Supplemental funding to prime sponsors

(a) In general The Secretary is authorized to provide supplemental financial assistance for the activities described in subsection (b) or the purposes described in subsection (c), to prime sponsors, who— (1) demonstrate barriers— (A) to scaling the services and processes needed to fully implement the prime sponsors' child care and early learning programs; and (B) to meeting the national program standards; and (2) need financial assistance, as determined by the Secretary, for those activities or purposes, respectively. (b) Activities The Secretary may provide the supplemental financial assistance for activities consisting of— (1) conducting a facilities review as described in section 132(b)(2) and accessing adequate facilities; (2) establishing coordination arrangements and processes with other entities, including local educational agencies and related entities, organizations delivering health and social services in the service area involved, and the State; (3) establishing training and professional development protocols and processes under sections 135 and 136; (4) meeting accreditation requirements; (5) providing supports to enable family child care home providers to participate as providers within the child care and early learning program carried out by the prime sponsor involved and to enable the prime sponsor to meet the national program standards; (6) securing materials and resources for professional learning opportunities; and (7) other activities related to the establishment, expansion, and scaling of services and processes needed to fully implement the prime sponsor’s child care and early learning program and enable the prime sponsor to meet the national program standards. (c) Purposes The Secretary may provide the supplemental financial assistance to a prime sponsor that meets the requirements of subsection (a) and has difficulty in providing a non-Federal share because the prime sponsor serves an area with a high concentration of families with a family income of not more than, or slightly above, 200 percent of the poverty line, for the purposes of increasing the Federal share of the costs described in section 121(c)(2)(A).