Florida Senate - 2024 SB 342



By Senator Jones





34-00666-24 2024342__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the school readiness program;
3 amending s. 1002.81, F.S.; revising the definition of
4 the term “economically disadvantaged” for purposes of
5 the school readiness program; amending s. 1002.85,
6 F.S.; conforming a provision to changes made by the
7 act; providing an effective date.
8
9 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11 Section 1. Subsection (6) of section 1002.81, Florida
12 Statutes, is amended to read:
13 1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
14 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
15 (6) “Economically disadvantaged” means having a family
16 income that does not exceed 250 150 percent of the federal
17 poverty level and includes being a child of a working migratory
18 family as defined by 34 C.F.R. s. 200.81(d) or (f) or an
19 agricultural worker who is employed by more than one
20 agricultural employer during the course of a year, and whose
21 income varies according to weather conditions and market
22 stability.
23 Section 2. Subsection (5) of section 1002.85, Florida
24 Statutes, is amended to read:
25 1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.—
26 (5) The department shall collect and report data on
27 coalition delivery of early learning programs. Elements shall
28 include, but are not limited to, measures related to progress
29 towards reducing the number of children on the waiting list, the
30 percentage of children served by the program as compared to the
31 number of administrative staff and overhead, the percentage of
32 children served compared to total number of children under the
33 age of 5 years below 250 150 percent of the federal poverty
34 level, provider payment processes, fraud intervention, child
35 attendance and stability, use of child care resource and
36 referral, and kindergarten readiness outcomes for children in
37 the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the school
38 readiness program upon entry into kindergarten. The department
39 shall request input from the coalitions and school readiness
40 program providers before finalizing the format and data to be
41 used. The report shall be implemented beginning July 1, 2014,
42 and results of the report must be included in the annual report
43 under s. 1002.82.
44 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
S 342 Filed: 1002.81, 1002.85