1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to human services; establishing a family, friend, and neighbor grant 
1.3 	program to promote children's early literacy, healthy development, and school 
1.4 	readiness, and to foster community partnerships to promote children's school 
1.5 	readiness; appropriating money.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. FAMILY, FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR GRANT PROGRAM.
 1.8 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. A family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) grant 
1.9 	program is established to promote childrena??s early literacy, healthy development, and 
1.10 	school readiness, and to foster community partnerships to promote childrena??s school 
1.11 	readiness. The commissioner of human services shall make grants available to fund: 
1.12 	community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes working with 
1.13 	FFN caregivers under subdivision 2, paragraph (a); and community-based partnerships to 
1.14 	implement early literacy programs under subdivision 2, paragraph (b).
1.15 		Subd. 2.Program components. (a)(1) Grants that the commissioner awards under 
1.16 	this section must be used by community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and 
1.17 	Indian tribes working with FFN caregivers in local communities, cultural communities, 
1.18 	and Indian tribes to:
1.19 	(i) provide training, support, and resources to FFN caregivers in order to improve 
1.20 	and promote childrena??s health, safety, nutrition, and school readiness;
1.21 	(ii) connect FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with appropriate community 
1.22 	resources that support the familiesa?? health, mental health, economic, and developmental 
1.23 	needs;
1.24 	(iii) connect FFN caregivers and childrena??s families to early childhood screening 
1.25 	programs and facilitate referrals where appropriate;
2.1 	(iv) provide FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with information about early 
2.2 	learning guidelines from the Departments of Human Services and Education;
2.3 	(v) provide FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with information about becoming 
2.4 	a licensed family child care provider; and
2.5 	(vi) provide FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with information about early 
2.6 	learning allowances and enrollment opportunities in high quality community-based 
2.7 	child-care and preschool programs.
2.8 	(2) Grants that the commissioner awards under paragraph (a) also may be used for:
2.9 	(i) health and safety and early learning kits for FFN caregivers;
2.10 	(ii) play-and-learn groups with FFN caregivers;
2.11 	(iii) culturally appropriate early childhood training for FFN caregivers;
2.12 	(iv) transportation for FFN caregivers and childrena??s families to school readiness 
2.13 	and other early childhood training activities;
2.14 	(v) other activities that promote school readiness;
2.15 	(vi) data collection and evaluation;
2.16 	(vii) staff outreach and outreach activities;
2.17 	(viii) translation needs; or
2.18 	(ix) administrative costs that equal up to 12 percent of the recipienta??s grant award.
2.19 	(b) Grants that the commissioner awards under this section also must be used to fund 
2.20 	partnerships among Minnesota public and regional library systems, community-based 
2.21 	organizations, nonprofit organizations, and Indian tribes to implement early literacy 
2.22 	programs in low-income communities, including tribal communities, to:
2.23 	(1) purchase and equip early childhood read-mobiles that provide FFN caregivers 
2.24 	and childrena??s families with books, training, and early literacy activities;
2.25 	(2) provide FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with translations of early 
2.26 	childhood books, training, and early literacy activities in native languages; or
2.27 	(3) provide FFN caregivers and childrena??s families with early literacy activities in 
2.28 	local libraries.
2.29 		Subd. 3.Grant awards. Interested entities eligible to receive a grant under 
2.30 	this section may apply to the commissioner in the form and manner the commissioner 
2.31 	determines. The commissioner shall awards grants to eligible entities consistent with 
2.32 	the requirements of this section.
2.33 		Subd. 4.Evaluation. The commissioner, in consultation with early childhood 
2.34 	care and education experts at the University of Minnesota, must evaluate the impact of 
2.35 	the grants under subdivision 2, paragraphs (a) and (b), on childrena??s school readiness and 
3.1 	submit a written report to the human services and education finance and policy committees 
3.2 	of the legislature by February 15, 2010.

3.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

3.4 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; FAMILY, FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR GRANT 
3.5 	PROGRAM.
 3.6 	$....... in fiscal year 2008 and $....... in fiscal year 2009 are appropriated from the 
3.7 	general fund to the commissioner of human services for the family, friend, and neighbor 
3.8 	grant program in section 1. Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available 
3.9 	in the second year.