,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dife  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #be1 #bjad ,mr4
 ,castro of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,fattah1 and ,mr4 ,veasey7 introduced   
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,education and the 
,workforce  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife to award grants to improve
 childhood care and education for local 
governments and local educational       
agencies4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,pre-,k for ,,usa   
,act4  #b4 ,grants for improving early  
childhood care and education ,subpart #a
 of part ,d of title ,v of the          
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gbdc et   
seq47 is amended by adding at the end   
the following3  #edae4 ,grants for      
improving early childhood care and      
education  7a7 ,in general ,from the    
amounts appropriated under subsection   
7f71 the ,secretary jointly with the    

,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services and on such terms as such     
,secretaries set forth in an interagency
 agreement1 shall make competitive      
grants to qualified entities for        
activities that build the capacity to   
develop1 enhance1 or expand high-quality
 preschool programs1 including          
comprehensive services and family       
engagement1 for preschool-aged children4
  7b7 ,applications ,each qualified     
entity that desires to receive a grant  
under this section shall submit an      
application to the ,secretaries at such 
time1 in such manner1 and containing    
such information as the ,secretaries may
 require4  7c7 ,technical assistance1   
evaluation1 and other national          
activities ,the ,secretaries may use up 
to #c percent of the funds appropriated 
under subsection 7f7 for technical      
assistance1 evaluation1 and other       
national activities related to awarding 
grants under this section4  7d7 ,report 
7#a7 ,initial report ,not later than #cj

 days prior to the announcement of a    
competition under this section1 the     
,secretaries shall submit a report      
outlining the proposed competition and  
priorities to the ,congress on the      
activities carried out under this       
section4  7#b7 ,annual reports ,the     
,secretaries shall submit a report to   
,congress on the activities carried out 
under this section1 including1 at a     
minimum1 information on the following3  
7,a7 ,the progress of each qualified    
entity in moving toward fulfilling      
criteria outlined in the entity's       
application4  7,b7 ,the extent to which 
the qualified entities used grants under
 this section to expand a high-quality  
preschool program4  7,c7 ,the costs and 
barriers to such expansion1 including   
building and renovating preschool       
facilities so that such facilities are  
high-quality and age and developmentally
 appropriate4  7e7 ,definitions ,in this
 section3  7#a7 ,high-quality preschool 
program ,the term high-quality preschool

 program means an early learning program
 that includes structural elements that 
are evidence-based and nationally       
recognized 7such as ,head ,start program
 performance standards or research      
published by the ,national ,institute   
for ,early ,education7 as important for 
ensuring program quality1 including at a
 minimum3  7,a7 ,high staff             
qualifications1 including a teacher with
 a bachelor degree in early childhood   
education or a bachelor degree in any   
field with a ,state-approved alternate  
pathway1 which may include coursework1  
clinical practice1 and evidence of      
knowledge of content and pedagogy       
relating to early childhood1 and        
teaching assistants with appropriate    
credentials4  7,b7 ,high-quality        
professional development for all staff4 
7,c7 ,a staff-child ratio of no more    
than #a3aj4  7,d7 ,a class size of no   
more than #bj4  7,e7 ,a full-day        
program4  7,f7 ,full inclusion of       
children with disabilities4  7,g7       

,developmentally appropriate1           
evidence-based curricula and learning   
environments that are aligned with the  
,state early learning and development   
standards1 for at least the year prior  
to kindergarten entry4  7,h7            
,individualized accommodations and      
supports so that all children can access
 and participate fully in learning      
activities4  7,i7 ,instructional staff  
salaries comparable to kindergarten     
through grade #ab teaching staff4  7,j7 
,program evaluation to ensure continuous
 improvement4  7,k7 ,onsite or          
accessible comprehensive services for   
children4  7,l7 ,evidence-based health  
and safety standards4  7#b7 ,qualified  
entity ,the term qualified entity means 
a local educational agency or a local   
government entity4  7#c7 ,secretaries   
,the term ,secretaries means the        
,secretary of ,education and the        
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services4  7f7 ,authorization of       
appropriations ,there are authorized to 

be appropriated such sums as may be     
necessary to carry out this section for 
each of the fiscal years #bjae through  
#bjbd4  4  #c4 ,conforming amendment    
,the table of contents in section #b of 
the ,elementary and ,secondary          
,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 
#fcja et seq47 is amended by inserting  
after the item relating to section #edad
 the following3  ,sec4 #edae4 ,grants   
for improving early childhood care and  
education4  4