Florida Senate - 2014 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1702
Ì768468^Î768468
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: 2/AD/2R .
04/30/2014 10:16 AM .
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Senator Legg moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment
2
3 Delete lines 1249 - 1460
4 and insert:
5 Section 20. Subsection (1) of section 1002.75, Florida
6 Statutes, is amended to read:
7 1002.75 Office of Early Learning; powers and duties.—
8 (1) The Office of Early Learning shall adopt by rule a
9 standard statewide provider contract to be used with each
10 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provider, with
11 standardized attachments by provider type. The office shall
12 publish a copy of the standard statewide provider contract on
13 its website. The standard statewide contract must shall include,
14 at a minimum, provisions that:
15 (a) Govern for provider probation, termination for cause,
16 and emergency termination for those actions or inactions of a
17 provider that pose an immediate and serious danger to the
18 health, safety, or welfare of children. The standard statewide
19 contract must shall also include appropriate due process
20 procedures. During the pendency of an appeal of a termination,
21 the provider may not continue to offer its services.
22 (b) Require each private prekindergarten provider to
23 conspicuously post violations on the premises, pursuant to s.
24 402.3125(1)(b), and to post class I and class II violations, as
25 defined by rules of the Department of Children and Families,
26 which result in disciplinary action, on the provider’s Internet
27 website, if available. Such postings must use simple language to
28 describe each violation with specificity and include a copy of
29 the citation and the contact information of the Department of
30 Children and Families or the local licensing agency from which
31 the parent may obtain additional information regarding the
32 citation. The provider must post such violations within 24 hours
33 after receipt of the citation. Additionally, such provider shall
34 post each inspection report on the premises in an area visible
35 to parents, which report must remain posted until the next
36 inspection report is available.
37 (c) Specify that child care personnel employed by the
38 provider who are responsible for supervising children in care
39 must be trained in developmentally appropriate practices aligned
40 to the age and needs of children over which the personnel are
41 assigned supervision duties. This requirement is met by the
42 completion of developmentally appropriate practice courses
43 administered by the Department of Children and Families under s.
44 402.305(2)(d)1. within 30 days after being assigned such
45 children if the child care personnel has not previously
46 completed the training.
47
48 Any provision imposed upon a provider that is inconsistent with,
49 or prohibited by, law is void and unenforceable.
50 Section 21. Subsections (1), (3), and (5) of section
51 1002.77, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
52 1002.77 Florida Early Learning Advisory Council.—
53 (1) There is created the Florida Early Learning Advisory
54 Council within the Office of Early Learning. The purpose of the
55 advisory council is to provide written input submit
56 recommendations to the executive director office on early
57 learning best practices, including recommendations relating to
58 the most effective program administration; of the Voluntary
59 Prekindergarten Education Program under this part and the school
60 readiness program under part VI of this chapter. The advisory
61 council shall periodically analyze and provide recommendations
62 to the office on the effective and efficient use of local,
63 state, and federal funds; the content of professional
64 development training programs; and best practices for the
65 development and implementation of coalition plans pursuant to s.
66 1002.85.
67 (3) The advisory council shall meet at least quarterly upon
68 the call of the executive director but may meet as often as
69 necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities. The
70 executive director is encouraged to advisory council may use
71 communications media technology any method of telecommunications
72 to conduct meetings in accordance with s. 120.54(5)(b),
73 including establishing a quorum through telecommunications, only
74 if the public is given proper notice of a telecommunications
75 meeting and reasonable access to observe and, when appropriate,
76 participate.
77 (5) The Office of Early Learning shall provide staff and
78 administrative support for the advisory council as determined by
79 the executive director.
80 Section 22. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) and subsections
81 (8) and (16) of section 1002.81, Florida Statutes, are amended
82 to read:
83 1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
84 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
85 (1) “At-risk child” means:
86 (f) A child in the custody of a parent who is considered
87 homeless as verified by a designated lead agency on the homeless
88 assistance continuum of care established under ss. 420.622
89 420.624 Department of Children and Families certified homeless
90 shelter.
91 (8) “Family income” means the combined gross income,
92 whether earned or unearned, that is derived from any source by
93 all family or household members who are 18 years of age or older
94 who are currently residing together in the same dwelling unit.
95 The term does not include:
96 (a) Income earned by a currently enrolled high school
97 student who, since attaining the age of 18 years, or a student
98 with a disability who, since attaining the age of 22 years, has
99 not terminated school enrollment or received a high school
100 diploma, high school equivalency diploma, special diploma, or
101 certificate of high school completion.
102 (b) Income earned by a teen parent residing in the same
103 residence as a separate family unit.
104 (c) Selected items from the state’s Child Care and
105 Development Fund Plan, such as The term also does not include
106 food stamp benefits, documented child support and alimony
107 payments paid out of the home, or federal housing assistance
108 payments issued directly to a landlord or the associated
109 utilities expenses.
110 (16) “Working family” means:
111 (a) A single-parent family in which the parent with whom
112 the child resides is employed or engaged in eligible work or
113 education activities for at least 20 hours per week or is exempt
114 from work requirements due to age or disability, as determined
115 and documented by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or
116 chapter 459;
117 (b) A two-parent family in which both parents with whom the
118 child resides are employed or engaged in eligible work or
119 education activities for a combined total of at least 40 hours
120 per week; or
121 (c) A two-parent family in which one of the parents with
122 whom the child resides is exempt from work requirements due to
123 age or disability, as determined and documented by a physician
124 licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, and one parent is
125 employed or engaged in eligible work or education activities at
126 least 20 hours per week; or
127 (d) A two-parent family in which both of the parents with
128 whom the child resides are exempt from work requirements due to
129 age or disability, as determined and documented by a physician
130 licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459.
131 Section 23. Paragraphs (b), (j), (m), and (p) of subsection
132 (2) of section 1002.82, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
133 1002.82 Office of Early Learning; powers and duties.—
134 (2) The office shall:
135 (b) Preserve parental choice by permitting parents to
136 choose from a variety of child care categories authorized in s.
137 1002.88(1)(a), including center-based care, family child care,
138 and informal child care to the extent authorized in the state’s
139 Child Care and Development Fund Plan as approved by the United
140 States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to 45
141 C.F.R. s. 98.18. Care and curriculum by a faith-based provider
142 may not be limited or excluded in any of these categories.
143 (j) Develop and adopt standards and benchmarks that address
144 the age-appropriate progress of children in the development of
145 school readiness skills. The standards for children from birth
146 to 5 years of age in the school readiness program must be
147 aligned with the performance standards adopted for children in
148 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and must address
149 the following domains:
150 1. Approaches to learning.
151 2. Cognitive development and general knowledge.
152 3. Numeracy, language, and communication.
153 4. Physical development.
154 5. Self-regulation.
155
156 By July 1, 2015, the Office of Early Learning shall develop and
157 implement an online training course on the performance standards
158 for school readiness program provider personnel pursuant to this
159 paragraph.
160 (m) Adopt by rule a standard statewide provider contract to
161 be used with each school readiness program provider, with
162 standardized attachments by provider type. The office shall
163 publish a copy of the standard statewide provider contract on
164 its website. The standard statewide contract must shall include,
165 at a minimum, provisions that:
166 1. Govern for provider probation, termination for cause,
167 and emergency termination for those actions or inactions of a
168 provider that pose an immediate and serious danger to the
169 health, safety, or welfare of the children. The standard
170 statewide provider contract must shall also include appropriate
171 due process procedures. During the pendency of an appeal of a
172 termination, the provider may not continue to offer its
173 services.
174 2. Require each provider that is eligible to provide the
175 program pursuant to s. 1002.88(1)(a) to conspicuously post
176 violations, in an area visible to parents, on the premises,
177 pursuant to s. 402.3125(1)(b), and to post class I and class II
178 violations, as defined by rule of the Department of Children and
179 Families, which result in disciplinary action, on the provider’s
180 Internet website, if available. Such postings must use simple
181 language to describe each violation with specificity and include
182 a copy of the citation and the contact information of the
183 Department of Children and Families or the local licensing
184 agency from which the parent may obtain additional information
185 regarding the citation. The provider must post such violations
186 within 24 hours after receipt of the citation. Additionally,
187 such provider shall post each inspection report on the premises
188 in an area visible to parents, which report must remain posted
189 until the next inspection report is available.
190 3. Specify that child care personnel employed by the
191 provider who are responsible for supervising children in care
192 must be trained in developmentally appropriate practices aligned
193 to the age and needs of children over which the personnel are
194 assigned supervision duties. This requirement is met by
195 completion of developmentally appropriate practice courses
196 administered by the Department of Children and Families under s.
197 402.305(2)(d)1. within 30 days after being assigned such
198 children if the child care personnel has not previously
199 completed the training.
200 4. Require child care personnel who are employed by the
201 provider to complete an online training course on the
202 performance standards adopted pursuant to paragraph (j).
203
204 Any provision imposed upon a provider that is inconsistent with,
205 or prohibited by, law is void and unenforceable.
206 (p) Monitor and evaluate the performance of each early
207 learning coalition in administering the school readiness program
208 and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, ensuring
209 proper payments for school readiness program and Voluntary
210 Prekindergarten Education Program services, and implementing the
211 coalition’s school readiness program plan, and administering the
212 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. These monitoring
213 and performance evaluations must include, at a minimum, onsite
214 monitoring of each coalition’s finances, management, operations,
215 and programs.