Minnesota Agencies

The Early Childhood Advisory Council has the following responsibilities pursuant to the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, Public Law 110-134:

• Conduct a periodic statewide needs assessment concerning the quality and availability of early childhood education and development programs and services;
• Identify opportunities for, and barriers to, collaboration and coordination among federally-funded and state-funded child development, child care and early childhood education programs and services, including collaboration and coordination among state agencies responsible for administering such programs;
• Develop recommendations for increasing the overall participation of children in existing programs, including outreach to underrepresented and special populations;
• Develop recommendations regarding the establishment of a unified data collection system for public early childhood education and development programs;
• Develop recommendations regarding statewide professional development and career advancement plans for early childhood educators;
• Assess the capacity and effectiveness of two- and four-year public and private institutions of higher education toward supporting the development of early childhood educators; and
• Make recommendations for improvements in state early learning standards and undertake efforts to develop high-quality comprehensive early learning standards, as appropriate.

The Early Childhood Advisory Council has the following responsibilities under Minnesota Statutes 2008, Section 124D.141, Subdivision 2:

• Make recommendations on the most efficient and effective way to leverage state and federal funding streams for early childhood and child care programs;
• Make recommendations on how to coordinate or colocate early childhood and child care programs in one state Office of Early Learning;
• Review program evaluations regarding high-quality early childhood programs; and
• Make recommendations, including proposed legislation on how to most effectively create a high quality early childhood system in Minnesota in order to improve the educational outcomes of children so that all children are school-ready by 2020.

The Early Childhood Advisory Council will submit a statewide strategic report addressing the activities described in Paragraphs 4 and 5 to the Governor, the Legislature and the State Director of Head Start Collaboration. The report should be submitted on or before June 30, 2009.

According to Executive Order 08-14, "pursuant to the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, Public Law 110-134, the Governor is authorized to establish a state advisory council on early childhood education and care." In 2008, the legislature made reference to a "State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care" in Laws of Minnesota 2008, chap. 363 and added legislators to the membership of th council, but "did not expressly create the advisory council or define the appointment or administrative parameters for the advisory council." The council was therefore formally established by Gov. Tim Pawlenty through Executive Order in September 2008.

Laws of Minn. 2010, chap. 346, art. 1, sec. 5 directs the council to establish a task force to develop recommendations on how to coordinate or colocate early childhood and child care programs in one state Office of Early Learning.

On March 17, 2011, Gov. Mark Dayton signed Executive Order 11-05 creating the Early Learning Council. His press release said he has re-authorized a statewide panel formed three years ago to work on early childhood education issues, renaming the group the "Early Learning Council." Its primary goal is to ensure that all children are ready to begin kindergarten by 2020.

The Governor will appoint 17 members to the Early Childhood Advisory Council to include:

• Two parents with a child under age six;
• A representative of the State agency responsible for child care;
• A representative of the State educational agency;
• A representative of local educational agencies;
• A representative of institutions of higher education in the State;
• A representative of local providers of early childhood education and development services;
• A representative from Head Start agencies located in the State;
• The State Director of Head Start Collaboration;
• A representative of the State agency responsible for programs under section 619 or Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
• A representative of the State agency responsible for health or mental health care; and
• Up to an additional four parent or public members as determined by the Governor.