Head Start for Our Future Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section would give the Act the short title 'Head Start for Our Future Act.'
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Head Start for Our Future Act .
2: Child development and early learning community services through Federal work-study programs
This section would change two parts of the Higher Education Act of 1965 that govern the Federal work-study program. First, section 441(c)(1) lists the kinds of community service work that colleges can count toward a student's work-study job. This section would add child development and early learning work, including work done through Head Start programs and Early Head Start programs under the Head Start Act, as an allowed category of community service, alongside the existing literacy training category (which would remain on the list). Second, section 443(b) lists the requirements that must be included in Federal work-study agreements. This section would add a new requirement, numbered paragraph (11), that these agreements include assurances that any Head Start program (including an Early Head Start program) that employs a student through a work-study job will comply with the new requirements added by section 3 of this Act: Early Head Start programs would have to follow section 645A(j) of the Head Start Act, and Head Start programs would have to follow section 648A(h) of the Head Start Act. The existing paragraph (11) of section 443(b) would be renumbered as paragraph (12), with no change to what it says, and a formatting change would remove the word 'and' after the semicolon in paragraph (10) so the list can continue with the new paragraph (11).
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2. Child development and early learning community services through Federal work-study programs (a) In general Section 441(c)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087–51(c)(1) ) is amended by striking literacy training and inserting child development and early learning (including Head Start programs and Early Head Start programs carried out under the Head Start Act ( 42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq. )), literacy training . (b) Agreement requirements Section 443(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087–53(b) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (10), by striking and after the semicolon; (2) by redesignating paragraph (11) as paragraph (12); and (3) by adding at the end the following: (11) provide assurances that any Head Start program, including an Early Head Start program, employing students through a work-study program under this part will comply with the requirements of sections 645A(j) and 648A(h), respectively, of the Head Start Act ( 42 U.S.C. 9840a(j) , 9843a(h)); and .
3: Head Start and Early Head Start requirements
This section would add new rules to the Head Start Act covering students who work in Head Start or Early Head Start programs through a Federal work-study job under section 441(c)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965. For a student serving an Early Head Start program, a new subsection (j) would be added to section 645A of the Head Start Act: before the Early Head Start agency employs the student, the agency must comply with the requirements of section 648A(g)(3) of the Head Start Act; the student must follow all personnel policies that apply to the Early Head Start program under the Head Start program performance standards; and the student serves as an additional paid staff member, but the student may not be left alone with any child in the program (a paid staff member who is not in a work-study job must be present whenever the student is serving), and the student does not count toward the staff included in any staff-to-child ratio that applies to the program. For a student serving a Head Start program (not an Early Head Start program), a new subsection (h) would be added to section 648A of the Head Start Act, with the same three rules: before the Head Start agency employs the student, the agency must comply with the requirements of subsection (g)(3) of that same section; the student must follow all personnel policies that apply to the Head Start program under the Head Start program performance standards; and the student serves as an additional paid staff member but may not be left alone with any child (a non-work-study paid staff member must be present when the student serves) and does not count toward the program's required staff-to-child ratio.
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3. Head Start and Early Head Start requirements (a) Early Head Start Section 645A of the Head Start Act ( 42 U.S.C. 9840a ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (j) Students in work-Study programs In the case of a student serving an Early Head Start program through a work-study program under section 441(c)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087–51(c)(1) )— (1) before the Early Head Start agency involved employs the student, the agency shall comply with the requirements of section 648A(g)(3); (2) the student shall comply with all personnel policies applicable to the Early Head Start program under the Head Start program performance standards issued under this subchapter; and (3) the student shall serve the Early Head Start program as an additional paid staff member but— (A) shall not be left alone with any child through the program, meaning that a paid staff member (not in such a work-study program) shall attend when the student so serves; and (B) shall not count toward the staff included in any staff-to-child ratio applicable to the Early Head Start program under this subchapter. . (b) Head Start Section 648A of the Head Start Act ( 42 U.S.C. 9843a ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (h) Students in work-Study programs In the case of a student serving a Head Start program (not an Early Head Start program) through a work-study program under section 441(c)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1087–51(c)(1) )— (1) before the Head Start agency involved employs the student, the agency shall comply with the requirements of subsection (g)(3); (2) the student shall comply with all personnel policies applicable to the Head Start program under the Head Start program performance standards issued under this subchapter; and (3) the student shall serve the Head Start program as an additional paid staff member but— (A) shall not be left alone with any child through the program, meaning that a paid staff member (not in such a work-study program) shall attend when the student so serves; and (B) shall not count toward the staff included in any staff-to-child ratio applicable to the Head Start program under this subchapter. .