MN SF3516

Requires districts and charter schools to contract with three- or four-star Parent Aware rated programs, Head Start, child care centers, licensed family child care, or community-based organizations for at least 40 percent of spaces for additional eligible children served beginning fiscal year 2020.

Establishes minimum program requirements including play-based learning, at least 350 hours of instruction per school year, staff-to-child ratios of one-to-ten with maximum group size of 20 children, and comparable salaries to kindergarten through grade 12 instructional staff.

Limits voluntary prekindergarten participants to 3,160 total, with combined voluntary prekindergarten and school readiness plus participants capped at 6,160 for fiscal year 2018 and 7,160 for fiscal year 2019.

Requires measurement of each child's cognitive and social skills using formative measures aligned to state early learning standards at program entry and exit.

Prioritizes applications from high-poverty schools based on concentration of kindergarten students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches and presence or absence of existing three- or four-star Parent Aware rated programs in the district.