Child Care and Early Learning Services

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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to child care and early learning 2
services; amending s. 402.302, F.S.; revising and 3
providing definitions; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; 4
revising the minimum standards for child care facility 5
licensing; amending s. 402.313, F.S.; changing the 6
term "family day care" to "family child care"; 7
removing provisions requiring family day care homes to 8
provide specified information to parents; amending s. 9
402.3131, F.S.; removing provisions requiring large 10
family child care homes to provide specified 11
information to parents; amending s. 627.70161, F.S.; 12
changing the term "family day care" to "family child 13
care"; providing legislative intent relating to large 14
family child care homes; defining the term "large 15
family child care home"; prohibiting residential 16
property insurance policies from providing coverage 17
for liability for claims arising out of, or in 18
connection with, the operations of large family child 19
care homes; providing that insurers are under no 20
obligation to defend against lawsuits covering such 21
claims; providing exceptions; prohibiting insurers 22
from denying, cancelling, and refusing to renew a 23
policy for residential property insurance on the basis 24
that the policyholders or applicants operate large 25

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family child care homes; providing exceptions; 26
reenacting and amending s. 1001.24, F.S.; revising the 27
definition of the term "Department of Education 28
direct-support organization"; amending s. 1002.67, 29
F.S.; revising the requirements for certain 30
prekindergarten curricula; establishing a review and 31
approval process for such curricula; creating s. 32
1002.821, F.S.; creating the Florida Child Care Fund; 33
requiring a Department of Education direct-support 34
organization to administer the fund; requiring funds 35
to be deposited into the Early Learning Fund; 36
requiring that funds from state sources and interest 37
earnings be accounted separately; providing for the 38
use of funds; requiring an annual report; providing 39
requirements for such report; amending s. 1002.95, 40
F.S.; providing for the establishment and 41
administration of the Center for Early Childhood 42
Professional Recognition under a specified 43
circumstance; amending s. 39.101, F.S.; conforming a 44
cross-reference; amending ss. 39.202, 125.0109, 45
166.0445, 212.08, 402.306, 402.309, 402.310, 402.3115, 46
402.312, 402.315, 402.316, 402.318, 402.319, 409.988, 47
411.203, 1002.55, 1002.82, 1002.83, 1002.84, 1002.88, 48
1002.895, 1002.92, 1002.93, and 1002.945, F.S.; 49
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 50

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providing an effective date. 51
52
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 53
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Section 1. Subsections (15) through (18) of section 55
402.302, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (16) 56
through (19), respectively, subsections (2), (3), (8), (9), and 57
(11) are amended, and a new subsection (15) is added to that 58
section, to read: 59
402.302 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: 60
(2) "Child care facility" includes any child care center 61
or child care arrangement which provides child care for more 62
than five children unrelated to the operator and which receives 63
a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, 64
wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit. The 65
following are not included: 66
(a) Public schools and nonpublic schools and their 67
administered integral programs, except as provided in s. 68
402.3025.; 69
(b) Summer camps having children in full-time residence.; 70
(c) Summer day camps.; 71
(d) Bible schools normally conducted during vacation 72
periods.; and 73
(e) Operators of transient establishments, as defined in 74
chapter 509, which provide child care services solely for the 75

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guests of their establishment or resort, provided that all child 76
care personnel of the establishment are screened according to 77
the level 2 screening requirements of chapter 435. 78
(f) Before-school and after-school programs, and any 79
programs during off-school hours, offered and operated by public 80
and nonpublic elementary schools at school sites for the 81
schools' student populations. 82
(3) "Child care personnel" means all owners, operators, 83
employees, and volunteers working in a child care facility. The 84
term does not include persons who work in a child care facility 85
after hours when children are not present or parents of children 86
in a child care facility. For purposes of screening, the term 87
includes any member, over the age of 12 years, of a child care 88
facility operator's family, or person, over the age of 12 years, 89
residing with a child care facility operator if the child care 90
facility is located in or adjacent to the home of the operator 91
or if the family member of, or person residing with, the child 92
care facility operator has any direct contact with the children 93
in the facility during its hours of operation. Members of the 94
operator's family or persons residing with the operator who are 95
between the ages of 12 years and 18 years are not required to be 96
fingerprinted but must be screened for delinquency records. For 97
purposes of screening, the term also includes persons who work 98
in child care programs that provide care for children 15 hours 99
or more each week in public or nonpublic schools, family child 100

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day care homes, membership organizations under s. 402.301, or 101
programs otherwise exempted under s. 402.316. The term does not 102
include public or nonpublic school personnel who are providing 103
care during regular school hours, or after hours for activities 104
related to a school's program for students attending public or 105
nonpublic school programs grades kindergarten through 12. A 106
volunteer who assists on an intermittent basis for less than 10 107
hours per month is not included in the term "personnel" for the 108
purposes of screening and training if a person who meets the 109
screening requirement of s. 402.305(2) is always present and has 110
the volunteer in his or her line of sight. Students who observe 111
and participate in a child care facility as a part of their 112
required coursework are not considered child care personnel, 113
provided such observation and participation are on an 114
intermittent basis and a person who meets the screening 115
requirement of s. 402.305(2) is always present and has the 116
student in his or her line of sight. 117
(8) "Family child day care home" means an occupied 118
residence in which child care is regularly provided for children 119
from at least two unrelated families and which receives a 120
payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, 121
whether or not operated for profit. Household children under 13 122
years of age, when on the premises of the family child day care 123
home or on a field trip with children enrolled in child care, 124
shall be included in the overall capacity of the licensed home. 125

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A family child day care home shall be allowed to provide care 126
for one of the following groups of children, which shall include 127
household children under 13 years of age: 128
(a) A maximum of four children from birth to 12 months of 129
age. 130
(b) A maximum of three children from birth to 12 months of 131
age, and other children, for a maximum total of six children. 132
(c) A maximum of six preschool children if all are older 133
than 12 months of age. 134
(d) A maximum of 10 children if no more than 5 are 135
preschool age and, of those 5, no more than 2 are under 12 136
months of age. 137
(9) "Household children" means children who are related by 138
blood, marriage, or legal adoption to, or who are the legal 139
wards of, the family child day care home operator, the large 140
family child care home operator, or an adult household member 141
who permanently or temporarily resides in the home. Supervision 142
of the operator's household children shall be left to the 143
discretion of the operator unless those children receive 144
subsidized child care through the school readiness program 145
pursuant to s. 1002.92 to be in the home. 146
(11) "Large family child care home" means an occupied 147
residence in which child care is regularly provided for children 148
from at least two unrelated families, which receives a payment, 149
fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, whether or 150

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not operated for profit, and which has at least two full-time 151
child care personnel on the premises during the hours of 152
operation. One of the two full-time child care personnel must be 153
the owner or occupant of the residence. A large family child 154
care home must first have operated as a licensed family child 155
day care home for 2 years, with an operator who has had a child 156
development associate credential or its equivalent for 1 year, 157
before seeking licensure as a large family child care home. 158
Household children under 13 years of age, when on the premises 159
of the large family child care home or on a field trip with 160
children enrolled in child care, shall be included in the 161
overall capacity of the licensed home. A large family child care 162
home shall be allowed to provide care for one of the following 163
groups of children, which shall include household children under 164
13 years of age: 165
(a) A maximum of 8 children from birth to 24 months of 166
age. 167
(b) A maximum of 12 children, with no more than 4 children 168
under 24 months of age. 169
(15) "School-age children" means children who are: 170
(a) In kindergarten through grade 12; 171
(b) Three-year olds in a public or nonpublic school 172
exceptional student education program; or 173
(c) Four-year olds in a public or nonpublic school child 174
care program. 175

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Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2), paragraph (a) 176
of subsection (7), and paragraph (a) of subsection (17) of 177
section 402.305, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 178
402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.— 179
(2) PERSONNEL.—Minimum standards for child care personnel 180
shall include minimum requirements as to: 181
(a) Good moral character based upon screening as defined 182
in s. 402.302 s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted 183
as provided in chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for 184
screening provided in that chapter, and include employment 185
history checks, a search of criminal history records, sexual 186
predator and sexual offender registries, and child abuse and 187
neglect registry of any state in which the current or 188
prospective child care personnel resided during the preceding 5 189
years. The department shall complete the screening and provide 190
the results to the child care facility within 3 business days 191
from the receipt of the criminal history record check. If the 192
department is unable to complete the screening within 3 business 193
days, the department shall issue the current or prospective 194
child care personnel a 45-day provisional-hire status while all 195
required information is being requested and the department is 196
awaiting results unless the department has reason to believe a 197
disqualifying factor may exist. During the 45-day period, the 198
current or prospective child care personnel must be under the 199
direct supervision of a screened and trained staff member when 200

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in contact with children. 201
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The department may grant limited exemptions to the minimum 203
standards provided in this subsection which authorize a person 204
to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 205
(7) SANITATION AND SAFETY.— 206
(a) Minimum standards must include requirements for 207
sanitary and safety conditions, first aid treatment, emergency 208
procedures, and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The 209
minimum standards must require that at least one staff person 210
trained in person in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as evidenced 211
by current documentation of course completion, be present at all 212
times that children are present. 213
(17) TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.— 214
(a) One week prior to the transfer of ownership of a child 215
care facility or family child day care home, the transferor 216
shall notify the parent or caretaker of each child of the 217
impending transfer. 218
Section 3. Section 402.313, Florida Statutes, is amended 219
to read: 220
402.313 Family child day care homes.— 221
(1) Family child day care homes shall be licensed under 222
this act if they are presently being licensed under an existing 223
county licensing ordinance or if the board of county 224
commissioners passes a resolution that family child day care 225

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homes be licensed. 226
(a) If not subject to license, family child day care homes 227
shall register annually with the department, providing the 228
following information: 229
1. The name and address of the home. 230
2. The name of the operator. 231
3. The number of children served. 232
4. Proof of a written plan to provide at least one other 233
competent adult to be available to substitute for the operator 234
in an emergency. This plan shall include the name, address, and 235
telephone number of the designated substitute. 236
5. Proof of screening and background checks. 237
6. Proof of successful completion of the 30-hour training 238
course, as evidenced by passage of a competency examination, 239
which shall include: 240
a. State and local rules and regulations that govern child 241
care. 242
b. Health, safety, and nutrition. 243
c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. 244
d. Child development, including typical and atypical 245
language development; and cognitive, motor, social, and self-246
help skills development. 247
e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using 248
a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to 249
determine a child's developmental level. 250

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f. Specialized areas, including early literacy and 251
language development of children from birth to 5 years of age, 252
as determined by the department, for owner-operators of family 253
child day care homes. 254
7. Proof that immunization records are kept current. 255
8. Proof of completion of the required continuing 256
education units or clock hours. 257
(b) A family child day care home may volunteer to be 258
licensed under this act. 259
(c) The department may provide technical assistance to 260
counties and family child day care home providers to enable 261
counties and family child day care providers to achieve 262
compliance with family child day care homes standards. 263
(2) This information shall be included in a directory to 264
be published annually by the department to inform the public of 265
available child care facilities. 266
(3) Child care personnel in family child day care homes 267
shall be subject to the applicable screening provisions 268
contained in ss. 402.305(2) and 402.3055. For purposes of 269
screening in family child day care homes, the term includes any 270
member over the age of 12 years of a family child day care home 271
operator's family, or persons over the age of 12 years residing 272
with the operator in the family child day care home. Members of 273
the operator's family, or persons residing with the operator, 274
who are between the ages of 12 years and 18 years shall not be 275

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required to be fingerprinted, but shall be screened for 276
delinquency records. 277
(4) Operators of family child day care homes must 278
successfully complete an approved 30-clock-hour introductory 279
course in child care, as evidenced by passage of a competency 280
examination, before caring for children. 281
(5) In order to further develop their child care skills 282
and, if appropriate, their administrative skills, operators of 283
family child day care homes shall be required to complete an 284
additional 1 continuing education unit of approved training or 285
10 clock hours of equivalent training, as determined by the 286
department, annually. 287
(6) Operators of family child day care homes shall be 288
required to complete 0.5 continuing education unit of approved 289
training in early literacy and language development of children 290
from birth to 5 years of age one time. The year that this 291
training is completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing 292
education unit or 5 clock hours of the annual training required 293
in subsection (5). 294
(7) Operators of family child day care homes shall be 295
required annually to complete a health and safety home 296
inspection self-evaluation checklist developed by the department 297
in conjunction with the statewide resource and referral program. 298
The completed checklist shall be signed by the operator of the 299
family child day care home and provided to parents as 300

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certification that basic health and safety standards are being 301
met. 302
(8) Family child day care home operators may avail 303
themselves of supportive services offered by the department. 304
(9) The department shall prepare a brochure on family 305
child day care for distribution by the department and by local 306
licensing agencies, if appropriate, to family child day care 307
homes for distribution to parents utilizing such child care, and 308
to all interested persons, including physicians and other health 309
professionals; mental health professionals; school teachers or 310
other school personnel; social workers or other professional 311
child care, foster care, residential, or institutional workers; 312
and law enforcement officers. The brochure shall, at a minimum, 313
contain the following information: 314
(a) A brief description of the requirements for family 315
child day care registration, training, and fingerprinting and 316
screening. 317
(b) A listing of those counties that require licensure of 318
family child day care homes. Such counties shall provide an 319
addendum to the brochure that provides a brief description of 320
the licensure requirements or may provide a brochure in lieu of 321
the one described in this subsection, provided it contains all 322
the required information on licensure and the required 323
information in the subsequent paragraphs. 324
(c) A statement indicating that information about the 325

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family child day care home's compliance with applicable state or 326
local requirements can be obtained by telephoning the department 327
office or the office of the local licensing agency, if 328
appropriate, at a telephone number or numbers which shall be 329
affixed to the brochure. 330
(d) The statewide toll-free telephone number of the 331
central abuse hotline, together with a notice that reports of 332
suspected and actual child physical abuse, sexual abuse, and 333
neglect are received and referred for investigation by the 334
hotline. 335
(e) Any other information relating to competent child care 336
that the department or local licensing agency, if preparing a 337
separate brochure, deems would be helpful to parents and other 338
caretakers in their selection of a family child day care home. 339
(10) On an annual basis, the department shall evaluate the 340
registration and licensure system for family child day care 341
homes. Such evaluation shall, at a minimum, address the 342
following: 343
(a) The number of family child day care homes registered 344
and licensed and the dates of such registration and licensure. 345
(b) The number of children being served in both registered 346
and licensed family child day care homes and any available slots 347
in such homes. 348
(c) The number of complaints received concerning family 349
child day care, the nature of the complaints, and the resolution 350

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of such complaints. 351
(d) The training activities utilized by child care 352
personnel in family child day care homes for meeting the state 353
or local training requirements. 354
355
The evaluation shall be utilized by the department in any 356
administrative modifications or adjustments to be made in the 357
registration of family child day care homes or in any 358
legislative requests for modifications to the system of 359
registration or to other requirements for family child day care 360
homes. 361
(11) In order to inform the public of the state 362
requirement for registration of family child day care homes as 363
well as the other requirements for such homes to legally operate 364
in the state, the department shall institute a media campaign to 365
accomplish this end. Such a campaign shall include, at a 366
minimum, flyers, newspaper advertisements, radio advertisements, 367
and television advertisements. 368
(12) Notwithstanding any other state or local law or 369
ordinance, any family child day care home licensed pursuant to 370
this chapter or pursuant to a county ordinance shall be charged 371
the utility rates accorded to a residential home. A licensed 372
family child day care home may not be charged commercial utility 373
rates. 374
(13) The department shall, by rule, establish minimum 375

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standards for family child day care homes that are required to 376
be licensed by county licensing ordinance or county licensing 377
resolution or that voluntarily choose to be licensed. The 378
standards should include requirements for staffing, training, 379
maintenance of immunization records, minimum health and safety 380
standards, reduced standards for the regulation of child care 381
during evening hours by municipalities and counties, and 382
enforcement of standards. 383
(14) During the months of August and September of each 384
year, each family day care home shall provide parents of 385
children enrolled in the home detailed information regarding the 386
causes, symptoms, and transmission of the influenza virus in an 387
effort to educate those parents regarding the importance of 388
immunizing their children against influenza as recommended by 389
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers 390
for Disease Control and Prevention. 391
(15) During the months of April and September of each 392
year, at a minimum, each family day care home shall provide 393
parents of children attending the family day care home 394
information regarding the potential for a distracted adult to 395
fail to drop off a child at the family day care home and instead 396
leave the child in the adult's vehicle upon arrival at the 397
adult's destination. The family day care home shall also give 398
parents information about resources with suggestions to avoid 399
this occurrence. The department shall develop a flyer or 400

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brochure with this information that shall be posted to the 401
department's website, which family day care homes may choose to 402
reproduce and provide to parents to satisfy the requirements of 403
this subsection. 404
Section 4. Subsections (9) and (10) of section 402.3131, 405
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 406
402.3131 Large family child care homes.— 407
(9) During the months of August and September of each 408
year, each large family child care home shall provide parents of 409
children enrolled in the home detailed information regarding the 410
causes, symptoms, and transmission of the influenza virus in an 411
effort to educate those parents regarding the importance of 412
immunizing their children against influenza as recommended by 413
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers 414
for Disease Control and Prevention. 415
(10) During the months of April and September of each 416
year, at a minimum, each large family child care home shall 417
provide parents of children attending the large family child 418
care home information regarding the potential for a distracted 419
adult to fail to drop off a child at the large family child care 420
home and instead leave the child in the adult's vehicle upon 421
arrival at the adult's destination. The large family child care 422
home shall also give parents information about resources with 423
suggestions to avoid this occurrence. The department shall 424
develop a flyer or brochure with this information that shall be 425

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posted to the department's website, which large family child 426
care homes may choose to reproduce and provide to parents to 427
satisfy the requirements of this subsection. 428
Section 5. Section 627.70161, Florida Statutes, is amended 429
to read: 430
627.70161 Family child day care and large family child 431
care insurance.— 432
(1) PURPOSE AND INTENT.—The Legislature recognizes that 433
family child day care and large family child care homes fulfill 434
a vital role in providing child care in Florida. It is the 435
intent of the Legislature that residential property insurance 436
coverage should not be canceled, denied, or nonrenewed solely on 437
the basis of the child family day care services at the 438
residence. The Legislature also recognizes that the potential 439
liability of residential property insurers is substantially 440
increased by the rendition of child care services on the 441
premises. The Legislature therefore finds that there is a public 442
need to specify that contractual liabilities that arise in 443
connection with the operation of the family child day care home 444
or the large family child care home are excluded from 445
residential property insurance policies unless they are 446
specifically included in such coverage. 447
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 448
(a) "Child care" means the care, protection, and 449
supervision of a child, for a period of less than 24 hours a day 450

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on a regular basis, which supplements parental care, enrichment, 451
and health supervision for the child, in accordance with his or 452
her individual needs, and for which a payment, fee, or grant is 453
made for care. 454
(b) "Family child day care home" means an occupied 455
residence in which child care is regularly provided for children 456
from at least two unrelated families and which receives a 457
payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, 458
whether or not operated for a profit. 459
(c) "Large family child care home" means an occupied 460
residence in which child care is regularly provided for children 461
from at least two unrelated families, which receives a payment, 462
fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, whether or 463
not operated for profit, and which has at least two full-time 464
child care personnel on the premises during the hours of 465
operation. One of the two full-time child care personnel must be 466
the owner or occupant of the residence. A large family child 467
care home must first have operated as a licensed family child 468
care home for at least 2 years, with an operator who has held a 469
child development associate credential or its equivalent for at 470
least 1 year, before seeking licensure as a large family child 471
care home. Household children under 13 years of age, when on the 472
premises of the large family child care home or on a field trip 473
with children enrolled in child care, must be included in the 474
overall capacity of the licensed home. A large family child care 475

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home may provide care for one of the following groups of 476
children, which must include household children under 13 years 477
of age: 478
1. A maximum of 8 children from birth to 24 months of age. 479
2. A maximum of 12 children, with no more than 4 children 480
under 24 months of age. 481
(3) FAMILY CHILD DAY CARE AND LARGE FAMILY CHILD CARE 482
HOMES; COVERAGE.—A residential property insurance policy may 483
shall not provide coverage for liability for claims arising out 484
of, or in connection with, the operation of a family child day 485
care home or a large family child care home, and the insurer 486
shall be under no obligation to defend against lawsuits covering 487
such claims, unless: 488
(a) Specifically covered in a policy; or 489
(b) Covered by a rider or endorsement for business 490
coverage attached to a policy. 491
(4) DENIAL, CANCELLATION, REFUSAL TO RENEW PROHIBITED.—An 492
insurer may not deny, cancel, or refuse to renew a policy for 493
residential property insurance solely on the basis that the 494
policyholder or applicant operates a family child day care home 495
or a large family child care home. In addition to other lawful 496
reasons for refusing to insure, an insurer may deny, cancel, or 497
refuse to renew a policy of a family child day care home or a 498
large family child care home provider if one or more of the 499
following conditions occur: 500

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(a) The policyholder or applicant provides care for more 501
children than authorized for family day care homes by s. 502
402.302; 503
(b) The policyholder or applicant fails to maintain a 504
separate commercial liability policy or an endorsement providing 505
liability coverage for the family child day care home or the 506
large family child care home operations; 507
(c) The policyholder or applicant fails to comply with the 508
applicable family day care home licensure and registration 509
requirements specified in chapter 402 s. 402.313; or 510
(d) Discovery of willful or grossly negligent acts or 511
omissions or any violations of state laws or regulations 512
establishing safety standards for family child day care homes or 513
large family child care homes by the named insured or his or her 514
representative which materially increase any of the risks 515
insured. 516
Section 6. Section 1001.24, Florida Statutes, is reenacted 517
and amended to read: 518
1001.24 Direct-support organization; use of property; 519
board of directors; audit.— 520
(1) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section, the 521
term: 522
(a) "Department of Education direct-support organization" 523
means an organization: 524
1. That is a corporation not for profit that is 525

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incorporated under the provisions of chapter 617 and approved by 526
the Department of State. 527
2. That is organized and operated exclusively to receive, 528
hold, invest, and administer property and to make expenditures 529
to or for the benefit of the early learning programs under parts 530
V and VI of chapter 1002, child care facilities licensed under 531
s. 402.305, family child care homes licensed or registered under 532
s. 402.313, large family child care homes licensed under s. 533
402.3131, and public prekindergarten through 12th grade 534
education in this state. 535
3. That the State Board of Education, after review, has 536
certified to be operating in a manner consistent with the goals 537
and best interest of the Department of Education. 538
(b) "Personal services" includes full-time or part-time 539
personnel, as well as payroll processing. 540
(2) USE OF PROPERTY.—The State Board of Education: 541
(a) May permit the use of property, facilities, and 542
personal services of the department by the direct-support 543
organization, subject to the provisions of this section. 544
(b) Shall prescribe by rule conditions with which the 545
direct-support organization must comply in order to use 546
property, facilities, or personal services of the department. 547
Such rules shall provide for budget and audit review and for 548
oversight by the department. 549
(c) Shall not permit the use of property, facilities, or 550

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personal services of the direct-support organization if such 551
organization does not provide equal employment opportunities to 552
all persons, regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, 553
age, or religion. 554
(3) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The board of directors of the 555
department direct-support organization shall be appointed by the 556
commissioner and shall include representation from business, 557
industry, and other components of Florida's economy. 558
(4) ANNUAL AUDIT.—Each direct-support organization shall 559
provide for an annual financial audit in accordance with s. 560
215.981. The identity of donors who desire to remain anonymous 561
shall be protected, and that anonymity shall be maintained in 562
the auditor's report. All records of the organization other than 563
the auditor's report, management letter, and any supplemental 564
data requested by the Auditor General and the Office of Program 565
Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall be 566
confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). 567
Section 7. Subsection (2) of section 1002.67, Florida 568
Statutes, is amended to read: 569
1002.67 Performance standards and curricula.— 570
(2)(a) Each private prekindergarten provider and public 571
school may select or design the curriculum that the provider or 572
school uses to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 573
Program, except as otherwise required for a provider or school 574
that fails to meet the minimum performance metric score or 575

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designation change-in-ability established pursuant to s. 576
1002.68. 577
(b) Each private prekindergarten provider's and public 578
school's curriculum must be developmentally appropriate and 579
must: 580
1. Be designed to prepare a student for early literacy and 581
provide for instruction in early math skills; 582
2. Develop students' background knowledge through a 583
content-rich and sequential knowledge building early literacy 584
curriculum; 585
3. Enhance the age-appropriate progress of students in 586
attaining the performance standards adopted by the department 587
under subsection (1); and 588
4. Support student learning gains through differentiated 589
instruction that shall be measured by the coordinated screening 590
and progress monitoring program under s. 1008.25(9). 591
(c) The department shall adopt procedures for the review 592
and approval of curricula for use by private prekindergarten 593
providers and public schools that fail to meet the minimum 594
performance metric score or designation change-in-ability scores 595
established pursuant to s. 1002.68. The department shall 596
administer the review and approval process and maintain a list 597
of the curricula approved under this paragraph. Each approved 598
curriculum must meet the requirements of paragraph (b). The 599
review and approval process must include curricula that are 600

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available for purchase and proprietary curricula that are not 601
available for purchase. 602
(d) The department must review and may approve a 603
curriculum that is proprietary or available for purchase outside 604
of the established review and approval process in paragraph (c). 605
The curriculum must be used by a private provider or public 606
school district that operates a Voluntary Prekindergarten 607
Education Program in more than five distinct locations. Any 608
curriculum approved under this paragraph must meet the 609
requirements of paragraph (b). Any curriculum approved under 610
this paragraph that is available for purchase must be included 611
on the list of curricula approved under this paragraph. Within 612
60 days after receipt of a request for a curriculum review, the 613
department shall review and either approve or deny the submitted 614
curriculum and all associated materials. A request for a 615
curriculum review may not be submitted under this paragraph 616
within 120 days before the opening of the regular review process 617
described in paragraph (c). 618
Section 8. Section 1002.821, Florida Statutes, is created 619
to read: 620
1002.821 Florida Child Care Fund.—The Florida Child Care 621
Fund is established to support early learning and child care 622
needs of Florida families. 623
(1) A Department of Education direct-support organization 624
established pursuant to s. 1001.24 shall administer the fund. 625

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(2)(a) Any bequests, gifts, grants, and donations made to 626
the fund as may be solicited for such purpose from public or 627
private sources shall be deposited into the Early Learning Fund. 628
(b) Any legislative appropriation from the Child Care and 629
Development Block Grant Trust Fund which may be provided to the 630
Florida Child Care Fund shall be deposited into the Early 631
Learning Fund and shall be used to fund children from the 632
waiting list pursuant to subparagraph (3)(a)1. 633
(c) Any funds received from state sources and interest 634
earnings shall be accounted for separately. 635
(3) Funds shall be used to provide: 636
(a) Care for children from birth until the child is 637
eligible to enroll in kindergarten in accordance with: 638
1. An allocation methodology to fund the waiting list of 639
early learning coalitions; or 640
2. The intentions of a donor. 641
(b) The early learning coalition shall fund school 642
readiness program providers and providers selected by the 643
donor's recipient at the reimbursement rate calculated pursuant 644
to s. 1002.84(17). If the provider selected by the donor's 645
recipient is not a school readiness program provider, the 646
department shall adopt a contract for use by an early learning 647
coalition with the provider to provide such funds. 648
(c) Any family served under subparagraph (a)1. shall have 649
an early learning coalition apply a parent copayment based on 650

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family income pursuant to s. 1002.84(9) or s. 1002.935(2)(b). 651
(4) By January 1 of each year, beginning January 1, 2027, 652
the Division of Early Learning shall prepare, and the department 653
shall publish on its website, a report that summarizes the 654
performance of the Florida Child Care Fund and the fund's 655
fundraising activities for the previous fiscal year, and 656
identifies the child care needs supported by the fund principal 657
or earnings and those supported by private sources, bequests, 658
gifts, grants, and donations. The report must also include: 659
(a) Outcome data, including the number of children served 660
and any child outcomes, by each early learning coalition. 661
(b) The amount of funds spent on administrative expenses 662
and fundraising and the amount of funds raised from private 663
sources. 664
Section 9. Section 1002.95, Florida Statutes, is amended 665
to read: 666
1002.95 Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) 667
Scholarship Program.— 668
(1)(a) The department may contract for the administration 669
of the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) 670
Scholarship Program, which provides educational scholarships to 671
caregivers and administrators of early childhood programs, 672
family child day care homes, and large family child care homes. 673
The goal of the program is to increase the education and 674
training for caregivers, increase the compensation for child 675

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caregivers who complete the program requirements, and reduce the 676
rate of participant turnover in the field of early childhood 677
education. 678
(b) Subject to appropriation, the TEACH Scholarships 679
Program administrator contracted under paragraph (a) shall also 680
establish and administer the Center for Early Childhood 681
Professional Recognition to ensure alignment of training 682
statewide, including, but not limited to, methods of early 683
childhood professional training approval, and implementation of 684
competency-based assessments aligned to the early learning 685
professional development standards and career pathways under s. 686
1002.995. 687
(2) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules as 688
necessary to administer this section. 689
Section 10. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 690
39.101, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 691
39.101 Central abuse hotline.—The central abuse hotline is 692
the first step in the safety assessment and investigation 693
process. 694
(4) USE OF INFORMATION RECEIVED BY THE CENTRAL ABUSE 695
HOTLINE.— 696
(a) Information received by the central abuse hotline may 697
not be used for employment screening, except as provided in s. 698
39.202(2)(a) and (h) or s. 402.302(16) s. 402.302(15). 699
Section 11. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 700

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39.202, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 701
39.202 Confidentiality of reports and records in cases of 702
child abuse or neglect; exception.— 703
(2) Except as provided in subsection (4), access to such 704
records, excluding the name of, or other identifying information 705
with respect to, the reporter which may only be released as 706
provided in subsection (5), may only be granted to the following 707
persons, officials, and agencies: 708
(a) Employees, authorized agents, or contract providers of 709
the department, the Department of Health, the Agency for Persons 710
with Disabilities, the Agency for Health Care Administration, 711
the Department of Education, or county agencies responsible for 712
carrying out: 713
1. Child or adult protective investigations; 714
2. Ongoing child or adult protective services; 715
3. Early intervention and prevention services; 716
4. Healthy Start services; 717
5. Licensure or approval of adoptive homes, foster homes, 718
child care facilities, facilities licensed under chapters 393 719
and 394, family child day care homes, providers who receive 720
school readiness funding under part VI of chapter 1002, or other 721
homes used to provide for the care and welfare of children; 722
6. Employment screening for caregivers in residential 723
group homes and facilities licensed under chapters 393, 394, and 724
409; or 725

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7. Services for victims of domestic violence when provided 726
by certified domestic violence centers working at the 727
department's request as case consultants or with shared clients. 728
729
Also, employees or agents of the Department of Juvenile Justice 730
responsible for the provision of services to children, pursuant 731
to chapters 984 and 985. 732
Section 12. Section 125.0109, Florida Statutes, is amended 733
to read: 734
125.0109 Family child day care homes; local zoning 735
regulation.—The operation of a residence as a family child day 736
care home, as defined by law, registered or licensed with the 737
Department of Children and Families shall constitute a valid 738
residential use for purposes of any local zoning regulations, 739
and no such regulation shall require the owner or operator of 740
such family child day care home to obtain any special exemption 741
or use permit or waiver, or to pay any special fee in excess of 742
$50, to operate in an area zoned for residential use. 743
Section 13. Section 166.0445, Florida Statutes, is amended 744
to read: 745
166.0445 Family child day care homes; local zoning 746
regulation.—The operation of a residence as a family child day 747
care home, as defined by law, registered or licensed with the 748
Department of Children and Families shall constitute a valid 749
residential use for purposes of any local zoning regulations, 750

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and no such regulation shall require the owner or operator of 751
such family child day care home to obtain any special exemption 752
or use permit or waiver, or to pay any special fee in excess of 753
$50, to operate in an area zoned for residential use. 754
Section 14. Paragraph (j) of subsection (7) of section 755
212.08, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 756
212.08 Sales, rental, use, consumption, distribution, and 757
storage tax; specified exemptions.—The sale at retail, the 758
rental, the use, the consumption, the distribution, and the 759
storage to be used or consumed in this state of the following 760
are hereby specifically exempt from the tax imposed by this 761
chapter. 762
(7) MISCELLANEOUS EXEMPTIONS.—Exemptions provided to any 763
entity by this chapter do not inure to any transaction that is 764
otherwise taxable under this chapter when payment is made by a 765
representative or employee of the entity by any means, 766
including, but not limited to, cash, check, or credit card, even 767
when that representative or employee is subsequently reimbursed 768
by the entity. In addition, exemptions provided to any entity by 769
this subsection do not inure to any transaction that is 770
otherwise taxable under this chapter unless the entity has 771
obtained a sales tax exemption certificate from the department 772
or the entity obtains or provides other documentation as 773
required by the department. Eligible purchases or leases made 774
with such a certificate must be in strict compliance with this 775

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subsection and departmental rules, and any person who makes an 776
exempt purchase with a certificate that is not in strict 777
compliance with this subsection and the rules is liable for and 778
shall pay the tax. The department may adopt rules to administer 779
this subsection. 780
(j) Household fuels.—Also exempt from payment of the tax 781
imposed by this chapter are sales of utilities to residential 782
households or owners of residential models in this state by 783
utility companies who pay the gross receipts tax imposed under 784
s. 203.01, and sales of fuel to residential households or owners 785
of residential models, including oil, kerosene, liquefied 786
petroleum gas, coal, wood, and other fuel products used in the 787
household or residential model for the purposes of heating, 788
cooking, lighting, and refrigeration, regardless of whether such 789
sales of utilities and fuels are separately metered and billed 790
direct to the residents or are metered and billed to the 791
landlord. If any part of the utility or fuel is used for a 792
nonexempt purpose, the entire sale is taxable. The landlord 793
shall provide a separate meter for nonexempt utility or fuel 794
consumption. For the purposes of this paragraph, licensed family 795
child day care homes shall also be exempt. 796
Section 15. Subsection (3) of section 402.306, Florida 797
Statutes, is amended to read: 798
402.306 Designation of licensing agency; dissemination by 799
the department and local licensing agency of information on 800

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child care.— 801
(3) The department and local licensing agencies, or the 802
designees thereof, shall be responsible for coordination and 803
dissemination of information on child care to the community and 804
shall make available through electronic means all licensing 805
standards and procedures, health and safety standards for school 806
readiness providers, monitoring and inspection reports, and the 807
names and addresses of licensed child care facilities, school 808
readiness program providers, and, where applicable pursuant to 809
s. 402.313, licensed or registered family child day care homes. 810
This information shall also include the number of deaths, 811
serious injuries, and instances of substantiated child abuse 812
that have occurred in child care settings each year; research 813
and best practices in child development; and resources regarding 814
social-emotional development, parent and family engagement, 815
healthy eating, and physical activity. 816
Section 16. Subsections (1) and (2) and paragraph (a) of 817
subsection (3) of section 402.309, Florida Statutes, are amended 818
to read: 819
402.309 Provisional license or registration.— 820
(1) The local licensing agency or the department, 821
whichever is authorized to license child care facilities in a 822
county, may issue a provisional license for child care 823
facilities, family child day care homes, or large family child 824
care homes, or a provisional registration for family child day 825

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care homes to applicants for an initial license or registration 826
or to licensees or registrants seeking a renewal who are unable 827
to meet all the standards provided for in ss. 402.301-402.319. 828
(2) A provisional license or registration may not be 829
issued unless the operator or owner makes adequate provisions 830
for the health and safety of the child. A provisional license 831
may be issued for a child care facility if all of the screening 832
materials have been timely submitted. A provisional license or 833
registration may not be issued unless the child care facility, 834
family child day care home, or large family child care home is 835
in compliance with the requirements for screening of child care 836
personnel in ss. 402.305, 402.3055, 402.313, and 402.3131, 837
respectively. 838
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2), a local licensing 839
agency or the department, whichever is authorized to license 840
child care facilities in a county, must issue a provisional 841
license or registration if the operator or owner: 842
(a) Is applying for an initial license or registration for 843
a child care facility, a family child day care home, or a large 844
family child care home; 845
Section 17. Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) and subsection 846
(4) of section 402.310, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 847
402.310 Disciplinary actions; hearings upon denial, 848
suspension, or revocation of license or registration; 849
administrative fines.— 850

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(1) 851
(d) The disciplinary sanctions set forth in this section 852
apply to licensed child care facilities, licensed large family 853
child care homes, and licensed or registered family child day 854
care homes. 855
(4) An applicant, registrant, or licensee shall have the 856
right to appeal a decision of the local licensing agency to a 857
representative of the department. Any required hearing shall be 858
held in the county in which the child care facility, family 859
child day care home, or large family child care home is being 860
operated or is to be established. The hearing shall be conducted 861
in accordance with the provisions of chapter 120. 862
Section 18. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of subsection 863
(2) of section 402.3115, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 864
402.3115 Elimination of duplicative and unnecessary 865
inspections; abbreviated inspections.— 866
(1) The Department of Children and Families and local 867
governmental agencies that license child care facilities shall 868
develop and implement a plan to eliminate duplicative and 869
unnecessary inspections of child care facilities, family child 870
day care homes, and large family child care homes. 871
(2)(a) The department and the local governmental agencies 872
shall develop and implement an abbreviated inspection plan for 873
child care facilities, family child day care homes, and large 874
family child care homes that meet all of the following 875

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conditions: 876
1. Have been licensed for at least 2 consecutive years. 877
2. Have not had a Class 1 deficiency, as defined by rule, 878
for at least 2 consecutive years. 879
3. Have not had more than three of the same Class 2 880
deficiencies, as defined by rule, for at least 2 consecutive 881
years. 882
4. Have received at least two full onsite renewal 883
inspections in the most recent 2 years. 884
5. Do not have any current uncorrected violations. 885
6. Do not have any open regulatory complaints or active 886
child protective services investigations. 887
Section 19. Section 402.312, Florida Statutes, is amended 888
to read: 889
402.312 License required; injunctive relief.— 890
(1) The operation of a child care facility without a 891
license, a family child day care home without a license or 892
registration, or a large family child care home without a 893
license is prohibited. If the department or the local licensing 894
agency discovers that a child care facility is being operated 895
without a license, a family child day care home is being 896
operated without a license or registration, or a large family 897
child care home is being operated without a license, the 898
department or local licensing agency is authorized to seek an 899
injunction in the circuit court where the facility is located to 900

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enjoin continued operation of such facility, family child day 901
care home, or large family child care home. When the court is 902
closed for the transaction of judicial business, the department 903
or local licensing agency is authorized to seek an emergency 904
injunction to enjoin continued operation of such unlicensed 905
facility, unregistered or unlicensed family child day care home, 906
or unlicensed large family child care home, which injunction 907
shall be continued, modified, or revoked on the next day of 908
judicial business. 909
(2) Other grounds for seeking an injunction to close a 910
child care facility, family child day care home, or a large 911
family child care home are that: 912
(a) There is any violation of the standards applied under 913
ss. 402.301-402.319 which threatens harm to any child in the 914
child care facility, a family child day care home, or large 915
family child care home. 916
(b) A licensee or registrant has repeatedly violated the 917
standards provided for under ss. 402.301-402.319. 918
(c) A child care facility, family child day care home, or 919
large family child care home continues to have children in 920
attendance after the closing date established by the department 921
or the local licensing agency. 922
(3) The department or local licensing agency may impose an 923
administrative fine on any child care facility, family child day 924
care home, or large family child care home operating without a 925

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license or registration, consistent with the provisions of s. 926
402.310. 927
Section 20. Subsection (3) of section 402.315, Florida 928
Statutes, is amended to read: 929
402.315 Funding; license fees.— 930
(3) The department shall collect a fee for any license it 931
issues for a child care facility, family child day care home, or 932
large family child care home pursuant to ss. 402.305, 402.313, 933
and 402.3131. 934
(a) For a child care facility licensed pursuant to s. 935
402.305, such fee shall be $1 per child, based on the licensed 936
capacity of the facility, except that the minimum fee shall be 937
$25 per facility and the maximum fee shall be $100 per facility. 938
(b) For a family child day care home registered pursuant 939
to s. 402.313, such fee shall be $25. 940
(c) For a family child day care home licensed pursuant to 941
s. 402.313, such fee shall be $50. 942
(d) For a large family child care home licensed pursuant 943
to s. 402.3131, such fee shall be $60. 944
Section 21. Subsection (2) of section 402.316, Florida 945
Statutes, is amended to read: 946
402.316 Exemptions.— 947
(2) The provisions of ss. 402.301-402.319 do not apply to 948
a child care facility or family child day care home if the child 949
care facility or family child day care home has a certificate 950

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issued by the United States Department of Defense or by the 951
United States Coast Guard to provide child care and has 952
completed background screening by the United States Department 953
of Defense pursuant to 34 U.S.C. s. 20351 and 32 C.F.R. part 86 954
and received a favorable suitability and fitness determination. 955
If the child care facility or family child day care home elects 956
to serve children ineligible for care under the United States 957
Department of Defense Instruction 6060.02, the child care 958
facility or family child day care home must be licensed under 959
this chapter. 960
Section 22. Section 402.318, Florida Statutes, is amended 961
to read: 962
402.318 Advertisement.—A person, as defined in s. 1.01(3), 963
may not advertise a child care facility, family child day care 964
home, or large family child care home without including within 965
such advertisement the state or local agency license number or 966
registration number of such facility or home. Violation of this 967
section is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 968
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 969
Section 23. Section 402.319, Florida Statutes, is amended 970
to read: 971
402.319 Penalties.— 972
(1) It is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 973
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, for any person knowingly 974
to: 975

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(a) Fail, by false statement, misrepresentation, 976
impersonation, or other fraudulent means, to disclose in any 977
application for voluntary or paid employment or licensure 978
regulated under ss. 402.301-402.318 all information required 979
under those sections or a material fact used in making a 980
determination as to such person's qualifications to be child 981
care personnel, as defined in s. 402.302, in a child care 982
facility, family child day care home, or other child care 983
program. 984
(b) Operate or attempt to operate a child care facility 985
without having procured a license as required by this act. 986
(c) Operate or attempt to operate a family child day care 987
home without a license or without registering with the 988
department, whichever is applicable. 989
(d) Operate or attempt to operate a child care facility or 990
family child day care home under a license that is suspended, 991
revoked, or terminated. 992
(e) Misrepresent, by act or omission, a child care 993
facility or family child day care home to be duly licensed 994
pursuant to this act without being so licensed. 995
(f) Make any other misrepresentation, by act or omission, 996
regarding the licensure or operation of a child care facility or 997
family child day care home to a parent or guardian who has a 998
child placed in the facility or is inquiring as to placing a 999
child in the facility, or to a representative of the licensing 1000

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authority, or to a representative of a law enforcement agency, 1001
including, but not limited to, any misrepresentation as to: 1002
1. The number of children at the child care facility or 1003
the family child day care home; 1004
2. The part of the child care facility or family child day 1005
care home designated for child care; 1006
3. The qualifications or credentials of child care 1007
personnel; 1008
4. Whether a family child day care home or child care 1009
facility complies with the screening requirements of s. 402.305; 1010
or 1011
5. Whether child care personnel have the training as 1012
required by s. 402.305. 1013
(2) If any child care personnel makes any 1014
misrepresentation in violation of this section to a parent or 1015
guardian who has placed a child in the child care facility or 1016
family child day care home, and the parent or guardian relied 1017
upon the misrepresentation, and the child suffers great bodily 1018
harm, permanent disfigurement, permanent disability, or death as 1019
a result of an intentional act or negligence by the child care 1020
personnel, then the child care personnel commits a felony of the 1021
second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, 1022
or s. 775.084. 1023
(3) Each child care facility, family child day care home, 1024
and large family child care home shall annually submit an 1025

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affidavit of compliance with s. 39.201. 1026
Section 24. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 1027
409.988, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1028
409.988 Community-based care lead agency duties; general 1029
provisions.— 1030
(2) LICENSURE.— 1031
(c) Substitute care providers who are licensed under s. 1032
409.175 and who have contracted with a lead agency are also 1033
authorized to provide registered or licensed family child day 1034
care under s. 402.313 if such care is consistent with federal 1035
law and if the home has met the requirements of s. 402.313. 1036
Section 25. Paragraph (b) of subsection (8) of section 1037
411.203, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1038
411.203 Continuum of comprehensive services.—The 1039
Department of Education and the Department of Health shall 1040
utilize the continuum of prevention and early assistance 1041
services for high-risk pregnant women and for high-risk and 1042
handicapped children and their families, as outlined in this 1043
section, as a basis for the intraagency and interagency program 1044
coordination, monitoring, and analysis required in this chapter. 1045
The continuum shall be the guide for the comprehensive statewide 1046
approach for services for high-risk pregnant women and for high-1047
risk and handicapped children and their families, and may be 1048
expanded or reduced as necessary for the enhancement of those 1049
services. Expansion or reduction of the continuum shall be 1050

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determined by intraagency or interagency findings and agreement, 1051
whichever is applicable. Implementation of the continuum shall 1052
be based upon applicable eligibility criteria, availability of 1053
resources, and interagency prioritization when programs impact 1054
both agencies, or upon single agency prioritization when 1055
programs impact only one agency. The continuum shall include, 1056
but not be limited to: 1057
(8) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ALL EXPECTANT PARENTS AND PARENTS 1058
OF HIGH-RISK CHILDREN.— 1059
(b) Child care and early childhood programs, including, 1060
but not limited to, licensed child care facilities, family child 1061
day care homes, therapeutic child care, Head Start, and 1062
preschool programs in public and private schools. 1063
Section 26. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 1064
1002.55, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1065
1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by 1066
private prekindergarten providers.— 1067
(3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program, 1068
a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the 1069
following requirements: 1070
(a) The private prekindergarten provider must be a child 1071
care facility licensed under s. 402.305, family child day care 1072
home licensed under s. 402.313, large family child care home 1073
licensed under s. 402.3131, nonpublic school exempt from 1074
licensure under s. 402.3025(2), faith-based child care provider 1075

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exempt from licensure under s. 402.316, child development 1076
program that is accredited by a national accrediting body and 1077
operates on a military installation that is certified by the 1078
United States Department of Defense, or private prekindergarten 1079
provider that has been issued a provisional license under s. 1080
402.309. A private prekindergarten provider may not deliver the 1081
program while holding a probation-status license under s. 1082
402.310. 1083
Section 27. Paragraph (u) of subsection (2) of section 1084
1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1085
1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.— 1086
(2) The department shall: 1087
(u) Administer a statewide toll-free Warm-Line to provide 1088
assistance and consultation to child care facilities and family 1089
child day care homes regarding health, developmental, 1090
disability, and special needs issues of the children they are 1091
serving, particularly children with disabilities and other 1092
special needs. The department shall: 1093
1. Annually inform child care facilities and family child 1094
day care homes of the availability of this service through the 1095
child care resource and referral network under s. 1002.92. 1096
2. Expand or contract for the expansion of the Warm-Line 1097
to maintain at least one Warm-Line in each early learning 1098
coalition service area. 1099
Section 28. Paragraph (j) of subsection (4) of section 1100

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1002.83, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1101
1002.83 Early learning coalitions.— 1102
(4) Each early learning coalition must include the 1103
following member positions; however, in a multicounty coalition, 1104
each ex officio member position may be filled by multiple 1105
nonvoting members but no more than one voting member shall be 1106
seated per member position. If an early learning coalition has 1107
more than one member representing the same entity, only one of 1108
such members may serve as a voting member: 1109
(j) A representative of private for-profit child care 1110
providers, including private for-profit family child day care 1111
homes. 1112
Section 29. Subsection (4) of section 1002.84, Florida 1113
Statutes, is amended to read: 1114
1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers 1115
and duties.—Each early learning coalition shall: 1116
(4) Establish a regional Warm-Line as directed by the 1117
department pursuant to s. 1002.82(2)(u). Regional Warm-Line 1118
staff shall provide onsite technical assistance, when requested, 1119
to assist child care facilities and family child day care homes 1120
with inquiries relating to the strategies, curriculum, and 1121
environmental adaptations the child care facilities and family 1122
child day care homes may need as they serve children with 1123
disabilities and other special needs. 1124
Section 30. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) of 1125

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section 1002.88, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1126
1002.88 School readiness program provider standards; 1127
eligibility to deliver the school readiness program.— 1128
(1) To be eligible to deliver the school readiness 1129
program, a school readiness program provider must: 1130
(a) Be a child care facility licensed under s. 402.305, a 1131
family child day care home licensed or registered under s. 1132
402.313, a large family child care home licensed under s. 1133
402.3131, a public school or nonpublic school exempt from 1134
licensure under s. 402.3025, a faith-based child care provider 1135
exempt from licensure under s. 402.316, a before-school or 1136
after-school program described in s. 402.305(1)(c), a child 1137
development program that is accredited by a national accrediting 1138
body and operates on a military installation that is certified 1139
by the United States Department of Defense, an informal child 1140
care provider to the extent authorized in the state's Child Care 1141
and Development Fund Plan as approved by the United States 1142
Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to 45 C.F.R. s. 1143
98.18, or a provider who has been issued a provisional license 1144
pursuant to s. 402.309. A provider may not deliver the program 1145
while holding a probation-status license under s. 402.310. 1146
(c) Provide basic health and safety of its premises and 1147
facilities and compliance with requirements for age-appropriate 1148
immunizations of children enrolled in the school readiness 1149
program. 1150

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1. For a provider that is licensed, compliance with s. 1151
402.305, s. 402.3131, or s. 402.313 and this subsection, as 1152
verified pursuant to s. 402.311, satisfies this requirement. 1153
2. For a provider that is a registered family child day 1154
care home or is not subject to licensure or registration by the 1155
Department of Children and Families, compliance with this 1156
subsection, as verified pursuant to s. 402.311, satisfies this 1157
requirement. Upon verification pursuant to s. 402.311, the 1158
provider shall annually post the health and safety checklist 1159
adopted by the department prominently on its premises in plain 1160
sight for visitors and parents and shall annually submit the 1161
checklist to its local early learning coalition. 1162
3. For a child development program that is accredited by a 1163
national accrediting body and operates on a military 1164
installation that is certified by the United States Department 1165
of Defense, the submission and verification of annual 1166
inspections pursuant to United States Department of Defense 1167
Instructions 6060.2 and 1402.05 satisfies this requirement. 1168
Section 31. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 1169
1002.895, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1170
1002.895 Market rate schedule.—The school readiness 1171
program market rate schedule shall be implemented as follows: 1172
(2) The market rate schedule must differentiate rates by 1173
provider type, including, but not limited to: 1174
(c) Family child day care homes licensed or registered 1175

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under s. 402.313. 1176
Section 32. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) and subsection 1177
(4) of section 1002.92, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1178
1002.92 Child care and early childhood resource and 1179
referral.— 1180
(3) Child care resource and referral agencies shall 1181
provide the following services: 1182
(a) Identification of existing public and private child 1183
care and early childhood education services, including child 1184
care services by public and private employers, and the 1185
development of an early learning provider performance profile of 1186
those services through the single statewide information system 1187
developed by the department under s. 1002.82(2)(q). These 1188
services may include family child day care, public and private 1189
child care programs, the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 1190
Program, Head Start, the school readiness program, special 1191
education programs for prekindergarten children with 1192
disabilities, services for children with developmental 1193
disabilities, full-time and part-time programs, before-school 1194
and after-school programs, and vacation care programs. The early 1195
learning provider performance profile shall include, but not be 1196
limited to: 1197
1. Type of program. 1198
2. Hours of service. 1199
3. Ages of children served. 1200

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4. Number of children served. 1201
5. Program information. 1202
6. Fees and eligibility for services. 1203
7. Availability of transportation. 1204
8. Participation in the Child Care Food Program, if 1205
applicable. 1206
9. A link to licensing inspection reports, if applicable. 1207
10. The components of the Voluntary Prekindergarten 1208
Education Program performance metric calculated under s. 1002.68 1209
which must consist of the program assessment composite score, 1210
learning gains score, achievement score, and its designations, 1211
if applicable. 1212
11. The school readiness program assessment composite 1213
score and program assessment care level composite score results 1214
delineated by infant classrooms, toddler classrooms, and 1215
preschool classrooms results under s. 1002.82, if applicable. 1216
12. Gold Seal Quality Care designation under s. 1002.945, 1217
if applicable. 1218
13. Indication of whether the provider implements a 1219
curriculum approved by the department and the name of the 1220
curriculum, if applicable. 1221
14. Participation in school readiness child assessment 1222
under s. 1002.82. 1223
(4) A child care facility licensed under s. 402.305 and 1224
licensed and registered family child day care homes must provide 1225

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the statewide child care and resource and referral network with 1226
the following information annually: 1227
(a) Type of program. 1228
(b) Hours of service. 1229
(c) Ages of children served. 1230
(d) Fees and eligibility for services. 1231
Section 33. Subsection (2) of section 1002.93, Florida 1232
Statutes, is amended to read: 1233
1002.93 School readiness program transportation services.— 1234
(2) The transportation servicers may only provide 1235
transportation to each child participating in the school 1236
readiness program to the extent that such transportation is 1237
necessary to provide child care opportunities that otherwise 1238
would not be available to a child whose home is more than a 1239
reasonable walking distance from the nearest child care facility 1240
or family child day care home. 1241
Section 34. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1), paragraphs 1242
(a) and (c) of subsection (3), and subsection (4) of section 1243
1002.945, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1244
1002.945 Gold Seal Quality Care Program.— 1245
(1) 1246
(b) A child care facility, large family child care home, 1247
or family child day care home that is accredited by an 1248
accrediting association approved by the Department of Education 1249
under subsection (3) and meets all other requirements shall, 1250

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upon application to the department, receive a separate "Gold 1251
Seal Quality Care" designation. 1252
(3)(a) In order to be approved by the Department of 1253
Education for participation in the Gold Seal Quality Care 1254
Program, an accrediting association must apply to the department 1255
and demonstrate that it: 1256
1. Is a recognized accrediting association. 1257
2. Has accrediting standards that substantially meet or 1258
exceed the Gold Seal Quality Care standards adopted by the state 1259
board under subsection (2). 1260
3. Is a registered corporation with the Department of 1261
State. 1262
4. Can provide evidence that the process for accreditation 1263
has, at a minimum, all of the following components: 1264
a. Clearly defined prerequisites that a child care 1265
provider must meet before beginning the accreditation process. 1266
However, accreditation may not be granted to a child care 1267
facility, large family child care home, or family child day care 1268
home before the site is operational and is attended by children. 1269
b. Procedures for completion of a self-study and 1270
comprehensive onsite verification process for each classroom 1271
that documents compliance with accrediting standards. 1272
c. A training process for accreditation verifiers to 1273
ensure inter-rater reliability. 1274
d. Ongoing compliance procedures that include requiring 1275

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each accredited child care facility, large family child care 1276
home, and family child day care home to file an annual report 1277
with the accrediting association and risk-based, onsite auditing 1278
protocols for accredited child care facilities, large family 1279
child care homes, and family child day care homes. 1280
e. Procedures for the revocation of accreditation due to 1281
failure to maintain accrediting standards as evidenced by sub-1282
subparagraph d. or any other relevant information received by 1283
the accrediting association. 1284
f. Accreditation renewal procedures that include an onsite 1285
verification occurring at least every 5 years. 1286
g. A process for verifying continued accreditation 1287
compliance in the event of a transfer of ownership of 1288
facilities. 1289
h. A process to communicate issues that arise during the 1290
accreditation period with governmental entities that have a 1291
vested interest in the Gold Seal Quality Care Program, including 1292
the Department of Education, the Department of Children and 1293
Families, the Department of Health, local licensing entities if 1294
applicable, and the early learning coalition. 1295
(c) If an accrediting association has granted 1296
accreditation to a child care facility, large family child care 1297
home, or family child day care under fraudulent terms or failed 1298
to conduct onsite verifications, the accrediting association 1299
shall be liable for the repayment of any rate differentials paid 1300

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under subsection (6). 1301
(4) In order to obtain and maintain a designation as a 1302
Gold Seal Quality Care provider, a child care facility, large 1303
family child care home, or family child day care home must meet 1304
the following additional criteria: 1305
(a) The child care provider must not have had any class I 1306
violations, as defined by rule of the Department of Children and 1307
Families, within the 2 years preceding its application for 1308
designation as a Gold Seal Quality Care provider. Commission of 1309
a class I violation shall be grounds for termination of the 1310
designation as a Gold Seal Quality Care provider until the 1311
provider has no class I violations for a period of 2 years. 1312
(b) The child care provider must not have had three or 1313
more of the same class II violations, as defined by rule of the 1314
Department of Children and Families, within the 2 years 1315
preceding its application for designation as a Gold Seal Quality 1316
Care provider. Commission of three or more of the same class II 1317
violations within a 2-year period shall be grounds for 1318
termination of the designation as a Gold Seal Quality Care 1319
provider until the provider has no class II violations that are 1320
the same for a period of 1 year. 1321
(c) The child care provider must not have been cited for 1322
the same class III violation, as defined by rule of the 1323
Department of Children and Families, three or more times and 1324
failed to correct the violation within 1 year after the date of 1325

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each citation, within the 2 years preceding its application for 1326
designation as a Gold Seal Quality Care provider. Commission of 1327
the same class III violation three or more times and failure to 1328
correct within the required time during a 2-year period may be 1329
grounds for termination of the designation as a Gold Seal 1330
Quality Care provider until the provider has no class III 1331
violations for a period of 1 year. 1332
(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), if the Department of 1333
Education determines through a formal process that a provider 1334
has been in business for at least 5 years and has no other class 1335
I violations recorded, the department may recommend to the state 1336
board that the provider maintain its Gold Seal Quality Care 1337
status. The state board's determination regarding such 1338
provider's status is final. 1339
Section 35. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 1340