Leadership in Education
Currently, Minnesota's early childhood education system is fragmented and not-well-coordinated. Early childhood education in Minnesota is spread across numerous state and local government agencies and departments. In fact, the lack of a coordinated statewide structure and leadership void are one of the main reasons that Minnesota's record as a leader in early childhood education has slipped.
Minnesota needs one office or agency that coordinates the state's early childhood education services. By consolidating numerous divisions of several agencies into one cabinet-level agency, such as a Minnesota Office of Early Learning, it would serve as the central point for the state's early childhood education strategy. This office would determine how state-administered or state-funded programs contribute to improving readiness for kindergarten and serve as a clearinghouse for data, research, analysis and funding decisions for Minnesota's early childhood care and education system.
The Minnesota Office of Early Learning would be held accountable for the quality of the early childhood care and education system as well as assessing state progress towards the goal. The agency should be operational by 2012.
