Child Care and Early Learning Services

Created the Florida Child Care Fund to be administered by a Department of Education direct-support organization, allowing private donations and federal grants to be deposited into the Early Learning Fund specifically for children on waiting lists.

Added a requirement for family child care homes to provide parents with information about influenza prevention during August and September, and distracted adult safety tips during April and September.

Revised training and continuing education requirements for family child care home operators, including specific mandates for early literacy training and annual health and safety self-evaluations.

Updated the definition of 'large family child care home' to require at least two full-time child care personnel, with one being the owner or occupant, and specified capacity limits based on age groups.

Clarified that residential property insurance policies cannot deny, cancel, or refuse to renew coverage solely because a policyholder operates a family child care home, unless specific conditions like over-capacity or safety violations are present.

Set the effective date of the act to July 1, 2026, and established a requirement for the Division of Early Learning to publish an annual report on the new Child Care Fund starting January 1, 2027.

Corrected the committee attribution list to include the Appropriations Committee and updated the committee substitute version number from c2 to c3.

Refined the summary description to remove redundant phrasing and streamline the list of amended statutes for clarity.

Adjusted the header text to reflect the correct committee sequence (Education Pre-K - 12; and Children, Families, and Elder Affairs) rather than the previous iteration.

Authority over the Florida Endowment for Early Learning Foundation was transferred from the Department of Education to the State Board of Education, which must now adopt rules for the fund instead of the Department.

The requirement for early learning coalitions to provide direct services was changed so that the parent or guardian of the child must choose the provider, rather than the child alone.

The list of Florida Statutes sections amended in the bill text was updated to remove references to a repealed statute (s. 409.988) and reorganize the remaining sections.

The title and summary were updated to reflect 'Child Care and Early Learning Services' instead of just 'Early Childhood Education', and the bill number was changed to reflect the committee substitute version.

Updated statutory definitions and cross-references throughout the bill to conform to changes made by the committee substitute, including renaming 'family day care' to 'family child care' in some contexts.

Removed the requirement for large family child care homes to provide parents with specific information about viruses and the risks of leaving children in vehicles; this requirement remains only for large family child care homes.

Added requirements for exempt child care facilities to include a specific statement on their websites and in promotional materials indicating they are not subject to licensure.

Created a new 'Florida Endowment for Early Learning Foundation' within a Department of Education direct-support organization to generate revenue for early learning efforts through donations and grants.

Modified exemptions for certain child care facilities (like church schools) to require them to meet minimum health, sanitation, and safety standards to maintain their exemption from licensure.