'' means a 
        community with a population of not more than 50,000 people.
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