House Bill hb1567c2

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




    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

        By the Council for Lifelong Learning and Committee on
    Workforce & Technical Skills and 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; requiring a competency

  6         examination upon successful completion of

  7         required training; providing for community

  8         college credit; amending s. 402.305, F.S.;

  9         revising minimum training requirements for

10         child care personnel; providing an additional

11         training topic; requiring a competency

12         examination upon successful completion of the

13         required training; providing for community

14         college credit; providing an automatic

15         exemption from certain training requirements

16         for personnel having specified degrees,

17         credentials, courses, or waivers in specified

18         areas; amending s. 402.313, F.S.; requiring a

19         competency examination for operators of family

20         day care homes upon successful completion of

21         the required training; requiring the Department

22         of Children and Family Services to establish

23         standards by rule for training for family day

24         care homes that have voluntarily chosen to be

25         licensed or must be licensed due to county

26         ordinance or resolution; authorizing the

27         department to modify certain child care

28         training requirements to provide for

29         articulation into community college credit;

30         providing an effective date.

31

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

  2

  3         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 402.3131, Florida

  4  Statutes, is amended to read:

  5         402.3131  Large family child care homes.--

  6         (3)  Operators of large family child care homes must

  7  successfully complete shall take an approved 40-clock-hour

  8  introductory course in group child care, as evidenced by

  9  passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of

10  the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into

11  community college credit in early childhood education, as

12  approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee pursuant

13  to s. 229.551(1)(g).

14         Section 2.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section

15  402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

16         402.305  Licensing standards; child care facilities.--

17         (2)  PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care

18  personnel shall include minimum requirements as to:

19         (d)  Minimum training requirements for child care

20  personnel.

21         1.  Such minimum standards for training shall ensure

22  that all child care personnel and operators of family day care

23  homes serving at-risk children in a subsidized child care

24  program pursuant to s. 402.3015 take an approved 40-clock-hour

25  introductory course in child care, which course covers at

26  least the following topic areas:

27         a.  State and local rules and regulations which govern

28  child care.

29         b.  Health, safety, and nutrition.

30         c.  Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.

31

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1         d.  Child development, including typical and atypical

  2  language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills

  3  development.

  4         e.  Observation of developmental behaviors, including

  5  using a checklist or other similar observation tools and

  6  techniques to determine the child's developmental age level.

  7         f.  Computer technology for professional and classroom

  8  use.

  9         g.f.  Specialized areas, as determined by the

10  department, for owner-operators and child care personnel of a

11  child care facility.

12

13  Within 90 days after of employment, child care personnel shall

14  begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care

15  personnel and shall successfully complete such training within

16  1 year after of the date on which the training began, as

17  evidenced by passage of a competency examination. Successful

18  completion of the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall

19  articulate into community college credit in early childhood

20  education, as approved by the Articulation Coordinating

21  Committee, pursuant to s. 229.551(1)(g). Exemption from all or

22  a portion of the required training shall be granted to child

23  care personnel based upon educational credentials or passage

24  of competency examinations. Child care personnel possessing a

25  2-year degree or higher that includes 6 college credit hours

26  in early childhood development or child growth and

27  development, or a child development associate credential or an

28  equivalent state-approved child development associate

29  credential, or a child development associate waiver

30  certificate shall be automatically exempted from the training

31  requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and e.

                                  3

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1         2.  The introductory course in child care shall stress,

  2  to the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the

  3  study of children.

  4         3.  On an annual basis in order to further their child

  5  care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child

  6  care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the

  7  child care training shall be required to take an additional

  8  approved 8 clock hours of inservice training or an equivalent

  9  as determined by the department.

10         4.  Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified

11  child care professionals to provide training of child care

12  personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the

13  minimum standards.  It is recommended that the state community

14  child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be

15  contracted by the department to coordinate such training when

16  possible. Other district educational resources, such as

17  community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be

18  designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist

19  or are determined not to have the capability to meet the

20  coordination requirements set forth by the department.

21         5.  Training requirements shall not apply to certain

22  occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not

23  limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance

24  instructors, and gymnastics instructors.

25         6.  The department State Coordinating Council for

26  School Readiness Programs, in coordination with the

27  department, shall evaluate or contract for an evaluation for

28  the general purpose of determining the status of and means to

29  improve staff training requirements and testing procedures.

30  The evaluation shall be completed by October 1, 1992, and

31  conducted every 2 years thereafter.  The evaluation shall

                                  4

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1  include, but not be limited to, determining the availability,

  2  quality, scope, and sources of current staff training;

  3  determining the need for specialty training; and determining

  4  ways to increase inservice training and ways to increase the

  5  accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of current and

  6  proposed staff training. The evaluation methodology shall

  7  include a reliable and valid survey of child care personnel.

  8         7.  The child care operator shall be required to take

  9  basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5

10  years after employment, either as a part of the introductory

11  training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.

12         Section 3.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and

13  subsections (4) and (10) of section 402.313, Florida Statutes,

14  are amended to read:

15         402.313  Family day care homes.--

16         (1)  Family day care homes shall be licensed under this

17  act if they are presently being licensed under an existing

18  county licensing ordinance, if they are participating in the

19  subsidized child care program, or if the board of county

20  commissioners passes a resolution that family day care homes

21  be licensed.  If no county authority exists for the licensing

22  of a family day care home, the department shall have the

23  authority to license family day care homes under contract for

24  the purchase-of-service system in the subsidized child care

25  program.

26         (a)  If not subject to license, family day care homes

27  shall register annually with the department, providing the

28  following information:

29         1.  The name and address of the home.

30         2.  The name of the operator.

31         3.  The number of children served.

                                  5

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1         4.  Proof of a written plan to provide at least one

  2  other competent adult to be available to substitute for the

  3  operator in an emergency.  This plan shall include the name,

  4  address, and telephone number of the designated substitute.

  5         5.  Proof of screening and background checks.

  6         6.  Proof of successful completion of the 30-hour

  7  training course, as evidenced by passage of a competency

  8  examination, which shall include:

  9         a.  State and local rules and regulations that govern

10  child care.

11         b.  Health, safety, and nutrition.

12         c.  Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.

13         d.  Child development, including typical and atypical

14  language development; and cognitive, motor, social, and

15  self-help skills development.

16         e.  Observation of developmental behaviors, including

17  using a checklist or other similar observation tools and

18  techniques to determine a child's developmental level.

19         f.  Specialized areas, as determined by the department,

20  for owner-operators of family day care homes.

21         7.  Proof that immunization records are kept current.

22         (4)  Operators of family day care homes must

23  successfully complete shall take an approved 30-clock-hour

24  introductory course in child care, as evidenced by passage of

25  a competency examination. Family day care homes licensed or

26  registered on June 30, 1999, shall have until June 30, 2001,

27  to comply with this course requirement, except that the

28  department shall exempt family day care homes in this category

29  that can demonstrate that the operator has received at least

30  30 hours of training. Family day care homes initially licensed

31  or registered on or after July 1, 1999, but before October 1,

                                  6

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 2002          CS/CS/HB 1567

    400-124-02






  1  1999, shall have until October 1, 1999, to comply with the

  2  30-clock-hour course requirement. Family day care homes

  3  initially licensed or registered on or after October 1, 1999,

  4  must comply with the 30-clock-hour course requirement before

  5  caring for children.

  6         (10)  The department shall, by rule, establish minimum

  7  standards for family day care homes that are required to be

  8  licensed by county licensing ordinance or county licensing

  9  resolution or that voluntarily choose to be licensed. The

10  standards should include requirements for staffing, training,

11  maintenance of immunization records, minimum health standards,

12  reduced standards for the regulation of child care during

13  evening hours by municipalities and counties, and enforcement

14  of standards.

15         Section 4.  The Department of Children and Family

16  Services may modify the 40-clock-hour introductory course in

17  child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131, Florida Statutes,

18  to meet the requirements of articulating the course to

19  community college credit. Any modification must continue to

20  provide that the course satisfies the requirements of s.

21  402.305(2)(d), Florida Statutes.

22         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  7

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