§2152k — Title 22 Foreign Relations and Intercourse | U.S. Code

Summary

The United States must support early childhood development (ECD) in its foreign aid. Federal agencies must work with partner countries, donors, international groups, NGOs, faith groups, and the private sector to add proven ECD activities into aid programs. Partner countries should lead and get help to scale up the most effective, evidence-based national programs, include the most vulnerable children and those with disabilities, and use public‑private financing where possible. Within 1 year after January 1, 2021, the USAID Administrator, on behalf of the President and with the Secretary of State, must tell relevant federal agencies to include ECD in foreign assistance for the following 5 fiscal years and to promote inclusive ECD. Agencies must build on the June 2019 APCCA strategy, set evidence-based priorities and targets, run pilot projects with plans to scale them, include ECD in related sector plans (water, nutrition, education, etc.), improve coordination with foreign governments to favor family-based care over residential care, and consult with appropriate partners. The Special Advisor for Children in Adversity must report each year to Congress and the public on progress integrating ECD, agency efforts to follow these directions, and program-level results and gaps. The Special Advisor for Assistance to Orphans and Vulnerable Children should run a regular Interagency Working Group to coordinate monitoring, inclusive ECD initiatives, and U.S. Government programs across agencies. Defined terms: “appropriate congressional committees” = the Senate and House Appropriations and foreign affairs committees; “early childhood development” = learning and growth for children under 8; “early childhood development program” = programs that promote healthy growth, care, learning, protection and may include health/water, nutrition with stimulation, early stimulation for infants and toddlers, early learning up to age 8, and child protection focused on family care; “relevant Federal departments and agencies” = State, USAID, Treasury, Labor, Education, Agriculture, Defense, HHS (including CDC and NIH), Millennium Challenge Corporation, Peace Corps, and others the President names; “residential care” = non-family group settings like orphanages or group homes.

Title 22, §2152k

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In this section:

(1)The term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A)the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;

(B)the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

(C)the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and

(D)the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(2)The term “early childhood development” means the development and learning of a child younger than 8 years of age, including physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development and approaches to learning that allow a child to reach his or her full developmental potential.

(3)The term “early childhood development program” means a program that seeks to ensure that every child has the conditions for healthy growth, nurturing family-based care, development and learning, and protection from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect, which may include—

(A)a health, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene program that serves pregnant women, children younger than 5 years of age, and the parents of such children;

(B)a nutrition program, combined with stimulating child development activity;

(C)age appropriate cognitive stimulation, especially for newborns, infants, and toddlers, including an early childhood intervention program for children experiencing at-risk situations, developmental delays, disabilities, and behavioral and mental health conditions;

(D)an early learning (36 months and younger), preschool, and basic education program for children until they reach 8 years of age or complete primary school; or

(E)a child protection program, with an emphasis on the promotion of permanent, safe, and nurturing families, rather than placement in residential care or institutions, including for children with disabilities.

(4)The term “relevant Federal departments and agencies” means—

(A)the Department of State;

(B)the United States Agency for International Development;

(C)the Department of the Treasury;

(D)the Department of Labor;

(E)the Department of Education;

(F)the Department of Agriculture;

(G)the Department of Defense;

(H)the Department of Health and Human Services, including—

(i)the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and

(ii)the National Institutes of Health;

(I)the Millennium Challenge Corporation;

(J)the Peace Corps; and

(K)any other department or agency specified by the President for the purposes of this section.

(5)The term “residential care” means care provided in any non-family-based group setting, including orphanages, transit or interim care centers, children’s homes, children’s villages or cottage complexes, group homes, and boarding schools used primarily for care purposes as an alternative to a children’s home.

(b)It is the policy of the United States—

(1)to support early childhood development in relevant foreign assistance programs, including by integrating evidence-based, efficient, and effective interventions into relevant strategies and programs, in coordination with partner countries, other donors, international organizations, international financial institutions, local and international nongovernmental organizations, private sector partners, and civil society, including faith-based and community-based organizations; and

(2)to encourage partner countries to lead early childhood development initiatives that include incentives for building local capacity for continued implementation and measurable results, by—

(A)scaling up the most effective, evidence-based, national interventions, including for the most vulnerable populations and children with disabilities and developmental delays, with a focus on adaptation to country resources, cultures, and languages;

(B)designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs in a manner that enhances their quality, transparency, equity, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness in improving child and family outcomes in partner countries; and

(C)utilizing and expanding innovative public-private financing mechanisms.

(c)(1)Not later than 1 year after January 1, 2021, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development on behalf of the President and in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall direct relevant Federal departments and agencies—

(A)to incorporate, to the extent practical and relevant, early childhood development into foreign assistance programs to be carried out during the following 5 fiscal years; and

(B)to promote inclusive early childhood development in partner countries.

(2)In carrying out paragraph (1), the Administrator, the Secretary, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies as appropriate shall—

(A)build on the evidence and priorities outlined in “Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity: A U.S. Government Strategy for International Assistance 2019–2023”, published in June 2019 (referred to in this section as “APCCA”);

(B)to the extent practicable, identify evidence-based strategic priorities, indicators, outcomes, and targets, particularly emphasizing the most vulnerable populations and children with disabilities and developmental delays, to support inclusive early childhood development;

(C)support the design, implementation, and evaluation of pilot projects in partner countries, with the goal of taking such projects to scale;

(D)support inclusive early childhood development within all relevant sector strategies and public laws, including—

(i)the Global Water Strategy required under section 2152h(j) of this title;

(ii)the whole-of-government strategy required under section 9304 of this title;

(iii)the Basic Education Strategy set forth in section 2151c(c) of this title;

(iv)the U.S. Government Global Nutrition Coordination Plan, 2016–2021; and

(v)APCCA; and others as appropriate;

(E)improve coordination with foreign governments and international and regional organizations with respect to official country policies and plans to improve early childhood development, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition care, basic education, water, sanitation and hygiene, and child protection plans which promote nurturing, appropriate, protective, and permanent family care, while reducing the percentage of children living outside of family care, including in residential care or on the street; and

(F)consult with partner countries, other donors, international organizations, international financial institutions, local and international nongovernmental organizations, private sector partners and faith-based and community-based organizations, as appropriate.

(d)The Special Advisor for Children in Adversity shall include, in the annual report required under section 2152g of this title, which shall be submitted to the appropriate congressional committees and made publicly available, a description of—

(1)the progress made toward integrating early childhood development interventions into relevant strategies and programs;

(2)the efforts made by relevant Federal departments and agencies to implement subsection (c), with a particular focus on the activities described in such subsection; and

(3)the progress achieved during the reporting period toward meeting the goals, objectives, benchmarks, and timeframes described in subsection (c) at the program level, along with specific challenges or gaps that may require shifts in targeting or financing in the following fiscal year.

(e)The Special Advisor for Assistance to Orphans and Vulnerable Children should establish and regularly convene an Interagency Working Group on Children in Adversity which, among other things, will coordinate—

(1)intergovernmental and interagency monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of the activities carried out pursuant to this section;

(2)early childhood development initiatives that include children with a variety of needs and circumstances; and

(3)United States Government early childhood development programs, strategies, and partnerships across relevant Federal departments and agencies.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Rule of

Construction

Nothing in enactment of this section to be construed to restrict or abrogate any other authorization for United States Agency for International Development activities or programs, see section 1285 of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note under section 2152f of this title.

§2152k Assistance to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes Globally

Summary

Title 22, §2152k

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Construction

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