1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education; expanding early childhood developmental screening; 
1.3 	establishing a developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance; appropriating 
1.4 	money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 124D.13, subdivision 2, by 
1.5 	adding a subdivision; 124D.135, subdivisions 1, 6.
1.6 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.7 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.13, subdivision 2, is amended to 
1.8 	read:
1.9 		Subd. 2.Program characteristics. (a) Early childhood family education programs 
1.10 	are programs for children in the period of life from birth to kindergarten, for the parents 
1.11 	and other relatives of these children, and for expectant parents. To the extent that funds 
1.12 	are insufficient to provide programs for all children, early childhood family education 
1.13 	programs should emphasize programming for a child from birth to age three, and 
1.14 	programming for parents and their children who may be at risk of not being ready for 
1.15 	kindergarten. Programs may use the Minnesota early learning guidelines for children birth 
1.16 	to age three developed by the commissioner of human services or the early childhood 
1.17 	indicators of progress for children ages three to five developed by the commissioner of 
1.18 	education. Programs should also encourage parents and other relatives to involve four- and 
1.19 	five-year-old children in school readiness programs, and other public and nonpublic early 
1.20 	learning programs. Early childhood family education programs may include the following:
1.21 	(1) programs to educate parents and other relatives about the physical, mental, 
1.22 	and emotional development of children;
1.23 	(2) programs to enhance the skills of parents and other relatives in providing for 
1.24 	their children's learning and development;
2.1 	(3) learning experiences for children and parents and other relatives that promote 
2.2 	children's development;
2.3 	(4) activities designed to detect children's physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral 
2.4 	problems that may cause learning problems;
2.5 	(5) activities and materials designed to encourage self-esteem, skills, and behavior 
2.6 	that prevent sexual and other interpersonal violence;
2.7 	(6) educational materials which may be borrowed for home use;
2.8 	(7) information on related community resources;
2.9 	(8) programs to prevent child abuse and neglect;
2.10 	(9) other programs or activities to improve the health, development, and school 
2.11 	readiness of children; or
2.12 	(10) activities designed to maximize development during infancy.
2.13 	The programs must not include activities for children that do not require substantial 
2.14 	involvement of the children's parents or other relatives. The programs must be reviewed 
2.15 	periodically to assure the instruction and materials are not racially, culturally, or sexually 
2.16 	biased. The programs must encourage parents to be aware of practices that may affect 
2.17 	equitable development of children.
2.18 	(b) For the purposes of this section, "relative" or "relatives" means noncustodial 
2.19 	grandparents or other persons related to a child by blood, marriage, adoption, or foster 
2.20 	placement, excluding parents.

2.21 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.13, is amended by adding a subdivision 
2.22 	to read:
2.23 		Subd. 13.Program accountability plan. To ensure early childhood family 
2.24 	education programming is accessible for all families in the state, the department must 
2.25 	develop and implement a program accountability plan that focuses on the race, ethnicity, 
2.26 	and income demographics of the families being served by ECFE and requires corrective 
2.27 	action for those programs not meeting accountability standards.

2.28 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.135, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
2.29 		Subdivision 1.Revenue. The revenue for early childhood family education 
2.30 	programs for a school district equals  $112 $120 for fiscal year 2007 2008 and later, times 
2.31 	the greater of:
2.32 	(1) 150 180; or
2.33 	(2) the number of people under five years of age residing in the district on October 1 
2.34 	of the previous school year.

3.1 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 124D.135, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
3.2 		Subd. 6.Home visiting levy. A district that enters into a collaborative agreement 
3.3 	to provide education services and social services to families with young children may 
3.4 	levy an amount equal to $1.60 $3.20 times the number of people under five years of age 
3.5 	residing in the district on September 1 of the last school year. Levy revenue under this 
3.6 	subdivision must not be included as revenue under subdivision 1. The revenue must be 
3.7 	used for home visiting programs under section 124D.13, subdivision 4, and may include 
3.8 	hospital visits for families of newborns. 

3.9 	Sec. 5. DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT AT KINDERGARTEN 
3.10 	ENTRANCE.
 3.11 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The commissioner of education shall develop a plan 
3.12 	to expand the developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance to all school districts on 
3.13 	a voluntary basis, using the model developed for the school readiness studies conducted 
3.14 	by the Department of Education in 2002 and 2003. The department must set biennial 
3.15 	milestones for progress in the number of children reaching proficiency on all measures 
3.16 	of the assessment.
3.17 		Subd. 2.Description. (a) The developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance 
3.18 	initiative will be implemented in all school districts in Minnesota on a voluntary basis 
3.19 	over a five-year period. The schedule for implementation is as follows:
3.20 	(1) fiscal year 2009, 30 percent of children entering kindergarten;
3.21 	(2) fiscal year 2010, 50 percent of children entering kindergarten;
3.22 	(3) fiscal year 2011, 75 percent of children entering kindergarten; and
3.23 	(4) fiscal year 2012, 100 percent of children entering kindergarten.
3.24 	(b) By January 15 each year, the commissioner must report the results of the 
3.25 	assessment to the committees of the senate and house of representatives having jurisdiction 
3.26 	over early childhood education issues.

3.27 	Sec. 6. PARENT EDUCATION GRANTS.
 3.28 		Subdivision 1.Establishment. The commissioner of education shall make grants 
3.29 	available to organizations that focus on parent education to promote school readiness 
3.30 	for parents of children birth to age five from underrepresented populations, including 
3.31 	immigrant, English as a second language, tribal, low-income, and cultural communities.
3.32 		Subd. 2.Program components. Programs will serve children in the period of life 
3.33 	from birth to kindergarten, the parents and other relatives of these children, and expectant 
3.34 	parents. Grant recipients must provide:
4.1 	(1) programs to educate parents, other relatives, or providers about the physical, 
4.2 	cognitive, and social-emotional development of children;
4.3 	(2) programs to enhance the skills of parents and other relatives in providing for 
4.4 	their children's learning and development;
4.5 	(3) learning experiences for children and parents and other relatives that promote 
4.6 	children's development;
4.7 	(4) activities designed to detect children's physical, social-emotional, or behavioral 
4.8 	problems that may cause learning problems; 
4.9 	(5) information on related community resources;
4.10 	(6) programs to prevent child abuse and neglect; and 
4.11 	(7) activities which allow a licensed parent educator to provide services for early 
4.12 	childhood programs.
4.13 		Subd. 3.Evaluation and accountability. Programs receiving grant funding under 
4.14 	this section must participate in the same evaluation process developed in section 2.
4.15 		Subd. 4.Eligibility. An eligible grant recipient must:
4.16 	(1) provide programming for parents and their children;
4.17 	(2) serve underrepresented populations, including immigrant, English as a second 
4.18 	language, tribal, low-income, and cultural communities;
4.19 	(3) serve families with risk factors as determined by the commissioner; and 
4.20 	(4) employ a well-educated staff qualified to meet the needs of families they serve.

4.21 	Sec. 7. APPROPRIATIONS.
 4.22 		Subdivision 1.Department of Education. The sums indicated in this section are 
4.23 	appropriated from the general fund to the Department of Education for the fiscal years 
4.24 	designated.
4.25 		Subd. 2.Developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance. For the 
4.26 	developmental assessment at kindergarten entrance:

4.27		$
	.......
	.....
	2008
	
4.28		$
	.......
	.....
	2009
	
4.29 		Subd. 3.Parent education grants. For parent education grants:

4.30		$
	.......
	.....
	2008
	
4.31		$
	.......
	.....
	2009