Senate Bill sb0002Ac1
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Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2-A
By the Committee on Education Appropriations; and Senator
Carlton
602-598-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to early learning; creating
3 part V of ch. 1002, F.S.; creating the
4 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
5 implementing s. 1(b) and (c), Art. IX of the
6 State Constitution; providing definitions for
7 purposes of the program; providing eligibility
8 and enrollment requirements; authorizing
9 parents to enroll their children in a
10 school-year program delivered by a private
11 prekindergarten provider, a summer program
12 delivered by a public school or private
13 prekindergarten provider, or a school-year
14 program delivered by a public school; requiring
15 school districts to admit all eligible children
16 in the summer program; prohibiting specified
17 acts of discrimination and certain limits on
18 enrollment; specifying eligibility requirements
19 for private prekindergarten providers and
20 public schools that deliver the program;
21 requiring minimum hours for the program;
22 providing minimum requirements for
23 prekindergarten instructors; providing for the
24 adoption of rules; providing minimum and
25 maximum class sizes; requiring appropriate
26 adult supervision for prekindergarten classes;
27 requiring the Department of Education to
28 establish minimum standards for a credential
29 for prekindergarten directors and for emergent
30 literacy training courses for prekindergarten
31 instructors; requiring the credential and
1
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1 course to provide training and resources
2 containing strategies that maximize the
3 program's benefits for students with
4 disabilities and other special needs; providing
5 that the credential and course satisfy certain
6 credentialing and training requirements;
7 providing limits on when a provider or school
8 may deliver the summer prekindergarten program;
9 specifying eligibility requirements for school
10 districts that deliver the school-year
11 prekindergarten program; providing legislative
12 intent; authorizing providers and schools to
13 select or design curricula used for the
14 program; directing the Department of Education
15 to adopt performance standards and approve
16 curricula under specified conditions; requiring
17 providers and schools to be placed on probation
18 and use the approved curricula under certain
19 circumstances; requiring improvement plans and
20 corrective actions from providers and schools
21 under certain circumstances; providing for the
22 removal of providers or schools that remain on
23 probation beyond specified time limits;
24 requiring early learning coalitions and school
25 districts to verify the compliance of private
26 prekindergarten providers and public schools;
27 authorizing the removal of providers and
28 schools for noncompliance or misconduct;
29 requiring interagency coordination for
30 monitoring providers; requiring the Department
31 of Education to adopt a statewide kindergarten
2
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1 screening; requiring certain students to take
2 the statewide screening; specifying
3 requirements for screening instruments and
4 kindergarten readiness rates; directing the
5 State Board of Education to establish minimum
6 rates; providing funding and reporting
7 requirements; specifying the calculation of
8 per-student allocations; authorizing students
9 to withdraw, reenroll, and receive additional
10 per-student allocations under specified
11 conditions; providing for advance payments to
12 private prekindergarten providers and public
13 schools based upon student enrollment;
14 providing for the documentation and
15 certification of student attendance; requiring
16 parents to verify student attendance and
17 certify the choice of provider or school;
18 providing for the reconciliation of advance
19 payments based upon attendance; requiring
20 students to comply with attendance policies and
21 authorizing the dismissal of students for
22 noncompliance; requiring the Agency for
23 Workforce Innovation to adopt a uniform
24 attendance policy for funding purposes;
25 providing for administrative funds to be used
26 by early learning coalitions; prohibiting
27 certain fees or charges; limiting the use of
28 state funds; providing powers and duties of the
29 Department of Education and the Agency for
30 Workforce Innovation; requiring the department
31 and the agency to adopt procedures for the
3
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1 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
2 creating the Florida Early Learning Advisory
3 Council; providing for the appointment and
4 membership of the advisory council; providing
5 membership and meeting requirements;
6 authorizing council members to receive per diem
7 and travel expenses; requiring the Agency for
8 Workforce Innovation to provide staff for the
9 advisory council; providing for the adoption of
10 rules; amending s. 411.01, F.S.; conforming
11 provisions to the transfer of the Florida
12 Partnership for School Readiness to the Agency
13 for Workforce Innovation; deleting provisions
14 for the appointment and membership of the
15 partnership; redesignating school readiness
16 coalitions as early learning coalitions;
17 deleting obsolete references to repealed
18 programs; deleting obsolete provisions
19 governing the phase in of school readiness
20 programs; deleting provisions governing the
21 measurement of school readiness, the school
22 readiness uniform screening, and
23 performance-based budgeting in school readiness
24 programs; specifying requirements for school
25 readiness performance standards; clarifying
26 rulemaking requirements; revising requirements
27 for school readiness programs; specifying that
28 school readiness programs must enhance the
29 progress of children in certain skills;
30 requiring early learning coalitions to obtain
31 certain health information before enrolling a
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1 child in the school readiness program;
2 requiring the Agency for Workforce Innovation
3 to monitor and evaluate the performance of
4 early learning coalitions and to identify best
5 practices for the coalitions; requiring a
6 reduction in the number of coalitions in
7 accordance with specified standards; directing
8 the Agency for Workforce Innovation to adopt
9 procedures for the merger of coalitions;
10 providing exceptions; authorizing the Agency
11 for Workforce Innovation to dissolve a
12 coalition under specified conditions; revising
13 appointment and membership requirements for the
14 coalitions; specifying that certain members are
15 nonvoting; directing the Agency for Workforce
16 Innovation to adopt criteria for the
17 appointment of certain members; requiring each
18 coalition to specify terms of coalition
19 members; requiring a quorum of coalition
20 members; prohibiting coalition members from
21 voting under certain circumstances; providing a
22 definition for purposes of the single point of
23 entry; requiring early learning coalitions to
24 use a statewide information system; requiring
25 the Agency for Workforce Innovation to approve
26 payment rates and consider the access of
27 eligible children before approving proposals to
28 increase rates; prioritizing the use of school
29 readiness funds under certain circumstances;
30 deleting requirements for the minimum number of
31 children served; providing requirements for
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1 developmentally appropriate curriculum used for
2 school readiness programs; authorizing
3 contracts for the continuation of school
4 readiness services under certain circumstances;
5 requiring the Agency for Workforce Innovation
6 to adopt criteria for the approval of school
7 readiness plans; revising requirements for
8 school readiness plans; providing requirements
9 for the approval and implementation of plan
10 revisions; revising competitive procurement
11 requirements for early learning coalitions;
12 authorizing the coalitions to designate
13 certified public accountants as fiscal agents;
14 clarifying age and income eligibility
15 requirements for school readiness programs;
16 revising eligibility requirements for certain
17 at-risk children; deleting a requirement for
18 consultation on performance standards and
19 outcome measures; revising funding
20 requirements; revising requirements for the
21 adoption of a formula for the allocation of
22 certain funds among the early learning
23 coalitions; specifying allocations for fiscal
24 year 2004-2005; deleting an obsolete provision
25 requiring a report; deleting the expiration of
26 eligibility requirements for certain children
27 from families receiving temporary cash
28 assistance; amending s. 11.45, F.S.;
29 authorizing the Auditor General to conduct
30 audits of the school readiness system; amending
31 s. 20.50, F.S.; creating the Office of Early
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1 Learning within the Agency for Workforce
2 Innovation; requiring the office to administer
3 the school readiness system and operational
4 requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
5 Education Program; amending s. 125.901, F.S.;
6 conforming provisions to changes made by the
7 act; amending ss. 216.133 and 216.136, F.S.;
8 redesignating the School Readiness Program
9 Estimating Conference as the Early Learning
10 Programs Estimating Conference; requiring the
11 estimating conference to develop certain
12 estimates and forecasts for the Voluntary
13 Prekindergarten Education Program; directing
14 the Agency for Workforce Innovation to provide
15 certain information to the estimating
16 conference; amending ss. 402.3016, 411.011,
17 411.226, 411.227, 1001.23, 1002.22, and
18 1003.54, F.S.; conforming provisions to the
19 transfer of the Florida Partnership for School
20 Readiness to the Agency for Workforce
21 Innovation and to the redesignation of the
22 school readiness coalitions as early learning
23 coalitions; authorizing the agency to adopt
24 rules; amending s. 1007.23, F.S.; requiring the
25 articulation of certain programs into credit
26 toward a postsecondary degree; abolishing the
27 Florida Partnership for School Readiness;
28 transferring all powers, rules, personnel, and
29 property of the partnership to the Agency for
30 Workforce Innovation; repealing ss. 411.012 and
31 1008.21, F.S., relating to the voluntary
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1 universal prekindergarten education program and
2 the school readiness uniform screening;
3 providing appropriations and authorizing
4 additional positions; requiring that the
5 Executive Office of the Governor provide prior
6 notice to the Legislative Budget Commission of
7 allocations from the lump-sum appropriations to
8 appropriation categories; providing an
9 effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Part V of chapter 1002, Florida Statutes,
14 consisting of sections 1002.51, 1002.53, 1002.55, 1002.57,
15 1002.59, 1002.61, 1002.63, 1002.65, 1002.67, 1002.69, 1002.71,
16 1002.73, 1002.75, 1002.77, and 1002.79, Florida Statutes, is
17 created to read:
18 PART V
19 VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION PROGRAM
20 1002.51 Definitions.--As used in this part, the term:
21 (1) "Department" means the Department of Education.
22 (2) "Early learning coalition" or "coalition" means an
23 early learning coalition created under s. 411.01.
24 (3) "Prekindergarten director" means an onsite person
25 ultimately responsible for the overall operation of a private
26 prekindergarten provider or, alternatively, of the provider's
27 prekindergarten program, regardless of whether the person is
28 the owner of the provider.
29 (4) "Prekindergarten instructor" means a teacher or
30 child care personnel as defined in s. 402.302 who provide
31
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1 instruction to students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
2 Education Program.
3 (5) "Private prekindergarten provider" means a
4 provider other than a public school which is eligible to
5 deliver the school-year prekindergarten program under s.
6 1002.55 or the summer prekindergarten program under s.
7 1002.61.
8 1002.53 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program;
9 eligibility and enrollment.--
10 (1) There is created the Voluntary Prekindergarten
11 Education Program. The program shall take effect in each
12 county at the beginning of the 2005-2006 school year and shall
13 be organized, designed, and delivered in accordance with s.
14 1(b) and (c), Art. IX of the State Constitution.
15 (2) Each child who resides in this state who will have
16 attained the age of 4 years on or before September 1 of the
17 school year is eligible for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
18 Education Program during that school year. The child remains
19 eligible until the beginning of the school year for which the
20 child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public
21 school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. or until the child is admitted
22 to kindergarten, whichever occurs first.
23 (3) The parent of each child eligible under subsection
24 (2) may enroll the child in one of the following programs:
25 (a) A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by
26 a private prekindergarten provider under s. 1002.55;
27 (b) A summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
28 public school or private prekindergarten provider under s.
29 1002.61; or
30
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1 (c) A school-year prekindergarten program delivered by
2 a public school, if offered by a school district that is
3 eligible under s. 1002.63.
4
5 Except as provided in s. 1002.71(4), a child may not enroll in
6 more than one of these programs.
7 (4)(a) Each parent enrolling a child in the Voluntary
8 Prekindergarten Education Program must complete and submit an
9 application to the early learning coalition through the single
10 point of entry established under s. 411.01.
11 (b) The application must be submitted on forms
12 prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation and must be
13 accompanied by a certified copy of the child's birth
14 certificate. The forms must include a certification, in
15 substantially the form provided in s. 1002.71(6)(b)2., that
16 the parent chooses the private prekindergarten provider or
17 public school in accordance with this section and directs that
18 payments for the program be made to the provider or school.
19 The Agency for Workforce Innovation may authorize alternative
20 methods for submitting proof of the child's age in lieu of a
21 certified copy of the child's birth certificate.
22 (c) Each early learning coalition shall coordinate
23 with each of the school districts within the coalition's
24 county or multicounty region in the development of procedures
25 for enrolling children in prekindergarten programs delivered
26 by public schools.
27 (5) The early learning coalition shall provide each
28 parent enrolling a child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
29 Education Program with a profile of every private
30 prekindergarten provider and public school delivering the
31 program within the coalition's county or multicounty region.
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1 The profiles shall be provided to parents in a format
2 prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation. The
3 profiles must include, at a minimum, the following information
4 about each provider and school:
5 (a) The provider's or school's services, curriculum,
6 instructor credentials, and instructor-to-student ratio; and
7 (b) The provider's or school's kindergarten readiness
8 rate calculated in accordance with s. 1002.69, based upon the
9 most recent available results of the statewide kindergarten
10 screening.
11 (6)(a) A parent may enroll his or her child with any
12 private prekindergarten provider that is eligible to deliver
13 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this
14 part; however, the provider may determine whether to admit any
15 child. An early learning coalition may not limit the number of
16 students admitted by any private prekindergarten provider for
17 enrollment in the program. However, this paragraph does not
18 authorize an early learning coalition to allow a provider to
19 exceed any staff-to-children ratio, square footage per child,
20 or other requirement imposed under ss. 402.301-402.319 as a
21 result of admissions in the prekindergarten program.
22 (b) A parent may enroll his or her child with any
23 public school within the school district which is eligible to
24 deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under
25 this part, subject to available space. Each school district
26 may limit the number of students admitted by any public school
27 for enrollment in the program; however, the school district
28 must provide for the admission of every eligible child within
29 the district whose parent enrolls the child in a summer
30 prekindergarten program delivered by a public school under s.
31 1002.61.
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1 (c) Each private prekindergarten provider and public
2 school must comply with the antidiscrimination requirements of
3 42 U.S.C. s. 2000d, regardless of whether the provider or
4 school receives federal financial assistance. A private
5 prekindergarten provider or public school may not discriminate
6 against a parent or child, including the refusal to admit a
7 child for enrollment in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
8 Education Program, in violation of these antidiscrimination
9 requirements.
10 1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered
11 by private prekindergarten providers.--
12 (1) Each early learning coalition shall administer the
13 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or
14 regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(a) in
15 a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a private
16 prekindergarten provider.
17 (2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered
18 by a private prekindergarten provider must comprise at least
19 540 instructional hours.
20 (3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten
21 program, a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of
22 the following requirements:
23 (a) The private prekindergarten provider must be a
24 child care facility licensed under s. 402.305, family day care
25 home licensed under s. 402.313, large family child care home
26 licensed under s. 402.3131, nonpublic school exempt from
27 licensure under s. 402.3025(2), or faith-based child care
28 provider exempt from licensure under s. 402.316.
29 (b) The private prekindergarten provider must:
30 1. Be accredited by an accrediting association that is
31 a member of the National Council for Private School
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1 Accreditation, the Commission on International and
2 Trans-Regional Accreditation, or the Florida Association of
3 Academic Nonpublic Schools;
4 2. Hold a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation
5 under s. 402.281; or
6 3. Be licensed under s. 402.305, s. 402.313, or s.
7 402.3131 and demonstrate, before delivering the Voluntary
8 Prekindergarten Education Program, as verified by the early
9 learning coalition, that the provider meets each of the
10 requirements of the program under this part, including, but
11 not limited to, the requirements for credentials and
12 background screenings of prekindergarten instructors under
13 paragraphs (c) and (d), minimum and maximum class sizes under
14 paragraph (e), prekindergarten director credentials under
15 paragraph (f), and a developmentally appropriate curriculum
16 under s. 1002.67(2)(b).
17 (c) The private prekindergarten provider must have,
18 for each prekindergarten class, at least one prekindergarten
19 instructor who meets each of the following requirements:
20 1. The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a
21 minimum, one of the following credentials:
22 a. A child development associate credential issued by
23 the National Credentialing Program of the Council for
24 Professional Recognition; or
25 b. A credential approved by the Department of Children
26 and Family Services as being equivalent to or greater than the
27 credential described in sub-subparagraph a.
28
29 The Department of Children and Family Services may adopt rules
30 under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and
31
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1 procedures for approving equivalent credentials under
2 sub-subparagraph b.
3 2. The prekindergarten instructor must successfully
4 complete an emergent literacy training course approved by the
5 department as meeting or exceeding the minimum standards
6 adopted under s. 1002.59. This subparagraph does not apply to
7 a prekindergarten instructor who successfully completes
8 approved training in early literacy and language development
9 under s. 402.305(2)(d)5., s. 402.313(6), or s. 402.3131(5)
10 before the establishment of one or more emergent literacy
11 training courses under s. 1002.59 or April 1, 2005, whichever
12 occurs later.
13 (d) Each prekindergarten instructor employed by the
14 private prekindergarten provider must be of good moral
15 character, must be screened using the level 2 screening
16 standards in s. 435.04 before employment and rescreened at
17 least once every 5 years, must be denied employment or
18 terminated if required under s. 435.06, and must not be
19 ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her
20 educator certificate is suspended or revoked.
21 (e) Each of the private prekindergarten provider's
22 prekindergarten classes must be composed of at least 4
23 students but may not exceed 18 students. In order to protect
24 the health and safety of students, each private
25 prekindergarten provider must also provide appropriate adult
26 supervision for students at all times and, for each
27 prekindergarten class composed of 11 or more students, must
28 have, in addition to a prekindergarten instructor who meets
29 the requirements of paragraph (c), at least one adult
30 prekindergarten instructor who is not required to meet those
31 requirements but who must meet each requirement of paragraph
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1 (d). This paragraph does not supersede any requirement imposed
2 on a provider under ss. 402.301-402.319.
3 (f) Before the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year,
4 the private prekindergarten provider must have a
5 prekindergarten director who has a prekindergarten director
6 credential that is approved by the department as meeting or
7 exceeding the minimum standards adopted under s. 1002.57.
8 Successful completion of a child care facility director
9 credential under s. 402.305(2)(f) before the establishment of
10 the prekindergarten director credential under s. 1002.57 or
11 July 1, 2006, whichever occurs later, satisfies the
12 requirement for a prekindergarten director credential under
13 this paragraph.
14 (g) The private prekindergarten provider must register
15 with the early learning coalition on forms prescribed by the
16 Agency for Workforce Innovation.
17 (h) The private prekindergarten provider must deliver
18 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in accordance
19 with this part.
20 (4) A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the
21 minimum credentials and courses required under paragraph
22 (3)(c), may hold one of the following educational credentials:
23 (a) A bachelor's or higher degree in early childhood
24 education, prekindergarten or primary education, preschool
25 education, or family and consumer science;
26 (b) A bachelor's or higher degree in elementary
27 education, if the prekindergarten instructor has been
28 certified to teach children any age from birth through 6th
29 grade, regardless of whether the instructor's educator
30 certificate is current, and if the instructor is not
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1 ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her
2 educator certificate is suspended or revoked;
3 (c) An associate's or higher degree in child
4 development;
5 (d) An associate's or higher degree in an unrelated
6 field, at least 6 credit hours in early childhood education or
7 child development, and at least 480 hours of experience in
8 teaching or providing child care services for children any age
9 from birth through 8 years of age; or
10 (e) An educational credential approved by the
11 department as being equivalent to or greater than an
12 educational credential described in this subsection. The
13 department may adopt criteria and procedures for approving
14 equivalent educational credentials under this paragraph.
15 1002.57 Prekindergarten director credential.--
16 (1) By July 1, 2006, the department shall adopt
17 minimum standards for a credential for prekindergarten
18 directors of private prekindergarten providers delivering the
19 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The credential
20 must encompass requirements for education and onsite
21 experience.
22 (2) The educational requirements must include training
23 in the following:
24 (a) Professionally accepted standards for
25 prekindergarten programs, early learning, and strategies and
26 techniques to address the age-appropriate progress of
27 prekindergarten students in attaining the performance
28 standards adopted by the department under s. 1002.67;
29 (b) Strategies that allow students with disabilities
30 and other special needs to derive maximum benefit from the
31 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; and
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1 (c) Program administration and operations, including
2 management, organizational leadership, and financial and legal
3 issues.
4 (3) The prekindergarten director credential must meet
5 or exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and
6 Family Services for the child care facility director
7 credential under s. 402.305(2)(f), and successful completion
8 of the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these
9 requirements for the child care facility director credential.
10 (4) The department shall, to the maximum extent
11 practicable, award credit to a person who successfully
12 completes the child care facility director credential under s.
13 402.305(2)(f) for those requirements of the prekindergarten
14 director credential which are duplicative of requirements for
15 the child care facility director credential.
16 1002.59 Emergent literacy training courses.--By April
17 1, 2005, the department shall adopt minimum standards for one
18 or more training courses in emergent literacy for
19 prekindergarten instructors. Each course must comprise 5 clock
20 hours and provide instruction in strategies and techniques to
21 address the age-appropriate progress of prekindergarten
22 students in developing emergent literacy skills, including
23 oral communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonemic
24 and phonological awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension
25 development. Each course must also provide resources
26 containing strategies that allow students with disabilities
27 and other special needs to derive maximum benefit from the
28 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful
29 completion of an emergent literacy training course approved
30 under this section satisfies requirements for approved
31
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1 training in early literacy and language development under ss.
2 402.305(2)(d)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5).
3 1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by
4 public schools and private prekindergarten providers.--
5 (1)(a) Each school district shall administer the
6 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the district
7 level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(b) in a summer
8 prekindergarten program delivered by a public school.
9 (b) Each early learning coalition shall administer the
10 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or
11 regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(b) in
12 a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a private
13 prekindergarten provider.
14 (2) Each summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
15 public school or private prekindergarten provider must:
16 (a) Comprise at least 300 instructional hours;
17 (b) Not begin earlier than May 1 of the school year;
18 and
19 (c) Not deliver the program for a child earlier than
20 the summer immediately before the school year for which the
21 child is eligible for admission to kindergarten in a public
22 school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
23 (3)(a) Each district school board shall determine
24 which public schools in the school district are eligible to
25 deliver the summer prekindergarten program. The school
26 district shall use educational facilities available in the
27 public schools during the summer term for the summer
28 prekindergarten program.
29 (b) Except as provided in this section, to be eligible
30 to deliver the summer prekindergarten program, a private
31
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1 prekindergarten provider must meet each requirement in s.
2 1002.55.
3 (4) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1. and
4 1002.63(5), each public school and private prekindergarten
5 provider must have, for each prekindergarten class, at least
6 one prekindergarten instructor who:
7 (a) Is a certified teacher; or
8 (b) Holds one of the educational credentials specified
9 in s. 1002.55(4)(a) or (b).
10
11 As used in this subsection, the term "certified teacher" means
12 a teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate under
13 s. 1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the district
14 school board to instruct students in the summer
15 prekindergarten program. In selecting instructional staff for
16 the summer prekindergarten program, each school district shall
17 give priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in
18 early childhood education.
19 (5) Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a
20 public school or private prekindergarten provider delivering
21 the summer prekindergarten program must be of good moral
22 character, must be screened using the level 2 screening
23 standards in s. 435.04 before employment and rescreened at
24 least once every 5 years, must be denied employment or
25 terminated if required under s. 435.06, and must not be
26 ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her
27 educator certificate is suspended or revoked. This subsection
28 does not supersede employment requirements for instructional
29 personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the
30 requirements of this subsection.
31
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1 (6) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(e) and 1002.63(7),
2 each prekindergarten class in the summer prekindergarten
3 program, regardless of whether the class is a public school's
4 or private prekindergarten provider's class, must be composed
5 of at least 4 students but may not exceed 10 students. In
6 order to protect the health and safety of students, each
7 public school or private prekindergarten provider must also
8 provide appropriate adult supervision for students at all
9 times. This subsection does not supersede any requirement
10 imposed on a provider under ss. 402.301-402.319.
11 (7) Each public school delivering the summer
12 prekindergarten program must also:
13 (a) Register with the early learning coalition on
14 forms prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation; and
15 (b) Deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
16 Program in accordance with this part.
17 1002.63 School-year prekindergarten program delivered
18 by public schools.--
19 (1) Each school district eligible under subsection (4)
20 may administer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
21 at the district level for students enrolled under s.
22 1002.53(3)(c) in a school-year prekindergarten program
23 delivered by a public school.
24 (2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered
25 by a public school must comprise at least 540 instructional
26 hours.
27 (3) The district school board of each school district
28 eligible under subsection (4) shall determine which public
29 schools in the district are eligible to deliver the
30 prekindergarten program during the school year.
31
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1 (4) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten
2 program during the school year, each school district must meet
3 both of the following requirements:
4 (a) The district school board must certify to the
5 State Board of Education that the school district:
6 1. Has reduced the average class size in each
7 classroom in accordance with s. 1003.03 and the schedule in s.
8 1(a), Art. IX of the State Constitution; and
9 2. Has sufficient satisfactory educational facilities
10 and capital outlay funds to continue reducing the average
11 class size in each classroom in the district's elementary
12 schools for each year in accordance with the schedule for
13 class-size reduction and to achieve full compliance with the
14 maximum class sizes in s. 1(a), Art. IX of the State
15 Constitution by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
16 (b) The Commissioner of Education must certify to the
17 State Board of Education that the department has reviewed the
18 school district's educational facilities, capital outlay
19 funds, and projected student enrollment and concurs with the
20 district school board's certification under paragraph (a).
21 (5) Each public school must have, for each
22 prekindergarten class, at least one prekindergarten instructor
23 who meets each requirement in s. 1002.55(3)(c) for a
24 prekindergarten instructor of a private prekindergarten
25 provider.
26 (6) Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a
27 public school delivering the school-year prekindergarten
28 program must be of good moral character, must be screened
29 using the level 2 screening standards in s. 435.04 before
30 employment and rescreened at least once every 5 years, must be
31 denied employment or terminated if required under s. 435.06,
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1 and must not be ineligible to teach in a public school because
2 his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked. This
3 subsection does not supersede employment requirements for
4 instructional personnel in public schools which are more
5 stringent than the requirements of this subsection.
6 (7) Each prekindergarten class in a public school
7 delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must be
8 composed of at least 4 students but may not exceed 18
9 students. In order to protect the health and safety of
10 students, each school must also provide appropriate adult
11 supervision for students at all times and, for each
12 prekindergarten class composed of 11 or more students, must
13 have, in addition to a prekindergarten instructor who meets
14 the requirements of s. 1002.55(3)(c), at least one adult
15 prekindergarten instructor who is not required to meet those
16 requirements but who must meet each requirement of subsection
17 (6).
18 (8) Each public school delivering the school-year
19 prekindergarten program must:
20 (a) Register with the early learning coalition on
21 forms prescribed by the Agency for Workforce Innovation; and
22 (b) Deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
23 Program in accordance with this part.
24 1002.65 Professional credentials of prekindergarten
25 instructors; aspirational goals; legislative intent.--
26 (1) The Legislature recognizes that there is a strong
27 relationship between the skills and preparation of
28 prekindergarten instructors and the educational outcomes of
29 students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
30 (2) To improve these educational outcomes, the
31 Legislature intends that all prekindergarten instructors will
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1 continue to improve their skills and preparation through
2 education and training, so that the following aspirational
3 goals will be achieved:
4 (a) By the 2010-2011 school year:
5 1. Each prekindergarten class will have at least one
6 prekindergarten instructor who holds an associate's or higher
7 degree in the field of early childhood education or child
8 development; and
9 2. For each prekindergarten class composed of 11 or
10 more students, in addition to a prekindergarten instructor who
11 meets the requirements of subparagraph 1., the class will have
12 at least one prekindergarten instructor who meets the
13 requirements of s. 1002.55(3)(c).
14 (b) By the 2013-2014 school year, each prekindergarten
15 class will have at least one prekindergarten instructor who
16 holds a bachelor's or higher degree in the field of early
17 childhood education or child development.
18 1002.67 Performance standards; curricula and
19 accountability.--
20 (1) By April 1, 2005, the department shall develop and
21 adopt performance standards for students in the Voluntary
22 Prekindergarten Education Program. The performance standards
23 must address the age-appropriate progress of students in the
24 development of:
25 (a) The capabilities, capacities, and skills required
26 under s. 1(b), Art. IX of the State Constitution; and
27 (b) Emergent literacy skills, including oral
28 communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonemic and
29 phonological awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension
30 development.
31
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1 (2)(a) Each private prekindergarten provider and
2 public school may select or design the curriculum that the
3 provider or school uses to implement the Voluntary
4 Prekindergarten Education Program, except as otherwise
5 required for a provider or school that is placed on probation
6 under paragraph (3)(c).
7 (b) Each private prekindergarten provider's and public
8 school's curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and
9 must:
10 1. Be designed to prepare a student for early
11 literacy;
12 2. Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in
13 attaining the performance standards adopted by the department
14 under subsection (1); and
15 3. Prepare students to be ready for kindergarten based
16 upon the statewide kindergarten screening administered under
17 s. 1002.69.
18 (c) The department shall review and approve curricula
19 for use by private prekindergarten providers and public
20 schools that are placed on probation under paragraph (3)(c).
21 The department shall maintain a list of the curricula approved
22 under this paragraph. Each approved curriculum must meet the
23 requirements of paragraph (b).
24 (3)(a) Each early learning coalition shall verify that
25 each private prekindergarten provider delivering the Voluntary
26 Prekindergarten Education Program within the coalition's
27 county or multicounty region complies with this part. Each
28 district school board shall verify that each public school
29 delivering the program within the school district complies
30 with this part.
31
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1 (b) If a private prekindergarten provider or public
2 school fails or refuses to comply with this part, or if a
3 provider or school engages in misconduct, the Agency for
4 Workforce Innovation shall require the early learning
5 coalition to remove the provider, and the Department of
6 Education shall require the school district to remove the
7 school, from eligibility to deliver the Voluntary
8 Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state funds
9 under this part.
10 (c)1. If the kindergarten readiness rate of a private
11 prekindergarten provider or public school falls below the
12 minimum rate adopted by the State Board of Education as
13 satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6), the early learning coalition
14 or school district, as applicable, shall require the provider
15 or school to submit an improvement plan for approval by the
16 coalition or school district, as applicable, and to implement
17 the plan.
18 2. If a private prekindergarten provider or public
19 school fails to meet the minimum rate adopted by the State
20 Board of Education as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6) for 2
21 consecutive years, the early learning coalition or school
22 district, as applicable, shall place the provider or school on
23 probation and must require the provider or school to take
24 certain corrective actions, including the use of a curriculum
25 approved by the department under paragraph (2)(c).
26 3. A private prekindergarten provider or public school
27 that is placed on probation must continue the corrective
28 actions required under subparagraph 2., including the use of a
29 curriculum approved by the department, until the provider or
30 school meets the minimum rate adopted by the State Board of
31 Education as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6).
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1 4. If a private prekindergarten provider or public
2 school remains on probation for 2 consecutive years and fails
3 to meet the minimum rate adopted by the State Board of
4 Education as satisfactory under s. 1002.69(6), the Agency for
5 Workforce Innovation shall require the early learning
6 coalition or the Department of Education shall require the
7 school district, as applicable, to remove the provider or
8 school from eligibility to deliver the Voluntary
9 Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state funds for
10 the program.
11 (d) Each early learning coalition, the Agency for
12 Workforce Innovation, and the department shall coordinate with
13 the Child Care Services Program Office of the Department of
14 Children and Family Services to minimize interagency
15 duplication of activities for monitoring private
16 prekindergarten providers for compliance with requirements of
17 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this
18 part, the school readiness programs under s. 411.01, and the
19 licensing of providers under ss. 402.301-402.319.
20 1002.69 Statewide kindergarten screening; kindergarten
21 readiness rates.--
22 (1) The department shall adopt a statewide
23 kindergarten screening that assesses the readiness of each
24 student for kindergarten based upon the performance standards
25 adopted by the department under s. 1002.67(1) for the
26 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The department
27 shall require that each school district administer the
28 statewide kindergarten screening to each kindergarten student
29 in the school district within the first 30 school days of each
30 school year.
31
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1 (2) The statewide kindergarten screening shall provide
2 objective data concerning each student's readiness for
3 kindergarten and progress in attaining the performance
4 standards adopted by the department under s. 1002.67(1).
5 (3) The statewide kindergarten screening shall
6 incorporate mechanisms for recognizing potential variations in
7 kindergarten readiness rates for students with disabilities.
8 (4) Each parent who enrolls his or her child in the
9 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must submit the
10 child for the statewide kindergarten screening, regardless of
11 whether the child is admitted to kindergarten in a public
12 school or nonpublic school. Each school district shall
13 designate sites to administer the statewide kindergarten
14 screening for children admitted to kindergarten in a nonpublic
15 school.
16 (5) The State Board of Education shall adopt
17 procedures for the department to annually calculate each
18 private prekindergarten provider's and public school's
19 kindergarten readiness rate, which must be expressed as the
20 percentage of the provider's or school's students who are
21 assessed as ready for kindergarten. The kindergarten readiness
22 rates must be based exclusively upon the results of the
23 statewide kindergarten screening for students completing the
24 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, beginning with
25 students completing the program during the 2005-2006 school
26 year who are administered the statewide kindergarten screening
27 during the 2006-2007 school year. The rates must not include
28 students who are not administered the statewide kindergarten
29 screening.
30 (6)(a) The State Board of Education shall periodically
31 adopt a minimum kindergarten readiness rate that, if achieved
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1 by a private prekindergarten provider or public school, would
2 demonstrate the provider's or school's satisfactory delivery
3 of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.
4 (b) The minimum rate must not exceed the rate at which
5 more than 15 percent of the kindergarten readiness rates of
6 all private prekindergarten providers and public schools
7 delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in
8 the state would fall below the minimum rate.
9 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.--
10 (1) Funds appropriated for the Voluntary
11 Prekindergarten Education Program may be used only for the
12 program in accordance with this part. If the student
13 enrollment in the program for a fiscal year exceeds the
14 estimated enrollment upon which the appropriation for that
15 fiscal year is provided, thereby causing a shortfall, funds
16 appropriated to the program for the subsequent fiscal year
17 must be used first to fund the shortfall.
18 (2) A full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary
19 Prekindergarten Education Program shall be calculated as
20 follows:
21 (a) For a student in a school-year prekindergarten
22 program delivered by a private prekindergarten provider: 540
23 instructional hours.
24 (b) For a student in a summer prekindergarten program
25 delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten
26 provider: 300 instructional hours.
27 (c) For a student in a school-year prekindergarten
28 program delivered by a public school: 540 instructional hours.
29
30
31
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1 Except as provided in subsection (4), a student may not be
2 reported for funding purposes as more than one full-time
3 equivalent student.
4 (3)(a) The base student allocation per full-time
5 equivalent student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
6 Program shall be provided in the General Appropriations Act
7 and shall be equal for each student, regardless of whether the
8 student is enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program
9 delivered by a private prekindergarten provider, a summer
10 prekindergarten program delivered by a public school or
11 private prekindergarten provider, or a school-year
12 prekindergarten program delivered by a public school.
13 (b) Each county's allocation per full-time equivalent
14 student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
15 shall be calculated annually by multiplying the base student
16 allocation provided in the General Appropriations Act by the
17 county's district cost differential provided in s. 1011.62(2).
18 Each private prekindergarten provider and public school shall
19 be paid in accordance with the county's allocation per
20 full-time equivalent student.
21 (4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2):
22 (a) A child who, for any of the prekindergarten
23 programs listed in s. 1002.53(3), has not completed more than
24 10 percent of the hours authorized to be reported for funding
25 under subsection (2) may withdraw from the program for good
26 cause, reenroll in one of the programs, and be reported for
27 funding purposes as a full-time equivalent student in the
28 program for which the child is reenrolled.
29 (b) A child who has not substantially completed any of
30 the prekindergarten programs listed in s. 1002.53(3) may
31 withdraw from the program due to an extreme hardship that is
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1 beyond the child's or parent's control, reenroll in one of the
2 programs, and be reported for funding purposes as a full-time
3 equivalent student in the program for which the child is
4 reenrolled.
5
6 A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program
7 under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten
8 program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw
9 from the program and reenroll. The Agency for Workforce
10 Innovation shall establish criteria specifying whether a good
11 cause exists for a child to withdraw from a program under
12 paragraph (a), whether a child has substantially completed a
13 program under paragraph (b), and whether an extreme hardship
14 exists which is beyond the child's or parent's control under
15 paragraph (b).
16 (5)(a) Each early learning coalition shall maintain
17 through the single point of entry established under s. 411.01
18 a current database of the students enrolled in the Voluntary
19 Prekindergarten Education Program for each county within the
20 coalition's region.
21 (b) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
22 procedures for the payment of private prekindergarten
23 providers and public schools delivering the Voluntary
24 Prekindergarten Education Program. The procedures shall
25 provide for the advance payment of providers and schools based
26 upon student enrollment in the program, the certification of
27 student attendance, and the reconciliation of advance payments
28 in accordance with the uniform attendance policy adopted under
29 paragraph (6)(d). The procedures shall provide for the monthly
30 distribution of funds by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
31 to the early learning coalitions for payment by the coalitions
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1 to private prekindergarten providers and public schools. The
2 department shall transfer to the Agency for Workforce
3 Innovation at least once each quarter the funds available for
4 payment to private prekindergarten providers and public
5 schools in accordance with this paragraph from the funds
6 appropriated for that purpose.
7 (6)(a) Each parent enrolling his or her child in the
8 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must agree to
9 comply with the attendance policy of the private
10 prekindergarten provider or district school board, as
11 applicable. Upon enrollment of the child, the private
12 prekindergarten provider or public school, as applicable, must
13 provide the child's parent with a copy of the provider's or
14 school district's attendance policy, as applicable.
15 (b)1. Each private prekindergarten provider's and
16 district school board's attendance policy must require the
17 parent of each student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
18 Education Program to verify, each month, the student's
19 attendance on the prior month's certified student attendance.
20 2. The parent must submit the verification of the
21 student's attendance to the private prekindergarten provider
22 or public school on forms prescribed by the Agency for
23 Workforce Innovation. The forms must include, in addition to
24 the verification of the student's attendance, a certification,
25 in substantially the following form, that the parent continues
26 to choose the private prekindergarten provider or public
27 school in accordance with s. 1002.53 and directs that payments
28 for the program be made to the provider or school:
29
30 VERIFICATION OF STUDENT'S ATTENDANCE
31 AND CERTIFICATION OF PARENTAL CHOICE
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1
2 I, . . . (Name of Parent) . . . , swear (or affirm) that my
3 child, . . . (Name of Student) . . . , attended the Voluntary
4 Prekindergarten Education Program on the days listed above and
5 certify that I continue to choose . . . (Name of Provider or
6 School) . . . to deliver the program for my child and direct
7 that program funds be paid to the provider or school for my
8 child.
9 . . . (Signature of Parent) . . .
10 . . . (Date) . . .
11
12 3. The private prekindergarten provider or public
13 school must keep each original signed form for at least 2
14 years. Each private prekindergarten provider must permit the
15 early learning coalition, and each public school must permit
16 the school district, to inspect the original signed forms
17 during normal business hours. The Agency for Workforce
18 Innovation shall adopt procedures for early learning
19 coalitions and school districts to review the original signed
20 forms against the certified student attendance. The review
21 procedures shall provide for the use of selective inspection
22 techniques, including, but not limited to, random sampling.
23 Each early learning coalition and school district must comply
24 with the review procedures.
25 (c) A private prekindergarten provider or school
26 district, as applicable, may dismiss a student who does not
27 comply with the provider's or district's attendance policy. A
28 student dismissed under this paragraph is not removed from the
29 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and may continue
30 in the program through reenrollment with another private
31 prekindergarten provider or public school. Notwithstanding s.
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1 1002.53(6)(b), a school district is not required to provide
2 for the admission of a student dismissed under this paragraph.
3 (d) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt,
4 for funding purposes, a uniform attendance policy for the
5 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The attendance
6 policy must apply statewide and apply equally to all private
7 prekindergarten providers and public schools. The attendance
8 policy must establish a minimum requirement for student
9 attendance and include the following provisions:
10 1. A student who meets the minimum requirement may be
11 reported as a full-time equivalent student for funding
12 purposes.
13 2. A student who does not meet the minimum requirement
14 may be reported only as a fractional part of a full-time
15 equivalent student, reduced pro rata based on the student's
16 attendance.
17 3. A student who does not meet the minimum requirement
18 may be reported as a full-time equivalent student if the
19 student is absent for good cause in accordance with exceptions
20 specified in the uniform attendance policy.
21
22 The uniform attendance policy shall be used only for funding
23 purposes and does not prohibit a private prekindergarten
24 provider or public school from adopting and enforcing its
25 attendance policy under paragraphs (a) and (c).
26 (7) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall require
27 that administrative expenditures be kept to the minimum
28 necessary for efficient and effective administration of the
29 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Each early
30 learning coalition may retain and expend no more than 5
31 percent of the funds paid by the coalition to private
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1 prekindergarten providers and public schools under paragraph
2 (5)(b). Funds retained by an early learning coalition under
3 this subsection may be used only for administering the
4 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and may not be
5 used for the school readiness program or other programs.
6 (8) Except as otherwise expressly authorized by law, a
7 private prekindergarten provider or public school may not:
8 (a) Require payment of a fee or charge for services
9 provided for a child enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
10 Education Program during a period reported for funding
11 purposes; or
12 (b) Require a child to enroll for, or require the
13 payment of any fee or charge for, supplemental services as a
14 condition of admitting a child for enrollment in the Voluntary
15 Prekindergarten Education Program.
16 (9) A parent is responsible for the transportation of
17 his or her child to and from the Voluntary Prekindergarten
18 Education Program, regardless of whether the program is
19 delivered by a private prekindergarten provider or a public
20 school. However, a provider or school may use part of the
21 funds it is paid under paragraph (5)(b) for transporting
22 students to and from the program. A student enrolled in the
23 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program may not be
24 reported under s. 1011.68 for student transportation funds.
25 1002.73 Department of Education; powers and duties;
26 accountability requirements.--
27 (1) The department shall administer the accountability
28 requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
29 Program at the state level.
30 (2) The department shall adopt procedures for the
31 department's:
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1 (a) Approval of prekindergarten director credentials
2 under ss. 1002.55 and 1002.57.
3 (b) Approval of emergent literacy training courses
4 under ss. 1002.55 and 1002.59.
5 (c) Certification of school districts that are
6 eligible to deliver the school-year prekindergarten program
7 under s. 1002.63.
8 (d) Administration of the statewide kindergarten
9 screening and calculation of kindergarten readiness rates
10 under s. 1002.69.
11 (3) Except as provided by law, the department may not
12 impose requirements on a private prekindergarten provider that
13 does not deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
14 Program or receive state funds under this part.
15 1002.75 Agency for Workforce Innovation; powers and
16 duties; operational requirements.--
17 (1) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall
18 administer the operational requirements of the Voluntary
19 Prekindergarten Education Program at the state level.
20 (2) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
21 procedures governing the administration of the Voluntary
22 Prekindergarten Education Program by the early learning
23 coalitions and school districts for:
24 (a) Enrolling children in and determining the
25 eligibility of children for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
26 Education Program under s. 1002.53.
27 (b) Providing parents with profiles of private
28 prekindergarten providers and public schools under s. 1002.53.
29 (c) Registering private prekindergarten providers and
30 public schools to deliver the program under ss. 1002.55,
31 1002.61, and 1002.63.
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1 (d) Determining the eligibility of private
2 prekindergarten providers to deliver the program under ss.
3 1002.55 and 1002.61.
4 (e) Verifying the compliance of private
5 prekindergarten providers and public schools and removing
6 providers or schools from eligibility to deliver the program
7 due to noncompliance or misconduct as provided in s. 1002.67.
8 (f) Paying private prekindergarten providers and
9 public schools under s. 1002.71.
10 (g) Documenting and certifying student enrollment and
11 student attendance under s. 1002.71.
12 (h) Reconciling advance payments in accordance with
13 the uniform attendance policy under s. 1002.71.
14 (i) Reenrolling students dismissed by a private
15 prekindergarten provider or public school for noncompliance
16 with the provider's or school district's attendance policy
17 under s. 1002.71.
18 (3) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt,
19 in consultation with and subject to approval by the
20 department, procedures governing the administration of the
21 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program by the early
22 learning coalitions and school districts for:
23 (a) Approving improvement plans of private
24 prekindergarten providers and public schools under s. 1002.67.
25 (b) Placing private prekindergarten providers and
26 public schools on probation and requiring corrective actions
27 under s. 1002.67.
28 (c) Removing a private prekindergarten provider or
29 public school from eligibility to deliver the program due to
30 the provider's or school's remaining on probation beyond the
31 time permitted under s. 1002.67.
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1 (4) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall also
2 adopt procedures for the agency's distribution of funds to
3 early learning coalitions under s. 1002.71.
4 (5) Except as provided by law, the Agency for
5 Workforce Innovation may not impose requirements on a private
6 prekindergarten provider or public school that does not
7 deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or
8 receive state funds under this part.
9 1002.77 Florida Early Learning Advisory Council.--
10 (1) There is created the Florida Early Learning
11 Advisory Council within the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
12 The purpose of the advisory council is to submit
13 recommendations to the department and the Agency for Workforce
14 Innovation on the early learning policy of this state,
15 including recommendations relating to administration of the
16 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this part
17 and the school readiness programs under s. 411.01.
18 (2) The advisory council shall be composed of the
19 following members:
20 (a) The chair of the advisory council who shall be
21 appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
22 (b) The chair of each early learning coalition.
23 (c) One member who shall be appointed by and serve at
24 the pleasure of the President of the Senate.
25 (d) One member who shall be appointed by and serve at
26 the pleasure of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
27
28 The chair of the advisory council appointed by the Governor
29 and the members appointed by the presiding officers of the
30 Legislature must each have a background in early learning.
31
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1 (3) The advisory council shall meet at least quarterly
2 but may meet as often as necessary to carry out its duties and
3 responsibilities.
4 (4)(a) Each member of the advisory council shall serve
5 without compensation but is entitled to receive reimbursement
6 for per diem and travel expenses for attendance at council
7 meetings as provided in s. 112.061.
8 (b) Each member of the advisory council is subject to
9 the ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112.
10 (c) For purposes of tort liability, each member of the
11 advisory council shall be governed by s. 768.28.
12 (5) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall provide
13 staff and administrative support for the advisory council.
14 1002.79 Rulemaking authority.--
15 (1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
16 under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer the provisions
17 of this part conferring duties upon the department.
18 (2) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
19 rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer the
20 provisions of this part conferring duties upon the agency.
21 Section 2. Section 411.01, Florida Statutes, is
22 amended to read:
23 411.01 Florida Partnership for School readiness
24 programs; early learning school readiness coalitions.--
25 (1) SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the
26 "School Readiness Act."
27 (2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.--
28 (a) The Legislature recognizes that school readiness
29 programs increase children's chances of achieving future
30 educational success and becoming productive members of
31 society. It is the intent of the Legislature that the such
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1 programs be developmentally appropriate, research-based,
2 involve parents as their child's first teacher, serve as
3 preventive measures for children at risk of future school
4 failure, enhance the educational readiness of eligible
5 children, and support family education. Each school readiness
6 program shall provide the elements necessary to prepare
7 at-risk children for school, including health screening and
8 referral and an appropriate educational program.
9 (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that school
10 readiness programs be operated on a full-day, year-round basis
11 to the maximum extent possible to enable parents to work and
12 become financially self-sufficient.
13 (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that school
14 readiness programs not exist as isolated programs, but build
15 upon existing services and work in cooperation with other
16 programs for young children, and that school readiness
17 programs be coordinated and funding integrated to achieve full
18 effectiveness.
19 (d) It is the intent of the Legislature that the
20 administrative staff at the state level for school readiness
21 programs be kept to the minimum necessary to administer carry
22 out the duties of the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
23 Partnership for School Readiness, as the school readiness
24 programs are to be regionally locally designed, operated, and
25 managed, with the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
26 Partnership for School Readiness adopting a system for
27 measuring school readiness; developing school readiness
28 program performance standards and, outcome measures
29 measurements, and data design and review; and approving and
30 reviewing early learning coalitions and local school readiness
31 coalitions and plans.
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1 (e) It is the intent of the Legislature that
2 appropriations for combined school readiness programs shall
3 not be less than the programs would receive in any fiscal year
4 on an uncombined basis.
5 (f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the
6 school readiness program coordinate and operate in conjunction
7 with the district school systems. However, it is also the
8 intent of the Legislature that the school readiness program
9 not be construed as part of the system of free public schools
10 but rather as a separate program for children under the age of
11 kindergarten eligibility, funded separately from the system of
12 free public schools, utilizing a mandatory sliding fee scale,
13 and providing an integrated and seamless system of school
14 readiness services for the state's birth-to-kindergarten
15 population.
16 (g) It is the intent of the Legislature that the
17 federal child care income tax credit be preserved for school
18 readiness programs.
19 (h) It is the intent of the Legislature that school
20 readiness services shall be an integrated and seamless system
21 of services with a developmentally appropriate education
22 component for the state's eligible birth-to-kindergarten
23 population described in subsection (6) and shall not be
24 construed as part of the seamless K-20 education system except
25 for the administration of the uniform screening system upon
26 entry into kindergarten.
27 (3) PARENTAL PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL READINESS
28 PROGRAMS PROGRAM.--
29 (a) The school readiness program shall be phased in on
30 a coalition-by-coalition basis. Each coalition's school
31 readiness program shall have available to it funding from all
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1 the coalition's early education and child care programs that
2 are funded with state, federal, lottery, or local funds,
3 including but not limited to Florida First Start programs,
4 Even-Start literacy programs, prekindergarten early
5 intervention programs, Head Start programs, programs offered
6 by public and private providers of child care, migrant
7 prekindergarten programs, Title I programs, subsidized child
8 care programs, and teen parent programs, together with any
9 additional funds appropriated or obtained for purposes of this
10 section. These programs and their funding streams shall be
11 components of the coalition's integrated school readiness
12 program, with the goal of preparing children for success in
13 school.
14 (b) Nothing contained in This section does not act is
15 intended to:
16 (a)1. Relieve parents and guardians of their own
17 obligations to prepare ready their children for school; or
18 (b)2. Create any obligation to provide publicly funded
19 school readiness programs or services beyond those authorized
20 by the Legislature.
21 (4) AGENCY FOR WORKFORCE INNOVATION FLORIDA
22 PARTNERSHIP FOR SCHOOL READINESS.--
23 (a) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall Florida
24 Partnership for School Readiness was created to fulfill three
25 major purposes: to administer school readiness programs at the
26 state level and shall program services that help parents
27 prepare eligible children for school; to coordinate the early
28 learning coalitions in providing provision of school readiness
29 services on a full-day, full-year, full-choice basis to the
30 extent possible in order to enable parents to work and be
31 financially self-sufficient; and to establish a uniform
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1 screening instrument to be implemented by the Department of
2 Education and administered by the school districts upon entry
3 into kindergarten to assess the readiness for school of all
4 children. Readiness for kindergarten is the outcome measure of
5 the success of each school readiness program that receives
6 state or federal funds. The partnership is assigned to the
7 Agency for Workforce Innovation for administrative purposes.
8 (b) The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
9 Partnership for School Readiness shall:
10 1. Coordinate the birth-to-kindergarten services for
11 children who are eligible under pursuant to subsection (6) and
12 the programmatic, administrative, and fiscal standards under
13 pursuant to this section for all public providers of school
14 readiness programs.
15 2. Continue to provide unified leadership for school
16 readiness through early learning local school readiness
17 coalitions.
18 3. Focus on improving the educational quality of all
19 publicly funded school readiness programs.
20 (c)1. The Florida Partnership for School Readiness
21 shall include the Lieutenant Governor, the Commissioner of
22 Education, the Secretary of Children and Family Services, and
23 the Secretary of Health, or their designees, and the chair of
24 the Child Care Executive Partnership Board, and the
25 chairperson of the Board of Directors of Workforce Florida,
26 Inc. When the Lieutenant Governor or an agency head appoints a
27 designee, the designee must be an individual who attends
28 consistently, and, in the event that the Lieutenant Governor
29 or agency head and his or her designee both attend a meeting,
30 only one of them may vote.
31
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1 2. The partnership shall also include 14 members of
2 the public who shall be business, community, and civic leaders
3 in the state who are not elected to public office. These
4 members and their families must not have a direct contract
5 with any local coalition to provide school readiness services.
6 The members must be geographically and demographically
7 representative of the state. Each member shall be appointed by
8 the Governor from a list of nominees submitted by the
9 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
10 Representatives. By July 1, 2001, four members shall be
11 appointed as follows: two members shall be from the child care
12 industry, one representing the private for-profit sector
13 appointed by the Governor from a list of two nominees
14 submitted by the President of the Senate and one representing
15 faith-based providers appointed by the Governor from a list of
16 two nominees submitted by the Speaker of the House of
17 Representatives; and two members shall be from the business
18 community, one appointed by the Governor from a list of two
19 nominees submitted by the President of the Senate and one
20 appointed by the Governor from a list of two nominees
21 submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
22 Members shall be appointed to 4-year terms of office. The
23 members of the partnership shall elect a chairperson annually
24 from the nongovernmental members of the partnership. Any
25 vacancy on the partnership shall be filled in the same manner
26 as the original appointment.
27 (d) The partnership shall meet at least quarterly but
28 may meet as often as it deems necessary to carry out its
29 duties and responsibilities. Members of the partnership shall
30 participate without proxy at the quarterly meetings. The
31
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1 partnership may take official action by a majority vote of the
2 members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present.
3 (e) Members of the partnership are subject to the
4 ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112, and no member
5 may derive any financial benefit from the funds administered
6 by the Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
7 (f) Members of the partnership shall serve without
8 compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem
9 and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
10 duties as provided in s. 112.061, and reimbursement for other
11 reasonable, necessary, and actual expenses.
12 (g) For the purposes of tort liability, the members of
13 the partnership and its employees shall be governed by s.
14 768.28.
15 (h) The partnership shall appoint an executive
16 director who shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The
17 executive director shall perform the duties assigned to him or
18 her by the partnership. The executive director shall be
19 responsible for hiring, subject to the approval of the
20 partnership, all employees and staff members, who shall serve
21 under his or her direction and control.
22 (c)(i) For purposes of administration of the federal
23 Child Care and Development Fund, 45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99,
24 the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership may be
25 designated by the Governor as the lead agency, and, if so
26 designated, shall comply with the lead agency responsibilities
27 under pursuant to federal law.
28 (d)(j) The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
29 Partnership for School Readiness is the principal organization
30 responsible for the enhancement of school readiness for the
31 state's children, and shall:
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1 1. Be responsible for the prudent use of all public
2 and private funds in accordance with all legal and contractual
3 requirements.
4 2. Provide final approval and periodic review of early
5 learning coalitions and school readiness plans.
6 3. Provide leadership for the enhancement of school
7 readiness in this state by aggressively establishing a unified
8 approach to the state's efforts toward enhancement of school
9 readiness. In support of this effort, the Agency for Workforce
10 Innovation partnership may develop and implement specific
11 strategies that address the state's school readiness programs.
12 4. Safeguard the effective use of federal, state,
13 local, and private resources to achieve the highest possible
14 level of school readiness for the state's children in this
15 state.
16 5. Provide technical assistance to early learning
17 coalitions.
18 6. Assess gaps in service.
19 7. Provide technical assistance to counties that form
20 a multicounty region served by an early learning coalition.
21 8.a. Adopt a system for measuring school readiness
22 that provides objective data regarding the expectations for
23 school readiness, and establish a method for collecting the
24 data and guidelines for using the data. The measurement, the
25 data collection, and the use of the data must serve the
26 statewide school readiness goal. The criteria for determining
27 which data to collect should be the usefulness of the data to
28 state policymakers and local program administrators in
29 administering programs and allocating state funds, and must
30 include the tracking of school readiness system information
31
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1 back to individual school readiness programs to assist in
2 determining program effectiveness.
3 b. Adopt a system for evaluating the performance of
4 students through the third grade to compare the performance of
5 those who participated in school readiness programs with the
6 performance of students who did not participate in school
7 readiness programs in order to identify strategies for
8 continued successful student performance.
9 8.9. Develop and adopt performance standards and
10 outcome measures for school readiness programs. The
11 performance standards must address the age-appropriate
12 progress of children in the development of the school
13 readiness skills required under paragraph (j). The performance
14 standards for children from birth to 3 years of age in school
15 readiness programs must be integrated with the performance
16 standards adopted by the Department of Education for children
17 in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under s.
18 1002.67.
19 (e)(k) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
20 may adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 necessary to
21 administer the provisions of law conferring duties upon the
22 agency, including, but not limited this section which relate
23 to, rules governing the preparation preparing and
24 implementation of implementing the system for school readiness
25 system, the collection of collecting data, the approval of
26 early learning approving local school readiness coalitions and
27 school readiness plans, the provision of providing a method
28 whereby an early learning a coalition may can serve two or
29 more counties, the award of awarding incentives to early
30 learning coalitions, and the issuance of issuing waivers.
31
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1 (f)(l) The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
2 Partnership for School Readiness shall have all powers
3 necessary to administer carry out the purposes of this
4 section, including, but not limited to, the power to receive
5 and accept grants, loans, or advances of funds from any public
6 or private agency and to receive and accept from any source
7 contributions of money, property, labor, or any other thing of
8 value, to be held, used, and applied for the purposes of this
9 section.
10 (g) Except as provided by law, the Agency for
11 Workforce Innovation may not impose requirements on a child
12 care or early childhood education provider that does not
13 deliver services under a school readiness program or receive
14 state or federal funds under this section.
15 (h)(m) The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
16 Partnership for School Readiness shall have a budget for the
17 school readiness system, which and shall be financed through
18 an annual appropriation made for purposes of this section
19 purpose in the General Appropriations Act.
20 (i)(n) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
21 shall coordinate the efforts toward school readiness in this
22 state and provide independent policy analyses and
23 recommendations to the Governor, the State Board of Education,
24 and the Legislature.
25 (j)(o) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall
26 require that each early learning coalition's The partnership
27 shall prepare and submit to the State Board of Education a
28 system for measuring school readiness program. The system
29 must, at a minimum, enhance the age-appropriate progress of
30 each child in the development of include a uniform screening,
31 which shall provide objective data regarding the following
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1 expectations for school readiness skills which shall include,
2 at a minimum:
3 1. The child's immunizations and other health
4 requirements as necessary, including appropriate vision and
5 hearing screening and examinations.
6 2. The child's physical development.
7 1.3. The child's Compliance with rules, limitations,
8 and routines.
9 2.4. The child's Ability to perform tasks.
10 3.5. The child's Interactions with adults.
11 4.6. The child's Interactions with peers.
12 5.7. The child's Ability to cope with challenges.
13 6.8. The child's Self-help skills.
14 7.9. The child's Ability to express the child's his or
15 her needs.
16 8.10. The child's Verbal communication skills.
17 9.11. The child's Problem-solving skills.
18 10.12. The child's Following of verbal directions.
19 11.13. The child's Demonstration of curiosity,
20 persistence, and exploratory behavior.
21 12.14. The child's Interest in books and other printed
22 materials.
23 13.15. The child's Paying attention to stories.
24 14.16. The child's Participation in art and music
25 activities.
26 15.17. The child's Ability to identify colors,
27 geometric shapes, letters of the alphabet, numbers, and
28 spatial and temporal relationships.
29
30 The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall also require that,
31 before a child is enrolled in an early learning coalition's
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1 school readiness program, the coalition must ensure that
2 information is obtained by the coalition or the school
3 readiness provider regarding the child's immunizations,
4 physical development, and other health requirements as
5 necessary, including appropriate vision and hearing screening
6 and examinations.
7 (p) The partnership shall prepare a plan for
8 implementing the system for measuring school readiness in such
9 a way that all children in this state will undergo the uniform
10 screening established by the partnership when they enter
11 kindergarten. Children who enter public school for the first
12 time in first grade must undergo a uniform screening approved
13 by the partnership for use in first grade. Because children
14 with disabilities may not be able to meet all of the
15 identified expectations for school readiness, the plan for
16 measuring school readiness shall incorporate mechanisms for
17 recognizing the potential variations in expectations for
18 school readiness when serving children with disabilities and
19 shall provide for communities to serve children with
20 disabilities.
21 (k)(q) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
22 shall conduct studies and planning activities related to the
23 overall improvement and effectiveness of the outcome school
24 readiness measures adopted by the agency for school readiness
25 programs.
26 (l) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall monitor
27 and evaluate the performance of each early learning coalition
28 in administering the school readiness program, implementing
29 the coalition's school readiness plan, and administering the
30 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. These monitoring
31 and performance evaluations must include, at a minimum, onsite
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1 monitoring of each coalition's finances, management,
2 operations, and programs.
3 (m) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall identify
4 best practices of early learning coalitions in order to
5 improve the outcomes of school readiness programs.
6 (r) The partnership shall establish procedures for
7 performance-based budgeting in school readiness programs.
8 (n)(s) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
9 shall submit an annual report of its activities conducted
10 under this section to the Governor, the executive director of
11 the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, the President of the
12 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
13 minority leaders of both houses of the Legislature. In
14 addition, the Agency for Workforce Innovation's partnership's
15 reports and recommendations shall be made available to the
16 State Board of Education, the Florida Early Learning Advisory
17 Council, other appropriate state agencies and entities,
18 district school boards, central agencies for child care, and
19 county health departments. The annual report must provide an
20 analysis of school readiness activities across the state,
21 including the number of children who were served in the
22 programs and the number of children who were ready for school.
23 (o)(t) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
24 shall work with the early learning school readiness coalitions
25 to increase parents' training for and involvement in their
26 children's preschool education and to provide family literacy
27 activities and programs.
28
29 To ensure that the system for measuring school readiness is
30 comprehensive and appropriate statewide, as the system is
31 developed and implemented, the partnership must consult with
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1 representatives of district school systems, providers of
2 public and private child care, health care providers, large
3 and small employers, experts in education for children with
4 disabilities, and experts in child development.
5 (5) CREATION OF EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL READINESS
6 COALITIONS.--
7 (a) Early learning School readiness coalitions.--
8 1. The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall establish
9 the minimum number of children to be served by each early
10 learning coalition through the coalition's school readiness
11 program. The Agency for Workforce Innovation may only approve
12 school readiness plans in accordance with this minimum number.
13 The minimum number must be uniform for every early learning
14 coalition and must:
15 a. Permit 30 or fewer coalitions to be established;
16 and
17 b. Require each coalition to serve at least 2,000
18 children based upon the average number of all children served
19 per month through the coalition's school readiness program
20 during the previous 12 months.
21
22 The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt procedures for
23 merging early learning coalitions, including procedures for
24 the consolidation of merging coalitions, and for the early
25 termination of the terms of coalition members which are
26 necessary to accomplish the mergers. Each early learning
27 coalition must comply with the merger procedures and shall be
28 organized in accordance with this subparagraph by April 1,
29 2005. By June 30, 2005, each coalition must complete the
30 transfer of powers, duties, functions, rules, records,
31 personnel, property, and unexpended balances of
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1 appropriations, allocations, and other funds to the successor
2 coalition, if applicable.
3 2.1. If an early learning coalition a coalition's plan
4 would serve fewer less than 400 birth-to-kindergarten age
5 children than the minimum number established under
6 subparagraph 1., the coalition must merge either join with
7 another county to form a multicounty coalition. However, the
8 Agency for Workforce Innovation may authorize an early
9 learning coalition to serve fewer children than the minimum
10 number established under subparagraph 1., if:
11 a. The coalition demonstrates to the Agency for
12 Workforce Innovation that merging with another county or
13 multicounty region contiguous to the coalition would cause an
14 extreme hardship on the coalition;
15 b. The Agency for Workforce Innovation has determined
16 during the most recent annual review of the coalition's school
17 readiness plan, or through monitoring and performance
18 evaluations conducted under paragraph (4)(l), that the
19 coalition has substantially implemented its plan and
20 substantially met the performance standards and outcome
21 measures adopted by the agency; and
22 c. The coalition demonstrates to the Agency for
23 Workforce Innovation the coalition's, enter an agreement with
24 a fiscal agent to serve more than one coalition, or
25 demonstrate to the partnership its ability to effectively and
26 efficiently implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
27 Program its plan as a single-county coalition and meet all
28 required performance standards and outcome measures.
29
30 If an early learning coalition fails or refuses to merge as
31 required by this subparagraph, the Agency for Workforce
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1 Innovation may dissolve the coalition and temporarily contract
2 with a qualified entity to continue school readiness and
3 prekindergarten services in the coalition's county or
4 multicounty region until the coalition is reestablished
5 through resubmission of a school readiness plan and approval
6 by the agency.
7 3. Each early learning coalition shall be composed of
8 at least 18 members but not more than 35 members. The Agency
9 for Workforce Innovation shall adopt standards establishing
10 within this range the minimum and maximum number of members
11 that may be appointed to an early learning coalition. These
12 standards must include variations for a coalition serving a
13 multicounty region. Each early learning coalition must comply
14 with these standards.
15 4. The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other
16 members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet
17 the same qualifications as private-sector business members
18 appointed by the coalition under subparagraph 6.
19 5.2. Each early learning coalition shall have at least
20 18 but not more than 25 members and such members must include
21 the following members:
22 a. A Department of Children and Family Services
23 district administrator or his or her designee who is
24 authorized to make decisions on behalf of the department.
25 b. A district superintendent of schools or his or her
26 designee who is authorized to make decisions on behalf of the
27 district, who shall be a nonvoting member.
28 c. A regional workforce development board executive
29 chair or director or his or her designee, where applicable.
30 d. A county health department director or his or her
31 designee.
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1 e. A children's services council or juvenile welfare
2 board chair or executive director, if applicable, who shall be
3 a nonvoting member if the council or board is the fiscal agent
4 of the coalition or if the council or board contracts with and
5 receives funds from the coalition.
6 f. An agency head of a local child care licensing
7 agency as defined in s. 402.302, where applicable head.
8 g. A president of a community college or his or her
9 designee.
10 g. One member appointed by a Department of Children
11 and Family Services district administrator.
12 h. One member appointed by a board of county
13 commissioners.
14 i. One member appointed by a district school board.
15 i.j. A central child care agency administrator, where
16 applicable, who shall be a nonvoting member.
17 j.k. A Head Start director, who shall be a nonvoting
18 member.
19 k.l. A representative of private child care providers,
20 including family day care homes, who shall be a nonvoting
21 member.
22 l.m. A representative of faith-based child care
23 providers, who shall be a nonvoting member.
24 m. A representative of programs for children with
25 disabilities under the federal Individuals with Disabilities
26 Education Act, who shall be a nonvoting member.
27 6. Including the members appointed by the Governor
28 under subparagraph 4., more than one-third of the coalition
29 members of each early learning coalition must be
30 private-sector business members who do not have, and none of
31 whose relatives as defined in s. 112.3143 has, a substantial
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1 financial interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary
2 Prekindergarten Education Program created under part V of
3 chapter 1002 or the coalition's school readiness program from
4 the private sector, and neither they nor their families may
5 earn an income from the early education and child care
6 industry. To meet this requirement an early learning a
7 coalition must appoint additional members from a list of
8 nominees submitted presented to the coalition by a chamber of
9 commerce or economic development council within the geographic
10 region served by area of the coalition. The Agency for
11 Workforce Innovation shall establish criteria for appointing
12 private-sector business members. These criteria must include
13 standards for determining whether a member or relative has a
14 substantial financial interest in the design or delivery of
15 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the
16 coalition's school readiness program.
17 7. A majority of the voting membership of an early
18 learning coalition constitutes a quorum required to conduct
19 the business of the coalition.
20 8.3. A voting No member of an early learning a
21 coalition may not appoint a designee to act in his or her
22 place, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph. A
23 voting member may send a representative to coalition meetings,
24 but that representative does not will have no voting
25 privileges. When a district superintendent of schools or a
26 district administrator for the Department of Children and
27 Family Services appoints a designee to an early learning a
28 school readiness coalition, the designee is will be the voting
29 member of the coalition, and any individual attending in the
30 designee's his or her place, including the district
31
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1 administrator or superintendent, does not will have no voting
2 privileges.
3 9.4. Each member Members of an early learning the
4 coalition is are subject to ss. 112.313, 112.3135, and
5 112.3143 the ethics provisions in part III of chapter 112. For
6 purposes of s. 112.3143(3)(a), each voting member is a local
7 public officer who must abstain from voting when a voting
8 conflict exists.
9 10.5. For the purposes of tort liability, each member
10 or employee of an early learning the members of the school
11 readiness coalition and its employees shall be governed by s.
12 768.28.
13 11.6. An early learning coalition serving a
14 multicounty region must coalitions shall include
15 representation from each county.
16 12.7. Each early learning coalition shall establish
17 The terms for of all appointed members of the coalition. The
18 terms must be staggered and must be a uniform length that does
19 not exceed 4 years per term. Appointed members may serve a
20 maximum of two consecutive terms. When a vacancy occurs in an
21 appointed position, the coalition must advertise the vacancy.
22 (b) Program participation.--The school readiness
23 program shall be established for children from birth to the
24 beginning of the school year for which a child is eligible for
25 admission to 5 years of age or until the child enters
26 kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. The
27 program shall be administered by the early learning school
28 readiness coalition. Within funding limitations, the early
29 learning school readiness coalition, along with all providers,
30 shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate the needs of
31
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1 children for extended-day and extended-year services without
2 compromising the quality of the program.
3 (c) Program expectations.--
4 1. The school readiness program must meet the
5 following expectations:
6 a. The program must, at a minimum, enhance the
7 age-appropriate progress of each child in the development of
8 the school readiness skills required under paragraph (4)(j)
9 prepare preschool children to enter kindergarten ready to
10 learn, as measured by the performance standards and outcome
11 measures adopted criteria established by the Agency for
12 Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
13 b. The program must provide extended-day and
14 extended-year services to the maximum extent possible to meet
15 the needs of parents who work.
16 c. There must be coordinated staff development and
17 teaching opportunities.
18 d. There must be expanded access to community services
19 and resources for families to help achieve economic
20 self-sufficiency.
21 e. There must be a single point of entry and unified
22 waiting list. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the term
23 "single point of entry" means an integrated information system
24 that allows a parent to enroll his or her child in the school
25 readiness program at various locations throughout the county
26 or multicounty region served by an early learning coalition,
27 that may allow a parent to enroll his or her child by
28 telephone or through an Internet website, and that uses a
29 unified waiting list to track eligible children waiting for
30 enrollment in the school readiness program. The Agency for
31 Workforce Innovation shall establish a single statewide
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1 information system that integrates each early learning
2 coalition's single point of entry, and each coalition must use
3 the statewide system.
4 f. The Agency for Workforce Innovation must consider
5 the access of eligible children to the school readiness
6 program, as demonstrated in part by waiting lists, before
7 approving a proposed increase in payment rates submitted by an
8 early learning coalition. In addition, early learning
9 coalitions shall use school readiness funds made available due
10 to enrollment shifts from school readiness programs to the
11 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program for increasing the
12 number of children served in school readiness programs before
13 increasing payment rates.
14 f. As long as funding or eligible populations do not
15 decrease, the program must serve at least as many children as
16 were served prior to implementation of the program.
17 g. There must be a community plan to address the needs
18 of all eligible children.
19 h. The program must meet all state licensing
20 guidelines, where applicable.
21 2. The early learning school readiness coalition must
22 implement a comprehensive program of school readiness services
23 that enhance the cognitive, social, and physical development
24 of children to achieve the performance standards and outcome
25 measures adopted specified by the Agency for Workforce
26 Innovation partnership. At a minimum, these programs must
27 contain the following elements:
28 a. Developmentally appropriate curriculum designed to
29 enhance the age-appropriate progress of children in attaining
30 the performance standards adopted by the Agency for Workforce
31 Innovation under subparagraph (4)(d)8.
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1 b. A character development program to develop basic
2 values.
3 c. An age-appropriate assessment of each child's
4 development.
5 d. A pretest administered to children when they enter
6 a program and a posttest administered to children when they
7 leave the program.
8 e. An appropriate staff-to-children staff-to-child
9 ratio.
10 f. A healthy healthful and safe environment.
11 g. A resource and referral network to assist parents
12 in making an informed choice.
13 (d) Implementation.--
14 1. An early learning coalition may not implement the
15 school readiness program is to be phased in. until the
16 coalition is authorized implements its plan, the county shall
17 continue to receive the services identified in subsection (3)
18 through the various agencies that would be responsible for
19 delivering those services under current law. Plan
20 implementation is subject to approval of the coalition's
21 school readiness coalition and the plan by the Agency for
22 Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
23 2. Each early learning school readiness coalition
24 shall develop a plan for implementing the school readiness
25 program to meet the requirements of this section and the
26 performance standards and outcome measures adopted established
27 by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The plan
28 must include a written description of the role of the program
29 in the coalition's effort to meet the first state education
30 goal, readiness to start school, including a description of
31 the plan to involve the prekindergarten early intervention
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1 programs, Head Start Programs, programs offered by public or
2 private providers of child care, preschool programs for
3 children with disabilities, programs for migrant children,
4 Title I programs, subsidized child care programs, and teen
5 parent programs. The plan must also demonstrate how the
6 program will ensure that each 3-year-old and 4-year-old child
7 in a publicly funded school readiness program receives
8 scheduled activities and instruction designed to enhance the
9 age-appropriate progress of the prepare children in attaining
10 the performance standards adopted by the Agency for Workforce
11 Innovation under subparagraph (4)(d)8. to enter kindergarten
12 ready to learn. Before implementing Prior to implementation of
13 the school readiness program, the early learning school
14 readiness coalition must submit the plan to the Agency for
15 Workforce Innovation partnership for approval. The Agency for
16 Workforce Innovation partnership may approve the plan, reject
17 the plan, or approve the plan with conditions. The Agency for
18 Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness
19 shall review school readiness coalition plans at least
20 annually.
21 3. If the Agency for Workforce Innovation determines
22 during the annual review of school readiness plans, or through
23 monitoring and performance evaluations conducted under
24 paragraph (4)(l), that an early learning coalition has not
25 substantially implemented its plan, has not substantially met
26 the performance standards and outcome measures adopted by the
27 agency, or has not effectively administered the school
28 readiness program or Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
29 Program, the Agency for Workforce Innovation may dissolve the
30 coalition and temporarily contract with a qualified entity to
31 continue school readiness and prekindergarten services in the
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1 coalition's county or multicounty region until the coalition
2 is reestablished through resubmission of a school readiness
3 plan and approval by the agency.
4 4.3. The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
5 criteria for the approval of school readiness plans. The
6 criteria must be consistent with the performance standards and
7 outcome measures adopted by the agency and must require each
8 approved plan to for the school readiness program must include
9 the following minimum standards and provisions:
10 a. A sliding fee scale establishing a copayment for
11 parents based upon their ability to pay, which is the same for
12 all program providers, to be implemented and reflected in each
13 program's budget.
14 b. A choice of settings and locations in licensed,
15 registered, religious-exempt, or school-based programs to be
16 provided to parents.
17 c. Instructional staff who have completed the training
18 course as required in s. 402.305(2)(d)1., as well as staff who
19 have additional training or credentials as required by the
20 Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The plan must
21 provide a method for assuring the qualifications of all
22 personnel in all program settings.
23 d. Specific eligibility priorities for children within
24 the early learning coalition's county or multicounty region in
25 accordance with pursuant to subsection (6).
26 e. Performance standards and outcome measures adopted
27 established by the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
28 or alternatively, standards and outcome measures to be used
29 until such time as the partnership adopts such standards and
30 outcome measures.
31
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1 f. Payment Reimbursement rates adopted that have been
2 developed by the early learning coalition and approved by the
3 Agency for Workforce Innovation. Payment Reimbursement rates
4 may shall not have the effect of limiting parental choice or
5 creating standards or levels of services that have not been
6 authorized by the Legislature.
7 g. Systems support services, including a central
8 agency, child care resource and referral, eligibility
9 determinations, training of providers, and parent support and
10 involvement.
11 h. Direct enhancement services to families and
12 children. System support and direct enhancement services shall
13 be in addition to payments for the placement of children in
14 school readiness programs.
15 i. The A business organization of the early learning
16 coalition plan, which must include the coalition's articles of
17 incorporation and bylaws if the coalition is organized as a
18 corporation. If the coalition is not organized as a
19 corporation or other business entity, the plan must include
20 the contract with a fiscal school readiness agent if the
21 coalition is not a legally established corporate entity. An
22 early learning coalition Coalitions may contract with other
23 coalitions to achieve efficiency in multicounty
24 multiple-county services, and these such contracts may be part
25 of the coalition's school readiness business plan.
26 j. Strategies to meet the needs of unique populations,
27 such as migrant workers.
28
29 As part of the school readiness plan, the early learning
30 coalition may request the Governor to apply for a waiver to
31 allow the coalition to administer the Head Start Program to
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1 accomplish the purposes of the school readiness program. If a
2 any school readiness plan demonstrates can demonstrate that
3 specific statutory goals can be achieved more effectively by
4 using procedures that require modification of existing rules,
5 policies, or procedures, a request for a waiver to the Agency
6 for Workforce Innovation partnership may be submitted made as
7 part of the plan. Upon review, the Agency for Workforce
8 Innovation partnership may grant the proposed modification.
9 5.4. Persons with an early childhood teaching
10 certificate may provide support and supervision to other staff
11 in the school readiness program.
12 6.5. An early learning The coalition may not implement
13 its school readiness plan until it submits the plan to and
14 receives approval from the Agency for Workforce Innovation
15 partnership. Once the plan is has been approved, the plan and
16 the services provided under the plan shall be controlled by
17 the early learning coalition rather than by the state agencies
18 or departments. The plan shall be reviewed and revised as
19 necessary, but at least biennially. An early learning
20 coalition may not implement the revisions until the coalition
21 submits the revised plan to and receives approval from the
22 Agency for Workforce Innovation. If the Agency for Workforce
23 Innovation rejects a revised plan, the coalition must continue
24 to operate under its prior approved plan.
25 7.6. Sections The following statutes will not apply to
26 local coalitions with approved plans: ss. 125.901(2)(a)3.,
27 411.221, and 411.232 do not apply to an early learning
28 coalition with an approved school readiness plan. To
29 facilitate innovative practices and to allow the regional
30 local establishment of school readiness programs, an early
31 learning a school readiness coalition may apply to the
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1 Governor and Cabinet for a waiver of, and the Governor and
2 Cabinet may waive, any of the provisions of ss. 411.223,
3 411.232, and 1003.54, if the waiver is necessary for
4 implementation of the coalition's school readiness plan.
5 8.7. Two or more counties may join for purposes the
6 purpose of planning and implementing a school readiness
7 program.
8 9.8. An early learning A coalition may, subject to
9 approval by of the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
10 as part of the coalition's school readiness plan, receive
11 subsidized child care funds for all children eligible for any
12 federal subsidized child care program and be the provider of
13 the program services.
14 10.9. An early learning coalition may Coalitions are
15 authorized to enter into multiparty contracts with multicounty
16 service providers in order to meet the needs of unique
17 populations such as migrant workers.
18 (e) Requests for proposals; payment schedule.--
19 1. At least once every 3 years, beginning July 1,
20 2001, Each early learning coalition must comply with follow
21 the competitive procurement requirements of s. 287.057 for the
22 procurement of commodities or contractual services from the
23 funds described in paragraph (9)(d) school readiness programs.
24 The period of a contract for purchase of these commodities or
25 contractual services, together with any renewal of the
26 original contract, may not exceed 3 years.
27 2. Each early learning coalition shall adopt develop a
28 payment schedule that encompasses all programs funded by the
29 that coalition under this section. The payment schedule must
30 take into consideration the relevant market rate, must include
31 the projected number of children to be served, and must be
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1 submitted for approval by to the Agency for Workforce
2 Innovation partnership for information. Informal child care
3 arrangements shall be reimbursed at not more than 50 percent
4 of the rate developed for a family day care home childcare.
5 (f) Requirements relating to fiscal agents.--If an
6 early learning the local coalition is not a legally organized
7 as a corporation or other business established corporate
8 entity, the coalition must designate a fiscal agent, which may
9 be a public entity, or a private nonprofit organization, or a
10 certified public accountant who holds a license under chapter
11 473. The fiscal agent must shall be required to provide
12 financial and administrative services under pursuant to a
13 contract or agreement with the early learning school readiness
14 coalition. The fiscal agent may not provide direct early
15 childhood education or child care services; however, a fiscal
16 agent may provide those such services upon written request of
17 the early learning coalition to the Agency for Workforce
18 Innovation partnership and upon the approval of the such
19 request by the agency partnership. The cost of the financial
20 and administrative services shall be negotiated between the
21 fiscal agent and the early learning school readiness
22 coalition. If the fiscal agent is a provider of early
23 childhood education and child care programs, the contract must
24 specify that the fiscal agent shall will act on policy
25 direction from the early learning coalition and must will not
26 receive policy direction from its own corporate board
27 regarding disbursal of the coalition's coalition funds. The
28 fiscal agent shall disburse funds in accordance with the early
29 learning coalition's approved coalition school readiness plan
30 and based on billing and disbursement procedures approved by
31 the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The fiscal
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1 agent must conform to all data-reporting requirements
2 established by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
3 partnership.
4 (g) Evaluation and annual report.--Each early learning
5 school readiness coalition shall conduct an evaluation of the
6 effectiveness of the school readiness program, including
7 performance standards and outcome measures, and shall provide
8 an annual report and fiscal statement to the Agency for
9 Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
10 This report must conform to the content and format
11 specifications set by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
12 Florida Partnership for School Readiness. The Agency for
13 Workforce Innovation partnership must include an analysis of
14 the early learning coalitions' coalition reports in the
15 agency's its annual report.
16 (6) PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY.--Each early learning
17 coalition's The school readiness program shall be established
18 for children from birth to the beginning of the school year
19 for which a child is eligible for admission to under the age
20 of kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2.
21 eligibility. Priority for participation in the school
22 readiness program shall be given to children age 3 years to
23 school entry who are served by the Family Safety Program
24 Office of the Department of Children and Family Services or a
25 community-based lead agency under pursuant to chapter 39 and
26 for whom child care is needed to minimize risk of further
27 abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Other eligible populations
28 include children who meet one or more of the following
29 criteria:
30 (a) Children under the age of kindergarten eligibility
31 who are:
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1 1. Children determined to be at risk of abuse,
2 neglect, or exploitation who are currently clients of the
3 Family Safety Program Office of the Department of Children and
4 Family Services, but who are not otherwise given priority
5 under this subsection.
6 2.1. Children at risk of welfare dependency, including
7 economically disadvantaged children, children of participants
8 in the welfare transition program, children of migrant
9 farmworkers, and children of teen parents.
10 3.2. Children of working families whose family income
11 does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
12 4.3. Children for whom the state is paying a relative
13 caregiver payment under s. 39.5085.
14 (b) Three-year-old children and 4-year-old children
15 who may not be economically disadvantaged but who have
16 disabilities, have been served in a specific part-time or
17 combination of part-time exceptional education programs with
18 required special services, aids, or equipment, and were
19 previously reported for funding part time with the Florida
20 Education Finance Program as exceptional students.
21 (c) Economically disadvantaged children, children with
22 disabilities, and children at risk of future school failure,
23 from birth to 4 years of age, who are served at home through
24 home visitor programs and intensive parent education programs
25 such as the Florida First Start Program.
26 (d) Children who meet federal and state eligibility
27 requirements for eligibility for the migrant preschool program
28 but who do not meet the criteria of economically
29 disadvantaged.
30
31
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1 As used in this subsection, the term An "economically
2 disadvantaged" child means a child whose family income does
3 not exceed is below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
4 Notwithstanding any change in a family's economic status, but
5 subject to additional family contributions in accordance with
6 the sliding fee scale, a child who meets the eligibility
7 requirements upon initial registration for the program remains
8 shall be considered eligible until the beginning of the school
9 year for which the child is eligible for admission to reaches
10 kindergarten in a public school under s. 1003.21(1)(a)2. age.
11 (7) PARENTAL CHOICE.--
12 (a) The school readiness program shall provide
13 parental choice through pursuant to a purchase service order
14 that ensures, to the maximum extent possible, flexibility in
15 school readiness programs and payment arrangements. According
16 to federal regulations requiring parental choice, a parent may
17 choose an informal child care arrangement. The purchase order
18 must bear the name of the beneficiary and the program provider
19 and, when redeemed, must bear the signature of both the
20 beneficiary and an authorized representative of the provider.
21 (b) If it is determined that a provider has provided
22 any cash to the beneficiary in return for receiving the
23 purchase order, the early learning coalition or its fiscal
24 agent shall refer the matter to the Division of Public
25 Assistance Fraud for investigation.
26 (c) The office of the Chief Financial Officer shall
27 establish an electronic transfer system for the disbursement
28 of funds in accordance with this subsection. Each early
29 learning coalition School readiness coalitions shall fully
30 implement the electronic funds transfer system within 2 years
31 after plan approval of the coalition's school readiness plan,
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1 unless a waiver is obtained from the Agency for Workforce
2 Innovation partnership.
3 (8) STANDARDS; OUTCOME MEASURES.--All publicly funded
4 school readiness programs must shall be required to meet the
5 performance standards and outcome measures adopted developed
6 and approved by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
7 partnership. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
8 Government Accountability shall provide consultation to the
9 partnership in the development of the measures and standards.
10 These performance standards and outcome measures shall be
11 applicable on a statewide basis.
12 (9) FUNDING; SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM.--
13 (a) It is the intent of this section to establish an
14 integrated and quality seamless service delivery system for
15 all publicly funded early childhood education and child care
16 programs operating in this state.
17 (b) Notwithstanding s. 20.50:
18 1. The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall
19 administer school readiness funds, plans, and policies
20 pursuant to the contract with the Florida Partnership for
21 School Readiness and shall prepare and submit a unified budget
22 request for the school readiness system program in accordance
23 with chapter 216.
24 2. All instructions to early learning local school
25 readiness coalitions for administering this section shall
26 emanate from the Agency for Workforce Innovation in accordance
27 with the pursuant to policies of the Legislature, plans of the
28 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, and the contract
29 between the Florida Partnership for School Readiness and the
30 agency.
31
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1 (c) The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall adopt
2 prepare a formula plan that provides for the allocation among
3 the early learning coalitions distribution and expenditure of
4 all state and federal school readiness funds for children
5 participating in public or private school readiness programs
6 based upon an equity and performance funding formula. The
7 allocation formula must plan shall be submitted to the
8 Governor and the Legislative Budget Commission. Upon approval,
9 the Legislative Budget Commission shall authorize the transfer
10 of funds to the Agency for Workforce Innovation to distribute
11 funds for distribution in accordance with the allocation
12 provisions of the formula. For fiscal year 2004-2005, the
13 Agency for Workforce Innovation shall allocate funds to the
14 early learning coalitions consistent with the fiscal year
15 2003-2004 funding allocations to the school readiness
16 coalitions.
17 (d) All state funds budgeted for a county for the
18 programs specified in subsection (3), along with the pro rata
19 share of the state administrative costs of those programs in
20 the amount as determined by the partnership, all federal,
21 funds and required local maintenance-of-effort or matching
22 funds provided to an early learning coalition for a county for
23 programs specified in subsection (3), and any additional funds
24 appropriated or obtained for purposes of this section, shall
25 be used by transferred for the benefit of the coalition for
26 implementation of its school readiness plan, including the
27 hiring of staff to effectively operate the coalition's school
28 readiness program. As part of plan approval and periodic plan
29 review, the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership shall
30 require that administrative costs be kept to the minimum
31 necessary for efficient and effective administration of the
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1 school readiness plan, but total administrative expenditures
2 must shall not exceed 5 percent unless specifically waived by
3 the Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership. The Agency
4 for Workforce Innovation partnership shall annually report to
5 the Legislature any problems relating to administrative costs.
6 (e) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
7 shall annually distribute, to a maximum extent practicable,
8 all eligible funds provided under this section as block grants
9 to the early learning assist coalitions in integrating
10 services and funding to develop a quality service delivery
11 system. Subject to appropriation, the partnership may also
12 provide financial awards to coalitions demonstrating success
13 in merging and integrating funding streams to serve children
14 and school readiness programs.
15 (f) State funds appropriated for the school readiness
16 program may not be used for the construction of new facilities
17 or the purchase of buses. The Agency for Workforce Innovation
18 partnership shall present to the Legislature recommendations
19 for providing necessary transportation services for school
20 readiness programs.
21 (g) All cost savings and all revenues received through
22 a mandatory sliding fee scale shall be used to help fund each
23 early learning coalition's the local school readiness program.
24 (10) SCHOOL READINESS UNIFORM SCREENING.--The
25 Department of Education shall implement a school readiness
26 uniform screening, including a pilot program during the
27 2001-2002 school year, to validate the system recommended by
28 the Florida Partnership for School Readiness as part of a
29 comprehensive evaluation design. Beginning with the 2002-2003
30 school year, the department shall require that all school
31 districts administer the school readiness uniform screening to
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1 each kindergarten student in the district school system upon
2 the student's entry into kindergarten. Children who enter
3 public school for the first time in first grade must undergo a
4 uniform screening adopted for use in first grade. The
5 department shall incorporate school readiness data into the
6 K-20 data warehouse for longitudinal tracking. Notwithstanding
7 s. 1002.22, the department shall provide the partnership and
8 the Agency for Workforce Innovation with complete and full
9 access to kindergarten uniform screening data at the student,
10 school, district, and state levels in a format that will
11 enable the partnership and the agency to prepare reports
12 needed by state policymakers and local school readiness
13 coalitions to access progress toward school readiness goals
14 and provide input for continuous improvement of local school
15 readiness services and programs.
16 (11) REPORTS.--The Office of Program Policy Analysis
17 and Government Accountability shall assess the implementation,
18 efficiency, and outcomes of the school readiness program and
19 report its findings to the President of the Senate and the
20 Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2002.
21 Subsequent reviews shall be conducted at the direction of the
22 Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.
23 (10)(12) CONFLICTING PROVISIONS.--In the event of a
24 conflict between the provisions of this section and federal
25 requirements, the federal requirements shall control.
26 (11)(13) PLACEMENTS.--Notwithstanding any other
27 provision of this section to the contrary, and for fiscal year
28 2004-2005 only, the first children to be placed in the school
29 readiness program shall be those from families receiving
30 temporary cash assistance and subject to federal work
31 requirements. Subsequent placements shall be made in
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1 accordance with subsection (6) pursuant to the provisions of
2 this section. This subsection expires July 1, 2005.
3 Section 3. Paragraph (p) of subsection (3) of section
4 11.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
5 11.45 Definitions; duties; authorities; reports;
6 rules.--
7 (3) AUTHORITY FOR AUDITS AND OTHER ENGAGEMENTS.--The
8 Auditor General may, pursuant to his or her own authority, or
9 at the direction of the Legislative Auditing Committee,
10 conduct audits or other engagements as determined appropriate
11 by the Auditor General of:
12 (p) The school readiness system, including the early
13 learning coalitions, Florida Partnership for School Readiness
14 created under pursuant to s. 411.01.
15 Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 20.50, Florida
16 Statutes, is amended to read:
17 20.50 Agency for Workforce Innovation.--There is
18 created the Agency for Workforce Innovation within the
19 Department of Management Services. The agency shall be a
20 separate budget entity, and the director of the agency shall
21 be the agency head for all purposes. The agency shall not be
22 subject to control, supervision, or direction by the
23 Department of Management Services in any manner, including,
24 but not limited to, personnel, purchasing, transactions
25 involving real or personal property, and budgetary matters.
26 (2) The Agency for Workforce Innovation is shall be
27 the designated administrative agency designated for receipt of
28 federal workforce development grants and other federal funds.
29 The agency, and shall administer carry out the duties and
30 responsibilities assigned by the Governor under each federal
31 grant assigned to the agency. The agency shall be a separate
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1 budget entity and shall expend each revenue source as provided
2 by federal and state law and as provided in plans developed by
3 and agreements with Workforce Florida, Inc. The agency shall
4 prepare and submit as a separate budget entity a unified
5 budget request for workforce development, in accordance with
6 chapter 216 for, and in conjunction with, Workforce Florida,
7 Inc., and its board. The head of the agency is the director of
8 Workforce Innovation, who shall be appointed by the Governor.
9 The accountability and reporting functions of the agency shall
10 be administered by the director or his or her designee.
11 Included in These functions shall include are budget
12 management, financial management, audit, performance
13 management standards and controls, assessing outcomes of
14 service delivery, and financial administration of workforce
15 programs under pursuant to s. 445.004(5) and (9). Within the
16 agency's overall organizational structure, The agency shall
17 include the following offices within its organizational
18 structure, which shall have the specified responsibilities:
19 (a) The Office of Workforce Services shall administer
20 the unemployment compensation program, the Rapid Response
21 program, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, the Alien
22 Labor Certification program, and any other programs that are
23 delivered directly by agency staff rather than through the
24 one-stop delivery system. The office shall be directed by the
25 Deputy Director for Workforce Services, who shall be appointed
26 by and serve at the pleasure of the director.
27 (b) The Office of Program Support and Accountability
28 shall administer state merit system program staff within the
29 workforce service delivery system, under the pursuant to
30 policies of Workforce Florida, Inc. The office is shall be
31 responsible for delivering services through the one-stop
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1 delivery system and for ensuring that participants in welfare
2 transition programs receive case management services,
3 diversion assistance, support services, including subsidized
4 child care and transportation services, Medicaid services, and
5 transition assistance to enable them to succeed in the
6 workforce. The office is shall also be responsible for program
7 quality assurance, grants and contract management,
8 contracting, financial management, and reporting. The office
9 shall be directed by the Deputy Director for Program Support
10 and Accountability, who shall be appointed by and serve at the
11 pleasure of the director. The office is shall be responsible
12 for:
13 1. Establishing monitoring, quality assurance, and
14 quality improvement systems that routinely assess the quality
15 and effectiveness of contracted programs and services.
16 2. Annual review of each regional workforce board and
17 administrative entity to ensure that adequate systems of
18 reporting and control are in place; that, and monitoring,
19 quality assurance, and quality improvement activities are
20 conducted routinely;, and that corrective action is taken to
21 eliminate deficiencies.
22 (c) The Office of Early Learning shall administer the
23 school readiness system in accordance with s. 411.01 and the
24 operational requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
25 Education Program in accordance with part V of chapter 1002.
26 The office shall be directed by the Deputy Director for Early
27 Learning, who shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure
28 of the director.
29 (d)(c) The Office of Agency Support Services is shall
30 be responsible for procurement, human resource services, and
31 information services including delivering information on labor
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1 markets, employment, occupations, and performance, and shall
2 implement and maintain information systems that are required
3 for the effective operation of the one-stop delivery system
4 and the school readiness services system, including, but not
5 limited to, those systems described in s. 445.009. The office
6 shall will be directed by under the direction of the Deputy
7 Director for Agency Support Services, who shall be appointed
8 by and serve at the pleasure of the director. The office is
9 shall be responsible for establishing:
10 1. Information systems and controls that report
11 reliable, timely and accurate fiscal and performance data for
12 assessing outcomes, service delivery, and financial
13 administration of workforce programs under pursuant to s.
14 445.004(5) and (9).
15 2. Information systems that support service
16 integration and case management by providing for case tracking
17 for participants in welfare transition programs.
18 3. Information systems that support the school
19 readiness system services.
20 (e)(d) The Unemployment Appeals Commission, authorized
21 by s. 443.012, is shall not be subject to the control,
22 supervision, or direction by the Agency for Workforce
23 Innovation in the performance of its powers and duties but
24 shall receive any and all support and assistance from the
25 agency that is may be required for the performance of its
26 duties.
27 Section 5. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
28 125.901, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
29 125.901 Children's services; independent special
30 district; council; powers, duties, and functions.--
31
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1 (1) Each county may by ordinance create an independent
2 special district, as defined in ss. 189.403(3) and
3 200.001(8)(e), to provide funding for children's services
4 throughout the county in accordance with this section. The
5 boundaries of such district shall be coterminous with the
6 boundaries of the county. The county governing body shall
7 obtain approval, by a majority vote of those electors voting
8 on the question, to annually levy ad valorem taxes which shall
9 not exceed the maximum millage rate authorized by this
10 section. Any district created pursuant to the provisions of
11 this subsection shall be required to levy and fix millage
12 subject to the provisions of s. 200.065. Once such millage is
13 approved by the electorate, the district shall not be required
14 to seek approval of the electorate in future years to levy the
15 previously approved millage.
16 (b) However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1)
17 may instead have a governing board consisting of 33 members,
18 including: the superintendent of schools; two representatives
19 of public postsecondary education institutions located in the
20 county; the county manager or the equivalent county officer;
21 the district administrator from the appropriate district of
22 the Department of Children and Family Services, or the
23 administrator's designee who is a member of the Senior
24 Management Service or the Selected Exempt Service; the
25 director of the county health department or the director's
26 designee; the state attorney for the county or the state
27 attorney's designee; the chief judge assigned to juvenile
28 cases, or another juvenile judge who is the chief judge's
29 designee and who shall sit as a voting member of the board,
30 except that the judge may not vote or participate in setting
31 ad valorem taxes under this section; an individual who is
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1 selected by the board of the local United Way or its
2 equivalent; a member of a locally recognized faith-based
3 coalition, selected by that coalition; a member of the local
4 chamber of commerce, selected by that chamber or, if more than
5 one chamber exists within the county, a person selected by a
6 coalition of the local chambers; a member of the early
7 learning local school readiness coalition, selected by that
8 coalition; a representative of a labor organization or union
9 active in the county; a member of a local alliance or
10 coalition engaged in cross-system planning for health and
11 social service delivery in the county, selected by that
12 alliance or coalition; a member of the local Parent-Teachers
13 Association/Parent-Teacher-Student Association, selected by
14 that association; a youth representative selected by the local
15 school system's student government; a local school board
16 member appointed by the chair of the school board; the mayor
17 of the county or the mayor's designee; one member of the
18 county governing body, appointed by the chair of that body; a
19 member of the state Legislature who represents residents of
20 the county, selected by the chair of the local legislative
21 delegation; an elected official representing the residents of
22 a municipality in the county, selected by the county municipal
23 league; and 4 members-at-large, appointed to the council by
24 the majority of sitting council members. The remaining 7
25 members shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with
26 procedures set forth in paragraph (a), except that the
27 Governor may remove a member for cause or upon the written
28 petition of the council. Appointments by the Governor must, to
29 the extent reasonably possible, represent the geographic and
30 demographic diversity of the population of the county. Members
31 who are appointed to the council by reason of their position
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1 are not subject to the length of terms and limits on
2 consecutive terms as provided in this section. The remaining
3 appointed members of the governing board shall be appointed to
4 serve 2-year terms, except that those members appointed by the
5 Governor shall be appointed to serve 4-year terms, and the
6 youth representative and the legislative delegate shall be
7 appointed to serve 1-year terms. A member may be reappointed;
8 however, a member may not serve for more than three
9 consecutive terms. A member is eligible to be appointed again
10 after a 2-year hiatus from the council.
11 Section 6. Subsection (1) of section 216.133, Florida
12 Statutes, is amended to read:
13 216.133 Definitions; ss. 216.133-216.137.--As used in
14 ss. 216.133-216.137:
15 (1) "Consensus estimating conference" includes the
16 Economic Estimating Conference, the Demographic Estimating
17 Conference, the Revenue Estimating Conference, the Education
18 Estimating Conference, the Criminal Justice Estimating
19 Conference, the Juvenile Justice Estimating Conference, the
20 Child Welfare System Estimating Conference, the Occupational
21 Forecasting Conference, the Early Learning Programs School
22 Readiness Program Estimating Conference, the Self-Insurance
23 Estimating Conference, the Florida Retirement System Actuarial
24 Assumption Conference, and the Social Services Estimating
25 Conference.
26 Section 7. Subsection (10) of section 216.136, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 216.136 Consensus estimating conferences; duties and
29 principals.--
30 (10) EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM
31 ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--
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1 (a) Duties.--
2 1. The Early Learning Programs School Readiness
3 Program Estimating Conference shall develop estimates and
4 forecasts of the unduplicated count of children eligible for
5 school readiness programs in accordance with the standards of
6 eligibility established in s. 411.01(6), and of children
7 eligible for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
8 in accordance with s. 1002.53(2), as the conference determines
9 are needed to support the state planning, budgeting, and
10 appropriations processes.
11 2. The Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
12 Partnership for School Readiness shall provide information on
13 needs and waiting lists for school readiness programs, and
14 information on the needs for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
15 Education Program, as program services requested by the Early
16 Learning Programs School Readiness Program Estimating
17 Conference or individual conference principals in a timely
18 manner.
19 (b) Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor,
20 the Director of Economic and Demographic Research, and
21 professional staff who have forecasting expertise from the
22 Florida Partnership for School Readiness, the Agency for
23 Workforce Innovation, the Department of Children and Family
24 Services, the Department of Education, the Senate, and the
25 House of Representatives, or their designees, are the
26 principals of the Early Learning Programs School Readiness
27 Program Estimating Conference. The principal representing the
28 Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions
29 of the conference.
30 Section 8. Section 402.3016, Florida Statutes, is
31 amended to read:
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1 402.3016 Early Head Start collaboration grants.--
2 (1) Contingent upon specific appropriations, the
3 Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
4 Readiness shall establish a program to award collaboration
5 grants to assist local agencies in securing Early Head Start
6 programs through Early Head Start program federal grants. The
7 collaboration grants shall provide the required matching funds
8 for public and private nonprofit agencies that have been
9 approved for Early Head Start program federal grants.
10 (2) Public and private nonprofit agencies providing
11 Early Head Start programs applying for collaborative grants
12 must:
13 (a) Ensure quality performance by meeting the
14 requirements in the Head Start program performance standards
15 and other applicable rules and regulations;
16 (b) Ensure collaboration with other service providers
17 at the local level; and
18 (c) Ensure that a comprehensive array of health,
19 nutritional, and other services are provided to the program's
20 pregnant women and very young children, and their families.
21 (3) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
22 shall report to the Legislature on an annual basis the number
23 of agencies receiving Early Head Start collaboration grants
24 and the number of children served.
25 (4) The Agency for Workforce Innovation partnership
26 may adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 as necessary
27 for the award of collaboration grants to competing agencies
28 and the administration of the collaboration grants program
29 under this section.
30 Section 9. Section 411.011, Florida Statutes, is
31 amended to read:
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1 411.011 Records of children in school readiness
2 programs.--The individual records of children enrolled in
3 school readiness programs provided under s. 411.01, when held
4 in the possession of the early learning school readiness
5 coalition or the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
6 Partnership for School Readiness, are confidential and exempt
7 from the provisions of s. 119.07 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the
8 State Constitution. For the purposes of this section, records
9 include assessment data, health data, records of teacher
10 observations, and identifying data, including the child's
11 social security number. A parent, guardian, or individual
12 acting as a parent in the absence of a parent or guardian has
13 the right to inspect and review the individual school
14 readiness program record of his or her child and to obtain a
15 copy of the record. School readiness records may be released
16 to the United States Secretary of Education, the United States
17 Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Comptroller
18 General of the United States for the purpose of federal
19 audits; to individuals or organizations conducting studies for
20 institutions to develop, validate, or administer assessments
21 or improve instruction; to accrediting organizations in order
22 to carry out their accrediting functions; to appropriate
23 parties in connection with an emergency if the information is
24 necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or
25 other individuals; to the Auditor General in connection with
26 his or her official functions; to a court of competent
27 jurisdiction in compliance with an order of that court in
28 accordance with pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena; and to
29 parties to an interagency agreement among early learning
30 school readiness coalitions, local governmental agencies,
31 providers of school readiness programs, state agencies, and
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1 the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for
2 School Readiness for the purpose of implementing the school
3 readiness program. Agencies, organizations, or individuals
4 that receive school readiness records in order to carry out
5 their official functions must protect the data in a manner
6 that does will not permit the personal identification of
7 students and their parents by persons other than those
8 authorized to receive the records. This section is subject to
9 the Open Government Sunset Review Act of 1995 in accordance
10 with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2005,
11 unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by
12 the Legislature.
13 Section 10. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section
14 411.226, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
15 411.226 Learning Gateway.--
16 (2) LEARNING GATEWAY STEERING COMMITTEE.--
17 (e) To support and facilitate system improvements, the
18 steering committee must consult with representatives from the
19 Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Agency
20 for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
21 Readiness, the Department of Children and Family Services, the
22 Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of
23 Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Corrections and with
24 the director of the Learning Development and Evaluation Center
25 of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
26 Section 11. Paragraph (d) of subsection (1), paragraph
27 (a) of subsection (2), and paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of
28 section 411.227, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
29 411.227 Components of the Learning Gateway.--The
30 Learning Gateway system consists of the following components:
31
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1 (1) COMMUNITY EDUCATION STRATEGIES AND FAMILY-ORIENTED
2 ACCESS.--
3 (d) In collaboration with other local resources, the
4 demonstration projects shall develop public awareness
5 strategies to disseminate information about developmental
6 milestones, precursors of learning problems and other
7 developmental delays, and the service system that is
8 available. The information should target parents of children
9 from birth through age 9 and should be distributed to parents,
10 health care providers, and caregivers of children from birth
11 through age 9. A variety of media should be used as
12 appropriate, such as print, television, radio, and a
13 community-based Internet website, as well as opportunities
14 such as those presented by parent visits to physicians for
15 well-child checkups. The Learning Gateway Steering Committee
16 shall provide technical assistance to the local demonstration
17 projects in developing and distributing educational materials
18 and information.
19 1. Public awareness strategies targeting parents of
20 children from birth through age 5 shall be designed to provide
21 information to public and private preschool programs, child
22 care childcare providers, pediatricians, parents, and local
23 businesses and organizations. These strategies should include
24 information on the school readiness performance standards for
25 kindergarten adopted by the Agency for Workforce Innovation
26 School Readiness Partnership Board.
27 2. Public awareness strategies targeting parents of
28 children from ages 6 through 9 must be designed to disseminate
29 training materials and brochures to parents and public and
30 private school personnel, and must be coordinated with the
31 local school board and the appropriate school advisory
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1 committees in the demonstration projects. The materials should
2 contain information on state and district proficiency levels
3 for grades K-3.
4 (2) SCREENING AND DEVELOPMENTAL MONITORING.--
5 (a) In coordination with the Agency for Workforce
6 Innovation Partnership for School Readiness, the Department of
7 Education, and the Florida Pediatric Society, and using
8 information learned from the local demonstration projects, the
9 Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall establish guidelines
10 for screening children from birth through age 9. The
11 guidelines should incorporate recent research on the
12 indicators most likely to predict early learning problems,
13 mild developmental delays, child-specific precursors of school
14 failure, and other related developmental indicators in the
15 domains of cognition; communication; attention; perception;
16 behavior; and social, emotional, sensory, and motor
17 functioning.
18 (3) EARLY EDUCATION, SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.--
19 (c) The steering committee, in cooperation with the
20 Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of
21 Education, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida
22 Partnership for School Readiness, shall identify the elements
23 of an effective research-based curriculum for early care and
24 education programs.
25 Section 12. Subsection (1) of section 1001.23, Florida
26 Statutes, is amended to read:
27 1001.23 Specific powers and duties of the Department
28 of Education.--In addition to all other duties assigned to it
29 by law or by rule of the State Board of Education, the
30 department shall:
31
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1 (1) Adopt the statewide kindergarten school readiness
2 uniform screening developed by the Florida Partnership for
3 School Readiness, in accordance with s. 1002.69 the criteria
4 itemized in chapter 1008.
5 Section 13. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
6 1002.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
7 1002.22 Student records and reports; rights of parents
8 and students; notification; penalty.--
9 (3) RIGHTS OF PARENT OR STUDENT.--The parent of any
10 student who attends or has attended any public school, career
11 center, or public postsecondary educational institution shall
12 have the following rights with respect to any records or
13 reports created, maintained, and used by any public
14 educational institution in the state. However, whenever a
15 student has attained 18 years of age, or is attending a
16 postsecondary educational institution, the permission or
17 consent required of, and the rights accorded to, the parents
18 of the student shall thereafter be required of and accorded to
19 the student only, unless the student is a dependent student of
20 such parents as defined in 26 U.S.C. s. 152 (s. 152 of the
21 Internal Revenue Code of 1954). The State Board of Education
22 shall adopt rules whereby parents or students may exercise
23 these rights:
24 (d) Right of privacy.--Every student has shall have a
25 right of privacy with respect to the educational records kept
26 on him or her. Personally identifiable records or reports of a
27 student, and any personal information contained therein, are
28 confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). A
29 state or local educational agency, board, public school,
30 career center, or public postsecondary educational institution
31 may not permit the release of such records, reports, or
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1 information without the written consent of the student's
2 parent, or of the student himself or herself if he or she is
3 qualified as provided in this subsection, to any individual,
4 agency, or organization. However, personally identifiable
5 records or reports of a student may be released to the
6 following persons or organizations without the consent of the
7 student or the student's parent:
8 1. Officials of schools, school systems, career
9 centers, or public postsecondary educational institutions in
10 which the student seeks or intends to enroll; and a copy of
11 such records or reports shall be furnished to the parent or
12 student upon request.
13 2. Other school officials, including teachers within
14 the educational institution or agency, who have legitimate
15 educational interests in the information contained in the
16 records.
17 3. The United States Secretary of Education, the
18 Director of the National Institute of Education, the Assistant
19 Secretary for Education, the Comptroller General of the United
20 States, or state or local educational authorities who are
21 authorized to receive such information subject to the
22 conditions set forth in applicable federal statutes and
23 regulations of the United States Department of Education, or
24 in applicable state statutes and rules of the State Board of
25 Education.
26 4. Other school officials, in connection with a
27 student's application for or receipt of financial aid.
28 5. Individuals or organizations conducting studies for
29 or on behalf of an institution or a board of education for the
30 purpose of developing, validating, or administering predictive
31 tests, administering student aid programs, or improving
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1 instruction, if the such studies are conducted in such a
2 manner that does as will not permit the personal
3 identification of students and their parents by persons other
4 than representatives of such organizations and if the such
5 information will be destroyed when no longer needed for the
6 purpose of conducting such studies.
7 6. Accrediting organizations, in order to carry out
8 their accrediting functions.
9 7. Early learning School readiness coalitions and the
10 Agency for Workforce Innovation Florida Partnership for School
11 Readiness in order to carry out their assigned duties.
12 8. For use as evidence in student expulsion hearings
13 conducted by a district school board under pursuant to the
14 provisions of chapter 120.
15 9. Appropriate parties in connection with an
16 emergency, if knowledge of the information in the student's
17 educational records is necessary to protect the health or
18 safety of the student or other individuals.
19 10. The Auditor General and the Office of Program
20 Policy Analysis and Government Accountability in connection
21 with their official functions; however, except when the
22 collection of personally identifiable information is
23 specifically authorized by law, any data collected by the
24 Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
25 Government Accountability is confidential and exempt from the
26 provisions of s. 119.07(1) and shall be protected in such a
27 way that does as will not permit the personal identification
28 of students and their parents by other than the Auditor
29 General, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
30 Accountability, and their staff, and the such personally
31 identifiable data shall be destroyed when no longer needed for
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1 the Auditor General's and the Office of Program Policy
2 Analysis and Government Accountability's official use.
3 11.a. A court of competent jurisdiction in compliance
4 with an order of that court or the attorney of record in
5 accordance with pursuant to a lawfully issued subpoena, upon
6 the condition that the student and the student's parent are
7 notified of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance
8 therewith by the educational institution or agency.
9 b. A person or entity in accordance with pursuant to a
10 court of competent jurisdiction in compliance with an order of
11 that court or the attorney of record pursuant to a lawfully
12 issued subpoena, upon the condition that the student, or his
13 or her parent if the student is either a minor and not
14 attending a postsecondary educational institution or a
15 dependent of such parent as defined in 26 U.S.C. s. 152 (s.
16 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954), is notified of the
17 order or subpoena in advance of compliance therewith by the
18 educational institution or agency.
19 12. Credit bureaus, in connection with an agreement
20 for financial aid that the student has executed, if the
21 provided that such information is may be disclosed only to the
22 extent necessary to enforce the terms or conditions of the
23 financial aid agreement. Credit bureaus shall not release any
24 information obtained under pursuant to this paragraph to any
25 person.
26 13. Parties to an interagency agreement among the
27 Department of Juvenile Justice, school and law enforcement
28 authorities, and other signatory agencies for the purpose of
29 reducing juvenile crime and especially motor vehicle theft by
30 promoting cooperation and collaboration, and the sharing of
31 appropriate information in a joint effort to improve school
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1 safety, to reduce truancy and in-school and out-of-school
2 suspensions, and to support alternatives to in-school and
3 out-of-school suspensions and expulsions that provide
4 structured and well-supervised educational programs
5 supplemented by a coordinated overlay of other appropriate
6 services designed to correct behaviors that lead to truancy,
7 suspensions, and expulsions, and that support students in
8 successfully completing their education. Information provided
9 in furtherance of the such interagency agreements is intended
10 solely for use in determining the appropriate programs and
11 services for each juvenile or the juvenile's family, or for
12 coordinating the delivery of the such programs and services,
13 and as such is inadmissible in any court proceedings before
14 prior to a dispositional hearing unless written consent is
15 provided by a parent or other responsible adult on behalf of
16 the juvenile.
17 14. Consistent with the Family Educational Rights and
18 Privacy Act, the Department of Children and Family Services or
19 a community-based care lead agency acting on behalf of the
20 Department of Children and Family Services, as appropriate.
21
22 This paragraph does not prohibit any educational institution
23 from publishing and releasing to the general public directory
24 information relating to a student if the institution elects to
25 do so. However, no educational institution shall release, to
26 any individual, agency, or organization that is not listed in
27 subparagraphs 1.-14., directory information relating to the
28 student body in general or a portion thereof unless it is
29 normally published for the purpose of release to the public in
30 general. Any educational institution making directory
31 information public shall give public notice of the categories
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1 of information that it has designated as directory information
2 for with respect to all students attending the institution and
3 shall allow a reasonable period of time after the such notice
4 has been given for a parent or student to inform the
5 institution in writing that any or all of the information
6 designated should not be released.
7 Section 14. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
8 1003.54, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
9 1003.54 Teenage parent programs.--
10 (3)
11 (c) Provision for necessary child care, health care,
12 social services, parent education, and transportation shall be
13 ancillary service components of teenage parent programs.
14 Ancillary services may be provided through the coordination of
15 existing programs and services and through joint agreements
16 between district school boards and early learning local school
17 readiness coalitions or other appropriate public and private
18 providers.
19 Section 15. Subsection (5) is added to section
20 1007.23, Florida Statutes, to read:
21 1007.23 Statewide articulation agreement.--
22 (5) The articulation agreement must guarantee the
23 articulation of 9 credit hours toward a postsecondary degree
24 in early childhood education for programs approved by the
25 State Board of Education which:
26 (a) Award a child development associate credential
27 issued by the National Credentialing Program of the Council
28 for Professional Recognition or award a credential approved
29 under s. 1002.55(3)(c)1.b. or s. 402.305(3)(c) as being
30 equivalent to the child development associate credential; and
31
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1 (b) Include training in emergent literacy which meets
2 or exceeds the minimum standards for training courses for
3 prekindergarten instructors of the Voluntary Prekindergarten
4 Education Program in s. 1002.59.
5 Section 16. (1) The Florida Partnership for School
6 Readiness is abolished. All powers, duties, functions, rules,
7 records, personnel, property, and unexpended balances of
8 appropriations, allocations, and other funds of the Florida
9 Partnership for School Readiness are transferred by a type two
10 transfer, as defined in section 20.06(2), Florida Statutes, to
11 the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
12 (2) This act does not abolish the school readiness
13 coalitions but redesignates the coalitions as early learning
14 coalitions and, effective April 1, 2005, requires a reduction
15 in the number of coalitions. All powers, duties, functions,
16 rules, records, personnel, property, and unexpended balances
17 of appropriations, allocations, and other funds of each school
18 readiness coalition are not transferred but shall be retained
19 by the early learning coalition upon its redesignation from a
20 school readiness coalition to an early learning coalition.
21 Section 17. Sections 411.012 and 1008.21, Florida
22 Statutes, are repealed.
23 Section 18. (1) The sums of $1,090,399 from recurring
24 general revenue and $975,000 from nonrecurring general revenue
25 are appropriated in lump sum to, and 17 additional positions
26 are authorized for, the Department of Education for purposes
27 of administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
28 Program during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
29 (2) The sums of $4,218,010 from recurring general
30 revenue and $5,275,000 from nonrecurring general revenue are
31 appropriated in lump sum to, and 20 additional positions are
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1 authorized for, the Agency for Workforce Innovation for
2 purposes of administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten
3 Education Program during the 2004-2005 fiscal year. From these
4 nonrecurring funds, $100,000 is provided for the Agency for
5 Workforce Innovation to evaluate the potential of using
6 electronic technology to administer and maintain attendance
7 information and provider payment processes for the program.
8 The Agency for Workforce Innovation shall submit a report of
9 its recommendations to the Governor, the President of the
10 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by
11 September 1, 2006. The recommendations must include the
12 recurring annual operating costs associated with the use of
13 any electronic technology that is recommended in the report.
14 (3) The sums of $80,193 from recurring general revenue
15 and $140,037 from nonrecurring general revenue are
16 appropriated in lump sum to, and 5.5 additional positions are
17 authorized for, the Department of Children and Family Services
18 for purposes of administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten
19 Education Program during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
20 Section 19. Notwithstanding the provisions of section
21 216.177, Florida Statutes, which require a 14-day notice for
22 interim budget actions, and pursuant to section 216.351,
23 Florida Statutes, the Executive Office of the Governor shall
24 provide notice of the allocation of the lump-sum
25 appropriations authorized by this act into traditional
26 appropriation categories to the chair and vice chair of the
27 Legislative Budget Commission at least 3 working days before
28 the effective date of the allocation.
29 Section 20. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
30 law.
31
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 2-A
3
4 The Committee substitute requires each private prekindergarten
provider or public school delivering a school-year
5 kindergarten program to have for prekindergarten classes
composed of eleven or more students, in addition to the
6 required instructor who has specified credentials and
training, an additional instructor who is not required to have
7 the credentials or training but must meet requirements of good
moral character, fingerprinting and background screening.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.