---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 9402"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "9402"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/9402"
units:
  - "Chapter 75 — Early Learning Opportunities"
---

# §9402. Definitions


In this chapter:

- (1) **Caregiver—** The term “caregiver” means an individual, including a relative, neighbor, or family friend, who regularly or frequently provides care, with or without compensation, for a child for whom the individual is not the [parent](#8).
- (2) **Child care provider—** The term “child care provider” means a provider of non-residential child care services (including center-based, family-based, and in-home child care services) for compensation who or that is legally operating under [State](#12) law, and complies with applicable [State](#12) and local requirements for the provision of child care services.
- (3) **Early learning—** The term “early learning”, used with respect to a program or activity, means learning designed to facilitate the development of cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional skills for, and to promote learning readiness in, young children.
- (4) **Early learning program—** The term “early learning program” means—
  - (A) a program of services or activities that helps [parents](#8), [caregivers](#1), and [child care providers](#2) incorporate [early learning](#3) into the daily lives of young children; or
  - (B) a program that directly provides [early learning](#3) to young children.
- (5) **Indian tribe—** The term “Indian tribe” has the meaning given the term in [section 5304 of title 25](/usc/25/5304.md).
- (6) **Local Council—** The term “Local Council” means a Local Council established or designated under [section 9413(a) of this title](/usc/20/9413.md?p=a) that serves one or more [localities](#7).
- (7) **Locality—** The term “locality” means a city, county, borough, township, or area served by another general purpose unit of local government, an [Indian tribe](#5), a [Regional Corporation](#10), or a Native Hawaiian entity.
- (8) **Parent—** The term “parent” means a biological parent, an adoptive parent, a stepparent, a foster parent, or a legal guardian of, or a person standing in loco parentis to, a child.
- (9) **Poverty line—** The term “poverty line” means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with [section 9902(2) of title 42](/usc/42/9902.md?p=2)) applicable to a family of the size involved.
- (10) **Regional Corporation—** The term “Regional Corporation” means an entity listed in [section 619(4)(B) of title 42](/usc/42/619.md?p=4-B).
- (11) **Secretary—** The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- (12) **State—** The term “State” means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- (13) **Training—** The term “training” means instruction in [early learning](#3) that—
  - (A) is required for certification under [State](#12) and local laws, regulations, and policies;
  - (B) is required to receive a nationally or [State](#12) recognized credential or its equivalent;
  - (C) is received in a postsecondary education program focused on [early learning](#3) or early childhood development in which the individual is enrolled; or
  - (D) is provided, certified, or sponsored by an organization that is recognized for its expertise in promoting [early learning](#3) or early childhood development.
- (14) **Young child—** The term “young child” means any child from birth to the age of mandatory school attendance in the [State](#12) where the child resides.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(1) [title VIII, § 803], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–81.)