,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ajfe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bc1 #bjac ,mr4 ,franken 7for himself and ,mrs4 ,murray7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grant ,act of #aiij to improve the quality of infant and toddler care4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,infant and ,toddler ,care ,improvement ,act4 #b4 ,findings and purposes 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the brain undergoes its most dramatic development during a child's first #c years of life1 with #gjj new neurological connections being formed every second based on early experience4 ,during this time1 the brain's foundational capacities for thinking1 language1 emotion1 and self-regulation are formed4 7#b7 ,economic deprivation can also affect the development of the brain and impair all aspects of development4 ,children in families below the poverty line are at risk for prolonged toxic stress1 which can change the shape of the brain's structure4 ,twenty-five percent of children younger than #c years of age live in families with incomes below the poverty level4 7#c7 ,child care is second only to the family setting as the place in which early development takes place for many infants and toddlers4 ,sixty-one percent of mothers with children younger than #c years of age are in the labor force and over #f1jjj1jjj children younger than #c years of age are cared for by someone other than their parents for some part or all of the day4 ,therefore1 the relationship between the child and the child care provider often plays a significant role in child development4 7#d7 ,research shows that high-quality child care can mitigate some of the effects of adverse experiences caused by poverty and that low-income children can benefit particularly well from high-quality child care4 ,yet1 at-risk children younger than #c years of age often receive low-quality child care that can lead to poor developmental outcomes4 7#e7 ,high-quality child care has been shown to promote positive cognitive1 language1 and social and emotional development1 and contribute to academic success4 ,high-quality child care can also help improve a child's communication skills1 cognitive skills1 behavioral skills1 math and language assessment scores1 and verbal intelligence4 7#f7 ,providing training and technical assistance to family child care providers who are infant and toddler care providers1 through family child care networks1 has been shown to improve the quality of caregivers4 7#g7 ,twenty-seven ,states use infant and toddler specialist networks as the structure for providing training and technical assistance1 using research-based training and techniques such as mentoring and on-site coaching1 to all types of providers of child care for infants or toddlers4 7#h7 ,preparation for early childhood educators often does not include training specific to infants and toddlers4 ,only #ba ,states have infant and toddler credential requirements that define the particular knowledge and skills needed to work with children younger than #c years of age4 7#i7 ,infants and toddlers have unique needs that differ from those of older children in areas such as health and safety1 interaction with teachers and caregivers1 and learning1 yet not all ,states recognize those differences in licensing regulations or in their ,quality ,rating and ,improvement ,systems4 ,just #bj ,states have infant and toddler quality indicators in their ,quality ,rating and ,improvement ,systems and only #c ,states have separate categories of child care regulations related to infants and toddlers4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to improve the overall quality of child care programs serving infants or toddlers4 #c4 ,high-quality infant and toddler care program ,the ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grant ,act of #aiij is amended by inserting after section #feh;,g 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iheh;e7 the following3 #feh;,h4 ,high-quality infant and toddler care program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,eligible infant or toddler care provider ,the term eligible infant or toddler care provider means an eligible child care provider1 consistent with section #feh,p1 who provides care to an infant or toddler4 7#b7 ,infant or toddler ,the term infant or toddler means an individual under #c years of age4 7#c7 ,infant or toddler with a developmental delay or disability 7,a7 ,in general ,the term infant or toddler with a developmental delay or disability has the meaning given the term infant or toddler with a disability in section #fcb of the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adcb74 7,b7 ,plural form ,the term infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities means more than #a infant or toddler with a developmental delay or disability4 7#d7 ,limited english proficient ,the term limited ,english proficient has the meaning given the term in section #fcg of the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihcb74 7#e7 ,low-income community ,the term low-income community shall be defined by the ,secretary4 7#f7 ,low-income family ,the term low-income family means a family with a family income described in section #feh,p7#d77;,b74 7b7 ,grants 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible ,states1 from allotments described in paragraph 7#b71 to enable the ,states to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers4 7#b7 ,allotments 7,a7 ,amounts reserved 7i7 ,territories and possessions ,the ,secretary shall reserve an amount not to exceed #j4e percent of the amount appropriated under this section for each fiscal year for payments to ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 and the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 to be allotted in accordance with their respective needs4 7ii7 ,indian tribes ,the ,secretary shall reserve not less than #a percent1 and not more than #b percent1 of the amount appropriated under this section for each fiscal year for payments to ,indian tribes and tribal organizations with applications approved under section #feh,o7c74 7,b7 ,allotments to states ,after making reservations under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall use the remainder of the amount appropriated under this section for a fiscal year to allot to each ,state an amount that bears the same relationship to that remainder as the amount allotted to the ,state under section #feh,o for that fiscal year bears to the amount allotted to all ,states under section #feh,o for that fiscal year4 7,c7 ,state ,in this paragraph1 the term ,state does not include ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 or the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4 7c7 ,amendment to ,state plans ,a ,state that receives a grant under this section shall include in the ,state's plan under section #feh;,e1 a description of how the ,state will use funds provided under this section to improve the quality of infant and toddler care4 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds made available through the grant to carry out #a or more of the activities described in paragraphs 7#b7 through 7#g74 7#b7 ,increasing high-quality infant and toddler care 7,a7 ,in general ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to make grants to eligible entities to be resources for eligible infant and toddler care providers1 to improve the quality of early care and development services provided to infants and toddlers in the community from low-income families and to help such providers serving low-income families improve their capacity to offer high-quality care to such families4 7,b7 ,eligible entity ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph1 an entity shall be an eligible child care provider that-- 7i7 serves infants and toddlers from low-income families2 and 7ii7 7,i7 is ranked at the top level of the ,state's ,quality ,rating and ,improvement ,system or similar rating system or accredited by a national accrediting body recognized1 before the date of enactment of the ,infant and ,toddler ,care ,improvement ,act1 for high-quality program standards that are valid and reliable2 or 7,,ii7 is an ,early ,head ,start agency under section #fde;,a of the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihdj;a7 that is in full compliance with the performance standards applicable to such an agency under the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihca et seq474 7,c7 ,priority ,in making grants under this paragraph1 a ,state-- 7i7 shall give priority to entities that will serve significant populations of low-income families2 and 7ii7 may give priority to entities that-- 7,i7 are located in low-income communities2 7,,ii7 will serve communities with significant populations of families with limited ,english proficiency2 or 7,,iii7 will increase the ability of caregivers to provide appropriate services and coordinate activities with ,state and local systems providing services under part ,c of the ,individuals with ,disabilities ,education ,act 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #adca et seq47 for children with developmental delays or disabilities1 including such children in the child welfare system of the ,state4 7#c7 ,staffed family child care networks or systems 7,a7 ,in general ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to make grants to organizations with expertise in providing child care and related technical assistance1 to establish new staffed family child care networks 7new as of the date of amendment of the ,state plan under subsection 7c77 or to operate existing staffed family child care networks or systems that offer1 to family child care providers who are eligible infant and toddler care providers1 technical assistance1 training1 administrative support1 or direct services including monitoring visits to providers4 7,b7 ,priority ,in making grants under this paragraph1 a ,state-- 7i7 shall give priority to organizations described in paragraph 7#b77;,c77i72 and 7ii7 may give priority to organizations that have #a or more of the #c characteristics described in paragraph 7#b77;,c77ii74 7#d7 ,statewide network of infant and toddler specialists 7,a7 ,in general ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to support1 or to make a grant to an organization with expertise in providing child care technical assistance to support1 a statewide network of specialists who are eligible infant and toddler care providers1 that shall-- 7i7 provide individual or group training and intensive consultation services to eligible infant and toddler care providers1 including relative caregivers1 on strategies to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers2 and 7ii7 assist eligible infant and toddler care providers in coordinating activities with other offices responsible for child care1 including ,early ,head ,start programs and ,head ,start programs carried out under the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihca et seq474 7,b7 ,priority ,in delivering services or making grants under this paragraph1 a ,state-- 7i7 shall give priority to networks that deliver support to providers described in paragraph 7#b77;,c77i72 and 7ii7 may give priority to networks that deliver support to providers that have #a or more of the #c characteristics described in paragraph 7#b77;,c77ii74 7#e7 ,state workforce quality initiatives 7,a7 ,in general ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to support initiatives to improve the quality of the workforce of eligible infant and toddler care providers1 such as-- 7i7 providing relevant training1 professional development1 or mentoring to eligible infant and toddler care providers1 including linking the training1 development1 or mentoring to career pathways for eligible infant and toddler care providers2 7ii7 providing scholarships or other financial support to eligible infant and toddler care providers to advance their education and training2 7iii7 coordinating activities with the ,state's higher education system to expand the availability and quality of coursework for infant and toddler care providers1 including developing career pathways for eligible infant and toddler care providers2 or 7iv7 improving the ,state credentialing of eligible infant and toddler care providers4 7#f7 ,systems quality ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to-- 7,a7 develop infant and toddler components for the ,state's ,quality ,rating and ,improvement ,system or similar rating system1 child care licensing regulations1 or voluntary early learning guidelines2 7,b7 improve the ability of parents to obtain information about high-quality infant and toddler care2 or 7,c7 assist eligible infant and toddler care providers seeking to improve the quality of their infant and toddler care by increasing their ranking on the ,state's ,quality ,rating and ,improvement ,system or similar rating system1 meeting performance standards applicable to an ,early ,head ,start agency under the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihca et seq471 or becoming accredited by a national accrediting body described in paragraph 7#b77;,b77ii74 7#g7 ,other high-quality initiatives ,a ,state may use the funds described in paragraph 7#a7 to carry out other activities determined by the ,state to improve the quality of infant and toddler care provided in the ,state and for which there is evidence that the activities will lead to improved infant and toddler safety1 infant and toddler development1 or infant and toddler well-being4 7e7 ,reporting ,a ,state that receives a grant under subsection 7b7 shall submit in the ,state's annual reports required under section #feh,k7a77#b71 information on how the ,state is using the funding provided under subsection 7b7 to improve the quality of infant and toddler care and the effect such funding is having on the quality of infant and toddler care in the ,state4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjad and each subsequent fiscal year4 4 #d4 ,conforming amendments 7a7 ,authorization ,section #feh;,b of the ,child ,care and ,development ,block ,grant ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #iheh7 is amended by inserting 7other than section #feh;,h7 after subchapter4 7b7 ,allotment ,section #feh,o7a77#a7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihehm7a77#a77 is amended by striking this subchapter and inserting section #feh;,b4