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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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
    300-1890A-02




  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.
16
    Adds that successful completion of the training course for
17  family child care home operators requires passage of a
    competency examination.
18
    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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