FL
Florida House Bill H1353

Florida 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1353 Compare Versions

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1010 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
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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to early learning; amending s. 2
16-402.305, F.S.; requiring that at least one staff 3
17-person receive in-person cardiopulmonary resuscitation 4
18-training; amending s. 1002.61, F.S.; revising 5
19-requirements for prekindergarten instructors; amending 6
20-s. 1002.67, F.S.; providing that private 7
21-prekindergarten provider or public school curricula 8
22-may not use a certain coordinated screening and 9
23-progress monitoring program or other specified methods 10
24-for direct student instruction; providing a limitation 11
25-for which a private prekindergarten provider or public 12
26-school may allow students to view an electronic 13
27-screen; defining the term "screen"; requiring that 14
28-such time involve certain activities; providing that 15
29-the limitation does not include the required 16
30-administration of the screening and monitoring system; 17
31-amending s. 1002.68, F.S.; revising circumstances 18
32-under which a good cause exemption may not be granted; 19
33-revising requirements with respect to performance 20
34-metric methodology and the assignment of designations 21
35-under the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; 22
36-republishing reverted provisions of law pursuant to 23
37-ch. 2023-240, Laws of Florida; amending s. 1002.82, 24
38-F.S.; revising the performance standards adopted by 25
16+1002.61, F.S.; revising requirements for 3
17+prekindergarten instructors; amending s. 1002.67, 4
18+F.S.; prohibiting private prekindergarten provider and 5
19+public school curricula from using a coordinated 6
20+screening and progress monitoring program or other 7
21+specified methods for direct student instruction; 8
22+amending s. 1002.68, F.S.; authorizing alternative 9
23+methods for calculating program assessment composite 10
24+scores; requiring prekindergarten providers and public 11
25+schools to notify parents under certain circumstances; 12
26+revising exceptions for a good cause exemption; making 13
27+technical changes; amending s. 1002.82 , F.S.; revising 14
28+the performance standards adopted by the Department of 15
29+Education relating to the Voluntary Prekindergarten 16
30+Education Program; amending s. 1002.83, F.S.; 17
31+authorizing an early learning coalition to appoint a 18
32+certain additional board member; amending s. 1002.89, 19
33+F.S.; revising school readiness program expenditures 20
34+that are subject to certain cost requirements; 21
35+providing an effective date. 22
36+ 23
37+Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 24
38+ 25
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4747 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
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51-the Department of Education relating to the Volunt ary 26
52-Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s. 27
53-1002.83, F.S.; authorizing an early learning coalition 28
54-to appoint a certain additional board member; amending 29
55-s. 1002.87, F.S.; revising the criteria for a child to 30
56-receive priority for participation in th e school 31
57-readiness program; conforming provisions to changes 32
58-made by the act; amending s. 1002.88, F.S.; requiring 33
59-a school readiness program provider to prohibit 34
60-certain students from viewing electronic screens; 35
61-authorizing certain students to have screen time for a 36
62-specified amount of time; defining the term "screen"; 37
63-amending s. 1002.89, F.S.; providing requirements for 38
64-a school readiness program provider to be eligible to 39
65-receive specified funding; revising school readiness 40
66-program expenditures that are subject to certain cost 41
67-requirements; requiring that certain training be 42
68-provided by a specified date; providing an effective 43
69-date. 44
70- 45
71-Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 46
72- 47
73- Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section 48
74-402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 49
75- 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities. — 50
51+ Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 1002.61, Florida 26
52+Statutes, is amended to read: 27
53+ 1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public 28
54+schools and private prekindergarten providers. — 29
55+ (4) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1. and 1002.63(4), 30
56+each public school and private prekinderg arten provider must 31
57+have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one 32
58+prekindergarten instructor who is a certified teacher or holds 33
59+one of the educational credentials specified in s. 1002.55(4)(a) 34
60+or (b), or an educational credential specified in s. 35
61+1002.55(3)(c)1. as long as the instructor has completed the 36
62+early literacy micro -credential program under s. 1003.485 or has 37
63+an instructional support score of 3 or higher on a program 38
64+assessment conducted under s. 1002.68(2) or s. 1002.82(2)(n) . As 39
65+used in this subsection, the term "certified teacher" means a 40
66+teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate under s. 41
67+1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the district 42
68+school board to instruct students in the summer prekindergarten 43
69+program. In selecting instructional staff for the summer 44
70+prekindergarten program, each school district shall give 45
71+priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in early 46
72+childhood education and have completed emergent literacy and 47
73+performance standards courses, as pr ovided for in s. 48
74+1002.55(3)(c)2. 49
75+ Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 50
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8484 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
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88- (7) SANITATION AND SAFETY. — 51
89- (a) Minimum standards shall include requirements for 52
90-sanitary and safety conditions, first aid treatment, emergency 53
91-procedures, and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The 54
92-minimum standards shall require that at least one staff person 55
93-trained in person in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as evidenced 56
94-by current documentation of course completion, must be present 57
95-at all times that children are present. 58
96- Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 1002.61, Florida 59
97-Statutes, is amended to read: 60
98- 1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public 61
99-schools and private prekindergarten providers. — 62
100- (4) Notwithstanding ss. 1002 .55(3)(c)1. and 1002.63(4), 63
101-each public school and private prekindergarten provider must 64
102-have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one 65
103-prekindergarten instructor who is a certified teacher or holds 66
104-one of the educational credentials specified in s. 10 02.55(4)(a) 67
105-or (b), or an educational credential specified in s. 68
106-1002.55(3)(c)1. as long as the instructor has completed the 69
107-early literacy micro -credential program under s. 1003.485 . As 70
108-used in this subsection, the term "certified teacher" means a 71
109-teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate under s. 72
110-1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the district 73
111-school board to instruct students in the summer prekindergarten 74
112-program. In selecting instructional staff for the summer 75
88+1002.67, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 51
89+ 1002.67 Performance standards and curricula. — 52
90+ (2) 53
91+ (b) Each private prekindergarten provider's and public 54
92+school's curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and 55
93+must: 56
94+ 1. Be designed to prepare a student for early literacy and 57
95+provide for instruction in early math skills; 58
96+ 2. Develop students' background knowledge through a 59
97+content-rich and sequential knowledge building early literacy 60
98+curriculum; 61
99+ 3. Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in 62
100+attaining the performance standards adopted by the department 63
101+under subsection (1); and 64
102+ 4. Support student learning gains through differentiated 65
103+instruction that must shall be measured by the coordinated 66
104+screening and progress monitoring program under s. 1008.25(9). A 67
105+private prekindergarten provider's or public school's curriculum 68
106+may not use the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 69
107+program, any other p rogress monitoring program, or an 70
108+instructional program that requires one student to one device 71
109+for direct student instruction. 72
110+ Section 3. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (4), 73
111+paragraph (a) of subsection (5), and paragraph (d) of subsection 74
112+(6) of section 1002.68, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 75
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121121 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
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125-prekindergarten prog ram, each school district shall give 76
126-priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in early 77
127-childhood education and have completed emergent literacy and 78
128-performance standards courses, as provided for in s. 79
129-1002.55(3)(c)2. 80
130- Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 81
131-1002.67, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 82
132- 1002.67 Performance standards and curricula. — 83
133- (2) 84
134- (b) Each private prekindergarten provider's and public 85
135-school's curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and 86
136-must: 87
137- 1. Be designed to prepare a student for early literacy and 88
138-provide for instruction in early math skills; 89
139- 2. Develop students' background knowledge through a 90
140-content-rich and sequential knowledge building early literacy 91
141-curriculum; 92
142- 3. Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in 93
143-attaining the performance standards adopted by the department 94
144-under subsection (1); and 95
145- 4. Support student learning gains through differentiated 96
146-instruction that must shall be measured by the coordinated 97
147-screening and progress monitoring program under s. 1008.25(9). A 98
148-private prekindergarten provider's or public school's curriculum 99
149-may not use the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 100
125+ 1002.68 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 76
126+accountability.— 77
127+ (4)(a) Beginning with the 2024-2025 2023-2024 program 78
128+year, the department shall adopt a methodology for calculating 79
129+each private prekindergarten provider's and public school 80
130+provider's performance metric, which must be based on a 81
131+combination of the following: 82
132+ 1. Program assessment composite scores under subsection 83
133+(2), which may be calculated differently, based on the 84
134+methodology adopted by the department, than the program 85
135+assessment composite score required for contracting in paragraph 86
136+(5)(a), and which must be weighted at no less than 50 percent. 87
137+ 2. Learning gains operationalized as change -in-ability 88
138+scores from the initial and final progress monitoring results 89
139+described in subsection (1). 90
140+ 3. Norm-referenced developmental learning outcomes 91
141+described in subsection (1). 92
142+ (c) The program assessment composite score in subsection 93
143+(5) and performance metric must be cal culated for each private 94
144+prekindergarten or public school site. 95
145+ (5)(a) Beginning with the 2024 -2025 program year, if a 96
146+private prekindergarten provider's or public school's 97
147+performance metric or designation does not maintain falls below 98
148+the minimum performance metric or designation, the early 99
149+learning coalition shall: 100
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158158 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
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162-program or any other progress monitoring program for direct 101
163-student instruction. A private prekindergarten provider or 102
164-public school may not allow any student to view an electronic 103
165-screen, commonly known as screen time, for more than 10 percent 104
166-of the day. As used in this subparagraph, the term "screen" 105
167-includes, but is not limi ted to, a television, a computer, a 106
168-tablet, a virtual reality device, a mobile telephone, or a 107
169-gaming console. Any such screen time must involve activities 108
170-directly related to the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 109
171-Program standards. This limitation does not include 110
172-administration of the coordinated screening and progress 111
173-monitoring system as required under s. 1008.25(9). 112
174- Section 4. Paragraph (d) of subsection (6) of section 113
175-1002.68, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (c) of 114
176-subsection (4) of that section is republished, to read: 115
177- 1002.68 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 116
178-accountability.— 117
179- (4) 118
180- (c) The program assessment composite score and performance 119
181-metric must be calculated for each private prekindergarten or 120
182-public school site. 121
183- (6) 122
184- (d) A good cause exemption may not be granted to any 123
185-private prekindergarten provider or public school that has any 124
186-class I violations or three two or more of the same class II 125
162+ 1. Require the provider or school to submit for approval 101
163+to the early learning coalition an improvement plan and 102
164+implement the plan. 103
165+ 2. Place the provider or school on probation. 104
166+ 3. Require the provider or school to take certain 105
167+corrective actions, including notifying the parent of each 106
168+student enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 107
169+Program based on rules adopted by the department and the use of 108
170+a curriculum approved by the department under s. 1002.67(2)(c) 109
171+and a staff development plan approved by the department to 110
172+strengthen instructional practices in emotional support, 111
173+classroom organization, instructional support, language 112
174+development, phonological awareness, alphabet kno wledge, and 113
175+mathematical thinking. 114
176+ (6) 115
177+ (d) A good cause exemption may not be granted to any 116
178+private prekindergarten provider or public school that has any 117
179+class I violations or three two or more of the same class II 118
180+violations, as defined by rule of the Department of Children and 119
181+Families, within the 2 years preceding the provider's or 120
182+school's request for the exemption. 121
183+ Section 4. Paragraph (j) of subsection (2) of section 122
184+1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 123
185+ 1002.82 Department of Educat ion; powers and duties. — 124
186+ (2) The department shall: 125
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195195 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
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199-violations, as defined by rule of the Department of Children and 126
200-Families, within the 2 years preceding the provider's or 127
201-school's request for the exemption. 128
202- Section 5. Upon the expiration and reversion of the 129
203-amendments made to section 1002.68, Florida Statutes, pursuant 130
204-to section 6 of chapter 2023 -240, Laws of Florida, paragraphs 131
205-(a) and (f) of subsection (4) of section 1002.68, Florida 132
206-Statutes, are amended, and subsection (5) and paragraph (e) of 133
207-subsection (6) of that section are republished, to read: 134
208- 1002.68 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program 135
209-accountability.— 136
210- (4)(a) Beginning with the 2023-2024 2022-2023 program 137
211-year, the department shall adopt a methodology for calculating 138
212-each private prekindergarten provider's and public school 139
213-provider's performance metric, which must be based on a 140
214-combination of the following: 141
215- 1. Program assessment composite scores under subsection 142
216-(2), which must be weighted at no less than 50 percent. 143
217- 2. Learning gains operationalized as change -in-ability 144
218-scores from the initial and final progress monitoring results 145
219-described in subsection (1). 146
220- 3. Norm-referenced developmental learning outcomes 147
221-described in subsection (1). 148
222- (f) The department shall adopt procedures to annually 149
223-calculate each private prekindergarten provider's and public 150
199+ (j) Monitor the alignment and consistency of the standards 126
200+and benchmarks developed and adopted by the department that 127
201+address the age-appropriate progress of children in the 128
202+development of school read iness skills. The standards for 129
203+children from birth to kindergarten entry in the school 130
204+readiness program must be aligned with the performance standards 131
205+adopted for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 132
206+Program and must address the following domains: 133
207+ 1. Approaches to learning. 134
208+ 2. Cognitive development and general knowledge. 135
209+ 3. Numeracy, language, and communication. 136
210+ 4. Physical development. 137
211+ 5. Executive functioning Self-regulation. 138
212+ Section 5. Present subsections (5) through (16) o f section 139
213+1002.83, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (6) 140
214+through (17), respectively, a new subsection (5) is added to 141
215+that section, and subsection (3) of that section is amended, to 142
216+read: 143
217+ 1002.83 Early learning coalitions. — 144
218+ (3) The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other 145
219+members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet the 146
220+qualifications of a private sector business member under 147
221+subsection (7) (6). In the absence of a governor -appointed 148
222+chair, the Commissioner of Educa tion may appoint an interim 149
223+chair from the current early learning coalition board 150
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232232 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
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236-school's performance metric, based on the methodology adopted in 151
237-paragraphs (a) and (b), an d assign a designation under paragraph 152
238-(d). Beginning with the 2024-2025 2023-2024 program year, each 153
239-private prekindergarten provider or public school shall be 154
240-assigned a designation within 45 days after the conclusion of 155
241-the school-year Voluntary Prekind ergarten Education Program 156
242-delivered by all participating private prekindergarten providers 157
243-or public schools and within 45 days after the conclusion of the 158
244-summer Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program delivered by 159
245-all participating private prekinder garten providers or public 160
246-schools. 161
247- (5)(a) If a public school's or private prekindergarten 162
248-provider's program assessment composite score for its 163
249-prekindergarten classrooms fails to meet the minimum program 164
250-assessment composite score for contracting adopt ed in rule by 165
251-the department, the private prekindergarten provider or public 166
252-school may not participate in the Voluntary Prekindergarten 167
253-Education Program beginning in the consecutive program year and 168
254-thereafter until the public school or private prekinder garten 169
255-provider meets the minimum composite score for contracting. A 170
256-public school or private prekindergarten provider may request 171
257-one program assessment per program year in order to requalify 172
258-for participation in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 173
259-Program, provided that the public school or private 174
260-prekindergarten provider is not excluded from participation 175
236+membership. 151
237+ (5) Each early learning coalition may choose to appoint an 152
238+additional public sector board member in order to include a 153
239+representative of local law enforcement. 154
240+ Section 6. Subsection (4) of section 1002.89, Florida 155
241+Statutes, is amended to read: 156
242+ 1002.89 School readiness program; funding. — 157
243+ (4) COST REQUIREMENTS. —Costs shall be kept to the minimum 158
244+necessary for the efficient and effective administration of th e 159
245+school readiness program with the highest priority of 160
246+expenditure being direct services for eligible children. 161
247+However, no more than 5 percent of the funds allocated in 162
248+paragraph (1)(a) may be used for administrative costs and no 163
249+more than 22 percent of the funds allocated in paragraph (1)(a) 164
250+may be used in any fiscal year for any combination of 165
251+administrative costs, quality activities, and nondirect services 166
252+as follows: 167
253+ (a) Administrative costs as described in 45 C.F.R. s. 168
254+98.54, which shall include mo nitoring providers using the 169
255+standard methodology adopted under s. 1002.82 to improve 170
256+compliance with state and federal regulations and law pursuant 171
257+to the requirements of the statewide provider contract adopted 172
258+under s. 1002.82(2)(m). 173
259+ (b) Activities to improve the quality of child care as 174
260+described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53, which shall be limited to the 175
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269269 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
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273-under ss. 1002.55(6), 1002.61(10)(b), 1002.63(9)(b), or 176
274-paragraph (5)(b) of this section. If a public school or private 177
275-prekindergarten provider w ould like an additional program 178
276-assessment completed within the same program year, the public 179
277-school or private prekindergarten provider shall be responsible 180
278-for the cost of the program assessment. 181
279- (b) If a private prekindergarten provider's or public 182
280-school's performance metric or designation falls below the 183
281-minimum performance metric or designation, the early learning 184
282-coalition shall: 185
283- 1. Require the provider or school to submit for approval 186
284-to the early learning coalition an improvement plan and 187
285-implement the plan. 188
286- 2. Place the provider or school on probation. 189
287- 3. Require the provider or school to take certain 190
288-corrective actions, including the use of a curriculum approved 191
289-by the department under s. 1002.67(2)(c) and a staff development 192
290-plan approved by the department to strengthen instructional 193
291-practices in emotional support, classroom organization, 194
292-instructional support, language development, phonological 195
293-awareness, alphabet knowledge, and mathematical thinking. 196
294- (c) A private prekindergarten provi der or public school 197
295-that is placed on probation must continue the corrective actions 198
296-required under paragraph (b) until the provider or school meets 199
297-the minimum performance metric or designation adopted by the 200
273+following: 176
274+ 1. Developing, establishing, expanding, operating, and 177
275+coordinating resource and referral programs specifically related 178
276+to the provision of comprehensive consumer education to parents 179
277+and the public to promote informed child care choices specified 180
278+in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.33. 181
279+ 2. Awarding grants and providing financial support to 182
280+school readiness program providers and their staff to assist 183
281+them in meeting applicable state requirements for the program 184
282+assessment required under s. 1002.82(2)(n), child care 185
283+performance standards, implementing developmentally appropriate 186
284+curricula and related classroom resources that support parent 187
285+engagement curricula, providing literacy supports, and providing 188
286+continued professional development through the Teacher Education 189
287+and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship Program under s. 190
288+1002.95 and training aligned to the early learning professional 191
289+development standards and career pathways under s. 1002.995, and 192
290+reimbursement for background screenings and training. Any grants 193
291+awarded pursuant to this subparagraph must shall comply with ss. 194
292+215.971 and 287.058. 195
293+ 3. Providing training aligned with the early learning 196
294+professional development standards and career pathways under s. 197
295+1002.995, technical assistance, and financial support to school 198
296+readiness program providers, staff, and parents on standards, 199
297+child screenings, child assessments, the child development 200
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306306 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
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310-department. Failure to meet the requirements of subparagraphs 201
311-(b)1. and 3. shall result in the termination of the provider's 202
312-or school's contract to deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten 203
313-Education Program for a period of at least 2 years but no more 204
314-than 5 years. 205
315- (d) If a private prekindergarten pr ovider or public school 206
316-remains on probation for 2 consecutive years and fails to meet 207
317-the minimum performance metric or designation, or is not granted 208
318-a good cause exemption by the department, the department shall 209
319-require the early learning coalition to r evoke the provider's 210
320-eligibility and the school district to revoke the school's 211
321-eligibility to deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 212
322-Program and receive state funds for the program for a period of 213
323-at least 2 years but no more than 5 years. 214
324- (6) 215
325- (e) A private prekindergarten provider or public school 216
326-granted a good cause exemption shall continue to implement its 217
327-improvement plan and continue the corrective actions required 218
328-under paragraph (5)(b) until the provider or school meets the 219
329-minimum performance metric. 220
330- Section 6. Paragraph (j) of subsection (2) of section 221
331-1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 222
332- 1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties. — 223
333- (2) The department shall: 224
334- (j) Monitor the alignment and consistency of the s tandards 225
310+research and best practices, developmentally appropriate 201
311+curriculum under s. 1002.82(2)(l), executive functioning 202
312+curricula, character development , teacher-child interactions, 203
313+age-appropriate discipline practices, health and safety, 204
314+nutrition, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the 205
315+recognition of communicable diseases, and child abuse detection, 206
316+prevention, and reporting. 207
317+ 4. Providing, from among the funds provided for the 208
318+activities described in subparagraphs 1. -3., adequate funding 209
319+for infants and toddlers as necessary to meet federal 210
320+requirements related to expenditures for quality activities for 211
321+infant and toddler care. 212
322+ 5. Improving the monitoring of compliance with, and 213
323+enforcement of, applicable state and local requirements as 214
324+described in and limited by 45 C.F.R. s. 98.40. 215
325+ 6. Responding to Warm -Line requests by providers and 216
326+parents, including providing developmental and health screenings 217
327+to school readiness program children. 218
328+ (c) Nondirect services as described in applicable Office 219
329+of Management and Budget instructions are those services not 220
330+defined as administrative, direct, or quality services that are 221
331+required to administer the school readiness program. Such 222
332+services include, but are not limited to: 223
333+ 1. Assisting families to complet e the required application 224
334+and eligibility documentation. 225
335335
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347-and benchmarks developed and adopted by the department that 226
348-address the age-appropriate progress of children in the 227
349-development of school readiness skills. The standards for 228
350-children from birth to kindergarten entry in the school 229
351-readiness program must be aligned with the performance standards 230
352-adopted for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 231
353-Program and must address the following domains: 232
354- 1. Approaches to learning. 233
355- 2. Cognitive development and general knowledge. 234
356- 3. Numeracy, language, and communication. 235
357- 4. Physical development. 236
358- 5. Executive functioning Self-regulation. 237
359- Section 7. Present subsections (5) through (16) of section 238
360-1002.83, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (6) 239
361-through (17), respectively, a new subsection (5) is added to 240
362-that section, and subsection (3) of that section is amended, to 241
363-read: 242
364- 1002.83 Early learning coalitions. — 243
365- (3) The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other 244
366-members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet the 245
367-qualifications of a private sector business member under 246
368-subsection (7) (6). In the absence of a governor -appointed 247
369-chair, the Commissioner of Education may appoint an interim 248
370-chair from the current early learning coalition board 249
371-membership. 250
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380-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
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382-
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384- (5) Each early learning coalition may choose to appoint an 251
385-additional public sector board member in order to include a 252
386-representative of local law enforcement. 253
387- Section 8. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 254
388-1002.87, Florida Statutes, is amended to read : 255
389- 1002.87 School readiness program; eligibility and 256
390-enrollment.— 257
391- (1) Each early learning coalition shall give priority for 258
392-participation in the school readiness program as follows: 259
393- (c) Subsequent priority shall be given, based on the early 260
394-learning coalition's local priorities identified under s. 261
395-1002.85(2)(i), to children who meet the following criteria: 262
396- 1. A child from birth to the beginning of the school year 263
397-for which the child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in 264
398-a public school under s . 1003.21(1)(a)2. who is from a working 265
399-family that is economically disadvantaged, and may include such 266
400-child's eligible siblings, beginning with the school year in 267
401-which the sibling is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a 268
402-public school under s. 100 3.21(1)(a)2. until the beginning of 269
403-the school year in which the sibling is eligible to begin 6th 270
404-grade, provided that the first priority for funding an eligible 271
405-sibling is local revenues available to the coalition for funding 272
406-direct services. 273
407- 2. A child of a parent who transitions from the work 274
408-program into employment as described in s. 445.032 from birth to 275
409-
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417-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
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421-the beginning of the school year for which the child is eligible 276
422-for admission to kindergarten in a public school under s. 277
423-1003.21(1)(a)2. 278
424- 3. An at-risk child who is at least 9 years of age but 279
425-younger than 13 years of age. An at -risk child whose sibling is 280
426-enrolled in the school readiness program within an eligibility 281
427-priority category listed in paragraphs (a) and (b) and 282
428-subparagraph 1. shall be g iven priority over other children who 283
429-are eligible under this paragraph. 284
430- 4. A child who is younger than 13 years of age from a 285
431-working family that is economically disadvantaged. 286
432- 5. A child of a parent who transitions from the work 287
433-program into employme nt as described in s. 445.032 who is 288
434-younger than 13 years of age. 289
435- 6.a. A child who has special needs and, has been 290
436-determined eligible as a student who requires additional 291
437-accommodations beyond those required by the Americans with 292
438-Disabilities Act. The child's special needs and associated 293
439-accommodations must be validated by a licensed health care 294
440-professional, licensed mental health professional, or 295
441-educational psychologist. Such person may not be the child's 296
442-parent or a person employed by a child care p rovider. The 297
443-following documentation must be used to determine the child's 298
444-eligibility for such accommodations: 299
445- I. with a disability, has A current individual education 300
446-
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454-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
455-
456-
457-
458-plan with a Florida school district ;, and is not younger than 3 301
459-years of age. 302
460- II. A current individualized family support plan; 303
461- III. A diagnosed special need; or 304
462- IV. A determination of required accommodations. 305
463- b. The child care provider of a child who meets the 306
464-requirements of this subparagraph may be eligible for additional 307
465-funding through the special needs differential allocation to 308
466-implement the special needs rate as determined in s. 309
467-1002.89(1)(d) needs child eligible under this paragraph remains 310
468-eligible until the child is eligible for admission to 311
469-kindergarten in a public schoo l under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2 . 312
470- 7. A child who otherwise meets one of the eligibility 313
471-criteria in paragraphs (a) and (b) and subparagraphs 1. and 2. 314
472-but who is also enrolled concurrently in the federal Head Start 315
473-Program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Edu cation Program. 316
474- Section 9. Present paragraphs (h) through (s) of 317
475-subsection (1) of section 1002.88, Florida Statutes, are 318
476-redesignated as paragraphs (i) through (t), respectively, a new 319
477-paragraph (h) is added to that subsection, and present 320
478-paragraphs (n) and (p) of that subsection are amended, to read: 321
479- 1002.88 School readiness program provider standards; 322
480-eligibility to deliver the school readiness program. — 323
481- (1) To be eligible to deliver the school readiness 324
482-program, a school readiness program provi der must: 325
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495- (h) Prohibit a child from birth to 3 years of age from 326
496-viewing an electronic screen, commonly known as screen time. A 327
497-student 4 years of age or older may have screen time for no more 328
498-than 10 percent of the day. As used in this paragraph, the te rm 329
499-"screen" includes, but is not limited to, a television, a 330
500-computer, a tablet, a virtual reality device, a mobile 331
501-telephone, or a gaming console. 332
502- (o)(n) For a provider that is an informal provider, comply 333
503-with the provisions of paragraph (n) (m) or maintain homeowner's 334
504-liability insurance and, if applicable, a business rider. If an 335
505-informal provider chooses to maintain a homeowner's policy, the 336
506-provider must obtain and retain a homeowner's insurance policy 337
507-that provides a minimum of $100,000 of coverage per occurrence 338
508-and a minimum of $300,000 general aggregate coverage. The 339
509-department may authorize lower limits upon request, as 340
510-appropriate. An informal provider must add the coalition as a 341
511-named certificateholder and as an additional insured. An 342
512-informal provider must provide the coalition with a minimum of 343
513-10 calendar days' advance written notice of cancellation of or 344
514-changes to coverage. The general liability insurance required by 345
515-this paragraph must remain in full force and effect for the 346
516-entire period of the provider's contract with the coalition. 347
517- (q)(p) Notwithstanding paragraph (n) (m), for a provider 348
518-that is a state agency or a subdivision thereof, as defined in 349
519-s. 768.28(2), agree to notify the coalition of any additional 350
520-
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531-
532-liability coverage maintained by the provider in addition to 351
533-that otherwise established under s. 768.28. The provider shall 352
534-indemnify the coalition to the extent permitted by s. 768.28. 353
535-Notwithstanding paragraph (n) (m), for a child development 354
536-program that is accredited by a national accrediting body and 355
537-operates on a military installation that is certified by the 356
538-United States Department of Defense, the provider may 357
539-demonstrate liability coverage by affirming that it is subject 358
540-to the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. ss. 2671 et seq. 359
541- Section 10. Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) and subsection 360
542-(4) of section 1002.89, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 361
543- 1002.89 School readiness program; funding. — 362
544- (1) DETERMINATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITION SCHO OL 363
545-READINESS PROGRAM FUNDING. —Funding for the school readiness 364
546-program shall be used by the early learning coalitions in 365
547-accordance with this part and the General Appropriations Act. 366
548- (d) Special needs differential allocation. —There is 367
549-created the special needs differential allocation to assist 368
550-eligible school readiness program providers to implement the 369
551-special needs rate provisions defined in the state's approved 370
552-Child Care and Development Fund Plan. Subject to legislative 371
553-appropriation, each early learn ing coalition shall be reimbursed 372
554-based on actual expenditures. All expenditures from the special 373
555-needs differential allocation shall be used by the department to 374
556-help meet federal targeted requirements for improving quality to 375
557-
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569-the extent allowable in the state's approved plan. A school 376
570-readiness program provider is eligible for funding through the 377
571-allocation to implement the special needs differential rate upon 378
572-meeting all of the following requirements by July 1, 2025: 379
573- 1. If the provider has a program as sessment score, the 380
574-score must meet or exceed the composite score established by the 381
575-department. 382
576- 2. The provider has completed 10 hours of training in 383
577-inclusive early childhood or inclusive school -age education 384
578-practices within the preceding 2 -year period with the provider 385
579-completing an additional 10 hours of such training each 386
580-subsequent 5-year period as specified by the department. 387
581- (4) COST REQUIREMENTS. —Costs shall be kept to the minimum 388
582-necessary for the efficient and effective administration of the 389
583-school readiness program with the highest priority of 390
584-expenditure being direct services for eligible children. 391
585-However, no more than 5 percent of the funds allocated in 392
586-paragraph (1)(a) may be used for administrative costs and no 393
587-more than 22 percent of t he funds allocated in paragraph (1)(a) 394
588-may be used in any fiscal year for any combination of 395
589-administrative costs, quality activities, and nondirect services 396
590-as follows: 397
591- (a) Administrative costs as described in 45 C.F.R. s. 398
592-98.54, which shall include mon itoring providers using the 399
593-standard methodology adopted under s. 1002.82 to improve 400
594-
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602-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
603-
604-
605-
606-compliance with state and federal regulations and law pursuant 401
607-to the requirements of the statewide provider contract adopted 402
608-under s. 1002.82(2)(m). 403
609- (b) Activities to i mprove the quality of child care as 404
610-described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53, which shall be limited to the 405
611-following: 406
612- 1. Developing, establishing, expanding, operating, and 407
613-coordinating resource and referral programs specifically related 408
614-to the provision of comp rehensive consumer education to parents 409
615-and the public to promote informed child care choices specified 410
616-in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.33. 411
617- 2. Awarding grants and providing financial support to 412
618-school readiness program providers and their staff to assist 413
619-them in meeting applicable state requirements for the program 414
620-assessment required under s. 1002.82(2)(n), child care 415
621-performance standards, implementing developmentally appropriate 416
622-curriculum under s. 1002.82(2)(l) curricula and related 417
623-classroom resources that support parent engagement curricula, 418
624-providing literacy supports, and providing continued 419
625-professional development and training through the Teacher 420
626-Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship Program 421
627-under s. 1002.95, and reimbursement for background screenings . 422
628-Any grants awarded pursuant to this subparagraph must shall 423
629-comply with ss. 215.971 and 287.058. 424
630- 3. Providing training, technical assistance, and financial 425
631-
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642-
643-support to school readiness program provider s, staff, and 426
644-parents on standards, child screenings, child assessments, the 427
645-child development research and best practices, developmentally 428
646-appropriate curriculum under s. 1002.82(2)(l), executive 429
647-functioning curricula, character development , teacher-child 430
648-interactions, age-appropriate discipline practices, health and 431
649-safety, nutrition, first aid, in-person cardiopulmonary 432
650-resuscitation, the recognition of communicable diseases, and 433
651-child abuse detection, prevention, and reporting. 434
652- 4. Providing, from amo ng the funds provided for the 435
653-activities described in subparagraphs 1. -3., adequate funding 436
654-for infants and toddlers as necessary to meet federal 437
655-requirements related to expenditures for quality activities for 438
656-infant and toddler care. 439
657- 5. Improving the mo nitoring of compliance with, and 440
658-enforcement of, applicable state and local requirements as 441
659-described in and limited by 45 C.F.R. s. 98.40. 442
660- 6. Responding to Warm -Line requests by providers and 443
661-parents, including providing developmental and health screeni ngs 444
662-to school readiness program children. 445
663- 446
664-By July 1, 2026, all training and professional development 447
665-provided by an early learning coalition under this paragraph 448
666-must be aligned with the early learning professional development 449
667-standards and career pathway s under s. 1002.995. 450
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678-
679-
680- (c) Nondirect services as described in applicable Office 451
681-of Management and Budget instructions are those services not 452
682-defined as administrative, direct, or quality services that are 453
683-required to administer the school readiness program . Such 454
684-services include, but are not limited to: 455
685- 1. Assisting families to complete the required application 456
686-and eligibility documentation. 457
687- 2. Determining child and family eligibility. 458
688- 3. Recruiting eligible child care providers. 459
689- 4. Processing and t racking attendance records. 460
690- 5. Developing and maintaining a statewide child care 461
691-information system. 462
692- 463
693-As used in this paragraph, the term "nondirect services" does 464
694-not include payments to school readiness program providers for 465
695-direct services provided to children who are eligible under s. 466
696-1002.87, administrative costs as described in paragraph (a), or 467
697-quality activities as described in paragraph (b). 468
698- Section 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 469
347+ 2. Determining child and family eligibility. 226
348+ 3. Recruiting eligible child care providers. 227
349+ 4. Processing and tracking attendance records. 228
350+ 5. Developing and maintaining a statewide child care 229
351+information system. 230
352+ 231
353+As used in this paragraph, the term "nondirect services" does 232
354+not include payments to school readiness program providers for 233
355+direct services provided to children who are eligible under s. 234
356+1002.87, administrative costs as described in p aragraph (a), or 235
357+quality activities as described in paragraph (b). 236
358+ Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 237