Purpose of the Bill

This bill aims to modernize the family child care regulations in Minnesota. It seeks to update licensing standards for family child care providers to ensure the safety and well-being of children, making it easier for providers to comply with regulations while keeping the standards fair and applicable.

Main Provisions

• Contracting a Consultant: The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families will hire an independent consultant (preferably not the National Association for Regulatory Administration) to develop a new proposal for family child care licensing standards.
• Developing New Standards: The consultant will create child-centered, family-friendly licensing standards that protect children's health and safety in child care environments.
• Risk-Based Monitoring Model: A proposal will be developed for a risk-based model to monitor compliance with these standards, using weighted violations to assess the risk they pose to children's well-being. Licensing sanctions will be aligned with the severity of risks.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Input will be gathered from a wide range of stakeholders including parents, child care providers, county licensors, and experts in child development. At least five working group meetings with licensed providers will be required.
• Abbreviated Inspections: The bill considers abbreviated inspections for certain family child care providers, focusing on providers predicted to comply with major licensing standards according to statistical models.
• Reporting by 2026: A report and proposed legislation based on the findings and proposals must be submitted by February 1, 2026.
• Accessibility: All documents and proposals related to this initiative must be translated into Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The bill mandates a major update to current licensing standards and the introduction of a risk-based compliance model, which reflects an empirical approach using national regulatory best practices.
• It involves active and structured participation from stakeholders to shape and assess proposed changes.
• Implementation of the new licensing standards and model is proposed to start no earlier than January 1, 2027.

Relevant Terms

child care, licensing standards, risk-based model, compliance, stakeholder engagement, family child care, children’s health and safety, Department of Human Services, National Association for Regulatory Administration.