S.F. No. 3445 Summary

• Creates voluntary half-day prekindergarten MinneK program for all four-year-old children with play-based learning, requiring minimum 425 hours of instruction annually beginning 2017-2018 school year.

• Expands early learning scholarships eligibility from ages three to four to ages zero to five years old for families earning up to 185 percent of federal poverty level.

• Establishes district employee grants to attain prekindergarten early learning teaching licenses and early childhood educator loan forgiveness program (up to $5,000 per year for up to two awards).

• Authorizes $15,000,000 in state bonds plus $5,000,000 general fund appropriation for early childhood facility construction, renovation, and rehabilitation grants with 50 percent nonstate matching requirement.

• Expands home visiting programs through digital options and authorizes school facilities improvement revenue ($212 per adjusted pupil unit) for facility modifications and improvements related to early learning programs.