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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to child care; creating s. 402.3012, F.S.;

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providing for the Office of Early Learning within the

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Agency for Workforce Innovation to establish Florida's

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Sunshine State Stars Quality Rating System, subject to

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specific appropriation; providing for the rating system to

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be voluntary; providing quality rating requirements for

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early learning programs, child care facilities, and

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facilities participating in the Voluntary Prekindergarten

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Education Program; establishing a voluntary pilot program

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in specified counties; providing financial incentives for

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advancement in quality rating; providing for technical

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support; providing for expiration of the program;

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requiring the Office of Early Learning within the Agency

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for Workforce Innovation to develop an early education

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workforce development plan; providing an effective date.

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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     Section 1.  Section 402.3012, Florida Statutes, is created

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to read:

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     402.3012 Florida's Sunshine State Stars Quality Rating

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System.--

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     (1) FLORIDA'S SUNSHINE STATE STARS QUALITY RATING

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SYSTEM.--Subject to specific legislative appropriation, the

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Office of Early Learning within the Agency for Workforce

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Innovation shall establish Florida's Sunshine State Stars Quality

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Rating System to provide a voluntary, statewide standard rating

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system for licensed early learning programs, child care

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facilities as defined in s. 402.302, and facilities participating

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in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program created under

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s. 1002.53.

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     (a) The rating system shall consist of five tiers. For the

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purposes of this section, a "tier" refers to each level of

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progression and represents a higher level of quality within the

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quality rating system. To communicate the level of quality to

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parents, consumers, and the participating early learning

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programs, a star symbol shall be used. Programs that meet the

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highest level of quality in the rating system shall be awarded

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five stars.

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     (b) Programs must meet all the criteria of a tier before

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advancing to the next tier. The office shall be responsible for

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implementing the requirements for each tier in each category

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based upon recommendations of the Early Learning Advisory

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Council's Quality Rating System Task Force and recommendations

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from organized meetings and interviews conducted to gather local

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input from parent and provider focus groups.

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     (2) REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE FACILITIES AND FACILITIES

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PARTICIPATING IN THE VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION

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PROGRAM.--

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     (a) Overall quality rating assessments shall be based on

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the following major components that have been documented by

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research or best practices to positively impact child and family

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outcomes:

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     1. Learning environment.

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     2. Curricula, screening, and assessment.

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     3. Staff qualifications.

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     4. Professional development.

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     5. Business practices.

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     6. Family involvement.

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     (b) Advancement through the tiers in each major component

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shall be based on the following:

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     1. Learning environment, verified through document

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submission or use of an appropriate environment rating scale.

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     2. Curricula, screening, and assessment, verified through

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document review and observation.

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     3. Staff qualifications, verified by linkage with licensing

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and document review.

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     4. Professional development for the director, lead teacher,

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and assistant teacher, verified by linkage with licensing and

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document review.

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     5. Business practices, verified by document review and

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observation. Consideration shall be given to child care providers

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possessing a Gold Seal Quality Care designation and Head Start

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and Early Head Start programs of quality and excellence.

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     6. Family involvement, verified through document review.

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     Section 2. Florida's Sunshine State Stars Quality Rating

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System voluntary pilot program.--

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     (1) FLORIDA'S SUNSHINE STATE STARS QUALITY RATING SYSTEM

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VOLUNTARY PILOT PROGRAM.--Subject to specific legislative

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appropriation, Florida's Sunshine State Stars Quality Rating

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System Voluntary Pilot Program is created for the implementation

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of the rating system tier program in the following counties:

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Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm

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Beach, and Pinellas. The identified counties include urban

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counties and rural counties that have established or are in the

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process of establishing quality rating systems.

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     (2) FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR ADVANCEMENT IN THE RATING

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SYSTEM.--

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     (a) Centers and programs in tiers 1, 2, and 3 shall be

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eligible for grants and awards to improve the quality of their

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programs, subject to appropriation.

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     (b) Centers and programs in tiers 4 and 5 shall be eligible

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for merit awards to maintain high-quality programs, subject to

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appropriation.

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     (3) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.--Subject to specific legislative

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appropriation, technical support shall be provided to programs to

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ensure successful entry into the rating system and movement

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through the system. The Office of Early Learning within the

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Agency for Workforce Innovation shall coordinate with the

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participating early learning coalitions to facilitate the

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successful participation of child care facilities in the pilot

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program and with those programs currently implementing a quality

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rating system.

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     (4) OTHER COUNTIES.--Nothing in this section shall preclude

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early learning coalitions from implementing a quality rating

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system in other counties.

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     (5) EXPIRATION OF THE PILOT PROGRAM.--The pilot program

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shall expire on July 1, 2010.

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     Section 3. In order to ensure the availability of qualified

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teachers to meet the needs associated with higher standards, the

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Office of Early Learning within the Agency for Workforce

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Innovation, in collaboration with the Department of Education and

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the Department of Children and Family Services, shall develop an

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early education workforce development plan. The plan shall

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include recommendations for the funding and expansion of current

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child care professional development credentialing programs, such

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as the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH)

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scholarship program, as well as other programs designed to

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provide professional development, credentialing, and advanced

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education.

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     Section 4.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.