Sec. 107. Activities to improve the quality of child care

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Section 658G of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 9848e ) is amended— in subsection (a)— in paragraph (1), by striking A State and all that follows through for activities and inserting A State that receives a payment under section 658J shall reserve and use the quality child care amount described in paragraph

(2)for activities ; by adding for all age groups of eligible children before , and is in alignment with ; and by striking paragraphs

(2)and

(3)and inserting the following: Such State shall reserve and use— during fiscal years 2020 through 2022, from each payment made to the State for a fiscal year, a quality child care amount equal to 50 percent of the allotment; and during fiscal year 2023 and each subsequent fiscal year, from each of the quarterly payments made to the State for a fiscal year, a quality child care amount equal to not more than 10 percent of 25 percent of the amount made available to the State to carry out this subchapter for the second preceding fiscal year. ; and by striking subsection

(b)and inserting the following: Quality child care amounts reserved under subsection

(a)shall be used to carry out activities that— consist of— each of the activities described in subparagraphs

(A)and

(B)of paragraph (2), and the activities described in paragraph (2)(C) under the circumstances described in that paragraph; the activities described in paragraph (3); at the election of the State, the activities described in paragraph (4); not fewer than one of the activities described in a subparagraph of paragraph (5); not fewer than one of the activities described in a subparagraph of paragraph (6), or in the matter preceding subparagraph

(A)of paragraph (6); each of the activities described in paragraph (7); one or more activities described in a subparagraph of paragraph (8); and at the election of the State during fiscal years 2020 through 2022— remodeling, renovation, or repair permitted under section 658F(b); or construction or renovation permitted under section 658O(b)(6), with priority for funding for such construction or renovation given to— providers of high-quality and inclusive care for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities; care during nontraditional hours; providers in rural areas; and providers in underserved areas or areas of concentrated poverty; and will improve the quality of child care services provided in the State. A State shall use quality child care amounts to improve the quality of child care providers across the State that are eligible for assistance under this subchapter, including by— making startup grants (including, in the case of providers of family, friend, or neighbor care, grants for activities described in paragraph (8)(H)) to child care providers that are not yet participating in the tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers described in section 658E(c)(2)(W)(i), in a fiscal year, and that commit to improve quality so that the provider involved can participate in that system in the subsequent fiscal year; making quality improvement grants to child care providers that meet the requirements for a tier of the State tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers described in section 658E(c)(2)(W)(i), in a fiscal year, and that commit to improve quality so that the provider involved can meet the requirements for a higher tier in the subsequent 3 fiscal years; and renewing a grant described in subparagraph

(A)or

(B)at the end of the applicable grant period, for a provider that demonstrates sufficient progress in meeting the goals for the grant. A State shall use quality child care amounts for activities that improve access to child care services for homeless children and children in foster care, including— the use of procedures to permit immediate enrollment of homeless children and children in foster care while required documentation is obtained; training and technical assistance on identifying and serving homeless children and their families, and children in foster care and their foster families; and specific outreach to homeless families and foster families. A State may use quality child care amounts to establish or support a system of local or regional child care resource and referral organizations that is coordinated, to the extent determined appropriate by the State, by a statewide public or private nonprofit, community-based or regionally based, lead child care resource and referral organization. The local or regional child care resource and referral organizations supported as described in subparagraph

(A)shall— provide parents in the State with consumer education information referred to in section 658E(c)(2)(E) (except as otherwise provided in that section), concerning the full range of child care options (including faith-based and community-based child care providers), analyzed by provider, including child care provided during nontraditional hours, child care provided through emergency child care centers, and inclusive child care options for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities, in their political subdivisions or regions; to the extent practicable, work directly with families who receive assistance under this subchapter to offer the families support and assistance, using information described in clause (i), to make an informed decision about which child care providers they will use, in an effort to ensure that the families are enrolling their children in the most appropriate child care setting to suit their needs and one that provides high-quality and inclusive care; collect data and provide information on the coordination of services and supports, including services provided under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1419 , 1431 et seq.), for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities, and services provided under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); collect data and provide information on the supply of and demand for child care services in political subdivisions or regions within the State and submit such information to the State; work to establish partnerships with public agencies and private entities, including faith-based and community-based child care providers, to increase the supply and quality of child care services in the State; as appropriate, coordinate their activities with the activities of the State lead agency and local agencies that administer funds made available in accordance with this subchapter; and work to establish partnerships with the parent resource centers established under section 672 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1472 ) to provide information about inclusive child care options for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities, including children with more significant disabilities and children with complex medical needs. A State shall use quality child care amounts for supporting the training and professional development of the child care workforce through activities such as those included under section 658E(c)(2)(G), in addition to— offering training, coaching, or professional development opportunities for child care providers that relate to the use of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate strategies to promote the social, emotional, physical, adaptive, communication, and cognitive development of children, including key programmatic strategies; and offering specialized training for child care providers caring for those populations prioritized in section 658E(c)(2)(Q), homeless children, children in foster care, children who are dual language learners, and children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities; incorporating the effective use of data to guide program improvement; implementing effective behavior management strategies (and related training), including implementing multitiered systems of support such as support through positive behavior interventions and supports, and trauma informed care, that— promote positive social and emotional development; prevent and reduce challenging behaviors, including by setting consistent expectations for all students; and eliminate suspensions, expulsions, and aversive behavioral interventions; providing training and outreach on engaging parents and families in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways, including for parents and families of dual language learners, to expand their knowledge, skills, and capacity to become meaningful partners in supporting their children’s positive development; providing training corresponding to the nutritional and physical activity needs of children to promote healthy development; providing training or professional development for child care providers regarding the early neurological development of children; connecting staff members of child care providers with available Federal and State financial aid, or other resources, that would assist the staff members in pursuing relevant postsecondary training; creating or expanding a statewide scholarship program for child care providers to obtain credentials related to child care; creating or expanding an apprenticeship program for child care providers in the early years of providing child care; providing training, scholarship opportunities, or apprenticeships for multilingual adults in order to expand the supply of high-quality, dual-language child care programs; supporting articulation agreements between public institutions of higher education that offer 2-year programs and public institutions of higher education that offer 4-year programs, for the purposes of facilitating, for child care providers or individuals seeking to become such providers, the transfer of postsecondary credits for coursework related to child care from such institutions with 2-year programs to such institutions with 4-year programs; providing training and professional development on child developmental milestones and evidence-based developmental screening practices that help identify infants, toddlers, and children to be referred for evaluation concerning eligibility for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); or undertaking efforts to improve the diversity of staff of eligible providers, including efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce. A State shall use quality child care amounts to promote and expand child care providers’ ability to provide developmentally appropriate services for infants and toddlers through activities that may include— training and professional development; and coaching and technical assistance on this age group’s unique needs from statewide networks of qualified infant-toddler specialists; improving infant and toddler components within the State’s tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers described in section 658E(c)(2)(W)(i), for child care providers for infants and toddlers, or developing infant and toddler components in a State’s child care licensing regulations or early learning and development guidelines; improving the ability of parents to access transparent and easy to understand consumer information about high-quality and inclusive care for infants and toddlers; or carrying 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 health and safety, infant and toddler cognitive and physical development, infant and toddler well-being, or infant and toddler social and emotional development, including providing health and safety training (including training in safe sleep practices, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for providers and caregivers. A State shall use quality child care amounts for activities to improve the supply of eligible child care providers that provide high-quality and inclusive care for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities through activities, which shall include— offering training, professional development, or coaching opportunities for child care providers that relate to the use of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and age-appropriate strategies in inclusive settings to promote the social, emotional, physical, adaptive, communication, and cognitive development of children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities, and their peers; improving the ability of parents to access transparent and easy-to-understand consumer information about high-quality and inclusive care for children with disabilities and infants and toddlers with disabilities; and promoting and expanding child care providers’ ability to provide developmentally appropriate services for infants and toddlers with disabilities through improved coordination of systems, services, and other activities with the providers and individuals who provide services or supports under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.). A State may use quality child care amounts for— improving upon the development or implementation of the early learning and developmental guidelines described in section 658E(c)(2)(T) by providing technical assistance to eligible child care providers that enhances the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development, including early childhood development, of participating preschool and school-aged children and supports their overall well-being; developing, implementing, or enhancing the State’s tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers, as described in section 658E(c)(2)(W)(i); facilitating compliance with State requirements for inspection, monitoring, training, and health and safety, and with State licensing standards; evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness of child care programs and services offered in the State, including evaluating how such programs positively impact children; supporting child care providers in the voluntary pursuit of accreditation by a national accrediting body with demonstrated, valid, and reliable program standards of high quality; supporting State or local efforts to develop or adopt high-quality program standards relating to health, mental health, social and emotional development, nutrition, physical activity, and physical development; activities that improve the availability of child care services, activities that improve access to child care services, and any other activity that the State determines to be appropriate to meet the purposes of this subchapter, with priority being given for services (including giving priority access to services through providers at the highest tier of the system described in section 658E(c)(2)(W)(i)) to homeless children, children in foster care, children of families with very low family incomes (taking into consideration family size), children with disabilities, and infants and toddlers with disabilities; activities to improve the quality of providers of family, friend, or neighbor care, which may include— offering education, training, business development, apprenticeship, mentoring, or leadership development opportunities for the providers; conducting home visits and coaching that provide one-on-one advice and support; conducting play and learn sessions or other types of peer networking; facilitating participation in the program carried out under this subchapter or the child and adult care food program established under section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1766 ); assistance in achieving licensure, if the provider wants to become licensed; and recruiting providers of family, friend, or neighbor care to build the supply of high-quality and inclusive care by such providers; supporting eligible child care providers to eliminate suspensions, expulsions, and aversive behavioral interventions, including through adaptations and interventions by special educators, mental health consultants, and other community resources, such as behavior coaches, psychologists, and other appropriate specialists; and promoting multitiered systems of support such as positive behavioral interventions and supports and trauma informed care that promote positive social and emotional development and reduce challenging behaviors; activities to improve the supply and quality of child care programs and services to provide high-quality and inclusive care for school-age children, which may include— establishing or expanding high-quality and inclusive school-age child care standards and a system of supports for such care that align with best practices for before- and after-school care and summer care; enhancing professional development and technical assistance opportunities for providers of school-age care; and improving the ability of parents to access transparent and easy to understand consumer information about high-quality and inclusive school-age care; establishing or expanding high-quality and inclusive community or neighborhood-based family and child development centers, which shall serve as resources for child care providers in order to improve the quality of early childhood services provided to children from low-income families and to help eligible child care providers improve their capacity to offer high-quality and inclusive, age-appropriate care; establishing or expanding the operation of community or neighborhood-based family child care networks; or supporting eligible child care providers in providing accessible comprehensive services for children and their families, including— screenings of vision, hearing, health (including mental health), dental health, and development (including early literacy and math skill development), which shall be coordinated with the activities carried out through the comprehensive child find system under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.); family engagement opportunities that take into account the language spoken in the child’s home, such as parent conferences (with opportunities for parents to provide input about the child’s development); and support services, such as parent education, home visiting, and family literacy services; nutrition services, including provision of nutritious meals and snack options aligned with the requirements in the most recent guidelines promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture for the Child and Adult Care Food Program authorized under section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1766 ); and regular, age-appropriate, nutrition education for children and their families; programs, carried out in coordination with local educational agencies and entities providing services and supports authorized under part B and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.; 1431 et seq.), to ensure the full participation of infants and toddlers with disabilities and children with disabilities in high-quality and inclusive child care settings; physical activity programs that— are aligned with evidence-based guidelines, such as those recommended by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and take into account and accommodate the needs of children with disabilities; and on-site service coordination, to the maximum extent feasible. .

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