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HF 302

1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Bill Text Versions

Engrossments
Introduction Posted on 01/24/2007
1st Engrossment Posted on 03/01/2007

Current Version - 1st Engrossment

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A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; expanding the kindergarten developmental
assessment; proposing grant programs; appropriating money; proposing coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 124D.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [124D.1625] EXPANDING MDE DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT
ADMINISTERED TO ENTERING KINDERGARTNERS.
new text end

new text begin (a) The commissioner of education shall encourage school districts to implement the
voluntary school readiness kindergarten assessment initiative as follows:
new text end

new text begin (1) in the 2008-2009 school year, assess up to 30 percent of children;
new text end

new text begin (2) in the 2009-2010 school year, assess up to 50 percent of children;
new text end

new text begin (3) in the 2010-2011 school year, assess up to 75 percent of children; and
new text end

new text begin (4) in the 2011-2012 school year, assess up to 100 percent of children.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner must report the assessment results for the current school year
to the legislature by January 1 of the next year.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY HUB PLANNING AND
IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin A two-year grant program is established to increase
children's school readiness using early childhood community hubs. An early childhood
community hub must promote children's school readiness from before birth to kindergarten
by coordinating and improving families' access to:
new text end

new text begin (1) community early care and education services;
new text end

new text begin (2) school;
new text end

new text begin (3) health services; and
new text end

new text begin (4) other family support services that stabilize, support, and assist families in
meeting their children's health and developmental needs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Eligibility; application. new text end

new text begin (a) An applicant for a grant must be a school
district, a consortium of school districts, or a tribal school interested in collaborating with
community-based early childhood care and education providers to maximize the services
available to eligible families.
new text end

new text begin (b) An interested applicant must submit a plan to the commissioner of education,
in the form and manner the commissioner determines, to implement an early childhood
community hub that is located in a public school, a tribal school, or other appropriate
community location. An applicant must include in the plan a community-based assessment
of the existing resources and needs for providing high quality early care and education
services, health and mental health services, and other social services that support healthy
families and safe neighborhoods. A district superintendent or a designated representative,
or a tribal school principal or a designated representative, must oversee the community
collaboration.
new text end

new text begin (c) Interested applicants also may apply to make prekindergarten to grade 3 school
readiness and academic success a community hub component.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Program components. new text end

new text begin (a) Grant recipients must:
new text end

new text begin (1) provide for an ongoing assessment of local resources and needs for high quality
early care and education services, health and mental health services, and other social
services that support safe neighborhoods and healthy families;
new text end

new text begin (2) develop and implement, in consultation with an advisory committee under
subdivision 4, a plan to improve the healthy development and school readiness of children
from before birth to kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (3) develop collaborative partnerships among school-based early childhood
programs, kindergarten teachers and other school officials, community-based Head
Start and child care programs including licensed centers, family child care homes,
and unlicensed family friend and neighbor caregivers, early intervention interagency
committees, and other appropriate partners that:
new text end

new text begin (i) use the Minnesota child care resource and referral network to provide parents
with information on quality early care and education services and financial aid options for
their children from birth to kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (ii) provide high quality early care and education settings for children birth to
kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (iii) connect families to health, mental health, adult basic education, English
language learning, family literacy programs, and other relevant social services; and
new text end

new text begin (iv) promote shared professional development activities in early care and education
settings that integrate curriculum, assessment, and instruction and are aligned with
kindergarten through grade 12 standards;
new text end

new text begin (4) provide meaningful kindergarten transition services for families that begin one
school year before a child enters kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (5) develop and implement an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of the
collaboration, the level of parent satisfaction, and children's kindergarten readiness before
and after participating in the program; and
new text end

new text begin (6) assign an unduplicated MARSS number to each child participating in the
program.
new text end

new text begin (b) An applicant must agree to contract with a qualified person to coordinate the hub
who, at a minimum, must have:
new text end

new text begin (1) a bachelor's degree in early childhood development or a related field;
new text end

new text begin (2) experience working with low-income families from diverse cultural communities;
and
new text end

new text begin (3) experience working with state and community school readiness providers.
new text end

new text begin (c) An applicant must agree to provide a 15 percent local match for any grant money
it receives, of which five percent may be in in-kind contributions. A grant recipient must
use the grant, including the local match, to supplement but not supplant existing early
childhood initiatives in the community.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Advisory committees. new text end

new text begin Each early childhood community hub grantee must
have an advisory committee, which may be a preexisting early childhood committee or
a newly formed early childhood advisory committee. A newly formed early childhood
advisory committee must include at least the following members selected by the school
administrator who oversees the community collaboration:
new text end

new text begin (1) 30 percent parents;
new text end

new text begin (2) the school administrator who oversees the community collaboration;
new text end

new text begin (3) licensed kindergarten through grade 3 teachers;
new text end

new text begin (4) licensed child care providers that include family child care and center-based
providers;
new text end

new text begin (5) Head Start providers;
new text end

new text begin (6) early childhood family education and school readiness providers;
new text end

new text begin (7) early childhood special education providers;
new text end

new text begin (8) a child care resource and referral agency;
new text end

new text begin (9) community business leaders;
new text end

new text begin (10) an early intervention interagency committee liaison;
new text end

new text begin (11) other appropriate community members serving young children and their
families; and
new text end

new text begin (12) an official from a county-recognized labor organization that serves as a partner
with licensed family day care providers.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Prekindergarten to grade 3 school readiness and academic success
grant component.
new text end

new text begin Interested applicants also may apply to the commissioner to include
as part of the early childhood community hub a prekindergarten school readiness and
academic success component that:
new text end

new text begin (1) provides high-quality prekindergarten programming for three- and four-year-olds
with appropriate community early care and education partners that:
new text end

new text begin (i) where applicable, has an upper level rating based on a child care quality
improvement and rating system for family child care or center-based care providers,
consistent with section 119B.32;
new text end

new text begin (ii) is accredited under Minnesota Statutes, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a;
new text end

new text begin (iii) offers programs meeting Head Start performance standards; and
new text end

new text begin (vi) satisfies other commissioner-determined quality standards;
new text end

new text begin (2) provides all-day kindergarten that builds on children's prekindergarten
experiences;
new text end

new text begin (3) aligns prekindergarten through grade 3 standards, curriculum, and assessments;
new text end

new text begin (4) requires an early childhood professional with a bachelor's degree and relevant
specialized training to supervise early childhood classrooms;
new text end

new text begin (5) coordinates prekindergarten through grade 3 programs through co-location
where possible;
new text end

new text begin (6) provides meaningful transition activities for four-year-olds that begin one school
year before a child enters kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (7) promotes ongoing parent involvement from prekindergarten through grade 3; and
new text end

new text begin (8) uses periodic, age-appropriate child assessments to determine program
effectiveness.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Application review; grant awards. new text end

new text begin Only those applicants that meet
the requirements of this section are eligible to receive a grant. The commissioner must
determine the amount of each grant based upon the number of children and families the
grantee expects to serve, the nature of the programs and services the grantee expects to
provide or facilitate, and whether or not the grantee expects to include a prekindergarten
to grade 3 school readiness and academic success grant component in its community
hub program. The commissioner must award 60 percent of grant funds to applicants
having 50 percent or more of enrolled children eligible for the federal free and reduced
lunch program in the preceding school year; the remaining 40 percent of grant funds
are available to other applicants. To the extent feasible, the commissioner must award
grants in each of the governor's economic development regions and in each county in the
metropolitan area. Grant recipients must use the grant to implement this program and
must not use the grant to supplant existing early childhood initiatives. The Department of
Education must provide technical assistance to grantees upon request.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Evaluation. new text end

new text begin The commissioner must provide for an evaluation of this
grant program and must recommend to the education policy and finance committees of
the legislature by February 15, 2010, whether or not to expand the program throughout
the state.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Department of Education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Early childhood community hub planning and implementation grants.
new text end

new text begin For planning and implementation grants under section 2:
new text end

new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 5,000,000
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2008
new text end
new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 5,000,000
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2009
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Prekindergarten through grade 3 program grants. new text end

new text begin For grantees
receiving community hub planning and implementation grants that include a
prekindergarten through grade 3 program component under section 2, subdivision 5:
new text end

new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 5,000,000
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2008
new text end
new text begin $
new text end
new text begin 5,000,000
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2009
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Kindergarten readiness assessment. new text end

new text begin For the kindergarten readiness
assessment administered to entering kindergartners under Minnesota Statutes, section
124D.1625:
new text end

new text begin $
new text end
new text begin .......
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2008
new text end
new text begin $
new text end
new text begin .......
new text end
new text begin .....
new text end
new text begin 2009
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end