HB 0569 2004
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to child care personnel training; amending
3	s. 402.305, F.S.; requiring child care personnel to be
4	trained in recognizing and preventing shaken baby
5	syndrome, preventing sudden infant death syndrome, and
6	understanding early childhood brain development; providing
7	an effective date.
8
9	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11	Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
12	402.305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
13	402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.--
14	(2) PERSONNEL.--Minimum standards for child care personnel
15	shall include minimum requirements as to:
16	(d) Minimum training requirements for child care
17	personnel.
18	1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that
19	all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour
20	introductory course in child care, which course covers at least
21	the following topic areas:
22	a. State and local rules and regulations which govern
23	child care.
24	b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
25	c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
26	d. Child development, including typical and atypical
27	language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
28	development.
29	e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using
30	a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to
31	determine the child's developmental age level.
32	f. Specialized areas, including computer technology for
33	professional and classroom use and early literacy and language
34	development of children from birth to 5 years of age, as
35	determined by the department, for owner-operators and child care
36	personnel of a child care facility.
37	g. Recognizing and preventing shaken baby syndrome,
38	preventing sudden infant death syndrome, and understanding early
39	childhood brain development.
40
41	Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall
42	begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
43	personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1
44	year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by
45	passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of
46	the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into
47	community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant
48	to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of
49	the required training shall be granted to child care personnel
50	based upon educational credentials or passage of competency
51	examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2-year degree or
52	higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood
53	development or child growth and development, or a child
54	development associate credential or an equivalent state-approved
55	child development associate credential, or a child development
56	associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted
57	from the training requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and
58	e.
59	2. The introductory course in child care shall stress, to
60	the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study
61	of children.
62	3. On an annual basis in order to further their child care
63	skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child care
64	personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care
65	training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing
66	education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 clock hours
67	of equivalent training, as determined by the department.
68	4. Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5
69	continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours
70	of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in
71	early literacy and language development of children from birth
72	to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is
73	completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or
74	5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 3.
75	5. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified child
76	care professionals to provide training of child care personnel,
77	including onsite training, shall be included in the minimum
78	standards. It is recommended that the state community child care
79	coordination agencies (central agencies) be contracted by the
80	department to coordinate such training when possible. Other
81	district educational resources, such as community colleges and
82	vocational-technical programs, can be designated in such areas
83	where central agencies may not exist or are determined not to
84	have the capability to meet the coordination requirements set
85	forth by the department.
86	6. 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. 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. The child care operator shall be required to take basic
103	training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years
104	after employment, either as a part of the introductory training
105	or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
106	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.