HB 1141 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to child care; amending s. 402.305, F.S.;
3	revising inservice training requirements for child care
4	personnel; requiring training in early literacy and
5	language development; amending s. 402.313, F.S.; requiring
6	annual training and an annual health and safety home
7	inspection self-evaluation by family day care home
8	operators; requiring training in early literacy and
9	language development; amending s. 402.3131, F.S.;
10	requiring annual training of operators of large family
11	child care homes; requiring training in early literacy and
12	language development; providing an effective date.
13
14	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16	Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
17	402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
18	402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
19	(2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care personnel
20	shall include minimum requirements as to:
21	(d) Minimum training requirements for child care
22	personnel.
23	1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that
24	all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour
25	introductory course in child care, which course covers at least
26	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	d. Child development, including typical and atypical
32	language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
33	development.
34	e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using
35	a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to
36	determine the child's developmental age level.
37	f. Specialized areas, including computer technology for
38	professional and classroom use, as determined by the department,
39	for owner-operators and child care personnel of a child care
40	facility.
41	g. Early literacy and language development of children
42	from birth to 5 years of age.
43
44	Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall
45	begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
46	personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1
47	year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by
48	passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of
49	the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into
50	community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant
51	to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of
52	the required training shall be granted to child care personnel
53	based upon educational credentials or passage of competency
54	examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2-year degree or
55	higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood
56	development or child growth and development, or a child
57	development associate credential or an equivalent state-approved
58	child development associate credential, or a child development
59	associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted
60	from the training requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and
61	e.
62	2. The introductory course in child care shall stress, to
63	the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study
64	of children.
65	3. On an annual basis in order to further their child care
66	skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child care
67	personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care
68	training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing
69	education unitapproved 8 clock hours of approvedinservice
70	training,or an equivalent as determined by the department.
71	4. Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5
72	continuing education unit of approved training in early literacy
73	and language development of children from birth to 5 years of
74	age.
75	5.4.Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
76	child care professionals to provide training of child care
77	personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
78	minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
79	child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
80	contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
81	possible. Other district educational resources, such as
82	community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
83	designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist or
84	are determined not to have the capability to meet the
85	coordination requirements set forth by the department.
86	6.5.Training requirements shall not apply to certain
87	occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
88	limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
89	instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
90	7.6.The department shall evaluate or contract for an
91	evaluation for the general purpose of determining the status of
92	and means to improve staff training requirements and testing
93	procedures. The evaluation shall be conducted every 2 years. The
94	evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, determining the
95	availability, quality, scope, and sources of current staff
96	training; determining the need for specialty training; and
97	determining ways to increase inservice training and ways to
98	increase the accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of
99	current and proposed staff training. The evaluation methodology
100	shall include a reliable and valid survey of child care
101	personnel.
102	8.7.The child care operator shall be required to take
103	basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
104	years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
105	training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
106	Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
107	402.313, Florida Statutes, is amended, subsections (5) through
108	(10) are renumbered as subsections (8) through (13),
109	respectively, and new subsections (5), (6), and (7) are added to
110	said section, to read:
111	402.313 Family day care homes.--
112	(1) Family day care homes shall be licensed under this act
113	if they are presently being licensed under an existing county
114	licensing ordinance, if they are participating in the subsidized
115	child care program, or if the board of county commissioners
116	passes a resolution that family day care homes be licensed. If
117	no county authority exists for the licensing of a family day
118	care home, the department shall have the authority to license
119	family day care homes under contract for the purchase-of-service
120	system in the subsidized child care program.
121	(a) If not subject to license, family day care homes shall
122	register annually with the department, providing the following
123	information:
124	1. The name and address of the home.
125	2. The name of the operator.
126	3. The number of children served.
127	4. Proof of a written plan to provide at least one other
128	competent adult to be available to substitute for the operator
129	in an emergency. This plan shall include the name, address, and
130	telephone number of the designated substitute.
131	5. Proof of screening and background checks.
132	6. Proof of successful completion of the 30-hour training
133	course, as evidenced by passage of a competency examination,
134	which shall include:
135	a. State and local rules and regulations that govern child
136	care.
137	b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
138	c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
139	d. Child development, including typical and atypical
140	language development; and cognitive, motor, social, and self-
141	help skills development.
142	e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using
143	a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to
144	determine a child's developmental level.
145	f. Early literacy and language development of children
146	from birth to 5 years of age.
147	g.f.Specialized areas, as determined by the department,
148	for owner-operators of family day care homes.
149	7. Proof that immunization records are kept current.
150	8. Proof of completion of the required continuing
151	education units.
152	9. A completed health and safety home inspection self-
153	evaluation checklist, pursuant to subsection (7).
154	(5) In order to further develop their child care skills
155	and, if appropriate, their administrative skills, operators of
156	family day care homes shall be required to complete an
157	additional 1 continuing education unit of approved training
158	annually.
159	(6) Operators of family day care homes shall be required
160	to complete 0.5 continuing education unit of approved training
161	in early literacy and language development of children from
162	birth to 5 years of age.
163	(7) Operators of family day care homes shall be required
164	annually to complete a health and safety home inspection self-
165	evaluation checklist developed by the department. The completed
166	checklist shall be signed by the operator of the family day care
167	home as certification that basic health and safety standards are
168	being met.
169	Section 3. Subsections (4) through (6) of section
170	402.3131, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6)
171	through (8), respectively, and new subsections (4) and (5) are
172	added to said section to read:
173	402.3131 Large family child care homes.--
174	(4) In order to further develop their child care skills
175	and, if appropriate, their administrative skills, operators of
176	large family child care homes who have completed the required
177	introductory course shall be required to complete an additional
178	1 continuing education unit of approved training annually.
179	(5) Operators of large family child care homes shall be
180	required to complete 0.5 continuing education unit of approved
181	training in early literacy and language development of children
182	from birth to 5 years of age.
183	Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.