1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to early childhood education; modifying the quality rating and improvement 
1.3 	system;amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 124D.142.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 124D.142, is amended to read:
1.6 	124D.142 QUALITY RATING AND IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Quality rating and improvement system framework. (a) There is 
1.8 	established a quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) framework to ensure that 
1.9 	Minnesota's children have access to high-quality early learning and care programs in a range 
1.10 	of settings so that they are fully ready for kindergarten by 2020. Creation of a standards-based 
1.11 	voluntary quality rating and improvement system includes:
1.12 	(1) quality opportunities in order to improve the educational outcomes of children so 
1.13 	that they are ready for school. The framework shall be based on the Minnesota quality rating 
1.14 	system rating tool and a common set of child outcome and program standards and informed 
1.15 	by evaluation results;
1.16 	(2) a tool to increase the number of publicly funded and regulated early learning and 
1.17 	care services in both public and private market programs that are high quality. If a program 
1.18 	or provider chooses to participate, the program or provider will be rated and may receive 
1.19 	public funding associated with the rating. The state shall develop a plan to link future early 
1.20 	learning and care state funding to the framework in a manner that complies with federal 
1.21 	requirements; and
2.1 	(3) tracking progress toward statewide access to high-quality early learning and care 
2.2 	programs, progress toward the number of low-income children whose parents can access 
2.3 	quality programs, and progress toward increasing the number of children who are fully 
2.4 	prepared to enter kindergarten.
2.5 	(b) In planning a statewide quality rating and improvement system framework in 
2.6 	paragraph (a), the state shall use evaluation results of the Minnesota quality rating system 
2.7 	rating tool in use in fiscal year 2008 to recommend:
2.8 	(1) a framework of a common set of child outcome and program standards for a voluntary 
2.9 	statewide quality rating and improvement system;
2.10 	(2) a plan to link future funding to the framework described in paragraph (a), clause (2); 
2.11 	and
2.12 	(3) a plan for how the state will realign existing state and federal administrative resources 
2.13 	to implement the voluntary quality rating and improvement system framework. The state 
2.14 	shall provide the recommendation in this paragraph to the early childhood education finance 
2.15 	committees of the legislature by March 15, 2011.
2.16 	(c) Prior to the creation of a statewide quality rating and improvement system in paragraph 
2.17 	(a), the state shall employ the Minnesota quality rating system rating tool in use in fiscal 
2.18 	year 2008 in the original Minnesota Early Learning Foundation pilot areas and additional 
2.19 	pilot areas supported by private or public funds with its modification as a result of the 
2.20 	evaluation results of the pilot project.
2.21 		Subd. 2.Accredited programs. An early learning and care program that has an 
2.22 	accreditation that qualifies the program for a provider rate differential under section 119B.13, 
2.23 	subdivision 3a, must receive the highest quality rating available in the quality rating and 
2.24 	improvement system.