1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to early childhood education; providing for
1.3 	early learning guidelines and a quality rating system;
1.4 	appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in
1.5 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 124D.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. [124D.145] EARLY LEARNING GUIDELINES.
1.8 		Subdivision 1.Department of education and department of
1.9 	human services. The commissioners of education and human
1.10 	services shall disseminate information to parents and provide
1.11 	information and training guidance to early care and education
1.12 	providers on the early learning guidelines developed for three-
1.13 	and four-year-old children that describe what children should
1.14 	know and be able to do to be prepared for kindergarten entrance.
1.15 		Subd. 2.Department of human services. The commissioner
1.16 	of human services shall develop early learning guidelines and
1.17 	distribute the guidelines to parents and early care and
1.18 	education providers.  The guidelines must include what children
1.19 	from birth to age three should know and be able to do to be
1.20 	prepared for kindergarten entrance.  The commissioner shall
1.21 	provide information to parents and information and training to
1.22 	early care education providers on the guidelines.
1.23 		Subd. 3.Early care and education program providers. An
1.24 	early care and education program or provider that receives state
1.25 	money must be provided with a copy of the early learning
2.1 	guidelines for children ages birth to age five developed by the
2.2 	commissioners of education and human services to guide their
2.3 	early care and education practices.

2.4 	Sec. 2. VOLUNTARY QUALITY RATING SYSTEM FOR CHILD CARE.
 2.5 	(a) The commissioner of human services, in partnership with
2.6 	the Ready 4 K Quality Rating System Task Force, shall develop a
2.7 	plan by January 15, 2006, for a voluntary quality rating system
2.8 	for child care that provides consumer information to parents,
2.9 	identifies quality child care settings, and raises the quality
2.10 	of care in child care settings.  The plan shall include the
2.11 	process for choosing an early care and education nonprofit
2.12 	organization to administer the quality rating system.
2.13 	(b) The quality rating system must:
2.14 	(1) be aligned with the early learning guidelines developed
2.15 	by the commissioners of education and human services;
2.16 	(2) be research-based;
2.17 	(3) provide easy-to-understand information for parents;
2.18 	(4) be objective and verifiable;
2.19 	(5) be fair and representative of the care provided by
2.20 	child care programs;
2.21 	(6) be aligned with the Head Start performance standards
2.22 	and the Minnesota Department of Education's standards for school
2.23 	readiness programs in the public schools; and 
2.24 	(7) include at a minimum:
2.25 	(i) quality learning environment indicators;
2.26 	(ii) staff qualification indicators;
2.27 	(iii) family involvement and parent education indicators;
2.28 	and 
2.29 	(iv) program evaluation.

2.30 	Sec. 3. APPROPRIATIONS.
 2.31 	(a) $....... in fiscal year 2006 and $....... in fiscal
2.32 	year 2007 are appropriated from the general fund to the
2.33 	commissioner of education for the purposes of section 1.
2.34 	(b) $....... in fiscal year 2006 and $....... in fiscal
2.35 	year 2007 are appropriated from the general fund to the
2.36 	commissioner of human services for the purposes of section 1.