Bill Text: FL S1214 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Education [S1214 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S1214-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2017 SB 1214 By Senator Bracy 11-01568-17 20171214__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Voluntary Prekindergarten 3 Education Program; amending s. 1002.55, F.S.; revising 4 the educational credentials and training required 5 after a specified date for prekindergarten instructors 6 in school-year prekindergarten programs delivered by 7 private prekindergarten providers; providing for the 8 future revision of alternate educational credentials 9 that such instructors may hold; amending ss. 1002.61 10 and 1007.23, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes 11 made by the act; providing effective dates. 12 13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14 15 Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 16 1002.55, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 17 1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by 18 private prekindergarten providers.— 19 (3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program, 20 a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the 21 following requirements: 22 (c)1. The private prekindergarten provider must have, for 23 each prekindergarten class of 11 children or fewer, at least one 24 prekindergarten instructor who meets each of the following 25 requirements: 26 a.1.The prekindergarten instructor must hold, at a 27 minimum, one of the following credentials: 28 (I)a.A child development associate credential issued by 29 the National Credentialing Program of the Council for 30 Professional Recognition; or 31 (II)b.A credential approved by the Department of Children 32 and Families as being equivalent to or greater than the 33 credential described in sub-sub-subparagraph (I).sub34subparagraph a.35 36 The Department of Children and Families may adopt rules under 37 ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 which provide criteria and procedures 38 for approving equivalent credentials under sub-sub-subparagraph 39 (II).sub-subparagraph b.40 b.2.The prekindergarten instructor must successfully 41 complete an emergent literacy training course and a student 42 performance standards training course approved by the office as 43 meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted under s. 44 1002.59. The requirement for completion of the standards 45 training course shall take effect July 1, 2014, and the course 46 shall be available online. 47 2. Effective July 1, 2022, the private prekindergarten 48 provider must have, for each prekindergarten class of 11 49 children or fewer, at least one prekindergarten instructor who 50 meets each of the following requirements: 51 a. The prekindergarten instructor must hold an associate or 52 higher degree in child development. 53 b. The prekindergarten instructor must successfully 54 complete 20 hours of professional development approved by the 55 office, including an emergent literacy training course and a 56 student performance standards training course approved by the 57 office as meeting or exceeding the minimum standards adopted 58 under s. 1002.59. 59 Section 2. Effective July 1, 2022, subsection (4) of 60 section 1002.55, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 61 1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by 62 private prekindergarten providers.— 63 (4) A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the minimum 64 credentials and courses required under paragraph (3)(c), may 65 hold one of the following educational credentials: 66 (a) A bachelor’s or higher degree in early childhood 67 education, prekindergarten or primary education, preschool 68 education, or family and consumer science; 69 (b) A bachelor’s or higher degree in elementary education, 70 if the prekindergarten instructor has been certified to teach 71 children any age from birth through 6th grade, regardless of 72 whether the instructor’s educator certificate is current, and if 73 the instructor is not ineligible to teach in a public school 74 because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked; 75(c)An associate’s or higher degree in child development;76 (c)(d)A bachelor’sAn associate’sor higher degree in an 77 unrelated field, at least 6 credit hours in early childhood 78 education or child development, and at least 480 hours of 79 experience in teaching or providing child care services for 80 children any age from birth through 8 years of age; or 81 (d)(e)An educational credential approved by the department 82 as being equivalent to or greater than an educational credential 83 described in this subsection. The department may adopt criteria 84 and procedures for approving equivalent educational credentials 85 under this paragraph. 86 Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 1002.61, Florida 87 Statutes, is amended to read: 88 1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public 89 schools and private prekindergarten providers.— 90 (4) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1.a.1002.55(3)(c)1.91 and 1002.63(4), each public school and private prekindergarten 92 provider must have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one 93 prekindergarten instructor who is a certified teacheror holds94one of the educational credentials specified in s. 1002.55(4)(a)95or (b). As used in this subsection, the term “certified teacher” 96 means a teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate 97 under s. 1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the 98 district school board to instruct students in the summer 99 prekindergarten program. In selecting instructional staff for 100 the summer prekindergarten program, each school district shall 101 give priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in 102 early childhood education. 103 Section 4. Subsection (6) of section 1007.23, Florida 104 Statutes, is amended to read: 105 1007.23 Statewide articulation agreement.— 106 (6) The articulation agreement must guarantee the 107 articulation of 9 credit hours toward a postsecondary degree in 108 early childhood education for programs approved by the State 109 Board of Education and the Board of Governors which: 110 (a) Award a child development associate credential issued 111 by the National Credentialing Program of the Council for 112 Professional Recognition or award a credential approved under s. 113 1002.55(3)(c)1.a.(II)1002.55(3)(c)1.b.or s. 402.305(3)(c) as 114 being equivalent to the child development associate credential; 115 and 116 (b) Include training in emergent literacy which meets or 117 exceeds the minimum standards for training courses for 118 prekindergarten instructors of the Voluntary Prekindergarten 119 Education Program in s. 1002.59. 120 Section 5. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 121 act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2017.