Florida Senate - 2025 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for HB 859
Ì766134%Î766134
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: 1/AD/2R .
04/29/2025 04:16 PM .
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Senator Calatayud moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment
2
3 Delete lines 27 - 160
4 and insert:
5 income that does not exceed 55 percent of the state median
6 income 150 percent of the federal poverty level and includes
7 being a child of a working migratory family as defined by 34
8 C.F.R. s. 200.81(d) or (f) or an agricultural worker who is
9 employed by more than one agricultural employer during the
10 course of a year, and whose income varies according to weather
11 conditions and market stability.
12 (13) “Single point of entry” means an integrated
13 information system that allows a parent to enroll his or her
14 child in the school readiness program or the Voluntary
15 Prekindergarten Education Program at various locations
16 throughout a county, that may allow a parent to enroll his or
17 her child by telephone or through a website, and that uses a
18 uniform waiting list to track eligible children waiting for
19 enrollment in the school readiness program based on family
20 household income and the priorities established under s.
21 1002.87.
22 Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
23 1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
24 1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.—
25 (2) The department shall:
26 (f) Establish a unified approach to the state’s efforts to
27 coordinate a comprehensive early learning program. In support of
28 this effort, the department:
29 1. Shall adopt specific program support services that
30 address the state’s school readiness program, including:
31 a. Statewide data information program requirements that
32 include:
33 (I) Eligibility requirements.
34 (II) Financial reports.
35 (III) Program accountability measures.
36 (IV) Child progress reports.
37 b. Child care resource and referral services.
38 c. A single point of entry and uniform waiting list that
39 tracks children waiting for school readiness program services
40 based on family household income and the priorities established
41 under s. 1002.87.
42 2. May provide technical assistance and guidance on
43 additional support services to complement the school readiness
44 program, including:
45 a. Warm-Line services.
46 b. Anti-fraud plans.
47 c. Training and support for parental involvement in
48 children’s early education.
49 d. Family literacy activities and services.
50 Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 1002.84, Florida
51 Statutes, is amended to read:
52 1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers
53 and duties.—Each early learning coalition shall:
54 (2) Establish a uniform waiting list to track eligible
55 children waiting for enrollment in the school readiness program
56 based on family household income and the priorities established
57 under s. 1002.87 and in accordance with rules adopted by the
58 State Board of Education.
59 Section 4. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and subsection
60 (5) of section 1002.85, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
61 1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.—
62 (2) Each early learning coalition must submit a school
63 readiness program plan every 3 years to the department before
64 the expenditure of funds. A coalition may not implement its
65 school readiness program plan until it receives approval from
66 the department. A coalition may not implement any revision to
67 its school readiness program plan until the coalition submits
68 the revised plan to and receives approval from the department.
69 If the department rejects a plan or revision, the coalition must
70 continue to operate under its previously approved plan. The plan
71 must include, but is not limited to:
72 (b) The coalition’s procedures for implementing the
73 requirements of this part, including:
74 1. Single point of entry.
75 2. Uniform waiting list that tracks children waiting for
76 school readiness program services based on family household
77 income and the priorities established under s. 1002.87.
78 3. Eligibility and enrollment processes and local
79 eligibility priorities for children pursuant to s. 1002.87.
80 4. Parent access and choice.
81 5. Sliding fee scale and policies on applying the waiver or
82 reduction of fees in accordance with s. 1002.84(9).
83 6. Use of preassessments and postassessments, as
84 applicable.
85 7. Use of contracted slots, as applicable, based on the
86 results of the assessment required under paragraph (i).
87 (5) The department shall collect and report data on
88 coalition delivery of early learning programs. Elements shall
89 include, but are not limited to, measures related to progress
90 towards reducing the number of children on the waiting list, the
91 percentage of children served by the program as compared to the
92 number of administrative staff and overhead, the percentage of
93 children served compared to total number of children under the
94 age of 5 years below 55 percent of the state median income 150
95 percent of the federal poverty level, provider payment
96 processes, fraud intervention, child attendance and stability,
97 use of child care resource and referral, and kindergarten
98 readiness outcomes for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
99 Education Program or the school readiness program upon entry
100 into kindergarten. The department shall request input from the
101 coalitions and school readiness program providers before
102 finalizing the format and data to be used. The report shall be
103 implemented beginning July 1, 2014, and results of the report
104 must be included in the annual report under s. 1002.82.
105 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
106 1002.89, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
107 1002.89 School readiness program; funding.—
108 (1) DETERMINATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITION SCHOOL
109 READINESS PROGRAM FUNDING.—Funding for the school readiness
110 program shall be used by the early learning coalitions in
111 accordance with this part and the General Appropriations Act.
112 (a) School readiness program allocation.—If the annual
113 allocation for the school readiness program is not determined in
114 the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill
115 implementing the General Appropriations Act, it shall be
116 determined as follows:
117 1. For each county in the early learning coalition, the
118 total number of unweighted full-time equivalent school readiness
119 children, as adopted by the Early Learning Programs Estimating
120 Conference pursuant to s. 216.136(8), which shall consider the
121 historical trend of children served and population changes for
122 each county, shall be multiplied by the appropriate care level
123 factor to calculate the weighted full-time equivalent school
124 readiness children. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term
125 “care level factor” means the adjustment made based on the
126 relative differences in reimbursement rates associated with the
127 eligible school readiness children pursuant to s. 1002.87.
128 2. The total weighted full-time equivalent school readiness
129 children shall be multiplied by the rate index to calculate the
130 adjusted weighted full-time equivalent school readiness
131 children. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term “rate
132 index” means the adjustment made based on the impact of
133 geographic location on reimbursement rates.
134 3. The school readiness program funds shall be distributed
135 based on each county’s proportionate share of the total adjusted
136 weighted full-time equivalent school readiness children.
137 Section 6. This act shall take effect October 1, 2025.