1997 Minnesota Statutes

     119B.24 Duties of commissioner. 

    In addition to the powers and duties already conferred by 
 law, the commissioner of children, families, and learning shall: 

    (1) by September 1, 1998, and every five years thereafter, 
 survey and report on all components of the child care system, 
 including, but not limited to, availability of licensed child 
 care slots, the number of children in various kinds of child 
 care settings, staff wages, rate of staff turnover, 
 qualifications of child care workers, cost of child care by type 
 of service and ages of children, and child care availability 
 through school systems; 

    (2) by September 1, 1998, and every five years thereafter, 
 survey and report on the extent to which existing child care 
 services fulfill the need for child care, giving particular 
 attention to the need for part-time care and for care of 
 infants, sick children, children with special needs, low-income 
 children, toddlers, and school-age children; 

    (3) administer the child care fund, including the sliding 
 fee program authorized under sections 119B.01 to 119B.16; 

    (4) monitor the child care resource and referral programs 
 established under section 119B.19; and 

    (5) encourage child care providers to participate in a 
 nationally recognized accreditation system for early childhood 
 programs.  The commissioner shall reimburse licensed child care 
 providers for one-half of the direct cost of accreditation fees, 
 upon successful completion of accreditation. 

    HIST: 1989 c 282 art 2 s 157; 1994 c 529 s 15; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 
 16 s 13