Head Start Improvement Act

Banks, Jim

Head Start Improvement Act This bill replaces the existing Head Start program with block grants to states and Indian tribes for prekindergarten (pre-K) education. Instead of providing direct financial assistance to Head Start agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall allot block grant funds for pre-K education among eligible states and tribes in accordance with&nbsp;their relative proportions of children, age three, four, or five, from low-income households.&nbsp;Grant recipients&nbsp;shall use the grant funds to (1)&nbsp;award subgrants to eligible entities&nbsp;that provide&nbsp;pre-K education programs; (2) administer such programs; and (3) provide technical assistance, oversight, monitoring, research, and training. Under current law, HHS is authorized to designate, monitor, and establish standards for&nbsp;Head Start agencies. The bill instead shifts&nbsp;pre-K program oversight and control&nbsp;to states and tribes. In addition, to the extent permitted under state law, grant recipients may use grant funds to establish (1) portable voucher systems that allow costs to be paid&nbsp;for attendance at&nbsp;private pre-K education programs; and (2) an education savings account that allows a parent of a low-income child to use a portion of the grant funds, or other available public or private funds added to the account, for expenses related to pre-K education. Under current law, federal financial assistance for a Head Start program&nbsp;is generally limited to&nbsp;80% of total program costs. The bill maintains this&nbsp;limitation by&nbsp;requiring grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to 20% of the grant amount.