Bill Text: FL H0953 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Pinellas County

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Military & Local Affairs Policy (EDCA) [H0953 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-H0953-Introduced.html

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HB 953

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to Pinellas County; amending chapter 61-
3	2681, Laws of Florida, as amended; redefining the term
4	"family day care home" and defining the terms "large
5	family child care home" and "household children"; revising
6	and providing requirements for licensing and regulating
7	such homes; providing an effective date.
8
9	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11	Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 2 of chapter 61-2681,
12	Laws of Florida, as amended by chapters 70-893 and 2007-277,
13	Laws of Florida, is amended to read:
14	Section 2. Definitions; capacity and time limitations.-
15	(5)(a) A "family child care home" or "family day care
16	home" means an occupied a facility for child care in a place of
17	residence in which child care and training are regularly
18	provided for children from at least two unrelated households,
19	with or without compensation. A family child care home shall be
20	allowed to provide care for one of the following groups of
21	children, which shall include in their overall capacity the
22	preschool household children, whether present or not, and
23	school-aged household children under 13 years of age, when
24	present:
25	1. When three children from birth to 12 months of age are
26	in care, no more than two additional children 2 years of age or
27	older may be in care, except when a provider has proof of
28	completion of an approved training course, in which case the two
29	additional children must be 18 months of age or older, which
30	includes preschool household children, whether present or not,
31	for a total of five children in care, plus additional school-
32	aged household children, when present, for a total capacity of
33	up to six children.
34	2. When two children from birth to 12 months of age are in
35	care, no more than three additional children may be in care and
36	no more than one of those children may be between 12 and 24
37	months of age. The remaining children must be 2 years of age or
38	older, except when a provider has proof of completion of an
39	approved training course, in which case the two additional
40	children must be 18 months of age or older, which includes
41	preschool household children, whether present or not, for a
42	total of five children in care, plus additional school-aged
43	household children, when present, for a total capacity of up to
44	ten children of a family, person, or persons who receive no more
45	than four (4) children under seventeen (17) years of age away
46	from their own homes who are not related to such person or
47	persons by blood, marriage, or adoption, for the purpose of
48	providing family care and training for such children. No more
49	than three (3) of the four (4) children may be under two (2)
50	years of age. This term shall not be construed to include
51	children above first grade level except in homes where children
52	below first grade level are also received for care.
53	(b) A "large family child care home" means an occupied
54	place of residence of a family, person, or persons who regularly
55	provide child care for children from at least two unrelated
56	households, with or without compensation, which has at least two
57	full-time child care employees on the premises during the hours
58	of operation. One of the two full-time child care employees must
59	be the provider or the provider's substitute. In order to
60	qualify for licensure as a large family child care home, the
61	home must first have operated as a licensed family day care home
62	for 2 consecutive years in Pinellas County, with a provider who
63	has had a child development associate credential or its
64	equivalent for 1 year. A large family child care home may
65	provide care for one of the following groups of children, which
66	include household children under 13 years of age:
67	1. A maximum of eight children from birth to 24 months of
68	age; or
69	2. A maximum of twelve children, with no more than four
70	children under 24 months of age.
71
72	A large family child care home must meet and comply with all
73	standards of this paragraph unless there is an insufficient
74	number of children in care to meet the definition of a large
75	family child care home, in which case an additional employee is
76	not required.
77	(c) "Household children" means children who are related by
78	blood, marriage, or legal adoption to, or who are the legal
79	wards of, an adult household member who meets the level 2
80	screening requirements as provided in s. 435.04, Florida
81	Statutes. Supervision of the provider's household children shall
82	be left to the discretion of the provider unless those children
83	receive subsidized child care to be in the home.
84	(d)(b) Child care may be provided for 24 hours or longer
85	for a child whose parent or legal guardian works a shift of 24
86	hours or more. The requirement that a parent or legal guardian
87	work a shift of 24 hours or more must be certified in writing by
88	the employer, and the written certification must be maintained
89	in the facility by the child care provider and made available to
90	the license board and the state child care licensing agency. The
91	time that a child remains in child care, however, may not exceed
92	72 consecutive hours in any 7-day period. During a declared
93	state of emergency, the license board or the state child care
94	licensing agency may temporarily waive the time limitations
95	provided in this paragraph.
96	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.