Senate Bill sb2446
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
By Senator Wasserman Schultz
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to child care; amending s.
3 402.305, F.S.; revising inservice training
4 requirements for child care personnel;
5 requiring training in early literacy and
6 language development; amending s. 402.313,
7 F.S.; requiring annual training and an annual
8 health and safety home inspection
9 self-evaluation by family day care home
10 operators; requiring training in early literacy
11 and language development; amending s. 402.3131,
12 F.S.; requiring annual training of operators of
13 large family child care homes; requiring
14 training in early literacy and language
15 development; providing an effective date.
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17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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19 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
20 402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
21 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
22 (2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care
23 personnel shall include minimum requirements as to:
24 (d) Minimum training requirements for child care
25 personnel.
26 1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure
27 that all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour
28 introductory course in child care, which course covers at
29 least the following topic areas:
30 a. State and local rules and regulations which govern
31 child care.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
2 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
3 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
4 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
5 development.
6 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
7 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
8 techniques to determine the child's developmental age level.
9 f. Specialized areas, including computer technology
10 for professional and classroom use, as determined by the
11 department, for owner-operators and child care personnel of a
12 child care facility.
13 g. Early literacy and language development of children
14 from birth to 5 years of age.
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16 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall
17 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
18 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1
19 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced
20 by passage of a competency examination. Successful completion
21 of the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into
22 community college credit in early childhood education,
23 pursuant to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a
24 portion of the required training shall be granted to child
25 care personnel based upon educational credentials or passage
26 of competency examinations. Child care personnel possessing a
27 2-year degree or higher that includes 6 college credit hours
28 in early childhood development or child growth and
29 development, or a child development associate credential or an
30 equivalent state-approved child development associate
31 credential, or a child development associate waiver
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 certificate shall be automatically exempted from the training
2 requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and e.
3 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress,
4 to the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the
5 study of children.
6 3. On an annual basis in order to further their child
7 care skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child
8 care personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the
9 child care training shall be required to take an additional 1
10 continuing education unit approved 8 clock hours of approved
11 inservice training, or an equivalent as determined by the
12 department.
13 4. Child care personnel shall be required to complete
14 0.5 continuing education unit of approved training in early
15 literacy and language development of children from birth to 5
16 years of age.
17 5.4. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
18 child care professionals to provide training of child care
19 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
20 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
21 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
22 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
23 possible. Other district educational resources, such as
24 community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
25 designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist
26 or are determined not to have the capability to meet the
27 coordination requirements set forth by the department.
28 6.5. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
29 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
30 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
31 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 7.6. The department shall evaluate or contract for an
2 evaluation for the general purpose of determining the status
3 of and means to improve staff training requirements and
4 testing procedures. The evaluation shall be conducted every 2
5 years. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to,
6 determining the availability, quality, scope, and sources of
7 current staff training; determining the need for specialty
8 training; and determining ways to increase inservice training
9 and ways to increase the accessibility, quality, and
10 cost-effectiveness of current and proposed staff training. The
11 evaluation methodology shall include a reliable and valid
12 survey of child care personnel.
13 8.7. The child care operator shall be required to take
14 basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
15 years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
16 training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
17 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
18 402.313, Florida Statutes, is amended, subsections (5) through
19 (10) are renumbered as subsections (8) through (13),
20 respectively, and new subsections (5), (6), and (7) are added
21 to that section, to read:
22 402.313 Family day care homes.--
23 (1) Family day care homes shall be licensed under this
24 act if they are presently being licensed under an existing
25 county licensing ordinance, if they are participating in the
26 subsidized child care program, or if the board of county
27 commissioners passes a resolution that family day care homes
28 be licensed. If no county authority exists for the licensing
29 of a family day care home, the department shall have the
30 authority to license family day care homes under contract for
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 the purchase-of-service system in the subsidized child care
2 program.
3 (a) If not subject to license, family day care homes
4 shall register annually with the department, providing the
5 following information:
6 1. The name and address of the home.
7 2. The name of the operator.
8 3. The number of children served.
9 4. Proof of a written plan to provide at least one
10 other competent adult to be available to substitute for the
11 operator in an emergency. This plan shall include the name,
12 address, and telephone number of the designated substitute.
13 5. Proof of screening and background checks.
14 6. Proof of successful completion of the 30-hour
15 training course, as evidenced by passage of a competency
16 examination, which shall include:
17 a. State and local rules and regulations that govern
18 child care.
19 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
20 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
21 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
22 language development; and cognitive, motor, social, and
23 self-help skills development.
24 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
25 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
26 techniques to determine a child's developmental level.
27 f. Early literacy and language development of children
28 from birth to 5 years of age.
29 g.f. Specialized areas, as determined by the
30 department, for owner-operators of family day care homes.
31 7. Proof that immunization records are kept current.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 8. Proof of completion of the required continuing
2 education units.
3 9. A completed health and safety home inspection self-
4 evaluation checklist, pursuant to subsection (7).
5 (5) In order to further develop their child care
6 skills and, if appropriate, their administrative skills,
7 operators of family day care homes shall be required to
8 complete an additional 1 continuing education unit of approved
9 training annually.
10 (6) Operators of family day care homes shall be
11 required to complete 0.5 continuing education unit of approved
12 training in early literacy and language development of
13 children from birth to 5 years of age.
14 (7) Operators of family day care homes shall be
15 required annually to complete a health and safety home
16 inspection self-evaluation checklist developed by the
17 department. The completed checklist shall be signed by the
18 operator of the family day care home as certification that
19 basic health and safety standards are being met.
20 Section 3. Subsections (4) through (6) of section
21 402.3131, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6)
22 through (8), respectively, and new subsections (4) and (5) are
23 added to that section to read:
24 402.3131 Large family child care homes.--
25 (4) In order to further develop their child care
26 skills and, if appropriate, their administrative skills,
27 operators of large family child care homes who have completed
28 the required introductory course shall be required to complete
29 an additional 1 continuing education unit of approved training
30 annually.
31
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2003 SB 2446
34-1499-03 See HB 1141
1 (5) Operators of large family child care homes shall
2 be required to complete 0.5 continuing education unit of
3 approved training in early literacy and language development
4 of children from birth to 5 years of age.
5 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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