Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 342
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       34-00666-24                                            2024342__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the school readiness program;
    3         amending s. 1002.81, F.S.; revising the definition of
    4         the term “economically disadvantaged” for purposes of
    5         the school readiness program; amending s. 1002.85,
    6         F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made by the
    7         act; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 1002.81, Florida
   12  Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
   14  C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
   15         (6) “Economically disadvantaged” means having a family
   16  income that does not exceed 250 150 percent of the federal
   17  poverty level and includes being a child of a working migratory
   18  family as defined by 34 C.F.R. s. 200.81(d) or (f) or an
   19  agricultural worker who is employed by more than one
   20  agricultural employer during the course of a year, and whose
   21  income varies according to weather conditions and market
   22  stability.
   23         Section 2. Subsection (5) of section 1002.85, Florida
   24  Statutes, is amended to read:
   25         1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.—
   26         (5) The department shall collect and report data on
   27  coalition delivery of early learning programs. Elements shall
   28  include, but are not limited to, measures related to progress
   29  towards reducing the number of children on the waiting list, the
   30  percentage of children served by the program as compared to the
   31  number of administrative staff and overhead, the percentage of
   32  children served compared to total number of children under the
   33  age of 5 years below 250 150 percent of the federal poverty
   34  level, provider payment processes, fraud intervention, child
   35  attendance and stability, use of child care resource and
   36  referral, and kindergarten readiness outcomes for children in
   37  the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the school
   38  readiness program upon entry into kindergarten. The department
   39  shall request input from the coalitions and school readiness
   40  program providers before finalizing the format and data to be
   41  used. The report shall be implemented beginning July 1, 2014,
   42  and results of the report must be included in the annual report
   43  under s. 1002.82.
   44         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.