PRINTER'S NO. 705
No. 663 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY KUKOVICH, HELFRICK, BELAN, BODACK, WAGNER,
AFFLERBACH, O'PAKE, COSTA, STAPLETON, WILLIAMS, MUSTO, STOUT,
RHOADES AND KITCHEN, MARCH 12, 1997
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, MARCH 12, 1997
AN ACT
1 Providing for the establishment, implementation and
2 administration of a Head Start Supplemental Assistance
3 Program.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Head Start
8 Supplemental Assistance Act.
9 Section 2. Legislative findings.
10 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
11 (1) Project Head Start, a 25-year-old Federal program,
12 has been successful in preparing low-income preschool
13 children for integration into existing scholastic programs.
14 (2) By concentrating energies in the areas of education,
15 health, social services and parental involvement, Project
16 Head Start has prevented future social costs by correcting or
17 detecting a problem at its earliest and most easily solved
18 stage.
1 (3) Notwithstanding these outstanding achievements,
2 Project Head Start is currently estimated to be reaching only
3 55% of all eligible children within this Commonwealth.
4 (4) It is intended, through this legislative initiative,
5 that a supplemental financial assistance program be
6 established which will assist existing Head Start providers
7 to expand facilities and Head Start services to care for
8 additional eligible low-income children.
9 Section 3. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Department." The Department of Education of the
14 Commonwealth.
15 Section 4. Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
16 (a) Establishment.--The department shall, after consultation
17 with the Department of Public Welfare and the Department of
18 Health, establish, implement and administer a program consistent
19 with Federal Head Start standards to provide, by means of grants
20 or the purchase of service contracts, supplemental financial
21 assistance to the existing providers of Federal Head Start
22 services to enable them to provide additional Head Start
23 services to other eligible low-income children.
24 (b) Criteria.--The department, in awarding grants or
25 entering into contracts with existing Head Start providers,
26 shall apply the following criteria:
27 (1) The provider's ability to expand staff, space and
28 services to accommodate additional children.
29 (2) The provider's ability to provide 20% of the
30 approved costs of the programs or activities assisted under
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1 this act from non-Federal and non-State sources. This 20%
2 contribution may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,
3 including plant, equipment or services.
4 (3) The provider's past performance in providing a
5 quality Head Start Program to its clients.
6 (4) The need for additional Head Start services in the
7 provider's area, where need is to be determined by the
8 percentage of eligible children who are not served in the
9 area.
10 The department shall require the provider to meet the criteria
11 under paragraphs (1) and (2). Thereafter, the department shall
12 balance these criteria, giving equal emphasis to each one.
13 (c) Administration.--The department shall award the grants
14 or enter into contracts and may administer the Head Start
15 Supplemental Assistance Program or may contract with the Federal
16 regional office to administer the grant or contract with the
17 existing Head Start provider.
18 Section 5. Amount of supplemental assistance.
19 The department shall not award grants or enter into purchase
20 of service contracts in excess of $5,000,000 for fiscal year
21 1997-1998.
22 Section 6. Rules and regulations.
23 The department shall promulgate the rules and regulations
24 that are necessary to establish, implement and administer the
25 Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.
26 Section 7. Expiration.
27 This act shall expire June 30, 1998.
28 Section 8. Effective date.
29 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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