Bill Text: FL S1918 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: School Readiness Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2022-03-14 - Died in Education [S1918 Detail]
Download: Florida-2022-S1918-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1918
By Senator Taddeo
40-01474-22 20221918__
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”; amending s.
5 1002.84, F.S.; requiring early learning coalitions to
6 adopt a payment rate schedule rather than a payment
7 schedule; providing requirements for the payment rate
8 schedule; requiring early learning coalitions to
9 reimburse contracted school readiness program
10 providers the minimum payment rate; providing that
11 minimum payment rate reimbursements must be charged as
12 direct services; amending s. 1002.85, F.S.; revising
13 the required contents of early learning coalition
14 plans; amending s. 1002.895, F.S.; conforming
15 provisions to changes made by the act; directing the
16 Division of Early Learning within the Department of
17 Education to amend its Child Care and Development Fund
18 Plan to identify certain personnel as essential
19 workers for a specified purpose; requiring the
20 division to annually collect certain data and include
21 such data in a specified annual report; providing for
22 the scheduled expiration of such directive; providing
23 an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 1002.81, Florida
28 Statutes, is amended to read:
29 1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
30 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
31 (6) “Economically disadvantaged” means having a family
32 income that does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty
33 level or 70 percent of the state median income, whichever is
34 greater, and includes being a child of a working migratory
35 family as defined by 34 C.F.R. s. 200.81(d) or (f) or an
36 agricultural worker who is employed by more than one
37 agricultural employer during the course of a year, and whose
38 income varies according to weather conditions and market
39 stability.
40 Section 2. Subsection (17) of section 1002.84, Florida
41 Statutes, is amended to read:
42 1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers
43 and duties.—Each early learning coalition shall:
44 (17) Adopt a payment rate schedule that encompasses all
45 programs funded under this part and part V of this chapter. The
46 payment rate schedule must identify a minimum payment rate for
47 each provider type and care level and must take into
48 consideration the prevailing market rate or an alternative model
49 that has been approved by the Administration for Children and
50 Families pursuant to 45 C.F.R. s. 98.45(c), include the
51 projected number of children to be served, and that must be
52 submitted for approval by the department. Each early learning
53 coalition shall reimburse the minimum payment rate to each
54 contracted school readiness program provider, by provider type
55 and care level, regardless of such provider’s private pay rate.
56 All minimum payment rate reimbursements must be charged as
57 direct services under s. 1002.89. Informal child care
58 arrangements must shall be reimbursed at not more than 50
59 percent of the rate adopted for a family day care home.
60 Section 3. Subsection (5) of section 1002.85, Florida
61 Statutes, is amended to read:
62 1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.—
63 (5) The department shall collect and report data on
64 coalition delivery of early learning programs. Elements must
65 shall include, but are not limited to, measures related to
66 progress towards reducing the number of children on the waiting
67 list, the percentage of children served by the program as
68 compared to the number of administrative staff and overhead, the
69 percentage of children served compared to total number of
70 children under the age of 5 years below 150 percent of the
71 federal poverty level or 60 percent of the state median income,
72 whichever is greater, provider payment processes, fraud
73 intervention, child attendance and stability, use of child care
74 resource and referral, and kindergarten readiness outcomes for
75 children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or
76 the school readiness program upon entry into kindergarten. The
77 department shall request input from the coalitions and school
78 readiness program providers before finalizing the format and
79 data to be used. The report must shall be implemented beginning
80 July 1, 2014, and results of the report must be included in the
81 annual report under s. 1002.82.
82 Section 4. Subsection (4) of section 1002.895, Florida
83 Statutes, is amended to read:
84 1002.895 Market rate schedule.—The school readiness program
85 market rate schedule shall be implemented as follows:
86 (4) The market rate schedule must shall be considered by an
87 early learning coalition in the adoption of a payment rate
88 schedule. The payment rate schedule must take into consideration
89 the prevailing market rate and include the projected number of
90 children to be served by each county and be submitted for
91 approval by the department. Informal child care arrangements
92 must shall be reimbursed at not more than 50 percent of the rate
93 adopted for a family day care home.
94 Section 5. (1) As the lead agency for the Child Care and
95 Development Block Grant Trust Fund, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. parts
96 98 and 99, the Division of Early Learning within the Department
97 of Education shall amend its Child Care and Development Fund
98 Plan to identify child care personnel as essential workers for
99 the purpose of such personnel’s children being determined
100 eligible for the school readiness program.
101 (2)(a) The division shall annually collect the total number
102 of child care personnel in this state whose children were
103 determined eligible for the school readiness program,
104 disaggregated by county; the total number of such children
105 served by the school readiness program, disaggregated by age;
106 the total cost to serve such children; and whether such children
107 being determined eligible for the school readiness program led
108 to the retention of such child care personnel.
109 (b) The information collected pursuant to paragraph (a)
110 must be included in the department’s annual report required
111 under s. 1002.82(7), Florida Statutes.
112 (3) This section expires on September 30, 2024, unless
113 reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
114 Legislature.
115 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.
