Florida Senate - 2023 SB 990 By Senator Grall 29-01194B-23 2023990__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to child care and early learning 3 providers; amending s. 170.201, F.S.; providing an 4 exemption for public and private preschools from 5 specified special assessments levied by a 6 municipality; creating s. 211.0254, F.S.; providing 7 for a tax credit for certain contributions made to a 8 child care facility; providing restrictions on the tax 9 credit; creating s. 212.1835, F.S.; providing for a 10 tax credit for certain contributions made to a child 11 care facility; providing restrictions on the tax 12 credit; creating s. 220.1878, F.S.; providing for a 13 tax credit for certain contributions made to a child 14 care facility; providing restrictions on the tax 15 credit; amending s. 220.19, F.S.; defining terms; 16 authorizing specified tax credits for corporations 17 establishing and operating, or making payments to, 18 child care facilities for their employees under 19 certain conditions; specifying requirements for such 20 credits; providing the maximum amount for all credits; 21 requiring the Department of Revenue to approve 22 applications for such credits before they may be 23 claimed by a corporation; authorizing certain 24 corporations to claim such credits on a consolidated 25 return basis; requiring child care facilities to meet 26 certain requirements for corporations using such 27 facilities to claim such credits; authorizing two or 28 more corporations to jointly establish and operate a 29 child care facility; providing requirements for such 30 joint establishment and its operation; requiring 31 payments to certain child care facilities to meet 32 specified conditions; authorizing corporations to 33 submit applications to qualify for credits beginning 34 on a specified date; providing application 35 requirements; authorizing the department to adopt 36 rules; requiring certain decisions to be in writing 37 and include specified information; requiring prior 38 written verification by a specified entity relating to 39 licensing; amending s. 402.302, F.S.; defining the 40 term preschool; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; revising 41 licensing standards for all licensed child care 42 facilities; revising minimum standards and training 43 requirements for child care personnel; requiring the 44 Department of Children and Families to conduct 45 specified screening of child care personnel within a 46 specified timeframe and issue provisional approval of 47 such personnel; requiring the department to evaluate 48 certain training and coursework requirements for child 49 care personnel and the licensing and regulation of 50 child care facilities by a specified date; deleting 51 provisions relating to educating parents about the 52 importance of specified immunizations, a program to 53 assist children in preventing and avoiding physical 54 and mental abuse, and specialized child care 55 facilities for the care of mildly ill children; 56 amending s. 402.3115, F.S.; requiring the department 57 and certain local governmental agencies to develop and 58 implement a plan to eliminate duplicative and 59 unnecessary inspections of home child care providers; 60 revising abbreviated inspection requirements for 61 certain child care facilities; amending s. 402.316, 62 F.S.; authorizing certain child care facilities to 63 operate without a license; creating s. 561.1214, F.S.; 64 providing for a tax credit for certain contributions 65 made to a child care facility; providing restrictions 66 on the tax credit; creating s. 624.51058, F.S.; 67 providing for a tax credit for certain contributions 68 made to a child care facility; providing restrictions 69 on the tax credit; amending s. 627.70161, F.S.; 70 revising legislative purpose and intent; revising 71 definitions; providing that residential property 72 insurance does not cover liability or claims arising 73 out of the operation of a large family child care 74 home; providing that an insurer may not deny, cancel, 75 or refuse to renew a policy on the basis that the 76 policyholder operates a large family child care home; 77 providing conditions under which the insurer may 78 cancel the policy; amending s. 1002.55, F.S.; revising 79 requirements for private prekindergarten providers; 80 amending s. 1002.61, F.S.; revising requirements for 81 public school and private summer prekindergarten 82 program providers; amending s. 1002.67, F.S.; 83 prohibiting certain education providers curriculums 84 from using coordinated screening; prohibiting progress 85 monitoring systems from including the student use of 86 electronic devices; providing an exception; amending 87 s. 1002.68, F.S.; requiring program assessments of 88 private prekindergarten providers and public schools 89 in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to 90 be conducted when a specified number of students are 91 in attendance beginning in a specified program year; 92 requiring the specified methodology for calculating 93 the performance of each private prekindergarten 94 provider and public school provider to include an 95 analysis conducted by an independent expert with 96 specified experience beginning in a specified program 97 year; amending s. 1002.71, F.S.; providing 98 requirements for early learning coalitions retention 99 and expenditure of specified funds; amending s. 100 1002.82, F.S.; revising the powers and duties of the 101 Department of Education relating to the administration 102 of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust 103 Fund; amending s. 1002.83, F.S.; revising a provision 104 relating to the appointment of members of an early 105 learning coalition; amending s. 1002.89, F.S.; 106 providing for specified financial support to child 107 care providers and staff to be included in school 108 readiness program costs; amending s. 1002.945, F.S.; 109 revising requirements for a child care provider to 110 obtain and maintain a designation as a Gold Seal 111 Quality Care provider; amending s. 1002.95, F.S.; 112 requiring early learning coalitions to provide 113 specified support to a specified scholarship program; 114 amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; revising reading 115 intervention requirements for Voluntary 116 Prekindergarten Education Program students; amending 117 ss. 39.101, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming 118 cross-references; providing an effective date. 119 120 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 121 122 Section 1.Subsection (2) of section 170.201, Florida 123 Statutes, is amended to read: 124 170.201Special assessments. 125 (2)Property owned or occupied by a religious institution 126 and used as a place of worship or education; by a public or 127 private preschool, elementary school, middle school, or high 128 school; or by a governmentally financed, insured, or subsidized 129 housing facility that is used primarily for persons who are 130 elderly or disabled shall be exempt from any special assessment 131 levied by a municipality to fund any service if the municipality 132 so desires. As used in this subsection, the term religious 133 institution means any church, synagogue, or other established 134 physical place for worship at which nonprofit religious services 135 and activities are regularly conducted and carried on and the 136 term governmentally financed, insured, or subsidized housing 137 facility means a facility that is financed by a mortgage loan 138 made or insured by the United States Department of Housing and 139 Urban Development under s. 8, s. 202, s. 221(d)(3) or (4), s. 140 232, or s. 236 of the National Housing Act and is owned or 141 operated by an entity that qualifies as an exempt charitable 142 organization under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 143 Section 2.Section 211.0254, Florida Statutes, is created 144 to read: 145 211.0254Credit for contributions to the Early Learning Tax 146 Incentive.Beginning January 1, 2024, there is allowed a credit 147 of 100 percent of an eligible contribution made to a child care 148 facility on behalf of an employee under s. 220.19 against any 149 tax due under s. 211.02 or s. 211.025. However, the combined 150 credit allowed under this section and s. 211.0251 may not exceed 151 50 percent of the tax due on the return on which the credit is 152 taken. If the combined credit allowed under this section and s. 153 211.0251 exceeds 50 percent of the tax due on the return, the 154 credit must first be taken under s. 211.0251. Any remaining 155 liability must be taken under this section but may not exceed 50 156 percent of the tax due. For purposes of the distributions of tax 157 revenue under s. 211.06, the department shall disregard any tax 158 credits allowed under this section to ensure that any reduction 159 in tax revenue received which is attributable to the tax credits 160 results only in a reduction in distributions to the General 161 Revenue Fund. Section 220.19 applies to the credit authorized by 162 this section. 163 Section 3.Section 212.1835, Florida Statutes, is created 164 to read: 165 212.1835Credit for contributions to the Early Learning Tax 166 Incentive.Beginning January 1, 2024, there is allowed a credit 167 of 100 percent of an eligible contribution made to a child care 168 facility on behalf of an employee under s. 220.19 against any 169 tax imposed by the state and due under this chapter from a 170 direct pay permitholder as a result of the direct pay permit 171 held pursuant to s. 212.183. For purposes of the dealers credit 172 granted for keeping prescribed records, filing timely tax 173 returns, and properly accounting and remitting taxes under s. 174 212.12, the amount of tax due used to calculate the credit shall 175 include any eligible contribution made to a child care facility 176 on behalf of an employee from a direct pay permitholder. For 177 purposes of the distributions of tax revenue under s. 212.20, 178 the department shall disregard any tax credits allowed under 179 this section to ensure that any reduction in tax revenue 180 received which is attributable to the tax credits results only 181 in a reduction in distributions to the General Revenue Fund. 182 Section 220.19 applies to the credit authorized by this section. 183 A dealer who claims a tax credit under this section must file 184 his or her tax returns and pay his or her taxes by electronic 185 means under s. 213.755. 186 Section 4.Section 220.1878, Florida Statutes, is created 187 to read: 188 220.1878Credit for contributions to the Early Learning Tax 189 Incentive. 190 (1)For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 191 2023, there is allowed a credit of 100 percent of an eligible 192 contribution made to a child care facility on behalf of an 193 employee under s. 220.19 against any tax due for a taxable year 194 under this chapter after the application of any other allowable 195 credits by the taxpayer. An eligible contribution must be made 196 to a child care facility on behalf of an employee on or before 197 the date the taxpayer is required to file a return pursuant to 198 s. 220.222. The credit granted by this section shall be reduced 199 by the difference between the amount of federal corporate income 200 tax, taking into account the credit granted by this section, and 201 the amount of federal corporate income tax without application 202 of the credit granted by this section. 203 (2)A taxpayer who files a Florida consolidated return as a 204 member of an affiliated group pursuant to s. 220.131(1) may be 205 allowed the credit on a consolidated return basis; however, the 206 total credit taken by the affiliated group is subject to the 207 limitation established under subsection (1). 208 (3)Section 220.19 applies to the credit authorized by this 209 section. 210 (4)If a taxpayer applies and is approved for a credit 211 under s. 220.19 after timely requesting an extension to file 212 under s. 220.222(2): 213 (a)The credit does not reduce the amount of tax due for 214 purposes of the departments determination as to whether the 215 taxpayer was in compliance with the requirement to pay tentative 216 taxes under ss. 220.222 and 220.32. 217 (b)The taxpayers noncompliance with the requirement to 218 pay tentative taxes shall result in the revocation and 219 rescindment of any such credit. 220 (c)The taxpayer shall be assessed for any taxes, 221 penalties, or interest due from the taxpayers noncompliance 222 with the requirement to pay tentative taxes. 223 Section 5.Section 220.19, Florida Statutes, is amended to 224 read: 225 220.19Child care tax credits. 226 (1)DEFINITIONS.For purposes of this section, the term: 227 (a)Eligible facility means a facility that: 228 1.Is licensed under s. 402.305; 229 2.Is exempt from licensure under s. 402.316; or 230 3.Has received a Gold Seal Quality Care designation under 231 s. 1002.945. 232 (b)Tax due includes any tax required under this chapter 233 or chapter 211, chapter 212, chapter 561, or chapter 624. 234 (2)AUTHORIZATION TO GRANT TAX CREDITS; LIMITATIONS. 235 (a)1.A credit of 50 percent of the startup costs of a 236 child care facility for children under the age of 5 operated by 237 a corporation for its employees is allowed against any tax due 238 for a taxable year. An additional credit against such tax is 239 allowed for the operational costs of a child care facility for 240 children under the age of 5 by a corporation for its employees, 241 which credit is in the amount of $300 per month for each child 242 or grandchild of such employee enrolled in the facility. 243 2.A credit is allowed against any tax due for a taxable 244 year for a corporation making payments to a child care facility 245 as defined in s. 402.302 which is an eligible facility if the 246 payments are made in the name of and for the benefit of an 247 employee of the corporation whose child or grandchild attends 248 the child care facility. The credit shall be in an amount equal 249 to 100 percent of the amount of such child care payments up to a 250 maximum credit of $3,600 per child under the age of 5. The 251 corporation may make payments directly to the facility or 252 contract with an early learning coalition to process payments. 253 (b)The maximum credit amount for all approved child care 254 costs incurred by a corporation in a taxable year is based on 255 the average number of employees employed by the corporation 256 during such year. For an employer that employed: 257 1.One to 25 employees, the maximum credit is $50,000. 258 2.Twenty-six to 50 employees, the maximum credit is 259 $100,000. 260 3.Fifty-one to 75 employees, the maximum credit is 261 $150,000. 262 4.Seventy-six to 100 employees, the maximum credit is 263 $200,000. 264 5.One hundred one to 200 employees, the maximum credit is 265 $300,000. 266 6.Two hundred one to 500 employees, the maximum credit is 267 $500,000. 268 (c)The total credit amount that may be granted for all 269 applications approved under this section shall be allocated 270 annually as provided in the General Appropriations Act. 271 (d)An application for a credit under this section must be 272 approved by the department before the corporation claims the 273 credit on a return. 274 (e)(1)If a the credit granted under this section is not 275 fully used in any one taxable year because of insufficient tax 276 liability on the part of the corporation, the unused amount may 277 be carried forward for a period not to exceed 5 years. The 278 carryover credit may be used in a subsequent year when the tax 279 imposed by this chapter for that year exceeds the credit for 280 which the corporation is eligible in that year under this 281 section after applying the other credits and unused carryovers 282 in the order provided by s. 220.02(8). 283 (f)(2)If a corporation receives a credit for child care 284 facility startup costs, and the facility fails to operate for at 285 least 5 years, a pro rata share of the credit must be repaid, in 286 accordance with the formula: A = C x (1 - (N/60)), where: 287 1.(a)A is the amount in dollars of the required 288 repayment. 289 2.(b)C is the total credits taken by the corporation for 290 child care facility startup costs. 291 3.(c)N is the number of months the facility was in 292 operation. 293 294 This repayment requirement is inapplicable if the corporation 295 goes out of business or can demonstrate to the department that 296 its employees no longer want to have a child care facility. 297 (g)A corporation that files a consolidated return as a 298 member of an affiliated group under s. 220.131(1) may claim the 299 credit on a consolidated return basis. 300 (3)ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. 301 (a)A corporation may only claim a credit for a child care 302 facility as defined in s. 402.302 which is an eligible facility. 303 (b)The services of a child care facility for which a 304 corporation claims a credit under subparagraph (2)(a)1. must be 305 available to all employees of the corporation, or must be 306 allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and must be used 307 by employees employed by the corporation. 308 (c)Two or more corporations may jointly establish and 309 operate a child care facility according to this section. If two 310 or more corporations choose to jointly establish and operate a 311 child care facility, or cause a not-for-profit corporation to 312 establish and operate a child care facility, the corporations 313 must file a joint application, or the not-for-profit corporation 314 may file an application pursuant to subsection (4) setting forth 315 the corporations proposal. The participating corporations may 316 proportion the credits in any manner they choose; however, 317 participating corporations may not receive more than $150,000 in 318 credits for all approved child care costs incurred by the 319 participating corporations in any one taxable year. 320 (d)Child care payments for which a corporation claims a 321 credit under subparagraph (2)(a)2. may not exceed the amount 322 charged by the child care facility for other children of like 323 age and ability of persons not employed by the corporation. 324 (4)APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.Beginning January 1, 2024, a 325 corporation may submit an application to the department for the 326 purposes of determining qualification for a credit under this 327 section to be applied to a taxable year beginning on or after 328 January 1, 2024. The department must approve the application for 329 the credit before the corporation is authorized to claim the 330 credit on a return. 331 (a)The application must include: 332 1.a.For a credit under subparagraph (2)(a)1., a proposal 333 for establishing a child care facility for use by a 334 corporations employees, the total number of employees children 335 and grandchildren expected to be enrolled, and the expected date 336 operations will begin. A credit may not be claimed on a return 337 until operations have begun. 338 b.For a credit under subparagraph (2)(a)2., the total 339 number of employees children and grandchildren for which child 340 care payments will be paid and the estimated total annual amount 341 of such payments. 342 2.The taxable year in which the credit is expected to be 343 earned. A corporation may apply for a credit to be used for a 344 prior taxable year at any time before the date on which the 345 corporation is required to file a return for that year pursuant 346 to s. 220.222. 347 3.Written verification by the Department of Children and 348 Families or local licensing agency that the facility is a child 349 care facility as defined in s. 402.302 and is an eligible 350 facility. Such verification must be attached to the application. 351 (b)The department shall approve tax credits on a first 352 come, first-served basis. 353 (5)ADMINISTRATION. 354 (a)The department may adopt all rules pursuant to the 355 Administrative Procedure Act to administer this section, 356 including rules for the approval or disapproval of proposals 357 submitted by corporations and rules to provide for cooperative 358 arrangements between for-profit and not-for-profit corporations. 359 (b)The departments decision to approve or disapprove a 360 proposal must be in writing, and, if the proposal is approved, 361 the decision must state the maximum credit authorized for the 362 corporation. 363 (c)All applications approved under this section require 364 prior written verification by the Department of Children and 365 Families or a local licensing agency that the facility is a 366 child care facility as defined in s. 402.302 and is an eligible 367 facility. 368 Section 6.Present subsections (15) through (18) of section 369 402.302, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (16) 370 through (19), respectively, and a new subsection (15) is added 371 to that section, to read: 372 402.302Definitions.As used in this chapter, the term: 373 (15)Preschool means any child care facility licensed 374 under s. 402.305 that serves children under 5 years of age. 375 Section 7.Present paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of 376 section 402.305, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph 377 (f), present subsection (18) is redesignated as subsection (17), 378 and paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1), paragraphs (a) and 379 (e) and present paragraph (f) of subsection (2), paragraph (a) 380 of subsection (7), paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (9), 381 subsection (13), and present subsection (17) of that section are 382 amended, to read: 383 402.305Licensing standards; child care facilities. 384 (1)LICENSING STANDARDS.The department shall establish 385 licensing standards that each licensed child care facility must 386 meet regardless of the origin or source of the fees used to 387 operate the facility or the type of children served by the 388 facility. 389 (a)The standards shall be designed to address the 390 following areas: 391 1.the health, sanitation, safety, and sanitary adequate 392 physical conditions surroundings for all children served by in 393 child care facilities. 394 2.The health and nutrition of all children in child care. 395 3.The child development needs of all children in child 396 care. 397 (b)Fire safety regulations for child care facilities will 398 be directed All standards established under ss. 402.301-402.319 399 must be consistent with the rules adopted by the State Fire 400 Marshal for child care facilities. However, if the facility is 401 operated in a public school, the department shall use the public 402 school fire code, as provided in the rules of the State Board of 403 Education, as the minimum standard for firesafety. 404 (2)PERSONNEL.Minimum standards for child care personnel 405 shall include minimum requirements as to: 406 (a)Good moral character based upon screening as defined in 407 s. 402.302 s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted as 408 provided in chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for 409 screening provided set forth in that chapter, and include 410 employment history checks, a search of criminal history records, 411 sexual predator and sexual offender registries, and child abuse 412 and neglect registry of any state in which the current or 413 prospective child care personnel resided during the preceding 5 414 years. The department shall complete the screening and provide 415 the results to the child care facility within 5 business days. 416 If the department is unable to complete the screening within 5 417 business days, the department shall issue the current or 418 prospective child care personnel a 45-day provisional hire 419 status while all required information is being requested and the 420 department is awaiting results. During the 45-day period, the 421 current or prospective child care personnel must be under the 422 direct supervision of a screened and trained staff member when 423 in contact with children. 424 (e)Minimum training requirements for child care personnel. 425 1.Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that 426 all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour 427 introductory course in child care, which course covers at least 428 the following topic areas: 429 a.State and local rules and regulations which govern child 430 care. 431 b.Health, safety, and nutrition. 432 c.Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. 433 d.Child development, including typical and atypical 434 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills 435 development. 436 e.Observation of developmental behaviors, including using 437 a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to 438 determine the childs developmental age level. 439 f.Specialized areas, including computer technology for 440 professional and classroom use and early literacy and language 441 development of children from birth to 5 years of age, as 442 determined by the department, for owner-operators and child care 443 personnel of a child care facility. 444 g.Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 445 disorder and Down syndrome, and early identification, use of 446 available state and local resources, classroom integration, and 447 positive behavioral supports for children with developmental 448 disabilities. 449 h.Online training coursework, provided at no cost by the 450 department, to meet minimum training standards for child care 451 personnel. 452 453 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall 454 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care 455 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1 456 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by 457 passage of an in-person or online a competency examination. 458 Successful completion of the 40-clock-hour introductory course 459 shall articulate into community college credit in early 460 childhood education, pursuant to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. 461 Exemption from all or a portion of the required training shall 462 be granted to child care personnel based upon educational 463 credentials or passage of competency examinations. Child care 464 personnel possessing a 2-year degree or higher that includes 6 465 college credit hours in early childhood development or child 466 growth and development, or a child development associate 467 credential or an equivalent state-approved child development 468 associate credential, or a child development associate waiver 469 certificate shall be automatically exempted from the training 470 requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and e. 471 2.The introductory course in child care shall stress, to 472 the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study 473 of children. 474 2.3.The introductory course shall cover recognition and 475 prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of sudden infant 476 death syndrome; recognition and care of infants and toddlers 477 with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 478 disorder and Down syndrome; and early childhood brain 479 development within the topic areas identified in this paragraph. 480 3.4.On an annual basis in order to further their child 481 care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child 482 care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child 483 care training shall be required to take an additional 1 484 continuing education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 485 clock hours of equivalent training, as determined by the 486 department. 487 4.5.Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5 488 continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours 489 of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in 490 early literacy and language development of children from birth 491 to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is 492 completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or 493 5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 3. 494 4. 495 5.6.Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified 496 child care professionals to provide training of child care 497 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the 498 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community 499 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be 500 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when 501 possible. Other district educational resources, such as 502 community colleges and career programs, can be designated in 503 such areas where central agencies may not exist or are 504 determined not to have the capability to meet the coordination 505 requirements set forth by the department. 506 6.7.Training requirements do shall not apply to certain 507 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not 508 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance 509 instructors, and gymnastics instructors. 510 7.8.By December 31, 2023, the department shall evaluate or 511 contract for an evaluation of: 512 a.The current training requirements and coursework offered 513 to child care personnel and make recommendations to increase the 514 quality and relevancy of training. 515 b.The licensing and regulation of child care facilities 516 to: 517 (I)Identify rules that exceed specific delegated 518 legislative authority. 519 (II)Identify rules that are arbitrary, vague, or 520 redundant. 521 (III)Streamline the standards used to classify violations 522 and eliminate redundancy or subjectivity in application by 523 licensing counselors. 524 8.Once the evaluation in subparagraph 7. is completed, the 525 department shall begin revising the regulation of child care 526 facilities to simplify ongoing licensure inspections, increase 527 objectivity, and provide a greater emphasis on technical 528 assistance. The evaluation shall be conducted every 5 years. for 529 the general purpose of determining the status of and means to 530 improve staff training requirements and testing procedures. The 531 evaluation shall be conducted every 2 years. The evaluation 532 shall include, but not be limited to, determining the 533 availability, quality, scope, and sources of current staff 534 training; determining the need for specialty training; and 535 determining ways to increase inservice training and ways to 536 increase the accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of 537 current and proposed staff training. The evaluation methodology 538 shall include a reliable and valid survey of child care 539 personnel. 540 9.The child care operator shall be required to take basic 541 training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years 542 after employment, either as a part of the introductory training 543 or the annual 8 hours of inservice training. 544 (f)Periodic health examinations. 545 (7)SANITATION AND SAFETY. 546 (a)Minimum standards shall include requirements for 547 sanitary and safety conditions, first aid treatment, emergency 548 procedures, and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The 549 minimum standards shall require that two at least one staff 550 persons person trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as 551 evidenced by current documentation of course completion, must be 552 present at all times that children are present. 553 (9)ADMISSIONS AND RECORDKEEPING. 554 (b)During the months of August and September of each year, 555 each child care facility shall provide parents of children 556 enrolled in the facility detailed information regarding the 557 causes, symptoms, and transmission of the influenza virus in an 558 effort to educate those parents regarding the importance of 559 immunizing their children against influenza as recommended by 560 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers 561 for Disease Control and Prevention. 562 (c)During the months of April and September of each year, 563 at a minimum, each facility shall provide parents of children 564 enrolled in the facility information regarding the potential for 565 a distracted adult to fail to drop off a child at the facility 566 and instead leave the child in the adults vehicle upon arrival 567 at the adults destination. The child care facility shall also 568 give parents information about resources with suggestions to 569 avoid this occurrence. The department shall develop a flyer or 570 brochure with this information that shall be posted to the 571 departments website, which child care facilities may choose to 572 reproduce and provide to parents to satisfy the requirements of 573 this paragraph. 574 (13)PLAN OF ACTIVITIES.Minimum standards shall ensure 575 that each child care facility has and implements a written plan 576 for the daily provision of varied activities and active and 577 quiet play opportunities appropriate to the age of the child. 578 The written plan must include a program, to be implemented 579 periodically for children of an appropriate age, which will 580 assist the children in preventing and avoiding physical and 581 mental abuse. 582 (17)SPECIALIZED CHILD CARE FACILITIES FOR THE CARE OF 583 MILDLY ILL CHILDREN.Minimum standards shall be developed by the 584 department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, for 585 specialized child care facilities for the care of mildly ill 586 children. The minimum standards shall address the following 587 areas: personnel requirements; staff-to-child ratios; staff 588 training and credentials; health and safety; physical facility 589 requirements, including square footage; client eligibility, 590 including a definition of mildly ill children; sanitation and 591 safety; admission and recordkeeping; dispensing of medication; 592 and a schedule of activities. 593 Section 8.Section 402.3115, Florida Statutes, is amended 594 to read: 595 402.3115Elimination of duplicative and unnecessary 596 inspections; abbreviated inspections.The Department of Children 597 and Families and local governmental agencies that license child 598 care facilities shall develop and implement a plan to eliminate 599 duplicative and unnecessary inspections of child care 600 facilities, family day care homes, and large family child care 601 homes. In addition, the department and the local governmental 602 agencies shall develop and implement an abbreviated inspection 603 plan for child care facilities that have been licensed for a 604 period of not less than 2 consecutive years, and do not have a 605 had no Class 1 and no more than two of the same or Class 2 606 deficiencies, as defined by rule, for at least 2 consecutive 607 years, have received at least two full onsite renewals in the 608 most recent 2 years, do not have any current uncorrected 609 violations, and do not have any open regulatory complaints or 610 active child protective services investigations. The department 611 shall annually calculate efficiencies and moneys saved due to 612 the implementation of abbreviated inspections. Such savings 613 shall be used to focus resources and technical assistance to 614 support child care facilities, family day care homes, and large 615 family child care homes that are having difficulty maintaining 616 compliance with the licensing requirements of s. 402.305, s. 617 402.313, or s. 402.3131. The abbreviated inspection must include 618 those elements identified by the department and the local 619 governmental agencies as being key indicators of whether the 620 child care facility continues to provide quality care and 621 programming and shall be updated every 5 years. 622 Section 9.Subsection (1) of section 402.316, Florida 623 Statutes, is amended to read: 624 402.316Exemptions. 625 (1)(a)The provisions of ss. 402.301-402.319, except for 626 the requirements regarding screening of child care personnel, 627 shall not apply to a child care facility: 628 1.Which is an integral part of church or parochial schools 629 conducting regularly scheduled classes, courses of study, or 630 educational programs accredited by, or by a member of, an 631 organization which publishes and requires compliance with its 632 standards for health, safety, and sanitation; or 633 2.Which receives a child care tax credit under s. 220.19 634 and is attended only by children or grandchildren of employees 635 of the corporation claiming the credit. 636 (b)However, Such facilities shall still meet minimum 637 requirements of the applicable local governing body as to 638 health, sanitation, and safety and shall meet the screening 639 requirements pursuant to ss. 402.305 and 402.3055. 640 (c)Failure by a facility to comply with such screening 641 requirements shall result in the loss of the facilitys 642 exemption from licensure. 643 Section 10.Section 561.1214, Florida Statutes, is created 644 to read: 645 561.1214Credit for contributions to the Early Learning Tax 646 Incentive.Beginning January 1, 2024, there is allowed a credit 647 of 100 percent of an eligible contribution made to a child care 648 facility on behalf of an employee under s. 220.19 against any 649 tax due under s. 563.05, s. 564.06, or s. 565.12, except excise 650 taxes imposed on wine produced by manufacturers in this state 651 from products grown in this state. However, a credit allowed 652 under this section may not exceed 90 percent of the tax due on 653 the return on which the credit is taken. For purposes of the 654 distributions of tax revenue under ss. 561.121 and 564.06(10), 655 the division shall disregard any tax credits allowed under this 656 section to ensure that any reduction in tax revenue received 657 which is attributable to the tax credits results only in a 658 reduction in distributions to the General Revenue Fund. The 659 provisions of s. 220.19 apply to the credit authorized by this 660 section. 661 Section 11.Section 624.51058, Florida Statutes, is created 662 to read: 663 624.51058Credit for contributions to the Early Learning 664 Tax Incentive. 665 (1)For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 666 2023, there is allowed a credit of 100 percent of an eligible 667 contribution made to a child care facility on behalf of an 668 employee under s. 220.19 against any tax due for a taxable year 669 under s. 624.509(1) after deducting from such tax any deductions 670 for assessments made pursuant to s. 440.51; credits for taxes 671 paid under ss. 175.101 and 185.08; credits for income taxes paid 672 under chapter 220; and the credit allowed under s. 624.509(5), 673 as such credit is limited by s. 624.509(6). An eligible 674 contribution must be made to a child care facility on behalf of 675 an employee under, on, or before the date the taxpayer is 676 required to file a return pursuant to ss. 624.509 and 624.5092. 677 An insurer claiming a credit against premium tax liability under 678 this section is not required to pay any additional retaliatory 679 tax levied under s. 624.5091 as a result of claiming such 680 credit. Section 624.5091 does not limit such credit in any 681 manner. 682 (2)Section 220.19 applies to the credit authorized by this 683 section. 684 Section 12.Section 627.70161, Florida Statutes, is amended 685 to read: 686 627.70161Family day care and large family child care home 687 insurance. 688 (1)PURPOSE AND INTENT.The Legislature recognizes that 689 family day care homes and large family child care homes fulfill 690 a vital role in providing child care in Florida. It is the 691 intent of the Legislature that residential property insurance 692 coverage should not be canceled, denied, or nonrenewed solely on 693 the basis of the family day care or large family child care home 694 services at the residence. The Legislature also recognizes that 695 the potential liability of residential property insurers is 696 substantially increased by the rendition of child care services 697 on the premises. The Legislature therefore finds that there is a 698 public need to specify that contractual liabilities that arise 699 in connection with the operation of the family day care home or 700 large family child care home are excluded from residential 701 property insurance policies unless they are specifically 702 included in such coverage. 703 (2)DEFINITIONS.As used in this section, the term: 704 (a)Child care has the same meaning as in s. 402.302 705 means the care, protection, and supervision of a child, for a 706 period of less than 24 hours a day on a regular basis, which 707 supplements parental care, enrichment, and health supervision 708 for the child, in accordance with his or her individual needs, 709 and for which a payment, fee, or grant is made for care. 710 (b)Family day care home has the same meaning as in s. 711 402.302 means an occupied residence in which child care is 712 regularly provided for children from at least two unrelated 713 families and which receives a payment, fee, or grant for any of 714 the children receiving care, whether or not operated for a 715 profit. 716 (3)FAMILY DAY CARE AND LARGE FAMILY CHILD CARE; COVERAGE. 717 A residential property insurance policy shall not provide 718 coverage for liability for claims arising out of, or in 719 connection with, the operation of a family day care home or 720 large family child care home, and the insurer shall be under no 721 obligation to defend against lawsuits covering such claims, 722 unless: 723 (a)Specifically covered in a policy; or 724 (b)Covered by a rider or endorsement for business coverage 725 attached to a policy. 726 (4)DENIAL, CANCELLATION, REFUSAL TO RENEW PROHIBITED.An 727 insurer may not deny, cancel, or refuse to renew a policy for 728 residential property insurance solely on the basis that the 729 policyholder or applicant operates a family day care home or 730 large family child care home. In addition to other lawful 731 reasons for refusing to insure, an insurer may deny, cancel, or 732 refuse to renew a policy of a family day care home or large 733 family child care home provider if one or more of the following 734 conditions occur: 735 (a)The policyholder or applicant provides care for more 736 children than authorized for family day care homes or large 737 family child care homes under by s. 402.302.; 738 (b)The policyholder or applicant fails to maintain a 739 separate commercial liability policy or an endorsement providing 740 liability coverage for the family day care home or large family 741 child care home operations.; 742 (c)The policyholder or applicant fails to comply with the 743 family day care home or large family child care home licensure 744 and registration requirements specified in s. 402.313 or s. 745 402.3131.; or 746 (d)Discovery of willful or grossly negligent acts or 747 omissions or any violations of state laws or regulations 748 establishing safety standards for family day care homes or large 749 family child care homes by the named insured or his or her 750 representative which materially increase any of the risks 751 insured. 752 Section 13.Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (3) of 753 section 1002.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 754 1002.55School-year prekindergarten program delivered by 755 private prekindergarten providers. 756 (3)To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program, 757 a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the 758 following requirements: 759 (a)The private prekindergarten provider must be a child 760 care facility licensed under s. 402.305, family day care home 761 licensed under s. 402.313, large family child care home licensed 762 under s. 402.3131, nonpublic school exempt from licensure under 763 s. 402.3025(2), faith-based or corporation-provided child care 764 provider exempt from licensure under s. 402.316, child 765 development program that is accredited by a national accrediting 766 body and operates on a military installation that is certified 767 by the United States Department of Defense, or private 768 prekindergarten provider that has been issued a provisional 769 license under s. 402.309. A private prekindergarten provider may 770 not deliver the program while holding a probation-status license 771 under s. 402.310. 772 (c)The private prekindergarten provider must have, for 773 each prekindergarten class of 11 children or fewer, at least one 774 prekindergarten instructor who meets each of the following 775 requirements: 776 1.The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a minimum, 777 one of the following credentials: 778 a.A child development associate credential issued by the 779 National Credentialing Program of the Council for Professional 780 Recognition; or 781 b.A credential approved by the Department of Children and 782 Families as being equivalent to or greater than the credential 783 described in sub-subparagraph a. 784 785 The Department of Children and Families may adopt rules under 786 ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and procedures 787 for approving equivalent credentials under sub-subparagraph b. 788 2.Within 45 days after commencing employment, the 789 prekindergarten instructor must successfully complete three 790 emergent literacy training courses that include developmentally 791 appropriate and experiential learning practices for children and 792 a student performance standards training course approved by the 793 department as meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted 794 under s. 1002.59. The prekindergarten instructor must complete 795 an emergent literacy training course at least once every 5 years 796 after initially completing the three emergent literacy training 797 courses. The courses in this subparagraph must be recognized as 798 part of the informal early learning and career pathway 799 identified by the department under s. 1002.995(1)(b). The 800 requirement for completion of the standards training course 801 shall take effect July 1, 2022. The courses must be made 802 available online or in person. 803 Section 14.Subsection (4) of section 1002.61, Florida 804 Statutes, is amended to read: 805 1002.61Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public 806 schools and private prekindergarten providers. 807 (4)Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1. and 1002.63(4), 808 each public school and private prekindergarten provider must 809 have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one 810 prekindergarten instructor who is a certified teacher or holds 811 one of the educational credentials specified in s. 1002.55(4)(a) 812 or (b), or an educational credential specified in s. 813 1002.55(3)(c)1.a. or b. as long as the instructor has completed 814 the early literacy micro-credential program under s. 815 1003.485(4)(h) or has an instructional support score of 3 or 816 higher on a program assessment conducted under s. 1002.68(2) or 817 s. 1002.82(2)(n). As used in this subsection, the term 818 certified teacher means a teacher holding a valid Florida 819 educator certificate under s. 1012.56 who has the qualifications 820 required by the district school board to instruct students in 821 the summer prekindergarten program. In selecting instructional 822 staff for the summer prekindergarten program, each school 823 district shall give priority to teachers who have experience or 824 coursework in early childhood education and have completed 825 emergent literacy and performance standards courses, as provided 826 for in s. 1002.55(3)(c)2. 827 Section 15.Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 828 1002.67, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 829 1002.67Performance standards and curricula. 830 (2) 831 (b)Each private prekindergarten providers and public 832 schools curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and 833 must: 834 1.Be designed to prepare a student for early literacy and 835 provide for instruction in early math skills; 836 2.Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in 837 attaining the performance standards adopted by the department 838 under subsection (1); and 839 3.Support student learning gains through differentiated 840 instruction that shall be measured by the coordinated screening 841 and progress monitoring program under s. 1008.25(8). A private 842 prekindergarten providers or public schools curriculum may not 843 consist of using the coordinated screening and progress 844 monitoring program for direct student instruction; and 845 4.Exclude the student use of electronic devices, except to 846 complete the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 847 program under s. 1008.25(8). 848 Section 16.Subsection (2) and paragraphs (a), (d), and (f) 849 of subsection (4) of section 1002.68, Florida Statutes, are 850 amended to read: 851 1002.68Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 852 accountability. 853 (2)Beginning with the 2023-2024 2022-2023 program year, 854 each private prekindergarten provider and public school in the 855 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must participate in 856 a program assessment of each voluntary prekindergarten education 857 classroom. The program assessment shall measure the quality of 858 teacher-child interactions, including emotional support, 859 classroom organization, and instructional support for children 860 ages 3 to 5 years. The program assessment may be conducted only 861 when at least 75 percent of enrolled students are in attendance. 862 Each private prekindergarten provider and public school in the 863 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall receive from 864 the department the results of the program assessment for each 865 classroom within 14 days after the observation. Each early 866 learning coalition shall be responsible for the administration 867 of the program assessments which must be conducted by 868 individuals qualified to conduct program assessments under s. 869 1002.82(2)(n). 870 (4)(a)Beginning with the 2023-2024 2022-2023 program year, 871 the department shall adopt a methodology for calculating each 872 private prekindergarten providers and public school providers 873 performance metric, which must be based on a combination of the 874 following: 875 1.Program assessment composite scores under subsection 876 (2), which must be weighted at no less than 50 percent. 877 2.Learning gains operationalized as change-in-ability 878 scores from the initial and final progress monitoring results 879 described in subsection (1). 880 3.Norm-referenced developmental learning outcomes 881 described in subsection (1). 882 (d)The methodology shall include a statistical latent 883 profile analysis that has been conducted by an independent 884 expert with experience in relevant quantitative analysis, early 885 childhood assessment, and designing state-level accountability 886 systems. The independent expert shall be identified through 887 competitive procurement before the 2023-2024 program year and 888 retained through the 2025-2026 program year and developed by the 889 department that shall produce a limited number of performance 890 metric profiles which summarize the profiles of all sites that 891 must be used to inform the following designations: 892 unsatisfactory, emerging proficiency, proficient, highly 893 proficient, and excellent or comparable terminology 894 determined by the office which may not include letter grades. 895 (f)The department shall adopt procedures to annually 896 calculate each private prekindergarten providers and public 897 schools performance metric, based on the methodology adopted in 898 paragraphs (a) and (b), and assign a designation under paragraph 899 (d). Beginning with the 2024-2025 2023-2024 program year, each 900 private prekindergarten provider or public school shall be 901 assigned a designation within 45 days after the conclusion of 902 the school-year Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 903 delivered by all participating private prekindergarten providers 904 or public schools and within 45 days after the conclusion of the 905 summer Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program delivered by 906 all participating private prekindergarten providers or public 907 schools. 908 Section 17.Subsection (7) of section 1002.71, Florida 909 Statutes, is amended to read: 910 1002.71Funding; financial and attendance reporting. 911 (7)The department shall require that administrative 912 expenditures be kept to the minimum necessary for efficient and 913 effective administration of the Voluntary Prekindergarten 914 Education Program. Administrative policies and procedures shall 915 be revised, to the maximum extent practicable, to incorporate 916 the use of automation and electronic submission of forms, 917 including those required for child eligibility and enrollment, 918 provider and class registration, and monthly certification of 919 attendance for payment. A school district may use its automated 920 daily attendance reporting system for the purpose of 921 transmitting attendance records to the early learning coalition 922 in a mutually agreed-upon format. In addition, actions shall be 923 taken to reduce paperwork, eliminate the duplication of reports, 924 and eliminate other duplicative activities. Each early learning 925 coalition may retain and expend no more than 4.0 percent of the 926 funds allocated under paragraph (3)(c), which shall be 927 calculated based on the number of applications processed 928 pursuant to s. 1002.53(4)(a) paid by the coalition to private 929 prekindergarten providers and public schools under paragraph 930 (5)(b). Funds retained by an early learning coalition under this 931 subsection may be used only for administering the Voluntary 932 Prekindergarten Education Program and may not be used for the 933 school readiness program or other programs. 934 Section 18.Paragraphs (f), (j), and (q) of subsection (2) 935 of section 1002.82, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 936 1002.82Department of Education; powers and duties. 937 (2)The department shall: 938 (f)Establish a unified approach to the states efforts to 939 coordinate a comprehensive early learning program. In support of 940 this effort, the department: 941 1.Shall adopt specific program support services that 942 address the states school readiness program, including: 943 a.Statewide data information program requirements that 944 include: 945 (I)Eligibility requirements. 946 (II)Financial reports. 947 (III)Program accountability measures. 948 (IV)Child progress reports. 949 (V)The assignment of a Florida Education Identifier, as 950 used by the department, for children in the school readiness 951 program under this part and the Voluntary Prekindergarten 952 Education Program under part V of this chapter. 953 (VI)The assignment of a Florida Education Identifier, as 954 used by the department, for instructors in the school readiness 955 program under this part and the Voluntary Prekindergarten 956 Education Program under part V of this chapter. 957 b.Child care resource and referral services. 958 c.A single point of entry and uniform waiting list. 959 2.May provide technical assistance and guidance on 960 additional support services to complement the school readiness 961 program, including: 962 a.Warm-Line services. 963 b.Anti-fraud plans. 964 c.Training and support for parental involvement in 965 childrens early education. 966 d.Family literacy activities and services. 967 (j)Monitor the alignment and consistency of the standards 968 and benchmarks developed and adopted by the department that 969 address the age-appropriate progress of children in the 970 development of school readiness skills. The standards for 971 children from birth to kindergarten entry in the school 972 readiness program must be aligned with the performance standards 973 adopted for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 974 Program and must address the following domains: 975 1.Approaches to learning. 976 2.Cognitive development and general knowledge. 977 3.Numeracy, language, and communication. 978 4.Physical development. 979 5.Executive functioning Self-regulation. 980 (q)Contract for Establish a single statewide information 981 system that shall be used to manage all early learning programs, 982 including the child care licensing and child care training 983 within the Child Care Services Program Office of the Department 984 of Children and Families, and that each coalition must use for 985 the purposes of managing the single point of entry, tracking 986 childrens progress, coordinating services among stakeholders, 987 determining eligibility of children, tracking child attendance, 988 and streamlining administrative processes for providers and 989 early learning coalitions. By October 1, 2024 July 1, 2019, the 990 system, subject to ss. 1002.72 and 1002.97, shall: 991 1.Allow a parent to find early learning programs online, 992 including the performance profile under s. 1002.92(3)(a). 993 2.1.Allow a parent to monitor the development of his or 994 her child as the child moves among programs within the state. 995 3.2.Enable analysis at the state, regional, and local 996 level to measure child growth over time, program impact, and 997 quality improvement and investment decisions. 998 Section 19.Subsection (6) of section 1002.83, Florida 999 Statutes, is amended to read: 1000 1002.83Early learning coalitions. 1001 (6)The early learning coalition may appoint additional at 1002 large members as long as the number of at-large members 1003 appointed does not make up more than one-third of the boards 1004 composition. The at-large members may be who must be private 1005 sector business members, either for-profit or nonprofit and may, 1006 who do not have, or have any and none of whose relatives as 1007 defined in s. 112.3143 who have has, a substantial financial 1008 interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary 1009 Prekindergarten Education Program created under part V of this 1010 chapter or the school readiness program. The department shall 1011 establish criteria for appointing at-large private sector 1012 business members. These criteria must include standards for 1013 determining whether a member or relative has a substantial 1014 financial interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary 1015 Prekindergarten Education Program or the school readiness 1016 program. 1017 Section 20.Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 1018 1002.89, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1019 1002.89School readiness program; funding. 1020 (4)COST REQUIREMENTS.Costs shall be kept to the minimum 1021 necessary for the efficient and effective administration of the 1022 school readiness program with the highest priority of 1023 expenditure being direct services for eligible children. 1024 However, no more than 5 percent of the funds allocated in 1025 paragraph (1)(a) may be used for administrative costs and no 1026 more than 22 percent of the funds allocated in paragraph (1)(a) 1027 may be used in any fiscal year for any combination of 1028 administrative costs, quality activities, and nondirect services 1029 as follows: 1030 (b)Activities to improve the quality of child care as 1031 described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53, which shall be limited to the 1032 following: 1033 1.Developing, establishing, expanding, operating, and 1034 coordinating resource and referral programs specifically related 1035 to the provision of comprehensive consumer education to parents 1036 and the public to promote informed child care choices specified 1037 in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.33. 1038 2.Awarding grants and providing financial support to 1039 school readiness program providers and their staff to assist 1040 them in meeting applicable state requirements for the program 1041 assessment required under s. 1002.82(2)(n), child care 1042 performance standards, implementing the developmentally 1043 appropriate curriculum commissioned under s. 1002.82(2)(l) 1044 curricula and related classroom resources that support parent 1045 engagement curricula, providing literacy supports, and providing 1046 continued professional development through the Teacher Education 1047 and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship Program under s. 1048 1002.95 and training aligned to the early learning professional 1049 development standards and career pathways under s. 1002.995 and 1050 training. Any grants awarded pursuant to this subparagraph shall 1051 comply with ss. 215.971 and 287.058. 1052 3.Providing training aligned with the early learning 1053 professional development standards and career pathways under s. 1054 1002.995, technical assistance, and financial support to school 1055 readiness program providers, staff, and parents on standards, 1056 child screenings, child assessments, the child development 1057 research and best practices, developmentally appropriate 1058 curriculum commissioned under s. 1002.82(2)(l), executive 1059 functioning curricula, character development, teacher-child 1060 interactions, age-appropriate discipline practices, health and 1061 safety, including reimbursement for background screenings, 1062 nutrition, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the 1063 recognition of communicable diseases, and child abuse detection, 1064 prevention, and reporting. 1065 4.Providing, from among the funds provided for the 1066 activities described in subparagraphs 1.-3., adequate funding 1067 for infants and toddlers as necessary to meet federal 1068 requirements related to expenditures for quality activities for 1069 infant and toddler care. 1070 5.Improving the monitoring of compliance with, and 1071 enforcement of, applicable state and local requirements as 1072 described in and limited by 45 C.F.R. s. 98.40. 1073 6.Responding to Warm-Line requests by providers and 1074 parents, including providing developmental and health screenings 1075 to school readiness program children. 1076 Section 21.Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 1077 1002.945, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1078 1002.945Gold Seal Quality Care Program. 1079 (4)In order to obtain and maintain a designation as a Gold 1080 Seal Quality Care provider, a child care facility, large family 1081 child care home, or family day care home must meet the following 1082 additional criteria: 1083 (b)The child care provider must not have had three or more 1084 of the same class II violations, as defined by rule of the 1085 Department of Children and Families, within the 2 years 1086 preceding its application for designation as a Gold Seal Quality 1087 Care provider. Commission of three or more of the same class II 1088 violations within a 2-year period shall be grounds for 1089 termination of the designation as a Gold Seal Quality Care 1090 provider until the provider has no class II violations that are 1091 the same for a period of 1 year. 1092 Section 22.Section 1002.95, Florida Statutes, is amended 1093 to read: 1094 1002.95Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) 1095 Scholarship Program. 1096 (1)The department may contract for the administration of 1097 the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship 1098 Program, which provides educational scholarships to instructors 1099 caregivers and administrators of early childhood programs, 1100 family day care homes, and large family child care homes. The 1101 goal of the program is to increase the education and training 1102 for instructors caregivers, increase the compensation for child 1103 instructors caregivers who complete the program requirements, 1104 and reduce the rate of participant turnover in the field of 1105 early childhood education. 1106 (2)An early learning coalition shall support the Teacher 1107 Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship Program for 1108 instructors by reimbursing child care providers for the 1109 copayment portion of the program for each instructor who 1110 completes a child development associate credential in his or her 1111 service area which shall be funded in accordance with s. 1112 1002.89(4)(b). 1113 (3)(2)The State Board of Education shall adopt rules as 1114 necessary to administer this section. 1115 Section 23.Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 1116 1008.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1117 1008.25Public school student progression; student support; 1118 coordinated screening and progress monitoring; reporting 1119 requirements. 1120 (5)READING DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. 1121 (b)A Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program student 1122 who exhibits a substantial deficiency in early literacy skills 1123 in accordance with the standards under s. 1002.67(1)(a) and 1124 based upon the results of the administration of the final 1125 coordinated screening and progress monitoring under subsection 1126 (8) shall be referred to the local school district and may be 1127 eligible to receive intensive reading interventions the summer 1128 before participating in kindergarten. The intensive reading 1129 intervention may be delivered by a private prekindergarten 1130 provider or public school prekindergarten provider that is 1131 qualified to offer the summer Voluntary Prekindergarten 1132 Education Program in accordance with s. 1002.61. The program 1133 shall consist of no more than 4 hours of instruction per day for 1134 a total of 140 hours. Such intensive reading interventions shall 1135 be paid for using funds from the General Appropriations Act in 1136 accordance with the rate set for a student in a summer 1137 prekindergarten program districts evidence-based reading 1138 instruction allocation in accordance with s. 1011.62(8). 1139 Section 24.Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 1140 39.101, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1141 39.101Central abuse hotline.The central abuse hotline is 1142 the first step in the safety assessment and investigation 1143 process. 1144 (4)USE OF INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE CENTRAL ABUSE 1145 HOTLINE. 1146 (a)Information received by the central abuse hotline may 1147 not be used for employment screening, except as provided in s. 1148 39.202(2)(a) and (h) or s. 402.302(16) s. 402.302(15). 1149 Section 25.Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1002.57, 1150 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1151 1002.57Prekindergarten director credential. 1152 (3)The prekindergarten director credential must meet or 1153 exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and 1154 Families for the child care facility director credential under 1155 s. 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of 1156 the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these 1157 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 1158 (4)The department shall, to the maximum extent 1159 practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes 1160 the child care facility director credential under s. 1161 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g) for those requirements of the 1162 prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of 1163 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 1164 Section 26.Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida 1165 Statutes, is amended to read: 1166 1002.59Emergent literacy and performance standards 1167 training courses. 1168 (1)The department, in collaboration with the Just Read, 1169 Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in 1170 emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors. Each course 1171 must comprise 5 clock hours and provide instruction in 1172 strategies and techniques to address the age-appropriate 1173 progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent 1174 literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of 1175 print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, and 1176 vocabulary and comprehension development, consistent with the 1177 evidence-based content and strategies identified pursuant to s. 1178 1001.215(8). The course standards must be reviewed as part of 1179 any review of subject coverage or endorsement requirements in 1180 the elementary, reading, and exceptional student educational 1181 areas conducted pursuant to s. 1012.586. Each course must also 1182 provide resources containing strategies that allow students with 1183 disabilities and other special needs to derive maximum benefit 1184 from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful 1185 completion of an emergent literacy training course approved 1186 under this section satisfies requirements for approved training 1187 in early literacy and language development under ss. 1188 402.305(2)(e)4., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5) ss. 1189 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5). 1190 Section 27.This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.