Florida Senate - 2013                                    SB 1034
       
       
       
       By Senator Joyner
       
       
       
       
       19-01126-13                                           20131034__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Jump Start Literacy Pilot
    3         Project; requiring the Office of Early Learning within
    4         the Department of Education to establish the pilot
    5         project in St. Lucie County to assist low-income, at
    6         risk children in developing emergent literacy skills;
    7         providing eligibility requirements for participation;
    8         requiring the office to establish performance
    9         standards and outcome measures for participating
   10         children; requiring emergent literacy training for
   11         instructors; requiring the office to allocate funds
   12         for the pilot project; providing an effective date.
   13  
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. (1) The Office of Early Learning within the
   17  Department of Education shall establish the 5-year Jump Start
   18  Literacy Pilot Project in St. Lucie County to assist low-income,
   19  at-risk children in developing emergent literacy skills. The
   20  pilot project shall be implemented in one or more municipalities
   21  in St. Lucie County, which are selected by the office in
   22  consultation with the Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie
   23  County. A municipality within which locally or federally
   24  subsidized housing is located is eligible for participation in
   25  the pilot project. The office shall seek partnerships with local
   26  nonprofit organizations and the business community in
   27  implementing the pilot project.
   28         (2) As used in this section, the term “emergent literacy”
   29  means a variety of early behaviors and skills associated with
   30  successful reading and writing development. These fundamental
   31  skills, which develop during the first 5 years of life,
   32  contribute to a child’s foundations for literacy and learning
   33  and future success in school and life.
   34         (3) To participate in the pilot project, a child must be:
   35         (a) Two or 3 years of age.
   36         (b) Eligible for a federally subsidized child care program.
   37         (c) A member of a family that is economically disadvantaged
   38  and resides in locally or federally subsidized housing. For
   39  purposes of this paragraph, the term “economically
   40  disadvantaged” means having a family income that does not exceed
   41  150 percent of the federal poverty level.
   42         (4) The Office of Early Learning shall establish
   43  performance standards and outcome measures that address the age
   44  appropriate progress of children in developing emergent literacy
   45  behaviors and skills. An instructor in the pilot project must
   46  have successfully completed an emergent literacy training course
   47  approved by the office.
   48         (5) The emergent literacy instruction shall be conducted in
   49  a subsidized housing unit in order to provide easy access for
   50  participating children and families.
   51         (6) The Office of Early Learning shall allocate funds for
   52  implementation of the pilot project.
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.