Senate Bill sb1550c1
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
By the Committee on Children and Families; and Senator Silver
300-1890A-02
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; increasing the
9 introductory course requirement; providing
10 additional training topics; requiring a
11 competency examination upon successful
12 completion of the required training; providing
13 for community college credit; providing an
14 automatic exemption from certain training
15 requirements for personnel having specified
16 degrees, credentials, courses or waivers in
17 specified areas; amending s. 402.313, F.S.;
18 requiring a competency examination upon
19 successful completion of the required training;
20 providing for the Department of Children and
21 Family Services to establish standards for
22 training for family day care homes; providing
23 an effective date.
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25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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27 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 402.3131, Florida
28 Statutes, is amended to read:
29 402.3131 Large family child care homes.--
30 (3) Operators of large family child care homes must
31 successfully complete shall take an approved 45-clock-hour
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 40-clock-hour introductory course in group child care, as
2 evidenced by passage of a competency examination. Successful
3 completion of the 45-clock-hour introductory course shall
4 articulate into community college credit in early childhood
5 education, as approved by the Articulation Coordinating
6 Committee pursuant to s. 229.551(1)(c).
7 Section 2. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
8 402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
9 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
10 (2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care
11 personnel shall include minimum requirements as to:
12 (d) Minimum training requirements for child care
13 personnel.
14 1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure
15 that all child care personnel and operators of family day care
16 homes serving at-risk children in a subsidized child care
17 program pursuant to s. 402.3015 take an approved 45-clock-hour
18 40-clock-hour introductory course in child care, which course
19 covers at least the following topic areas:
20 a. State and local rules and regulations which govern
21 child care.
22 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
23 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
24 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
25 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
26 development.
27 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
28 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
29 techniques to determine the child's developmental age level.
30 f. Brain research and computer technology for
31 professional and classroom use.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 g.f. Specialized areas, as determined by the
2 department, for owner-operators and child care personnel of a
3 child care facility.
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5 Within 90 days after of employment, child care personnel shall
6 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
7 personnel and shall successfully complete such training within
8 1 year after of the date on which the training began, as
9 evidenced by passage of a competency examination. Successful
10 completion of the 45-clock-hour introductory course shall
11 articulate into community college credit in early childhood
12 education, as approved by the Articulation Coordinating
13 Committee, pursuant to s. 229.551(1) and (2). Exemption from
14 all or a portion of the required training shall be granted to
15 child care personnel based upon educational credentials or
16 passage of competency examinations. Childcare personnel
17 possessing a 2-year degree or higher which includes 6 college
18 credit hours in early-childhood development or child growth
19 and development, or a child-development-associate credential
20 or an equivalent state-approved child-development-associate
21 credential, or a child-development-associate waiver
22 certificate shall be automatically exempted from the training
23 requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and e.
24 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress,
25 to the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the
26 study of children.
27 3. On an annual basis in order to further their child
28 care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child
29 care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the
30 child care training shall be required to take an additional
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 approved 8 clock hours of inservice training or an equivalent
2 as determined by the department.
3 4. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
4 child care professionals to provide training of child care
5 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
6 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
7 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
8 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
9 possible. Other district educational resources, such as
10 community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
11 designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist
12 or are determined not to have the capability to meet the
13 coordination requirements set forth by the department.
14 5. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
15 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
16 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
17 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
18 6. The department State Coordinating Council for
19 School Readiness Programs, in coordination with the
20 department, shall evaluate or contract for an evaluation for
21 the general purpose of determining the status of and means to
22 improve staff training requirements and testing procedures.
23 The evaluation shall be completed by October 1, 1992, and
24 conducted every 2 years thereafter. The evaluation shall
25 include, but not be limited to, determining the availability,
26 quality, scope, and sources of current staff training;
27 determining the need for specialty training; and determining
28 ways to increase inservice training and ways to increase the
29 accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of current and
30 proposed staff training. The evaluation methodology shall
31 include a reliable and valid survey of child care personnel.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 7. The child care operator shall be required to take
2 basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
3 years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
4 training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
5 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and
6 subsections (4) and (10) of section 402.313, Florida Statutes,
7 are amended to read:
8 402.313 Family day care homes.--
9 (1) Family day care homes shall be licensed under this
10 act if they are presently being licensed under an existing
11 county licensing ordinance, if they are participating in the
12 subsidized child care program, or if the board of county
13 commissioners passes a resolution that family day care homes
14 be licensed. If no county authority exists for the licensing
15 of a family day care home, the department shall have the
16 authority to license family day care homes under contract for
17 the purchase-of-service system in the subsidized child care
18 program.
19 (a) If not subject to license, family day care homes
20 shall register annually with the department, providing the
21 following information:
22 1. The name and address of the home.
23 2. The name of the operator.
24 3. The number of children served.
25 4. Proof of a written plan to provide at least one
26 other competent adult to be available to substitute for the
27 operator in an emergency. This plan shall include the name,
28 address, and telephone number of the designated substitute.
29 5. Proof of screening and background checks.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 6. Proof of successful completion of the 30-hour
2 training course, as evidenced by passage of a competency
3 examination, which shall include:
4 a. State and local rules and regulations that govern
5 child care.
6 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
7 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
8 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
9 language development; and cognitive, motor, social, and
10 self-help skills development.
11 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
12 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
13 techniques to determine a child's developmental level.
14 f. Specialized areas, as determined by the department,
15 for owner-operators of family day care homes.
16 7. Proof that immunization records are kept current.
17 (4) Operators of family day care homes must
18 successfully complete shall take an approved 30-clock-hour
19 introductory course in child care, as evidenced by passage of
20 a competency examination. Family day care homes licensed or
21 registered on June 30, 1999, shall have until June 30, 2001,
22 to comply with this course requirement, except that the
23 department shall exempt family day care homes in this category
24 that can demonstrate that the operator has received at least
25 30 hours of training. Family day care homes initially licensed
26 or registered on or after July 1, 1999, but before October 1,
27 1999, shall have until October 1, 1999, to comply with the
28 30-clock-hour course requirement. Family day care homes
29 initially licensed or registered on or after October 1, 1999,
30 must comply with the 30-clock-hour course requirement before
31 caring for children.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 (10) The department shall, by rule, establish minimum
2 standards for family day care homes that are required to be
3 licensed by county licensing ordinance or county licensing
4 resolution or that voluntarily choose to be licensed. The
5 standards should include requirements for staffing, training,
6 maintenance of immunization records, minimum health standards,
7 reduced standards for the regulation of child care during
8 evening hours by municipalities and counties, and enforcement
9 of standards.
10 Section 4. The Department of Children and Family
11 Services may modify the 45-hour introductory course to meet
12 the requirements of articulating the course to community
13 college credit. Any modification must continue to provide that
14 the course satisfies the requirements of section
15 402.305(2)(d), Florida Statutes.
16 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1550
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 1550
3
4 Modifies the articulation of the introductory child care
course to community college credit to eliminate the designated
5 number of community college credit hours the introductory
course will provide and to require the approval of the
6 Articulation Coordinating Committee.
7 Specifies that successful completion of the coursework for
operators of large family child care homes requires passage of
8 the competency examination.
9 Eliminates the requirement that operators of family child care
homes take the 45-hour introductory child care course.
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Specifies that the computer technology topic area being added
11 to the introductory course will focus on computer technology
for professional and classroom use.
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Modifies the requirement for exempting certain course modules
13 to require a 2-year degree or a child development associate,
including the approved equivalency programs or waivers,
14 instead of a bachelor's degree.
15 Removes reference to the State Coordinating Council for School
Readiness Programs which no longer exists.
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Adds that successful completion of the training course for
17 family child care home operators requires passage of a
competency examination.
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Permits the Department of Children and Families to include
19 requirements for training in the family child care home
standards.
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Permits the Department of Children and Families to use a
21 portion of the added 5 hours to modify the entire 45-hour
introductory course in order to meet the requirements for
22 articulation.
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