House Bill hb1567
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1567
By Representative Ausley
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 large
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 education in specified areas;
17 deleting obsolete language; providing an
18 effective date.
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20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 402.3131, Florida
23 Statutes, is amended to read:
24 402.3131 Large family child care homes.--
25 (3) Operators of large family child care homes shall
26 take an approved 45-clock-hour 40-clock-hour introductory
27 course in group child care. Successful completion of the
28 45-clock-hour introductory course may articulate into 3 hours
29 of community college credit in early childhood 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 House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1567
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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 large family
8 day care homes serving at-risk children in a subsidized child
9 care program pursuant to s. 402.3015 take an approved
10 45-clock-hour 40-clock-hour introductory course in child care,
11 which course 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, computer technology, and emotional
23 intelligence.
24 g.f. Specialized areas, as determined by the
25 department, for owner-operators and child care personnel of a
26 child care facility.
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28 Within 90 days after of employment, child care personnel shall
29 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
30 personnel and shall successfully complete such training within
31 1 year after of the date on which the training began, as
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1567
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1 evidenced by passage of a competency examination. Successful
2 completion of the 45-clock-hour introductory course may
3 articulate into 3 hours of community college credit in early
4 childhood education. Exemption from all or a portion of the
5 required training shall be granted to child care personnel
6 based upon educational credentials or passage of competency
7 examinations. Child care personnel with a 2-year degree or
8 higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood
9 or child growth and development, or with a child development
10 associate credential, a state-approved child development
11 associate equivalency course, or a child development associate
12 exemption waiver certificate, shall be automatically exempted
13 from the training requirements in subparagraphs b., d., and e.
14 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress,
15 to the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the
16 study of children.
17 3. On an annual basis in order to further their child
18 care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child
19 care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the
20 child care training shall be required to take an additional
21 approved 8 clock hours of inservice training or an equivalent
22 as determined by the department.
23 4. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
24 child care professionals to provide training of child care
25 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
26 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
27 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
28 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
29 possible. Other district educational resources, such as
30 community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
31 designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist
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1 or are determined not to have the capability to meet the
2 coordination requirements set forth by the department.
3 5. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
4 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
5 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
6 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
7 6. The State Coordinating Council for School Readiness
8 Programs, in coordination with The department, shall evaluate
9 or contract for an evaluation for the general purpose of
10 determining the status of and means to improve staff training
11 requirements and testing procedures. The evaluation shall be
12 completed by October 1, 1992, and conducted every 2 years
13 thereafter. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited
14 to, determining the availability, quality, scope, and sources
15 of current staff training; determining the need for specialty
16 training; and determining ways to increase inservice training
17 and ways to increase the accessibility, quality, and
18 cost-effectiveness of current and proposed staff training. The
19 evaluation methodology shall include a reliable and valid
20 survey of child care personnel.
21 7. The child care operator shall be required to take
22 basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
23 years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
24 training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
25 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1567
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2 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Increases from 40 to 45 clock hours the introductory
4 training course requirement for operators of large family
child care homes and for child care personnel. Provides
5 for community college credit in early childhood education
for such coursework. Revises minimum training
6 requirements for child care personnel and operators of
large family day care homes to include training in brain
7 research, computer technology, and emotional
intelligence. Requires a competency examination for such
8 personnel upon successful completion of the required
training. Provides an automatic exemption from certain
9 training requirements for personnel with specified
training in early childhood or child development.
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