Title: Child Care Services

Summary: Requires DOE to establish program to provide vouchers for child care services to children within specified age range whose parents meet specified income limitation.

Full Text:
An act relating to child care services; amending s. 1002.82, F.S.; requiring the Department of Education, subject to legislative appropriation, to establish a program to provide vouchers for child care services to children within a specified age range whose parents meet a specified income limitation; authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 1002.82, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.-(2) The department shall: (b) Preserve parental choic eby: 1. Allowing Permitting parents to choose from a variety of child care categories, including center-based care, family child care, and informal child care to the extent authorized in the state's Child Care and Development Fund Plan as approved by th eUnited States Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to C.F.R. s. 98.18. Care and curriculum by a faith-based provider may not be limited or excluded in any of these categories. HB 1437 2024 2. Subject to the appropriation of funds by the Legislature, establishing a program through which a parent may obtain a voucher to subsidize all or a portion of the costs of child care services for a child older than months of age but younger than years of age. Only parents whose income is equal to or below percent of the then-current federal poverty guidelines prescribed for the household size of the applicant by the United States Department of Health and Human Services may participate in the program. The State Board of Education may adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this subparagraph. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.