HB 0001A

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to early learning; creating part V of ch.
3	1002, F.S.; creating the Voluntary Prekindergarten
4	Education Program; implementing s. 1(b) and (c), Art. IX
5	of the State Constitution; providing definitions for
6	purposes of the program; providing eligibility and
7	enrollment requirements; authorizing parents to enroll
8	their children in a school-year program delivered by a
9	private prekindergarten provider, a summer program
10	delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten
11	provider, or a school-year program delivered by a public
12	school; requiring school districts to admit all eligible
13	children in the summer program; prohibiting specified acts
14	of discrimination and certain limits on enrollment;
15	specifying eligibility requirements for private
16	prekindergarten providers and public schools that deliver
17	the program; requiring minimum hours for the program;
18	providing minimum requirements for prekindergarten
19	instructors; providing for the adoption of rules;
20	providing minimum and maximum class sizes; requiring
21	appropriate adult supervision for prekindergarten classes;
22	requiring the Department of Education to establish minimum
23	standards for a credential for prekindergarten directors
24	and for emergent literacy training courses for
25	prekindergarten instructors; requiring the credential and
26	course to provide training and resources containing
27	strategies that maximize the program's benefits for
28	students with disabilities and other special needs;
29	providing that the credential and course satisfy certain
30	credentialing and training requirements; providing limits
31	on when a provider or school may deliver the summer
32	prekindergarten program; specifying eligibility
33	requirements for school districts that deliver the school-
34	year prekindergarten program; providing legislative
35	intent; authorizing providers and schools to select or
36	design curricula used for the program; directing the
37	Department of Education to adopt performance standards and
38	approve curricula under specified conditions; requiring
39	providers and schools to be placed on probation and use
40	the approved curricula under certain circumstances;
41	requiring improvement plans and corrective actions from
42	providers and schools under certain circumstances;
43	providing for the removal of providers or schools that
44	remain on probation beyond specified time limits;
45	requiring early learning coalitions and school districts
46	to verify the compliance of private prekindergarten
47	providers and public schools; authorizing the removal of
48	providers and schools for noncompliance or misconduct;
49	requiring interagency coordination for monitoring
50	providers; requiring the Department of Education to adopt
51	a statewide kindergarten screening; requiring certain
52	students to take the statewide screening; specifying
53	requirements for screening instruments and kindergarten
54	readiness rates; directing the State Board of Education to
55	establish minimum rates; providing funding and reporting
56	requirements; specifying the calculation of per-student
57	allocations; authorizing students to withdraw, reenroll,
58	and receive additional per-student allocations under
59	specified conditions; providing for advance payments to
60	private prekindergarten providers and public schools based
61	upon student enrollment; providing for the documentation
62	and certification of student attendance; requiring parents
63	to verify student attendance and certify the choice of
64	provider or school; providing for the reconciliation of
65	advance payments based upon attendance; requiring students
66	to comply with attendance policies and authorizing the
67	dismissal of students for noncompliance; requiring the
68	Agency for Workforce Innovation to adopt a uniform
69	attendance policy for funding purposes; providing for
70	administrative funds to be used by early learning
71	coalitions; prohibiting certain fees or charges; limiting
72	the use of state funds; providing powers and duties of the
73	Department of Education and the Agency for Workforce
74	Innovation; requiring the department and the agency to
75	adopt procedures for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
76	Education Program; creating the Florida Early Learning
77	Advisory Council; providing for the appointment and
78	membership of the advisory council; providing membership
79	and meeting requirements; authorizing council members to
80	receive per diem and travel expenses; requiring the Agency
81	for Workforce Innovation to provide staff for the advisory
82	council; providing for the adoption of rules; amending s.
83	411.01, F.S.; conforming provisions to the transfer of the
84	Florida Partnership for School Readiness to the Agency for
85	Workforce Innovation; deleting provisions for the
86	appointment and membership of the partnership;
87	redesignating school readiness coalitions as early
88	learning coalitions; deleting obsolete references to
89	repealed programs; deleting obsolete provisions governing
90	the phase in of school readiness programs; deleting
91	provisions governing the measurement of school readiness,
92	the school readiness uniform screening, and performance-
93	based budgeting in school readiness programs; specifying
94	requirements for school readiness performance standards;
95	clarifying rulemaking requirements; revising requirements
96	for school readiness programs; specifying that school
97	readiness programs must enhance the progress of children
98	in certain skills; requiring early learning coalitions to
99	obtain certain health information before enrolling a child
100	in the school readiness program; requiring the Agency for
101	Workforce Innovation to monitor and evaluate the
102	performance of early learning coalitions and to identify
103	best practices for the coalitions; requiring a reduction
104	in the number of coalitions in accordance with specified
105	standards; directing the Agency for Workforce Innovation
106	to adopt procedures for the merger of coalitions;
107	providing exceptions; authorizing the Agency for Workforce
108	Innovation to dissolve a coalition under specified
109	conditions; revising appointment and membership
110	requirements for the coalitions; specifying that certain
111	members are nonvoting; directing the Agency for Workforce
112	Innovation to adopt criteria for the appointment of
113	certain members; requiring each coalition to specify terms
114	of coalition members; requiring a quorum of coalition
115	members; prohibiting coalition members from voting under
116	certain circumstances; providing a definition for purposes
117	of the single point of entry; requiring early learning
118	coalitions to use a statewide information system;
119	requiring the Agency for Workforce Innovation to approve
120	payment rates and consider the access of eligible children
121	before approving proposals to increase rates; prioritizing
122	the use of school readiness funds under certain
123	circumstances; deleting requirements for the minimum
124	number of children served; providing requirements for
125	developmentally appropriate curriculum used for school
126	readiness programs; authorizing contracts for the
127	continuation of school readiness services under certain
128	circumstances; requiring the Agency for Workforce
129	Innovation to adopt criteria for the approval of school
130	readiness plans; revising requirements for school
131	readiness plans; providing requirements for the approval
132	and implementation of plan revisions; revising competitive
133	procurement requirements for early learning coalitions;
134	authorizing the coalitions to designate certified public
135	accountants as fiscal agents; clarifying age and income
136	eligibility requirements for school readiness programs;
137	revising eligibility requirements for certain at-risk
138	children; deleting a requirement for consultation on
139	performance standards and outcome measures; revising
140	funding requirements; revising requirements for the
141	adoption of a formula for the allocation of certain funds
142	among the early learning coalitions; specifying
143	allocations for fiscal year 2004-2005; deleting an
144	obsolete provision requiring a report; deleting the
145	expiration of eligibility requirements for certain
146	children from families receiving temporary cash
147	assistance; amending s. 11.45, F.S.; authorizing the
148	Auditor General to conduct audits of the school readiness
149	system; amending s. 20.50, F.S.; creating the Office of
150	Early Learning within the Agency for Workforce Innovation;
151	requiring the office to administer the school readiness
152	system and operational requirements of the Voluntary
153	Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s. 125.901,
154	F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
155	amending ss. 216.133 and 216.136, F.S.; redesignating the
156	School Readiness Program Estimating Conference as the
157	Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference; requiring
158	the estimating conference to develop certain estimates and
159	forecasts for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
160	Program; directing the Agency for Workforce Innovation to
161	provide certain information to the estimating conference;
162	amending ss. 402.3016, 411.011, 411.226, 411.227, 1001.23,
163	1002.22, and 1003.54, F.S.; conforming provisions to the
164	transfer of the Florida Partnership for School Readiness
165	to the Agency for Workforce Innovation and to the
166	redesignation of the school readiness coalitions as early
167	learning coalitions; authorizing the agency to adopt
168	rules; amending s. 1007.23, F.S.; requiring the
169	articulation of certain programs into credit toward a
170	postsecondary degree; abolishing the Florida Partnership
171	for School Readiness; transferring all powers, rules,
172	personnel, and property of the partnership to the Agency
173	for Workforce Innovation; repealing ss. 411.012 and
174	1008.21, F.S., relating to the voluntary universal
175	prekindergarten education program and the school readiness
176	uniform screening; providing appropriations and
177	authorizing additional positions; requiring that the
178	Executive Office of the Governor provide prior notice to
179	the Legislative Budget Commission of allocations from the
180	lump-sum appropriations to appropriation categories;
181	providing an effective date.
182
183	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
184
185	Section 1.  Part V of chapter 1002, Florida Statutes,
186	consisting of sections 1002.51, 1002.53, 1002.55, 1002.57,
187	1002.59, 1002.61, 1002.63, 1002.65, 1002.67, 1002.69, 1002.71,
188	1002.73, 1002.75, 1002.77, and 1002.79, Florida Statutes, is
189	created to read:
190	PART V
191	VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION PROGRAM
192	1002.51  Definitions.--As used in this part, the term:
193	(1)  "Department" means the Department of Education.
194	(2)  "Early learning coalition" or "coalition" means an
195	early learning coalition created under s. 411.01.
196	(3)  "Prekindergarten director" means an onsite person
197	ultimately responsible for the overall operation of a private
198	prekindergarten provider or, alternatively, of the provider's
199	prekindergarten program, regardless of whether the person is the
200	owner of the provider.
201	(4)  "Prekindergarten instructor" means a teacher or child
202	care personnel as defined in s. 402.302 who provide instruction
203	to students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
204	(5)  "Private prekindergarten provider" means a provider
205	other than a public school which is eligible to deliver the
206	school-year prekindergarten program under s. 1002.55 or the
207	summer prekindergarten program under s. 1002.61.
208	1002.53  Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
209	eligibility and enrollment.--
210	(1)  There is created the Voluntary Prekindergarten
211	Education Program. The program shall take effect in each county
212	at the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year and shall be
213	organized, designed, and delivered in accordance with s. 1(b)
214	and (c), Art. IX of the State Constitution.
215	(2)  Each child who resides in this state who will have
216	attained the age of 4 years on or before September 1 of the
217	school year is eligible for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
218	Education Program during that school year. The child remains
219	eligible until the beginning of the school year for which the
220	child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public
221	school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. or until the child is admitted
222	to kindergarten, whichever occurs first.
223	(3)  The parent of each child eligible under subsection (2)
224	may enroll the child in one of the following programs:
225	(a)  A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
226	private prekindergarten provider under s. 1002.55;
227	(b)  A summer prekindergarten program delivered by a public
228	school or private prekindergarten provider under s. 1002.61; or
229	(c)  A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
230	public school, if offered by a school district that is eligible
231	under s. 1002.63.
232
233	Except as provided in s. 1002.71(4), a child may not enroll in
234	more than one of these programs.
235	(4)(a)  Each parent enrolling a child in the Voluntary
236	Prekindergarten Education Program must complete and submit an
237	application to the early learning coalition through the single
238	point of entry established under s. 411.01.
239	(b)  The application must be submitted on forms prescribed
240	by the Agency for Workforce Innovation and must be accompanied
241	by a certified copy of the child's birth certificate. The forms
242	must include a certification, in substantially the form provided
243	in s. 1002.71(6)(b)2., that the parent chooses the private
244	prekindergarten provider or public school in accordance with
245	this section and directs that payments for the program be made
246	to the provider or school. The Agency for Workforce Innovation
247	may authorize alternative methods for submitting proof of the
248	child's age in lieu of a certified copy of the child's birth
249	certificate.
250	(c)  Each early learning coalition shall coordinate with
251	each of the school districts within the coalition's county or
252	multicounty region in the development of procedures for
253	enrolling children in prekindergarten programs delivered by
254	public schools.
255	(5)  The early learning coalition shall provide each parent
256	enrolling a child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
257	Program with a profile of every private prekindergarten provider
258	and public school delivering the program within the coalition's
259	county or multicounty region. The profiles shall be provided to
260	parents in a format prescribed by the Agency for Workforce
261	Innovation. The profiles must include, at a minimum, the
262	following information about each provider and school:
263	(a)  The provider's or school's services, curriculum,
264	instructor credentials, and instructor-to-student ratio; and
265	(b)  The provider's or school's kindergarten readiness rate
266	calculated in accordance with s. 1002.69, based upon the most
267	recent available results of the statewide kindergarten
268	screening.
269	(6)(a)  A parent may enroll his or her child with any
270	private prekindergarten provider that is eligible to deliver the
271	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this part;
272	however, the provider may determine whether to admit any child.
273	An early learning coalition may not limit the number of students
274	admitted by any private prekindergarten provider for enrollment
275	in the program. However, this paragraph does not authorize an
276	early learning coalition to allow a provider to exceed any
277	staff-to-children ratio, square footage per child, or other
278	requirement imposed under ss. 402.301-402.319 as a result of
279	admissions in the prekindergarten program.
280	(b)  A parent may enroll his or her child with any public
281	school within the school district which is eligible to deliver
282	the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this part,
283	subject to available space. Each school district may limit the
284	number of students admitted by any public school for enrollment
285	in the program; however, the school district must provide for
286	the admission of every eligible child within the district whose
287	parent enrolls the child in a summer prekindergarten program
288	delivered by a public school under s. 1002.61.
289	(c)  Each private prekindergarten provider and public
290	school must comply with the antidiscrimination requirements of
291	42 U.S.C. s. 2000d, regardless of whether the provider or school
292	receives federal financial assistance. A private prekindergarten
293	provider or public school may not discriminate against a parent
294	or child, including the refusal to admit a child for enrollment
295	in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, in violation
296	of these antidiscrimination requirements.
297	1002.55  School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
298	private prekindergarten providers.--
299	(1)  Each early learning coalition shall administer the
300	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or
301	regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(a) in a
302	school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a private
303	prekindergarten provider.
304	(2)  Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by
305	a private prekindergarten provider must comprise at least 540
306	instructional hours.
307	(3)  To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program,
308	a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the
309	following requirements:
310	(a)  The private prekindergarten provider must be a child
311	care facility licensed under s. 402.305, family day care home
312	licensed under s. 402.313, large family child care home licensed
313	under s. 402.3131, nonpublic school exempt from licensure under
314	s. 402.3025(2), or faith-based child care provider exempt from
315	licensure under s. 402.316.
316	(b)  The private prekindergarten provider must:
317	1.  Be accredited by an accrediting association that is a
318	member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation,
319	the Commission on International and Trans-Regional
320	Accreditation, or the Florida Association of Academic Nonpublic
321	Schools;
322	2.  Hold a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation under
323	s. 402.281; or
324	3.  Be licensed under s. 402.305, s. 402.313, or s.
325	402.3131 and demonstrate, before delivering the Voluntary
326	Prekindergarten Education Program, as verified by the early
327	learning coalition, that the provider meets each of the
328	requirements of the program under this part, including, but not
329	limited to, the requirements for credentials and background
330	screenings of prekindergarten instructors under paragraphs (c)
331	and (d), minimum and maximum class sizes under paragraph (e),
332	prekindergarten director credentials under paragraph (f), and a
333	developmentally appropriate curriculum under s. 1002.67(2)(b).
334	(c)  The private prekindergarten provider must have, for
335	each prekindergarten class, at least one prekindergarten
336	instructor who meets each of the following requirements:
337	1.  The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a minimum,
338	one of the following credentials:
339	a.  A child development associate credential issued by the
340	National Credentialing Program of the Council for Professional
341	Recognition; or
342	b.  A credential approved by the Department of Children and
343	Family Services as being equivalent to or greater than the
344	credential described in sub-subparagraph a.
345
346	The Department of Children and Family Services may adopt rules
347	under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and
348	procedures for approving equivalent credentials under sub-
349	subparagraph b.
350	2.  The prekindergarten instructor must successfully
351	complete an emergent literacy training course approved by the
352	department as meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted
353	under s. 1002.59. This subparagraph does not apply to a
354	prekindergarten instructor who successfully completes approved
355	training in early literacy and language development under s.
356	402.305(2)(d)5., s. 402.313(6), or s. 402.3131(5) before the
357	establishment of one or more emergent literacy training courses
358	under s. 1002.59 or April 1, 2005, whichever occurs later.
359	(d)  Each prekindergarten instructor employed by the
360	private prekindergarten provider must be of good moral
361	character, must be screened using the level 2 screening
362	standards in s. 435.04 before employment and rescreened at least
363	once every 5 years, must be denied employment or terminated if
364	required under s. 435.06, and must not be ineligible to teach in
365	a public school because his or her educator certificate is
366	suspended or revoked.
367	(e)  Each of the private prekindergarten provider's
368	prekindergarten classes must be composed of at least 4 students
369	but may not exceed 18 students. In order to protect the health
370	and safety of students, each private prekindergarten provider
371	must also provide appropriate adult supervision for students at
372	all times and, for each prekindergarten class composed of 11 or
373	more students, must have, in addition to a prekindergarten
374	instructor who meets the requirements of paragraph (c), at least
375	one adult prekindergarten instructor who is not required to meet
376	those requirements but who must meet each requirement of
377	paragraph (d). This paragraph does not supersede any requirement
378	imposed on a provider under ss. 402.301-402.319.
379	(f)  Before the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, the
380	private prekindergarten provider must have a prekindergarten
381	director who has a prekindergarten director credential that is
382	approved by the department as meeting or exceeding the minimum
383	standards adopted under s. 1002.57. Successful completion of a
384	child care facility director credential under s. 402.305(2)(f)
385	before the establishment of the prekindergarten director
386	credential under s. 1002.57 or July 1, 2006, whichever occurs
387	later, satisfies the requirement for a prekindergarten director
388	credential under this paragraph.
389	(g)  The private prekindergarten provider must register
390	with the early learning coalition on forms prescribed by the
391	Agency for Workforce Innovation.
392	(h)  The private prekindergarten provider must deliver the
393	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in accordance with
394	this part.
395	(4)  A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the minimum
396	credentials and courses required under paragraph (3)(c), may
397	hold one of the following educational credentials:
398	(a)  A bachelor's or higher degree in early childhood
399	education, prekindergarten or primary education, preschool
400	education, or family and consumer science;
401	(b)  A bachelor's or higher degree in elementary education,
402	if the prekindergarten instructor has been certified to teach
403	children any age from birth through 6th grade, regardless of
404	whether the instructor's educator certificate is current, and if
405	the instructor is not ineligible to teach in a public school
406	because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked;
407	(c)  An associate's or higher degree in child development;
408	(d)  An associate's or higher degree in an unrelated field,
409	at least 6 credit hours in early childhood education or child
410	development, and at least 480 hours of experience in teaching or
411	providing child care services for children any age from birth
412	through 8 years of age; or
413	(e)  An educational credential approved by the department
414	as being equivalent to or greater than an educational credential
415	described in this subsection. The department may adopt criteria
416	and procedures for approving equivalent educational credentials
417	under this paragraph.
418	1002.57  Prekindergarten director credential.--
419	(1)  By July 1, 2006, the department shall adopt minimum
420	standards for a credential for prekindergarten directors of
421	private prekindergarten providers delivering the Voluntary
422	Prekindergarten Education Program. The credential must encompass
423	requirements for education and onsite experience.
424	(2)  The educational requirements must include training in
425	the following:
426	(a)  Professionally accepted standards for prekindergarten
427	programs, early learning, and strategies and techniques to
428	address the age-appropriate progress of prekindergarten students
429	in attaining the performance standards adopted by the department
430	under s. 1002.67;
431	(b)  Strategies that allow students with disabilities and
432	other special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary
433	Prekindergarten Education Program; and
434	(c)  Program administration and operations, including
435	management, organizational leadership, and financial and legal
436	issues.
437	(3)  The prekindergarten director credential must meet or
438	exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and Family
439	Services for the child care facility director credential under
440	s. 402.305(2)(f), and successful completion of the
441	prekindergarten director credential satisfies these requirements
442	for the child care facility director credential.
443	(4)  The department shall, to the maximum extent
444	practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes
445	the child care facility director credential under s.
446	402.305(2)(f) for those requirements of the prekindergarten
447	director credential which are duplicative of requirements for
448	the child care facility director credential.
449	1002.59  Emergent literacy training courses.--By April 1,
450	2005, the department shall adopt minimum standards for one or
451	more training courses in emergent literacy for prekindergarten
452	instructors. Each course must comprise 5 clock hours and provide
453	instruction in strategies and techniques to address the age-
454	appropriate progress of prekindergarten students in developing
455	emergent literacy skills, including oral communication,
456	knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and phonological
457	awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension development. Each
458	course must also provide resources containing strategies that
459	allow students with disabilities and other special needs to
460	derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary Prekindergarten
461	Education Program. Successful completion of an emergent literacy
462	training course approved under this section satisfies
463	requirements for approved training in early literacy and
464	language development under ss. 402.305(2)(d)5., 402.313(6), and
465	402.3131(5).
466	1002.61  Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public
467	schools and private prekindergarten providers.--
468	(1)(a)  Each school district shall administer the Voluntary
469	Prekindergarten Education Program at the district level for
470	students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(b) in a summer
471	prekindergarten program delivered by a public school.
472	(b)  Each early learning coalition shall administer the
473	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or
474	regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(b) in a
475	summer prekindergarten program delivered by a private
476	prekindergarten provider.
477	(2)  Each summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
478	public school or private prekindergarten provider must:
479	(a)  Comprise at least 300 instructional hours;
480	(b)  Not begin earlier than May 1 of the school year; and
481	(c)  Not deliver the program for a child earlier than the
482	summer immediately before the school year for which the child is
483	eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public school under
484	s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
485	(3)(a)  Each district school board shall determine which
486	public schools in the school district are eligible to deliver
487	the summer prekindergarten program. The school district shall
488	use educational facilities available in the public schools
489	during the summer term for the summer prekindergarten program.
490	(b)  Except as provided in this section, to be eligible to
491	deliver the summer prekindergarten program, a private
492	prekindergarten provider must meet each requirement in s.
493	1002.55.
494	(4)  Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1. and 1002.63(5),
495	each public school and private prekindergarten provider must
496	have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one
497	prekindergarten instructor who:
498	(a)  Is a certified teacher; or
499	(b)  Holds one of the educational credentials specified in
500	s. 1002.55(4)(a) or (b).
501
502	As used in this subsection, the term "certified teacher" means a
503	teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate under s.
504	1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the district
505	school board to instruct students in the summer prekindergarten
506	program. In selecting instructional staff for the summer
507	prekindergarten program, each school district shall give
508	priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in early
509	childhood education.
510	(5)  Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a public
511	school or private prekindergarten provider delivering the summer
512	prekindergarten program must be of good moral character, must be
513	screened using the level 2 screening standards in s. 435.04
514	before employment and rescreened at least once every 5 years,
515	must be denied employment or terminated if required under s.
516	435.06, and must not be ineligible to teach in a public school
517	because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked.
518	This subsection does not supersede employment requirements for
519	instructional personnel in public schools which are more
520	stringent than the requirements of this subsection.
521	(6)  Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(e) and 1002.63(7), each
522	prekindergarten class in the summer prekindergarten program,
523	regardless of whether the class is a public school's or private
524	prekindergarten provider's class, must be composed of at least 4
525	students but may not exceed 10 students. In order to protect the
526	health and safety of students, each public school or private
527	prekindergarten provider must also provide appropriate adult
528	supervision for students at all times. This subsection does not
529	supersede any requirement imposed on a provider under ss.
530	402.301-402.319.
531	(7)  Each public school delivering the summer
532	prekindergarten program must also:
533	(a)  Register with the early learning coalition on forms
534	prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation; and
535	(b)  Deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
536	Program in accordance with this part.
537	1002.63  School-year prekindergarten program delivered by
538	public schools.--
539	(1)  Each school district eligible under subsection (4) may
540	administer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at
541	the district level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(c)
542	in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a public
543	school.
544	(2)  Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by
545	a public school must comprise at least 540 instructional hours.
546	(3)  The district school board of each school district
547	eligible under subsection (4) shall determine which public
548	schools in the district are eligible to deliver the
549	prekindergarten program during the school year.
550	(4)  To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program
551	during the school year, each school district must meet both of
552	the following requirements:
553	(a)  The district school board must certify to the State
554	Board of Education that the school district:
555	1.  Has reduced the average class size in each classroom in
556	accordance with s. 1003.03 and the schedule in s. 1(a), Art. IX
557	of the State Constitution; and
558	2.  Has sufficient satisfactory educational facilities and
559	capital outlay funds to continue reducing the average class size
560	in each classroom in the district's elementary schools for each
561	year in accordance with the schedule for class-size reduction
562	and to achieve full compliance with the maximum class sizes in
563	s. 1(a), Art. IX of the State Constitution by the beginning of
564	the 2010-2011 school year.
565	(b)  The Commissioner of Education must certify to the
566	State Board of Education that the department has reviewed the
567	school district's educational facilities, capital outlay funds,
568	and projected student enrollment and concurs with the district
569	school board's certification under paragraph (a).
570	(5)  Each public school must have, for each prekindergarten
571	class, at least one prekindergarten instructor who meets each
572	requirement in s. 1002.55(3)(c) for a prekindergarten instructor
573	of a private prekindergarten provider.
574	(6)  Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a public
575	school delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must
576	be of good moral character, must be screened using the level 2
577	screening standards in s. 435.04 before employment and
578	rescreened at least once every 5 years, must be denied
579	employment or terminated if required under s. 435.06, and must
580	not be ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her
581	educator certificate is suspended or revoked. This subsection
582	does not supersede employment requirements for instructional
583	personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the
584	requirements of this subsection.
585	(7)  Each prekindergarten class in a public school
586	delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must be
587	composed of at least 4 students but may not exceed 18 students.
588	In order to protect the health and safety of students, each
589	school must also provide appropriate adult supervision for
590	students at all times and, for each prekindergarten class
591	composed of 11 or more students, must have, in addition to a
592	prekindergarten instructor who meets the requirements of s.
593	1002.55(3)(c), at least one adult prekindergarten instructor who
594	is not required to meet those requirements but who must meet
595	each requirement of subsection (6).
596	(8)  Each public school delivering the school-year
597	prekindergarten program must:
598	(a)  Register with the early learning coalition on forms
599	prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation; and
600	(b)  Deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
601	Program in accordance with this part.
602	1002.65  Professional credentials of prekindergarten
603	instructors; aspirational goals; legislative intent.--
604	(1)  The Legislature recognizes that there is a strong
605	relationship between the skills and preparation of
606	prekindergarten instructors and the educational outcomes of
607	students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
608	(2)  To improve these educational outcomes, the Legislature
609	intends that all prekindergarten instructors will continue to
610	improve their skills and preparation through education and
611	training, so that the following aspirational goals will be
612	achieved:
613	(a)  By the 2010-2011 school year:
614	1.  Each prekindergarten class will have at least one
615	prekindergarten instructor who holds an associate's or higher
616	degree in the field of early childhood education or child
617	development; and
618	2.  For each prekindergarten class composed of 11 or more
619	students, in addition to a prekindergarten instructor who meets
620	the requirements of subparagraph 1., the class will have at
621	least one prekindergarten instructor who meets the requirements
622	of s. 1002.55(3)(c).
623	(b)  By the 2013-2014 school year, each prekindergarten
624	class will have at least one prekindergarten instructor who
625	holds a bachelor's or higher degree in the field of early
626	childhood education or child development.
627	1002.67  Performance standards; curricula and
628	accountability.--
629	(1)  By April 1, 2005, the department shall develop and
630	adopt performance standards for students in the Voluntary
631	Prekindergarten Education Program. The performance standards
632	must address the age-appropriate progress of students in the
633	development of:
634	(a)  The capabilities, capacities, and skills required
635	under s. 1(b), Art. IX of the State Constitution; and
636	(b)  Emergent literacy skills, including oral
637	communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and
638	phonological awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension
639	development.
640	(2)(a)  Each private prekindergarten provider and public
641	school may select or design the curriculum that the provider or
642	school uses to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
643	Program, except as otherwise required for a provider or school
644	that is placed on probation under paragraph (3)(c).
645	(b)  Each private prekindergarten provider's and public
646	school's curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and
647	must:
648	1.  Be designed to prepare a student for early literacy;
649	2.  Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in
650	attaining the performance standards adopted by the department
651	under subsection (1); and
652	3.  Prepare students to be ready for kindergarten based
653	upon the statewide kindergarten screening administered under s.
654	1002.69.
655	(c)  The department shall review and approve curricula for
656	use by private prekindergarten providers and public schools that
657	are placed on probation under paragraph (3)(c). The department
658	shall maintain a list of the curricula approved under this
659	paragraph. Each approved curriculum must meet the requirements
660	of paragraph (b).
661	(3)(a)  Each early learning coalition shall verify that
662	each private prekindergarten provider delivering the Voluntary
663	Prekindergarten Education Program within the coalition's county
664	or multicounty region complies with this part. Each district
665	school board shall verify that each public school delivering the
666	program within the school district complies with this part.
667	(b)  If a private prekindergarten provider or public school
668	fails or refuses to comply with this part, or if a provider or
669	school engages in misconduct, the Agency for Workforce
670	Innovation shall require the early learning coalition to remove
671	the provider, and the Department of Education shall require the
672	school district to remove the school, from eligibility to
673	deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and
674	receive state funds under this part.
675	(c)1.  If the kindergarten readiness rate of a private
676	prekindergarten provider or public school falls below the
677	minimum rate adopted by the State Board of Education as
678	satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6), the early learning coalition
679	or school district, as applicable, shall require the provider or
680	school to submit an improvement plan for approval by the
681	coalition or school district, as applicable, and to implement
682	the plan.
683	2.  If a private prekindergarten provider or public school
684	fails to meet the minimum rate adopted by the State Board of
685	Education as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6) for 2 consecutive
686	years, the early learning coalition or school district, as
687	applicable, shall place the provider or school on probation and
688	must require the provider or school to take certain corrective
689	actions, including the use of a curriculum approved by the
690	department under paragraph (2)(c).
691	3.  A private prekindergarten provider or public school
692	that is placed on probation must continue the corrective actions
693	required under subparagraph 2., including the use of a
694	curriculum approved by the department, until the provider or
695	school meets the minimum rate adopted by the State Board of
696	Education as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6).
697	4.  If a private prekindergarten provider or public school
698	remains on probation for 2 consecutive years and fails to meet
699	the minimum rate adopted by the State Board of Education as
700	satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6), the Agency for Workforce
701	Innovation shall require the early learning coalition or the
702	Department of Education shall require the school district, as
703	applicable, to remove the provider or school from eligibility to
704	deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and
705	receive state funds for the program.
706	(d)  Each early learning coalition, the Agency for
707	Workforce Innovation, and the department shall coordinate with
708	the Child Care Services Program Office of the Department of
709	Children and Family Services to minimize interagency duplication
710	of activities for monitoring private prekindergarten providers
711	for compliance with requirements of the Voluntary
712	Prekindergarten Education Program under this part, the school
713	readiness programs under s. 411.01, and the licensing of
714	providers under ss. 402.301-402.319.
715	1002.69  Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
716	readiness rates.--
717	(1)  The department shall adopt a statewide kindergarten
718	screening that assesses the readiness of each student for
719	kindergarten based upon the performance standards adopted by the
720	department under s. 1002.67(1) for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
721	Education Program. The department shall require that each school
722	district administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each
723	kindergarten student in the school district within the first 30
724	school days of each school year.
725	(2)  The statewide kindergarten screening shall provide
726	objective data concerning each student's readiness for
727	kindergarten and progress in attaining the performance standards
728	adopted by the department under s. 1002.67(1).
729	(3)  The statewide kindergarten screening shall incorporate
730	mechanisms for recognizing potential variations in kindergarten
731	readiness rates for students with disabilities.
732	(4)  Each parent who enrolls his or her child in the
733	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must submit the
734	child for the statewide kindergarten screening, regardless of
735	whether the child is admitted to kindergarten in a public school
736	or nonpublic school. Each school district shall designate sites
737	to administer the statewide kindergarten screening for children
738	admitted to kindergarten in a nonpublic school.
739	(5)  The State Board of Education shall adopt procedures
740	for the department to annually calculate each private
741	prekindergarten provider's and public school's kindergarten
742	readiness rate, which must be expressed as the percentage of the
743	provider's or school's students who are assessed as ready for
744	kindergarten. The kindergarten readiness rates must be based
745	exclusively upon the results of the statewide kindergarten
746	screening for students completing the Voluntary Prekindergarten
747	Education Program, beginning with students completing the
748	program during the 2005-2006 school year who are administered
749	the statewide kindergarten screening during the 2006-2007 school
750	year. The rates must not include students who are not
751	administered the statewide kindergarten screening.
752	(6)(a)  The State Board of Education shall periodically
753	adopt a minimum kindergarten readiness rate that, if achieved by
754	a private prekindergarten provider or public school, would
755	demonstrate the provider's or school's satisfactory delivery of
756	the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
757	(b)  The minimum rate must not exceed the rate at which
758	more than 15 percent of the kindergarten readiness rates of all
759	private prekindergarten providers and public schools delivering
760	the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in the state
761	would fall below the minimum rate.
762	1002.71  Funding; financial and attendance reporting.--
763	(1)  Funds appropriated for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
764	Education Program may be used only for the program in accordance
765	with this part. If the student enrollment in the program for a
766	fiscal year exceeds the estimated enrollment upon which the
767	appropriation for that fiscal year is provided, thereby causing
768	a shortfall, funds appropriated to the program for the
769	subsequent fiscal year must be used first to fund the shortfall.
770	(2)  A full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary
771	Prekindergarten Education Program shall be calculated as
772	follows:
773	(a)  For a student in a school-year prekindergarten program
774	delivered by a private prekindergarten provider: 540
775	instructional hours.
776	(b)  For a student in a summer prekindergarten program
777	delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten
778	provider: 300 instructional hours.
779	(c)  For a student in a school-year prekindergarten program
780	delivered by a public school: 540 instructional hours.
781
782	Except as provided in subsection (4), a student may not be
783	reported for funding purposes as more than one full-time
784	equivalent student.
785	(3)(a)  The base student allocation per full-time
786	equivalent student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
787	Program shall be provided in the General Appropriations Act and
788	shall be equal for each student, regardless of whether the
789	student is enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program
790	delivered by a private prekindergarten provider, a summer
791	prekindergarten program delivered by a public school or private
792	prekindergarten provider, or a school-year prekindergarten
793	program delivered by a public school.
794	(b)  Each county's allocation per full-time equivalent
795	student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall
796	be calculated annually by multiplying the base student
797	allocation provided in the General Appropriations Act by the
798	county's district cost differential provided in s. 1011.62(2).
799	Each private prekindergarten provider and public school shall be
800	paid in accordance with the county's allocation per full-time
801	equivalent student.
802	(4)  Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2):
803	(a)  A child who, for any of the prekindergarten programs
804	listed in s. 1002.53(3), has not completed more than 10 percent
805	of the hours authorized to be reported for funding under
806	subsection (2) may withdraw from the program for good cause,
807	reenroll in one of the programs, and be reported for funding
808	purposes as a full-time equivalent student in the program for
809	which the child is reenrolled.
810	(b)  A child who has not substantially completed any of the
811	prekindergarten programs listed in s. 1002.53(3) may withdraw
812	from the program due to an extreme hardship that is beyond the
813	child's or parent's control, reenroll in one of the programs,
814	and be reported for funding purposes as a full-time equivalent
815	student in the program for which the child is reenrolled.
816
817	A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program
818	under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten
819	program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw from
820	the program and reenroll. The Agency for Workforce Innovation
821	shall establish criteria specifying whether a good cause exists
822	for a child to withdraw from a program under paragraph (a),
823	whether a child has substantially completed a program under
824	paragraph (b), and whether an extreme hardship exists which is
825	beyond the child's or parent's control under paragraph (b).
826	(5)(a)  Each early learning coalition shall maintain
827	through the single point of entry established under s. 411.01 a
828	current database of the students enrolled in the Voluntary
829	Prekindergarten Education Program for each county within the
830	coalition's region.
831	(b)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
832	procedures for the payment of private prekindergarten providers
833	and public schools delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten
834	Education Program. The procedures shall provide for the advance
835	payment of providers and schools based upon student enrollment
836	in the program, the certification of student attendance, and the
837	reconciliation of advance payments in accordance with the
838	uniform attendance policy adopted under paragraph (6)(d). The
839	procedures shall provide for the monthly distribution of funds
840	by the Agency for Workforce Innovation to the early learning
841	coalitions for payment by the coalitions to private
842	prekindergarten providers and public schools. The department
843	shall transfer to the Agency for Workforce Innovation at least
844	once each quarter the funds available for payment to private
845	prekindergarten providers and public schools in accordance with
846	this paragraph from the funds appropriated for that purpose.
847	(6)(a)  Each parent enrolling his or her child in the
848	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must agree to comply
849	with the attendance policy of the private prekindergarten
850	provider or district school board, as applicable. Upon
851	enrollment of the child, the private prekindergarten provider or
852	public school, as applicable, must provide the child's parent
853	with a copy of the provider's or school district's attendance
854	policy, as applicable.
855	(b)1.  Each private prekindergarten provider's and district
856	school board's attendance policy must require the parent of each
857	student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to
858	verify, each month, the student's attendance on the prior
859	month's certified student attendance.
860	2.  The parent must submit the verification of the
861	student's attendance to the private prekindergarten provider or
862	public school on forms prescribed by the Agency for Workforce
863	Innovation. The forms must include, in addition to the
864	verification of the student's attendance, a certification, in
865	substantially the following form, that the parent continues to
866	choose the private prekindergarten provider or public school in
867	accordance with s. 1002.53 and directs that payments for the
868	program be made to the provider or school:
869
870	VERIFICATION OF STUDENT'S ATTENDANCE
871	AND CERTIFICATION OF PARENTAL CHOICE
872
873	I,  . . . (Name of Parent) . . . , swear (or affirm) that my
874	child, . . . (Name of Student) . . . , attended the Voluntary
875	Prekindergarten Education Program on the days listed above and
876	certify that I continue to choose  . . . (Name of Provider or
877	School) . . .  to deliver the program for my child and direct
878	that program funds be paid to the provider or school for my
879	child.
880	. . . (Signature of Parent) . . .
881	. . . (Date) . . .
882
883	3.  The private prekindergarten provider or public school
884	must keep each original signed form for at least 2 years. Each
885	private prekindergarten provider must permit the early learning
886	coalition, and each public school must permit the school
887	district, to inspect the original signed forms during normal
888	business hours. The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
889	procedures for early learning coalitions and school districts to
890	review the original signed forms against the certified student
891	attendance. The review procedures shall provide for the use of
892	selective inspection techniques, including, but not limited to,
893	random sampling. Each early learning coalition and school
894	district must comply with the review procedures.
895	(c)  A private prekindergarten provider or school district,
896	as applicable, may dismiss a student who does not comply with
897	the provider's or district's attendance policy. A student
898	dismissed under this paragraph is not removed from the Voluntary
899	Prekindergarten Education Program and may continue in the
900	program through reenrollment with another private
901	prekindergarten provider or public school. Notwithstanding s.
902	1002.53(6)(b), a school district is not required to provide for
903	the admission of a student dismissed under this paragraph.
904	(d)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt, for
905	funding purposes, a uniform attendance policy for the Voluntary
906	Prekindergarten Education Program. The attendance policy must
907	apply statewide and apply equally to all private prekindergarten
908	providers and public schools. The attendance policy must
909	establish a minimum requirement for student attendance and
910	include the following provisions:
911	1.  A student who meets the minimum requirement may be
912	reported as a full-time equivalent student for funding purposes.
913	2.  A student who does not meet the minimum requirement may
914	be reported only as a fractional part of a full-time equivalent
915	student, reduced pro rata based on the student's attendance.
916	3.  A student who does not meet the minimum requirement may
917	be reported as a full-time equivalent student if the student is
918	absent for good cause in accordance with exceptions specified in
919	the uniform attendance policy.
920
921	The uniform attendance policy shall be used only for funding
922	purposes and does not prohibit a private prekindergarten
923	provider or public school from adopting and enforcing its
924	attendance policy under paragraphs (a) and (c).
925	(7)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall require that
926	administrative expenditures be kept to the minimum necessary for
927	efficient and effective administration of the Voluntary
928	Prekindergarten Education Program. Each early learning coalition
929	may retain and expend no more than 5 percent of the funds paid
930	by the coalition to private prekindergarten providers and public
931	schools under paragraph (5)(b). Funds retained by an early
932	learning coalition under this subsection may be used only for
933	administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
934	and may not be used for the school readiness program or other
935	programs.
936	(8)  Except as otherwise expressly authorized by law, a
937	private prekindergarten provider or public school may not:
938	(a)  Require payment of a fee or charge for services
939	provided for a child enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
940	Education Program during a period reported for funding purposes;
941	or
942	(b)  Require a child to enroll for, or require the payment
943	of any fee or charge for, supplemental services as a condition
944	of admitting a child for enrollment in the Voluntary
945	Prekindergarten Education Program.
946	(9)  A parent is responsible for the transportation of his
947	or her child to and from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
948	Program, regardless of whether the program is delivered by a
949	private prekindergarten provider or a public school. However, a
950	provider or school may use part of the funds it is paid under
951	paragraph (5)(b) for transporting students to and from the
952	program. A student enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
953	Education Program may not be reported under s. 1011.68 for
954	student transportation funds.
955	1002.73  Department of Education; powers and duties;
956	accountability requirements.--
957	(1)  The department shall administer the accountability
958	requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
959	at the state level.
960	(2)  The department shall adopt procedures for the
961	department's:
962	(a)  Approval of prekindergarten director credentials under
963	ss. 1002.55 and 1002.57.
964	(b)  Approval of emergent literacy training courses under
965	ss. 1002.55 and 1002.59.
966	(c)  Certification of school districts that are eligible to
967	deliver the school-year prekindergarten program under s.
968	1002.63.
969	(d)  Administration of the statewide kindergarten screening
970	and calculation of kindergarten readiness rates under s.
971	1002.69.
972	(3)  Except as provided by law, the department may not
973	impose requirements on a private prekindergarten provider that
974	does not deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
975	or receive state funds under this part.
976	1002.75  Agency for Workforce Innovation; powers and
977	duties; operational requirements.--
978	(1)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall administer
979	the operational requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
980	Education Program at the state level.
981	(2)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
982	procedures governing the administration of the Voluntary
983	Prekindergarten Education Program by the early learning
984	coalitions and school districts for:
985	(a)  Enrolling children in and determining the eligibility
986	of children for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
987	under s. 1002.53.
988	(b)  Providing parents with profiles of private
989	prekindergarten providers and public schools under s. 1002.53.
990	(c)  Registering private prekindergarten providers and
991	public schools to deliver the program under ss. 1002.55,
992	1002.61, and 1002.63.
993	(d)  Determining the eligibility of private prekindergarten
994	providers to deliver the program under ss. 1002.55 and 1002.61.
995	(e)  Verifying the compliance of private prekindergarten
996	providers and public schools and removing providers or schools
997	from eligibility to deliver the program due to noncompliance or
998	misconduct as provided in s. 1002.67.
999	(f)  Paying private prekindergarten providers and public
1000	schools under s. 1002.71.
1001	(g)  Documenting and certifying student enrollment and
1002	student attendance under s. 1002.71.
1003	(h)  Reconciling advance payments in accordance with the
1004	uniform attendance policy under s. 1002.71.
1005	(i)  Reenrolling students dismissed by a private
1006	prekindergarten provider or public school for noncompliance with
1007	the provider's or school district's attendance policy under s.
1008	1002.71.
1009	(3)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt, in
1010	consultation with and subject to approval by the department,
1011	procedures governing the administration of the Voluntary
1012	Prekindergarten Education Program by the early learning
1013	coalitions and school districts for:
1014	(a)  Approving improvement plans of private prekindergarten
1015	providers and public schools under s. 1002.67.
1016	(b)  Placing private prekindergarten providers and public
1017	schools on probation and requiring corrective actions under s.
1018	1002.67.
1019	(c)  Removing a private prekindergarten provider or public
1020	school from eligibility to deliver the program due to the
1021	provider's or school's remaining on probation beyond the time
1022	permitted under s. 1002.67.
1023	(4)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall also adopt
1024	procedures for the agency's distribution of funds to early
1025	learning coalitions under s. 1002.71.
1026	(5)  Except as provided by law, the Agency for Workforce
1027	Innovation may not impose requirements on a private
1028	prekindergarten provider or public school that does not deliver
1029	the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or receive state
1030	funds under this part.
1031	1002.77  Florida Early Learning Advisory Council.--
1032	(1)  There is created the Florida Early Learning Advisory
1033	Council within the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The purpose
1034	of the advisory council is to submit recommendations to the
1035	department and the Agency for Workforce Innovation on the early
1036	learning policy of this state, including recommendations
1037	relating to administration of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
1038	Education Program under this part and the school readiness
1039	programs under s. 411.01.
1040	(2)  The advisory council shall be composed of the
1041	following members:
1042	(a)  The chair of the advisory council who shall be
1043	appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
1044	(b)  The chair of each early learning coalition.
1045	(c)  One member who shall be appointed by and serve at the
1046	pleasure of the President of the Senate.
1047	(d)  One member who shall be appointed by and serve at the
1048	pleasure of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
1049
1050	The chair of the advisory council appointed by the Governor and
1051	the members appointed by the presiding officers of the
1052	Legislature must each have a background in early learning.
1053	(3)  The advisory council shall meet at least quarterly but
1054	may meet as often as necessary to carry out its duties and
1055	responsibilities.
1056	(4)(a)  Each member of the advisory council shall serve
1057	without compensation but is entitled to receive reimbursement
1058	for per diem and travel expenses for attendance at council
1059	meetings as provided in s. 112.061.
1060	(b)  Each member of the advisory council is subject to the
1061	ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112.
1062	(c)  For purposes of tort liability, each member of the
1063	advisory council shall be governed by s. 768.28.
1064	(5)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall provide
1065	staff and administrative support for the advisory council.
1066	1002.79  Rulemaking authority.--
1067	(1)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules under
1068	ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer the provisions of this
1069	part conferring duties upon the department.
1070	(2)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt rules
1071	under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer the provisions of
1072	this part conferring duties upon the agency.
1073	Section 2.  Section 411.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to
1074	read:
1075	411.01  Florida Partnership for School readiness programs;
1076	early learning school readiness coalitions.--
1077	(1)  SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the "School
1078	Readiness Act."
1079	(2)  LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--
1080	(a)  The Legislature recognizes that school readiness
1081	programs increase children's chances of achieving future
1082	educational success and becoming productive members of society.
1083	It is the intent of the Legislature that the such programs be
1084	developmentally appropriate, research-based, involve parents as
1085	their child's first teacher, serve as preventive measures for
1086	children at risk of future school failure, enhance the
1087	educational readiness of eligible children, and support family
1088	education. Each school readiness program shall provide the
1089	elements necessary to prepare at-risk children for school,
1090	including health screening and referral and an appropriate
1091	educational program.
1092	(b)  It is the intent of the Legislature that school
1093	readiness programs be operated on a full-day, year-round basis
1094	to the maximum extent possible to enable parents to work and
1095	become financially self-sufficient.
1096	(c)  It is the intent of the Legislature that school
1097	readiness programs not exist as isolated programs, but build
1098	upon existing services and work in cooperation with other
1099	programs for young children, and that school readiness programs
1100	be coordinated and funding integrated to achieve full
1101	effectiveness.
1102	(d)  It is the intent of the Legislature that the
1103	administrative staff at the state level for school readiness
1104	programs be kept to the minimum necessary to administer carry
1105	out the duties of the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1106	Partnership for School Readiness, as the school readiness
1107	programs are to be regionally locally designed, operated, and
1108	managed, with the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1109	Partnership for School Readiness adopting a system for measuring
1110	school readiness; developing school readiness program
1111	performance standards and, outcome measures measurements, and
1112	data design and review; and approving and reviewing early
1113	learning coalitions and local school readiness coalitions and
1114	plans.
1115	(e)  It is the intent of the Legislature that
1116	appropriations for combined school readiness programs shall not
1117	be less than the programs would receive in any fiscal year on an
1118	uncombined basis.
1119	(f)  It is the intent of the Legislature that the school
1120	readiness program coordinate and operate in conjunction with the
1121	district school systems. However, it is also the intent of the
1122	Legislature that the school readiness program not be construed
1123	as part of the system of free public schools but rather as a
1124	separate program for children under the age of kindergarten
1125	eligibility, funded separately from the system of free public
1126	schools, utilizing a mandatory sliding fee scale, and providing
1127	an integrated and seamless system of school readiness services
1128	for the state's birth-to-kindergarten population.
1129	(g)  It is the intent of the Legislature that the federal
1130	child care income tax credit be preserved for school readiness
1131	programs.
1132	(h)  It is the intent of the Legislature that school
1133	readiness services shall be an integrated and seamless system of
1134	services with a developmentally appropriate education component
1135	for the state's eligible birth-to-kindergarten population
1136	described in subsection (6) and shall not be construed as part
1137	of the seamless K-20 education system except for the
1138	administration of the uniform screening system upon entry into
1139	kindergarten.
1140	(3)  PARENTAL PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS
1141	PROGRAM.--
1142	(a)  The school readiness program shall be phased in on a
1143	coalition-by-coalition basis. Each coalition's school readiness
1144	program shall have available to it funding from all the
1145	coalition's early education and child care programs that are
1146	funded with state, federal, lottery, or local funds, including
1147	but not limited to Florida First Start programs, Even-Start
1148	literacy programs, prekindergarten early intervention programs,
1149	Head Start programs, programs offered by public and private
1150	providers of child care, migrant prekindergarten programs, Title
1151	I programs, subsidized child care programs, and teen parent
1152	programs, together with any additional funds appropriated or
1153	obtained for purposes of this section.  These programs and their
1154	funding streams shall be components of the coalition's
1155	integrated school readiness program, with the goal of preparing
1156	children for success in school.
1157	(b)  Nothing contained in This section does not act is
1158	intended to:
1159	(a)1.  Relieve parents and guardians of their own
1160	obligations to prepare ready their children for school; or
1161	(b)2.  Create any obligation to provide publicly funded
1162	school readiness programs or services beyond those authorized by
1163	the Legislature.
1164	(4)  AGENCY FOR WORKFORCE INNOVATION FLORIDA PARTNERSHIP
1165	FOR SCHOOL READINESS.--
1166	(a)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall Florida
1167	Partnership for School Readiness was created to fulfill three
1168	major purposes: to administer school readiness programs at the
1169	state level and shall program services that help parents prepare
1170	eligible children for school; to coordinate the early learning
1171	coalitions in providing provision of school readiness services
1172	on a full-day, full-year, full-choice basis to the extent
1173	possible in order to enable parents to work and be financially
1174	self-sufficient; and to establish a uniform screening instrument
1175	to be implemented by the Department of Education and
1176	administered by the school districts upon entry into
1177	kindergarten to assess the readiness for school of all children.
1178	Readiness for kindergarten is the outcome measure of the success
1179	of each school readiness program that receives state or federal
1180	funds. The partnership is assigned to the Agency for Workforce
1181	Innovation for administrative purposes.
1182	(b)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1183	Partnership for School Readiness shall:
1184	1.  Coordinate the birth-to-kindergarten services for
1185	children who are eligible under pursuant to subsection (6) and
1186	the programmatic, administrative, and fiscal standards under
1187	pursuant to this section for all public providers of school
1188	readiness programs.
1189	2.  Continue to provide unified leadership for school
1190	readiness through early learning local school readiness
1191	coalitions.
1192	3.  Focus on improving the educational quality of all
1193	publicly funded school readiness programs.
1194	(c)1.  The Florida Partnership for School Readiness shall
1195	include the Lieutenant Governor, the Commissioner of Education,
1196	the Secretary of Children and Family Services, and the Secretary
1197	of Health, or their designees, and the chair of the Child Care
1198	Executive Partnership Board, and the chairperson of the Board of
1199	Directors of Workforce Florida, Inc. When the Lieutenant
1200	Governor or an agency head appoints a designee, the designee
1201	must be an individual who attends consistently, and, in the
1202	event that the Lieutenant Governor or agency head and his or her
1203	designee both attend a meeting, only one of them may vote.
1204	2.  The partnership shall also include 14 members of the
1205	public who shall be business, community, and civic leaders in
1206	the state who are not elected to public office. These members
1207	and their families must not have a direct contract with any
1208	local coalition to provide school readiness services. The
1209	members must be geographically and demographically
1210	representative of the state. Each member shall be appointed by
1211	the Governor from a list of nominees submitted by the President
1212	of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
1213	By July 1, 2001, four members shall be appointed as follows: two
1214	members shall be from the child care industry, one representing
1215	the private for-profit sector appointed by the Governor from a
1216	list of two nominees submitted by the President of the Senate
1217	and one representing faith-based providers appointed by the
1218	Governor from a list of two nominees submitted by the Speaker of
1219	the House of Representatives; and two members shall be from the
1220	business community, one appointed by the Governor from a list of
1221	two nominees submitted by the President of the Senate and one
1222	appointed by the Governor from a list of two nominees submitted
1223	by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Members shall be
1224	appointed to 4-year terms of office. The members of the
1225	partnership shall elect a chairperson annually from the
1226	nongovernmental members of the partnership. Any vacancy on the
1227	partnership shall be filled in the same manner as the original
1228	appointment.
1229	(d)  The partnership shall meet at least quarterly but may
1230	meet as often as it deems necessary to carry out its duties and
1231	responsibilities. Members of the partnership shall participate
1232	without proxy at the quarterly meetings. The partnership may
1233	take official action by a majority vote of the members present
1234	at any meeting at which a quorum is present.
1235	(e)  Members of the partnership are subject to the ethics
1236	provisions in part III of chapter 112, and no member may derive
1237	any financial benefit from the funds administered by the Florida
1238	Partnership for School Readiness.
1239	(f)  Members of the partnership shall serve without
1240	compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and
1241	travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as
1242	provided in s. 112.061, and reimbursement for other reasonable,
1243	necessary, and actual expenses.
1244	(g)  For the purposes of tort liability, the members of the
1245	partnership and its employees shall be governed by s. 768.28.
1246	(h)  The partnership shall appoint an executive director
1247	who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The executive
1248	director shall perform the duties assigned to him or her by the
1249	partnership. The executive director shall be responsible for
1250	hiring, subject to the approval of the partnership, all
1251	employees and staff members, who shall serve under his or her
1252	direction and control.
1253	(c)(i)  For purposes of administration of the federal Child
1254	Care and Development Fund, 45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99, the Agency
1255	for Workforce Innovation partnership may be designated by the
1256	Governor as the lead agency, and, if so designated, shall comply
1257	with the lead agency responsibilities under pursuant to federal
1258	law.
1259	(d)(j)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1260	Partnership for School Readiness is the principal organization
1261	responsible for the enhancement of school readiness for the
1262	state's children, and shall:
1263	1.  Be responsible for the prudent use of all public and
1264	private funds in accordance with all legal and contractual
1265	requirements.
1266	2.  Provide final approval and periodic review of early
1267	learning coalitions and school readiness plans.
1268	3.  Provide leadership for the enhancement of school
1269	readiness in this state by aggressively establishing a unified
1270	approach to the state's efforts toward enhancement of school
1271	readiness. In support of this effort, the Agency for Workforce
1272	Innovation partnership may develop and implement specific
1273	strategies that address the state's school readiness programs.
1274	4.  Safeguard the effective use of federal, state, local,
1275	and private resources to achieve the highest possible level of
1276	school readiness for the state's children in this state.
1277	5.  Provide technical assistance to early learning
1278	coalitions.
1279	6.  Assess gaps in service.
1280	7.  Provide technical assistance to counties that form a
1281	multicounty region served by an early learning coalition.
1282	8.a.  Adopt a system for measuring school readiness that
1283	provides objective data regarding the expectations for school
1284	readiness, and establish a method for collecting the data and
1285	guidelines for using the data. The measurement, the data
1286	collection, and the use of the data must serve the statewide
1287	school readiness goal. The criteria for determining which data
1288	to collect should be the usefulness of the data to state
1289	policymakers and local program administrators in administering
1290	programs and allocating state funds, and must include the
1291	tracking of school readiness system information back to
1292	individual school readiness programs to assist in determining
1293	program effectiveness.
1294	b.  Adopt a system for evaluating the performance of
1295	students through the third grade to compare the performance of
1296	those who participated in school readiness programs with the
1297	performance of students who did not participate in school
1298	readiness programs in order to identify strategies for continued
1299	successful student performance.
1300	8.9.  Develop and adopt performance standards and outcome
1301	measures for school readiness programs. The performance
1302	standards must address the age-appropriate progress of children
1303	in the development of the school readiness skills required under
1304	paragraph (j). The performance standards for children from birth
1305	to 3 years of age in school readiness programs must be
1306	integrated with the performance standards adopted by the
1307	Department of Education for children in the Voluntary
1308	Prekindergarten Education Program under s. 1002.67.
1309	(e)(k)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership may
1310	adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 necessary to
1311	administer the provisions of law conferring duties upon the
1312	agency, including, but not limited this section which relate to,
1313	rules governing the preparation preparing and implementation of
1314	implementing the system for school readiness system, the
1315	collection of collecting data, the approval of early learning
1316	approving local school readiness coalitions and school readiness
1317	plans, the provision of providing a method whereby an early
1318	learning a coalition may can serve two or more counties, the
1319	award of awarding incentives to early learning coalitions, and
1320	the issuance of issuing waivers.
1321	(f)(l)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1322	Partnership for School Readiness shall have all powers necessary
1323	to administer carry out the purposes of this section, including,
1324	but not limited to, the power to receive and accept grants,
1325	loans, or advances of funds from any public or private agency
1326	and to receive and accept from any source contributions of
1327	money, property, labor, or any other thing of value, to be held,
1328	used, and applied for the purposes of this section.
1329	(g)  Except as provided by law, the Agency for Workforce
1330	Innovation may not impose requirements on a child care or early
1331	childhood education provider that does not deliver services
1332	under a school readiness program or receive state or federal
1333	funds under this section.
1334	(h)(m)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
1335	Partnership for School Readiness shall have a budget for the
1336	school readiness system, which and shall be financed through an
1337	annual appropriation made for purposes of this section purpose
1338	in the General Appropriations Act.
1339	(i)(n)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1340	shall coordinate the efforts toward school readiness in this
1341	state and provide independent policy analyses and
1342	recommendations to the Governor, the State Board of Education,
1343	and the Legislature.
1344	(j)(o)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall require
1345	that each early learning coalition's The partnership shall
1346	prepare and submit to the State Board of Education a system for
1347	measuring school readiness program. The system must, at a
1348	minimum, enhance the age-appropriate progress of each child in
1349	the development of include a uniform screening, which shall
1350	provide objective data regarding the following expectations for
1351	school readiness skills which shall include, at a minimum:
1352	1.  The child's immunizations and other health requirements
1353	as necessary, including appropriate vision and hearing screening
1354	and examinations.
1355	2.  The child's physical development.
1356	1.3.  The child's Compliance with rules, limitations, and
1357	routines.
1358	2.4.  The child's Ability to perform tasks.
1359	3.5.  The child's Interactions with adults.
1360	4.6.  The child's Interactions with peers.
1361	5.7.  The child's Ability to cope with challenges.
1362	6.8.  The child's Self-help skills.
1363	7.9.  The child's Ability to express the child's his or her
1364	needs.
1365	8.10.  The child's Verbal communication skills.
1366	9.11.  The child's Problem-solving skills.
1367	10.12.  The child's Following of verbal directions.
1368	11.13.  The child's Demonstration of curiosity,
1369	persistence, and exploratory behavior.
1370	12.14.  The child's Interest in books and other printed
1371	materials.
1372	13.15.  The child's Paying attention to stories.
1373	14.16.  The child's Participation in art and music
1374	activities.
1375	15.17.  The child's Ability to identify colors, geometric
1376	shapes, letters of the alphabet, numbers, and spatial and
1377	temporal relationships.
1378
1379	The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall also require that,
1380	before a child is enrolled in an early learning coalition's
1381	school readiness program, the coalition must ensure that
1382	information is obtained by the coalition or the school readiness
1383	provider regarding the child's immunizations, physical
1384	development, and other health requirements as necessary,
1385	including appropriate vision and hearing screening and
1386	examinations.
1387	(p)  The partnership shall prepare a plan for implementing
1388	the system for measuring school readiness in such a way that all
1389	children in this state will undergo the uniform screening
1390	established by the partnership when they enter kindergarten.
1391	Children who enter public school for the first time in first
1392	grade must undergo a uniform screening approved by the
1393	partnership for use in first grade. Because children with
1394	disabilities may not be able to meet all of the identified
1395	expectations for school readiness, the plan for measuring school
1396	readiness shall incorporate mechanisms for recognizing the
1397	potential variations in expectations for school readiness when
1398	serving children with disabilities and shall provide for
1399	communities to serve children with disabilities.
1400	(k)(q)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1401	shall conduct studies and planning activities related to the
1402	overall improvement and effectiveness of the outcome school
1403	readiness measures adopted by the agency for school readiness
1404	programs.
1405	(l)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall monitor and
1406	evaluate the performance of each early learning coalition in
1407	administering the school readiness program, implementing the
1408	coalition's school readiness plan, and administering the
1409	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. These monitoring
1410	and performance evaluations must include, at a minimum, onsite
1411	monitoring of each coalition's finances, management, operations,
1412	and programs.
1413	(m)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall identify
1414	best practices of early learning coalitions in order to improve
1415	the outcomes of school readiness programs.
1416	(r)  The partnership shall establish procedures for
1417	performance-based budgeting in school readiness programs.
1418	(n)(s)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1419	shall submit an annual report of its activities conducted under
1420	this section to the Governor, the executive director of the
1421	Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, the President of the Senate,
1422	the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the minority
1423	leaders of both houses of the Legislature. In addition, the
1424	Agency for Workforce Innovation's partnership's reports and
1425	recommendations shall be made available to the State Board of
1426	Education, the Florida Early Learning Advisory Council, other
1427	appropriate state agencies and entities, district school boards,
1428	central agencies for child care, and county health departments.
1429	The annual report must provide an analysis of school readiness
1430	activities across the state, including the number of children
1431	who were served in the programs and the number of children who
1432	were ready for school.
1433	(o)(t)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1434	shall work with the early learning school readiness coalitions
1435	to increase parents' training for and involvement in their
1436	children's preschool education and to provide family literacy
1437	activities and programs.
1438
1439	To ensure that the system for measuring school readiness is
1440	comprehensive and appropriate statewide, as the system is
1441	developed and implemented, the partnership must consult with
1442	representatives of district school systems, providers of public
1443	and private child care, health care providers, large and small
1444	employers, experts in education for children with disabilities,
1445	and experts in child development.
1446	(5)  CREATION OF EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL READINESS
1447	COALITIONS.--
1448	(a)  Early learning School readiness coalitions.--
1449	1.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall establish the
1450	minimum number of children to be served by each early learning
1451	coalition through the coalition's school readiness program. The
1452	Agency for Workforce Innovation may only approve school
1453	readiness plans in accordance with this minimum number. The
1454	minimum number must be uniform for every early learning
1455	coalition and must:
1456	a.  Permit 30 or fewer coalitions to be established; and
1457	b.  Require each coalition to serve at least 2,000 children
1458	based upon the average number of all children served per month
1459	through the coalition's school readiness program during the
1460	previous 12 months.
1461
1462	The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt procedures for
1463	merging early learning coalitions, including procedures for the
1464	consolidation of merging coalitions, and for the early
1465	termination of the terms of coalition members which are
1466	necessary to accomplish the mergers. Each early learning
1467	coalition must comply with the merger procedures and shall be
1468	organized in accordance with this subparagraph by April 1, 2005.
1469	By June 30, 2005, each coalition must complete the transfer of
1470	powers, duties, functions, rules, records, personnel, property,
1471	and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and
1472	other funds to the successor coalition, if applicable.
1473	2.1.  If an early learning coalition a coalition's plan
1474	would serve fewer less than 400 birth-to-kindergarten age
1475	children than the minimum number established under subparagraph
1476	1., the coalition must merge either join with another county to
1477	form a multicounty coalition. However, the Agency for Workforce
1478	Innovation may authorize an early learning coalition to serve
1479	fewer children than the minimum number established under
1480	subparagraph 1., if:
1481	a.  The coalition demonstrates to the Agency for Workforce
1482	Innovation that merging with another county or multicounty
1483	region contiguous to the coalition would cause an extreme
1484	hardship on the coalition;
1485	b.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation has determined
1486	during the most recent annual review of the coalition's school
1487	readiness plan, or through monitoring and performance
1488	evaluations conducted under paragraph (4)(l), that the coalition
1489	has substantially implemented its plan and substantially met the
1490	performance standards and outcome measures adopted by the
1491	agency; and
1492	c.  The coalition demonstrates to the Agency for Workforce
1493	Innovation the coalition's, enter an agreement with a fiscal
1494	agent to serve more than one coalition, or demonstrate to the
1495	partnership its ability to effectively and efficiently implement
1496	the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program its plan as a
1497	single-county coalition and meet all required performance
1498	standards and outcome measures.
1499
1500	If an early learning coalition fails or refuses to merge as
1501	required by this subparagraph, the Agency for Workforce
1502	Innovation may dissolve the coalition and temporarily contract
1503	with a qualified entity to continue school readiness and
1504	prekindergarten services in the coalition's county or
1505	multicounty region until the coalition is reestablished through
1506	resubmission of a school readiness plan and approval by the
1507	agency.
1508	3.  Each early learning coalition shall be composed of at
1509	least 18 members but not more than 35 members. The Agency for
1510	Workforce Innovation shall adopt standards establishing within
1511	this range the minimum and maximum number of members that may be
1512	appointed to an early learning coalition. These standards must
1513	include variations for a coalition serving a multicounty region.
1514	Each early learning coalition must comply with these standards.
1515	4.  The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other
1516	members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet the
1517	same qualifications as private-sector business members appointed
1518	by the coalition under subparagraph 6.
1519	5.2.  Each early learning coalition shall have at least 18
1520	but not more than 25 members and such members must include the
1521	following members:
1522	a.  A Department of Children and Family Services district
1523	administrator or his or her designee who is authorized to make
1524	decisions on behalf of the department.
1525	b.  A district superintendent of schools or his or her
1526	designee who is authorized to make decisions on behalf of the
1527	district, who shall be a nonvoting member.
1528	c.  A regional workforce development board executive chair
1529	or director or his or her designee, where applicable.
1530	d.  A county health department director or his or her
1531	designee.
1532	e.  A children's services council or juvenile welfare board
1533	chair or executive director, if applicable, who shall be a
1534	nonvoting member if the council or board is the fiscal agent of
1535	the coalition or if the council or board contracts with and
1536	receives funds from the coalition.
1537	f.  An agency head of a local child care licensing agency
1538	as defined in s. 402.302, where applicable head.
1539	g.  A president of a community college or his or her
1540	designee.
1541	g.  One member appointed by a Department of Children and
1542	Family Services district administrator.
1543	h.  One member appointed by a board of county
1544	commissioners.
1545	i.  One member appointed by a district school board.
1546	i.j.  A central child care agency administrator, where
1547	applicable, who shall be a nonvoting member.
1548	j.k.  A Head Start director, who shall be a nonvoting
1549	member.
1550	k.l.  A representative of private child care providers,
1551	including family day care homes, who shall be a nonvoting
1552	member.
1553	l.m.  A representative of faith-based child care providers,
1554	who shall be a nonvoting member.
1555	m.  A representative of programs for children with
1556	disabilities under the federal Individuals with Disabilities
1557	Education Act, who shall be a nonvoting member.
1558	6.  Including the members appointed by the Governor under
1559	subparagraph 4., more than one-third of the coalition members of
1560	each early learning coalition must be private-sector business
1561	members who do not have, and none of whose relatives as defined
1562	in s. 112.3143 has, a substantial financial interest in the
1563	design or delivery of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
1564	Program created under part V of chapter 1002 or the coalition's
1565	school readiness program from the private sector, and neither
1566	they nor their families may earn an income from the early
1567	education and child care industry. To meet this requirement an
1568	early learning a coalition must appoint additional members from
1569	a list of nominees submitted presented to the coalition by a
1570	chamber of commerce or economic development council within the
1571	geographic region served by area of the coalition. The Agency
1572	for Workforce Innovation shall establish criteria for appointing
1573	private-sector business members. These criteria must include
1574	standards for determining whether a member or relative has a
1575	substantial financial interest in the design or delivery of the
1576	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the coalition's
1577	school readiness program.
1578	7.  A majority of the voting membership of an early
1579	learning coalition constitutes a quorum required to conduct the
1580	business of the coalition.
1581	8.3.  A voting No member of an early learning a coalition
1582	may not appoint a designee to act in his or her place, except as
1583	otherwise provided in this paragraph. A voting member may send a
1584	representative to coalition meetings, but that representative
1585	does not will have no voting privileges. When a district
1586	superintendent of schools or a district administrator for the
1587	Department of Children and Family Services appoints a designee
1588	to an early learning a school readiness coalition, the designee
1589	is will be the voting member of the coalition, and any
1590	individual attending in the designee's his or her place,
1591	including the district administrator or superintendent, does not
1592	will have no voting privileges.
1593	9.4.  Each member Members of an early learning the
1594	coalition is are subject to ss. 112.313, 112.3135, and 112.3143
1595	the ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112. For purposes
1596	of s. 112.3143(3)(a), each voting member is a local public
1597	officer who must abstain from voting when a voting conflict
1598	exists.
1599	10.5.  For the purposes of tort liability, each member or
1600	employee of an early learning the members of the school
1601	readiness coalition and its employees shall be governed by s.
1602	768.28.
1603	11.6.  An early learning coalition serving a multicounty
1604	region must coalitions shall include representation from each
1605	county.
1606	12.7.  Each early learning coalition shall establish The
1607	terms for of all appointed members of the coalition. The terms
1608	must be staggered and must be a uniform length that does not
1609	exceed 4 years per term. Appointed members may serve a maximum
1610	of two consecutive terms. When a vacancy occurs in an appointed
1611	position, the coalition must advertise the vacancy.
1612	(b)  Program participation.--The school readiness program
1613	shall be established for children from birth to the beginning of
1614	the school year for which a child is eligible for admission to 5
1615	years of age or until the child enters kindergarten in a public
1616	school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. The program shall be
1617	administered by the early learning school readiness coalition.
1618	Within funding limitations, the early learning school readiness
1619	coalition, along with all providers, shall make reasonable
1620	efforts to accommodate the needs of children for extended-day
1621	and extended-year services without compromising the quality of
1622	the program.
1623	(c)  Program expectations.--
1624	1.  The school readiness program must meet the following
1625	expectations:
1626	a.  The program must, at a minimum, enhance the age-
1627	appropriate progress of each child in the development of the
1628	school readiness skills required under paragraph (4)(j) prepare
1629	preschool children to enter kindergarten ready to learn, as
1630	measured by the performance standards and outcome measures
1631	adopted criteria established by the Agency for Workforce
1632	Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
1633	b.  The program must provide extended-day and extended-year
1634	services to the maximum extent possible to meet the needs of
1635	parents who work.
1636	c.  There must be coordinated staff development and
1637	teaching opportunities.
1638	d.  There must be expanded access to community services and
1639	resources for families to help achieve economic self-
1640	sufficiency.
1641	e.  There must be a single point of entry and unified
1642	waiting list. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term "single
1643	point of entry" means an integrated information system that
1644	allows a parent to enroll his or her child in the school
1645	readiness program at various locations throughout the county or
1646	multicounty region served by an early learning coalition, that
1647	may allow a parent to enroll his or her child by telephone or
1648	through an Internet website, and that uses a unified waiting
1649	list to track eligible children waiting for enrollment in the
1650	school readiness program. The Agency for Workforce Innovation
1651	shall establish a single statewide information system that
1652	integrates each early learning coalition's single point of
1653	entry, and each coalition must use the statewide system.
1654	f.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation must consider the
1655	access of eligible children to the school readiness program, as
1656	demonstrated in part by waiting lists, before approving a
1657	proposed increase in payment rates submitted by an early
1658	learning coalition. In addition, early learning coalitions shall
1659	use school readiness funds made available due to enrollment
1660	shifts from school readiness programs to the Voluntary
1661	Prekindergarten Education Program for increasing the number of
1662	children served in school readiness programs before increasing
1663	payment rates.
1664	f.  As long as funding or eligible populations do not
1665	decrease, the program must serve at least as many children as
1666	were served prior to implementation of the program.
1667	g.  There must be a community plan to address the needs of
1668	all eligible children.
1669	h.  The program must meet all state licensing guidelines,
1670	where applicable.
1671	2.  The early learning school readiness coalition must
1672	implement a comprehensive program of school readiness services
1673	that enhance the cognitive, social, and physical development of
1674	children to achieve the performance standards and outcome
1675	measures adopted specified by the Agency for Workforce
1676	Innovation partnership. At a minimum, these programs must
1677	contain the following elements:
1678	a.  Developmentally appropriate curriculum designed to
1679	enhance the age-appropriate progress of children in attaining
1680	the performance standards adopted by the Agency for Workforce
1681	Innovation under subparagraph (4)(d)8.
1682	b.  A character development program to develop basic
1683	values.
1684	c.  An age-appropriate assessment of each child's
1685	development.
1686	d.  A pretest administered to children when they enter a
1687	program and a posttest administered to children when they leave
1688	the program.
1689	e.  An appropriate staff-to-children staff-to-child ratio.
1690	f.  A healthy healthful and safe environment.
1691	g.  A resource and referral network to assist parents in
1692	making an informed choice.
1693	(d)  Implementation.--
1694	1.  An early learning coalition may not implement the
1695	school readiness program is to be phased in. until the coalition
1696	is authorized implements its plan, the county shall continue to
1697	receive the services identified in subsection (3) through the
1698	various agencies that would be responsible for delivering those
1699	services under current law. Plan implementation is subject to
1700	approval of the coalition's school readiness coalition and the
1701	plan by the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership
1702	for School Readiness.
1703	2.  Each early learning school readiness coalition shall
1704	develop a plan for implementing the school readiness program to
1705	meet the requirements of this section and the performance
1706	standards and outcome measures adopted established by the Agency
1707	for Workforce Innovation partnership. The plan must include a
1708	written description of the role of the program in the
1709	coalition's effort to meet the first state education goal,
1710	readiness to start school, including a description of the plan
1711	to involve the prekindergarten early intervention programs, Head
1712	Start Programs, programs offered by public or private providers
1713	of child care, preschool programs for children with
1714	disabilities, programs for migrant children, Title I programs,
1715	subsidized child care programs, and teen parent programs. The
1716	plan must also demonstrate how the program will ensure that each
1717	3-year-old and 4-year-old child in a publicly funded school
1718	readiness program receives scheduled activities and instruction
1719	designed to enhance the age-appropriate progress of the prepare
1720	children in attaining the performance standards adopted by the
1721	Agency for Workforce Innovation under subparagraph (4)(d)8. to
1722	enter kindergarten ready to learn. Before implementing Prior to
1723	implementation of the school readiness program, the early
1724	learning school readiness coalition must submit the plan to the
1725	Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership for approval. The
1726	Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership may approve the
1727	plan, reject the plan, or approve the plan with conditions. The
1728	Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
1729	Readiness shall review school readiness coalition plans at least
1730	annually.
1731	3.  If the Agency for Workforce Innovation determines
1732	during the annual review of school readiness plans, or through
1733	monitoring and performance evaluations conducted under paragraph
1734	(4)(l), that an early learning coalition has not substantially
1735	implemented its plan, has not substantially met the performance
1736	standards and outcome measures adopted by the agency, or has not
1737	effectively administered the school readiness program or
1738	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, the Agency for
1739	Workforce Innovation may dissolve the coalition and temporarily
1740	contract with a qualified entity to continue school readiness
1741	and prekindergarten services in the coalition's county or
1742	multicounty region until the coalition is reestablished through
1743	resubmission of a school readiness plan and approval by the
1744	agency.
1745	4.3.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
1746	criteria for the approval of school readiness plans. The
1747	criteria must be consistent with the performance standards and
1748	outcome measures adopted by the agency and must require each
1749	approved plan to for the school readiness program must include
1750	the following minimum standards and provisions:
1751	a.  A sliding fee scale establishing a copayment for
1752	parents based upon their ability to pay, which is the same for
1753	all program providers, to be implemented and reflected in each
1754	program's budget.
1755	b.  A choice of settings and locations in licensed,
1756	registered, religious-exempt, or school-based programs to be
1757	provided to parents.
1758	c.  Instructional staff who have completed the training
1759	course as required in s. 402.305(2)(d)1., as well as staff who
1760	have additional training or credentials as required by the
1761	Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The plan must
1762	provide a method for assuring the qualifications of all
1763	personnel in all program settings.
1764	d.  Specific eligibility priorities for children within the
1765	early learning coalition's county or multicounty region in
1766	accordance with pursuant to subsection (6).
1767	e.  Performance standards and outcome measures adopted
1768	established by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1769	or alternatively, standards and outcome measures to be used
1770	until such time as the partnership adopts such standards and
1771	outcome measures.
1772	f.  Payment Reimbursement rates adopted that have been
1773	developed by the early learning coalition and approved by the
1774	Agency for Workforce Innovation. Payment Reimbursement rates may
1775	shall not have the effect of limiting parental choice or
1776	creating standards or levels of services that have not been
1777	authorized by the Legislature.
1778	g.  Systems support services, including a central agency,
1779	child care resource and referral, eligibility determinations,
1780	training of providers, and parent support and involvement.
1781	h.  Direct enhancement services to families and children.
1782	System support and direct enhancement services shall be in
1783	addition to payments for the placement of children in school
1784	readiness programs.
1785	i.  The A business organization of the early learning
1786	coalition plan, which must include the coalition's articles of
1787	incorporation and bylaws if the coalition is organized as a
1788	corporation. If the coalition is not organized as a corporation
1789	or other business entity, the plan must include the contract
1790	with a fiscal school readiness agent if the coalition is not a
1791	legally established corporate entity. An early learning
1792	coalition Coalitions may contract with other coalitions to
1793	achieve efficiency in multicounty multiple-county services, and
1794	these such contracts may be part of the coalition's school
1795	readiness business plan.
1796	j.  Strategies to meet the needs of unique populations,
1797	such as migrant workers.
1798
1799	As part of the school readiness plan, the early learning
1800	coalition may request the Governor to apply for a waiver to
1801	allow the coalition to administer the Head Start Program to
1802	accomplish the purposes of the school readiness program. If a
1803	any school readiness plan demonstrates can demonstrate that
1804	specific statutory goals can be achieved more effectively by
1805	using procedures that require modification of existing rules,
1806	policies, or procedures, a request for a waiver to the Agency
1807	for Workforce Innovation partnership may be submitted made as
1808	part of the plan. Upon review, the Agency for Workforce
1809	Innovation partnership may grant the proposed modification.
1810	5.4.  Persons with an early childhood teaching certificate
1811	may provide support and supervision to other staff in the school
1812	readiness program.
1813	6.5.  An early learning The coalition may not implement its
1814	school readiness plan until it submits the plan to and receives
1815	approval from the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership.
1816	Once the plan is has been approved, the plan and the services
1817	provided under the plan shall be controlled by the early
1818	learning coalition rather than by the state agencies or
1819	departments. The plan shall be reviewed and revised as
1820	necessary, but at least biennially. An early learning coalition
1821	may not implement the revisions until the coalition submits the
1822	revised plan to and receives approval from the Agency for
1823	Workforce Innovation. If the Agency for Workforce Innovation
1824	rejects a revised plan, the coalition must continue to operate
1825	under its prior approved plan.
1826	7.6.  Sections The following statutes will not apply to
1827	local coalitions with approved plans: ss. 125.901(2)(a)3.,
1828	411.221, and 411.232 do not apply to an early learning coalition
1829	with an approved school readiness plan. To facilitate innovative
1830	practices and to allow the regional local establishment of
1831	school readiness programs, an early learning a school readiness
1832	coalition may apply to the Governor and Cabinet for a waiver of,
1833	and the Governor and Cabinet may waive, any of the provisions of
1834	ss. 411.223, 411.232, and 1003.54, if the waiver is necessary
1835	for implementation of the coalition's school readiness plan.
1836	8.7.  Two or more counties may join for purposes the
1837	purpose of planning and implementing a school readiness program.
1838	9.8.  An early learning A coalition may, subject to
1839	approval by of the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
1840	as part of the coalition's school readiness plan, receive
1841	subsidized child care funds for all children eligible for any
1842	federal subsidized child care program and be the provider of the
1843	program services.
1844	10.9.  An early learning coalition may Coalitions are
1845	authorized to enter into multiparty contracts with multicounty
1846	service providers in order to meet the needs of unique
1847	populations such as migrant workers.
1848	(e)  Requests for proposals; payment schedule.--
1849	1.  At least once every 3 years, beginning July 1, 2001,
1850	Each early learning coalition must comply with follow the
1851	competitive procurement requirements of s. 287.057 for the
1852	procurement of commodities or contractual services from the
1853	funds described in paragraph (9)(d) school readiness programs.
1854	The period of a contract for purchase of these commodities or
1855	contractual services, together with any renewal of the original
1856	contract, may not exceed 3 years.
1857	2.  Each early learning coalition shall adopt develop a
1858	payment schedule that encompasses all programs funded by the
1859	that coalition under this section. The payment schedule must
1860	take into consideration the relevant market rate, must include
1861	the projected number of children to be served, and must be
1862	submitted for approval by to the Agency for Workforce Innovation
1863	partnership for information. Informal child care arrangements
1864	shall be reimbursed at not more than 50 percent of the rate
1865	developed for a family day care home childcare.
1866	(f)  Requirements relating to fiscal agents.--If an early
1867	learning the local coalition is not a legally organized as a
1868	corporation or other business established corporate entity, the
1869	coalition must designate a fiscal agent, which may be a public
1870	entity, or a private nonprofit organization, or a certified
1871	public accountant who holds a license under chapter 473. The
1872	fiscal agent must shall be required to provide financial and
1873	administrative services under pursuant to a contract or
1874	agreement with the early learning school readiness coalition.
1875	The fiscal agent may not provide direct early childhood
1876	education or child care services; however, a fiscal agent may
1877	provide those such services upon written request of the early
1878	learning coalition to the Agency for Workforce Innovation
1879	partnership and upon the approval of the such request by the
1880	agency partnership. The cost of the financial and administrative
1881	services shall be negotiated between the fiscal agent and the
1882	early learning school readiness coalition. If the fiscal agent
1883	is a provider of early childhood education and child care
1884	programs, the contract must specify that the fiscal agent shall
1885	will act on policy direction from the early learning coalition
1886	and must will not receive policy direction from its own
1887	corporate board regarding disbursal of the coalition's coalition
1888	funds. The fiscal agent shall disburse funds in accordance with
1889	the early learning coalition's approved coalition school
1890	readiness plan and based on billing and disbursement procedures
1891	approved by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The
1892	fiscal agent must conform to all data-reporting requirements
1893	established by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership.
1894	(g)  Evaluation and annual report.--Each early learning
1895	school readiness coalition shall conduct an evaluation of the
1896	effectiveness of the school readiness program, including
1897	performance standards and outcome measures, and shall provide an
1898	annual report and fiscal statement to the Agency for Workforce
1899	Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness. This report
1900	must conform to the content and format specifications set by the
1901	Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
1902	Readiness. The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership must
1903	include an analysis of the early learning coalitions' coalition
1904	reports in the agency's its annual report.
1905	(6)  PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY.--Each early learning coalition's
1906	The school readiness program shall be established for children
1907	from birth to the beginning of the school year for which a child
1908	is eligible for admission to under the age of kindergarten in a
1909	public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. eligibility. Priority for
1910	participation in the school readiness program shall be given to
1911	children age 3 years to school entry who are served by the
1912	Family Safety Program Office of the Department of Children and
1913	Family Services or a community-based lead agency under pursuant
1914	to chapter 39 and for whom child care is needed to minimize risk
1915	of further abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Other eligible
1916	populations include children who meet one or more of the
1917	following criteria:
1918	(a)  Children under the age of kindergarten eligibility who
1919	are:
1920	1.  Children determined to be at risk of abuse, neglect, or
1921	exploitation who are currently clients of the Family Safety
1922	Program Office of the Department of Children and Family
1923	Services, but who are not otherwise given priority under this
1924	subsection.
1925	2.1.  Children at risk of welfare dependency, including
1926	economically disadvantaged children, children of participants in
1927	the welfare transition program, children of migrant farmworkers,
1928	and children of teen parents.
1929	3.2.  Children of working families whose family income does
1930	not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
1931	4.3.  Children for whom the state is paying a relative
1932	caregiver payment under s. 39.5085.
1933	(b)  Three-year-old children and 4-year-old children who
1934	may not be economically disadvantaged but who have disabilities,
1935	have been served in a specific part-time or combination of part-
1936	time exceptional education programs with required special
1937	services, aids, or equipment, and were previously reported for
1938	funding part time with the Florida Education Finance Program as
1939	exceptional students.
1940	(c)  Economically disadvantaged children, children with
1941	disabilities, and children at risk of future school failure,
1942	from birth to 4 years of age, who are served at home through
1943	home visitor programs and intensive parent education programs
1944	such as the Florida First Start Program.
1945	(d)  Children who meet federal and state eligibility
1946	requirements for eligibility for the migrant preschool program
1947	but who do not meet the criteria of economically disadvantaged.
1948
1949	As used in this subsection, the term An "economically
1950	disadvantaged" child means a child whose family income does not
1951	exceed is below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
1952	Notwithstanding any change in a family's economic status, but
1953	subject to additional family contributions in accordance with
1954	the sliding fee scale, a child who meets the eligibility
1955	requirements upon initial registration for the program remains
1956	shall be considered eligible until the beginning of the school
1957	year for which the child is eligible for admission to reaches
1958	kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. age.
1959	(7)  PARENTAL CHOICE.--
1960	(a)  The school readiness program shall provide parental
1961	choice through pursuant to a purchase service order that
1962	ensures, to the maximum extent possible, flexibility in school
1963	readiness programs and payment arrangements. According to
1964	federal regulations requiring parental choice, a parent may
1965	choose an informal child care arrangement. The purchase order
1966	must bear the name of the beneficiary and the program provider
1967	and, when redeemed, must bear the signature of both the
1968	beneficiary and an authorized representative of the provider.
1969	(b)  If it is determined that a provider has provided any
1970	cash to the beneficiary in return for receiving the purchase
1971	order, the early learning coalition or its fiscal agent shall
1972	refer the matter to the Division of Public Assistance Fraud for
1973	investigation.
1974	(c)  The office of the Chief Financial Officer shall
1975	establish an electronic transfer system for the disbursement of
1976	funds in accordance with this subsection. Each early learning
1977	coalition School readiness coalitions shall fully implement the
1978	electronic funds transfer system within 2 years after plan
1979	approval of the coalition's school readiness plan, unless a
1980	waiver is obtained from the Agency for Workforce Innovation
1981	partnership.
1982	(8)  STANDARDS; OUTCOME MEASURES.--All publicly funded
1983	school readiness programs must shall be required to meet the
1984	performance standards and outcome measures adopted developed and
1985	approved by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The
1986	Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
1987	shall provide consultation to the partnership in the development
1988	of the measures and standards. These performance standards and
1989	outcome measures shall be applicable on a statewide basis.
1990	(9)  FUNDING; SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM.--
1991	(a)  It is the intent of this section to establish an
1992	integrated and quality seamless service delivery system for all
1993	publicly funded early childhood education and child care
1994	programs operating in this state.
1995	(b)  Notwithstanding s. 20.50:
1996	1.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall administer
1997	school readiness funds, plans, and policies pursuant to the
1998	contract with the Florida Partnership for School Readiness and
1999	shall prepare and submit a unified budget request for the school
2000	readiness system program in accordance with chapter 216.
2001	2.  All instructions to early learning local school
2002	readiness coalitions for administering this section shall
2003	emanate from the Agency for Workforce Innovation in accordance
2004	with the pursuant to policies of the Legislature, plans of the
2005	Florida Partnership for School Readiness, and the contract
2006	between the Florida Partnership for School Readiness and the
2007	agency.
2008	(c)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
2009	prepare a formula plan that provides for the allocation among
2010	the early learning coalitions distribution and expenditure of
2011	all state and federal school readiness funds for children
2012	participating in public or private school readiness programs
2013	based upon an equity and performance funding formula. The
2014	allocation formula must plan shall be submitted to the Governor
2015	and the Legislative Budget Commission. Upon approval, the
2016	Legislative Budget Commission shall authorize the transfer of
2017	funds to the Agency for Workforce Innovation to distribute funds
2018	for distribution in accordance with the allocation provisions of
2019	the formula. For fiscal year 2004-2005, the Agency for Workforce
2020	Innovation shall allocate funds to the early learning coalitions
2021	consistent with the fiscal year 2003-2004 funding allocations to
2022	the school readiness coalitions.
2023	(d)  All state funds budgeted for a county for the programs
2024	specified in subsection (3), along with the pro rata share of
2025	the state administrative costs of those programs in the amount
2026	as determined by the partnership, all federal, funds and
2027	required local maintenance-of-effort or matching funds provided
2028	to an early learning coalition for a county for programs
2029	specified in subsection (3), and any additional funds
2030	appropriated or obtained for purposes of this section, shall be
2031	used by transferred for the benefit of the coalition for
2032	implementation of its school readiness plan, including the
2033	hiring of staff to effectively operate the coalition's school
2034	readiness program. As part of plan approval and periodic plan
2035	review, the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership shall
2036	require that administrative costs be kept to the minimum
2037	necessary for efficient and effective administration of the
2038	school readiness plan, but total administrative expenditures
2039	must shall not exceed 5 percent unless specifically waived by
2040	the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The Agency for
2041	Workforce Innovation partnership shall annually report to the
2042	Legislature any problems relating to administrative costs.
2043	(e)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership shall
2044	annually distribute, to a maximum extent practicable, all
2045	eligible funds provided under this section as block grants to
2046	the early learning assist coalitions in integrating services and
2047	funding to develop a quality service delivery system. Subject to
2048	appropriation, the partnership may also provide financial awards
2049	to coalitions demonstrating success in merging and integrating
2050	funding streams to serve children and school readiness programs.
2051	(f)  State funds appropriated for the school readiness
2052	program may not be used for the construction of new facilities
2053	or the purchase of buses. The Agency for Workforce Innovation
2054	partnership shall present to the Legislature recommendations for
2055	providing necessary transportation services for school readiness
2056	programs.
2057	(g)  All cost savings and all revenues received through a
2058	mandatory sliding fee scale shall be used to help fund each
2059	early learning coalition's the local school readiness program.
2060	(10)  SCHOOL READINESS UNIFORM SCREENING.--The Department
2061	of Education shall implement a school readiness uniform
2062	screening, including a pilot program during the 2001-2002 school
2063	year, to validate the system recommended by the Florida
2064	Partnership for School Readiness as part of a comprehensive
2065	evaluation design. Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, the
2066	department shall require that all school districts administer
2067	the school readiness uniform screening to each kindergarten
2068	student in the district school system upon the student's entry
2069	into kindergarten. Children who enter public school for the
2070	first time in first grade must undergo a uniform screening
2071	adopted for use in first grade. The department shall incorporate
2072	school readiness data into the K-20 data warehouse for
2073	longitudinal tracking. Notwithstanding s. 1002.22, the
2074	department shall provide the partnership and the Agency for
2075	Workforce Innovation with complete and full access to
2076	kindergarten uniform screening data at the student, school,
2077	district, and state levels in a format that will enable the
2078	partnership and the agency to prepare reports needed by state
2079	policymakers and local school readiness coalitions to access
2080	progress toward school readiness goals and provide input for
2081	continuous improvement of local school readiness services and
2082	programs.
2083	(11)  REPORTS.--The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
2084	Government Accountability shall assess the implementation,
2085	efficiency, and outcomes of the school readiness program and
2086	report its findings to the President of the Senate and the
2087	Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2002.
2088	Subsequent reviews shall be conducted at the direction of the
2089	Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
2090	(10)(12)  CONFLICTING PROVISIONS.--In the event of a
2091	conflict between the provisions of this section and federal
2092	requirements, the federal requirements shall control.
2093	(11)(13)  PLACEMENTS.--Notwithstanding any other provision
2094	of this section to the contrary, and for fiscal year 2004-2005
2095	only, the first children to be placed in the school readiness
2096	program shall be those from families receiving temporary cash
2097	assistance and subject to federal work requirements. Subsequent
2098	placements shall be made in accordance with subsection (6)
2099	pursuant to the provisions of this section. This subsection
2100	expires July 1, 2005.
2101	Section 3.  Paragraph (p) of subsection (3) of section
2102	11.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
2103	11.45  Definitions; duties; authorities; reports; rules.--
2104	(3)  AUTHORITY FOR AUDITS AND OTHER ENGAGEMENTS.--The
2105	Auditor General may, pursuant to his or her own authority, or at
2106	the direction of the Legislative Auditing Committee, conduct
2107	audits or other engagements as determined appropriate by the
2108	Auditor General of:
2109	(p)  The school readiness system, including the early
2110	learning coalitions, Florida Partnership for School Readiness
2111	created under pursuant to s. 411.01.
2112	Section 4.  Subsection (2) of section 20.50, Florida
2113	Statutes, is amended to read:
2114	20.50  Agency for Workforce Innovation.--There is created
2115	the Agency for Workforce Innovation within the Department of
2116	Management Services. The agency shall be a separate budget
2117	entity, and the director of the agency shall be the agency head
2118	for all purposes. The agency shall not be subject to control,
2119	supervision, or direction by the Department of Management
2120	Services in any manner, including, but not limited to,
2121	personnel, purchasing, transactions involving real or personal
2122	property, and budgetary matters.
2123	(2)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation is shall be the
2124	designated administrative agency designated for receipt of
2125	federal workforce development grants and other federal funds.
2126	The agency, and shall administer carry out the duties and
2127	responsibilities assigned by the Governor under each federal
2128	grant assigned to the agency. The agency shall be a separate
2129	budget entity and shall expend each revenue source as provided
2130	by federal and state law and as provided in plans developed by
2131	and agreements with Workforce Florida, Inc. The agency shall
2132	prepare and submit as a separate budget entity a unified budget
2133	request for workforce development, in accordance with chapter
2134	216 for, and in conjunction with, Workforce Florida, Inc., and
2135	its board. The head of the agency is the director of Workforce
2136	Innovation, who shall be appointed by the Governor. The
2137	accountability and reporting functions of the agency shall be
2138	administered by the director or his or her designee. Included in
2139	These functions shall include are budget management, financial
2140	management, audit, performance management standards and
2141	controls, assessing outcomes of service delivery, and financial
2142	administration of workforce programs under pursuant to s.
2143	445.004(5) and (9). Within the agency's overall organizational
2144	structure, The agency shall include the following offices within
2145	its organizational structure, which shall have the specified
2146	responsibilities:
2147	(a)  The Office of Workforce Services shall administer the
2148	unemployment compensation program, the Rapid Response program,
2149	the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, the Alien Labor
2150	Certification program, and any other programs that are delivered
2151	directly by agency staff rather than through the one-stop
2152	delivery system. The office shall be directed by the Deputy
2153	Director for Workforce Services, who shall be appointed by and
2154	serve at the pleasure of the director.
2155	(b)  The Office of Program Support and Accountability shall
2156	administer state merit system program staff within the workforce
2157	service delivery system, under the pursuant to policies of
2158	Workforce Florida, Inc. The office is shall be responsible for
2159	delivering services through the one-stop delivery system and for
2160	ensuring that participants in welfare transition programs
2161	receive case management services, diversion assistance, support
2162	services, including subsidized child care and transportation
2163	services, Medicaid services, and transition assistance to enable
2164	them to succeed in the workforce. The office is shall also be
2165	responsible for program quality assurance, grants and contract
2166	management, contracting, financial management, and reporting.
2167	The office shall be directed by the Deputy Director for Program
2168	Support and Accountability, who shall be appointed by and serve
2169	at the pleasure of the director. The office is shall be
2170	responsible for:
2171	1.  Establishing monitoring, quality assurance, and quality
2172	improvement systems that routinely assess the quality and
2173	effectiveness of contracted programs and services.
2174	2.  Annual review of each regional workforce board and
2175	administrative entity to ensure that adequate systems of
2176	reporting and control are in place; that, and monitoring,
2177	quality assurance, and quality improvement activities are
2178	conducted routinely;, and that corrective action is taken to
2179	eliminate deficiencies.
2180	(c)  The Office of Early Learning shall administer the
2181	school readiness system in accordance with s. 411.01 and the
2182	operational requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
2183	Education Program in accordance with part V of chapter 1002. The
2184	office shall be directed by the Deputy Director for Early
2185	Learning, who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of
2186	the director.
2187	(d)(c)  The Office of Agency Support Services is shall be
2188	responsible for procurement, human resource services, and
2189	information services including delivering information on labor
2190	markets, employment, occupations, and performance, and shall
2191	implement and maintain information systems that are required for
2192	the effective operation of the one-stop delivery system and the
2193	school readiness services system, including, but not limited to,
2194	those systems described in s. 445.009. The office shall will be
2195	directed by under the direction of the Deputy Director for
2196	Agency Support Services, who shall be appointed by and serve at
2197	the pleasure of the director. The office is shall be responsible
2198	for establishing:
2199	1.  Information systems and controls that report reliable,
2200	timely and accurate fiscal and performance data for assessing
2201	outcomes, service delivery, and financial administration of
2202	workforce programs under pursuant to s. 445.004(5) and (9).
2203	2.  Information systems that support service integration
2204	and case management by providing for case tracking for
2205	participants in welfare transition programs.
2206	3.  Information systems that support the school readiness
2207	system services.
2208	(e)(d)  The Unemployment Appeals Commission, authorized by
2209	s. 443.012, is shall not be subject to the control, supervision,
2210	or direction by the Agency for Workforce Innovation in the
2211	performance of its powers and duties but shall receive any and
2212	all support and assistance from the agency that is may be
2213	required for the performance of its duties.
2214	Section 5.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
2215	125.901, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
2216	125.901  Children's services; independent special district;
2217	council; powers, duties, and functions.--
2218	(1)  Each county may by ordinance create an independent
2219	special district, as defined in ss. 189.403(3) and
2220	200.001(8)(e), to provide funding for children's services
2221	throughout the county in accordance with this section. The
2222	boundaries of such district shall be coterminous with the
2223	boundaries of the county. The county governing body shall obtain
2224	approval, by a majority vote of those electors voting on the
2225	question, to annually levy ad valorem taxes which shall not
2226	exceed the maximum millage rate authorized by this section. Any
2227	district created pursuant to the provisions of this subsection
2228	shall be required to levy and fix millage subject to the
2229	provisions of s. 200.065. Once such millage is approved by the
2230	electorate, the district shall not be required to seek approval
2231	of the electorate in future years to levy the previously
2232	approved millage.
2233	(b)  However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1) may
2234	instead have a governing board consisting of 33 members,
2235	including: the superintendent of schools; two representatives of
2236	public postsecondary education institutions located in the
2237	county; the county manager or the equivalent county officer; the
2238	district administrator from the appropriate district of the
2239	Department of Children and Family Services, or the
2240	administrator's designee who is a member of the Senior
2241	Management Service or the Selected Exempt Service; the director
2242	of the county health department or the director's designee; the
2243	state attorney for the county or the state attorney's designee;
2244	the chief judge assigned to juvenile cases, or another juvenile
2245	judge who is the chief judge's designee and who shall sit as a
2246	voting member of the board, except that the judge may not vote
2247	or participate in setting ad valorem taxes under this section;
2248	an individual who is selected by the board of the local United
2249	Way or its equivalent; a member of a locally recognized faith-
2250	based coalition, selected by that coalition; a member of the
2251	local chamber of commerce, selected by that chamber or, if more
2252	than one chamber exists within the county, a person selected by
2253	a coalition of the local chambers; a member of the early
2254	learning local school readiness coalition, selected by that
2255	coalition; a representative of a labor organization or union
2256	active in the county; a member of a local alliance or coalition
2257	engaged in cross-system planning for health and social service
2258	delivery in the county, selected by that alliance or coalition;
2259	a member of the local Parent-Teachers Association/Parent-
2260	Teacher-Student Association, selected by that association; a
2261	youth representative selected by the local school system's
2262	student government; a local school board member appointed by the
2263	chair of the school board; the mayor of the county or the
2264	mayor's designee; one member of the county governing body,
2265	appointed by the chair of that body; a member of the state
2266	Legislature who represents residents of the county, selected by
2267	the chair of the local legislative delegation; an elected
2268	official representing the residents of a municipality in the
2269	county, selected by the county municipal league; and 4 members-
2270	at-large, appointed to the council by the majority of sitting
2271	council members. The remaining 7 members shall be appointed by
2272	the Governor in accordance with procedures set forth in
2273	paragraph (a), except that the Governor may remove a member for
2274	cause or upon the written petition of the council. Appointments
2275	by the Governor must, to the extent reasonably possible,
2276	represent the geographic and demographic diversity of the
2277	population of the county. Members who are appointed to the
2278	council by reason of their position are not subject to the
2279	length of terms and limits on consecutive terms as provided in
2280	this section. The remaining appointed members of the governing
2281	board shall be appointed to serve 2-year terms, except that
2282	those members appointed by the Governor shall be appointed to
2283	serve 4-year terms, and the youth representative and the
2284	legislative delegate shall be appointed to serve 1-year terms. A
2285	member may be reappointed; however, a member may not serve for
2286	more than three consecutive terms. A member is eligible to be
2287	appointed again after a 2-year hiatus from the council.
2288	Section 6.  Subsection (1) of section 216.133, Florida
2289	Statutes, is amended to read:
2290	216.133  Definitions; ss. 216.133-216.137.--As used in ss.
2291	216.133-216.137:
2292	(1)  "Consensus estimating conference" includes the
2293	Economic Estimating Conference, the Demographic Estimating
2294	Conference, the Revenue Estimating Conference, the Education
2295	Estimating Conference, the Criminal Justice Estimating
2296	Conference, the Juvenile Justice Estimating Conference, the
2297	Child Welfare System Estimating Conference, the Occupational
2298	Forecasting Conference, the Early Learning Programs School
2299	Readiness Program Estimating Conference, the Self-Insurance
2300	Estimating Conference, the Florida Retirement System Actuarial
2301	Assumption Conference, and the Social Services Estimating
2302	Conference.
2303	Section 7.  Subsection (10) of section 216.136, Florida
2304	Statutes, is amended to read:
2305	216.136  Consensus estimating conferences; duties and
2306	principals.--
2307	(10)  EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM
2308	ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--
2309	(a)  Duties.--
2310	1.  The Early Learning Programs School Readiness Program
2311	Estimating Conference shall develop estimates and forecasts of
2312	the unduplicated count of children eligible for school readiness
2313	programs in accordance with the standards of eligibility
2314	established in s. 411.01(6), and of children eligible for the
2315	Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in accordance with
2316	s. 1002.53(2), as the conference determines are needed to
2317	support the state planning, budgeting, and appropriations
2318	processes.
2319	2.  The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership
2320	for School Readiness shall provide information on needs and
2321	waiting lists for school readiness programs, and information on
2322	the needs for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program,
2323	as program services requested by the Early Learning Programs
2324	School Readiness Program Estimating Conference or individual
2325	conference principals in a timely manner.
2326	(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the
2327	Director of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional
2328	staff who have forecasting expertise from the Florida
2329	Partnership for School Readiness, the Agency for Workforce
2330	Innovation, the Department of Children and Family Services, the
2331	Department of Education, the Senate, and the House of
2332	Representatives, or their designees, are the principals of the
2333	Early Learning Programs School Readiness Program Estimating
2334	Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of
2335	the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.
2336	Section 8.  Section 402.3016, Florida Statutes, is amended
2337	to read:
2338	402.3016  Early Head Start collaboration grants.--
2339	(1)  Contingent upon specific appropriations, the Agency
2340	for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
2341	Readiness shall establish a program to award collaboration
2342	grants to assist local agencies in securing Early Head Start
2343	programs through Early Head Start program federal grants. The
2344	collaboration grants shall provide the required matching funds
2345	for public and private nonprofit agencies that have been
2346	approved for Early Head Start program federal grants.
2347	(2)  Public and private nonprofit agencies providing Early
2348	Head Start programs applying for collaborative grants must:
2349	(a)  Ensure quality performance by meeting the requirements
2350	in the Head Start program performance standards and other
2351	applicable rules and regulations;
2352	(b)  Ensure collaboration with other service providers at
2353	the local level; and
2354	(c)  Ensure that a comprehensive array of health,
2355	nutritional, and other services are provided to the program's
2356	pregnant women and very young children, and their families.
2357	(3)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership shall
2358	report to the Legislature on an annual basis the number of
2359	agencies receiving Early Head Start collaboration grants and the
2360	number of children served.
2361	(4)  The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership may
2362	adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 as necessary for the
2363	award of collaboration grants to competing agencies and the
2364	administration of the collaboration grants program under this
2365	section.
2366	Section 9.  Section 411.011, Florida Statutes, is amended
2367	to read:
2368	411.011  Records of children in school readiness
2369	programs.--The individual records of children enrolled in school
2370	readiness programs provided under s. 411.01, when held in the
2371	possession of the early learning school readiness coalition or
2372	the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for
2373	School Readiness, are confidential and exempt from the
2374	provisions of s. 119.07 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
2375	Constitution. For the purposes of this section, records include
2376	assessment data, health data, records of teacher observations,
2377	and identifying data, including the child's social security
2378	number. A parent, guardian, or individual acting as a parent in
2379	the absence of a parent or guardian has the right to inspect and
2380	review the individual school readiness program record of his or
2381	her child and to obtain a copy of the record. School readiness
2382	records may be released to the United States Secretary of
2383	Education, the United States Secretary of Health and Human
2384	Services, and the Comptroller General of the United States for
2385	the purpose of federal audits; to individuals or organizations
2386	conducting studies for institutions to develop, validate, or
2387	administer assessments or improve instruction; to accrediting
2388	organizations in order to carry out their accrediting functions;
2389	to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if the
2390	information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the
2391	student or other individuals; to the Auditor General in
2392	connection with his or her official functions; to a court of
2393	competent jurisdiction in compliance with an order of that court
2394	in accordance with pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena; and
2395	to parties to an interagency agreement among early learning
2396	school readiness coalitions, local governmental agencies,
2397	providers of school readiness programs, state agencies, and the
2398	Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
2399	Readiness for the purpose of implementing the school readiness
2400	program. Agencies, organizations, or individuals that receive
2401	school readiness records in order to carry out their official
2402	functions must protect the data in a manner that does will not
2403	permit the personal identification of students and their parents
2404	by persons other than those authorized to receive the records.
2405	This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act
2406	of 1995 in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on
2407	October 2, 2005, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through
2408	reenactment by the Legislature.
2409	Section 10.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
2410	411.226, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
2411	411.226  Learning Gateway.--
2412	(2)  LEARNING GATEWAY STEERING COMMITTEE.--
2413	(e)  To support and facilitate system improvements, the
2414	steering committee must consult with representatives from the
2415	Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Agency
2416	for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
2417	Readiness, the Department of Children and Family Services, the
2418	Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of
2419	Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Corrections and with the
2420	director of the Learning Development and Evaluation Center of
2421	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
2422	Section 11.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (1), paragraph (a)
2423	of subsection (2), and paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of
2424	section 411.227, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
2425	411.227  Components of the Learning Gateway.--The Learning
2426	Gateway system consists of the following components:
2427	(1)  COMMUNITY EDUCATION STRATEGIES AND FAMILY-ORIENTED
2428	ACCESS.--
2429	(d)  In collaboration with other local resources, the
2430	demonstration projects shall develop public awareness strategies
2431	to disseminate information about developmental milestones,
2432	precursors of learning problems and other developmental delays,
2433	and the service system that is available. The information should
2434	target parents of children from birth through age 9 and should
2435	be distributed to parents, health care providers, and caregivers
2436	of children from birth through age 9. A variety of media should
2437	be used as appropriate, such as print, television, radio, and a
2438	community-based Internet website, as well as opportunities such
2439	as those presented by parent visits to physicians for well-child
2440	checkups. The Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall provide
2441	technical assistance to the local demonstration projects in
2442	developing and distributing educational materials and
2443	information.
2444	1.  Public awareness strategies targeting parents of
2445	children from birth through age 5 shall be designed to provide
2446	information to public and private preschool programs, child care
2447	childcare providers, pediatricians, parents, and local
2448	businesses and organizations. These strategies should include
2449	information on the school readiness performance standards for
2450	kindergarten adopted by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
2451	School Readiness Partnership Board.
2452	2.  Public awareness strategies targeting parents of
2453	children from ages 6 through 9 must be designed to disseminate
2454	training materials and brochures to parents and public and
2455	private school personnel, and must be coordinated with the local
2456	school board and the appropriate school advisory committees in
2457	the demonstration projects. The materials should contain
2458	information on state and district proficiency levels for grades
2459	K-3.
2460	(2)  SCREENING AND DEVELOPMENTAL MONITORING.--
2461	(a)  In coordination with the Agency for Workforce
2462	Innovation Partnership for School Readiness, the Department of
2463	Education, and the Florida Pediatric Society, and using
2464	information learned from the local demonstration projects, the
2465	Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall establish guidelines
2466	for screening children from birth through age 9. The guidelines
2467	should incorporate recent research on the indicators most likely
2468	to predict early learning problems, mild developmental delays,
2469	child-specific precursors of school failure, and other related
2470	developmental indicators in the domains of cognition;
2471	communication; attention; perception; behavior; and social,
2472	emotional, sensory, and motor functioning.
2473	(3)  EARLY EDUCATION, SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.--
2474	(c)  The steering committee, in cooperation with the
2475	Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
2476	Education, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
2477	Partnership for School Readiness, shall identify the elements of
2478	an effective research-based curriculum for early care and
2479	education programs.
2480	Section 12.  Subsection (1) of section 1001.23, Florida
2481	Statutes, is amended to read:
2482	1001.23  Specific powers and duties of the Department of
2483	Education.--In addition to all other duties assigned to it by
2484	law or by rule of the State Board of Education, the department
2485	shall:
2486	(1)  Adopt the statewide kindergarten school readiness
2487	uniform screening developed by the Florida Partnership for
2488	School Readiness, in accordance with s. 1002.69 the criteria
2489	itemized in chapter 1008.
2490	Section 13.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
2491	1002.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
2492	1002.22  Student records and reports; rights of parents and
2493	students; notification; penalty.--
2494	(3)  RIGHTS OF PARENT OR STUDENT.--The parent of any
2495	student who attends or has attended any public school, career
2496	center, or public postsecondary educational institution shall
2497	have the following rights with respect to any records or reports
2498	created, maintained, and used by any public educational
2499	institution in the state. However, whenever a student has
2500	attained 18 years of age, or is attending a postsecondary
2501	educational institution, the permission or consent required of,
2502	and the rights accorded to, the parents of the student shall
2503	thereafter be required of and accorded to the student only,
2504	unless the student is a dependent student of such parents as
2505	defined in 26 U.S.C. s. 152 (s. 152 of the Internal Revenue Code
2506	of 1954). The State Board of Education shall adopt rules whereby
2507	parents or students may exercise these rights:
2508	(d)  Right of privacy.--Every student has shall have a
2509	right of privacy with respect to the educational records kept on
2510	him or her. Personally identifiable records or reports of a
2511	student, and any personal information contained therein, are
2512	confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). A
2513	state or local educational agency, board, public school, career
2514	center, or public postsecondary educational institution may not
2515	permit the release of such records, reports, or information
2516	without the written consent of the student's parent, or of the
2517	student himself or herself if he or she is qualified as provided
2518	in this subsection, to any individual, agency, or organization.
2519	However, personally identifiable records or reports of a student
2520	may be released to the following persons or organizations
2521	without the consent of the student or the student's parent:
2522	1.  Officials of schools, school systems, career centers,
2523	or public postsecondary educational institutions in which the
2524	student seeks or intends to enroll; and a copy of such records
2525	or reports shall be furnished to the parent or student upon
2526	request.
2527	2.  Other school officials, including teachers within the
2528	educational institution or agency, who have legitimate
2529	educational interests in the information contained in the
2530	records.
2531	3.  The United States Secretary of Education, the Director
2532	of the National Institute of Education, the Assistant Secretary
2533	for Education, the Comptroller General of the United States, or
2534	state or local educational authorities who are authorized to
2535	receive such information subject to the conditions set forth in
2536	applicable federal statutes and regulations of the United States
2537	Department of Education, or in applicable state statutes and
2538	rules of the State Board of Education.
2539	4.  Other school officials, in connection with a student's
2540	application for or receipt of financial aid.
2541	5.  Individuals or organizations conducting studies for or
2542	on behalf of an institution or a board of education for the
2543	purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive
2544	tests, administering student aid programs, or improving
2545	instruction, if the such studies are conducted in such a manner
2546	that does as will not permit the personal identification of
2547	students and their parents by persons other than representatives
2548	of such organizations and if the such information will be
2549	destroyed when no longer needed for the purpose of conducting
2550	such studies.
2551	6.  Accrediting organizations, in order to carry out their
2552	accrediting functions.
2553	7.  Early learning School readiness coalitions and the
2554	Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
2555	Readiness in order to carry out their assigned duties.
2556	8.  For use as evidence in student expulsion hearings
2557	conducted by a district school board under pursuant to the
2558	provisions of chapter 120.
2559	9.  Appropriate parties in connection with an emergency, if
2560	knowledge of the information in the student's educational
2561	records is necessary to protect the health or safety of the
2562	student or other individuals.
2563	10.  The Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy
2564	Analysis and Government Accountability in connection with their
2565	official functions; however, except when the collection of
2566	personally identifiable information is specifically authorized
2567	by law, any data collected by the Auditor General and the Office
2568	of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability is
2569	confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and
2570	shall be protected in such a way that does as will not permit
2571	the personal identification of students and their parents by
2572	other than the Auditor General, the Office of Program Policy
2573	Analysis and Government Accountability, and their staff, and the
2574	such personally identifiable data shall be destroyed when no
2575	longer needed for the Auditor General's and the Office of
2576	Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability's official
2577	use.
2578	11.a.  A court of competent jurisdiction in compliance with
2579	an order of that court or the attorney of record in accordance
2580	with pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena, upon the condition
2581	that the student and the student's parent are notified of the
2582	order or subpoena in advance of compliance therewith by the
2583	educational institution or agency.
2584	b.  A person or entity in accordance with pursuant to a
2585	court of competent jurisdiction in compliance with an order of
2586	that court or the attorney of record pursuant to a lawfully
2587	issued subpoena, upon the condition that the student, or his or
2588	her parent if the student is either a minor and not attending a
2589	postsecondary educational institution or a dependent of such
2590	parent as defined in 26 U.S.C. s. 152 (s. 152 of the Internal
2591	Revenue Code of 1954), is notified of the order or subpoena in
2592	advance of compliance therewith by the educational institution
2593	or agency.
2594	12.  Credit bureaus, in connection with an agreement for
2595	financial aid that the student has executed, if the provided
2596	that such information is may be disclosed only to the extent
2597	necessary to enforce the terms or conditions of the financial
2598	aid agreement. Credit bureaus shall not release any information
2599	obtained under pursuant to this paragraph to any person.
2600	13.  Parties to an interagency agreement among the
2601	Department of Juvenile Justice, school and law enforcement
2602	authorities, and other signatory agencies for the purpose of
2603	reducing juvenile crime and especially motor vehicle theft by
2604	promoting cooperation and collaboration, and the sharing of
2605	appropriate information in a joint effort to improve school
2606	safety, to reduce truancy and in-school and out-of-school
2607	suspensions, and to support alternatives to in-school and out-
2608	of-school suspensions and expulsions that provide structured and
2609	well-supervised educational programs supplemented by a
2610	coordinated overlay of other appropriate services designed to
2611	correct behaviors that lead to truancy, suspensions, and
2612	expulsions, and that support students in successfully completing
2613	their education. Information provided in furtherance of the such
2614	interagency agreements is intended solely for use in determining
2615	the appropriate programs and services for each juvenile or the
2616	juvenile's family, or for coordinating the delivery of the such
2617	programs and services, and as such is inadmissible in any court
2618	proceedings before prior to a dispositional hearing unless
2619	written consent is provided by a parent or other responsible
2620	adult on behalf of the juvenile.
2621	14.  Consistent with the Family Educational Rights and
2622	Privacy Act, the Department of Children and Family Services or a
2623	community-based care lead agency acting on behalf of the
2624	Department of Children and Family Services, as appropriate.
2625
2626	This paragraph does not prohibit any educational institution
2627	from publishing and releasing to the general public directory
2628	information relating to a student if the institution elects to
2629	do so.  However, no educational institution shall release, to
2630	any individual, agency, or organization that is not listed in
2631	subparagraphs 1.-14., directory information relating to the
2632	student body in general or a portion thereof unless it is
2633	normally published for the purpose of release to the public in
2634	general.  Any educational institution making directory
2635	information public shall give public notice of the categories of
2636	information that it has designated as directory information for
2637	with respect to all students attending the institution and shall
2638	allow a reasonable period of time after the such notice has been
2639	given for a parent or student to inform the institution in
2640	writing that any or all of the information designated should not
2641	be released.
2642	Section 14.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
2643	1003.54, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
2644	1003.54  Teenage parent programs.--
2645	(3)
2646	(c)  Provision for necessary child care, health care,
2647	social services, parent education, and transportation shall be
2648	ancillary service components of teenage parent programs.
2649	Ancillary services may be provided through the coordination of
2650	existing programs and services and through joint agreements
2651	between district school boards and early learning local school
2652	readiness coalitions or other appropriate public and private
2653	providers.
2654	Section 15.  Subsection (5) is added to section 1007.23,
2655	Florida Statutes, to read:
2656	1007.23  Statewide articulation agreement.--
2657	(5)  The articulation agreement must guarantee the
2658	articulation of 9 credit hours toward a postsecondary degree in
2659	early childhood education for programs approved by the State
2660	Board of Education which:
2661	(a)  Award a child development associate credential issued
2662	by the National Credentialing Program of the Council for
2663	Professional Recognition or award a credential approved under s.
2664	1002.55(3)(c)1.b. or s. 402.305(3)(c) as being equivalent to the
2665	child development associate credential; and
2666	(b)  Include training in emergent literacy which meets or
2667	exceeds the minimum standards for training courses for
2668	prekindergarten instructors of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
2669	Education Program in s. 1002.59.
2670	Section 16.  (1)  The Florida Partnership for School
2671	Readiness is abolished. All powers, duties, functions, rules,
2672	records, personnel, property, and unexpended balances of
2673	appropriations, allocations, and other funds of the Florida
2674	Partnership for School Readiness are transferred by a type two
2675	transfer, as defined in section 20.06(2), Florida Statutes, to
2676	the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
2677	(2)  This act does not abolish the school readiness
2678	coalitions but redesignates the coalitions as early learning
2679	coalitions and, effective April 1, 2005, requires a reduction in
2680	the number of coalitions. All powers, duties, functions, rules,
2681	records, personnel, property, and unexpended balances of
2682	appropriations, allocations, and other funds of each school
2683	readiness coalition are not transferred but shall be retained by
2684	the early learning coalition upon its redesignation from a
2685	school readiness coalition to an early learning coalition.
2686	Section 17.  Sections 411.012 and 1008.21, Florida
2687	Statutes, are repealed.
2688	Section 18.  (1)  The sums of $1,090,399 from recurring
2689	general revenue and $975,000 from nonrecurring general revenue
2690	are appropriated in lump sum to, and 17 additional positions are
2691	authorized for, the Department of Education for purposes of
2692	administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
2693	during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
2694	(2)  The sums of $4,218,010 from recurring general revenue
2695	and $5,275,000 from nonrecurring general revenue are
2696	appropriated in lump sum to, and 20 additional positions are
2697	authorized for, the Agency for Workforce Innovation for purposes
2698	of administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
2699	during the 2004-2005 fiscal year. From these nonrecurring funds,
2700	$100,000 is provided for the Agency for Workforce Innovation to
2701	evaluate the potential of using electronic technology to
2702	administer and maintain attendance information and provider
2703	payment processes for the program. The Agency for Workforce
2704	Innovation shall submit a report of its recommendations to the
2705	Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
2706	House of Representatives by September 1, 2006. The
2707	recommendations must include the recurring annual operating
2708	costs associated with the use of any electronic technology that
2709	is recommended in the report.
2710	(3)  The sums of $80,193 from recurring general revenue and
2711	$140,037 from nonrecurring general revenue are appropriated in
2712	lump sum to, and 5.5 additional positions are authorized for,
2713	the Department of Children and Family Services for purposes of
2714	administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
2715	during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
2716	Section 19.  Notwithstanding the provisions of section
2717	216.177, Florida Statutes, which require a 14-day notice for
2718	interim budget actions, and pursuant to section 216.351, Florida
2719	Statutes, the Executive Office of the Governor shall provide
2720	notice of the allocation of the lump-sum appropriations
2721	authorized by this act into traditional appropriation categories
2722	to the chair and vice chair of the Legislative Budget Commission
2723	at least 3 working days before the effective date of the
2724	allocation.
2725	Section 20.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a
2726	law.

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