Senate Bill sb1550

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

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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

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    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

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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.
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