§ 7293 — Ready To Learn Programming

(1) Awards made to eligible entities described in paragraph (3) to fulfill the purpose described in section 7291(a)(2) of this title shall— (A) be known as “Ready to Learn Programming awards”; and (B) be used to— (i) develop, produce, and distribute accessible educational and instructional video programming for preschool and elementary school children and their parents in order to facilitate student academic achievement; (ii) facilitate the development, directly or through contracts with producers of children’s and family educational television programming, of educational programming for preschool and elementary school children, and the accompanying support materials and services that promote the effective use of such programming; (iii) facilitate the development of programming and digital content containing Ready-to-Learn programming and resources for parents and caregivers that is specially designed for nationwide distribution over public television stations’ digital broadcasting channels and the Internet; (iv) contract with entities (such as public telecommunications entities) so that programming developed under this section is disseminated and distributed to the widest possible audience appropriate to be served by the programming, and through the use of the most appropriate distribution technologies; and (v) develop and disseminate education and training materials, including interactive programs and programs adaptable to distance learning technologies, that are designed— (I) to promote school readiness; and (II) to promote the effective use of materials developed under clauses (ii) and (iii) among parents, family members, teachers, principals and other school leaders, Head Start providers, providers of family literacy services, child care providers, early childhood educators, elementary school teachers, public libraries, and after-school program personnel caring for preschool and elementary school children. (2) In awarding or entering into grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that eligible entities described in paragraph (3) make programming widely available, with support materials as appropriate, to young children, parents, child care workers, Head Start providers, and providers of family literacy services to increase the effective use of such programming. (3) To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section, an entity shall be a public telecommunications entity that is able to demonstrate each of the following: (A) A capacity for the development and national distribution of educational and instructional television programming of high quality that is accessible by a large majority of disadvantaged preschool and elementary school children. (B) A capacity to contract with the producers of children’s television programming for the purpose of developing educational television programming of high quality. (C) A capacity, consistent with the entity’s mission and nonprofit nature, to negotiate such contracts in a manner that returns to the entity an appropriate share of any ancillary income from sales of any program-related products. (D) A capacity to localize programming and materials to meet specific State and local needs and to provide educational outreach at the local level. (4) An entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall consult with the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services— (A) to maximize the use of high-quality educational programming by preschool and elementary school children, and make such programming widely available to Federally funded programs serving such populations; and (B) to coordinate activities with Federal programs that have major training components for early childhood development, including programs under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.) and State training activities funded under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.) [42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.], regarding the availability and utilization of materials developed under paragraph (1)(B)(v) to enhance parent and child care provider skills in early childhood development and education. (b) To be eligible to receive a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may reasonably require. The application shall include— (1) a description of the activities to be carried out under this section; (2) a list of the types of entities with which such entity will enter into contracts under subsection (a)(1)(B)(iv); (3) a description of the activities the entity will undertake widely to disseminate the content developed under this section; and (4) a description of how the entity will comply with subsection (a)(2). (1) An entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual report. The report shall describe the program activities undertaken with funds received under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, including each of the following: (A) The programming that has been developed, directly or indirectly, by the eligible entity, and the target population of the programming. (B) The support and training materials that have been developed to accompany the programming, and the method by which the materials are distributed to consumers and users of the programming. (C) The means by which programming developed under this section has been distributed, including the distance learning technologies that have been utilized to make programming available, and the geographic distribution achieved through such technologies. (D) The initiatives undertaken by the entity to develop public-private partnerships to secure non-Federal support for the development, distribution, and broadcast of educational and instructional programming. (2) The Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a biannual report that includes the following: (A) A summary of the activities assisted under subsection (a). (B) A description of the education and training materials made available under subsection (a)(1)(B)(v), the manner in which outreach has been conducted to inform parents and child care providers of the availability of such materials, and the manner in which such materials have been distributed in accordance with such subsection. (d) An entity that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section may use up to 5 percent of the amount received under the grant, contract, or agreement for the normal and customary expenses of administering the grant, contract, or agreement. (e) Not less than 60 percent of the amount used by the Secretary to carry out this section for each fiscal year shall be used to carry out activities under clauses (ii) through (iv) of subsection (a)(1)(B).