HF4870

Purpose

• Create a new statewide body, the Minnesota Board of Early Care and Education, to support children’s development in early care and education settings and to consolidate and improve state supports, standards, and educator qualifications.
• Align policies and funding with a coordinated approach to early childhood development while maintaining existing health and safety licensing requirements.

Main Provisions and what the bill seeks to accomplish

• Establishment of a dedicated board: The Minnesota Board of Early Care and Education is created to oversee quality standards, educator qualifications, and state supports for early care and education programs.
• Definitions and scope: Clarifies terms such as early care and education program, early childhood, licensed health and safety program, quality recognition pathway, and recognized program. Includes programs like family/group child care homes, child care centers, tribally licensed programs, Head Start, Early Head Start, and school-based early care for birth through kindergarten.
• Board structure and appointments: The governor appoints a diverse 12-member board, including licensed center staff, family/group home licensees, school district staff, tribal representatives, Head Start, parents, health/mental health experts, higher education researchers, and the commissioner or a designee. Initial appointments due by August 1, 2027; the board elects a chair; meets at least quarterly; and receives support from the state department.
• Duties and processes: The board identifies and approves multiple quality recognition pathways, sets educator standards, reviews and consolidates existing state policies, and provides annual reports. It can grant variances to certain standards if health or safety isn’t affected and must review standards at least every two years.
• Quality recognition pathways: The board must approve multiple pathways to recognize program quality, including potential use of national accreditations or other flexible options. Pathways must be based on current research, align with progress indicators, rely on industry standards, involve third-party verification, and include a publicly posted list of approved third-party verifiers.
• Interaction with licensing: The new pathways do not replace health and safety licensing requirements. There must be a clear transition process from licensed status to recognized status, and board rules must avoid duplicating existing licensing rules. In case of conflicts, licensing rules prevail for health and safety matters.
• Mandatory participation: Programs must participate in a quality recognition pathway, and recognition is required for eligibility to receive state and federal funding (and related funding under specified state statutes).
• Educator standards: The board will establish qualifications standards for different levels of early childhood expertise and ensure these standards are research-informed, industry-led, and aligned with recognized frameworks. Standards must be reflected in rules and policies.
• Supports and policy alignment: The board reviews state policies to improve program access and aligns supports with approved pathways and educator qualifications. It may recommend rule or budget changes and submit annual reports on work and funding needs.
• Data and considerations: The board must consider data on child development, workforce needs, and program access, including race, ethnicity, geography, income, and disability status. It should solicit input from families, educators, tribal governments, and community organizations, and assess impacts and costs of proposed actions.
• Reporting and transparency: Annual reports to the governor and legislative committees with jurisdiction over child care licensing, including recommended statutory changes and funding needed. Publicly reports on policy impacts, program supply, and workforce qualifications and stability. May request data from state agencies when allowed by law.
• Plan development and funding: Updates to the Minnesota child care development fund plan involve legislative review, with drafts shared with relevant committees ahead of federal submission. The board participates in plan development and must explain any adjustments related to quality set-aside money.
• Funding: An appropriation from the general fund is provided in FY 2027 to the Board of Early Care and Education to carry out its duties under the new act.

Significant changes to existing law

• Creation of a centralized board (Board of Early Care and Education) to oversee quality standards, educator qualifications, and supports for early care and education, replacing or consolidating fragmented policy areas.
• Introduction of mandatory participation in a quality recognition pathway to access state and federal funding, linking financial support to program recognition.
• Establishment of a formal framework for multiple quality recognition pathways, including potential third-party verifications and eligibility criteria tied to funding.
• Formal integration with, but not replacement of, existing licensing rules for health and safety; a transition process is established to move programs toward recognized status.
• Requirements for data-driven decision-making, including disaggregated data by race, geography, income, and disability to guide policy and funding decisions.
• New reporting and planning procedures for the state’s child care development fund plan, with required collaboration between the board and legislative committees.

Implementation timeline and funding

• Initial board appointments due by August 1, 2027; first meeting within 60 days of appointments; board to meet quarterly thereafter.
• The board will receive department support (staff, space, administrative services) from the state.
• A general-fund appropriation is provided in FY 2027 to support the board’s duties under the new act.
• By December 1 each year, the board must issue annual reports and assess policy impacts, with data requests to state agencies as needed.

Notable governance and procedural features

• Public posting of third-party verification entities and ongoing shelf-life of approved pathways.
• Advisory task force option and annual reporting structure to the governor and legislative committees.
• Provisions to avoid duplication with existing licensing requirements and to resolve conflicts with other state agency rules, giving licensing precedence over board rules when necessary.

Relevant Terms - Minnesota Board of Early Care and Education - Early care and education program - Quality recognition pathway - Recognized program - Licensed health and safety program - Third-party verification - Educator standards - Great Minnesota diversity (Greater Minnesota vs Metropolitan Area) - Tribal representative / Tribal early care and education system - Head Start / Early Head Start - School-based early care and education program - Mandatory participation - Data disaggregation (race, ethnicity, geography, income, disability) - Plan development for Child Care Development Fund - Appropriation / general fund - Rulemaking / Chapter 14 - Licensing (Chapter 142B; Minnesota Rules 9502 and 9503)