HF 3672

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; increasing the duties of the Minnesota
Early Learning Foundation; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes
2005 Supplement, section 124D.175.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2005 Supplement, section 124D.175, is amended to read:

124D.175 MINNESOTA EARLY LEARNING FOUNDATION PROPOSAL.

(a) The commissioner must implement an early childhood development grant
program for low-income and other challenged families that increases the effectiveness
and expands the capacity of public and nonpublic early childhood development programs,
which may include child care programs, and leads to improved early childhood parent
education and children's kindergarten readiness. The program must include:

(1) grant awards to existing early childhood development program providers that
also provide parent education programs and to qualified providers proposing to implement
pilot programs for this same purpose;

(2) grant awards to enable low-income families to participate in these programs;

(3) grant awards to improve overall programmatic quality; and

(4) an evaluation of the programmatic and financial efficacy of all these programs,
which may be performed using measures of services, staffing, and management systems
that provide consistent information about system performance, show trends, confirm
successes, and identify potential problems in early childhood development programs.

This grant program must not supplant existing early childhood development programs
or child care funds.

(b) The commissioner must contract with a private nonprofit, section 501(c)(3)
organization to implement the requirements of paragraph (a). The private nonprofit
organization must be governed by a board of directors composed of members from the
public and nonpublic sectors, where the nonpublic sector members compose a simple
majority of board members and where the public sector members are state and local
government officials, kindergarten through grade 12 or postsecondary educators, and early
childhood providers appointed by the governor. Membership on the board of directors
by a state agency official are work duties for the official and are not a conflict of interest
under section 43A.38. The board of directors must appoint an executive director and
must seek advice from geographically and ethnically diverse parents of young children
and representatives of early childhood development providers, kindergarten through grade
12 and postsecondary educators, public libraries, and the business sector. The board
of directors is subject to the open meeting law under chapter 13D. All other terms and
conditions under which board members serve and operate must be described in the articles
and bylaws of the organization. The private nonprofit organization is not a state agency
and is not subject to laws governing public agencies except the provisions of chapter 13,
salary limits under section 15A.0815, subdivision 2, and audits by the legislative auditor
under chapter 3 apply.

(c) new text begin In addition to the duties under paragraph (a), the Minnesota Early Learning
Foundation shall evaluate the effectiveness of the voluntary NorthStar Quality
Improvement and Rating System. The NorthStar Quality Improvement and Rating System
must:
new text end

new text begin (1) provide consumer information for parents on child care and early education
program quality and ratings;
new text end

new text begin (2) set indicators to identify quality in care and early education settings, including
licensed family child care and centers, tribal providers and programs, Head Start and
school-age programs, and identify quality programs through ratings and ongoing
monitoring of programs;
new text end

new text begin (3) provide funds for provider improvement grants and quality achievement grants;
new text end

new text begin (4) require participating providers to incorporate the state's early learning standards
in their curriculum activities and develop appropriate child assessments aligned with the
kindergarten readiness assessment;
new text end

new text begin (5) provide accountability for the NorthStar Quality Improvement and Rating
System's effectiveness in improving child outcomes and kindergarten readiness; and
new text end

new text begin (6) align current and new state investments to improve quality with the NorthStar
Quality Improvement and Rating System framework for accountability and informed
parent choice.
new text end

new text begin The Minnesota Early Learning Foundation shall report back to the legislature by
January 15, 2008, on the progress being made under this paragraph.
new text end

new text begin (d) new text end This section expires June 30, 2011. If no state appropriation is made for purposes
of this section, the commissioner must not implement paragraphs (a) and (b).

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $2,500,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of education
to be transferred to the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation for the purposes of
Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.175, paragraph (c). Funds will be used over a two-year
period to implement phase one of the NorthStar Quality Improvement and Rating System
including start-up costs, participation of 200 providers, parent information, and materials
and evaluation by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation in conjunction with the
University of Minnesota.
new text end