Senate Bill sb1572
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1572
By Senator Fasano
11-710-04
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to child care personnel
3 training; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; requiring
4 child care personnel to be trained in
5 recognizing and preventing shaken baby
6 syndrome, preventing sudden infant death
7 syndrome, and understanding early childhood
8 brain development; providing an effective date.
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10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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12 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
13 402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
15 (2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care
16 personnel shall include minimum requirements as to:
17 (d) Minimum training requirements for child care
18 personnel.
19 1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure
20 that all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour
21 introductory course in child care, which course covers at
22 least the following topic areas:
23 a. State and local rules and regulations which govern
24 child care.
25 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
26 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
27 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
28 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
29 development.
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1572
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1 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including
2 using a checklist or other similar observation tools and
3 techniques to determine the child's developmental age level.
4 f. Specialized areas, including computer technology
5 for professional and classroom use and early literacy and
6 language development of children from birth to 5 years of age,
7 as determined by the department, for owner-operators and child
8 care personnel of a child care facility.
9 g. Recognizing and preventing shaken baby syndrome,
10 preventing sudden infant death syndrome, and understanding
11 early childhood brain development.
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13 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall
14 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
15 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1
16 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced
17 by passage of a competency examination. Successful completion
18 of the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into
19 community college credit in early childhood education,
20 pursuant to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a
21 portion of the required training shall be granted to child
22 care personnel based upon educational credentials or passage
23 of competency examinations. Child care personnel possessing a
24 2-year degree or higher that includes 6 college credit hours
25 in early childhood development or child growth and
26 development, or a child development associate credential or an
27 equivalent state-approved child development associate
28 credential, or a child development associate waiver
29 certificate shall be automatically exempted from the training
30 requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and e.
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1572
11-710-04
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 1
8 continuing education unit of approved inservice training, or
9 10 clock hours of equivalent training, as determined by the
10 department.
11 4. Child care personnel shall be required to complete
12 0.5 continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock
13 hours of equivalent training, as determined by the department,
14 in early literacy and language development of children from
15 birth to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training
16 is completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education
17 unit or 5 clock hours of the annual training required in
18 subparagraph 3.
19 5. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified
20 child care professionals to provide training of child care
21 personnel, including onsite training, shall be included in the
22 minimum standards. It is recommended that the state community
23 child care coordination agencies (central agencies) be
24 contracted by the department to coordinate such training when
25 possible. Other district educational resources, such as
26 community colleges and vocational-technical programs, can be
27 designated in such areas where central agencies may not exist
28 or are determined not to have the capability to meet the
29 coordination requirements set forth by the department.
30 6. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
31 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1572
11-710-04
1 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
2 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
3 7. The department shall evaluate or contract for an
4 evaluation for the general purpose of determining the status
5 of and means to improve staff training requirements and
6 testing procedures. The evaluation shall be conducted every 2
7 years. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to,
8 determining the availability, quality, scope, and sources of
9 current staff training; determining the need for specialty
10 training; and determining ways to increase inservice training
11 and ways to increase the accessibility, quality, and
12 cost-effectiveness of current and proposed staff training. The
13 evaluation methodology shall include a reliable and valid
14 survey of child care personnel.
15 8. The child care operator shall be required to take
16 basic training in serving children with disabilities within 5
17 years after employment, either as a part of the introductory
18 training or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
19 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
20 law.
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23 SENATE SUMMARY
24 Requires that child care personnel be trained in
recognizing and preventing shaken baby syndrome,
25 preventing sudden infant death syndrome, and
understanding early childhood brain development.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.