| 1 | The PreK-12 Committee recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to early learning; requiring a study by |
| 7 | the Florida Early Learning Advisory Council, in |
| 8 | conjunction with the Agency for Workforce Innovation, to |
| 9 | examine early learning quality incentives and rating |
| 10 | systems; establishing study requirements; requiring |
| 11 | recommendations to the Governor and Legislature; requiring |
| 12 | the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government |
| 13 | Accountability to study the administration and regulation |
| 14 | of child care services; requiring recommendations to the |
| 15 | Governor and Legislature; requiring the Office of Program |
| 16 | Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, in |
| 17 | cooperation with the Florida Early Learning Advisory |
| 18 | Council, to study the effectiveness of the Child Care |
| 19 | Executive Partnership Act; requiring recommendations to |
| 20 | the Governor and Legislature; providing an effective date. |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 23 |
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| 24 | Section 1. Early learning quality incentives study.-- |
| 25 | (1) The Florida Early Learning Advisory Council, in |
| 26 | conjunction with the Agency for Workforce Innovation, shall |
| 27 | contract with one or more nationally known experts on quality |
| 28 | incentives and rating systems to conduct a study that includes |
| 29 | the following: |
| 30 | (a) Examination of existing early learning quality |
| 31 | incentives and rating systems in the state. |
| 32 | (b) Examination of early learning quality incentives and |
| 33 | rating systems in other states, including, but not limited to, |
| 34 | systems in North Carolina and Oklahoma. |
| 35 | (c) Recommendations for an early learning quality |
| 36 | incentives and rating system that includes uniform standards, |
| 37 | measures inputs and outputs, and provides financial incentives |
| 38 | for participating providers. |
| 39 | (d) Recommendations on the establishment, cost, and |
| 40 | benefits of an early learning quality incentives pilot program. |
| 41 | (2) The study shall seek input from representatives from |
| 42 | each of the following categories: |
| 43 | (a) Large, medium, and small children's services councils |
| 44 | with an appropriate mix from urban and rural counties. |
| 45 | (b) Large, medium, and small early learning coalitions |
| 46 | with an appropriate mix from urban and rural counties. |
| 47 | (c) Early learning services providers. |
| 48 | (d) Private child care provider associations. |
| 49 | (e) Faith-based child care provider associations. |
| 50 | (f) Community colleges and state universities with a child |
| 51 | care training component. |
| 52 | (g) Parents who currently have children in an early |
| 53 | learning program. |
| 54 | (3) The Florida Early Learning Advisory Council shall |
| 55 | submit its recommendations to the Governor, the President of the |
| 56 | Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by |
| 57 | February 15, 2007. |
| 58 | Section 2. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and |
| 59 | Government Accountability shall conduct a study of the |
| 60 | administrative and operational structure of the Child Care |
| 61 | Services Program Office of the Department of Children and Family |
| 62 | Services that will include a review of all resources supporting |
| 63 | the office as well as a review of child care services offices in |
| 64 | other states. The findings of the study shall include a |
| 65 | recommendation regarding the appropriate administrative and |
| 66 | operational structures and the appropriate state agency to |
| 67 | administer child care regulation functions. The study shall be |
| 68 | submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the |
| 69 | Speaker of the House of Representatives by February 15, 2007. |
| 70 | Section 3. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and |
| 71 | Government Accountability, in cooperation with the Florida Early |
| 72 | Learning Advisory Council, shall conduct a study of the |
| 73 | effectiveness of the Child Care Executive Partnership Act, s. |
| 74 | 409.178, Florida Statutes, including, but not limited to, a |
| 75 | comparison of the funds expended and the return on investment, |
| 76 | and shall provide recommendations in a report to the Governor, |
| 77 | the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 78 | Representatives by February 15, 2007. |
| 79 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |