House Bill 1785

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1785

        By Representative Dennis






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public schools; creating

  3         pilot programs to provide for planning among

  4         schools in a common feeder system; providing an

  5         effective date.

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

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  9         Section 1.  The Legislature establishes pilot programs

10  in three school districts to provide feeder-pattern transition

11  programs for children entering elementary school. The program

12  shall foster a smooth transition from early education and

13  child care programs to kindergarten, and from kindergarten to

14  first grade, for all the children of the districts in which

15  the pilot program is located. A pilot program shall be

16  established in one rural school district, one urban school

17  district, and one suburban school district.

18         Section 2.  The goal of the pilot programs is to

19  prepare children to enter school with confidence and to

20  succeed in kindergarten and first grade. To achieve this goal,

21  the following elements must be part of the feeder-pattern

22  transition program:

23         (1)  The child care centers and preschool programs that

24  serve each elementary school must plan and coordinate

25  activities within the feeder pattern for that school.

26         (2)  Private preschool and kindergarten providers must

27  be invited to participate.

28         (3)  The program must provide an orientation program

29  for children at each ascending level, from preschool and child

30  care programs to kindergarten and from kindergarten to first

31  grade.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1785

    511-153-99






  1         (4)  A method for data exchange among programs and

  2  schools at the different levels must be established.

  3         (5)  There must be joint planning and staff development

  4  of service providers, including public schools, for the

  5  activities of the program.

  6         (6)  Providers of kindergarten and first grade programs

  7  must agree on goals and strategies that create a smooth

  8  transition for children from the playful orientation of

  9  kindergarten to the more structured activities of first grade.

10         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

11  law.

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14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Establishes pilot programs to provide for planning among
      schools in a common feeder system.
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