Pre-K for USA Act

Summary

Pre-K for USA Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting jointly in accordance with an interagency agreement, to award competitive grants to local educational agencies or local governmental entities to develop, enhance, or expand high-quality preschool programs. Requires each of those programs to include structural elements that are evidence-based and nationally recognized as important for ensuring program quality, including, at a minimum: high staff qualifications, including having a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or in any field with a state-approved alternate pathway to teaching preschool children and having teaching assistants with appropriate credentials; high-quality professional development for all staff; at least 1 staff member for every 10 children; a class size that does not exceed 20 children; a full-day program; the full inclusion of disabled children; developmentally appropriate curricula and learning environments, that are aligned with state early learning and development standards, for at least the year preceding kindergarten; individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can participate fully in learning activities; instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of kindergarten through grade 12 teaching staff; program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement; onsite or accessible comprehensive services for children; and health and safety standards.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 25 June 2014

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 25 June 2014

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5736)

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 25 June 2014

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 25 June 2014

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

5. 17 November 2014

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in House · 25 June 2014 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 25 June 2014

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 25 June 2014

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 25 June 2014

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Fattah, Chaka [D-PA-2] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Garcia, Joe [D-FL-26] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] · D · Cosponsor
• Frederica Wilson · D · Cosponsor
• · hsed00 · Standing

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.