---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 7931"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "7931"
heading: "Sense of Congress on early learning and child care"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/7931"
units:
  - "Chapter 70 — Strengthening and Improvement of Elementary and Secondary Schools"
  - "Subchapter VIII — General Provisions"
  - "Part F — Uniform Provisions"
  - "Subpart 2 — other provisions"
---

# §7931. Sense of Congress on early learning and child care


It is the Sense of the Congress that a [State](/usc/20/7171.md?p=b-6) retains the right to make decisions, free from Federal intrusion, concerning its system of early learning and [child](/usc/20/7801.md?p=3) care, and whether or not to use funding under this chapter to offer [early childhood education programs](/usc/20/7801.md?p=16). Such systems should continue to include robust choice for [parents](/usc/20/7801.md?p=38) through a mixed delivery system of services so [parents](/usc/20/7801.md?p=38) can determine the right early learning and [child](/usc/20/7801.md?p=3) care option for their children. [States](/usc/20/7171.md?p=b-6), while protecting the rights of early learning and [child](/usc/20/7801.md?p=3) care providers, retain the right to make decisions that shall include the age at which to set compulsory attendance in school, the content of a [State](/usc/20/7171.md?p=b-6)’s early learning guidelines, and how to determine quality in programs.


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 89–10, title VIII, § 8549B, as added Pub. L. 114–95, title VIII, § 8041, Dec. 10, 2015, 129 Stat. 2122.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 7931, Pub. L. 89–10, title IX, § 9301, as added Pub. L. 103–382, title I, § 101, Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 3805, set forth short title of the Alaska Native Educational Equity, Support and Assistance Act, prior to the general amendment of former subchapter IX of this chapter by Pub. L. 107–110.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as an Effective Date of 2015 Amendment note under section 6301 of this title.