Senate Bill 916 (2024) — School readiness program
SB 916
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 By Senator Calatayud 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 1 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the school readiness program; 2 amending s. 1002.81, F.S.; revising the definition of 3 the term “economically disadvantaged”; amending s. 4 1002.84, F.S.; revising requirements for the sliding 5 fee scale for families receiving school readiness 6 program services to include a new method to calculate 7 parent copayments at the time of eligibility 8 determination and annually thereafter, regardless of 9 the number of children; revising the methodology for 10 distributing school readiness program funds to 11 eligible providers; amending s. 1002.85, F.S.; 12 revising requirements for the data elements that must 13 be collected and reported by the Department of 14 Education; revising the date by which the report must 15 be implemented; amending s. 1002.89, F.S.; revising 16 the method for determining the annual allocation for 17 the school readiness program; deleting a provision 18 relating to certain expenditures from the Gold Seal 19 Quality Care Program allocation; deleting a provision 20 relating to certain expenditures from the differential 21 payment program allocation; deleting a provision 22 relating to certain expenditures from the special 23 needs differential allocation; amending s. 1002.90, 24 F.S.; requiring that provider reimbursement rates be 25 established based on certain information; deleting a 26 requirement for the Early Learning Programs Estimating 27 Conference to provide official cost-of-care 28 information to the Legislature; providing an effective 29
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 2 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. date. 30 31 WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Legislature to preserve 32 parent choice and ensure that young children have access to 33 high-quality early education opportunities that promote 34 kindergarten readiness and prepare them for later economic 35 success, and 36 WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Legislature to increase 37 workforce participation, strengthen this state’s economy, and 38 support low-income families on a path to reach economic self-39 sufficiency, NOW, THEREFORE, 40 41 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 42 43
Section 1. Subsection (6) of
section 1002.81, Florida 44 Statutes, is amended to read: 45 1002.81
Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45 46 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term: 47 (6) “Economically disadvantaged” means having a family 48 income that does not exceed 55 percent of the state median 49 income 150 percent of the federal poverty level and includes 50 being a child of a working migratory family as defined by 34 51 C.F.R. s. 200.81(
d) or (
f) or an agricultural worker who is 52 employed by more than one agricultural employer during the 53 course of a year, and whose income varies according to weather 54 conditions and market stability. 55
Section 2. Subsections (9) and (17) of
section 1002.84, 56 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 57 1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers 58
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 3 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. and duties.—Each early learning coalition shall: 59
(9) Implement Establish a parent sliding fee scale that 60 provides for the calculation of a parent copayment at the time 61 of the eligibility determination and for an annual eligibility 62 redetermination thereafter, which increases in percentage with a 63 parent’s income, regardless of the number of children, as 64 follows: 65 (
a) A parent whose income is at or below 60 percent of the 66 state median income is responsible for a copayment of 7 percent 67 of his or her income. 68 (
b) A parent whose income is above 60 percent but at or 69 below 65 percent of the state median income is responsible for a 70 copayment of 9 percent of his or her income. 71 (
c) A parent whose income is above 65 percent but at or 72 below 75 percent of the state median income is responsible for a 73 copayment of 11 percent of his or her income. 74 (
d) A parent whose income is above 75 percent but at or 75 below 80 percent of the state median income is responsible for a 76 copayment of 13 percent of his or her income. 77 (
e) A parent whose income is above 80 percent but at or 78 below 85 percent of the state median income is responsible for a 79 copayment of 15 percent of his or her income. 80 81 The parent copayment for a child who receives part-time care is 82 50 percent of the copayment amount calculated in paragraphs (a)-83 (
e) that is not a barrier to families receiving school readiness 84 program services. A coalition may waive the copayment for an at-85 risk child or temporarily waive the copayment for a child whose 86 family’s income is at or below the federal poverty level or 87
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 4 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. whose family experiences a natural disaster or an event that 88 limits the parent’s ability to pay, such as incarceration, 89 placement in residential treatment, or becoming homeless, or an 90 emergency situation such as a household fire or burglary, or 91 while the parent is participating in parenting classes or 92 participating in an Early Head Start program or Head Start 93 Program.
A parent may not transfer school readiness program 94 services to another school readiness program provider until the 95 parent has submitted documentation from the current school 96 readiness program provider to the early learning coalition 97 stating that the parent has satisfactorily fulfilled the 98 copayment obligation. 99 (17)(
a) Distribute the school readiness program funds as 100 allocated in the General Appropriations Act to the eligible 101 providers using the provider cost of care or reimbursement rates 102 developed in accordance with s. 1002.90. following methodology: 103 1. For each county in the early learning coalition, 104 multiply the cost of care by care level as provided in s. 105 1002.90 by the county’s comparable wage factor provided in s. 106 1011.62(2). 107 2.
If a county enacted a local ordinance before January 1, 108 2022, that establishes the county’s staff-to-children ratio for 109 licensed child care facilities below the ratio established in s. 110 402.305(4), multiply the provider reimbursement rates for that 111 county by the adjustment factor specified in the General 112 Appropriations Act. 113 3. Apply the weight established pursuant to s. 1002.90 for 114 each provider type to calculate the minimum provider 115 reimbursement rates by care level. 116
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 5 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 4. Multiply the weighted provider reimbursement rates by 22 117 percent to determine the amount of the school readiness 118 allocation an early learning coalition is eligible to retain 119 pursuant to s. 1002.89(4). 120 (
b) Distribute to each eligible provider the minimum 121 provider reimbursement rate, by provider type and care level, 122 regardless of the provider’s private pay rate.
All minimum 123 provider reimbursement rates shall be charged as direct services 124 pursuant to s. 1002.89. 125 126 Each early learning coalition with approved minimum provider 127 reimbursement rates for the infant to age 5 care levels that are 128 higher than the minimum provider reimbursement rates developed 129 in accordance with s. 1002.90 established in this subsection may 130 continue to implement its approved minimum provider 131 reimbursement rates until the rates established in this 132 subsection exceed its approved rates. 133
Section 3. Subsection (5) of
section 1002.85, Florida 134 Statutes, is amended to read: 135 1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.— 136
(5) The department shall collect and report data on 137 coalition delivery of early learning programs. Data elements 138 must shall include, but are not limited to, measures related to 139 progress toward towards reducing the number of children on the 140 waiting list, the percentage of children served by the program 141 as compared to the number of administrative staff and overhead, 142 the percentage of children served compared to total number of 143 children younger than under the age of 5 years whose family 144 income is below 55 percent of the state median income 150 145
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 6 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. percent of the federal poverty level, provider payment 146 processes, fraud intervention, child attendance and stability, 147 use of child care resource and referral, and kindergarten 148 readiness outcomes for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten 149 Education Program or the school readiness program upon entry 150 into kindergarten.
The department shall request input from the 151 coalitions and school readiness program providers before 152 finalizing the format and data to be used. The report must shall 153 be implemented beginning July 1, 2025 2014, and results of the 154 report must be included in the annual report under s. 1002.82. 155
Section 4. Subsection (1) of
section 1002.89, Florida 156 Statutes, is amended to read: 157 1002.89 School readiness program; funding.— 158
(1) DETERMINATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITION SCHOOL 159 READINESS PROGRAM FUNDING.—Funding for the school readiness 160 program shall be used by the early learning coalitions in 161 accordance with this part and the General Appropriations Act. 162 (
a) School readiness program allocation.—If the annual 163 allocation for the school readiness program is not determined in 164 the General Appropriations Act or the substantive bill 165 implementing the General Appropriations Act, it must shall be 166 determined based on a calculation that considers, at a minimum, 167 full-time equivalent program enrollment estimates per care 168 level, approved cost of care or provider reimbursement rates 169 developed in accordance with s. 1002.90, the total school 170 readiness eligible population as adopted by the Early Learning 171 Programs Estimating Conference pursuant to s. 216.136(8), and 172 coalition administrative and indirect service costs as allowed 173 pursuant to s. 1002.89(4). as follows: 174
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 7 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 1. For each county in the early learning coalition, the 175 total school readiness eligible population, as adopted by the 176 Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference pursuant to s. 177 216.136(8), shall be multiplied by the county’s comparable wage 178 factor provided in s. 1011.62(2). 179 2.
If a county passed a local ordinance before January 1, 180 2022, that establishes the county’s staff-to-children ratio for 181 licensed child care facilities below the ratio established in s. 182 402.305(4), multiply the product calculated in subparagraph 1. 183 by the adjustment factor specified in the General Appropriations 184 Act. 185 3. Each county’s school readiness allocation shall be based 186 on the county’s proportionate share of the total adjusted 187 eligible school readiness population. 188 (
b) Gold Seal Quality Care Program allocation.—There is 189 created the Gold Seal Quality Care Program allocation to provide 190 eligible school readiness program providers the rate 191 differential established pursuant to s. 1002.945(6). Subject to 192 legislative appropriation, all expenditures from the Gold Seal 193 Quality Care Program allocation shall be used by the department 194 to help meet federal targeted requirements for improving quality 195 to the extent allowable in the state’s approved Child Care and 196 Development Fund Plan. 197 (
c) Differential payment program allocation.—There is 198 created the differential payment program allocation to provide 199 eligible school readiness program providers the differential pay 200 established pursuant to s. 1002.82(2)(o). Subject to legislative 201 appropriation, all expenditures from the differential payment 202 program allocation shall be used by the department to help meet 203
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 8 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. federal targeted requirements for improving quality to the 204 extent allowable in the state’s approved Child Care and 205 Development Fund Plan. 206 (
d) Special needs differential allocation.—There is created 207 the special needs differential allocation to assist eligible 208 school readiness program providers to implement the special 209 needs rate provisions defined in the state’s approved Child Care 210 and Development Fund Plan. Subject to legislative appropriation, 211 each early learning coalition shall be reimbursed based on 212 actual expenditures. All expenditures from the special needs 213 differential allocation shall be used by the department to help 214 meet federal targeted requirements for improving quality to the 215 extent allowable in the state’s approved plan. 216
Section
Section 1002.90, Florida Statutes, is amended to 217 read: 218 1002.90 School readiness cost-of-care information.—219 Annually, the principals of the Early Learning Programs 220 Estimating Conference established in s. 216.136(8) shall develop 221 official cost-of-care information or provider reimbursement 222 rates based on actual school readiness direct services program 223 expenditures and information provided pursuant to s. 1002.895. 224 Conference principals shall agree on the cost of child care by 225 care level and provider type, the provider type weights if 226 applicable, and the methods of computation.
The department shall 227 provide the conference principals with all requested and 228 necessary data to develop such information. The data may include 229 a matrix by early learning coalition of any full-time equivalent 230 changes made by the Division of Early Learning as part of its 231 administration of the school readiness program. The Early 232
Florida Senate - 2024 SB 916 38-01138A-24 2024916__ Page 9 of 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Learning Programs Estimating Conference shall provide the 233 official cost-of-care information to the Legislature at least 90 234 days before the scheduled annual legislative session. 235