HF4986

Purpose

• Establish and fund a Mindful Foundations pilot program for traumainformed practices in early childhood education, specifically for prekindergarten through grade 1 (PreK–1).
• Provide a targeted grant from the General Fund to support this pilot in selected districts or licensed early childhood programs, with the goal of testing, monitoring, and evaluating traumainformed approaches and potential statewide expansion.

Main Provisions

• Grant funding and administration
  • An appropriation (funding from the General Fund) designated for the Mindful Foundations pilot program.
  • A grant to Mindful Foundations to implement the pilot in PreK–1 settings, including curriculum delivery and associated supports.
• Curriculum and program components
  • Implementation of the Mindful Foundations curriculum, including the LOVEE Method (Listen, Observe, Value, Empathize, Evolve).
  • Applications of traumainformed early childhood practices across classrooms, with emphasis on management and behavioral guidance.
• Roles and accountability
  • A curriculum developer will oversee curriculum delivery, progress monitoring, and evaluation.
  • A fiduciary and compliance administrator (an attending member) will have full operational authority over program delivery, progress monitoring, and evaluation.
  • A field progress monitoring specialist will be hired at each pilot site to conduct classroom observations and collect data under the supervision of the curriculum developer.
• Training and ongoing support
  • Leadership, staff, and family training, plus ongoing weekly consultation throughout the pilot year.
  • A progress monitoring system covering student, educator, family, and classroom environment domains.
• Evaluation and data use
  • The program will support statewide evaluation of traumainformed practices to inform potential expansion.
  • Data and findings will inform decisions about broader adoption, implementation framework, and budget.

Funding and Timeline Details

• Funding: An appropriation from the General Fund to support the pilot, including the implementation and evaluation activities.
• Timeline and process
  • Selection process: A voluntary application process for eligible school districts and licensed early childhood programs to participate, with deadlines:
  • Application deadline: May 1, 2027.
  • Notification of selections: No later than May 15, 2027.
  • Selection criteria: Demonstrated administrative commitment to whole-school traumainformed practice, PreK–1 classrooms, and capacity to implement the full curriculum.
  • Reporting deadline: By January 15, 2028, the grant recipient must submit a written report detailing implementation, data findings, impacts on educator retention and family engagement, and recommendations for statewide expansion, including an implementation framework and budget.

Reporting and Evaluation

• A comprehensive report is required to the Commissioner of Education and to the legislature’s education committees.
• The report must include:
  • A summary of how the pilot was implemented.
  • Quantitative and qualitative findings from the progress monitoring system across multiple domains (student, educator, family, classroom environment).
  • Analysis of the curriculum’s impact on educator retention and family engagement.
  • Recommendations regarding statewide adoption or phased expansion, including an implementation framework and budget.

Potential Impact and Changes to Law

• Creates a new, targeted pilot program within the Department of Education focused on traumainformed practices for early childhood education.
• Establishes a formal data-driven evaluation process to determine feasibility of broader adoption.
• Introduces administrative roles and required progress monitoring to ensure rigorous oversight and measurement of impact.
• Sets explicit timelines for application, notification, and reporting that could lead to statewide adoption if results are favorable.

Relevant terms - Mindful Foundations - traumainformed / trauma-informed education - early childhood practices - prekindergarten through grade 1 (PreK–1) - LOVEE Method (Listen, Observe, Value, Empathize, Evolve) - curriculum developer - Department of Education - field progress monitoring specialist - progress monitoring system - classroom management and behavioral guidance - leadership, staff, and family training - statewide evaluation - implementation framework - phased expansion - educator retention - family engagement - voluntary application process - school districts - licensed early childhood programs - data collection and observations - budget considerations - January 15, 2028 reporting deadline - May 1, 2027 (application deadline) - May 15, 2027 (notification deadline)