SF4984

Purpose

• Establishes the Mindful Foundations pilot program for students in prekindergarten through grade 1 (PK-1) to promote trauma-informed practices in early childhood classrooms.
• Uses an appropriation from the general fund to fund the pilot, including curriculum delivery, training, and evaluation.

Main provisions

• Subd.1 — Department involvement

  • Provides an appropriation from the general fund to the Department of Education for the pilot year.

• Subd.2 — Grant to Mindful Foundations

  • Creates a grant to Mindful Foundations to carry out the pilot program as described in the bill.

• Subd.3 — Grant uses (how the funds are spent)

  • Deliver the Mindful Foundations curriculum, including the LOVEE Method, in PK-1 classrooms in one or more selected school districts or licensed early childhood programs.
  • Recruit, hire, and train one field progress monitoring specialist per pilot school location to conduct structured classroom observations and collect program data, under the supervision of the curriculum developer.
  • Provide leadership, staff, and family training, plus ongoing weekly consultation during the pilot year.
  • Administer the Mindful Foundations progress monitoring system across student, educator, family, and classroom environment domains.
  • Support statewide evaluation of traumainformed early childhood practices to inform potential expansion.

• Subd.4 — Selection of pilot districts or programs

  • Establish a voluntary application process for eligible districts and licensed early childhood programs by May 1, 2027.
  • Notify selected districts/programs by May 15, 2027.
  • Selection criteria include: commitment to wholeschool traumainformed practice, PK-1 classrooms, and the capacity to implement the full curriculum.

• Subd.5 — Report requirement

  • By January 15, 2028, the grant recipient must submit a written report to the Department of Education and to the chairs and ranking minority members of the relevant legislative committees.
  • The report must include: implementation summary, data from the progress monitoring system across multiple domains, analysis of the curriculum’s impact on educator retention and family engagement, and recommendations on statewide adoption or phased expansion, including a proposed implementation framework and budget.

Significant changes to existing law

• Creates a new Mindful Foundations pilot program within Minnesota’s education system.
• Establishes a dedicated funding stream (general fund appropriation) and a structured grant mechanism to support trauma-informed, early-childhood Curriculum delivery.
• Introduces new roles (field progress monitoring specialists) and a formal progress-monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Adds a mandatory reporting timeline and a pathway toward potential statewide adoption or expansion.

Key terms and concepts touched by the bill

• Mindful Foundations
• LOVEE Method (Listen, Observe, Value, Empathize, Evolve)
• trauma-informed early childhood practices
• prekindergarten through grade 1 (PK-1)
• general fund appropriation
• Department of Education
• Mindful Foundations curriculum
• progress monitoring system
• field progress monitoring specialist
• curriculum developer
• wholeschool traumainformed practice
• voluntary district/early childhood program applications
• statewide adoption or phased expansion
• implementation framework and budget
• annual deadlines: May 1, 2027; May 15, 2027; January 15, 2028

Relevant Terms - Mindful Foundations - LOVEE Method - trauma-informed - PK-1 - general fund appropriation - Department of Education - progress monitoring - curriculum delivery - district selection - statewide expansion - implementation framework - evaluation - educator retention - family engagement