42 U.S.C. § 9831
Section 9831 · Statement of purpose
Amended 4 times on record
Applied in 41 court decisions — leading case City of New York v. Shalala (1994)
Most recently applied in Livingston Educ. Serv. v. Xavier Becerra (May 2022)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development—
(1) in a learning environment that supports children's growth in language, literacy, mathematics, science, social and emotional functioning, creative arts, physical skills, and approaches to learning; and
(2) through the provision to low-income children and their families of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services that are determined, based on family needs assessments, to be necessary.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Amendments
2007—Pub. L. 110–134 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “It is the purpose of this subchapter to promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of low-income children through the provision, to low-income children and their families, of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services that are determined, based on family needs assessments, to be necessary.”
1998—Pub. L. 105–285 amended section catchline and text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows:
“(a) In recognition of the role which Project Head Start has played in the effective delivery of comprehensive health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services to economically disadvantaged children and their families, it is the purpose of this subchapter to extend the authority for the appropriation of funds for such program.
“(b) In carrying out the provisions of this subchapter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall continue the administrative arrangement responsible for meeting the needs of migrant, non-English language background, and Indian children and shall assure that appropriate funding is provided to meet such needs.”
1990—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–501 inserted “, non-English language background,” after “migrant”.
Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 101–501 effective Oct. 1, 1990, see section 1001(a) of Pub. L. 101–501, set out as a note under section 8621 of this title.
Short Title
For short title of this subchapter as the “Head Start Act”, see section 635 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as a note under section 9801 of this title.