HB 1661 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to school readiness programs; amending s.
3	411.01, F.S., relating to the Florida Partnership for
4	School Readiness and school readiness coalitions; revising
5	minimum standards and provisions for coalition plans for
6	school readiness programs; specifying ratios for
7	instructional personnel to children; requiring an
8	introductory training course for all personnel; requiring
9	inservice training for child care personnel; providing
10	certification and screening requirements; providing
11	requirements for administrative personnel and child care
12	operators; providing an effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (5) of section
17	411.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
18	411.01 Florida Partnership for School Readiness; school
19	readiness coalitions.--
20	(5) CREATION OF SCHOOL READINESS COALITIONS.--
21	(d) Implementation.--
22	1. The school readiness program is to be phased in. Until
23	the coalition implements its plan, the county shall continue to
24	receive the services identified in subsection (3) through the
25	various agencies that would be responsible for delivering those
26	services under current law. Plan implementation is subject to
27	approval of the coalition and the plan by the Florida
28	Partnership for School Readiness.
29	2. Each school readiness coalition shall develop a plan
30	for implementing the school readiness program to meet the
31	requirements of this section and the performance standards and
32	outcome measures established by the partnership. The plan must
33	include a written description of the role of the program in the
34	coalition's effort to meet the first state education goal,
35	readiness to start school, including a description of the plan
36	to involve the prekindergarten early intervention programs, Head
37	Start Programs, programs offered by public or private providers
38	of child care, preschool programs for children with
39	disabilities, programs for migrant children, Title I programs,
40	subsidized child care programs, and teen parent programs. The
41	plan must also demonstrate how the program will ensure that each
42	3-year-old and 4-year-old child in a publicly funded school
43	readiness program receives scheduled activities and instruction
44	designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to
45	learn. Prior to implementation of the program, the school
46	readiness coalition must submit the plan to the partnership for
47	approval. The partnership may approve the plan, reject the plan,
48	or approve the plan with conditions. The Florida Partnership for
49	School Readiness shall review coalition plans at least annually.
50	3. The plan for the school readiness program must include
51	the following minimum standards and provisions:
52	a. A sliding fee scale establishing a copayment for
53	parents based upon their ability to pay, which is the same for
54	all program providers, to be implemented and reflected in each
55	program's budget.
56	b. A choice of settings and locations in licensed,
57	registered, religious-exempt, or school-based programs to be
58	provided to parents.
59	c. A ratio of direct instructional personnel to children
60	of 1 adult to 10 3-year-old and 4-year-old children, or a lower
61	ratio. Upon written request from a school readiness coalition,
62	the partnership may grant permission for a ratio of up to 1
63	adult to 15 3-year-old and 4-year-old children for individual
64	schools or centers for which a 1 to 10 ratio is not feasible.
65	d. For all personnel, completion of an approved 40-clock-
66	hour introductory training course planned jointly by the
67	Department of Education and the Department of Children and
68	Family Services to include the following areas: state and local
69	rules that govern child care, health, safety, and nutrition;
70	identification and report of child abuse and neglect; child
71	growth and development, including typical and atypical language,
72	cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills development;
73	observation of developmental behaviors, using a checklist or
74	other similar observation tools and techniques to determine a
75	child's developmental age level; use of developmentally
76	appropriate early childhood curricula; and avoidance of income-
77	based, race-based, and gender-based stereotyping. The
78	introductory training course shall stress, to the extent
79	possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of
80	children. Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel
81	must begin the introductory training course and, within 1 year
82	after the date on which the training course began, complete such
83	training. Exemption from all or a portion of the introductory
84	training course shall be granted to child care personnel based
85	upon educational credentials or passage of competency
86	examinations.
87	e. For child care personnel who have completed the
88	introductory training course, completion of an additional
89	approved 8 clock hours of inservice training, or an equivalent
90	as determined by the Department of Children and Family Services,
91	on an annual basis to improve child care skills and, if
92	appropriate, administrative skills.
93	f. When individual classrooms are staffed by certified
94	teachers, certification of those teachers for the appropriate
95	grade levels under s. 1012.56 and State Board of Education
96	rules. Teachers who are not certified for the appropriate grade
97	levels must obtain proper certification within 2 years. However,
98	the partnership may make an exception on an individual basis
99	when the requirements are not met because of serious illness,
100	injury, or other extraordinary, extenuating circumstance.
101	g. When individual classrooms are staffed by noncertified
102	teachers, the regularly scheduled direct contact with each
103	classroom of a program director or lead teacher who is eligible
104	for certification or certified for the appropriate grade levels
105	pursuant to s. 1012.56 and State Board of Education rules.
106	Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 1012.55, such classrooms
107	must be staffed by at least one person who has, at a minimum, a
108	child development associate credential (CDA) or an amount of
109	training determined by the Commissioner of Education to be
110	equivalent to or to exceed the minimum, such as an associate in
111	science degree in the area of early childhood education.
112	h. For administrative and supervisory personnel with
113	direct responsibility for the program, demonstration of
114	knowledge of prekindergarten education programs that increase
115	children's chances of achieving future educational success and
116	becoming productive members of society in a manner established
117	by State Board of Education rule.
118	i. For all personnel who are not certified under s.
119	1012.56, compliance with screening requirements under s.
120	1012.32.
121	j. For child care operators, completion of basic training
122	in serving children with disabilities within 5 years after
123	employment, either as a part of the introductory training course
124	or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
125	c. Instructional staff who have completed the training
126	course as required in s. 402.305(2)(d)1., as well as staff who
127	have additional training or credentials as required by the
128	partnership. The plan must provide a method for assuring the
129	qualifications of all personnel in all program settings.
130	k.d.Specific eligibility priorities for children within
131	the coalition's county pursuant to subsection (6).
132	l.e.Performance standards and outcome measures
133	established by the partnership or alternatively, standards and
134	outcome measures to be used until such time as the partnership
135	adopts such standards and outcome measures.
136	m.f.Reimbursement rates that have been developed by the
137	coalition. Reimbursement rates shall not have the effect of
138	limiting parental choice or creating standards or levels of
139	services that have not been authorized by the Legislature.
140	n.g.Systems support services, including a central agency,
141	child care resource and referral, eligibility determinations,
142	training of providers, and parent support and involvement.
143	o.h.Direct enhancement services to families and children.
144	System support and direct enhancement services shall be in
145	addition to payments for the placement of children in school
146	readiness programs.
147	p.i.A business plan, which must include the contract with
148	a school readiness agent if the coalition is not a legally
149	established corporate entity. Coalitions may contract with other
150	coalitions to achieve efficiency in multiple-county services,
151	and such contracts may be part of the coalition's business plan.
152	q.j.Strategies to meet the needs of unique populations,
153	such as migrant workers.
154
155	As part of the plan, the coalition may request the Governor to
156	apply for a waiver to allow the coalition to administer the Head
157	Start Program to accomplish the purposes of the school readiness
158	program. If any school readiness plan can demonstrate that
159	specific statutory goals can be achieved more effectively by
160	using procedures that require modification of existing rules,
161	policies, or procedures, a request for a waiver to the
162	partnership may be made as part of the plan. Upon review, the
163	partnership may grant the proposed modification.
164	4. Persons with an early childhood teaching certificate
165	may provide support and supervision to other staff in the school
166	readiness program.
167	5. The coalition may not implement its plan until it
168	submits the plan to and receives approval from the partnership.
169	Once the plan has been approved, the plan and the services
170	provided under the plan shall be controlled by the coalition
171	rather than by the state agencies or departments. The plan shall
172	be reviewed and revised as necessary, but at least biennially.
173	6. The following statutes will not apply to local
174	coalitions with approved plans: ss. 125.901(2)(a)3., 411.221,
175	and 411.232. To facilitate innovative practices and to allow
176	local establishment of school readiness programs, a school
177	readiness coalition may apply to the Governor and Cabinet for a
178	waiver of, and the Governor and Cabinet may waive, any of the
179	provisions of ss. 411.223, 411.232, and 1003.54 if the waiver is
180	necessary for implementation of the coalition's school readiness
181	plan.
182	7. Two or more counties may join for the purpose of
183	planning and implementing a school readiness program.
184	8. A coalition may, subject to approval of the partnership
185	as part of the coalition's plan, receive subsidized child care
186	funds for all children eligible for any federal subsidized child
187	care program and be the provider of the program services.
188	9. Coalitions are authorized to enter into multiparty
189	contracts with multicounty service providers in order to meet
190	the needs of unique populations such as migrant workers.
191	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.