SF 2692

1st Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/21/2014 08:28am

A bill for an act
relating to early learning; expanding the availability of early learning
scholarships; funding home health visit programs; providing assistance to child
care providers to participate in the quality rating system; creating an early
childhood scholarship pilot program; appropriating money; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 3, by adding a
subdivision; Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, subdivision 3,
is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Administration.

(a) The commissioner shall establish application
timelines and determine the schedule for awarding scholarships that meets operational
needs of eligible families and programs. The commissioner may prioritize applications on
factors including family income, geographic location, and whether the child's family is on a
waiting list for a publicly funded program providing early education or child care services.

(b) Scholarships may be awarded deleted text begin up deleted text end to deleted text begin $5,000 for deleted text end each eligible child deleted text begin per year deleted text end . new text begin The
commissioner shall establish a target for the average annual scholarship amount per child
based on the results of the rate survey conducted under section 119B.02.
new text end

(c) A four-star rated program that has children eligible for a scholarship enrolled
in or on a waiting list for a program beginning in July, August, or September may notify
the commissioner, in the form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, each year
of the program's desire to enhance program services or to serve more children than
current funding provides. The commissioner may designate a predetermined number of
scholarship slots for that program and notify the program of that number.

(d) A scholarship is awarded for a 12-month period. If the scholarship recipient has
not been accepted and subsequently enrolled in a rated program within ten months of the
awarding of the scholarship, the scholarship cancels and the recipient must reapply in
order to be eligible for another scholarship. A child may not be awarded more than one
scholarship in a 12-month period.

(e) A child who receives a scholarship who has not completed development
screening under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19 must complete that screening within 90
days of first attending an eligible program.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2013 Supplement, section 124D.165, is amended by adding
a subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Program funding. new text end

new text begin (a) Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the annual baseline
appropriation for this program equals the lesser of:
new text end

new text begin (1) twice the appropriation for the previous year; or
new text end

new text begin (2) the actual amount necessary to fund all eligible scholarship requests.
new text end

new text begin (b) The amount necessary is annually appropriated from the general fund to the
commissioner of education for early education scholarships according to paragraph (a).
This amount must be reduced by the amount of any money specifically appropriated for
the same purpose in any year from any state fund.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Laws 2013, chapter 116, article 8, section 5, subdivision 8, is amended to read:

Subd. 8.

Early childhood education scholarships.

For transfer to the Office of
Early Learning for early learning scholarships under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165:

	$	23,000,000	.....	2014
	$	deleted text begin 23,000,000 deleted text end new text begin 43,000,000 new text end	.....	2015

Up to $950,000 each year is for administration of this program.

Any balance in the first year does not cancel but is available in the second year.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2014.
new text end

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin High-quality targeted home visiting. new text end

new text begin $500,000 in fiscal year 2015
is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of health to consult with
representatives of community health boards and other stakeholders to:
new text end

new text begin (1) establish standards of best practice and measurable quality indicators for targeted
home visiting programs in Minnesota;
new text end

new text begin (2) develop a comprehensive culturally relevant training and competency building
program for home visitors around the state; and
new text end

new text begin (3) support the establishment of a coordinated system of home visiting intake and
service delivery at the local level.
new text end

new text begin This is a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Home visiting pilot project for highest risk families. new text end

new text begin $1,600,000 in
fiscal year 2015 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of health
for a pilot project to expand evidence-based high-quality home visiting, focusing on
the youngest children living in the highest risk families receiving assistance through
the Minnesota family investment program under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 256J, in
communities served by two counties, one county in the seven-county metropolitan area
and one nonmetropolitan county. The commissioner of health shall consult with the
commissioner of human services and the commissioner of education on the administration
of the pilot program. The commissioner of health shall provide a formative evaluation of
the pilot project to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees
with jurisdiction over health and human services policy and finance by January 1, 2016.
Funds are available until expended.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Licensed family child care voluntary quality improvement pilot project.
new text end

new text begin $2,750,000 in fiscal year 2015 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of human services for creating a pilot project to provide support to licensed family child
care providers seeking to participate in the state quality rating and improvement system.
Grants of up to $8,000 may be made available to child care providers to apply to child
care provider mentoring, training, coaching, consultation, and supports to prepare for the
voluntary Minnesota quality rating system rating tool. As a condition of receiving a grant,
the provider shall commit to participating in the quality rating system. These grants must
help child care providers build quality child care programs, including, but not limited
to, relationship-based professional development through mentoring and coaching and
ensuring that training is offered to providers in primary languages other than English.
Funds shall be distributed evenly between metro and rural regions. The commissioner
may use a portion of the funds to increase capacity for providing mentoring, coaching, and
training, particularly in primary languages other than English. A report on the progress
of this pilot project must be provided to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over health and human services policy and finance
by January 15, 2015. This is a onetime appropriation. Funds are available until expended.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Transformation zone early childhood scholarships; pilot program. new text end

new text begin (a)
$15,030,000 in fiscal year 2015 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of education for transformation zone early childhood scholarships under paragraph (b).
This is a onetime appropriation.
new text end

new text begin (b) An early childhood scholarship pilot program is created to extend opportunities
to families residing in any of Minnesota's four transformation zones. A family living in a
transformation zone that has a child under the age of three may apply for a transformation
zone early learning scholarship under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165. The
commissioner, in consultation with administrators for the transformation zones, will
determine scholarship criteria and maximum rates consistent with the needs of each zone.
The commissioner may otherwise administer the transformation zone early childhood
scholarships under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.165. The duration of the pilot
program may be for up to four years.
new text end

new text begin (c) The commissioner must issue a preliminary report to the legislature by February
15, 2015, on the program's progress and must issue a midpilot report on February 15,
2017, and a final report at the conclusion of the pilot program, which must describe the
outcomes of the program and include recommendations to the legislature about the
continuation of the program.
new text end