HF 913

as introduced - 87th Legislature (2011 - 2012) Posted on 03/07/2011 09:36am

A bill for an act
elating to education; continuing implementation of quality rating and
improvement system for child care; appropriating money; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2010, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a; proposing coding for new law
in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 124D.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a, is amended to
read:

Subd. 3a.

Provider rate differential for accreditation.

A family child care
provider or child care center shall be paid a 15 percent differential above the maximum
rate established in subdivision 1, up to the actual provider rate, if the provider or
center holds a current early childhood development credential new text begin , has received the highest
possible rating available through the quality rating and improvement system under
section 124D.143, new text end or is accredited. For a family child care provider, early childhood
development credential and accreditation includes an individual who has earned a child
development associate degree, a child development associate credential, a diploma
in child development from a Minnesota state technical college, or a bachelor's or
post baccalaureate degree in early childhood education from an accredited college or
university, or who is accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care or
the Competency Based Training and Assessment Program. For a child care center,
accreditation includes accreditation by the National Association for the Education of
Young Children, the Council on Accreditation, the National Early Childhood Program
Accreditation, the National School-Age Care Association, or the National Head Start
Association Program of Excellence. For Montessori programs, accreditation includes
the American Montessori Society, Association of Montessori International-USA, or the
National Center for Montessori Education.

Sec. 2.

new text begin [124D.143] QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
IMPLEMENTATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Implementation of a quality rating and improvement system. new text end

new text begin (a)
The commissioner of human services, in cooperation with the commissioner of education,
shall phase in the implementation of a voluntary quality rating and improvement system
for early learning and care programs. The system must build on the quality rating and
improvement system in use in fiscal year 2011. The program must be designed to ensure
that Minnesota's children have access to high-quality services in a range of settings so
that children entering kindergarten are ready for kindergarten by 2020, as stated in section
124D.142.
new text end

new text begin (b) For purposes of this section, "early learning and care programs" include:
new text end

new text begin (1) licensed center-based child care programs under section 119B.011;
new text end

new text begin (2) licensed family and group family child care homes under section 119B.011;
new text end

new text begin (3) Head Start programs under section 119A.50; and
new text end

new text begin (4) school readiness programs under section 124D.15.
new text end

new text begin (c) The quality rating and improvement system must:
new text end

new text begin (1) set research-based program standards and quality indicators designed to improve
the educational outcomes of children so that they are ready for school;
new text end

new text begin (2) assess program quality using the program standards and indicators and issue
quality ratings to participating early learning and care programs;
new text end

new text begin (3) establish a database to collect, store, analyze, and report data for quality ratings
and to track improvement supports and incentives to programs. The database must
incorporate data from or be linked to related databases, such as those maintained by the
child care resource and referral system;
new text end

new text begin (4) provide rating information to consumers to facilitate informed choices of early
learning and care programs;
new text end

new text begin (5) provide information to early learning and care programs to enable them to
measure the results of their quality improvement efforts; and
new text end

new text begin (6) provide supports to participating programs to help them improve their quality
rating.
new text end

new text begin (d) A program that is accredited or has otherwise been evaluated may submit
information to the commissioner of education in the form and manner prescribed by the
commissioner and may be rated on the basis of that information.
new text end

new text begin (e) A program that has previously been rated under this section or has been rated
through the Parent Aware pilot program may continue with that rating for two years.
new text end

new text begin (f) The commissioners of education and human services may develop a cash
incentive reward for programs listed in paragraph (b), clauses (1) and (2), that: (1) agree
to be rated; or (2) improve from their previous rating. A cash incentive may not exceed
$....... per program.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Phase-in of quality rating and improvement system. new text end

new text begin The commissioner
must continue the quality rating and improvement system in use in fiscal year 2011 in the
original pilot areas and must expand the system to at least two new, rural geographic
locations by June 30, 2012. The commissioner must use a competitive process to select
the new pilot areas by targeting areas that meet one or more of the following criteria:
existence of a local early care and education collaborative, existence of local matching
funds, and demonstration of local support from community-based early learning and care
programs. The commissioner must add one new pilot area per year and work toward
statewide availability of ratings by 2015.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin CHILD CARE DEVELOPMENT FUNDS; APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services shall direct $....... in federal child care
development funds from ....... for the purpose of continuing the quality rating and
improvement system as described in section 2, subdivision 1, in the original pilot area and
expanding the system to two new rural geographic locations as described in section 2,
subdivision 2, and for paying the cash incentives for rated programs.
new text end