Minnesota Session Laws - 2012, Regular Session

CHAPTER 177--S.F.No. 1621

An act

relating to human services; modifying child care accreditation provisions;

amending Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 119B.13, subdivision 3a, is amended to read:

Subd. 3a.

Provider rate differential for accreditation.

A family child care provider or child care center shall be paid a 15 percent differential above the maximum rate established in subdivision 1, up to the actual provider rate, if the provider or center holds a current early childhood development credential or is accredited. For a family child care provider, early childhood development credential and accreditation includes an individual who has earned a child development associate degree, a child development associate credential, a diploma in child development from a Minnesota state technical college, or a bachelor's or post baccalaureate degree in early childhood education from an accredited college or university, or who is accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care or the Competency Based Training and Assessment Program. For a child care center, accreditation includes accreditation deleted text begin by deleted text end new text begin that meets the following criteria: the accrediting organization must demonstrate the use of standards that promote the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children. The accreditation standards shall include, but are not limited to, positive interactions between adults and children, age-appropriate learning activities, a system of tracking children's learning, use of assessment to meet children's needs, specific qualifications for staff, a learning environment that supports developmentally appropriate experiences for children, health and safety requirements, and family engagement strategies. The commissioner of human services, in conjunction with the commissioners of education and health, will develop an application and approval process based on the criteria in this section and any additional criteria. The process developed by the commissioner of human services must address periodic reassessment of approved accreditations. The commissioner of human services must report the criteria developed, the application, approval, and reassessment processes, and any additional recommendations by February 15, 2013, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction over early childhood issues. The following accreditations shall be recognized for the provider rate differential until an approval process is implemented: new text end the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Council on Accreditation, the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation, the National School-Age Care Association, or the National Head Start Association Program of Excellence. For Montessori programs, accreditation includes the American Montessori Society, Association of Montessori International-USA, or the National Center for Montessori Education.

Presented to the governor April 16, 2012

Signed by the governor April 18, 2012, 01:43 p.m.