SF 3131

1st Engrossment - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 04/12/2010 04:59pm

A bill for an act
relating to early childhood education; modifying the duties of the State Advisory
Council on Early Childhood Education and Care; amending Minnesota Statutes
2008, section 124D.141, subdivision 2.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 124D.141, subdivision 2, is amended to
read:

Subd. 2.

Additional duties.

The following duties are added to those assigned
to the council under federal law:

(1) make recommendations on the most efficient and effective way to leverage state
and federal funding streams for early childhood and child care programs;

(2) make recommendations on how to coordinate or colocate early childhood and
child care programs in one state Office of Early Learning;

(3) review program evaluations regarding high-quality early childhood programs;
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(4) make recommendations to the governor and legislature, including proposed
legislation on how to most effectively create a high-quality early childhood system in
Minnesota in order to improve the educational outcomes of children so that all children
are school-ready by 2020 deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ; and
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new text begin (5) make recommendations to the governor and the legislature by March 1, 2011, on
the creation and implementation of a statewide school readiness report card to monitor
progress toward the goal of having all children ready for kindergarten by the year 2020.
The recommendations shall include what should be measured including both children and
system indicators, what benchmarks should be established to measure state progress
toward the goal, and how frequently the report card should be published. In making their
recommendations, the council shall consider the Early Childhood Minnesota indicators
and strategies of Minnesota's early childhood system report, the Minnesota school
readiness study: developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance, the work of the State
Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care accountability committee, and
the recommendations developed in accordance with section 124D.142, paragraph (a),
clause (3). Any costs incurred by the council in making these recommendations will be
paid from nonstate and nonfederal funds. If no nonstate or nonfederal funds are received,
the council will not proceed in making these recommendations.
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