402.26 Child care; legislative intent.— (1) The Legislature recognizes the critical importance to the citizens of the state of both safety and quality in child care. Child care in Florida is in the midst of continuing change and development, driven by extraordinary changes in demographics. Many parents with children under age 6 are employed outside the home. […]
402.301 Child care facilities; legislative intent and declaration of purpose and policy.—It is the legislative intent to protect the health, safety, and well-being of the children of the state and to promote their emotional and intellectual development and care. Toward that end: (1) It is the purpose of ss. 402.301-402.319 to establish statewide minimum standards for the […]
402.302 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: (1) “Child care” means the care, protection, and supervision of a child, for a period of less than 24 hours a day on a regular basis, which supplements parental care, enrichment, and health supervision for the child, in accordance with his or her individual needs, and for which a […]
402.3025 Public and nonpublic schools.—For the purposes of ss. 402.301-402.319, the following shall apply: (1) PUBLIC SCHOOLS.— (a) The following programs for children shall not be deemed to be child care and shall not be subject to the provisions of ss. 402.301-402.319: 1. Programs for children in 5-year-old kindergarten and grades one or above. 2. Programs for children who are […]
402.3026 Full-service schools.— (1) The State Board of Education and the Department of Health shall jointly establish full-service schools to serve students from schools that have a student population that has a high risk of needing medical and social services, based on the results of the demographic evaluations. The full-service schools must integrate the services of the […]
402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.— (1) LICENSING STANDARDS.—The department shall establish licensing standards that each licensed child care facility must meet regardless of the origin or source of the fees used to operate the facility or the type of children served by the facility. (a) The standards shall be designed to address the following areas: 1. The health, […]
402.30501 Modification of introductory child care course for community college credit authorized.—The Department of Children and Families may modify the 40-clock-hour introductory course in child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131 to meet the requirements of articulating the course to community college credit. Any modification must continue to provide that the course satisfies the requirements […]
402.3054 Child enrichment service providers.— (1) For the purposes of this section, “child enrichment service provider” means an individual who provides enrichment activities, such as language training, music instruction, educational instruction, and other experiences, to specific children during a specific time that is not part of the regular program in a child care facility. (2) The child’s parent […]
402.3055 Child care personnel requirements.— (1) REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE PERSONNEL.— (a) The department or local licensing agency shall require that the application for a child care license contain a question that specifically asks the applicant, owner, or operator if he or she has ever had a license denied, revoked, or suspended in any state or jurisdiction or […]
402.306 Designation of licensing agency; dissemination by the department and local licensing agency of information on child care.— (1) Any county whose licensing standards meet or exceed state minimum standards may: (a) Designate a local licensing agency to license child care facilities in the county; or (b) Contract with the department to delegate the administration of state minimum standards […]
402.307 Approval of licensing agency.— (1) Within 30 days after the promulgation of state minimum standards, each county shall provide the department with a copy of its standards if they differ from the state minimum standards. At the same time, each county shall provide the department with the administrative procedures it intends to use for the licensing […]
402.308 Issuance of license.— (1) ANNUAL LICENSING.—Every child care facility in the state shall have a license which shall be renewed annually. (2) CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP.—Every child care facility shall reapply for and receive a license prior to the time a new owner assumes responsibility for the facility. The department shall grant or deny the reapplication for license […]
402.309 Provisional license or registration.— (1) The local licensing agency or the department, whichever is authorized to license child care facilities in a county, may issue a provisional license for child care facilities, family day care homes, or large family child care homes, or a provisional registration for family day care homes to applicants for an initial […]
402.310 Disciplinary actions; hearings upon denial, suspension, or revocation of license or registration; administrative fines.— (1)(a) The department or local licensing agency may administer any of the following disciplinary sanctions for a violation of any provision of ss. 402.301-402.319, or the rules adopted thereunder: 1. Impose an administrative fine not to exceed $100 per violation, per day. However, […]
402.311 Inspection.— (1) A licensed child care facility shall accord to the department or the local licensing agency, whichever is applicable, the privilege of inspection, including access to facilities and personnel and to those records required in s. 402.305, at reasonable times during regular business hours, to ensure compliance with ss. 402.301-402.319. The right of entry and […]
402.3115 Elimination of duplicative and unnecessary inspections; abbreviated inspections.—The Department of Children and Families and local governmental agencies that license child care facilities shall develop and implement a plan to eliminate duplicative and unnecessary inspections of child care facilities. In addition, the department and the local governmental agencies shall develop and implement an abbreviated inspection plan […]
402.312 License required; injunctive relief.— (1) The operation of a child care facility without a license, a family day care home without a license or registration, or a large family child care home without a license is prohibited. If the department or the local licensing agency discovers that a child care facility is being operated without a […]
402.3125 Display and appearance of license; posting of violations; information to be provided to parents.— (1)(a) Upon receipt of a license issued under s. 402.308 or s. 402.309, the child care facility shall display such license in a conspicuous place within the facility. (b)1. In addition to posting the license as required under paragraph (a), the child care […]
402.313 Family day care homes.— (1) Family day care homes shall be licensed under this act if they are presently being licensed under an existing county licensing ordinance or if the board of county commissioners passes a resolution that family day care homes be licensed. (a) If not subject to license, family day care homes shall register annually […]
402.3131 Large family child care homes.— (1) Large family child care homes shall be licensed under this section. (a) A licensed family day care home must first have operated for a minimum of 2 consecutive years, with an operator who has had a child development associate credential or its equivalent for 1 year, before seeking licensure as a […]
