Senate Bill 2092er

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    1998 Legislature                 CS for SB 2092, 1st Engrossed



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  2         An act relating to child care facilities;

  3         amending s. 402.302, F.S.; excluding operators

  4         of transient establishments from the definition

  5         of "child care facility"; amending s. 402.305,

  6         F.S.; deleting obsolete provisions with respect

  7         to the licensure of child care facilities;

  8         authorizing the Department of Children and

  9         Family Services to adopt different standards

10         for child care facilities that serve children

11         of different ages; providing for the department

12         to adopt the state public school building code

13         for any child care program operated in a public

14         school facility, regardless of the operator of

15         the program; providing criteria for

16         notification of transfer of ownership; amending

17         s. 409.178, F.S.; conforming title of the

18         partnership program; revising membership of the

19         partnership; authorizing administration of

20         child care purchasing pool funds by the state

21         resource and referral agency; providing for

22         development of procedures for disbursement of

23         funds through the child care purchasing pools;

24         deleting references to pilot child care

25         purchasing pools; revising parent fee

26         requirements; providing an effective date.

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28  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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30         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 402.302, Florida

31  Statutes, is amended to read:


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    1998 Legislature                 CS for SB 2092, 1st Engrossed



  1         402.302  Definitions.--

  2         (2)  "Child care facility" includes any child care

  3  center or child care arrangement which provides child care for

  4  more than five children unrelated to the operator and which

  5  receives a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children

  6  receiving care, wherever operated, and whether or not operated

  7  for profit.  The following are not included:

  8         (a)  Public schools and nonpublic schools and their

  9  integral programs, except as provided in s. 402.3025;

10         (b)  Summer camps having children in full-time

11  residence;

12         (c)  Summer day camps; and

13         (d)  Bible schools normally conducted during vacation

14  periods; and.

15         (e)  Operators of transient establishments, as defined

16  in chapter 509, which provide child care services solely for

17  the guests of their establishment or resort, provided that all

18  child care personnel of the establishment are screened

19  according to the level 2 screening requirements of chapter

20  435.

21         Section 2.  Subsections (1) and (5) of section 402.305,

22  Florida Statutes, are amended and subsection (18) is added to

23  that section to read:

24         402.305  Licensing standards; child care facilities.--

25         (1)  LICENSING STANDARDS.--The department state shall

26  establish licensing standards that each licensed child care

27  facility must meet regardless of the origin or source of the

28  fees used to operate the facility or the type of children

29  served by the facility.

30         (a)  Until October 1, 1992, a child care facility that

31  holds a valid license must meet the licensing requirements in


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    1998 Legislature                 CS for SB 2092, 1st Engrossed



  1  effect on July 1, 1991. Beginning October 1, 1992, all such

  2  facilities must comply with the licensing standards

  3  established in this section.

  4         (a)(b)  The standards shall be designed to address the

  5  following areas:

  6         1.  The health, sanitation, safety, and adequate

  7  physical surroundings for all children in child care.

  8         2.  The health and nutrition of all children in child

  9  care.

10         3.  The child development needs of all children in

11  child care.

12         (b)(c)  All standards established under ss.

13  402.301-402.319 must be consistent with the rules adopted by

14  the State Fire Marshal for child care facilities. However, if

15  the facility is operated in a public school, the department

16  shall use the public school fire code, as provided in the

17  rules of the Department of Education, as the minimum standard

18  for firesafety.

19         (c)(d)  The minimum standards for child care facilities

20  shall be adopted in the rules of the department and shall

21  address the areas delineated in this section. The department,

22  in adopting rules to establish minimum standards for child

23  care facilities, shall recognize that different age groups of

24  children may require different standards. The department may

25  adopt different minimum standards for facilities that serve

26  children in different age groups, including school-age

27  children.

28         (5)  PHYSICAL FACILITIES.--Minimum standards shall

29  include requirements for building conditions, indoor play

30  space, outdoor play space, napping space, bathroom facilities,

31  food preparation facilities, outdoor equipment, and indoor


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    1998 Legislature                 CS for SB 2092, 1st Engrossed



  1  equipment. Because of the nature and duration of drop-in child

  2  care, outdoor play space and outdoor equipment shall not be

  3  required for licensure; however, if such play space and

  4  equipment are provided, then the minimum standards shall apply

  5  to drop-in child care. With respect to minimum standards for

  6  physical facilities of a child care program for school-age

  7  children which is operated in a public school facility, the

  8  department shall adopt the State Uniform Building Code for

  9  Public Educational Facilities Construction as the minimum

10  standards, regardless of the operator of the program. The

11  Legislature intends that if a child care program for

12  school-age children is operated in a public school, the

13  program need not conform to standards for physical facilities

14  other than the standards adopted by the Commissioner of

15  Education.

16         (18)  TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.--

17         (a)  One week prior to the transfer of ownership of a

18  child care facility or family day care home, the transferor

19  shall notify the parent or caretaker of each child of the

20  impending transfer.

21         (b)  The department shall, by rule, establish methods

22  by which notice will be achieved and minimum standards by

23  which to implement this subsection.

24         Section 3.  Subsections (1), (3), (4), and (5) of

25  section 409.178, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

26         409.178  Child Care Partnership Act; findings and

27  intent; grant; limitation; rules.--

28         (1)  This section may be cited as the "Child Care

29  Executive Partnership Act."

30         (3)  There is created a body politic and corporate

31  known as the Child Care Executive Partnership which shall


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  1  establish and govern the Child Care Executive Partnership

  2  Program. The purpose of the Child Care Executive Partnership

  3  Program is to utilize state and federal funds as incentives

  4  for matching local funds derived from local governments,

  5  employers, charitable foundations, and other sources, so that

  6  Florida communities may create local flexible partnerships

  7  with employers. The Child Care Executive Partnership Program

  8  funds shall be used at the discretion of local communities to

  9  meet the needs of local communities in addressing the child

10  care needs of working parents. A child care purchasing pool

11  shall be developed with the state, federal, and local funds to

12  provide subsidies to low-income working parents who are

13  eligible for subsidized child care with a dollar-for-dollar

14  match from employers, local government, and other matching

15  contributions contributors. The funds used from the child care

16  purchasing pool must be used to supplement or extend the use

17  of existing public or private funds and may not be used to

18  supplant the maintenance of effort presently exerted's by the

19  employer or other participant in the activity funded.

20         (4)  The Child Care Executive Partnership, staffed by

21  the department, shall consist of:

22         (a)  a representative of the Executive Office of the

23  Governor; and.

24         (b)  nine members of the corporate or child care

25  community, appointed by the Governor., to be known hereafter

26  as the "board."

27         (c)  One representative from each of the 10 Child Care

28  Partnership Program pilot purchasing pool counties established

29  by the board, known hereafter as the "oversight group."

30         (a)1.  Members of the board shall serve for a period of

31  4 years, except that.


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    1998 Legislature                 CS for SB 2092, 1st Engrossed



  1         2.  Members of the oversight group and the

  2  representative of the Executive Office of the Governor shall

  3  serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

  4         (b)3.  The Child Care Executive Partnership shall be

  5  chaired by a member chosen by a majority vote of the board and

  6  shall meet at least quarterly and at other times upon the call

  7  of the chair.

  8         (c)4.  Members shall serve without compensation, but

  9  may be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in

10  accordance with s. 112.061.

11         (d)5.  The Child Care Executive Partnership shall have

12  all the powers and authority, not explicitly prohibited by

13  statute, necessary to carry out and effectuate the purposes of

14  this section, as well as the functions, duties, and

15  responsibilities of the partnership, including, but not

16  limited to, the following:

17         1.a.  Assisting in the formulation and coordination of

18  the state's child care policy.

19         2.b.  Adopting an official seal.

20         3.c.  Soliciting, accepting, receiving, investing, and

21  expending funds from public or private sources.

22         4.d.  Contracting with public or private entities as

23  necessary.

24         5.e.  Approving an annual budget.

25         6.f.  Carrying forward any unexpended state

26  appropriations into succeeding fiscal years.

27         7.g.  Providing a report to the Governor, the Speaker

28  of the House of Representatives, and the President of the

29  Senate, on or before December 1 of each year.

30         (5)(a)  The Legislature shall annually determine the

31  amount of state or federal low-income child care moneys which


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  1  shall be used to create Child Care Executive Partnership

  2  Program child care purchasing pools in counties chosen by the

  3  board of the Child Care Executive Partnership through June 30,

  4  1998, provided that at least two of the counties have

  5  populations of no more than 300,000. After that date, The

  6  Legislature shall annually review the effectiveness of the

  7  child care purchasing pool program and reevaluate the

  8  percentage of additional state or federal funds, if any, that

  9  can be used for the program's expansion.

10         (b)  To ensure a seamless service delivery and ease of

11  access for families, the community coordinated child care

12  agencies or the state resource and referral agency shall

13  administer the child care purchasing pool funds.

14         (c)  The department, in conjunction with the Child Care

15  Executive Partnership, shall develop procedures for

16  disbursement of funds through the shall issue a request for

17  proposal for the operation of the pilot child care purchasing

18  pools. In order to be considered for funding, the community

19  coordinated child care agency or the statewide resource and

20  referral agency must commit to:

21         1.  Matching the state pilot purchasing pool funds on a

22  dollar-for-dollar basis; and

23         2.  Expending only those public funds which are matched

24  by employers, local government, and other matching

25  contributors who contribute to the pilot purchasing pool.

26  Parents shall also pay a fee, which shall be not less than the

27  amount identified in based upon the department's subsidized

28  child care sliding fee scale.

29         (d)  Each community coordinated child care agency shall

30  be required to establish a community child care task force for

31  each pilot child care purchasing pool. The task force must be


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  1  composed of employers, parents, private child care providers,

  2  and one representative each from the district interagency

  3  coordinating council for children's services and the local

  4  children's services council, if they exist in the area of the

  5  pilot purchasing pool. The community coordinated child care

  6  agency is expected to recruit the task force members from

  7  existing child care councils, commissions, or task forces

  8  already operating in the area of a pilot purchasing pool. A

  9  majority of the task force shall consist of employers.  Each

10  task force shall develop a plan for the use of child care

11  purchasing pool funds. The plan must show how many children

12  will be served by the pilot purchasing pool, how many will be

13  new to receiving child care services, and how the community

14  coordinated child care agency intends to attract new employers

15  and their employees to the program pilot project.

16         Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

17  law.

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