Minnesota Legislature
SF 2174
as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 07/30/2021 03:37pm
Current Version - as introduced
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A bill for an act
relating to early childhood programs; modifying the quality rating and improvement
system; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section
124D.142.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 124D.142, is amended to read:
124D.142 QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM.
new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end
new text begin System established. new text end
deleted text begin (a)deleted text end There is established a quality rating and
improvement system (QRIS) frameworknew text begin , known as Parent Aware,new text end to ensure that Minnesota's
children have access to high-quality early learning and care programs in a range of settings
so that they are fully ready for kindergarten deleted text begin by 2020deleted text end . deleted text begin Creation of a standards-based voluntary
quality rating and improvement system includes:
deleted text end
new text begin Subd. 2. new text end
new text begin System components. new text end
new text begin
The standards-based, voluntary quality rating and
improvement system includes:
new text end
(1) quality opportunities in order to improve the educational outcomes of children so
that they are ready for schooldeleted text begin . Thedeleted text end new text begin ;
new text end
new text begin (2) anew text end framework deleted text begin shall bedeleted text end based on the Minnesota quality rating system rating tool and
a common set of child outcome and program standards and informed by evaluation results;
deleted text begin (2)deleted text end new text begin (3)new text end a tool to increase the number of publicly funded and regulated early learning and
care services in both public and private market programs that are high qualitydeleted text begin .deleted text end new text begin ;
new text end
new text begin (4) voluntary participation that ensures that new text end if a program or provider chooses to participate,
the program or provider will be rated and may receive public funding associated with the
ratingdeleted text begin . The state shall develop a plan to link future early learning and care state funding to
the framework in a manner that complies with federal requirementsdeleted text end ; and
deleted text begin (3)deleted text end new text begin (5)new text end tracking progress toward statewide access to high-quality early learning and care
programs, progress toward the number of low-income children whose parents can access
quality programs, and progress toward increasing the number of children who are fully
prepared to enter kindergarten.
deleted text begin
(b) In planning a statewide quality rating and improvement system framework in
paragraph (a), the state shall use evaluation results of the Minnesota quality rating system
rating tool in use in fiscal year 2008 to recommend:
deleted text end
deleted text begin
(1) a framework of a common set of child outcome and program standards for a voluntary
statewide quality rating and improvement system;
deleted text end
deleted text begin
(2) a plan to link future funding to the framework described in paragraph (a), clause (2);
and
deleted text end
deleted text begin
(3) a plan for how the state will realign existing state and federal administrative resources
to implement the voluntary quality rating and improvement system framework. The state
shall provide the recommendation in this paragraph to the early childhood education finance
committees of the legislature by March 15, 2011.
deleted text end
deleted text begin
(c) Prior to the creation of a statewide quality rating and improvement system in paragraph
(a), the state shall employ the Minnesota quality rating system rating tool in use in fiscal
year 2008 in the original Minnesota Early Learning Foundation pilot areas and additional
pilot areas supported by private or public funds with its modification as a result of the
evaluation results of the pilot project.
deleted text end
new text begin Subd. 3. new text end
new text begin Evaluation. new text end
new text begin
(a) By February 1, 2022, the commissioner of human services
must arrange an independent evaluation of the quality rating and improvement system's
effectiveness and impact on:
new text end
new text begin
(1) children's progress toward school readiness;
new text end
new text begin
(2) the quality of the early learning and care system supply and workforce; and
new text end
new text begin
(3) parents' ability to access and use meaningful information about early learning and
care program quality.
new text end
new text begin
(b) The evaluation must be performed by a staff member from another agency or a
consultant. An evaluator must have experience in program evaluation and must not be
regularly involved in implementation of the quality rating and improvement system.
new text end
new text begin
(c) The evaluation findings, along with the commissioner's recommendations for
revisions, potential future evaluations, and plans for continuous improvement, must be
reported to the chairs and ranking members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction
over early childhood programs by December 31, 2024.
new text end
new text begin
(d) At a minimum, the evaluation must:
new text end
new text begin
(1) analyze the effectiveness of the quality rating and improvement system, including
but not limited to reviewing:
new text end
new text begin
(i) whether quality indicators and measures used in the quality rating and improvement
system are consistent with evidence and research findings on early learning and care program
quality; and
new text end
new text begin
(ii) patterns or differences in observed quality of participating early learning and care
programs in comparison to programs at other quality rating and improvement system star
rating levels and accounting for other factors;
new text end
new text begin
(2) perform evidence-based assessments of children's developmental gains in ways that
are appropriate for children's linguistic and cultural backgrounds and are aligned with the
state early childhood indicators of progress;
new text end
new text begin
(3) analyze the extent to which differences in developmental gains among children
correspond to the star ratings of the early learning and care programs, providing disaggregated
findings by:
new text end
new text begin
(i) children's demographic factors, including geographic area, family income level, and
racial and ethnic groups;
new text end
new text begin
(ii) type of provider, including family child care providers, child care centers, Head Start
and Early Head Start, and school-based early childhood providers; and
new text end
new text begin
(iii) any other categories identified by the commissioner, in consultation with the
commissioners of health and education or entity performing the evaluation;
new text end
new text begin
(4) analyze the accessibility for providers to participate in the quality rating and
improvement system, including ease of application and supports for a provider to receive
or improve a rating, and provide disaggregated findings by geographic area and type of
provider, including family child care providers, child care centers, Head Start and Early
Head Start, and school-based early childhood providers; and
new text end
new text begin
(5) analyze the availability of providers participating in the quality rating and
improvement system to families, and provide disaggregated findings by geographic area
and type of provider, including family child care providers, child care centers, Head Start
and Early Head Start, and school-based early childhood providers.
new text end
Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM.
new text end
new text begin
(a) The sums in this section are appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of education in the fiscal years designated for a transfer to the commissioner of human
services for the purposes of expanding the quality rating and improvement system under
Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.142, in greater Minnesota and increasing supports for
providers participating in the quality rating and improvement system:
new text end
|
new text begin
$ new text end |
new text begin
3,400,000 new text end |
new text begin
..... new text end |
new text begin
2022 new text end |
|
new text begin
$ new text end |
new text begin
1,750,000 new text end |
new text begin
..... new text end |
new text begin
2023 new text end |
new text begin
(b) The amounts in paragraph (a) must be in addition to any federal funding under the
child care and development block grant authorized under Public Law 101-508 in that year
for the system under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.142.
new text end
new text begin
(c) Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.
new text end
new text begin
(d) The onetime, supplemental funds appropriated in fiscal year 2022 are for the purposes
of the quality rating and improvement system's evaluation, and remain available until June
30, 2025.
new text end
new text begin
(e) The base for each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025 is $1,750,000.
new text end