1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to early childhood education; proposing a grant program; appropriating 
1.3 	money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 PROGRAM GRANTS.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. A multiyear, competitive planning and 
1.7 	implementation grant program is established to develop community-based prekindergarten 
1.8 	through grade 3 programs in public school collaborative settings that promote children's 
1.9 	school readiness and future school success, and assist families by coordinating early 
1.10 	childhood and early elementary initiatives that focus on closing the achievement gap.
1.11 		Subd. 2.Program components. Grant recipients must at least:
1.12 	(1) provide high-quality prekindergarten programming for three and four-year-olds 
1.13 	with appropriate community early care and education partners that:
1.14 	(i) where applicable, have an upper level rating based on a child-care quality 
1.15 	improvement and rating system for family child care or center-based care providers;
1.16 	(ii) obtain program accreditation under section 119B.13, subdivision 3a;
1.17 	(iii) offer programs meeting Head Start performance standards;
1.18 	(iv) offer school readiness programs in the public schools;
1.19 	(v) offer early childhood special education; or
1.20 	(vi) satisfy other quality standards determined by the commissioner of education;
1.21 	(2) provide all-day kindergarten that builds on children's prekindergarten 
1.22 	experiences;
1.23 	(3) align prekindergarten through grade 3 standards, curriculum, and assessments;
2.1 	(4) provide principals and teachers with ongoing professional development, 
2.2 	coaching, and mentoring, and sufficient planning time to implement a learning model;
2.3 	(5) require an early childhood professional with a bachelor's degree and relevant 
2.4 	specialized training to supervise early childhood classrooms, obtain training from the 
2.5 	Department of Education and local networks for early care and education providers in 
2.6 	assessing children and using the results to improve classroom practices and enable each 
2.7 	child to make progress, and require participating family child care providers to acquire 
2.8 	an associate's degree within two years of entering an early childhood classroom under 
2.9 	this program;
2.10 	(6) coordinate prekindergarten through grade 3 programs through:
2.11 	(i) colocation when possible;
2.12 	(ii) a designated prekindergarten through grade 3 leadership team composed of 
2.13 	prekindergarten and elementary school teachers and a school administrator authorized 
2.14 	to review and coordinate programs; and
2.15 	(iii) review of children's information at a meeting with program providers, on a 
2.16 	need-to-know basis, when a child transfers from prekindergarten to kindergarten;
2.17 	(7) implement small class sizes that include a preschool ratio of 17 to two and a 
2.18 	kindergarten through grade 3 ratio of 25 to two;
2.19 	(8) provide meaningful transition activities for four-year-old children who are 
2.20 	entering kindergarten in the next school year and their families that include:
2.21 	(i) a transition planning team composed of representatives from early care and 
2.22 	education programs, elementary school staff, parents, and community members;
2.23 	(ii) a developed plan that strengthens bonds among early care and education program 
2.24 	providers, elementary schools, and families;
2.25 	(iii) information and education for parents, program providers, and educators that 
2.26 	encompasses comprehensive child development, math, and literacy;
2.27 	(iv) information and education on school readiness, early childhood screening, 
2.28 	nutrition, and other relevant services;
2.29 	(v) activities beginning at least one school year before a child enters kindergarten 
2.30 	and occurring periodically at least six times during that school year; and
2.31 	(vi) activities that engage parents, children, licensed and unlicensed child-care 
2.32 	providers, public health agencies, local Head Start providers, libraries, and other local 
2.33 	service delivery organizations helping to get children ready for school;
2.34 	(9) promote parent involvement from prekindergarten through grade 3 using:
2.35 	(i) a parent resource room and parent information and education provided by 
2.36 	licensed parent educators or other community partners;
3.1 	(ii) home visiting; and
3.2 	(iii) parent meetings and related events;
3.3 	(10) provide accountability to parents and communities by evaluating programs 
3.4 	that assess children's progress, and facilitating schools' responsibility to report children's 
3.5 	progress to families, communities, the school district, and the state; and
3.6 	(11) provide or make referrals to counselors, nurses, social workers, and nutrition 
3.7 	and other social service providers to ensure that children receive the social and economic 
3.8 	support they need to learn.
3.9 		Subd. 3.Eligibility. An applicant for a grant must be a school district, tribal school, 
3.10 	or charter school. Seventy percent of grant funds are available to applicants having 50 
3.11 	percent or more of enrolled students eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch 
3.12 	program. The remaining 30 percent of grant funds are available to other applicants.
3.13 		Subd. 4.Grant application process. To obtain a grant, a school district, tribal 
3.14 	school, or charter school must submit an application to the commissioner of education in 
3.15 	the form and manner the commissioner determines. The application must:
3.16 	(1) describe the applicant's demographic characteristics;
3.17 	(2) propose a work plan;
3.18 	(3) indicate available matching funds; and
3.19 	(4) describe the applicant's efforts to collaborate with licensed child care providers 
3.20 	and Head Start programs.
3.21 		Subd. 5.Match. A grant recipient must provide a 15 percent local match for any 
3.22 	grant money it receives; five percent of the local match may be in-kind contributions. A 
3.23 	grant recipient must use all grants it receives to supplement but not supplant existing 
3.24 	early childhood initiatives in the community.
3.25 		Subd. 6.Reviewing applications; awarding grants. When reviewing applications, 
3.26 	the commissioner must determine whether an applicant has met all the requirements in 
3.27 	subdivisions 1 to 5. The commissioner may award up to 20 grants. Grant recipients must 
3.28 	be located throughout the state. The amount of the grant shall be based on the number 
3.29 	of children and families expected to participate in the program. Grant recipients must 
3.30 	use their grant money to implement this program and must not use their grant money to 
3.31 	supplant existing early childhood initiatives.
3.32 		Subd. 7.Sunset. This section sunsets on June 30, 2010.

3.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2008.

3.34 	Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION.
 4.1 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section 
4.2 	are appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal 
4.3 	year designated.
4.4 		Subd. 2.Prekindergarten through grade 3 program grants. For prekindergarten 
4.5 	through grade 3 program grants under section 1:

4.6		$
	5,000,000
	.....
	2009

4.7 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2008.