HF 302

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; proposing grant programs; expanding the
kindergarten developmental assessment; appropriating money; proposing coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 119B.

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

Section 1.

new text begin [119B.30] EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY HUB PLANNING
AND IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin (a) A three-year grant program is established
for school districts and tribal schools to increase children's school readiness through
facilitating:
new text end

new text begin (1) collaboration among early childhood services, health services, family support
services, and the kindergarten through grade 12 system within a local community;
new text end

new text begin (2) information and education for parents of young children;
new text end

new text begin (3) kindergarten transition services; and
new text end

new text begin (4) comprehensive early care and education programs targeted to low-income
children and their families.
new text end

new text begin (b) School districts and tribal schools receiving grants must use the grants to plan
and implement an early childhood community hub that is located in a public school, a
tribal school, or other appropriate community location. A district superintendent or a
designated representative, or a tribal school principal or a designated representative, must
direct the community collaboration. An early childhood community hub must promote
children's school readiness from prenatally to entering kindergarten by coordinating and
improving children's access to:
new text end

new text begin (1) community early care and education services;
new text end

new text begin (2) school;
new text end

new text begin (3) health services; and
new text end

new text begin (4) other family support services that help stabilize, support, and assist families in
meeting children's health and developmental needs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Eligibility. new text end

new text begin (a) An applicant for a grant must be a school district or tribal
school that develops a plan for collaboration among local Head Start, district or school
early care and education programs, licensed child care programs, child care resource
and referral programs, and family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. Each applicant must
pursue opportunities to work with charter schools located within the applicant's attendance
area. Seventy percent of grant funds are available to applicants having 50 percent or
more of enrolled children eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program. The
remaining 30 percent of grant funds are available to other applicants. The commissioner
of education shall develop a plan for making technical assistance available to early
childhood community hubs.
new text end

new text begin (b) An applicant must serve elementary age children and have an elementary and
secondary student population large enough to warrant a hub, as determined by the
commissioner. Grant recipients that continually meet program eligibility requirements
and provide satisfactory services, as determined by the commissioner, are eligible to
receive grant funding for up to three years. Grant recipients also may apply for grants
under section 119B.31.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Program components. new text end

new text begin Grant recipients must:
new text end

new text begin (1) administer the developmental assessment under section 119B.32 or another
research-based assessment determined by the commissioner to children entering
kindergarten in order to establish a baseline measure of the children's school readiness;
new text end

new text begin (2) involve the community, including parents, licensed early care and education
providers, family, friend, and neighbor caregivers, health and mental health providers,
business leaders, and other community leaders, in developing a plan to improve children's
school readiness;
new text end

new text begin (3) provide parents and early care and education program providers with culturally
appropriate, strategic outreach activities that promote children's health;
new text end

new text begin (4) provide meaningful transition activities for four-year-old children who are
entering kindergarten in the next school year and their families that:
new text end

new text begin (i) involve a transition planning team composed of representatives from early care
and education program providers, elementary school staff, parents, and community
members;
new text end

new text begin (ii) include a plan that strengthens bonds among early care and education program
providers, elementary schools, and families;
new text end

new text begin (iii) provide information and education for parents, program providers, and educators
that encompasses comprehensive child development, math, and literacy;
new text end

new text begin (iv) provide information and education on school readiness, early childhood
screening, nutrition, and other relevant services;
new text end

new text begin (v) provide activities beginning at least one school year before a child enters
kindergarten that occur periodically at least six times throughout that school year; and
new text end

new text begin (vi) provide activities that engage parents, children, licensed and unlicensed
child-care providers, public health agencies, local Head Start providers, libraries, and
other local service delivery organizations helping to get children ready for school;
new text end

new text begin (5) help parents obtain culturally appropriate information and parenting skills they
need to nurture and care for their children, and support and link families to early childhood
and family education, early childhood special education, adult basic education, English
language learners, English as a second language, and family literacy programs;
new text end

new text begin (6) link families with children ages 0 through 5 with the Minnesota child care
resource and referral system to obtain information on available financial aid and
high-quality early care and education services for which the families are eligible;
new text end

new text begin (7) provide professional development activities to community early care and
education providers, including licensed child care providers, Head Start providers, school
readiness program providers, and licensed family educators that integrate curriculum,
assessment, and instruction, and are aligned with kindergarten through grade 12 standards;
new text end

new text begin (8) work with the local county to develop accurate counts of resident children ages 0
through 5;
new text end

new text begin (9) actively participate with the local Early Intervention Interagency Committee in
child-find efforts to coordinate referrals for newborn visits, early childhood screening,
intensive home visiting, and other comprehensive services;
new text end

new text begin (10) develop and implement an evaluation plan to determine the effectiveness of
the identification system, the level of parent and community satisfaction, the level of
kindergarten readiness, and how elementary schools and prekindergarten programs align
instruction, practice, and curriculum with the "Early Childhood Indicators of Progress:
Minnesota's Early Learning Standards" and share information about children;
new text end

new text begin (11) assign an unduplicated MARRS number for children referred for services
through an early childhood community hub; and
new text end

new text begin (12) develop partnerships and collaboration among school district programs,
including early childhood family education, school readiness, and early childhood special
education programs, and community-based Head Start and quality licensed child care
programs, and family, friend and neighbor caregivers that:
new text end

new text begin (i) provide core services for:
new text end

new text begin (A) quality early care and education;
new text end

new text begin (B) parent education and involvement; and
new text end

new text begin (C) children's health including early childhood screening and appropriate referral;
new text end

new text begin (ii) provide additional family support services, including mental health support,
adult basic education, family literacy, family development, and transportation services;
new text end

new text begin (iii) educate early childhood staff to assess program quality and child progress, and
collect tracking data; and
new text end

new text begin (iv) assess each child's cognitive and social-emotional skills when the child enters
and exits the program to inform program planning and promote school readiness.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Grant application process. new text end

new text begin To obtain a grant, a school district or tribal
school must submit an application to the education commissioner in the form and manner
the commissioner determines. The application must:
new text end

new text begin (1) describe the applicant's demographic characteristics and community needs
related to early care and education and the school readiness status of resident children
and families;
new text end

new text begin (2) include a letter of intent from a local Head Start agency and its child care
partners, and other involved public agencies and private sector organizations, indicating
the ability of the agencies and organizations to collaborate and promote school readiness
through specified services;
new text end

new text begin (3) describe how the applicant will use the resources of the district, community
agencies, and private organizations to coordinate the early childhood community hub;
new text end

new text begin (4) propose a work plan describing how the applicant will implement required
program components and ensure that children and families at greatest risk receive
appropriate services;
new text end

new text begin (5) describe the community services the applicant will provide and the relationship
between the services and the community's identified needs;
new text end

new text begin (6) indicate available matching funds; and
new text end

new text begin (7) provide other information the commissioner requires.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Staff qualifications. new text end

new text begin A qualified person who is employed full time by
an early childhood community hub must coordinate the hub. The hub employee, at
a minimum, must have:
new text end

new text begin (1) a bachelor's degree in early childhood development or a related field, which
may include a licensed parent educator;
new text end

new text begin (2) experience working with low-income families from diverse cultural communities;
and
new text end

new text begin (3) experience working with state and community school readiness providers,
including Head Start, child care, child care resource and referral, early childhood special
education, or child care assistance programs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Match. new text end

new text begin A grant recipient must provide a 15 percent local match for any
grant money it receives; five percent of the local match may be in in-kind contributions.
A grant recipient must use all grants it receives to supplement but not supplant existing
early childhood initiatives in the community.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Advisory committees. new text end

new text begin (a) Each early childhood community hub must
have an advisory committee. A grant recipient may use a preexisting early childhood
committee or may form a new early childhood advisory committee that includes at least:
new text end

new text begin (1) 30 percent parents;
new text end

new text begin (2) a school district superintendent or designee, or tribal school principal or designee;
new text end

new text begin (3) kindergarten through grade 3 teachers;
new text end

new text begin (4) licensed child care providers that include family child care and center-based
providers;
new text end

new text begin (5) Head Start providers;
new text end

new text begin (6) early childhood family education school readiness providers;
new text end

new text begin (7) early childhood special education providers; and
new text end

new text begin (8) a child care resource and referral agency.
new text end

new text begin (b) An early childhood advisory committee also may include representatives of:
new text end

new text begin (1) the business community;
new text end

new text begin (2) social service agencies;
new text end

new text begin (3) community libraries;
new text end

new text begin (4) law enforcement;
new text end

new text begin (5) public health; or
new text end

new text begin (6) school social workers.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 8. new text end

new text begin Reviewing applications; awarding grants. new text end

new text begin When reviewing applications,
the commissioner must determine whether an applicant has met all the requirements in
subdivisions 1 to 7. The commissioner may award up to 20 grants. Grant recipients must
be located throughout the state. The amount of the grant shall be based on the number
of children and families expected to participate in the program. Grant recipients must
use their grant money to implement this program and must not use their grant money to
supplant existing early childhood initiatives.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin [119B.31] PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 3 PROGRAM
GRANTS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin A multiyear, competitive planning and
implementation grant program is established to develop community-based prekindergarten
through grade 3 programs in public school collaborative settings that promote children's
school readiness and future school success, and assist families by coordinating early
childhood and early elementary initiatives that focus on closing the achievement gap.
Seventy percent of grant funds are available to those applicants having 50 percent or
more of enrolled students eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch program. The
remaining 30 percent of grant funds are available to other applicants.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Program components. new text end

new text begin Grant recipients must at least:
new text end

new text begin (1) provide high-quality prekindergarten programming for three and four-year-olds
with appropriate community early care and education partners that:
new text end

new text begin (i) where applicable, have an upper level rating based on a child-care quality
improvement and rating system for family child care or center-based care providers,
consistent with section 119B.32;
new text end

new text begin (ii) obtain program accreditation under section 119B.13, subdivision 3a;
new text end

new text begin (iii) offer programs meeting Head Start performance standards;
new text end

new text begin (iv) offer school readiness programs in the public schools;
new text end

new text begin (v) offer early childhood special education; or
new text end

new text begin (vi) satisfy other quality standards determined by the education commissioner;
new text end

new text begin (2) provide all-day kindergarten that builds on children's prekindergarten
experiences;
new text end

new text begin (3) align prekindergarten through grade 3 standards, curriculum, and assessments
using the "Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota's Early Learning Standards";
new text end

new text begin (4) provide principals and teachers with ongoing professional development,
coaching, and mentoring, and sufficient planning time to implement a learning model;
new text end

new text begin (5) require an early childhood professional with a bachelor's degree and relevant
specialized training to supervise early childhood classrooms, obtain training from the
education department and local networks for early care and education providers in
assessing children and using the results to improve classroom practices and enable each
child to make progress, and require participating family child care providers to acquire
an associate's degree within two years of entering an early childhood classroom under
this program;
new text end

new text begin (6) coordinate prekindergarten through grade 3 programs through:
new text end

new text begin (i) colocation when possible;
new text end

new text begin (ii) a designated prekindergarten through grade 3 leadership team composed of
prekindergarten and elementary school teachers and a school administrator authorized
to review and coordinate programs; and
new text end

new text begin (iii) review of children's information at a meeting with program providers, on a
need-to-know basis, when a child transfers from prekindergarten to kindergarten;
new text end

new text begin (7) implement small class sizes that include a preschool ratio of 17:2 and a
kindergarten through grade 3 ratio of 25:2;
new text end

new text begin (8) provide meaningful transition activities for four-year-old children who are
entering kindergarten in the next school year and their families that include:
new text end

new text begin (i) a transition planning team composed of representatives from early care and
education programs, elementary school staff, parents, and community members;
new text end

new text begin (ii) a developed plan that strengthens bonds among early care and education program
providers, elementary schools, and families;
new text end

new text begin (iii) information and education for parents, program providers, and educators that
encompasses comprehensive child development, math, and literacy;
new text end

new text begin (iv) information and education on school readiness, early childhood screening,
nutrition, and other relevant services;
new text end

new text begin (v) activities beginning at least one school year before a child enters kindergarten
and occurring periodically at least six times during that school year; and
new text end

new text begin (vi) activities that engage parents, children, licensed and unlicensed child-care
providers, public health agencies, local Head Start providers, libraries, and other local
service delivery organizations helping to get children ready for school;
new text end

new text begin (9) promote parent involvement from prekindergarten through grade 3 using:
new text end

new text begin (i) a parent resource room and parent information and education provided by
licensed parent educators or other community partners;
new text end

new text begin (ii) home visiting; and
new text end

new text begin (iii) parent meetings and related events;
new text end

new text begin (10) provide accountability to parents and communities by evaluating programs
that assess children's progress, and facilitating schools' responsibility to report children's
progress to families, communities, the school district, and the state; and
new text end

new text begin (11) provide or make referrals to counselors, nurses, social workers, and nutrition
and other social service providers to ensure that children receive the social and economic
support they need to learn.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Eligibility. new text end

new text begin An applicant for a grant must be a school district, tribal school,
or charter school. Seventy percent of grant funds are available to applicants having 50
percent or more of enrolled students eligible for the federal free and reduced lunch
program. The remaining 30 percent of grant funds are available to other applicants.
School district and tribal school grantees also may apply for grants under section 119B.30.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Grant application process. new text end

new text begin To obtain a grant, a school district, tribal
school, or charter school must submit an application to the education commissioner in the
form and manner the commissioner determines. The application must:
new text end

new text begin (1) describe the applicant's demographic characteristics;
new text end

new text begin (2) propose a work plan;
new text end

new text begin (3) indicate available matching funds; and
new text end

new text begin (4) describe the applicant's efforts to collaborate with licensed child care providers
and Head Start programs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Match. new text end

new text begin A grant recipient must provide a 15 percent local match for any
grant money it receives; five percent of the local match may be in in-kind contributions.
A grant recipient must use all grants it receives to supplement but not supplant existing
early childhood initiatives in the community.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Reviewing applications; awarding grants. new text end

new text begin When reviewing applications,
the commissioner must determine whether an applicant has met all the requirements in
subdivisions 1 to 5. The commissioner may award up to 20 grants. Grant recipients must
be located throughout the state. The amount of the grant shall be based on the number
of children and families expected to participate in the program. Grant recipients must
use their grant money to implement this program and must not use their grant money to
supplant existing early childhood initiatives.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 3.

new text begin [119B.32] EXPANDING MDE DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT
ADMINISTERED TO ENTERING KINDERGARTNERS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Establishment. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of education shall develop a plan,
based on the 2002-2003 model the department developed for school readiness studies,
to expand to all school districts the developmental assessment that districts voluntarily
administer to entering kindergartners. The department shall also set biennial milestones
for measuring progress based on the number of children demonstrating proficiency on
all assessment measures.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Description. new text end

new text begin (a) School districts are encouraged to implement the
voluntary school readiness kindergarten assessment initiative as follows:
new text end

new text begin (1) in 2009, assess 30 percent of children;
new text end

new text begin (2) in 2010, assess 50 percent of children;
new text end

new text begin (3) in 2011, assess 75 percent of children; and
new text end

new text begin (4) in 2012, assess 100 percent of children.
new text end

new text begin (b) The commissioner must report the assessment results for the current school year
to the legislature by January 1 of the next year.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Department of Education. new text end

new text begin The sums indicated in this section are
appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years
designated.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Early childhood community hub planning and implementation grants.
new text end

new text begin For planning and implementation grants under section 1:
new text end

	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 5,000,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2008 new text end
	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 5,000,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2009 new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Prekindergarten through grade 3 program grants. new text end

new text begin For prekindergarten
through grade 3 program grants under section 2:
new text end

	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 5,000,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2008 new text end
	new text begin $ new text end	new text begin 5,000,000 new text end	new text begin ..... new text end	new text begin 2009 new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2007.
new text end