Supporting Parents in Education Act

Section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e) is amended to read as follows:

The purpose of this section is to support the participation and strengthen outcomes of eligible student parents in postsecondary education through the provision of child care services.

The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities to assist such entities in providing child care services to eligible student parents.

The amount of a grant awarded to an eligible entity under this section for a fiscal year shall be not less than $75,000.

The amount of a grant awarded to an eligible entity under this section for a fiscal year shall not exceed—

(i) in the case of an eligible entity that is an individual institution of higher education, 3 percent of the total amount of all Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students enrolled at the institution for the preceding fiscal year; or

(ii) in the case of an eligible entity that is a consortium of institutions of higher education, 3 percent of the total amount of all Federal Pell Grant funds awarded to students enrolled at all institutions in such consortium for the preceding fiscal year.

If the maximum amount of a grant calculated under subparagraph (B) for an eligible entity is less the minimum amount specified in subparagraph (A), the eligible entity shall be awarded a grant of $75,000.

The Secretary shall award a grant under this section for a period of 4 years.

Subject to subsection (e)(2), the Secretary shall make annual grant payments under this section.

Grant funds under this section shall be used by an eligible entity to carry out one or more of the following activities:

(A) Supporting or establishing child care services primarily serving the needs of eligible student parents served by the entity.

(B) Making grants to or entering into contracts or other agreements with local child care providers or other appropriate entities for purposes of providing eligible student parents with access to child care services.

(C) Providing or supporting additional services (other than direct child care services) to help eligible student parents served by the entity care for their children, including transportation, nutrition support, and health care services.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit an eligible entity that receives grant funds under this section from serving the child care needs of the community served by the entity.

The Secretary shall publicize the availability of grants under this section, including by—

(A) publishing notice of the availability of such grants in the Federal Register;

(B) informing appropriate educational, nonprofit, and child care organizations of such availability; and

(C) carrying out such other activities as the Secretary determines appropriate.

An eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may require. Each application shall—

(1) demonstrate that the entity is an eligible entity;

(2) in the case of an application from an eligible entity that is a consortium of institutions of higher education—

(A) identify each institution in the consortium;

(B) explain the reasons for the establishment of the consortium; and

(C) describe how institutions in the consortium will work together to meet the needs of eligible student parents;

(3) specify the amount of funds requested;

(4) demonstrate the need of eligible student parents served by the entity for child care services by including in the application—

(A) information regarding student demographics;

(B) to the maximum extent practicable, an assessment of child care capacity on or near each campus or other location served by the entity;

(C) information regarding additional needs created by community income levels or other factors;

(D) information about the number of eligible student parents projected to be served by the entity during the grant period which may be determined using historical or projected data regarding the numbers of eligible student parents enrolled in institutions that comprise the entity;

(E) information about the retention and completion rates of eligible student parents;

(F) information about the direct costs charged to eligible student parents;

(G) information on the types and average amounts of non-Federal aid given to eligible student parents; and

(H) other relevant data;

(5) contain a description of the activities to be funded with the grant, including whether the grant funds will support an existing child care program or a new child care program;

(6) identify the resources, including non-Federal resources, technical expertise, and community support, the entity will draw upon to support eligible student parents in accessing child care services, and provide an assurance that the expenditure of such resources will not result in compensatory increases in student tuition;

(7) contain an assurance that the entity will meet the child care needs of eligible student parents through the provision of services, or through a contract for the provision of services;

(8) identify each program of study in the field of early childhood education offered by the eligible entity and the CIP code assigned to such program;

(9) describe how the child care services supported with a grant under this section may be integrated with the programs of study identified under paragraph (8), including a description of whether and to what extent students enrolled in such programs may receive academic or other credit toward graduation requirements in conjunction with providing such services;

(10) in the case of an eligible entity seeking assistance for a new child care program or a new contract for the provision of child care services—

(A) provide a timeline, covering the period from receipt of the grant through the provision of the child care services, delineating the specific steps the entity will take to achieve the goal of providing eligible student parents with child care services;

(B) specify any measures the entity will take to assist eligible student parents with child care during the period before the entity provides child care services; and

(C) include a plan for identifying the resources needed for the child care services supported by the grant, including—

(i) space in which to provide such services; and

(ii) any technical assistance that may be required;

(11) include a certification that there are in effect within the State, under State or local law, requirements designed to protect the health and safety of children that are applicable to child care providers that provide services for which assistance is made available under this section;

(12) contain an assurance that any child care facility assisted under this section will meet the applicable State or local government licensing, certification, approval, provisional status, or registration requirements prior to serving children and families;

(13) describe how information regarding the availability of child care services will be provided to eligible student parents; and

(14) contain an abstract summarizing the contents of such application together with an explanation of how the entity intends to achieve the purpose described in subsection (a).

The Secretary shall give priority in awarding grants under this section to eligible entities that submit applications describing programs for eligible student parents to access child care services that—

(A) include efforts to leverage significant non-Federal, local, or institutional resources, including in-kind contributions, to support the activities assisted under this section;

(B) utilize a sliding fee scale for child care services provided under this section in order to maximize the number of eligible student parents served;

(C) coordinate with other community programs, as appropriate, to improve the quality of child care services and limit the cost of such services;

(D) include efforts to improve the completion rates and value-added earnings of eligible student parents and plans to evaluate the effectiveness of such efforts;

(E) include efforts by the eligible entity—

(i) to reduce the direct costs charged to eligible student parents; and

(ii) to increase the amount of non-Federal aid given to eligible student parents; and

(F) are integrated with programs of study in early childhood education identified under subsection (c)(8), including by allowing students enrolled in such programs to receive academic or other credit toward graduation requirements in conjunction with providing such services as described in subsection (c)(9).

The Secretary may provide technical assistance to eligible entities to help such entities qualify for, apply for, and maintain a grant under this section.

Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall report to the Secretary annually.

Each report under subparagraph (A) shall include—

(i) data on the population served by the child care program supported with a grant under this section, including—

(I) the total number of children served by the program and the age ranges of such children; and

(II) the total number of eligible student parents served by the program;

(ii) in the case of an eligible entity that is an institution of higher education, the number of such eligible student parents served by such program—

(I) who are attending an institution on a full-time basis;

(II) who are attending an institution on a part-time basis;

(III) who remain enrolled at an institution during the academic year for which such student parents received child care services supported under this section;

(IV) who remain enrolled at an institution during the academic year following the academic year in which such student parents first received such services;

(V) who graduate from an institution during the academic year for which such student parents received such services;

(VI) who transfer to a different institution during the academic year for which such student parents received such services; and

(VII) who withdraw from an institution during the academic year for which such student parents received such services;

(iii) in the case of an eligible entity that is a consortium of institutions of higher education, each category of information described in clause (ii) stated separately for the consortium as a whole and for each institution in the consortium;

(iv) information on the eligibility of eligible student parents for Federal Pell Grants (as described subsection (g)(6)(C)), including the average amount of Federal Pell Grants received by such student parents;

(v) the marital status of eligible student parents;

(vi) the average completion rate of eligible student parents;

(vii) information on sources of campus and community resources available to eligible student parents and the amount of non-Federal funding used by such parents to access child care services;

(viii) the fee structure for eligible student parents to receive child care services supported under this section, including a description of any sliding scale used to determine such fees;

(ix) the percentage of the grant funds received by the entity that was used directly to subsidize any fees charged for—

(I) campus-based child care services for eligible student parents; and

(II) off-campus child care services for eligible student parents;

(x) documentation that the child care services supported by the grant meet licensing, certification, approval, and registration requirements, as applicable; and

(xi) a description of how grant funds received under this section were used to pursue the goals of the entity as set forth in the application submitted by the entity under subsection (c).

On an annual basis, the Secretary shall publish the reports received under subparagraph (A) on a publicly accessible website of the Department of Education.

The Secretary shall make continuation awards under this section to an eligible entity only if the Secretary determines, on the basis of the reports submitted under paragraph (1), that the entity is—

(A) using funds only for authorized purposes;

(B) providing eligible student parents served by the entity with priority access to affordable, quality child care services, as provided under this section;

(C) implementing practices that, to the maximum extent practicable—

(i) improve the completion rates and value-added earnings of eligible student parents; and

(ii) reduce the direct costs charged to eligible student parents; and

(D) documenting a continued need for Federal funding under this section, while demonstrating how non-Federal sources will be leveraged to support a continuation award.

No funds provided under this section shall be used for construction, except for minor renovation or repair to meet applicable State or local health or safety requirements.

In this section:

The term child care services includes campus-based child care services and child care services provided in an off-campus setting that are accessible to eligible student parents.

The term CIP code means the six-digit taxonomic identification code assigned by an institution of higher education to a specific program of study at the institution, determined by the institution in accordance with the Classification of Instructional Programs published by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The term completion rate means—

(A) the percentage of students from an initial cohort enrolled at an institution of higher education that is a 2-year institution who have graduated from the institution or transferred to a 4-year institution of higher education; or

(B) the percentage of students from an initial cohort enrolled at an institution of higher education in the State that is a 4-year institution who have graduated from the institution.

The term direct costs means the total cost of all items included in the cost of attendance (as defined in section 472) that are billed to the student by the institution or otherwise required by the institution for enrollment.

The term eligible entity means—

(A) an institution of higher education that had an enrollment of not fewer than 150 eligible student parents in the most recently completed award year as of the date the determination is made; or

(B) a consortium of two or more institutions of higher education that had a total combined enrollment of not fewer than 150 eligible student parents in the most recently completed award year as of the date the determination is made.

The term eligible student parent means a student who—

(A) is the parent or guardian of one or more dependent children;

(B) is enrolled in an institution of higher education described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (5); and

(i) is eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 for the award year for which the determination is made; or

(ii) meets the financial eligibility criteria for receiving a Federal Pell Grant under section 401 for such award year but is not eligible for a Federal Pell Grant because the student is enrolled in a graduate or first professional course of study.

With respect to a student who received Federal financial aid under this title and who completed a program of study offered by an institution of higher education, the term value-added earnings means—

(i) the annual earnings of such student measured during the applicable earnings measurement period for such program (as determined under subparagraph (C)); minus

(ii) in the case of a student who completed a program of study that awards—

(I) an undergraduate credential, 150 percent of the poverty line applicable to a single individual as determined under section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) for such year; or

(II) a graduate credential, 300 percent of the poverty line applicable to a single individual as determined under section 673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)) for such year.

Except as provided in clause (ii), the Secretary shall use the geographic location of the institution at which a student completed a program of study to adjust the value-added earnings of the student calculated under subparagraph (A) by dividing—

(I) the difference between subclauses (I) and (II) of such subparagraph; by

(II) the most recent regional price parity index of the Bureau of Economics Analysis for the State or, as applicable, metropolitan area in which such institution is located.

The value-added earnings of a student calculated under subparagraph (A) shall not be adjusted based on geographic location in accordance with clause (i) if such student attended principally through distance education.

For the purpose of calculating the value-added earnings of a student, except as provided in clause (ii), the annual earnings of a student shall be measured—

(I) in the case of a program of study that awards an undergraduate certificate, post baccalaureate certificate, or graduate certificate, one year after the student completes such program;

(II) in the case of a program of study that awards an associate’s degree or master’s degree, 2 years after the student completes such program; and

(III) in the case of a program of study that awards a bachelor’s degree, doctoral degree, or professional degree, 4 years after the student completes such program.

The Secretary may, as the Secretary determines appropriate based on the characteristics of a program of study, extend an earnings measurement period described in clause (i) for a program of study that—

(I) requires completion of an additional educational program after completion of the program of study in order to obtain a licensure associated with the credential awarded for such program of study; and

(II) when combined with the program length of such additional educational program for licensure, has a total program length that exceeds the relevant earnings measurement period prescribed for such program of study under clause (i),

except that in no case shall the annual earnings of a student be measured more than 5 years after the student completes a program of study.

The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to grants made under section 419N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070e) on or after the date of enactment of this Act.