Bill Text: FL S1700 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: School Readiness Program Funding
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2022-03-14 - Died in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education [S1700 Detail]
Download: Florida-2022-S1700-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1700
By Senator Gruters
23-01624-22 20221700__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to school readiness program funding;
3 amending s. 1002.89, F.S.; deleting a requirement that
4 all state, federal, and local matching funds provided
5 to an early learning coalition for certain purposes be
6 used for implementation of its approved school
7 readiness plan; conforming provisions to changes made
8 by the act; creating s. 1002.891, F.S.; requiring the
9 Division of Early Learning within the Department of
10 Education to conduct an allocation conference;
11 specifying conference principals; requiring conference
12 principals to discuss and agree to all conventions and
13 calculation methods to be used to calculate the school
14 readiness funding formula for the early learning
15 coalitions for the fiscal year for which the
16 appropriations are made; requiring conventions and
17 calculation methods to remain in effect until further
18 agreements are reached in subsequent allocation
19 conferences; requiring the division to provide
20 conference principals with specified data before each
21 recalculation of the school readiness funding formula;
22 amending ss. 1002.81 and 1002.82, F.S.; conforming
23 cross-references; providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1002.89,
28 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
29 1002.89 School readiness program; funding.—
30 (4) All state, federal, and local matching funds provided
31 to an early learning coalition for purposes of this section
32 shall be used for implementation of its approved school
33 readiness program plan, including the hiring of staff to
34 effectively operate the school readiness program.
35 (5) Costs shall be kept to the minimum necessary for the
36 efficient and effective administration of the school readiness
37 program with the highest priority of expenditure being direct
38 services for eligible children. However, no more than 5 percent
39 of the funds described in subsection (4) may be used for
40 administrative costs and no more than 22 percent of the funds
41 described in subsection (4) may be used in any fiscal year for
42 any combination of administrative costs, quality activities, and
43 nondirect services as follows:
44 (a) Administrative costs as described in 45 C.F.R. s.
45 98.54, which shall include monitoring providers using the
46 standard methodology adopted under s. 1002.82 to improve
47 compliance with state and federal regulations and law pursuant
48 to the requirements of the statewide provider contract adopted
49 under s. 1002.82(2)(m).
50 (b) Activities to improve the quality of child care as
51 described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53, which shall be limited to the
52 following:
53 1. Developing, establishing, expanding, operating, and
54 coordinating resource and referral programs specifically related
55 to the provision of comprehensive consumer education to parents
56 and the public to promote informed child care choices specified
57 in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.33.
58 2. Awarding grants and providing financial support to
59 school readiness program providers and their staff to assist
60 them in meeting applicable state requirements for the program
61 assessment required under s. 1002.82(2)(n), child care
62 performance standards, implementing developmentally appropriate
63 curricula and related classroom resources that support
64 curricula, providing literacy supports, and providing continued
65 professional development and training. Any grants awarded
66 pursuant to this subparagraph shall comply with ss. 215.971 and
67 287.058.
68 3. Providing training, technical assistance, and financial
69 support to school readiness program providers, staff, and
70 parents on standards, child screenings, child assessments, child
71 development research and best practices, developmentally
72 appropriate curricula, character development, teacher-child
73 interactions, age-appropriate discipline practices, health and
74 safety, nutrition, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the
75 recognition of communicable diseases, and child abuse detection,
76 prevention, and reporting.
77 4. Providing, from among the funds provided for the
78 activities described in subparagraphs 1.-3., adequate funding
79 for infants and toddlers as necessary to meet federal
80 requirements related to expenditures for quality activities for
81 infant and toddler care.
82 5. Improving the monitoring of compliance with, and
83 enforcement of, applicable state and local requirements as
84 described in and limited by 45 C.F.R. s. 98.40.
85 6. Responding to Warm-Line requests by providers and
86 parents, including providing developmental and health screenings
87 to school readiness program children.
88 (c) Nondirect services as described in applicable Office of
89 Management and Budget instructions are those services not
90 defined as administrative, direct, or quality services that are
91 required to administer the school readiness program. Such
92 services include, but are not limited to:
93 1. Assisting families to complete the required application
94 and eligibility documentation.
95 2. Determining child and family eligibility.
96 3. Recruiting eligible child care providers.
97 4. Processing and tracking attendance records.
98 5. Developing and maintaining a statewide child care
99 information system.
100
101 As used in this paragraph, the term “nondirect services” does
102 not include payments to school readiness program providers for
103 direct services provided to children who are eligible under s.
104 1002.87, administrative costs as described in paragraph (a), or
105 quality activities as described in paragraph (b).
106 Section 2. Section 1002.891, Florida Statutes, is created
107 to read:
108 1002.891 School Readiness Funding Formula Allocation
109 Conference.—
110 (1) Before the distribution of any funds appropriated in
111 the General Appropriations Act for the school readiness program,
112 the Division of Early Learning within the Department of
113 Education shall conduct an allocation conference. Conference
114 principals must include representatives of the Division of Early
115 Learning, the Executive Office of the Governor, and the
116 appropriations committees of the Senate and the House of
117 Representatives.
118 (2) Conference principals shall discuss and agree to all
119 conventions and calculation methods, including the actual cost
120 of child care, eligible population data, rounding conventions,
121 and methods of computation, to be used to calculate the school
122 readiness funding formula for the early learning coalitions for
123 the fiscal year for which the appropriations are made. These
124 conventions and calculation methods shall remain in effect until
125 further agreements are reached in subsequent allocation
126 conferences called by the division for that purpose.
127 (3) The division shall, before each recalculation of the
128 school readiness funding formula and allocations to the early
129 learning coalitions, also provide conference principals with all
130 data necessary to replicate those allocations precisely. This
131 data shall include a matrix by early learning coalition of all
132 full-time equivalent changes made by the division as part of its
133 administration of the school readiness program.
134 Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 1002.81, Florida
135 Statutes, is amended to read:
136 1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
137 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
138 (4) “Direct enhancement services” means services for
139 families and children that are in addition to payments for the
140 placement of children in the school readiness program. Direct
141 enhancement services for families and children may include
142 supports for providers, parent training and involvement
143 activities, and strategies to meet the needs of unique
144 populations and local eligibility priorities. Direct enhancement
145 services offered by an early learning coalition must shall be
146 consistent with the activities described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53
147 prescribed in s. 1002.89(5)(b).
148 Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
149 1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
150 1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.—
151 (7) By January 1 of each year, the department shall
152 annually publish on its website a report of its activities
153 conducted under this section. The report must include a summary
154 of the coalitions’ annual reports, a statewide summary, and the
155 following:
156 (a) An analysis of early learning activities throughout the
157 state, including the school readiness program and the Voluntary
158 Prekindergarten Education Program.
159 1. The total and average number of children served in the
160 school readiness program, enumerated by age, eligibility
161 priority category, and coalition, and the total number of
162 children served in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
163 Program.
164 2. A summary of expenditures by coalition, by fund source,
165 including a breakdown by coalition of the percentage of
166 expenditures for administrative activities, quality activities,
167 nondirect services, and direct services for children.
168 3. A description of the department’s and each coalition’s
169 expenditures by fund source for the quality and enhancement
170 activities described in 45 C.F.R. s. 98.53 s. 1002.89(5)(b).
171 4. A summary of annual findings and collections related to
172 provider fraud and parent fraud.
173 5. Data regarding the coalitions’ delivery of early
174 learning programs.
175 6. The total number of children disenrolled statewide and
176 the reason for disenrollment.
177 7. The total number of providers by provider type.
178 8. The number of school readiness program providers who
179 have completed the program assessment required under paragraph
180 (2)(n); the number of providers who have not met the minimum
181 program assessment composite score for contracting established
182 under paragraph (2)(n); and the number of providers that have an
183 active improvement plan based on the results of the program
184 assessment under paragraph (2)(n).
185 9. The total number of provider contracts revoked and the
186 reasons for revocation.
187 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.
