1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to child care; establishing a child 
  1.3             development providers registry; appropriating money; 
  1.4             proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
  1.5             chapter 119B. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [119B.26] [CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROVIDERS 
  1.8   REGISTRY.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] To encourage quality 
  1.10  improvements in child care, and to identify providers who offer 
  1.11  child care that supports child development, the commissioner 
  1.12  shall establish and maintain a registry of child development 
  1.13  care facilities. 
  1.14     Subd. 2.  [CHILD DEVELOPMENT FACILITY.] A child development 
  1.15  facility is a child care facility that incorporates an 
  1.16  age-appropriate child development check list into its child care 
  1.17  services.  In caring for the children, observational techniques 
  1.18  and an approved developmental check list must be used for each 
  1.19  child.  The check list must be available to parents to review 
  1.20  and to discuss their child's progress with the care provider. 
  1.21     Subd. 3.  [REGISTRATION.] To be listed on the developmental 
  1.22  registry, a child care facility must submit to the commissioner: 
  1.23     (1) documentation that the caregiver or license holder and 
  1.24  all paid staff have been trained in the use of the approved 
  1.25  developmental check list; 
  2.1      (2) documentation on how the check list is used as a 
  2.2   parental information tool; and 
  2.3      (3) any other information required by the commissioner. 
  2.4      All information and documentation must be submitted in a 
  2.5   format and on forms specified by the commissioner.  The 
  2.6   commissioner must establish methods to ensure that the 
  2.7   registration material is accurate.  Only a facility that meets 
  2.8   the requirements under this section may be placed on the child 
  2.9   development facility registry and may describe itself as a 
  2.10  registered child development care facility. 
  2.11     Subd. 4.  [REGISTRY.] The commissioner shall maintain a 
  2.12  registry of child care facilities that meet the requirements 
  2.13  under subdivision 2.  The commissioner shall make available the 
  2.14  names of registered facilities to parents and guardians who need 
  2.15  child care services.  To the extent possible, the commissioner 
  2.16  shall make registry information available in an electronic 
  2.17  format. 
  2.18     Subd. 5.  [APPROVAL.] The commissioner shall approve one or 
  2.19  more developmental check lists for use by facilities to qualify 
  2.20  for the registry.  To be approved, a check list must be 
  2.21  research-based and have been used in Minnesota early childhood 
  2.22  programs including, but not limited to, the learning readiness 
  2.23  and first grade preparedness programs.  The commissioner shall 
  2.24  also establish training requirements for each approved 
  2.25  developmental check list. 
  2.26     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.27     $....... is appropriated from the general fund for fiscal 
  2.28  year 1999 to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  2.29  learning for the child development registry under section 1.