SF 3080

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 03/28/2025 10:26 a.m.

A bill for an act
relating to workforce development; appropriating money for an online early
childhood development professional educator program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin APPROPRIATION; ONLINE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR PROGRAM.
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new text begin (a) $750,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $750,000 in fiscal year 2027 are appropriated from
the workforce development fund to the commissioner of employment and economic
development, in consultation with the commissioner of children, youth, and families, for
the purchase and operation of an online early childhood development professional educator
program to be available at no cost to early childhood educators, Minnesota residents, and
high school students. Of this amount, up to $250,000 each year is for reimbursing
participating schools for the expense of supporting the program. School reimbursements
must be done on a first-come, first-served basis, though at least 50 percent must go to schools
outside the seven-county metropolitan area, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section
473.121, subdivision 2. This is a onetime appropriation.
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new text begin (b) The program selected must:
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new text begin (1) include all of the coursework in English or Spanish necessary to earn a child
development associate credential upon successful completion;
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new text begin (2) provide courses allowing for the award of continuing education units accredited by
the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training;
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new text begin (3) provide health and safety courses meeting federal annual training requirements under
the child care development block grant and the child care and development fund;
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new text begin (4) be usable for students in high school career and technical programs if requested by
school districts;
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new text begin (5) be based on research and developmentally appropriate practices as defined by national
professional organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young
Children;
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new text begin (6) include content that spans early childhood development from birth to age five and
that covers topics such as developmental milestones, health and safety, working with children
with special needs, supporting families, the Science of Reading, and running a high-quality
early education program;
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new text begin (7) include videos, interactive games, knowledge checks, and writing assignments;
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new text begin (8) have a system for program administrators and state agencies to capture course
completion data, certification status, and individual and group professional development
progress;
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new text begin (9) be accessible on a range of computers, tablets, and mobile devices;
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new text begin (10) include professional development opportunities that are both synchronous and
asynchronous;
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new text begin (11) foster a professional learning community with access to early childhood content
experts and opportunities to share knowledge with peers around the country;
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new text begin (12) provide a user-friendly system with support by a customer help desk; and
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new text begin (13) support a professional development system housed on a learning management
system with proven capability to provide reliable simultaneous access to a network of early
educators.
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