1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to early childhood education; expanding the READ Act to include early 
1.3 	childhood education; providing for professional development; revising curriculum; 
1.4 	appropriating money.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. PARENT AWARE.
 1.7 	The commissioner of human services must include in their revision of the Parent Aware 
1.8 	rating system a review of the approved curricula and child assessments that are aligned with 
1.9 	Minnesota's early childhood indicators of progress. The commissioner must revise the 
1.10 	approved list of curricula and assessments to only include curriculum and assessment tools 
1.11 	that are aligned with evidence-based reading instruction in the READ Act under Minnesota 
1.12 	Statutes, sections 120B.1117 to 120B.124. The commissioner must determine the costs to 
1.13 	establish an incentive program and an implementation plan to help early learning providers 
1.14 	purchase approved curricula and assessment tools and to provide them with professional 
1.15 	development and coaching framework to use the approved materials with fidelity. The 
1.16 	commissioner must include the updated list and cost estimates in their report to the legislature 
1.17 	on the recommended revisions to Parent Aware under Laws 2023, chapter 54, section 17.

1.18 	Sec. 2. DEVELOP.
 1.19 	The commissioner of human services must contract with an independent reviewer to 
1.20 	review the professional development resources that are part of Develop, Minnesota's quality 
1.21 	improvement and registry tool, to ensure that the professional development resources are 
1.22 	aligned with evidence-based reading instruction in the READ Act under Minnesota Statutes, 
1.23 	sections 120B.1117 to 120B.124. The review must include suggested resources not already 
2.1 	included in Develop, including prekindergarten focused resources offered through school 
2.2 	districts, and the costs of creating an incentive program to help early learning providers 
2.3 	participate in the approved professional development and coaching offerings.

2.4 	Sec. 3. EARLY LEARNING MULTITIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT.
 2.5 	The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioner of human services, 
2.6 	must establish and evaluate a pilot program of a system of individualized literacy supports 
2.7 	in a variety of early childhood programs participating in the quality rating and improvement 
2.8 	system under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.142, and its effectiveness on children's 
2.9 	development of early literacy skills. The commissioner of education must build on the work 
2.10 	of the department's existing efforts, including the Minnesota multitiered system of support 
2.11 	(MnMTSS) for elementary and secondary schools, to develop an early learning pilot program. 
2.12 	The system must include quality universal supports with tiered individual supports, ranging 
2.13 	from targeted to intensive.

2.14 	Sec. 4. PARENT ENGAGEMENT TO ENHANCE EARLY LITERACY.
 2.15 	The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioner of human services, 
2.16 	must establish a pilot program to evaluate parent engagement strategies focused on building 
2.17 	early literacy skills. The strategies may include but are not limited to home visiting programs, 
2.18 	evidence-based community literacy interventions, library programs, early childhood family 
2.19 	education offerings focused on early literacy skill development, and enrichment programs 
2.20 	for young children and their families. The commissioner of education must evaluate the 
2.21 	effect of the parent engagement strategies on children's development of early literacy skills.

2.22 	Sec. 5. PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT.
 2.23 	The commissioner of education, in consultation with the commissioner of human services, 
2.24 	must establish a three-year pilot program to provide programs with information to inform 
2.25 	language and early literacy instruction of children during the year before kindergarten entry 
2.26 	and to evaluate the effectiveness of publicly funded early childhood programs' literacy 
2.27 	instruction. The commissioner of education must compile a list of valid and reliable 
2.28 	measurement tools that are aligned with evidence-based reading instruction in the READ 
2.29 	Act under Minnesota Statutes, sections 120B.1117 to 120B.124, and select a variety of 
2.30 	providers from across the state representing the state-funded early childhood programs. 
2.31 	Pilot program participants must select an approved assessment, assess children at the start 
2.32 	and end of the year before kindergarten entry, and report the assessment results in the form 
2.33 	and manner required by the commissioner of education.

3.1 	Sec. 6. APPROPRIATIONS; DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.
 3.2 		Subdivision 1.Department of Human Services. The sums indicated in this section are 
3.3 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year 
3.4 	designated.
3.5 		Subd. 2.Parent Aware. (a) For the review and alignment of curriculum and child 
3.6 	assessments:

3.7		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
3.8 	(b) This is a onetime appropriation.
3.9 		Subd. 3.Develop. (a) For the review of professional development resources:

3.10		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
3.11 	(b) This is a onetime appropriation.

3.12 	Sec. 7. APPROPRIATIONS; DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
 3.13 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
3.14 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal year 
3.15 	designated.
3.16 		Subd. 2.Early childhood MnMTSS pilot program. (a) For a pilot program and 
3.17 	evaluation of expanding MnMTSS to early childhood programs:

3.18		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
3.19 	(b) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.
3.20 		Subd. 3.Parent engagement pilot program. (a) For a pilot program to evaluate the 
3.21 	effectiveness of parent engagement on the development of early childhood literacy skills:

3.22		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
3.23 	(b) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2028.
3.24 		Subd. 4.Program effectiveness assessment pilot program. (a) For a pilot program to 
3.25 	measure the effectiveness of state-funded early childhood programs:

3.26		$
	.......
	.....
	2025
	
3.27 	(b) This is a onetime appropriation and is available until June 30, 2027.