Senate Bill sb1550
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1550
By Senator Silver
38-1531-02 See HB
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to child care; amending s.
3 402.3131, F.S.; increasing the introductory
4 course requirement for operators of large
5 family child care homes; providing for
6 community college credit; amending s. 402.305,
7 F.S.; revising minimum training requirements
8 for child care personnel and operators of
9 family day care homes; increasing the
10 introductory course requirement; providing
11 additional training topics; requiring a
12 competency examination upon successful
13 completion of the required training; providing
14 for community college credit; providing an
15 automatic exemption from certain training for
16 personnel with a bachelor's degree in specified
17 areas; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 402.3131, Florida
22 Statutes, is amended to read:
23 402.3131 Large family child care homes.--
24 (3) Operators of large family child care homes shall
25 take an approved 45-clock-hour 40-clock-hour introductory
26 course in group child care. Successful completion of the
27 45-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into 3
28 hours of community college credit in early childhood
29 education.
30 Section 2. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
31 402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
1
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1550
38-1531-02 See HB
1 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
2 (2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care
3 personnel shall include minimum requirements as to:
4 (d) Minimum training requirements for child care
5 personnel.
6 1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure
7 that all child care personnel and operators of family day care
8 homes serving at-risk children in a subsidized child care
9 program pursuant to s. 402.3015 take an approved 45-clock-hour
10 40-clock-hour introductory course in child care, which course
11 covers at least the following topic areas:
12 a. State and local rules and regulations which govern
13 child care.
14 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
15 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
16 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
17 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
18 development.
19 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
20 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
21 techniques to determine the child's developmental age level.
22 f. Brain research and computer technology.
23 g.f. Specialized areas, as determined by the
24 department, for owner-operators and child care personnel of a
25 child care facility.
26
27 Within 90 days after of employment, child care personnel shall
28 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
29 personnel and shall successfully complete such training within
30 1 year after of the date on which the training began, as
31 evidenced by passage of a competency examination. Successful
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1550
38-1531-02 See HB
1 completion of the 45-clock-hour introductory course shall
2 articulate into 3 hours of community college credit in early
3 childhood education. Exemption from all or a portion of the
4 required training shall be granted to child care personnel
5 based upon educational credentials or passage of competency
6 examinations. Child care personnel holding a bachelor's degree
7 in early childhood or child development shall be automatically
8 exempted from the training requirements in subparagraphs b.,
9 d., and e.
10 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress,
11 to the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the
12 study of children.
13 3. On an annual basis in order to further their child
14 care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child
15 care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the
16 child care training shall be required to take an additional
17 approved 8 clock hours of inservice training or an equivalent
18 as determined by the department.
19 4. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
20 child care professionals to provide training of child care
21 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
22 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
23 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
24 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
25 possible. Other district educational resources, such as
26 community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
27 designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist
28 or are determined not to have the capability to meet the
29 coordination requirements set forth by the department.
30 5. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
31 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
3
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Florida Senate - 2002 SB 1550
38-1531-02 See HB
1 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
2 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
3 6. The State Coordinating Council for School Readiness
4 Programs, in coordination with the department, shall evaluate
5 or contract for an evaluation for the general purpose of
6 determining the status of and means to improve staff training
7 requirements and testing procedures. The evaluation shall be
8 completed by October 1, 1992, and conducted every 2 years
9 thereafter. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited
10 to, determining the availability, quality, scope, and sources
11 of current staff training; determining the need for specialty
12 training; and determining ways to increase inservice training
13 and ways to increase the accessibility, quality, and
14 cost-effectiveness of current and proposed staff training. The
15 evaluation methodology shall include a reliable and valid
16 survey of child care personnel.
17 7. The child care operator shall be required to take
18 basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
19 years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
20 training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
21 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
22
23 *****************************************
24 HOUSE SUMMARY
25
Increases from 40 to 45 clock hours the introductory
26 training course requirement for operators of large family
child care homes and for child care personnel and
27 operators of family day care homes. Provides for
community college credit in early childhood education for
28 such coursework. Revises minimum training requirements
for child care personnel and operators of family day care
29 homes to include training in brain research and computer
technology. Requires a competency examination for such
30 personnel upon successful completion of the required
training. Provides an automatic exemption from certain
31 training requirements for personnel with a bachelor's
degree in early childhood or child development.
4
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