CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
H
Senators Holzendorf and Kirkpatrick moved the following
amendment:
SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 Senators Holzendorf and Kirkpatrick moved the following
12 amendment:
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14 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
15 Delete everything after the enacting clause
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17 and insert:
18 Section 1. This act may be cited as the "School
19 Readiness Act of 1998." Nothing in this act is intended to
20 impede or curtail the state's ability to draw down federal
21 funds.
22 Section 2. Section 411.01, Florida Statutes, is
23 created to read:
24 411.01 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc.;
25 School Readiness Coalitions.--
26 (1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--
27 (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the early
28 childhood health care, child care, and education of children
29 from birth to 5 years of age or until the child attains school
30 readiness, whichever is later, become a top priority.
31 (b) Recognizing that high-quality early childhood
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 health care, child care, and education experiences increase
2 children's chances of educational success and reduce the need
3 for costly future intervention and remediation, it is the
4 intent of the Legislature that all children in Florida, from
5 birth until they are ready for school, have access to quality
6 early childhood health care, child care, and education to
7 enhance their readiness to succeed in school.
8 (c) Recognizing that parents are responsible for the
9 early childhood health care, child care, and education of
10 their children, but also recognizing that the condition of
11 children in Florida must be improved, it is the intent of the
12 Legislature that local communities offer assistance to
13 families to improve the early childhood health care, child
14 care, and education of children under 5 years of age and the
15 school readiness of all children who enter the state's public
16 school system. High-quality early childhood experiences and
17 care should be provided with a minimum of governmental
18 interference.
19 (d) The Legislature finds that for families to move to
20 and maintain economic self-sufficiency, Florida must have an
21 efficient way for these families to access quality early
22 childhood health care, child care, and education services. The
23 Legislature recognizes that significant benefits will accrue
24 to children and families who have efficient access to quality
25 early childhood health care, child care, and education
26 arrangements.
27 (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that all early
28 childhood health care, child care, and education programs and
29 services serving Florida children in the first 5 years of life
30 or until the child attains school readiness, whichever is
31 later, are considered school readiness programs. The
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 Legislature finds that despite the efforts of hundreds of
2 thousands of Floridians and increased collaboration among
3 service providers, services for young children remain
4 uncoordinated, uneven in quality, and inaccessible to many. It
5 is the intent of the Legislature that a true continuum of
6 high-quality, coordinated, and comprehensive early childhood
7 health care, child care, and education be available to all
8 children from birth to 5 years of age or until the child
9 attains school readiness, whichever is later.
10 (f) The Legislature recognizes new brain development
11 research emphasizing the critical importance of the first
12 years of life in children's emotional, social, and cognitive
13 development, and that these scientific discoveries create an
14 opportunity to apply the findings to all programs and services
15 for children from birth to 5 years of age. The Legislature
16 also recognizes that the period of time from birth to 3 years
17 of age is an optimal time for learning in the areas of motor
18 development, emotional control, vision, social attachment,
19 vocabulary, second language, and logic.
20 (g) Publicly funded early education and child care
21 programs are defined as prekindergarten early intervention
22 programs, Head Start programs, programs offered by public or
23 private providers of child care, preschool programs for
24 children with disabilities, programs for migrant children,
25 Title I programs, subsidized child care programs, teen parent
26 programs, and other services.
27 (2) SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS.--For purposes of this
28 chapter, all early childhood health care, child care, and
29 education programs which are funded with state, federal,
30 lottery, or local public funds and which provide services to
31 children from birth to 5 years of age or until the child
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 attains school readiness, whichever is later, shall be school
2 readiness programs and shall work to achieve their part of the
3 goal of children entering school with healthy bodies and
4 healthy minds, ready to succeed in school.
5 (3) SCHOOL READINESS GOVERNING BOARD.--
6 (a) There is created a School Readiness Governing
7 Board to operate as the board of directors of the Florida
8 Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., with responsibility
9 for adopting and maintaining coordinated programmatic,
10 administrative, and fiscal policies and standards for all
11 school readiness programs, while allowing a wide range of
12 programmatic flexibility and differentiation.
13 (b)1. As a condition for receiving funds appropriated
14 to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., the
15 members of the School Readiness Governing Board shall include
16 the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, the Secretary of
17 Children and Family Services, the chair of the WAGES Program
18 State Board of Directors, and the chair of the Florida Council
19 of 100.
20 2. The governing board shall also include ten members
21 of the public who shall be business, community, and civic
22 leaders in the state who are not elected to public office and
23 who do not earn their income in the early education and child
24 care industry. The members must be geographically and
25 demographically representative of the state. Each member shall
26 be appointed by the Governor. Six of the members shall be
27 appointed from a list of 10 nominees, of which five must be
28 submitted by the President of the Senate and five must be
29 submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
30 Members shall be appointed to 4-year terms of office. However,
31 of the initial appointees, two shall be appointed to 1-year
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 terms, two shall be appointed to 2-year terms, three shall be
2 appointed to 3-year terms, and three shall be appointed to
3 4-year terms. The members of the governing board shall elect a
4 chairperson annually. Any vacancy on the governing board shall
5 be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
6 (c) The governing board shall meet quarterly and may
7 meet as often as it deems necessary to carry out its duties
8 and responsibilities. Members of the governing board shall
9 participate without proxy at the quarterly meetings. The
10 governing board may take official action by a majority vote of
11 the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is
12 present. The governing board shall hold its first meeting by
13 August 1, 1998.
14 (d) Members of the governing board are subject to the
15 ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112, and no member
16 may derive any financial benefit from the funds administered
17 by the School Readiness Partnership.
18 (e) Members of the governing board shall serve without
19 compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem
20 and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
21 duties as provided in s. 112.061.
22 (f) For the purposes of tort liability, the members of
23 the governing board and its employees shall be governed by s.
24 768.28.
25 (g)1. The governing board shall appoint an executive
26 director to serve at its pleasure who shall perform the duties
27 assigned to him or her by the governing board. The executive
28 director shall be responsible for appointing all employees and
29 staff members who shall serve under his or her direction and
30 control.
31 2. Governing board members shall serve without
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 compensation but are entitled to receive reimbursement for per
2 diem and travel expenses as provided by s. 112.061 and for
3 other reasonable, necessary, and actual expenses.
4 (h) The governing board has complete fiscal control
5 over the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., and
6 is responsible for all corporate operations. The governing
7 board is responsible for the prudent use of all public and
8 private funds and shall ensure that the use of such funds is
9 in accordance with all legal and contractual requirements.
10 (4) FLORIDA PARTNERSHIP FOR SCHOOL READINESS, INC.
11 (SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP).--
12 (a) The Legislature hereby creates the Florida
13 Partnership for School Readiness, Inc. (School Readiness
14 Partnership), which shall be a public-private nonprofit
15 organization, which shall be registered, incorporated,
16 organized, and operated in compliance with chapter 617, and
17 which shall not be a unit or entity of state government. The
18 Legislature determines, however, that public policy dictates
19 that the School Readiness Partnership operate in the most open
20 and accessible manner consistent with its public purpose. To
21 this end, the Legislature specifically declares that the
22 School Readiness Partnership is subject to the provisions of
23 chapter 119, relating to public records, and those provisions
24 of chapter 286 relating to public meetings and records.
25 (b) The Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
26 Inc., shall establish one or more corporate offices, at least
27 one of which shall be located in Leon County.
28 (c) The Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
29 Inc., is the principal responsible organization for the
30 enhancement of school readiness for the state's children. The
31 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., shall have
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 specific responsibility for approving plans, facilitating
2 local implementation, and providing technical assistance to
3 School Readiness Coalitions, created in this act.
4 (d) The School Readiness Partnership shall have all
5 powers necessary to carry out the purposes of this section,
6 including but not limited to the power to receive and accept
7 grants, loans, or advances of funds from any public or private
8 agency and to receive and accept from any source contributions
9 of money, property, labor, or any other thing of value, to be
10 held, used, and applied for the purposes of this section.
11 (e) The Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
12 Inc., shall be an independent nonpartisan body and shall not
13 be identified or affiliated with any one agency, program, or
14 group.
15 (f) The Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
16 Inc., shall have a budget, shall be financed through an annual
17 appropriation made for this purpose in the General
18 Appropriations Act, and shall be subject to compliance audits
19 and annual financial audits by the Auditor General.
20 (g) The partnership shall coordinate the efforts
21 toward school readiness in this state and provide independent
22 policy analyses and recommendations to the Governor, the State
23 Board of Education, and the Legislature.
24 (h) The partnership shall prepare and submit to the
25 State Board of Education a system for measuring school
26 readiness. The system must include a screening instrument, or
27 instruments, which shall provide objective data regarding the
28 following expectations for school readiness:
29 1. The child's immunizations and other health
30 requirements as necessary.
31 2. The child's display of physical development
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 appropriate for kindergarten.
2 3. The child's compliance with rules, limitations, and
3 routines.
4 4. The child's successful engagement in kindergarten
5 tasks.
6 5. The child's demonstration of appropriate
7 interactions with adults.
8 6. The child's demonstration of appropriate
9 interactions with peers.
10 7. The child's effective coping with challenges and
11 frustrations.
12 8. The child's demonstration of appropriate self-help
13 skills.
14 9. The child's ability to express his needs
15 appropriately.
16 10. The child's demonstration of verbal communication
17 skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten.
18 11. The child's demonstration of problem-solving
19 skills necessary to succeed in kindergarten.
20 12. The child's following of verbal directions.
21 13. The child's demonstration of curiosity,
22 persistence, and exploratory behavior.
23 14. The child's demonstration of an interest in books
24 and other printed materials.
25 15. The child's paying attention to stories.
26 16. The child's participation in art and music
27 activities.
28 (i) The partnership shall prepare a plan for
29 implementing the system for measuring school readiness in such
30 a way that all children in this state have the opportunity to
31 undergo the screening in the year prior to their entry into
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 kindergarten. Participants in publicly funded school readiness
2 programs and children whose family income is at, or below, 150
3 percent of the federal poverty level shall undergo the
4 screening at no cost. Other children may undergo the screening
5 if their parents pay a nominal fee. The plan must include a
6 way to make the screening instrument and the training required
7 to administer it available to public and private providers of
8 preschool and child care programs, and a way to make the
9 screening available to children who do not participate in such
10 programs. Because children with disabilities may not be able
11 to meet all of the identified expectations for school
12 readiness, the plan for measuring school readiness shall
13 incorporate mechanisms for recognizing the potential
14 variations in expectations for school readiness when serving
15 children with disabilities and shall provide for communities
16 to serve children with disabilities.
17 (j) The partnership shall establish a method for
18 collecting data from the screening instrument and establish
19 guidelines for using the data so that the measurement, the
20 data collection, and the use of the data serve the statewide
21 goal that all children will be ready for school. The criteria
22 for determining which data to collect should be the usefulness
23 of the data to state policymakers and program administrators
24 in administering programs and allocating state funds.
25 (k) The partnership shall contract with an independent
26 entity for an evaluation of the measurement system. The
27 evaluation must provide the information that local and state
28 agencies, the Governor, and the Legislature need to provide
29 for the effective administration of programs that serve
30 preschool children. The evaluation must provide information
31 that will assist providers of private preschool and child care
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 programs in assessing the success of preschool and child care
2 programs and making decisions about improving program services
3 to prepare children for school.
4 (l) The partnership shall recommend to the Governor,
5 the Commissioner of Education, and the State Board of
6 Education rules, and revisions or repeal of rules, which would
7 increase the effectiveness of programs that prepare children
8 for school.
9 (m) The partnership shall conduct studies and planning
10 activities related to the overall improvement and
11 effectiveness of school-readiness measures.
12 (n) The partnership shall work with the Department of
13 Management Services for electronic funds transfer.
14 (o) The partnership shall recommend to the Legislature
15 the feasibility of combining funding streams for school
16 readiness programs into a School Readiness Trust Fund.
17 (p) The partnership shall submit an annual report of
18 its activities to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
19 the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the minority
20 leaders of both houses of the Legislature. In addition, the
21 partnership's reports and recommendations shall be made
22 available to the State Board of Education, other appropriate
23 state agencies and entities, district school boards, central
24 agencies for child care, and county public health units.
25
26 To ensure that the system for measuring school readiness is
27 comprehensive and appropriate statewide, as the system is
28 developed and implemented, the partnership must consult with
29 representatives of district school systems, providers of
30 public and private child care, health care providers, large
31 and small employers, experts in education for children with
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 disabilities, and experts in child development.
2 (q) The partnership may adopt rules necessary to
3 administer the provisions of this section relating to
4 preparation and implementation of the system for school
5 readiness, data collection, approving local coalition plans,
6 providing a method whereby a coalition could serve two or more
7 counties, awarding incentives to coalitions, and contracting
8 for an evaluation.
9 (5) SCHOOL READINESS COORDINATING COUNCIL.--
10 (a) The School Readiness Coordinating Council is
11 established with responsibility for advising the School
12 Readiness Commission regarding policies. The School Readiness
13 Coordinating Council shall consist of:
14 1. The Deputy Commissioner of Education Programs in
15 the Department of Education;
16 2. The Secretary of Children and Family Services or a
17 designated division director;
18 3. The Secretary of Health or a designated division
19 director;
20 4. The Chair of the Child Care Partnership Board;
21 5. The Executive Director of the State WAGES Board;
22 6. The President of the Florida Pediatric Society;
23 7. The Chair of the Florida Council of 100;
24 8. The President of the Head Start Directors'
25 Association;
26 9. The President of the Florida Children's Forum;
27 10. The Chair of the Developmental Disabilities
28 Council;
29 11. The Director of the Healthy Start Coalition
30 Association;
31 12. The President of the Florida School Boards
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 Association;
2 13. The Chair of the Florida Association of Family
3 Child Care Homes;
4 14. The Chair of a School Readiness Coalition;
5 15. The President of the Florida Association of Child
6 Care Management;
7 16. The Executive Director of the Early Childhood
8 Association of Florida;
9 17. The Chair of the Florida Interagency Coordinating
10 Council for Infants and Toddlers;
11 18. The Coordinator of the Florida Parent Resource
12 Organization;
13 19. A representative of the Family Network on
14 Disabilities of Florida;
15 20. The President of the Children's Services Council
16 Association of Florida;
17 21. The Director of the Agency for Health Care
18 Administration;
19 22. The President of the Florida Association for Child
20 Development Education;
21 23. An individual certified in this state to teach
22 children of pre-kindergarten age; and
23 24. An additional four members representing the
24 private-sector business community. These four members must be
25 selected by a majority vote of the other members. The members
26 must be geographically and demographically representative of
27 the state.
28
29 The School Readiness Coordinating Council shall select a chair
30 from among the business community and a vice chair.
31 (b) School Readiness Coordinating Council members are
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 entitled to receive per diem and expenses for travel, as
2 provided in s. 112.061, while carrying out the official
3 business of the council. For administrative purposes only, the
4 council shall be assigned to the Office of the Governor.
5 (c) The School Readiness Coordinating Council shall
6 meet two times per year.
7 (d) The School Readiness Coordinating Council shall be
8 staffed by the Office of the Governor and draw upon state
9 agency personnel and resources as needed to facilitate the
10 work of the School Readiness Partnership.
11 (e) Meetings of the School Readiness Coordinating
12 Council shall be open to the public and opportunity for public
13 comment shall be made available at each such meeting. The
14 staff of the School Readiness Coordinating Council shall
15 notify all persons who request such notice as to the date,
16 time, and place of each meeting.
17 (6) CREATION OF OPTIONAL PROGRAM; EXEMPTIONS.--The
18 school readiness program consisting of publicly funded
19 programs listed in paragraph (1)(g) is established. The school
20 readiness program is an optional program.
21 (a) School readiness coalitions.--
22 1.a. Each School Readiness Coalition must consist of
23 at least nine and no more than 15 members. Two members shall
24 be appointed by the district school board, two members shall
25 be appointed by the county commission, and two members shall
26 be appointed by the Department of Children and Family Services
27 district administrator. The six members thus appointed shall
28 appoint the remaining members of the coalition.
29 b. School Readiness Coalition membership shall
30 include, in addition to private-sector business leaders, the
31 local public and private leaders in health care, education,
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 disabilities, and child welfare systems in each county. Three
2 members of the coalition must be administrators from each of
3 the following entities: The central agency for child care, the
4 district school board, and the Head Start program. School
5 Readiness Coalition membership must include representatives
6 from programs serving children in the early education and
7 child care programs, must include a representative from the
8 Department of Health, and may include representatives from
9 organizations such as Children's Services Councils, Central
10 Agencies for Child Care, Healthy Start Coalitions, district
11 school boards, child care licensing boards, local WAGES
12 Coalitions, Head Start, municipal and county governments, the
13 Department of Children and Family Services, the County Public
14 Health Unit, and chambers of commerce. Thirty percent of the
15 coalition members shall be from the private sector.
16 2. The School Readiness Coalition will replace the
17 district interagency coordinating council in any county where
18 a school readiness program is implemented.
19 (b) Program eligibility.--The school readiness program
20 shall be established for children from birth to 5 and one-half
21 years of age. The program shall consist of the programs listed
22 in paragraph (1)(g), be administered by the School Readiness
23 Coalition, and receive funds pursuant to SB 180 or similar
24 legislation. Within funding limitations, the School Readiness
25 Coalition, along with all providers, shall make reasonable
26 efforts to accommodate the needs of children for extended-day
27 and extended-year services without compromising the quality of
28 the program.
29 (c) Standards; outcome measures.--
30 1. All publicly funded school readiness programs must
31 meet the following performance standards and outcome measures
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Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 developed by the Department of Education and the Department of
2 Children and Family Services:
3 a. They must help prepare preschool children to enter
4 kindergarten ready to learn, as measured by criteria
5 established by the School Readiness Partnership or, in the
6 absence of such criteria, by the School Readiness Checklist of
7 the Department of Education.
8 b. They must provide extended-day and extended-year
9 services to the maximum extent possible.
10 c. There must be coordinated staff development and
11 teaching opportunities.
12 d. There must be expanded access to community services
13 and resources for families to help achieve economic
14 self-sufficiency.
15 e. There must be a single point of entry and unified
16 waiting list.
17 f. If funding remains constant, they must serve at
18 least as many children as were served prior to implementation
19 of the program.
20 2. All participating publicly funded school readiness
21 programs must implement a comprehensive program of children
22 and family services that enhance the cognitive and physical
23 development of children to achieve the performance standards
24 and outcome measures specified in paragraph (a). At a minimum,
25 these programs must contain the following elements:
26 a. Developmentally appropriate curriculum.
27 b. An appropriate staff-to-child ratio, as required by
28 the respective participating programs.
29 c. A healthy and safe environment.
30 d. A resource and referral network to assist parents
31 in making an informed choice pursuant to s. 402.27.
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Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 (d) Implementation.--
2 1. The school readiness program may be implemented in
3 any county by a School Readiness Coalition with agreement of
4 the district school board and the Department of Children and
5 Family Services district, and with approval of the School
6 Readiness Partnership. Approval by the School Readiness
7 Partnership must be predicated on the submission of a plan of
8 implementation prepared and submitted by the School Readiness
9 Coalition.
10 2. Each School Readiness Coalition shall develop a
11 plan for implementing the school readiness program to meet the
12 requirements of this section. The plan shall include a written
13 description of the role of the program in the district's
14 effort to meet the first state education goal, readiness to
15 start school, including a description of the plan to involve
16 prekindergarten early intervention programs, Head Start
17 programs, programs offered by public or private providers of
18 child care, preschool programs for children with disabilities,
19 programs for migrant children, Title I programs, subsidized
20 child care programs, and teen parent programs. The plan shall
21 also demonstrate how the program will ensure that each
22 3-year-old and 4-year-old child in a publicly funded early
23 education and child care program receives scheduled activities
24 and instruction designed to prepare children to enter
25 kindergarten ready to learn. Prior to implementation of the
26 program, the School Readiness Coalition must submit the plan
27 to the School Readiness Partnership for approval. The plan
28 shall be reviewed and revised as necessary, but not less than
29 every 3 years.
30 3. The plan for the school readiness program shall
31 include the following minimum standards and provisions:
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Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 a. A sliding fee scale, which is the same for all
2 programs, to be implemented and reflected in each program's
3 budget.
4 b. A choice of settings and locations in licensed,
5 registered, religious exempt, or school-based programs to be
6 provided to parents.
7 c. Instructional staff who have completed the training
8 course as required in s. 402.305(2)(d)1., as well as staff who
9 have additional training or credentials as required by the
10 respective programs.
11 4. Persons with an early childhood teaching
12 certificate may provide support and supervision to other staff
13 in the early education and child care program.
14 (e) Reimbursement rate.--The School Readiness
15 Coalition shall develop a reimbursement rate schedule that
16 encompasses all publicly funded early education and child care
17 programs and complies with applicable state and federal laws
18 and regulations. The reimbursement rate schedule must include
19 the projected number of children to be served and must be
20 submitted to the School Readiness Partnership for approval.
21 Informal child care arrangements shall be reimbursed at not
22 more than 50 percent of the rate developed for family child
23 care.
24 (f) Requirements relating to fiscal agents.--The
25 fiscal agent may be a public entity or a private nonprofit
26 organization. A private, for-profit organization may serve as
27 a fiscal agent if at least 50 percent of the organization's
28 governing board members live in the coalition's service area.
29 The fiscal agent shall be required to provide all
30 administrative and direct funding services as determined by
31 the School Readiness Coalition. The cost of these services
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 shall be negotiated between the fiscal agent and the School
2 Readiness Coalition. The fiscal agent shall be responsible for
3 monitoring all providers to ensure that coalition funds are
4 expended in the manner and for the purpose required by the
5 funding source. Funds from the School Readiness Trust Fund may
6 not be paid to a provider unless the provider agrees to allow
7 the fiscal agent access to fulfill its monitoring
8 responsibilities.
9 (g) Coalition initiation grants; incentive bonuses.--
10 1. School Readiness Coalitions that are approved by
11 the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., by October
12 1, 1998, shall be eligible for a $25,000 initiation grant to
13 support the School Readiness Coalition in developing its
14 school readiness plan. Upon approval by the School Readiness
15 Partnership of any coalition's plan that clearly shows
16 enhancement in the quality and standards of the school
17 readiness programs without diminishing the number of children
18 served in the programs, the School Readiness Partnership shall
19 award the coalition an incentive bonus on a per-student served
20 basis, subject to appropriation.
21 2. School Readiness Coalitions that have their plans
22 approved by the Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
23 Inc., by March 1, 1999, shall receive incentive bonus funding
24 on a per-student basis, with a minimum amount of $25,000 per
25 coalition. Funds shall be available to a coalition 30 days
26 after its plan is approved.
27 3. In fiscal year 2000-2001, and each year thereafter,
28 any increases in funding for the prekindergarten early
29 intervention program and the subsidized child care program
30 shall be administered through School Readiness Coalitions, if
31 the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., approves
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 this method of funding.
2 (h) Parental choice; payment arrangement.--The school
3 readiness program shall be provided in a manner that ensures,
4 to the maximum extent possible, parental choice through
5 flexibility in early education and child care arrangements and
6 payment arrangements. Payment arrangements must be in
7 accordance with all federal and state laws that govern the
8 respective participating programs.
9 (i) Evaluation and annual report.--Each School
10 Readiness Coalition shall conduct an evaluation of the
11 effectiveness of the school readiness program, including
12 performance standards and outcome measures, and shall provide
13 an annual report and fiscal statement to the School Readiness
14 Partnership, the Governor, and the President of the Senate and
15 the Speaker of the House of Representatives for review by the
16 Legislature. This report must conform to the content and
17 format specifications set by the School Readiness Partnership.
18 (7) CONFLICTING PROVISIONS.--In the event of a
19 conflict between the provisions of this section and federal
20 requirements, the federal requirements shall control.
21 Section 3. Section 411.05, Florida Statutes, is
22 created to read:
23 411.05 School readiness screening instruments.--The
24 Department of Education shall adopt the school readiness
25 screening instruments developed by the Florida Partnership for
26 School Readiness, Inc., and shall require that:
27 (1) All school districts administer the kindergarten
28 screening instrument to each kindergarten student in the
29 district school system.
30 (2) All school districts that operate preschool
31 programs administer the age-appropriate screening instrument
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 to each preschool student in the district's preschool
2 programs.
3 Section 4. Section 411.06, Florida Statutes, is
4 created to read:
5 411.06 Florida Parents as Teachers Program.--
6 (1) The Legislature recognizes that the nationwide
7 Parents as Teachers Program has demonstrated that it is a
8 cost-effective program that produces outstanding results and
9 long-term cost savings. There is established the Florida
10 Parents as Teachers Program under the jurisdiction of the
11 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., which shall
12 make funding for the program available to each School
13 Readiness Coalition.
14 (2) The purposes of the Florida Parents as Teachers
15 Program are:
16 (a) To provide parents with the latest information on
17 child development from birth to 5 years of age and suggest
18 learning opportunities, based on the latest brain development
19 research, that encourage language and intellectual growth and
20 the development of physical and social skills.
21 (b) To provide all families within the jurisdiction of
22 the School Readiness Coalition with the opportunity to have
23 their children screened for school readiness, either through
24 the child's participation in a children first plan program or
25 by payment of a nominal fee, at the ages of 3 1/2 years and 4
26 1/2 years.
27 (3) The Florida Parents as Teachers Program shall
28 include personalized home visits by certified parent educators
29 trained in child development, to help parents understand what
30 to expect during each stage of their child's development and
31 to offer practical tips on how to encourage learning, manage
20
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Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 behavior, and promote strong parent-child relationships. The
2 program shall also include group meetings, periodic
3 screenings, a resource network, and followup studies,
4 including tracking the school readiness screenings
5 administered after the child is in kindergarten, to measure
6 school readiness outcomes.
7 Section 5. School Readiness Program Needs Assessment
8 Conference.--
9 (1) DUTIES.--
10 (a) The School Readiness Program Needs Assessment
11 Conference shall develop official information relating to the
12 state's system of school readiness program services, including
13 forecasts of school readiness program needs, as the conference
14 determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting
15 system. Such official information shall include but not be
16 limited to subsidized child care, Head Start, prekindergarten
17 early intervention, prekindergarten disabilities, Even-Start
18 literacy, First Start, migrant prekindergarten, and Title I
19 prekindergarten needs.
20 (b) In addition, the School Readiness Program Needs
21 Assessment Conference shall estimate the unduplicated count of
22 children eligible for school readiness program services.
23 (c) The Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
24 Inc., shall provide information on needs and waiting lists for
25 school readiness program services requested by the School
26 Readiness Program Needs Assessment Conference or individual
27 conference principals, in a timely manner.
28 (2) PRINCIPALS.--The Executive Office of the Governor,
29 the Director of Economic and Demographic Research, and
30 professional staff, who have forecasting expertise, from the
31 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc., the Department
21
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 of Children and Family Services, the Department of Education,
2 the Senate, and the House of Representatives, or their
3 designees, are the principals of the School Readiness Program
4 Needs Assessment Conference. The principal representing the
5 Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions
6 of the conference.
7 Section 6. Subsection (2) of section 414.026, Florida
8 Statutes, is amended to read:
9 414.026 WAGES Program State Board of Directors.--
10 (2)(a) The board of directors shall be composed of the
11 following members:
12 1. The Commissioner of Education, or the
13 commissioner's designee.
14 2. The Secretary of Children and Family Services.
15 3. The Secretary of Health.
16 4. The Secretary of Labor and Employment Security.
17 5. The Secretary of Community Affairs.
18 6. The director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
19 Economic Development.
20 7. The president of the Enterprise Florida workforce
21 development board, established under s. 288.9620.
22 8. The chair of the Florida Partnership for School
23 Readiness, Inc.
24 9.8. The chief executive officer of the Florida
25 Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, established under s.
26 288.1226.
27 10.9. Nine members appointed by the Governor, as
28 follows:
29 a. Six members shall be appointed from a list of ten
30 nominees, of which five must be submitted by the President of
31 the Senate and five must be submitted by the Speaker of the
22
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 House of Representatives. The list of five nominees submitted
2 by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
3 Representatives must each contain at least three individuals
4 employed in the private sector, two of whom must have
5 management experience. One of the five nominees submitted by
6 the President of the Senate and one of the five nominees
7 submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives must
8 be an elected local government official who shall serve as an
9 ex officio nonvoting member.
10 b. Three members shall be at-large members appointed
11 by the Governor.
12 c. Of the nine members appointed by the Governor, at
13 least six must be employed in the private sector and of these,
14 at least five must have management experience.
15
16 The members appointed by the Governor shall be appointed to
17 4-year, staggered terms. Within 60 days after a vacancy occurs
18 on the board, the Governor shall fill the vacancy of a member
19 appointed from the nominees submitted by the President of the
20 Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the
21 remainder of the unexpired term from one nominee submitted by
22 the President of the Senate and one nominee submitted by the
23 Speaker of the House of Representatives. Within 60 days after
24 a vacancy of a member appointed at-large by the Governor
25 occurs on the board, the Governor shall fill the vacancy for
26 the remainder of the unexpired term. The composition of the
27 board must generally reflect the racial, gender, and ethnic
28 diversity of the state as a whole.
29 (b) The board of directors shall annually elect a
30 chairperson from among the members appointed by the Governor.
31 The board of directors shall meet at least once each quarter.
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 A member appointed by the Governor may not authorize a
2 designee to attend a meeting of the board in place of the
3 member. The Governor may remove an appointed member for cause,
4 and an absence from three consecutive meetings results in
5 automatic removal, unless the member is excused by the
6 chairperson.
7 (c) Members of the board shall serve without
8 compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem
9 and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.
10 Section 7. Subsection (2) of section 624.91, Florida
11 Statutes, is amended to read:
12 624.91 The Florida Healthy Kids Corporation Act.--
13 (2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--The Legislature finds that
14 increased access to health care services could improve
15 children's health and reduce the incidence and costs of
16 childhood illness and disabilities among children in this
17 state. Many children do not have preventive services
18 available or funded, and for those who do, lack of access is a
19 restriction to getting service. It is the intent of the
20 Legislature that a nonprofit corporation be organized to
21 facilitate a program to bring preventive health care services
22 to children, if necessary through the use of school facilities
23 in this state when more appropriate sites are unavailable, and
24 to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage to such
25 children. A goal for the corporation is to cooperate with any
26 existing preventive service programs funded by the public or
27 the private sector and to work cooperatively with the Florida
28 Partnership for School Readiness, Inc.
29 Section 8. The sum of $250,000 in Specific
30 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201 is transferred from the Educational
31 Enhancement Trust Fund to the School Readiness Trust Fund for
24
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 use by the Partnership for School Readiness, Inc.
2 Section 9. The sum of $3 million in Specific
3 Appropriation 8A in HB 4201 is transferred from the
4 Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to the School Readiness
5 Trust Fund for coalition incentive grants.
6 Section 10. The sum of $2 million in Specific
7 Appropriation 130A in HB 4201 is transferred from the
8 Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to the School Readiness
9 Trust Fund for coalition incentive grants.
10 Section 11. The sum of $152,500 is transferred from
11 the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to the School Readiness
12 Trust Fund for staff and support of the School Readiness
13 Coordinating Council.
14 Section 12. The sum of $125,000 is transferred from
15 the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to the School Readiness
16 Trust Fund for evaluation research design for an instrument to
17 assess school readiness.
18 Section 13. From the funds appropriated in Specific
19 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201, the sum of $427,000 shall be used
20 for coordination of early childhood services.
21 Section 14. Funds appropriated in Specific
22 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201 shall be allocated to each eligible
23 school district on the basis of full-time equivalent (FTE)
24 students served consistent with the provisions of section
25 230.2305, Florida Statutes, except that a school district may
26 not expend more than 20 percent of its allocation for
27 administration of the program. For the purpose of this
28 appropriation, an FTE is defined as 6 hours per day of quality
29 contact time in a developmentally appropriate program for 180
30 days. The calculation of a district's entitlement shall be
31 based on $3,200 per FTE. For the 1998-1999 fiscal year, the
25
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 minimum amount for each school district shall be $65,000.
2 Section 15. From the funds appropriated in Specific
3 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201, the sum of $3 million shall be
4 used for the Florida First Start Program. The Commissioner of
5 Education shall allocate these funds to the existing 24
6 Florida First Start programs in amounts equal to, or
7 proportional to, the amount those programs received in the
8 1997-1998 fiscal year.
9 Section 16. From the funds appropriated in Specific
10 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201, the sum of $3,295,172 is provided
11 to continue the Migrant Education for 3 and 4 Year Old's
12 Program.
13 Section 17. From the funds appropriated in Specific
14 Appropriation 8 in HB 4201, the sum of $300,000 is provided
15 for Children's Resource Fund, Inc.
16 Section 18. Special readiness grants.--
17 (1)(a) The School Readiness Partnership shall make
18 available to parents whose 4-year old child experiences
19 difficulty in achieving readiness objectives a special
20 readiness grant for up to 12 months of early childhood
21 education services from a provider that meets applicable
22 licensure or registration requirements and whose education
23 program is appropriate to fulfill the child's need for
24 remediation. Each special readiness grant will carry a value
25 of no more than $3,200. This amount will remain constant
26 regardless of the rate charged by the alternative provider.
27 (b) The special readiness grant is not intended to
28 provide an additional year of early childhood services, but,
29 rather, to give options to parents as to the setting in which
30 early childhood services will be delivered. For that reason,
31 4-year-old children whose parents elect to receive a special
26
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 readiness grant are expected to enter kindergarten ready to
2 learn upon expiration of this special readiness grant.
3 (c) The special readiness grants shall be available in
4 pilot programs in two counties where School Readiness
5 Coalitions have been formed, one large, urban county and one
6 small, rural or suburban county. The pilot program shall begin
7 September 1, 1998, and continue through August 31, 1999. Up to
8 150 special readiness grants shall be available in the large
9 county and up to 50 special readiness grants shall be
10 available in the small county.
11 (d) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
12 Government Accountability must assess both the implementation
13 and the outcome of the pilot project and report findings to
14 the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
15 Representatives by January 1, 2000.
16 (2) The sum of $700,000 is appropriated from the
17 General Revenue Fund to the Executive Office of the Governor
18 for use by the School Readiness Partnership in creating two
19 pilot programs for special readiness grants. This is a
20 nonrecurring appropriation for the 1998-1999 fiscal year.
21 Section 19. Nothing in this act shall have the effect
22 of increasing the standards that must be met by family child
23 care providers; however, children who receive child care
24 services from family child care providers will participate in
25 school readiness assessment upon entering public or private
26 kindergarten or the first grade.
27 Section 20. Effective July 1, 1998, subsection (4) of
28 section 411.222, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
29 Section 21. Except as otherwise expressly provided in
30 this act, this act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
31
27
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ===============
2 And the title is amended as follows:
3 Delete everything before the enacting clause
4
5 and insert:
6 A bill to be entitled
7 An act relating to school readiness; creating
8 the Florida Partnership for School Readiness,
9 Inc.; creating the School Readiness Governing
10 Board to operate as the board of directors of
11 the School Readiness Partnership; providing
12 School Readiness Partnership and governing
13 board responsibilities and duties; providing
14 membership of the governing board and meeting
15 requirements; providing that the School
16 Readiness Partnership is subject to public
17 records and public meeting requirements;
18 providing for hiring of certain employees;
19 providing powers as a corporation; requiring
20 the partnership to prepare a system for
21 measuring school readiness; specifying
22 objectives to be measured by such system;
23 requiring the partnership to contract with an
24 independent entity to evaluate the measurement
25 system; requiring the partnership to make
26 recommendations to the Governor and the State
27 Board of Education; authorizing the partnership
28 to adopt rules; establishing a School Readiness
29 Coordinating Council; providing for the council
30 to be assigned to the Executive Office of the
31 Governor for administrative purposes; providing
28
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 for voluntary establishment of a School
2 Readiness Coalition in each county; specifying
3 services to be provided by coalitions;
4 providing for designation and approval of a
5 fiscal agent; providing for coalition
6 initiation grants to develop school readiness
7 plans; providing for award of an incentive
8 bonus; providing requirements for such plans;
9 providing for parental choice; providing for
10 evaluation and performance measures; providing
11 responsibility for implementation; providing
12 for phase-out of the State Coordinating Council
13 for Early Childhood Services; providing for a
14 School Readiness Needs Assessment Conference;
15 creating s. 411.05, F.S.; requiring the
16 Department of Education to adopt the school
17 readiness screening instruments developed by
18 the School Readiness Partnership and to require
19 their use by the school districts; creating s.
20 411.06, F.S.; recognizing the nationwide
21 Parents as Teachers Program; establishing the
22 Florida Parents as Teachers Program under the
23 jurisdiction of the School Readiness
24 Partnership; providing program requirements;
25 providing that federal requirements control in
26 the case of conflict; exempting family child
27 care providers from increased standards;
28 amending s. 624.91, F.S.; requiring the Healthy
29 Kids Corporation to work cooperatively with the
30 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, Inc.;
31 amending s. 414.026, F.S.; requiring the chair
29
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SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 683 & 2131, 1st Eng.
Amendment No.
1 of the Partnership for School Readiness, Inc.,
2 to serve on the WAGES Program State Board of
3 Directors; repealing s. 411.222(4), F.S.,
4 relating to the State Coordinating Council for
5 Early Childhood Services; providing
6 appropriations; providing for special readiness
7 grants in pilot programs in two counties;
8 providing an effective date.
9
10 WHEREAS, the bridge to opportunity for every child must
11 be anchored in a healthy body and a healthy mind and must lead
12 to the child's readiness to learn in school, and
13 WHEREAS, it is widely acknowledged that entering school
14 ready to learn is crucial to a child's success both in school
15 and in life, and
16 WHEREAS, the state's system of public education could
17 better perform its mission of educating its K-12 students if
18 more students enter school healthy and ready to learn, and
19 WHEREAS, as emphasized by the Governor, the President
20 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
21 Representatives, a child's health in both body and mind is
22 essential to the child's ability to learn, and
23 WHEREAS, we can make great strides to improve school
24 readiness by addressing child care, child health, and school
25 readiness education in one single, accountable continuum, NOW,
26 THEREFORE,
27
28
29
30
31
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