Bill > SF2540

This bill establishes the Minnesota Young Readers Club program, a comprehensive literacy support initiative designed to help prekindergarten through 5th-grade students who are reading below grade level. The program will provide eligible students with culturally and linguistically appropriate books and literacy materials delivered monthly either directly to their homes or schools. Students can qualify for the program if they are identified through universal screening as not meeting literacy benchmarks, scored below proficiency on state reading assessments, or received a recommendation from an educator. The Department of Education will partner with a qualified organization to select and distribute books that align with students' reading levels, reflect cultural diversity, and are age-appropriate. The program emphasizes family engagement by providing support materials that offer guidance on creating home libraries, shared reading practices, and storytelling, with resources translated into families' home languages. The initiative will track various evaluation metrics, including reading activity frequency, book impact, family feedback, and literacy development outcomes, and will submit an annual report to legislative committees. Additionally, the Department of Education may form public-private partnerships and host community literacy events to further support the program's goals. The bill includes an appropriation to fund the program's implementation, though the specific dollar amounts are not specified in the provided text.

Education

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2540&ssn=0&y=2025