Comprehensive Child Development Act

Comprehensive Child Development Act - States the finding of Congress that: (1) millions of children are suffering from lack of child development services; (2) comprehensive child development programs should be available to all children; (3) priority to preschool children with greatest economic and social needs; (4) no mother may be forced to work in order for children to receive services; and (5) such programs should be undertaken as a partnership of parents, community, State, and local government.

Title I: Comprehensive Child Development Programs, Direction to Establish Program - Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to support activities under this title.

Lists activities for which funds can be provided, including: planning and development of programs; establishing, maintaining, and operating comprehensive programs with a broad range of activities; design, acquisition, construction, alteration, renovation or remodeling of facilities including mobile facilities; training programs for professionals, paraprofessionals, parents, older family members and prospective parents; public information activities; child advocate staff; and administrative expenses.

Authorizes any State, city, county, combination of units of local government, or Indian tribal organization to serve as prime sponsors.

Permits the Secretary to designate such prime sponsor upon receipt of an application which: (1) establishes a Child Development Council (CDC) to plan, conduct, coordinate, and monitor programs; (2) establishes Local Policy Councils (LPC's) elected by parents of eligible children to serve appropriate subdivisions within the prime sponsorship area; and (3) delegates administrative responsibility to an appropriate local agency.

Authorizes a public or private non-profit agency or organization to become a prime sponsor if the appropriate unit of local government has shown insensitivity to the needs of economically disadvantaged people.

Requires submission by a prime sponsor and the Secretary's approval of a Comprehensive Child Development Plan before a governmental prime sponsor may receive financial assistance under this title.

Sets forth requirements which each such plan shall contain.

Authorizes funding by a prime sponsor of a qualified public or private agency which submits an application to run a child development program, which provides comprehensive services for children served, assures adequate personnel, and meets the appropriate provisions of the Comprehensive Child Development Plan.

Authorizes funding by the Secretary of a non-governmental prime sponsor which submits a project application.

Allows construction only of facilities essential to provide child development services, where use of existing facilities is shown to be not practicable. Authorizes the Secretary to establish interests rates for construction loans, with a 3 percent minimum rate. Provides grants and loans for construction limited to 50 percent of total cost except for private nonprofit grounds, and limits construction to 15 percent of total allotment to a prime sponsor and limits grants for construction to 7 1/2 percent of the total.

Provides for the Federal Government to share 80 percent (with allowance for Secretary to pay up to 100 percent if necessary to provide services) of the costs to prime sponsors of programs for economically disadvantaged children; 50 percent Federal share of cost to prime sponsors of programs for children not economically disadvantaged; and 100 percent Federal share of migrant and Indian programs.

Provides an open-ended authorization of appropriations for fiscal year 1973 and each succeeding fiscal year to carry out the provisions of this title.

Reserves for the Secretary funds for migrant and Indian programs at a ratio equal to the ratio of such children to the total number of economically disadvantaged children in the nation; 5 percent for the Secretary's discretionary use, with the remainder apportioned among the States as follows: (1) 50 percent according to the ratio of economically disadvantaged children in the State, (2) 25 percent according to the ratio of children through age 5; and (3) 25 percent according to the ratio of children of working mothers and single parents. Allots State's apportionments among prime sponsors according to the same formula.

Provides for reallotment of unused funds among prime sponsors and among States. Prohibits any State or local government from reducing its expenditures for child development or day care.

Establishes an Office of Child Development (OCD) to be the principal agency to administer this Act.

Provides for the promulgation of Federal standards of Child Development Services, applicable to all programs receiving assistance under this Act.

Provides for the promulgation of a Minimum Uniform Code for Facilities, which shall replace State and local standards for all facilities which receive assistance under this Act or in which programs which receive assistance under this Act are operated.

Provides for maximum utilization of existing Federal, State, and local public facilities, including school buildings for child development programs.

Repeals, consolidates, and coordinates existing child development programs, effective July 1, 1973.

Title II: Facilities for Child Development Programs - Authorizes a program of mortgage insurance for child development facilities, administered by the Secretary of HEW, to provide a source of funds.

Title III: Training of Child Development Personnel - Authorizes $20,000,000 each for programs to train professional child development personnel and for programs to train paraprofessional child development personnel under the Higher Education Act.

Authorizes National Defense Education Act loans for training of full-time teachers in child development programs

Authorizes training grants to individuals in child development programs.

Authorizes a $5,000,000 annual appropriation for such grants.

Title IV: Federal Government Child Development Programs - Authorizes direct grants to establish and operate programs for children of Federal employees. Authorizes $5 million in fiscal year 1972 and each fiscal year thereafter to operate such program.

Title V: Evaluation and Technical Assistance - Authorizes the Office of Child Development to evaluate Federal involvement in child development and to provide technical assistance to prime sponsors and project applicants. Authorizes such funds as necessary to carry out such activities.

Title VI: National Center For Child Development and Education - Establishes a National Center within the Office of Child Development to conduct, coordinate, and disseminate research on child development. Authorizes such appropriations as may be necessary to operate the Center.

Title VII: General Provisions - Provides for advance appropriations and advance funding of programs.

Prohibits Federal control of programs under this Act.