,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #cbb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ac1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,murray 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,franken1 ,mr4 ,begich1 and ,ms4 ,hirono7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to set the ,united ,states on track to ensure children are ready to learn when they begin kindergarten4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,ready to ,learn ,act4 #b4 ,early childhood development ,the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,x ,supporting voluntary prekindergarten #ajjja4 ,supporting voluntary prekindergarten grants 7a7 ,program authorized ,from amounts available under section #ajjjc1 the ,secretary is authorized to award grants1 on a competitive basis1 to eligible ,states to pay the ,federal share of establishing and administering high-quality full day voluntary prekindergarten programs for children age #d in the ,state1 in order to promote school readiness for such children4 7b7 ,application 7#a7 ,in general ,if a ,state desires a grant under this title1 the ,governor of such ,state shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing a plan that outlines how and when such ,state expects to provide voluntary prekindergarten for every #d-year-old in the ,state4 7#b7 ,subgrants to eligible entities 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subsection 7c77#b71 a ,state that receives a grant under this title shall use the grant funds to award subgrants to eligible entities to carry out the requirements of this title4 7,b7 ,subgrants for community-based providers ,in awarding subgrants under subparagraph 7,a71 a ,state shall use not less than #be percent of the grant funds provided to the ,state to award subgrants to eligible entities that are community-based providers of prekindergarten programs4 7,c7 ,eligible entities ,in this paragraph1 the term eligible entity includes schools1 child care entities1 ,head ,start programs1 or other community-based providers of prekindergarten programs4 7c7 ,use of funds ,a ,state that receives a grant under this title shall use-- 7#a7 not less than #he percent of the funds provided under such grant to carry out the activities described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 not more than #ae percent of such funds at the ,state level for quality investment described in subsection 7d77#c74 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state that receives a grant under this title shall use grant funds to provide a high-quality prekindergarten program that-- 7,a7 serves children age #d in the ,state1 serving first children from low-income families with incomes that are not more than #bjj percent of the poverty line and those who are limited ,english proficient2 7,b7 not later than #b years after the receipt of the grant1 ensures that each classroom is taught by a teacher who has-- 7i7 a baccalaureate degree or advanced degree in early childhood education2 or 7ii7 a baccalaureate degree and specialized training in early childhood development2 7,c7 utilizes a developmentally1 culturally1 and linguistically appropriate curriculum that is aligned with the ,state early learning standards and valid and reliable multiple assessments for the purpose of improving instruction2 and 7,d7 has a teacher-child ratio of not more than #a to #aj and a group size of not more than #bj4 7#b7 ,allowable uses of funds ,after a ,state has fulfilled the requirements described in paragraph 7#a71 such ,state may use grant funds-- 7,a7 to serve younger children2 7,b7 to increase salaries2 7,c7 for additional comprehensive services as may be needed2 and 7,d7 for the construction of new facilities1 or the renovation1 repair1 or alteration of existing facilities1 necessary to commence or continue such prekindergarten4 7#c7 ,quality investment ,a ,state that receives a grant under this title shall use grant funds-- 7,a7 to develop or expand a quality rating and improvement system in the ,state2 7,b7 to carry out other activities needed to ensure the health and safety of children served under this title2 7,c7 for professional development for teachers and staff of the prekindergarten program described in paragraph 7#a72 or 7,d7 to provide comprehensive services4 #ajjjb4 ,administration 7a7 ,federal share2 non-,federal share 7#a7 ,federal share ,the ,federal share of a grant under this title shall be #ej percent of the costs of carrying out the activities described in section #ajjja7;d74 7#b7 ,non-,federal share ,the non-,federal share of a grant under this title shall be provided in cash4 7b7 ,maintenance of effort ,the ,secretary may not award a grant under this title to any ,state unless the ,secretary first determines that the per-child expenditure by the ,state and its political subdivisions for prekindergarten programs 7other than funds used to pay the non-,federal share under this section7 for the fiscal year for which the determination is made is equal to or greater than such expenditure for the preceding fiscal year4 7c7 ,supplement not supplant ,grant funds received under this title shall be used to supplement and not supplant other ,federal1 ,state1 and local public funds expended to promote voluntary prekindergarten programs in the ,state4 7d7 ,waiver or reduction ,the ,secretary may waive or reduce the non-,federal share requirement under subsection 7a7 or the maintenance of effort requirement under subsection 7b7 if the ,state demonstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to financial hardship4 7e7 ,provision of grant funds ,in awarding a grant under this title to a ,state1 the ,secretary shall provide the grant funds to the ,governor of the ,state1 to enable the ,governor to designate1 in consultation with the ,state ,advisory ,council on ,early ,childhood ,education and ,care established under section #fdb;,b7b7 of the ,head ,start ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihcg;b7b771 a lead agency to best direct the funds in a manner that improves the ,state's programs by carrying out the requirements of this title4 7f7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this title1 the ,secretary shall coordinate1 not less often than quarterly1 with the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services regarding the review of ,state plans as described in section #ajjja7;b7 and the implementation of the prekindergarten programs under this title4 7g7 ,reporting ,requirements 7#a7 ,state ,reports ,each ,state that receives a grant under this title shall submit to the ,secretary an annual report detailing the effectiveness of each prekindergarten program in that ,state funded under this title4 7#b7 ,report to ,congress ,the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce of the ,house of ,representatives an annual report that describes each ,state program of assistance for prekindergarten programs funded under this title4 7#c7 ,contents of ,reports ,a report submitted under paragraph 7#a7 or 7#b7 shall include-- 7,a7 a description of each action taken to move toward providing a high-quality prekindergarten education to all #d-year-olds2 7,b7 a summary of each measure that will be taken to achieve the goal of providing full day high-quality prekindergarten to all #d-year-olds1 including a timetable according to which such measures will be implemented2 7,c7 a description of all efforts to improve the integration of full day high-quality prekindergarten programs with the kindergarten through grade #ab education system2 and 7,d7 a description of all efforts to educate parents about best practices for the role of parents in the early education of a child4 #ajjjc4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this title such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years #bjad through #bjai4 4