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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§9858m Amounts Reserved; Allotments

Title 42 › CHAPTER 105 — COMMUNITY SERVICES PROGRAMS › SUBCHAPTER II–B — CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT › § 9858m

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must set aside parts of the child care money each year for certain uses. Up to 0.5% can go to Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. At least 2% must be kept for Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and that amount can be higher only if the yearly appropriation is bigger than it was in 2014 and if States still get at least what they got in 2014. Up to $1,500,000 each year is for a national toll‑free hotline and website. Up to 0.5% can pay for technical help and information sharing. The Secretary may reserve 0.5% for research, demonstrations, and outside evaluations. After those set‑asides, the remaining money is split so each State gets an allotment. Half of the remainder is shared based on each State’s number of children under 5 and the State’s allotment percentage. The other half is shared based on each State’s number of children in free or reduced‑price school lunch and the State’s allotment percentage. The allotment percentage equals U.S. per capita income divided by the State’s per capita income, capped between 0.8 and 1.2, updated every 2 years using a 3‑year average. Tribes can get grants for child care planning and services (usually on reservations), must coordinate with State lead agencies, submit reports, follow tribal standards the Secretary helps create, and may get up to 3‑year grants. The Secretary must use current federal data to make allotments. Any unused State or tribal funds are reallocated to others as described. “State” means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §9858m

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Amounts reserved
(1)Territories and possessions
The Secretary shall reserve not to exceed one half of 1 percent of the amount appropriated under this subchapter in each fiscal year for payments to Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be allotted in accordance with their respective needs.
(2)Indians tribes
(A)In general
The Secretary shall reserve not less than 2 percent of the amount appropriated under section 9858 of this title in each fiscal year for payments to Indian tribes and tribal organizations with applications approved under subsection (c).
(B)Limitations
Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall only reserve an amount that is greater than 2 percent of the amount appropriated under section 9858 of this title, for payments described in subparagraph (A), for a fiscal year (referred to in this subparagraph as the “reservation year”) if—
(i)the amount appropriated under section 9858 of this title for the reservation year is greater than the amount appropriated under section 9858 of this title for fiscal year 2014; and
(ii)the Secretary ensures that the amount allotted to States under subsection (b) for the reservation year is not less than the amount allotted to States under subsection (b) for fiscal year 2014.
(3)National toll-free hotline and Web site
The Secretary shall reserve up to $1,500,000 of the amount appropriated under this subchapter for each fiscal year for the operation of a national toll-free hotline and Web site, under section 9858j(b) of this title.
(4)Technical assistance
The Secretary shall reserve up to ½ of 1 percent of the amount appropriated under this subchapter for each fiscal year to support technical assistance and dissemination activities under paragraphs (3) and (4) of section 9858g(a) of this title.
(5)Research, demonstration, and evaluation
The Secretary may reserve ½ of 1 percent of the amount appropriated under this subchapter for each fiscal year to conduct research and demonstration activities, as well as periodic external, independent evaluations of the impact of the program described by this subchapter on increasing access to child care services and improving the safety and quality of child care services, using scientifically valid research methodologies, and to disseminate the key findings of those evaluations widely and on a timely basis.
(b)State allotment
(1)General rule
From the amounts appropriated under section 9858 of this title for each fiscal year remaining after reservations under subsection (a), the Secretary shall allot to each State an amount equal to the sum of— (A)
(B)an amount that bears the same ratio to 50 percent of such remainder as the product of the school lunch factor of the State and the allotment percentage of the State bears to the sum of the corresponding products for all States.
(2)Young child factor (3) School lunch factor (4) Allotment percentage
The term “young child factor” means the ratio of the number of children in the State under 5 years of age to the number of such children in all States as provided by the most recent annual estimates of population in the States by the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce.
(c)Payments for benefit of Indian children
(1)General authority
From amounts reserved under subsection (a)(2), the Secretary may make grants to or enter into contracts with Indian tribes or tribal organizations that submit applications under this section, for the planning and carrying out of programs or activities consistent with the purposes of this subchapter.
(2)Applications and requirements
An application for a grant or contract under this section shall provide that:
(A)Coordination
The applicant will coordinate, to the maximum extent feasible, with the lead agency in the State or States in which the applicant will carry out programs or activities under this section.
(B)Services on reservations
In the case of an applicant located in a State other than Alaska, California, or Oklahoma, programs and activities under this section will be carried out on the Indian reservation for the benefit of Indian children.
(C)Reports and audits
The applicant will make such reports on, and conduct such audits of, programs and activities under a grant or contract under this section as the Secretary may require.
(D)Licensing and standards
In lieu of any licensing and regulatory requirements applicable under State or local law, the Secretary, in consultation with Indian tribes and tribal organizations, shall develop minimum child care standards that shall be applicable to Indian tribes and tribal organizations receiving assistance under this subchapter. Such standards shall appropriately reflect Indian tribe and tribal organization needs and available resources, and shall include standards requiring a publicly available application, health and safety standards, and standards requiring a reservation of funds for activities to improve the quality of child care services provided to Indian children.
(3)Consideration of secretarial approval
In determining whether to approve an application for a grant or contract under this section, the Secretary shall take into consideration—
(A)the availability of child care services provided in accordance with this subchapter by the State or States in which the applicant proposes to carry out a program to provide child care services; and
(B)whether the applicant has the ability (including skills, personnel, resources, community support, and other necessary components) to satisfactorily carry out the proposed program or activity.
(4)Three-year limit
Grants or contracts under this section shall be for periods not to exceed 3 years.
(5)Dual eligibility of Indian children
The awarding of a grant or contract under this section for programs or activities to be conducted in a State or States shall not affect the eligibility of any Indian child to receive services provided or to participate in programs and activities carried out under a grant to the State or States under this subchapter.
(6)Construction or renovation of facilities
(A)Request for use of funds
An Indian tribe or tribal organization may submit to the Secretary a request to use amounts provided under this subsection for construction or renovation purposes.
(B)Determination
With respect to a request submitted under subparagraph (A), and except as provided in subparagraph (C), upon a determination by the Secretary that adequate facilities are not otherwise available to an Indian tribe or tribal organization to enable such tribe or organization to carry out child care programs in accordance with this subchapter, and that the lack of such facilities will inhibit the operation of such programs in the future, the Secretary may permit the tribe or organization to use assistance provided under this subsection to make payments for the construction or renovation of facilities that will be used to carry out such programs.
(C)Limitation
(i)In general
Except as provided in clause (ii), the Secretary may not permit an Indian tribe or tribal organization to use amounts provided under this subsection for construction or renovation if the use will result in a decrease in the level of child care services provided by the Indian tribe or tribal organization as compared to the level of child care services provided by the Indian tribe or tribal organization in the fiscal year preceding the year for which the determination under subparagraph (B) is being made.
(ii)Waiver
The Secretary shall waive the limitation described in clause (i) if—
(I)the Secretary determines that the decrease in the level of child care services provided by the Indian tribe or tribal organization is temporary; and
(II)the Indian tribe or tribal organization submits to the Secretary a plan that demonstrates that after the date on which the construction or renovation is completed—
(aa)the level of child care services will increase; or
(bb)the quality of child care services will improve.
(D)Uniform procedures
The Secretary shall develop and implement uniform procedures for the solicitation and consideration of requests under this paragraph.
(d)Data and information
The Secretary shall obtain from each appropriate Federal agency, the most recent data and information necessary to determine the allotments provided for in subsection (b).
(e)Reallotments
(1)In general
Any portion of the allotment under subsection (b) to a State that the Secretary determines is not required to carry out a State plan approved under section 9858c(d) of this title, in the period for which the allotment is made available, shall be reallotted by the Secretary to other States in proportion to the original allotments to the other States.
(2)Limitations
(A)Reduction
The amount of any reallotment to which a State is entitled to under paragraph (1) shall be reduced to the extent that it exceeds the amount that the Secretary estimates will be used in the State to carry out a State plan approved under section 9858c(d) of this title.
(B)Reallotments
The amount of such reduction shall be similarly reallotted among States for which no reduction in an allotment or reallotment is required by this subsection.
(3)Amounts reallotted
For purposes of any other section of this subchapter, any amount reallotted to a State under this subsection shall be considered to be part of the allotment made under subsection (b) to the State.
(4)Indian tribes or tribal organizations
Any portion of a grant or contract made to an Indian tribe or tribal organization under subsection (c) that the Secretary determines is not being used in a manner consistent with the provision of this subchapter in the period for which the grant or contract is made available, shall be allotted by the Secretary to other tribes or organizations that have submitted applications under subsection (c) in accordance with their respective needs.
(f)“State” defined
For the purposes of this section, the term “State” includes only the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), is act June 4, 1946, ch. 281, 60 Stat. 230, which is classified generally to chapter 13 (§ 1751 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1751 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 113–186, § 9(1)(A), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A), inserted heading, substituted “2 percent” for “1 percent, and not more than 2 percent,”, and added subpar. (B). Subsec. (a)(3) to (5). Pub. L. 113–186, § 9(1)(B), added pars. (3) to (5). Subsec. (c)(2)(D). Pub. L. 113–186, § 9(2)(A), added subpar. (D). Subsec. (c)(6)(C). Pub. L. 113–186, § 9(2)(B), added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary may not permit an Indian tribe or tribal organization to use amounts provided under this subsection for

Construction

or renovation if such use will result in a decrease in the level of child care services provided by the tribe or organization as compared to the level of such services provided by the tribe or organization in the fiscal year preceding the year for which the determination under subparagraph (B) is being made.” 1999—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 106–78 substituted “Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act” for “National School Lunch Act”. 1997—Subsec. (c)(6)(C). Pub. L. 105–33 substituted “subparagraph (B)” for “subparagraph (A)”. 1996—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 104–193, § 613(1)(A), made technical amendment to heading, inserted “and” before “the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands”, and struck out “, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands” before “to be allotted in accordance”. Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 104–193, § 613(1)(B), substituted “less than 1 percent, and not more than 2 percent,” for “more than 3 percent”. Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 104–193, § 613(2)(A), substituted “activities carried out” for “activities carried our”. Subsec. (c)(6). Pub. L. 104–193, § 613(2)(B), added par. (6). Subsec. (e)(4). Pub. L. 104–193, § 613(3), added par. (4). 1992—Pub. L. 102–401 and Pub. L. 102–586 made identical technical corrections to directory language of Pub. L. 101–508, § 5082(2), which added this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1997 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–33 effective as if included in the enactment of title VI of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–193, see section 5603 of Pub. L. 105–33, set out as a note under section 618 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 104–193 effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 615 of Pub. L. 104–193, set out as a note under section 9858 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 9858m

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110