§9410 State Requirements

Summary

To get a grant, a State must have its money approved by the State legislature under State law, pick a Lead State Agency under section 9409(c) to run and watch over the grant, apply to the Secretary when and how the Secretary requires, use the funds in a competitive way across rural, urban, and suburban Local Councils, and help the Secretary make sure those Local Councils follow the rules. The State should fund a wide range of early learning programs that cover different ages and, as much as possible, give preference to Local Councils that serve the greatest-need areas (using State criteria approved by the Secretary) and those that can show they will cooperate to stretch resources. Local Councils should prefer projects that show collaboration, that offer continuity of services across ages, and that help parents or caregivers support early learning. The State must biennially check needs and resources, set measurable performance goals from that check, and only fund activities that match those goals. The State must report to the Secretary annually on progress and reasons for any goal changes. If the Secretary finds no progress, the State must submit a performance improvement plan and show reasonable progress to keep funding.