§2019 Early Childhood Development Program

Summary

The Secretary must give grants to tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia so they can run early childhood development programs. Each recipient gets a share of the yearly money based on how many children under 6 are members of that tribe, the tribe that authorized the organization, or tribes in the consortium, compared to all eligible tribes and organizations. No grant can go to a tribe with fewer than 500 members, to an organization authorized only by tribes whose combined membership is under 500, or to a consortium whose member tribes total fewer than 500. To get a grant, the tribe, organization, or consortium must submit an application in the form and at the time the Secretary requires and describe the program they will run. Funded programs must coordinate with current services and can provide unmet needs for parents and children under 6, such as prenatal care, nutrition education, health screening, family literacy, testing, and other education services. They may teach tribal language, art, and culture and must include regular assessments. Family literacy programs must be coordinated with other federal Indian family literacy efforts to avoid duplication. Grants may include money for administrative costs. Congress may appropriate whatever sums are necessary to carry out the program.