Monday, April 4, 2011 - Open Appointments: Governor’s Early Learning Council
From Ready 4 K
Today, the Secretary of State’s office announced openings on the Governor’s Early Learning Council. Governor Dayton’s Executive Order 11-05, announced at the Voices for Children Day Rally, creates the Early Learning Council, which replaces and builds on the work of the Early Childhood Advisory Council formed by Governor Pawlenty in 2009.
Under Governor Dayton’s order, the Council will consist of up to 30 members, 26 of whom are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Governor Dayton is interested in including individuals with the following expertise, affiliations, or backgrounds on the Council:
a) Representatives of local government groups
b) Representatives of local school districts
c) Individuals with Head Start expertise
d) Providers of early childhood supports and services
e) Representatives of higher education
f) Individuals whose families received early childhood supports or services (minimum 2 parents)
g) Individuals from non-profits involved in early childhood issues
h) Members of the business community
i) Representative of the philanthropic community
The Early Learning Council makes recommendations to the Governor and the Minnesota Legislature to ensure every child is ready for kindergarten and affordable quality early childhood education and care is available to all children.
Governor Dayton is interested in appointing people to the Council who represent Minnesota’s diversity across race, geography, age and perspective. The Council will meet quarterly at the Minnesota Department of Education offices in Roseville; mileage will be reimbursed. Please consider submitting an application or encouraging your colleagues to apply. Governor Dayton will also appoint two parents who are recipients of early childhood services.
To apply for the Early Learning Council download an application form at the Secretary of State’s Open Appointments page. When submitting your application, include:
—Open Appointments Application Form - completed, signed & dated
—Letter of Interest
—Resume or Biography
The Early Learning Council is poised to play a pivotal role in early childhood policy and systems building efforts over the next few years.
Ready4K @ the Capitol - April 1, 2011
From Ready 4 K
This Week @ the Capitol
This week at the Capitol saw late nights as the omnibus budget bills made their way off the floors of both bodies. While the proposed cuts were largely left intact, positive and negative action was taken on the Quality Rating and Improvement System in the Education bills of both chambers.
Quality Rating System Experiences Set-Back in House
The House took up its Omnibus Education bill late Tuesday evening, working late into the night to complete its work. Funding and language were included in the bill to move forward the Parent Aware QRIS and early childhood scholarships. An initial amendment from Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan), a long-time opponent of investments in early care and education, attempted to reduce the funding for the scholarships and put the savings into the general education formula. This was soundly rejected by a 112 - 16 vote. Threatening to hold up the Education bill over QRIS and the scholarships, Rep. Buesgens offered another amendment stripping QRIS from the bill and directing the early childhood scholarships to at-risk children, with no requirement that the scholarships be used in quality settings. Despite strong opposition from many members, the amendment was adopted 66-60.
While this is indeed a set-back to the years of work on this proposal, it highlights the degree to which the atmosphere has shifted at the Capitol and the need for continued education of many legislators. Read MinnPost’s story on the vote.
In all likelihood, the Omnibus Education bill will be vetoed by Governor Dayton, as it includes many other provisions that he does not support. We will continue to work with our legislative allies to ensure that the QRIS will move forward by the end of the session. Look for ways to raise your voice in the coming days and weeks.
Senate Moves Forward on Rating System
When the Senate took up their Omnibus Education bill, it did not include any language or funding for either the QRIS or scholarships. We had indications that there would be attempts to amend something into the bill in order to establish a positive Senate position on the QRIS heading into conference committee. Sen. Geoff Michel, the original author of the Parent Aware and scholarship proposal, offered an amendment requiring that increases in state funding to improve school readiness must be made “in research-based programs of known quality” consistent with the QRIS framework already in state statute. The amendment provides that new funding will be tied to the QRIS, but it doesn’t actually fund the QRIS. Sen. Gen Olson, the Education bill’s chief author, supported the amendment as a way to keep the discussion alive, and it was adopted on a voice vote. A similar amendment by Sen. Terri Bonoff, adding the original Parent Aware and scholarship language, was defeated however, as it took funding from the statewide K-12 testing system. Both Education bills now head to conference committee, where the differences will be worked out.
Health and Human Services Bill
Briefly, the Senate HHS bill passed the full Senate this week, with bill author Senator David Hann trying to argue that the massive child care cuts are not actually cuts, but a reduction in growth of the funding. When fewer families will be served, we see this as a cut. We anticipate the House HHS bill to pass out of its last committee and head to a vote by the full House this week.
As mentioned, Ready 4 K has prepared a number of documents to help you track these bills. Check out our side-by-side comparison of the Governor, House and Senate budget recommendations. And of course, our bill tracker is updated weekly. All of these documents can be found on our 2011 Legislative Session page. These proposals are fluid, of course, and as the legislative session progresses, we’ll keep you updated.
March 17, 2011 - Governor Dayton Signs Executive Order Establishing Early Learning Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Office of the Governor
Contact: Katharine Tinucci
651.201.3441 office
651-368-0086 cell
katharine.tinucci@state.mn.us
Advisory Council Builds on Governor’s Vision for Education Reform, Will Work to Ensure That All Children are School-Ready by 2020
(Saint Paul) - Today, Governor Mark Dayton reaffirmed his commitment to make quality early childhood education a priority by signing an executive order to reauthorize the state’s Early Learning Council. The Governor’s action highlights his vision that all Minnesota children enter school well-prepared to learn.
“Investing in quality early care and education is essential to building a better future for our children and our state,” Governor Dayton said. “Quality early education prepares children to learn once they enter school, provides significant long-term cost savings to Minnesotans, and helps produce the excellent workforce that has been the hallmark of our state’s economic success. It’s a critical step in helping Minnesota win the future.”
The federal Improving Head Start Act of 2007 called for the establishment of State Early Childhood Advisory Councils to improve the quality, availability, and coordination of programs and services for children ages birth to five. State councils are charged with developing recommendations for increasing access to high quality state and federal early childhood care and education programs for all children - including those who are part of underrepresented and special populations – and conducting a periodic state needs assessment of the quality and availability of programs.
Under Governor Dayton’s new executive order, the Council, established in 2008 by Governor’s Executive Order 08-14, will be renamed the Early Learning Council and will have an expanded membership that will be named through the open appointments process. The primary goal of the Early Learning Council is to ensure that all children are school-ready by 2020. Council members will make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, including a legislative proposal that will effectively create a high-quality early childhood system in Minnesota that will help improve educational outcomes for all children.
“There are few things that predict a child’s future success like the quality of the education he or she receives in the early years,” said Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. “The Early Learning Council will give focus to the Governor’s vision for our schools, and help ensure improved literacy, safety, and social development for all of Minnesota’s youngest learners.”
Governor Dayton’s Executive Order and “Better Schools for a Better Minnesota” vision for education reform are attached.
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http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=10229
February 15 Action Alert: Early Learning Cuts on the Table
From Child Care Works
Your voice is urgently needed in Congress this week as the House of Representatives debates H.R. 1, a budget bill that cuts funding for over 300,000 children in child care and Head Start, including children in Minnesota.
Please send a message today discouraging your Representative from voting for H.R. 1. We can’t improve the economy without working parents and disrupting the early care and education of our youngest and most vulnerable children has harmful short- and long-term effects on their healthy development.
Our weekly update has more information and links to upcoming early childhood events in Minnesota.
February 14, 2011 - Send a Valentine to Congress!
Create your own valentine, and let your representatives know you care about affordable, quality child care and early education.
It’s takes one minute to make your valentine online. MomsRising will print it and send it to congress along with thousands of others.
February 11, 2011 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol Governor Mark Dayton gave his first State of the the State address, in which he outlined his Five Point Plan for Future Prosperity: Invest in more jobs, invest in better education, invest in improved transportation, invest in the health of our citizens, our communities, and our environment, and invest in the transformation of government services.
About early childhood he said:
- “Every additional dollar we spend on education should be directed toward improving the quality of that education, starting with the experiences we provide our state’s children in the very first months and years of their lives. I have been greatly impressed with the careful thought being devoted by many dedicated adults to the best use of our resources for early childhood education. That is why I will re-establish the Governor’s Council on Early Childhood Education and the Children’s Cabinet, both to be led by Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. This is a terrific opportunity for continued public-private partnerships, involving business leaders, foundation executives, parents, educators, and everyone else who cares about our children and their success.”
Read the full text of his speech here. Watch the State of the State address at The UpTake.
The Governor also vetoed the Legislature’s first budget bill this week, citing the resulting property tax increase, lack of details and unbalanced and piecemeal approach. Read the Minnesota Budget Project’s thoughtful analysis of the veto.
In committee news, the House Education Reform committee heard a somewhat controversial bill to allow a comprehensive eye exam to replace a vision screening for a child’s early childhood screening. Much of the debate focused on the differences between the two procedures, with proponents of the bill arguing the necessity for universal eye exams to be a part of screenings, while opponents cited the large cost of such a change. The committee ran out of time and will hear further testimony and take action on the legislation at a future hearing.
Coming Up @ the Capitol
The Governor will release his budget on Tuesday, which will set the stage for budget negotiations with the Legislature. His budget is where we will learn the details of his “Better Schools for a Better Minnesota” initiative. The budget documents will be available on the Minnesota Management and Budget website when they are released, and we will provide a summary on our website shortly after.
Ready 4 K President Todd Otis will join the Minnesota Community Education Association and the Minnesota Head Start Association in testifying before the House Education Finance Committee on Wednesday at 12:30pm in Room 5 of the State Office Building. They will present an overview of their vision for early childhood in Minnesota and give the committee members a sense of their work.
Many of the committees will begin to hear from the various state departments about the Governor’s budget, and we will begin to get a real sense of the direction the legislature is going by their response. Check out the Legislative Calendar for the most up-to-date hearing information.
There are many ways to stay informed and in touch with our work during the legislative session. We hold quarterly partner meetings, with the next one being in March. Look for an email soon with more details. Also, our close partner Child Care WORKS holds their Policy Hour the first Tuesday of every month, so if you’re in the area this Tuesday, stop by Children’s Home Society and Family Services at noon.
And of course, be sure to check us out on 
(@Ready4K) and 
(Facebook.com/ready4k).
February 4, 2011 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol was heavily focused on the actions of the administration, with Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius testifying before the House education committees and Governor Mark Dayton announcing his 2011 bonding proposal and his education reform package.
The week started with Governor Dayton releasing his nearly billion dollar bonding proposal. He named nearly half of the projects, and urged the legislature to come up with the other half. Most significantly for us, he included $3 million for early childhood facilities. While the legislature has been reluctant to indicate their willingness to pass a bonding bill of any size, we’re hopeful that should there be one, funding for early childhood facilities will be included.
The Education Commissioner was introduced to the House Education Finance and the House Education Reform Committee this week. She and her staff gave an overview of the department and its various programs and services, and indicated her strong support for early childhood. Listen to it here.
The week culminated with the Governor and Commissioner releasing an outline of their education reform package, which was heavily focused on early childhood. The top three priorities are to improve state education funding, focus more resources and raise the profile of early childhood, and to narrow the achievement gap. In his 7-Point Plan for Achieving Excellence, early childhood is a strong focus:
- Invest in early childhood and targeted all-day kindergarten.
- Implement clearly defined school readiness standards
- Adopt pre-k to grade 3 literacy standards
- Support early childhood teacher observation and development
- Reauthorize the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and re-establish the Children’s Cabinet, and
- Charge the Commissioner with leadership of early childhood initiatives.
Further details of his proposal won’t be clear until legislation is introduced and until his budget is released on February 15. Said Ready 4 K President Todd Otis: “We are pleased to see Governor Mark Dayton and Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius recognize that early care and education is critical to the future prosperity of the state, and have pledged to invest more resources for our youngest Minnesotans….Voters understand this, the business community gets it, and it’s great that state leadership is showing their commitment to this important issue.” Read the news release, the 7 Point Plan, and the full statement from Todd Otis.
Watch the press conference at The UpTake.
Finally, many of our partners and allies attended a wonderful session this week on messaging. Generously hosted by the Minneapolis Foundation and provided by the Frameworks Institute, it helped all of us be more coordinated in our messaging about early care and education. Look for further details next week in our newsletter.
Coming Up @ the Capitol
The big news of the coming week is the Governor’s State of the State on Wednesday at noon. You can watch it live here. Look at the Legislative Calendar for the most up-to-date hearing information.
There are many ways to stay informed and in touch with our work during the legislative session. We hold quarterly partner meetings, with the next one being in March. Look for an email soon with more details. Also, our close partner Child Care WORKS holds their Policy Hour the first Tuesday of every month, so if you’re in the area this Tuesday, stop by Children’s Home Society and Family Services at noon.
And of course, be sure to check us out on (@Ready4K) and (Facebook.com/ready4k).
January 26, 2011 - Minneapolis Baby’s Space Founder Dr. Terrie Rose Receives Prestigious Lewis Hine Award from National Child Labor Committee (NCLC)
Watch “From the Baby’s Point Of View” on YouTube.
As Founder and Executive Director of Baby’s Space, a non-profit dedicated to limiting poverty’s devastating effects on child development, Dr. Terrie Rose will be honored for her commitment to the well-being, growth and development of children and their families.
The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) announced Terrie Rose, Ph.D., LP, founder and Executive Director of Baby’s Space in Minneapolis, is among ten national honorees of the 2011 Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth.
Named for the acclaimed NCLC photographer who documented early-20th century exploitation of children, the Hine Awards recognize professionals and volunteers who devote extraordinary time and energy to improving the lives of young people.
Dr. Rose will be honored for her innovative and results-based approach at Baby’s Space in Minneapolis. This holistic solution “from the baby’s point of view” offers a one-stop shop for child and family services from pregnancy to third grade including: year-round childcare, public K-3 education, parent education, on-site mental health services and family support. Dr. Rose created Baby’s Space first in the American Indian community in Minneapolis. Baby’s Space now serves as a national model.
“Terrie’s pioneering work is remarkably successful at offering children in poverty a stronger start in life,” said Jeff Werbelowski, Co-CEO of Houlihan Lokey and Baby’s Space business partner. According to Rose, in 2009-2010, 100 percent of kindergartners participating in the Baby’s Space program met or exceeded post-kindergarten proficiencies.
Baby’s Space neighborhood-based programs, founded in 1998, have received national recognition for success in negating poverty’s devastating effects by helping children develop relationships, manage emotions and learn. Baby’s Space has an estimated return on investment of $4 to every $1 invested. Using Minneapolis centers as a model, the national Baby’s Space organization is working to change the experience of young children and their families by providing direct service, creating a model for other organizations to replicate and designing training materials and products that support the academic and social emotional development of children.
Rose is a child psychologist, long-time leader in the field of early childhood development, national trainer and speaker, an Ashoka Fellow- a network of system-changing social entrepreneurs, and a leadership fellow with the national organization ZERO TO THREE.
The award ceremony will be held on Monday, January 31, 2011 in New York City.
Along with Dr. Rose, Andre Agassi and Elaine Wynn will be honored for their distinguished service.
January 31, 2010 - Children March for Education Funding (Video)
Tom Niemisto, Minnesota 2020
Powered by winter boots, warm mittens and enthusiasm, pre-schoolers, teachers and parents marched on Nicollet Mall demanding more early childhood education funding. Research demonstrates that quality early education yields significant social and economic benefits. Proper funding needs to be a priority in moving Minnesota forward.
Watch the video on YouTube (not from school).
http://mn2020.org/issues-that-matter/education/video-children-march-for-education-funding
January 28, 2011 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol saw the first hearing on early care and education, when the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation presented their work and recommendations to the House Education Finance Committee. After giving an overview of their research results, they walked the committee through their policy recommendations, which focused on expanding Parent Aware, offering incentives to use and improve quality through a series of tax credits and scholarships, and creating a private Parent Aware promotions board. No funding source for their proposals was identified and no legislation has been introduced yet. A good, mostly positive discussion ensued. Listen to the hearing here.
Facility Grants alive again?
We learned this week that the Governor’s bonding proposal will be released Monday. You may recall that for the past three years, Ready 4 K has been successful in getting funding for early childhood facilities included in the legislatively-passed bonding bill, only to have it line-item vetoed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty. On the campaign trail, Governor Mark Dayton made repeated references to this particular veto and expressed a willingness to include this funding in any bonding bill he proposed. We’re hopeful that this is a campaign promise he intends to keep.
Phase One
In broader news, this week the Legislature quickly passed a “phase one” budget bill that would cut higher education, funding to cities and counties, and other services–no early childhood though–by up to $1 billion. It passed the full House Thursday on a 68-63 vote. Read a good summary of the bill and the process from the Minnesota Budget Project.
Coming Up @ the Capitol
With the exception of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius appearing before the Senate Education Committee on Monday, the committee process is largely silent on early childhood. Look at the Legislative Calendar for the most up-to-date hearing information.
There are many ways to stay informed and in touch with our work during the legislative session. We hold quarterly partner meetings, with the next one being in March. Look for an email soon with more details. Also, our close partner Child Care WORKS holds their Policy Hour the first Tuesday of every month, so if you’re in the area this Tuesday, stop by Children’s Home Society and Family Services at noon.
And of course, be sure to check us out on (@Ready4K) and (Facebook.com/ready4k).