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Week Ending September 23, 2005
HR 2123 to reauthorize the Head Start Act to improve the school readiness of disadvantaged children, and for other purposes.
BRIEF
The bill extends for five years, funding to the successful Head Start education programs that prepare the youngest of American students for entry to the educational system.
Allotments and limited use of Head Start funds and reserves are established for Indian, migrant and seasonal, training and technical assistance and Early Head Start programs, the Congressional Research Service concluded. Outreach to homeless families and migrant families and children with limited English. Homeless children are prioritized for enrollment.
The bill makes clear that homeless families may apply even if they do not have documents proving residency, immunization and other medical records, birth certificates and other documents providing those documents can be obtained in reasonable time.
States are not required to establish the program or to require any child to participate.
All curricula and materials must be scientifically based on being appropriate for the student’s age and available for the parents to inspect.
The bill also makes clear that community-based and faith-based organizations may be designated as Head Start agencies. Entities to be involved in the program must meet requirements for the readiness of the participating children, performance standards, instruction in pre-reading, pre-math and language skills and the entity must show the ability to provide health, education, nutrition, social and other services related to school readiness.
Grants to organizations that manage Head Start programs continues and priorities are given to entities that meet or exceed standards, have no area of noncompliance, employ qualified staff, have an independent board of directors to oversee all programs and meet adequate enrollment and other requirements.
Other elements of the bill require the program to assess itself on several levels including if it is in line with elementary school programs and there are some controls over money when enrollment drops below 95 percent of the funded enrollment level; the agency may recapture those funds.
It is required that at least fifty percent of the teaching staff have bachelor degrees or greater. Faith-based organizations would be authorized in the bill to circumvent civil rights laws and hire only those of the same religion if they want to.
Sponsor: Representative Michael N. Castle (R-DE)
Vote: Passed House 231 to 184 (RC 493) September 22, 2005 Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent. Signed by President Bush as Public Law 109-78. September 30, 2005
Cost to the taxpayers: Approximately $6 billion.
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MORE INFORMATION
THE FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE ISSUE
SECTION BY SECTION EXPLANATION FROM THE CONGREESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
School Readiness Act of 2005 - Amends the Head Start Act to revise and reauthorize Head Start programs.
(Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide financial assistance to Head Start agencies for five-year periods.
(Sec. 5) Extends the authorization of appropriations for Head Start programs through FY 2011.
(Sec. 6) Sets forth allotment provisions, as well as limitations on and authorized uses of Head Start funds. Reserves specified portions of Head Start funds for Indian, migrant and seasonal, training and technical assistance, and Early Head Start programs.
Revises authorized uses of quality improvement funds to include outreach to homeless families, migrant and seasonal farmworker families, and families with children with a limited English proficiency.
Directs the Secretary (who is currently authorized) to award collaboration grants for Head Start and other related-agencies within states.
Includes models that leverage existing capacities and capabilities of the delivery system of early childhood education and child care among locally designed or specialized service delivery models for Head Start programs.
Requires the Secretary, in allotting funds for expansion of Head Start programs, to consider the extent that an applicant: (1) has involved providers of family support services and protective services for children and families in community-wide strategic planning and needs assessments (among other entities); and (2) plans to coordinate its services with a community liaison designated under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001 (homeless education liaison), as well as (under current law) with the education services of the local educational agency (LEA).
Directs the Secretary to require Head Start agencies to: (1) implement policies and procedures to ensure that eligible homeless children are identified and prioritized for enrollment; (2) allow homeless families to apply to, enroll in, and attend Head Start programs while required documents, such as proof of residency, immunization and other medical records, birth certificates and other documents, are obtained within a reasonable time frame; and (3) coordinate individual Head Start centers and programs with efforts to implement homeless children education programs under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
Declares that nothing in the Act shall be construed to require: (1) a state to establish a program of early education for children; or (2) require any child to participate in a program of early education, attend school, or participate in any initial screening prior to participation in such program (except as provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
Requires all curricula and instructional materials funded under the Act to be: (1) scientifically based and age appropriate; and (2) available for parental inspection, upon request.
(Sec. 7) Includes community-based or faith-based organizations among the entities that may be designated as Head Start agencies.
Requires eligible entities, in order to be designated as Head Start agencies and receive financial assistance initially and subsequently, to establish and demonstrate they have met measurable goals for: (1) school readiness of participating children; (2) meeting performance standards; (3) educational instruction in pre-reading, pre-mathematical, and language skills; and (4) provision of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services related to school readiness. Requires such entities to align Head Start curricula with state-developed academic content standards and the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework developed by the Secretary.
Directs the Secretary to give priority in designation of Head Start agencies to those that: (1) are receiving Head Start assistance; (2) meet or exceed certain program, financial, and education standards; (3) have no unresolved area of noncompliance and have not been deemed deficient since the most recent designation; (4) employ qualified staff and provide ongoing professional development opportunities; (5) have an independent board of directors to provide direction and actively oversee all program activities; and (6) meet other criteria relating to adequate enrollment, curricula, child development outcomes, classroom environment, partnerships with various entities, fiscal controls, state child care licensing, parental involvement, and outreach to at-risk families.
Requires the Secretary, when no entity in a community has priority, to conduct an open competition among qualified applicants in such community. Directs the Secretary, in selecting from among qualified applicants for designation, to consider the effectiveness of each applicant to provide Head Start services, based on specified factors.
(Sec. 8) Revises the additional educational performance standards included as program quality standards, and performance measures for program monitoring.
Requires Head Start agencies to establish procedures for evaluating and correcting their delegate agencies, including procedures for defunding and for appealing defunding decisions.
Requires Head Start agencies to report to the Secretary on enrollment in their Head Start programs. Directs the Secretary to review such reports and develop plans to reduce or eliminate under-enrollment in the case of any agency operating a program with an enrollment that is less than 95 percent of its funded enrollment. Provides for recapture, reduction, or withholding of a portion of an agency's base grant in cases of programs with chronic under-enrollment.
(Sec. 9) Revises requirements for local Head Start agencies, including designation qualifications, coordination and collaboration, and assessment. Requires each agency to establish an independent board of directors. Requires each agency to enroll 100% of its funded enrollment, and to maintain an active waiting list and outreach to the community and underserved populations.
(Sec. 10) Requires local and state integration of early childhood education through: (1) Head Start agency partnerships with local educational agencies and state-funded preschool and other early childhood programs; (2) early learning collaboration grants for State Early Learning Councils; and (3) a State Director for Head Start Collaboration.
(Sec. 11) Requires Head Start alignment with K-12 education to ensure effective transition through: (1) continuity of developmentally appropriate curricula between Head Start and local educational agencies; (2) joint training, including transition-related training for school staff and Head Start staff; (3) family outreach and support, and continuity in parental involvement; (4) linking of the services provided; (5) increased program participation of underserved populations of eligible children; and (6) alignment of Head Start curricula with state early learning standards and the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework.
(Sec. 12) Requires Head Start agencies to publish and make available to the public annual reports that disclose specified financial and other program information.
(Sec. 13) Limits to ten percent of total enrollment the permissible participation of children in the area served who would benefit from Head Start programs, including children referred by child welfare agencies, but whose families do not meet prescribed low-income criteria.
Exempts military housing from being counted as family income in determining a child's eligibility to enroll in a Head Start program.
(Sec. 14) Revises requirements for Early Head Start programs for families with infants and toddlers.
Directs the Secretary to ensure that, by September 30, 2008, all teachers providing direct services to children and families in programs in Early Head Start centers have a minimum of a child development associate credential or an associate degree, and have been trained or have equivalent course work in early childhood development. Requires professional development to increase program participation for underserved populations of eligible children.
Provides for Early Head Start: (1) services to parents, including training in parenting skills and in basic child development; (2) coordination with home-based services; and (3) linkages with agencies and early intervention providers under the Individuals with Disabilities Act and with agencies under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.
Includes among eligible providers of Early Head Start services: (1) migrant and seasonal Head Start programs; and (2) community- and faith-based organizations.
(Sec. 15) Requires Head Start agencies to obtain written parental consent before administration of any nonemergency intrusive physical examination of a child in connection with participation in a Head Start program.
(Sec. 16) Prohibits use of Head Start funds to reimburse any Head Start financial assistance recipient for legal fees and other costs incurred in pursuing appeals of terminations, reductions, or suspensions of such assistance or of certain denials of applications for noncompeting continuation awards.
(Sec. 17) Requires Head Start agencies to undergo independent annual audits.
(Sec. 18) Revises training and technical assistance provisions.
Includes technical assistance for: (1) increasing program participation of homeless children; and (2) outreach and services to children with limited English proficiency and their families.
Includes community- and faith-based organizations among entities eligible for grants to train Head Start personnel in using performing and visual arts and interactive electronic media programs to enhance children's learning experiences.
Revises requirements for supporting an organization that administers a centralized child development and national assessment program leading to recognized credentials. Includes among such requirements training for personnel providing services to children who are: (1) abused or neglected; or (2) referred by or receiving child welfare services.
Directs the Secretary to provide funds to train Head Start personnel in addressing the unique needs of migrant and seasonal working families, families with a limited English proficiency, and homeless families.
Requires more than 50% of training and technical assistance funds expenditures to be used to provide classroom-focused training and technical assistance. Requires such funds to be used for activities related to: (1) education and early childhood development; (2) child health, nutrition, and safety; (3) family and community partnerships; or (4) other areas affecting the quality or effectiveness of Head Start programs.
(Sec. 19) Revises requirements for staff qualifications and development. Directs the Secretary to ensure that, by September 30, 2011, at least 50 percent of all Head Start teachers nationwide in center-based programs have a baccalaureate or advanced degree: (1) in early childhood education; or (2) in a field related to early childhood education, with experience in teaching preschool children. Requires all new Head Start teachers to have at least an associate degree or be enrolled in a program working towards that degree within three years of enactment of this Act.
Requires Head Start teachers who have received financial assistance under the Act to teach in a Head Start Center for an amount of time equal to the time period in which they received financial assistance.
Directs every Head Start agency and program to create professional development plans for all full-time employees who provide direct services to children.
(Sec. 20) Revises requirements for research, demonstrations, and evaluation.
Requires the use of Head Start programs to develop, test, and disseminate new ideas and approaches for addressing the needs of low-income abused or neglected children and their families and communities.
Repeals the mandate for a study comparing the educational achievement, social adaptation, and health status of children participating in Head Start programs with that of eligible children who do not participate.
Directs the Secretary to use certain funds to contract with the National Academy of Sciences for the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research Council to establish an independent panel of experts to: (1) review and synthesize research, theory, and applications in the social, behavioral, and biological sciences; and (2) make recommendations on early childhood pedagogy with regard to specified issues.
Directs the Secretary to study the status of children with limited English proficiency and their families in Head Start and Early Head Start programs.
(Sec. 21) Includes homeless children among those Head Start participants whose status the Secretary reports on biennially.
Requires the Secretary to report annually to specified congressional committees on the status of the National Reporting System.
(Sec. 22) Limits the rate of federal funding for compensation in excess of the level II rate of the Executive Schedule to any individual employed by a Head Start agency.
(Sec. 23) Prohibits use of Head Start funds: (1) for publicity or propaganda purposes unauthorized by Congress; or (2) unless authorized by federal law, to produce any prepackaged news story intended for broadcast or distribution unless such story includes a clear notification that it was prepared or funded by the Department of HHS.
Head Start was established in 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson as part of the War on Poverty and is one of the nation's most popular domestic programs. The program provides educational and other support services to prepare extremely low-income children for school. Strengthening early childhood education programs, including Head Start, is one of President George W. Bush's top domestic policy agenda items. Head Start is the federal government's largest effort to prepare the nation's most disadvantaged children for school.
Head Start provides a range of services, including education, nutrition, health, and parent training, to over 900,000 children and their families living in poverty. Federal Head Start funds are provided directly to local grantees, rather than through states. Programs are locally designed and administered by a network of more than 1,600 public and private non-profit and for-profit agencies, or grantees operating about 2,600 programs nation-wide. Grantees are required to reserve at least ten percent of their slots for children with disabilities. In 1994, Early Head Start was established to serve pre-natal mothers and infants and toddlers under the age of three.
The School Readiness Act of 2005, H.R. 2123, reforms Head Start to improve the overall school readiness of disadvantaged children through an increased focus on academic performance. Improving school preparedness and teacher quality are key components of H.R. 2123 since Head Start research consistently shows that participating children are making progress yet continuing to fall short of expectations by lagging behind their more affluent peers in some domains of achievement. Eliminating academic and developmental disparities early on is an important goal of this legislation given the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandate that children read on grade level by the end of third grade.
The School Readiness Act is based upon the Bush Administration's principles for Head Start that build upon the themes and conceptual framework for early childhood education outlined in the Good Start, Grow Smart plan introduced by the President in 2002. It includes provisions to strengthen program accountability, enhance the school readiness of participating children, and improve the integration of Head Start educational instruction with state pre-kindergarten programs. The School Readiness Act does not move the program's administrative functions from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Education or authorize states to administer the Head Start program.
FAITH-BASED INTITIATIVE
Approximately five percent of Head Start programs are operated by faith-based organizations. The Committee will propose an amendment to the School Readiness Act to provide consistent requirements for a religious organization with respect to the employment of individuals of a particular religion to perform work connected with activities for which they receive Head Start funding. This change will incorporate into Head Start the current exemption in hiring by religious organizations contained in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Currently under federal law, religious organizations may hire on a religious basis, and any federal legislation governing federal social service funds should continue to protect the rights of religious organizations to hire on a religious basis when they take part in federal social service efforts. However, the current Head Start act requires faith-based organizations to compromise their identity to compete for federal funds.
There is a long history of making social service legislation more inclusive by extending the Title VII exemptions in various federal programs. During the Clinton Administration, four separate pieces of legislation were signed into law that explicitly allow religious organizations providing social services to make employment decisions based on religion, including the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 and the Community Services Block Grant Act of 1998. The addition of this language to the School Readiness Act will make Head Start consistent with the legislation governing other major social service programs.
As President George W. Bush said on April 1, 2005, `[p]art of making sure you can do your job is to make sure regulations don't stand in the way of doing your job. Congress needs to make sure that faith-based groups are not forced to give up their right to hire people of their own faith as a price for competing for federal money. I'm pleased that the House voted a month ago [on the Workforce Investment Act reauthorization] to protect the civil rights of faith-based groups.' President Bush has called on his Administration and Congress to remove these barriers, and the Committee intends to allow the full House the opportunity to step up to that challenge when this bill receives floor consideration.
1. Castle of Delaware-An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 109-229 to revise the financial audit language in Section 17 to ensure that financial audit requirements for Head Start programs are consistent with those required under the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1986. Specifically extends to 270 days the time frame for completing program audits; clarifies that, upon the availability of resources, audit partners (not auditors) must be rotated every 5 years; and waives the board selection of a certified public accountant when public auditors are assigned by State law. In addition the amendment builds on parental consent requirements included in H.R. 2123 as reported, to further clarify that any health service available to children in Head Start may not be performed without the prior written consent of the parent. Health services include but are not limited to any medical, dental, developmental, mental health, social, or behavioral screening. Passed by voice vote.
2. Souder of Indiana-An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 109-229 to restore the current joint governance structure of the Head Start program by allowing the policy councils (which are composed of 51 percent current Head Start parents and 49 percent community representatives) to approve or disapprove most program planning and operation activities along with the board of directors. In the event of an impasse, the board and policy council would enter into a mediation process with a third party - as under current regulations. Gives the board the discretionary authority to act unilaterally without policy council approval in all cases involving serious fiscal management, fraud or criminal activity. Failed 153 to 266 RC 488
3. DeLauro of Connecticut-An amendment numbered 3 printed in House Report 109-229 to allow Head Start centers to develop or maintain partnerships with institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations to support college students that serve as mentors and reading coaches to preschool children. Passed by voice vote.
4. Stearns of Florida-n amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 109-229 to include in section 18, "Children with Disabilities," in the list of areas for training to be provided by the Secretary of Education. Passed 411 to 0 RC 489.
5. Davis of Illinois-An amendment numbered 5 printed in House Report 109-229 to direct the Secretary to implement an outreach program to train and recruit African-American and Latino-American men to become Head Start teachers in order to increase the provision of quality services and instructions to children with diverse backgrounds. Passed by voice vote.
6.Kind of Wisconsin-An amendment numbered 6 printed in House Report 109-229 to suspend further implementation of the National Reporting System while the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) conducts a review and provides guidance on appropriate child outcomes and assessments for young children, as authorized in H.R. 2123. Passed by voice vote.
7. Mica of Florida-An amendment numbered 7 printed in House Report 109-229 to direct the Secretary of HHS to undergo a management reform initiative. Requires HHS to utilize an outside management consulting firm to recommend and support the implementation of internal reforms to improve the Head Start Bureau's operational effectiveness. Passed by voice vote.
8, Filner of California--An amendment numbered 8 printed in House Report 109-229 to initiate a study to assess the impact of new Head Start teacher qualification and development regulations upon teacher retention. Passed by voice vote. Passed by voice vote
9. Millender-McDonald of California--An amendment numbered 9 printed in House Report 109-229 to encourage Head Start grantees to reduce barriers by directing them to increase their outreach to homeless and foster children. Encourages coordination between Head Start grantees and community service providers and homeless and foster children. Increases coordination for these populations as they transition out of Head Start to elementary school and increase reporting requirements. Allows homeless children and foster children to be automatically eligible for Head Start. Passed by voice vote.
10.Musgrave of Colorado--An amendment numbered 10 printed in House Report 109-229 to allow for profit providers of Head Start services to take profit from 15% administrative account. Failed 175 to 241 RC 491.
11. Woolsey of California--An amendment numbered 11 printed in House Report 109-229 to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assist Head Start programs in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Requires the Secretary to provide additional technical assistance, guidance, and resources to Head Start agencies in affected areas, waives documentation requirements for six months, and provides the Secretary with waiver authority to exempt programs from providing their local match. Passed by voice vote.
12. Boehner of Ohio--An amendment numbered 12 printed in House Report 109-229 to provide hiring protections for faith-based Head Start providers. This language is the same as the language from H.R. 2210 as passed by the House in the 108th Congress. Passed 220 to 196 RC 492.
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