PROSPECT Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2845
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Families
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-10: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Last Updated
- 2026-01-10T07:08:04Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers Act (PROSPECT Act) aims to improve access to high-quality, affordable child care for infants and toddlers (children under age 3) whose parents are students at community colleges or minority-serving institutions. It seeks to help these student parents complete their education by reducing child care barriers, while also building a diverse workforce of early childhood educators, particularly in underserved areas like child care "deserts" (communities with limited quality, affordable options) and communities of color.
Key Provisions
The bill is divided into three titles, focusing on grants, child care program enhancements, and student aid information.
Title I: Infant and Toddler Child Care Leadership Grants
- Authorization and Structure: Authorizes $9 billion in federal funding from fiscal years 2026 to 2030 for competitive grants administered by the U.S. Department of Education (in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services and Small Business Administration). Grants go to eligible entities: public community colleges, minority-serving institutions (e.g., historically Black colleges, tribal colleges), or consortia of these.
- Types of Grants:
- Planning Grants (1-year, up to $20 million per entity): Fund needs assessments, community committees (including student parents, faculty, and child care experts), and proposals for child care expansion. Required before other grants.
- Access Grants (4-year, up to $20 million per entity or $220 million for consortia): Provide free, high-quality child care for up to 500,000 infants and toddlers of student parents. Supports on-campus centers, subsidies for off-campus licensed providers, extended hours (including nontraditional times like evenings/weekends), drop-in or flexible care, and renovations for accessibility. Centers must prioritize low-income student parents (85% Pell Grant-eligible), pay staff living wages comparable to elementary educators, and meet quality standards (e.g., state licensing or accreditation).
- Impact Grants (4-year): Expand community child care supply and quality through training, mentorship, technical support, and microenterprise grants (small startup funds) for providers, especially in low-income or minority communities. Limits professional development to 30% of funds; prioritizes unlicensed and home-based providers.
- Pipeline Grants (4-year): Build educator workforce by funding new/expanded associate degrees, certificates, or courses in early childhood education (focusing on infants/toddlers, cultural responsiveness, and disabilities); microgrants for student costs; lab school upgrades; and partnerships with high schools or four-year colleges for seamless credit transfer.
- Application and Selection: Requires landscape reviews of needs and workforce, assurances for fair wages and nondiscrimination, and annual reports on outcomes (e.g., enrollment, persistence rates). Prioritizes low-income/Pell-eligible institutions, child care deserts, and at least one grant per state; 80% of funds to minority-serving institutions.
- Evaluation and Reporting: Secretary evaluates grants annually on metrics like student persistence, new child care spots, and workforce diversity; submits reports to Congress. Ensures privacy in data (e.g., anonymized demographics).
Title II: Child Care and Development Block Grant Program
- Expands eligibility for federal child care subsidies to include students in higher education, secondary education, or programs leading to a high school equivalency diploma.
- Requires states to avoid stricter eligibility rules than federal standards (e.g., no tighter income or work/education requirements).
- Increases federal matching funds to 90% for states providing infant/toddler care at 75%+ of market rates (based on surveys or cost models); other child care matches at standard Medicaid rates.
- Conforms rules to include on-campus centers funded by Title I grants, ensuring background checks for staff.
Title III: Outreach Regarding Dependent Care Allowance for Federal Student Aid
- Amends the Higher Education Act to require institutions to inform students about including dependent care costs in their "cost of attendance" for financial aid calculations (e.g., how it affects Pell Grants or loans).
- Mandates clear explanations of eligibility, aid impacts, and application processes in outreach materials.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Higher Education Act (1965): Expands child care support beyond current programs (e.g., Child Care Access Means Parents in School grants, which serve only ~0.5% of student parents and often exclude under-3s); adds dependent care allowance info-sharing.
- Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (1990): Broadens eligibility to postsecondary students; prevents states from imposing overly restrictive rules; integrates Title I-funded centers into subsidy and quality systems.
- Social Security Act: Boosts federal matching for infant/toddler care to incentivize states to meet market-rate benchmarks, potentially increasing overall child care funding.
- Introduces new grant programs not previously authorized, with mandates for living wages, cultural/linguistic responsiveness, and equity-focused reporting (e.g., disaggregated by race, income, disability).
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases workload for the Department of Education (grant administration, evaluations) and Department of Health and Human Services (consultations, market rate approvals). Could raise federal spending by $9 billion, with states gaining higher child care matches to support broader access.
- Citizens: Benefits ~5.4 million student parents (especially low-income, single mothers, Black parents, and those at community colleges) by providing free child care, boosting graduation rates (student parents drop out at twice the rate of others), and reducing debt/child care costs (averaging 24% of income). Enhances early child development through quality care, potentially improving long-term outcomes like school readiness. Builds diverse child care workforce, addressing shortages in deserts and minority communities.
- International Relations: None directly; focuses on domestic education and child welfare.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Student Parents: Primary beneficiaries, especially low-income, full/part-time students at community colleges (51% of student mothers) or minority-serving institutions, including those with children under 3, disabilities, or dual-language needs.
- Educational Institutions: Community colleges and minority-serving institutions gain funding to operate child care and training programs; must form committees and report data.
- Child Care Providers and Educators: Home-based/center providers receive training, microgrants, and networks; early childhood students get microgrants and pathways to credentials/degrees.
- Communities: Low-income, minority, and rural areas (child care deserts) see expanded access and quality; families overall benefit from state-level subsidy improvements.
- Federal/State Agencies: Departments of Education and Health/Human Services oversee implementation; states manage eligibility and rates.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens nondiscrimination protections (e.g., based on race, sex including pregnancy/gender identity, disability) enforceable like Civil Rights Act violations; requires ADA-compliant facilities and background checks. Aligns with privacy laws (e.g., FERPA) for anonymized reporting. No limits on existing federal programs, avoiding conflicts.
- Constitutional: Supports equal protection by targeting underserved groups (e.g., minorities, low-income), promoting educational access without infringing rights; federal funding conditional on state compliance upholds spending power.
- Political: Addresses child care crisis (e.g., high costs pushing families into poverty) and equity gaps in higher education; could spark debates on federal spending ($9B authorization) and wage mandates. Encourages bipartisanship on family support but may face scrutiny over grant priorities favoring minority institutions.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Rep. Norcross, Donald [D-NJ-1]
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-10: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-04-10: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2025-04-10: Introduced in House
- 2025-04-10: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Preparing and Resourcing Our Student Parents and Early Childhood Teachers Act — issued 2025-04-10 — PDF (57 pages)