HB 877 Florida House · 2025 Regular Session

School Readiness Program

Summary
School Readiness Program; Revises criteria for child to receive priority for participation in school readiness program; provides requirements for school readiness program provider to be eligible for specified funding.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Last action Apr 29, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

H 877 Filed H 877 c1 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Florida's school readiness program eligibility criteria, primarily expanding protections for children with special needs and clarifying who can validate special needs documentation. The changes ensure that children with disabilities have clearer pathways to program access and prevent conflicts of interest in special needs determinations.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on the school readiness program, but eligibility criteria for children with special needs and their documentation requirements have been expanded and clarified.
ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the list of professionals who can validate special needs documentation to include licensed mental health professionals and educational psychologists, while explicitly prohibiting the child's parent or anyone employed by a child care provider from serving in this role.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for a written determination of required accommodations by a qualified professional, making the documentation process more formal and transparent.

Clarified that special needs eligibility continues until the child becomes eligible for kindergarten, ensuring consistent support through the transition period.

TECHNICAL

Changed document type from 'individual education plan' to 'individualized family support plan' for certain special needs cases, providing more flexibility in how accommodations are documented.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
8
Committee
11
Apr 18, 2025
Committee
Bill referred to House Calendar
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Education & Employment Committee
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with CS by Education & Employment Committee
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Added to Education & Employment Committee agenda
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Now in Education & Employment Committee
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported out of Student Academic Success Subcommittee
lower
Mar 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable by Student Academic Success Subcommittee
lower
Mar 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Added to Student Academic Success Subcommittee agenda
lower
Mar 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Now in Student Academic Success Subcommittee
lower
Mar 2, 2025
Committee
Referred to Education & Employment Committee
lower
Mar 2, 2025
Committee
Referred to Student Academic Success Subcommittee
lower
2 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors