Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 294
       
       
        
       By Senator Davis
       
       
       
       
       
       5-00736-24                                             2024294__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to instructional hours for the
    3         Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; amending
    4         ss. 1002.55, 1002.61, 1002.63, and 1002.71, F.S.;
    5         revising the instructional hours required in the
    6         Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to provide
    7         for an 8-hour program day in the school-year and
    8         summer programs; providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 1002.55, Florida
   13  Statutes, is amended to read:
   14         1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
   15  private prekindergarten providers.—
   16         (2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
   17  private prekindergarten provider must comprise at least 1,440
   18  540 instructional hours.
   19         Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1002.61, Florida
   20  Statutes, is amended to read:
   21         1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public
   22  schools and private prekindergarten providers.—
   23         (2) Each summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
   24  public school or private prekindergarten provider must:
   25         (a) Comprise at least 480 300 instructional hours;
   26         (b) Not begin earlier than May 1 of the school year; and
   27         (c) Not deliver the program for a child earlier than the
   28  summer immediately before the school year for which the child is
   29  eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public school under
   30  s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
   31         Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 1002.63, Florida
   32  Statutes, is amended to read:
   33         1002.63 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
   34  public schools.—
   35         (2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
   36  public school must comprise at least 1,440 540 instructional
   37  hours.
   38         Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 1002.71, Florida
   39  Statutes, is amended to read:
   40         1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
   41         (2) A full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary
   42  Prekindergarten Education Program shall be calculated as
   43  follows:
   44         (a) For a student in a school-year prekindergarten program
   45  delivered by a private prekindergarten provider: 1,440 540
   46  instructional hours.
   47         (b) For a student in a summer prekindergarten program
   48  delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten
   49  provider: 480 300 instructional hours.
   50         (c) For a student in a school-year prekindergarten program
   51  delivered by a public school: 1,440 540 instructional hours.
   52  
   53  Except as provided in subsection (4), a student may not be
   54  reported for funding purposes as more than one full-time
   55  equivalent student.
   56         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.