This bill amends existing family child care regulations in Minnesota, specifically updating the process for developing new licensing standards. The commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families is now required to collaborate with an independent organization or consultant, excluding the National Association for Regulatory Administration, to create updated family child care licensing standards. The consultant must ensure that the new standards prioritize the health and safety of children, are child-centered, family-friendly, and fair to providers. Additionally, the consultant is tasked with soliciting input from various stakeholders, including parents and licensed family child care providers, and must engage with working groups throughout the process.

The bill also introduces a risk-based model for monitoring compliance with licensing standards, linking licensing sanctions to the potential risk posed by violations. The timeline for submitting proposed legislation to implement the new licensing model has been extended to February 1, 2026. Furthermore, all proposals and related documents must be made available in multiple languages, including Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Importantly, the updated licensing standards and compliance monitoring model cannot be implemented before January 1, 2027.