Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Child Care Provisions passed in the 84th legislative session...
Last week I posted some information about some bills that had been signed into Minnesota law. I got some feedback from a reader saying that they understood what was being said, but the wording of the law was very difficult to follow. I would have to agree that most laws are written this way. I guess it is needed to keep Minnesota's 22,000 lawyers productive... yes, Minnesota has over 22,000 lawyers and approx 12,500 family child care providers... (I will refrain from making a comment here about a society that has nearly twice as many lawyers as it does people caring for children).
Child Care Works gives a good summary of the several child care provisions that were passed in the last few hours before the 84th legislative session adjourned.
CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CHANGES & APPROPRIATIONS
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Absent Day Policy Clarification & Notification (Nornes/Hottinger)
Clarifies that only full-day absent days count against a family’s 25 day cap. Part-day absences do not count against the cap. Providers must be reimbursed for up to ten state/federal holidays or the days designated as holidays when the provider charges all families for these days. Parents may substitute other cultural or religious holidays for the ten recognized state/federal holiday. These holidays do not count against the family’s 25 day cap. The provider and parent will receive notification of the number of absent days used upon initial provider authorization and when the family has used 15 cumulative absent days. When MEC2 is implemented, notification will occur on an on-going basis.
Expenditure: $108,000 in 2006-07; $575,000 in 2008-09
Accreditation Differential Rate (Slawik/Hottinger)
Allows accredited providers serving CCAP children to charge the state up to 15% above the maximum reimbursement rate if they also charge private-pay families that higher rate. The state may not pay a rate higher than what is charged private-pay families.
Expenditure: $1.221 million in 2006-07; $3.520 million in 2008-09
Basic Sliding Fee Waiting List (Slawik/Hottinger)
Provides funding for the Basic Sliding Fee waiting list.
Expenditure: $3.842 million in 2006-07; $7.684 million in 2008-09
Child Care Reimbursement Rates (Slawik/Hottinger)
Provides a 6% increase in CCAP reimbursement rates up to the allowable maximum reimbursement rate. Rates will be adjusted for existing providers by September 2006, and for new families beginning July 1, 2006.
Expenditure: $10.647 million in 2006-07; $24.510 million in 2008-09
Co-Pay Scholarships/Third-Party Payments (Slawik/Hottinger)
Allows third-parties to pay the required parent co-pay for the parent. The scholarship, or third-party payment, does not count towards the family’s income in relation to eligibility to public assistance programs. Documentation by the provider is required. Enactment date: May 6, 2006.
Family Child Care Exception for Notification of Variance or Set-Aside (Abeler/Hottinger)
Provides an exceptions for notification of a variance or set-aside to family child care licensed providers when the subject of the variance or set-aside is a minor (under age 18) who has committed a misdemeanor level theft crime.
Priority for Veterans (Governor’s language)
Adds a fourth priority within CCAP for families where at least one parent is a veteran. Higher priorities continue to include minor parents, parents under age 21, families who have participated in MFIP, the Diversionary Work Program, or are in their transition year, and families receiving CCAP who move to a county with a waiting list.
Ramsey County Child Care Pilot (Samuelson/Pappas)
Improves coordination for teen parents receiving CCAP. Determines eligibility using teen’s income. Waives parent fees for children in school-basedprograms. Does not affect Basic Sliding Fee funds.
QUALITY ENHANCEMENTS
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Child Care Training and Professional Development (Sertich/Sparks)
Increases annual training hours required for licensed family child care providers from 6 to 8 hours.
Requires that all new center staff and family child care providers complete 2 hours of training covering basic early childhood development within their first year of providing care, unless they possess extensive previous early childhood development training.
Requires all child care center teachers & assistant teachers and at least one staff person during field trips and when transporting children in care to have completed first aid training within 90 days of starting work unless that person has done the training within the previous 3 years. Training must be documented and must be repeated at least every 3 years.
Exemption for CPR and first aid training for family child care providers employed as substitutes for less than 30 hours per year.
Allows video training of first aid and CPR for family child care providers.
NorthStar Quality Improvement & Rating System (Davnie/Hottinger)
One-time funding was appropriated to the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation to implement the first phase of the NorthStar QIRS. A progress report back to the legislature is required by January 15, 2008.
Expenditure: $1 million
LICENSING ISSUES
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Child Car Seat Restraint Training (Finstad/Hottinger)
Exempts child care providers who transport children only in buses from car seat restraint training.
Crib Safety Clarifications (Otremba/Sams)
Allows child care providers to use mesh-sided cribs that have not been identified as unsafe by the U.S. Product Consumer Safety Commission.
Special Family Daycare Home Variance (Poppe/Sparks)
Allows nonprofits to be included as Special Family Daycare Homes. Creates a capacity variance for non-profits child care programs with a Rule 2 license. Variance can be given if provider meets the following criteria: no more than 14 children for more than 4 hours per day; maintains 1-7 ratio; staff have 4 extra hours of training annually; program is in compliance with fire and zoning codes; and square footage meets the requirement in Rule.
OTHER PROVISIONS AND APPROPRIATIONS
Early Childhood Family Education Formula Increase (Sykora/Bonoff)
Increases ECFE formula from $104 to $112 per child.
Expenditure: $2.680 million in 2006-07; $5.841 million in 2008-09
Early Childhood Developmental Screening (Meslow/Hottinger)
Increases the amount paid for children screened earlier (i.e. $50 for 3 year olds, $40 for 4 year olds, $30 for 5 year olds)
Expenditure: $143,000 for 2006-07; $53,000 for 2008-09
Educate Parents Partnership (Governor’s language)
Creates a partnership between health care providers and community organizations to provide parent information to parents of newborns at the time of birth.
Expenditure: $80,000 in 2006-07; $100,000 in 2008-09
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (Governor’s language)
Reinstates the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment for kindergarteners.
Expenditure: $287,000 in 2006-07; $574,000 in 2008-09
Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 (Hottinger/Abeler)
Creates a new legislative commission. Appointment for members to be made by February 15, 2007. Report to legislature is required by December 15, 2008.
Expenditure: $250,000, one-time, 2006-07
A summary chart of child care and early education expenditures for 2006-2009 is available on the Child Care Works website.
NEXT STEPS!
Early care and education advocates made significant progress this year in creating bipartisan support for investing in our youngest citizens.
1) Take five minutes today to thank key legislators for coming together to support children and families:
Rep. Jim Knoblach, 15A, (R-St. Cloud); Rep. Dennis Ozment, 37B, (R-Rosemount); Rep. Marty Seifert, 21A (R-Marshall); Rep. Fran Bradley, 29B (R-Rochester); Rep. Loren Solberg, 3B (DFL-Grand Rapids); Senator Dick Cohen, 64 (DFL-St. Paul); Senator Linda Berglin, 61 (DFL-Minneapolis); Senator John Hottinger, 23 (DFL-St. Peter); Senator Leroy Stumpf, 1 (DFL-Plummer); Senator Dennis Fredrickson, 21 (R-New Ulm).
Senator Contact Information
Representative Contact Information
2) Reserve Thursday, September 28, 2006 on your calender attend the Child Care WORKS Convention where child care advocates from across the state will gather to build on our successes as we head into the 2007 legislative session. More information will be sent to you soon, but be sure to get the date on your calendar if you haven't already done so!
Stay Tuned...
The 2006 session is over, but our work, of course, continues. In the WORKS Online will continue to bring you updates and information monthly through the summer and fall, until the next legislative session starts on January 3, 2007, when we will return to a bi-weekly publishing schedule to ensure you have timely information to support your child care advocacy efforts. Thank you for your work this session to strengthen support for families and children - together, we are creating a brighter future for Minnesota!
Last week I posted some information about some bills that had been signed into Minnesota law. I got some feedback from a reader saying that they understood what was being said, but the wording of the law was very difficult to follow. I would have to agree that most laws are written this way. I guess it is needed to keep Minnesota's 22,000 lawyers productive... yes, Minnesota has over 22,000 lawyers and approx 12,500 family child care providers... (I will refrain from making a comment here about a society that has nearly twice as many lawyers as it does people caring for children).
Child Care Works gives a good summary of the several child care provisions that were passed in the last few hours before the 84th legislative session adjourned.
CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM CHANGES & APPROPRIATIONS
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Absent Day Policy Clarification & Notification (Nornes/Hottinger)
Clarifies that only full-day absent days count against a family’s 25 day cap. Part-day absences do not count against the cap. Providers must be reimbursed for up to ten state/federal holidays or the days designated as holidays when the provider charges all families for these days. Parents may substitute other cultural or religious holidays for the ten recognized state/federal holiday. These holidays do not count against the family’s 25 day cap. The provider and parent will receive notification of the number of absent days used upon initial provider authorization and when the family has used 15 cumulative absent days. When MEC2 is implemented, notification will occur on an on-going basis.
Expenditure: $108,000 in 2006-07; $575,000 in 2008-09
Accreditation Differential Rate (Slawik/Hottinger)
Allows accredited providers serving CCAP children to charge the state up to 15% above the maximum reimbursement rate if they also charge private-pay families that higher rate. The state may not pay a rate higher than what is charged private-pay families.
Expenditure: $1.221 million in 2006-07; $3.520 million in 2008-09
Basic Sliding Fee Waiting List (Slawik/Hottinger)
Provides funding for the Basic Sliding Fee waiting list.
Expenditure: $3.842 million in 2006-07; $7.684 million in 2008-09
Child Care Reimbursement Rates (Slawik/Hottinger)
Provides a 6% increase in CCAP reimbursement rates up to the allowable maximum reimbursement rate. Rates will be adjusted for existing providers by September 2006, and for new families beginning July 1, 2006.
Expenditure: $10.647 million in 2006-07; $24.510 million in 2008-09
Co-Pay Scholarships/Third-Party Payments (Slawik/Hottinger)
Allows third-parties to pay the required parent co-pay for the parent. The scholarship, or third-party payment, does not count towards the family’s income in relation to eligibility to public assistance programs. Documentation by the provider is required. Enactment date: May 6, 2006.
Family Child Care Exception for Notification of Variance or Set-Aside (Abeler/Hottinger)
Provides an exceptions for notification of a variance or set-aside to family child care licensed providers when the subject of the variance or set-aside is a minor (under age 18) who has committed a misdemeanor level theft crime.
Priority for Veterans (Governor’s language)
Adds a fourth priority within CCAP for families where at least one parent is a veteran. Higher priorities continue to include minor parents, parents under age 21, families who have participated in MFIP, the Diversionary Work Program, or are in their transition year, and families receiving CCAP who move to a county with a waiting list.
Ramsey County Child Care Pilot (Samuelson/Pappas)
Improves coordination for teen parents receiving CCAP. Determines eligibility using teen’s income. Waives parent fees for children in school-basedprograms. Does not affect Basic Sliding Fee funds.
QUALITY ENHANCEMENTS
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Child Care Training and Professional Development (Sertich/Sparks)
Increases annual training hours required for licensed family child care providers from 6 to 8 hours.
Requires that all new center staff and family child care providers complete 2 hours of training covering basic early childhood development within their first year of providing care, unless they possess extensive previous early childhood development training.
Requires all child care center teachers & assistant teachers and at least one staff person during field trips and when transporting children in care to have completed first aid training within 90 days of starting work unless that person has done the training within the previous 3 years. Training must be documented and must be repeated at least every 3 years.
Exemption for CPR and first aid training for family child care providers employed as substitutes for less than 30 hours per year.
Allows video training of first aid and CPR for family child care providers.
NorthStar Quality Improvement & Rating System (Davnie/Hottinger)
One-time funding was appropriated to the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation to implement the first phase of the NorthStar QIRS. A progress report back to the legislature is required by January 15, 2008.
Expenditure: $1 million
LICENSING ISSUES
Note that all enactment dates are July 1, 2006 unless otherwise specified.
Child Car Seat Restraint Training (Finstad/Hottinger)
Exempts child care providers who transport children only in buses from car seat restraint training.
Crib Safety Clarifications (Otremba/Sams)
Allows child care providers to use mesh-sided cribs that have not been identified as unsafe by the U.S. Product Consumer Safety Commission.
Special Family Daycare Home Variance (Poppe/Sparks)
Allows nonprofits to be included as Special Family Daycare Homes. Creates a capacity variance for non-profits child care programs with a Rule 2 license. Variance can be given if provider meets the following criteria: no more than 14 children for more than 4 hours per day; maintains 1-7 ratio; staff have 4 extra hours of training annually; program is in compliance with fire and zoning codes; and square footage meets the requirement in Rule.
OTHER PROVISIONS AND APPROPRIATIONS
Early Childhood Family Education Formula Increase (Sykora/Bonoff)
Increases ECFE formula from $104 to $112 per child.
Expenditure: $2.680 million in 2006-07; $5.841 million in 2008-09
Early Childhood Developmental Screening (Meslow/Hottinger)
Increases the amount paid for children screened earlier (i.e. $50 for 3 year olds, $40 for 4 year olds, $30 for 5 year olds)
Expenditure: $143,000 for 2006-07; $53,000 for 2008-09
Educate Parents Partnership (Governor’s language)
Creates a partnership between health care providers and community organizations to provide parent information to parents of newborns at the time of birth.
Expenditure: $80,000 in 2006-07; $100,000 in 2008-09
Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (Governor’s language)
Reinstates the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment for kindergarteners.
Expenditure: $287,000 in 2006-07; $574,000 in 2008-09
Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 (Hottinger/Abeler)
Creates a new legislative commission. Appointment for members to be made by February 15, 2007. Report to legislature is required by December 15, 2008.
Expenditure: $250,000, one-time, 2006-07
A summary chart of child care and early education expenditures for 2006-2009 is available on the Child Care Works website.
NEXT STEPS!
Early care and education advocates made significant progress this year in creating bipartisan support for investing in our youngest citizens.
1) Take five minutes today to thank key legislators for coming together to support children and families:
Rep. Jim Knoblach, 15A, (R-St. Cloud); Rep. Dennis Ozment, 37B, (R-Rosemount); Rep. Marty Seifert, 21A (R-Marshall); Rep. Fran Bradley, 29B (R-Rochester); Rep. Loren Solberg, 3B (DFL-Grand Rapids); Senator Dick Cohen, 64 (DFL-St. Paul); Senator Linda Berglin, 61 (DFL-Minneapolis); Senator John Hottinger, 23 (DFL-St. Peter); Senator Leroy Stumpf, 1 (DFL-Plummer); Senator Dennis Fredrickson, 21 (R-New Ulm).
Senator Contact Information
Representative Contact Information
2) Reserve Thursday, September 28, 2006 on your calender attend the Child Care WORKS Convention where child care advocates from across the state will gather to build on our successes as we head into the 2007 legislative session. More information will be sent to you soon, but be sure to get the date on your calendar if you haven't already done so!
Stay Tuned...
The 2006 session is over, but our work, of course, continues. In the WORKS Online will continue to bring you updates and information monthly through the summer and fall, until the next legislative session starts on January 3, 2007, when we will return to a bi-weekly publishing schedule to ensure you have timely information to support your child care advocacy efforts. Thank you for your work this session to strengthen support for families and children - together, we are creating a brighter future for Minnesota!
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 3:19 PM 
