HB 1319 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to school readiness program; amending 2
s. 1002.81, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 3
"economically disadvantaged"; amending s. 1002.84, 4
F.S.; requiring early learning coalitions to adopt a 5
payment rate schedule rather than a payment schedule; 6
providing requirements for the payment rate schedule; 7
requiring early learning coalitions to reimburse 8
contracted school readiness program providers the 9
minimum payment rate; providing that minimum payment 10
rate reimbursements shall be charged as direct 11
services; amending s. 1002.85, F.S.; revising the 12
required contents of early learning coalition plans; 13
amending s. 1002.895, F.S.; conforming provisions to 14
changes made by the act; directing the Division of 15
Early Learning within the Department of Education to 16
amend its Child Care and Development Fund Plan to 17
identify certain personnel as essential workers for a 18
specified purpose; requiring the division to annually 19
collect certain data and include such data in a 20
specified annual report; providing for the future 21
repeal of such directive; providing an effective date. 22
23
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 24
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HB 1319 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 1002.81, Florida 26
Statutes, is amended to read: 27
1002.81 Definitions. —Consistent with the requirements of 28
45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term: 29
(6) "Economically disadvantaged" means having a family 30
income that does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty 31
level or 70 percent of the state median income, whichever is 32
greater, and includes being a child of a working migratory 33
family as defined by 34 C.F.R. s. 200.81(d) or (f) or an 34
agricultural worker who is employed by more than one 35
agricultural employer during the course of a year, and whose 36
income varies according to weather conditions and market 37
stability. 38
Section 2. Subsection (17) of section 1002.84, Florida 39
Statutes, is amended to read: 40
1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers 41
and duties.—Each early learning coalition shall: 42
(17) Adopt a payment rate schedule that encompasses all 43
programs funded under this part and part V of this chapter. The 44
payment rate schedule shall identify a minim um payment rate for 45
each provider type and care level and must take into 46
consideration the prevailing market rate or an alternative model 47
that has been approved by the Administration for Children and 48
Families pursuant to 45 C.F.R. s. 98.45(c) , include the 49
projected number of children to be served, and be submitted for 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
approval by the department. Each early learning coalition shall 51
reimburse the minimum payment rate to each contracted school 52
readiness program provider, by provider type and care level, 53
regardless of such provider's private pay rate. All minimum 54
payment rate reimbursements shall be charged as direct services 55
under s. 1002.89. Informal child care arrangements shall be 56
reimbursed at not more than 50 percent of the rate adopted for a 57
family day care home. 58
Section 3. Subsection (5) of section 1002.85, Florida 59
Statutes, is amended to read: 60
1002.85 Early learning coalition plans. — 61
(5) The department shall collect and report data on 62
coalition delivery of early learning programs. Elements shall 63
include, but are not limited to, measures related to progress 64
towards reducing the number of children on the waiting list, the 65
percentage of children served by the program as compared to the 66
number of administrative staff and overhead, the percentage of 67
children served compared to total number of children under the 68
age of 5 years below 150 percent of the federal poverty level or 69
70 percent of the state median income, whichever is greater , 70
provider payment processes, fraud intervention, child attendance 71
and stability, use of child care resource and referral, and 72
kindergarten readiness outcomes for children in the Voluntary 73
Prekindergarten Education Program or the school readiness 74
program upon entry into kindergarten. The department shall 75
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
request input from th e coalitions and school readiness program 76
providers before finalizing the format and data to be used. The 77
report shall be implemented beginning July 1, 2014, and results 78
of the report must be included in the annual report under s. 79
1002.82. 80
Section 4. Subsection (4) of section 1002.895, Florida 81
Statutes, is amended to read: 82
1002.895 Market rate schedule. —The school readiness 83
program market rate schedule shall be implemented as follows: 84
(4) The market rate schedule shall be considered by an 85
early learning coalition in the adoption of a payment rate 86
schedule. The payment rate schedule must take into consideration 87
the prevailing market rate and include the projected number of 88
children to be served by each county and be submitted for 89
approval by the depar tment. Informal child care arrangements 90
shall be reimbursed at not more than 50 percent of the rate 91
adopted for a family day care home. 92
Section 5. (1) As the lead agency for the Child Care and 93
Development Block Grant Trust Fund, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. parts 94
98 and 99, the Division of Early Learning within the Department 95
of Education shall amend its Child Care and Development Fund 96
Plan to identify child care personnel as essential workers for 97
the purpose of such personnel's children being determined 98
eligible for the school readiness program. 99
(2)(a) The division shall annually collect the total 100
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number of child care personnel in the state whose children were 101
determined eligible for the school readiness program, 102
disaggregated by county; the total number of such children 103
served by the school readiness program, disaggregated by age; 104
the total cost to serve such children; and whether such children 105
being determined eligible for the school readiness program led 106
to the retention of such child care personnel. 107
(b) The information collected pursuant to paragraph (a) 108
must be included in the department's annual report required 109
under s. 1002.82(7), Florida Statutes. 110
(3) This section expires on September 30, 2024, unless 111
reviewed and saved from repeal through reenact ment by the 112
Legislature. 113
Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 114