1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; providing funding for early childhood and family 
1.3 	education; allocating Head Start funds; educating new parents; extending early 
1.4 	childhood and family education programs and providing for grants; providing for 
1.5 	a kindergarten readiness assessment and intervention pilot program; providing for 
1.6 	a grant program for child care providers to offer school readiness; appropriating 
1.7 	money:amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections 119A.50, subdivision 1; 
1.8 	119A.52; 119A.53; 119A.545; 124D.13, subdivisions 2, 3;  Laws 2005, First 
1.9 	Special Session chapter 5, article 7, section 20, subdivision 5; proposing coding 
1.10 	for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 119A; 124D; repealing Minnesota 
1.11 	Statutes 2004, section 119A.51.
1.12 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.13 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119A.50, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.14 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The Department of Education is the 
1.15 	state agency responsible for administering the Head Start program. The commissioner 
1.16 	of education may make grantsshall allocate funds according to the formula in section 
1.17 	119A.52 to public or private nonprofit agencies for the purpose of providing supplemental 
1.18 	funds for the federal Head Start program.

1.19 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119A.52, is amended to read:
1.20 	119A.52 DISTRIBUTION OF APPROPRIATION AND PROGRAM 
1.21 	COORDINATION.
1.22 	The commissioner of education must distribute shall allocate money appropriated 
1.23 	for that purpose to federally designated Head Start program grantees programs to expand 
1.24 	services and to serve additional low-income children. Money must be allocated to each 
1.25 	project Head Start grantee in existence on the effective date of Laws 1989, chapter 282.
1.26 	Migrant and Indian reservation grantees programs must be initially allocated money 
2.1 	based on the grantees' programs' share of federal funds. The remaining money must be 
2.2 	initially allocated to the remaining local agencies based equally on the agencies' share of 
2.3 	federal funds and on the proportion of eligible children in the agencies' service area who 
2.4 	are not currently being served. upon the program's portion of eligible children not being 
2.5 	served within the geographic service area. Programs whose federal allocation exceeds 
2.6 	the number of eligible children within the geographic service area shall not receive an 
2.7 	allocation of state funds. A Head Start grantee program receiving an allocation of state 
2.8 	funds must be funded at a per child rate equal to its contracted, federally funded base level 
2.9 	for program accounts 20, 22, and 25 at the start of the fiscal year. In allocating funds under 
2.10 	this paragraph, the commissioner of education must assure that each Head Start grantee is 
2.11 	allocated no less funding in any fiscal year than was allocated to that grantee in fiscal year 
2.12 	1993. The commissioner may provide additional funding to grantees for start-up costs 
2.13 	incurred by grantees due to the increased number of children to be served. Before paying 
2.14 	money to the grantees programs, the commissioner must notify each grantee program of 
2.15 	its initial allocation, how the money must be used, and the number of low-income children 
2.16 	that must to be served with the allocation based upon the federally funded per child rate. 
2.17 	Each grantee program must present a work plan to the commissioner for approval. The 
2.18 	work plan must include the estimated number of low-income children and families it will 
2.19 	be able to serve, a description of the program design and service delivery area which 
2.20 	meets the needs of and encourages access by low-income working families, a program 
2.21 	design that ensures fair and equitable access to Head Start services for all populations and 
2.22 	parts of the service area, and a plan for coordinating services to maximize assistance for 
2.23 	child care costs available to families under chapter 119B. on the forms prescribed by 
2.24 	the commissioner under section 119A.535. Payments to programs shall be based on 
2.25 	the reported number of children actually served at the federally funded per child rate. 
2.26 	Programs shall be allowed to receive an advance of 25 percent of the total allocation at 
2.27 	the beginning of each fiscal year. For any grantee program that is not demonstrating 
2.28 	under section 119A.536, that they will actually serve the number of children the program 
2.29 	is funded to serve and therefor cannot utilize its full allocation, the commissioner must 
2.30 	reduce the allocation proportionately. Money available after the initial allocations are 
2.31 	reduced must be redistributed to eligible grantees programs demonstrating ability to serve 
2.32 	additional children. The redistribution of funds shall occur according to a schedule 
2.33 	determined by the commissioner.

2.34 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119A.53, is amended to read:
2.35 	119A.53 FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS.
3.1 	GranteesPrograms and the commissioner shall comply with federal regulations 
3.2 	governing the federal Head Start program, except for funding for innovative initiatives 
3.3 	under section  119A.52, which may be used to operate differently than federal Head 
3.4 	Start regulations. If a state statute or rule conflicts with a federal statute or regulation, 
3.5 	the state statute or rule prevails. 

3.6 	Sec. 4. [119A.535] APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.
3.7 	Eligible Head Start organizations must submit a plan to the department for approval 
3.8 	on a form and in the manner prescribed by the commissioner. The plan must include:
3.9 	(1) the estimated number of low-income children and families the program will be 
3.10 	able to serve;
3.11 	(2) a description of the program design and service delivery area which meets the 
3.12 	needs of and encourages access by low-income working families;
3.13 	(3) a program design that ensures fair and equitable access to Head Start services for 
3.14 	all populations and parts of the service area; and
3.15 	(4) a plan for coordinating services to maximize assistance for child care costs 
3.16 	available to families under chapter 119B.

3.17 	Sec. 5. [119A.536] REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
3.18 	Programs receiving Head Start funds must report to the commissioner the number of 
3.19 	children actually served according to the schedule determined and forms prescribed by 
3.20 	the commissioner.

3.21 	Sec. 6. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119A.545, is amended to read:
3.22 	119A.545 AUTHORITY TO WAIVE REQUIREMENTS DURING DISASTER 
3.23 	PERIODS.
3.24 	The commissioner of education may waive requirements under sections  119A.50
3.25 	to  119A.53 119A.535, for up to nine months after the disaster, for Head Start grantees
3.26 	programs in areas where a federal disaster has been declared under United States Code, 
3.27 	title 42, section 5121, et seq., or the governor has exercised authority under chapter 12. 
3.28 	The commissioner shall notify the chairs of the appropriate senate Family and Early 
3.29 	Childhood Education Budget Division, the senate Education Finance Committee, theand 
3.30 	house Family and Early Childhood Education Finance Division, the house Education 
3.31 	Committee, and the house Ways and Means Committeecommittees ten days before the 
3.32 	effective date of any waiver granted under this section. 

4.1 	Sec. 7. [124D.129] EDUCATE PARENTS PARTNERSHIP.
4.2 	The commissioner must work in partnership with health care providers and 
4.3 	community organizations to provide parent education information to parents of newborns 
4.4 	at the time of birth. The commissioner must coordinate the partnership and the distribution 
4.5 	of informational material to the parents of newborns before they leave the hospital. 
4.6 	The commissioner must develop a resource Web site that promotes, at a minimum, the 
4.7 	department Web site for information and links to resources on child development, parent 
4.8 	education, child care, and consumer safety information. 

4.9 	Sec. 8. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 124D.13, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
4.10 		Subd. 2.Program characteristics. (a) Early childhood family education programs 
4.11 	are programs for children in the period of life from birth to kindergarten, for the parents
4.12 	and other relatives of such these  children, and for expectant parents. To the extent 
4.13 	that funds are insufficient to provide programs for all children, early childhood family 
4.14 	education programs should emphasize programming for a child from birth to age three 
4.15 	and encourage parents and other relatives to involve four- and five-year-old children in 
4.16 	school readiness programs, and other public and nonpublic early learning programs. Early 
4.17 	childhood family education programs may include the following:
4.18 	(1) programs to educate parents and other relatives about the physical, mental, 
4.19 	and emotional development of children;
4.20 	(2) programs to enhance the skills of parents and other relatives in providing for 
4.21 	their children's learning and development;
4.22 	(3) learning experiences for children and parents and other relatives that promote 
4.23 	children's development;
4.24 	(4) activities designed to detect children's physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral 
4.25 	problems that may cause learning problems;
4.26 	(5) activities and materials designed to encourage self-esteem, skills, and behavior 
4.27 	that prevent sexual and other interpersonal violence;
4.28 	(6) educational materials which may be borrowed for home use;
4.29 	(7) information on related community resources;
4.30 	(8) programs to prevent child abuse and neglect;
4.31 	(9) other programs or activities to improve the health, development, and school 
4.32 	readiness of children; or
4.33 	(10) activities designed to maximize development during infancy.
4.34 	The programs must not include activities for children that do not require substantial 
4.35 	involvement of the children's parents or other relatives. The programs must be reviewed 
5.1 	periodically to assure the instruction and materials are not racially, culturally, or sexually 
5.2 	biased. The programs must encourage parents to be aware of practices that may affect 
5.3 	equitable development of children.
5.4 	(b) For the purposes of this section, "relative" or "relatives" means noncustodial 
5.5 	grandparents or other persons related to a child by blood, marriage, adoption, or foster 
5.6 	placement, excluding parents.

5.7 	Sec. 9. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 124D.13, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
5.8 		Subd. 3.Substantial parental involvement. The requirement of substantial 
5.9 	parentalor other relative involvement in subdivision 2 means that:
5.10 	(a) parents or other relatives must be physically present much of the time in classes 
5.11 	with their children or be in concurrent classes;
5.12 	(b) parenting education or family education must be an integral part of every early 
5.13 	childhood family education program;
5.14 	(c) early childhood family education appropriations must not be used for traditional 
5.15 	day care or nursery school, or similar programs; and
5.16 	(d) the form of parent involvement common to kindergarten, elementary school, or 
5.17 	early childhood special education programs such as parent conferences, newsletters, and 
5.18 	notes to parents do not qualify a program under subdivision 2.

5.19 	Sec. 10. [124D.137] EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY EDUCATION (ECFE) 
5.20 	PROGRAM GRANTS.
5.21 	(a) A grant program is established to extend early childhood and family education 
5.22 	(ECFE) programs to licensed family child care providers as defined under section 245A.02 
5.23 	subdivision 19, and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. ECFE programs may apply 
5.24 	for a grant to develop and implement a service model to assist child care providers and 
5.25 	caregivers to include an educational curriculum and developmental assessment appropriate 
5.26 	to the age of the children cared for by the provider or caregiver and parent education 
5.27 	support that the provider or caregiver can share with parents of the children. 
5.28 	(b) An ECFE program must submit an application to the commissioner in the form 
5.29 	and manner prescribed by the commissioner. The application must describe how the 
5.30 	applicant will develop and implement a service model. To the extent practicable, grant 
5.31 	recipients must be located throughout the state with at least one grant recipient in each of 
5.32 	the governor's economic development regions and each of the counties in the Minneapolis 
5.33 	and St. Paul metropolitan area. In addition to the geographical distribution of funds, the 
6.1 	commissioner shall consider the equitable distribution of grant funds to reflect the cultural 
6.2 	diversity of the service area.

6.3 	Sec. 11. [124D.162] KINDERGARTEN READINESS ASSESSMENT; 
6.4 	INTERVENTION PILOT PROGRAM.
6.5 		Subdivision 1.Assessment. The commissioner of education must implement 
6.6 	a kindergarten readiness assessment representative of incoming kindergartners. The 
6.7 	assessment must be based on the Department of Education Kindergarten Readiness 
6.8 	Assessment at kindergarten entrance pilot study. 
6.9 		Subd. 2.Intervention. A school district that participates in the kindergarten 
6.10 	readiness assessment under subdivision 1 must establish a kindergarten readiness 
6.11 	intervention pilot program to provide additional instruction for children who are assessed 
6.12 	and identified as being not yet proficient in the developmental areas of language, literacy, 
6.13 	and mathematical thinking. Each child will have a locally determined intervention 
6.14 	strategy focusing the curriculum content on the individualized needs of that child. The 
6.15 	commissioner, at a district's request, must assist the district and the school to develop 
6.16 	the intervention program. At the end of the kindergarten school year, the district must 
6.17 	reassess each child who receives an intervention to evaluate the progress of the child 
6.18 	over the kindergarten year and the success of the intervention strategy developed for that 
6.19 	child. The district must report the results of the intervention and year-end assessment to 
6.20 	the commissioner.

6.21 	Sec. 12. [124D.163] GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL READINESS IN 
6.22 	CHILD CARE SETTINGS .
6.23 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. A grant program is established to assist child care 
6.24 	centers, licensed family child care providers as defined under section 245A.02, and family, 
6.25 	friend, and neighbor caregivers to provide an educational component and implement 
6.26 	school readiness criteria in the child care setting. 
6.27 		Subd. 2.Eligibility; application process. (a) An applicant for a grant must be:
6.28 	 (1) a child care center eligible to participate in the federal Child and Adult Care 
6.29 	Food Program; 
6.30 	(2) licensed family child care provider as defined under section 245A.02; 
6.31 	(3) family, friend, or neighbor caregiver; or
6.32 	(4) organization serving family, friend, or neighbor caregivers. 
6.33 	(b) An applicant must develop a plan to implement the school readiness program 
6.34 	requirements as described under section 124D.15, subdivision 3. The applicant must 
7.1 	submit an application to the commissioner of education in the form and manner determined 
7.2 	by the commissioner. The application must include a description of the applicant's plan 
7.3 	to implement the school readiness program requirements.
7.4 		Subd. 3.Grant review; award. When reviewing an application, the commissioner 
7.5 	of education must determine whether all the requirements of subdivision 2 are met and 
7.6 	whether the applicant is able to implement its school readiness plan. The commissioner 
7.7 	may award grants to eligible applicants on a first come, first served basis to the extent that 
7.8 	funds are available. To the extent practicable, grant recipients must be located throughout 
7.9 	the state with at least one recipient in each of the governor's economic development 
7.10 	regions and each of the counties in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. In 
7.11 	addition to the geographical distribution of funds, the commissioner must consider the 
7.12 	equitable distribution of grant funds to reflect the cultural diversity of the service area.
7.13 		Subd. 4.Grant proceeds; certification.  (a) A recipient must use the grant proceeds 
7.14 	to implement its school readiness plan. A recipient meeting the requirements of section 
7.15 	124D.15, subdivision 3, shall receive certification from the commissioner designating the 
7.16 	recipient as a child care provider or caregiver that provides an educational component and 
7.17 	promotes school readiness in the child care setting. 
7.18 	(b) The commissioner of education must publicize a list of all child care providers 
7.19 	and caregivers receiving certification under this subdivision. The commissioner of human 
7.20 	services must include the certified child care providers and caregivers in its child care 
7.21 	resource and referral database.
7.22 		Subd. 5.Report. A grant recipient must demonstrate the impact of the educational 
7.23 	component and school readiness program requirements on the children in the child care 
7.24 	setting to the commissioner of education in a manner determined by the commissioner.

7.25 	Sec. 13. Laws 2005, First Special Session chapter 5, article 7, section 20, subdivision 
7.26 	5, is amended to read:
7.27 	
7.28 	Subd. 5. Head Start program. For Head Start programs  under Minnesota Statutes, 
7.29 	section 119A.52:  
7.30 	

7.31		$
	19,100,000
	.....
	2006
	
7.32		$
	19,100,000
	.....
	2007
	
7.33 	
7.34 	Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

8.1 	Sec. 14. APPROPRIATIONS.
 8.2 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
8.3 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
8.4 	designated.
8.5 		Subd. 2.Educate parents. For the Educate Parents Partnership under Minnesota 
8.6 	Statutes, section 124D.129:
8.7 	The base for this program in fiscal year 2008 and later is $50,000.

8.8		$
	80,000
	.....
	2007
	
8.9 		Subd. 3.School readiness in child care settings.  For grants to licensed family 
8.10 	child care providers and caregivers to implement school readiness programs under 
8.11 	Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.163:

8.12		$
	6,100,000
	.....
	2007
	
8.13 	Of this amount, $146,000 is to administer the grant program.
8.14 		Subd. 4.School readiness assessment and intervention pilot program.  For 
8.15 	the kindergarten readiness assessment and intervention pilot program under Minnesota 
8.16 	Statutes, section 124D.162:

8.17		$
	1,787,000
	.....
	2007
	
8.18 	Of this amount, $1,273,000 will be allocated to school districts at a rate of $1,000 
8.19 	per student identified as not yet proficient in language and literacy and $1,000 per student 
8.20 	identified as not yet proficient in mathematical thinking.
8.21 	Of this amount, $514,000 is for the scoring of the student assessments, development, 
8.22 	and management of assessment database, teacher stipends, and training and technical 
8.23 	assistance to school districts.
8.24 		Subd. 5.Early childhood and family education program grants. For grants to 
8.25 	extend early childhood and family education (ECFE) programs under Minnesota Statutes, 
8.26 	section 124D.137:

8.27		$
	2,100,000
	.....
	2007
	
8.28 	Of this amount, $124,000 is to administer the grant program and develop and 
8.29 	maintain a program database.

8.30 	Sec. 15.  REPEALER.
 8.31 	Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 119A.51, is repealed.