1. The department of elementary and secondary education shall, in collaboration with the Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office and the department of mental health and as part of a program, provide a continuous quality improvement process for early learning programs and present families with updated consumer education about the quality of early learning programs by producing an early learning quality assurance report. The early learning quality assurance report shall be developed based on evidence-based practices.

2. Participation in the early learning quality assurance report shall be voluntary for any licensed or license-exempt early learning providers that are center-based or home-based and are providing services for children from any ages from birth up to kindergarten.

3. The early learning quality assurance report may include, but is not limited to, information regarding staff qualifications, instructional quality, professional development, health and safety standards, parent engagement, and community engagement.

4. The early learning quality assurance report shall not be used for enforcement of compliance with any law or for any punitive purposes.

5. The department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2016, shall be invalid and void.

6. Under section 23.253 of the Missouri sunset act:

(1) The provisions of the program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset six years after August 28, 2022, unless reauthorized by an act of the general assembly; and

(2) If such program is reauthorized, the program authorized under this section shall automatically sunset three years after the effective date of the reauthorization of this section; and

(3) This section shall terminate on September first of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the program authorized under this section is sunset.