Assistance with the Development of Florida Gold Seal Quality Care Accreditation Standards

The passage of Senate Bill 2014 during the 2010 Legislative Session revised Florida Statute 402.281 to include that the Department of Children and Families "adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards based on the applicable accrediting standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association of Family Child Care, and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission."

The Child Care Program Office will host a teleconference on Tuesday, December 14th to solicit input on these standards. The session will begin at 10:00 am EST and will continue until completion.

Click here to access a draft version of the accreditation standards for facilities created by the Child Care Program Office.

For those interested in participating in the workshop, follow the instructions:

INVITEE

Click here to join the Department of Children and Families Public Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959 and enter conference code 488-4900.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:      https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:

     Meeting ID: KHWSJ7

     Entry Code: x,B4&[_-s
     NOTE: The ampersand is followed by a left square bracket, an underscore, and a hyphen.

Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting Support .

Any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program office at (850) 921-4713.

Assistance with the development of proposed rule language for Gold Seal Quality Care Program

The passage of Senate Bill 2014 during the 2010 Legislative Session revised Florida Statute 402.281 to include that the Department of Children and Families "adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards based on the applicable accrediting standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association of Family Child Care, and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission."

The Child Care Program Office will host a teleconference on Thursday, December 9th to solicit input/feedback on the proposed rule language. The session will begin at 10:00 am EST and will continue until completion.

For those interested in participating in the workshop, follow the instructions below:

Click here to view the draft Gold Seal Accrediting Association Application.

Click here to view the proposed rule changes to the Gold Seal Section of Chapter 65C-20.

Click here to view the proposed rule changes to the Gold Seal Section of Chapter 65C-22, F.A.C.

INVITEE

Click here to join the Department of Children and Families Public Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959 and enter conference code 488-4900.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:      https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:

     Meeting ID: D4JBMN

     Entry Code: h4dJ"P7js

     Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting Support .

Any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program office at (850) 921-4713.

In collaboration with our partners at the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), the Department of Education (DOE), and the Department of Health (DOH) we would like to share the information below with you in an effort to keep you informed of industry activities, changes, and initiatives. Please review and share these materials, as appropriate. Below you will find the following:

What's happening in VPK?
Professional Development and Teacher Resource
Learn to talk and Listen Tip Sheet
Food Hygiene
VPK Assessment
Enhancing our minds
Drowning Prevention
Don't Leave a Child in a Vehicle
4 year old Standard Flyer
Quality Indicators - Religious Exempt
Ltr: Child Care Provider - Religious Exempt
Ltr: Child Care Provider - Homes
Ltr: Child Care Provider - DCF Facilities
Ltr: Child Care Provider - LL Facilities

The Child Care Program Office will host a public hearing via teleconference on Monday, November 29th at 10:00AM on the proposed rule for Food Hygiene section of Chapter 65C-22, Florida Administrative Code.

Click here to view proposed changes to Chapter 65C-22.

The passage of House Bill 5311 eliminated the Department of Health's ability to conduct food service inspections in child care settings. Sections of the administrative code have been revised to incorporate standards for the continued regulation of food safety in child care facilities.

INVITEE

Click here to join the Department of Children and Families Public Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959 and enter conference code 488-4900.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:
     https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:
     Meeting ID: N3Q72K
     Entry Code: PRF/z@q3m
     Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting Support .

If you have any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program Office at (850) 488-4900.

The Child Care Program Office will host a public workshop via teleconference on Friday, November 19th at 10:00AM to solicit input on the proposed rule changes to Background Screening, Training and Fire Safety sections of Chapters 65C-20 and 65C-22, Florida Administration Code.

The passage of Senate Bill 7069 changed the requirements for background screening for child care personnel. Additional rule modifications are being made due to the redesign of mandated child care training courses, clarification for fire safety with regards to monthly fire or emergency drills, reunification provisions for parents and children and provisions for children with special needs are included in the emergency preparedness plan.

Click here to view proposed changes to Chapter 65C-20: Application, Health and Safety Related Requirements, and Large Family Child Care Homes.

Click here to view proposed changes to Chapter 65C-22: Physical Environment, Training, and Record Keeping.

INVITEE

Click here to join the Department of Children and Families Public Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959 and enter conference code 488-4900.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:
     https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:
     Meeting ID: C397FW
     Entry Code: 58#&7GStc
     Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting support :

If you have any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program Office at (850) 488-4900.

The Child Care Program Office will host a public workshop via teleconference on Wednesday, November 10th at 9:00 AM to solicit input on the proposed rule changes to the Gold Seal Quality Care Program sections of Chapters 65C-20 and 65C-22, Florida Administrative Code.

The passage of Senate Bill 2014 during the 2010 Legislative Session revised Florida Statute 402.281 to include that the Department of Children and Families "adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards based on the applicable accrediting standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association of Family Child Care, and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission."

Click here to view Section 402.281, Florida Statute.

The proposed rule changes were developed in conjunction with a workgroup of community partners to create standards for the Department's Gold Seal Program. The proposed rules changes affect the Gold Seal Quality Care Program sections of the Florida Administrative Code with new language underlined and language to be removed is stricken.

Click here to view the proposed rule changes to 65C-22.009, Florida Administrative Code for child care facilities.

Click here to view the proposed rule changes to 65C-20.014, Florida Administrative Code for family day care homes.

Materials Referenced in the Proposed Rule Changes Below are documents incorporated by reference in the proposed rule changes. When reviewing the proposed rule changes these documents will clarify and help you to understand the process for the accrediting associations and the child care providers.

Gold Seal Quality Care Accrediting Association Application. The proposed rule changes will require accrediting agencies to submit an application to the Department along with verification documents of how they meet or exceed the Department's Gold Seal Standards.

Click here to access the draft application that accrediting associations must submit to be approved as a recognized Gold Seal Quality Accrediting Associations.

Gold Seal Quality Care Designation Provider Application The proposed rule changes will now require a child care provider to submit an application to the Department requesting to be recognized as a Gold Seal Quality Care Provider.

Click here to access the draft application that providers must submit to the Department for consideration as a Gold Seal Quality Care Provider.

Gold Seal Standards for Child Care Facilities Per the changes implemented by Senate Bill 2014, the Department has developed one (1) set of "Florida Gold Seal Quality Care Accreditation Standards" for associations that accredit child care facilities that envelopes both NAEYC and NECPA standards.

Click here to access a draft document created by the department that establishes the Department's Gold Seal Standards that Accreditation Associations for child care facilities must meet or exceed to be recognized by the Department. This draft document is currently undergoing revisions and a revised version will be posted here upon completion, prior to November 11.

Gold Seal Standards for Family Day Care Homes Section 402.281, F.S., requires that the Department adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards for family day care homes based on the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC).

Click here to access a draft document created that establishes the Department's Gold Seal Standards that Accreditation Associations for family day care homes must meet or exceed to be recognized by the Department.

For those interested in participating in the public workshop, below are the instructions to join the teleconference:

INVITEE

Click here to join the Department of Children and Families Public Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959 and enter conference code 488-4900.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:
     https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:
     Meeting ID: ZT5N52
     Entry Code: jT%8Px^5z
     Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting support :

If you have any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program Office at (850) 488-4900.

Assistance with the development of Florida Gold Seal Quality Care Accreditation Standards

The passage of Senate Bill 2014 during the 2010 Legislative Session revised Florida Statute 402.281 to include that the Department of Children and Families "adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards based on the applicable accrediting standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association of Family Child Care, and the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation Commission."

Click here to view Section 402.281, Florida Statute.

The Child Care Program Office will host a teleconference on Wednesday, October 27th to solicit input and suggestions on the creation of these accrediting standards for facilities. The session will begin at 8:30 A.M. EST and will continue until completion, or no later than 4:30 P.M. EST (whichever comes first) with a one (1) hour break for lunch at approximately 11:30 AM. Those interested in participating can join the Department of Children and Families Gold Seals Standards Workshop Teleconference and call 1-888-808-6959, conference code 488-4900.

The goal of the teleconference is to create one (1) set of standards for facilities that accrediting associations that apply to the department to become a Gold Seal Quality Care Accrediting Association must meet or exceed.

FIRST-TIME USERS

To save time before the meeting, check your system to make sure it is ready to use Microsoft Office Live Meeting.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:

1. Copy this address and paste it into your web browser:
     https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd/join

2. Copy and paste the required information:
     Meeting ID: JDRZH3
     Entry Code: c[!9H<f?q
     Location: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/1317_winewood_blvd

If you still cannot enter the meeting, contact Microsoft LiveMeeting support :

If you have any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program Office at (850) 488-4900.

Gold Seal Standards for Facilities

To date, the department's approval criteria and protocol for Gold Seal Accrediting Associations has involved the department and by contract, the Children's Forum using a review team, as defined by statute to measure sets and subsets of accrediting standards of the applying accrediting association for those associations that accredit child care facilities against the sets and subsets of standards of both NAEYC and NECPA. Per the changes implemented by Senate Bill 2014, the department is going to pursue the development of one (1) set of "Florida Gold Seal Quality Care Accreditation Standards" for associations that accredit child care facilities that envelopes both NAEYC and NECPA standards in some form or fashion.

Click here to access a draft document created by the Child Care Program Office that lists both NAEYC and NECPA accreditation standards for facilities. The goal for the teleconference is to work through this document as a group and merge the standards from both associations into one set of Gold Seal Standards for facilities.

Gold Seal Standards for Family Day Care Homes

Section 402.281, F.S., requires that the department adopt rules establishing Gold Seal Quality Care accreditation standards for family day care homes based on the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC). The teleconference will focus largely on the Gold Seal Standards for facilities, but the draft standards for family day care homes will be addressed in the first 30 minutes of the teleconference to provide clarification on the links below:

Click here to access NAFCC accreditation standards for family day care homes.

Click here to access a draft document created by the Child Care Program Office that establishes Gold Seal Standards for Family Day Care Homes.

Further clarification will be provided on the call as to how to provide feedback to the Child Care Program Office in regards to the draft Gold Seal Standards for Family Day Care Homes.

Tentative Schedule for Oct. 27 Teleconference

The following is a projected timeline of the teleconference on Oct. 27. The topics listed from the 9:00 a.m. slot to the 3:30 p.m. reflect those topics in the draft document created by the Child Care Program Office that lists both NAEYC and NECPA accreditation standards for facilities.

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 - Introduction

Scope of Task

Family Day Care Home Standards

9:00 - 9:15 - "Licensure and Regulation"

9:15 - 9:45 - "Self Study"

"Assessment (Teacher, Administrative, Family)"

"Validation Process"

"Renewal Process"

9:45 - 10:15 - "Credential (Teacher, Administrator)"

10:15 - 11:00 - "Training (Pre-Service, In-Service)"

11:00 - 11:30 - "Literacy Support"

11:30 - 12:30 - Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 - "Interaction (Teacher-Child, Staff, Family)"

1:30 - 2:30 - "Ratio and Group Size"

2:30 - 3:30 - "Curriculum Implementation"

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. - "Health and Safety"

If you have any questions concerning this teleconference, please call the Child Care Program Office at (850) 921-4713.

The Department of Children and Family Services, Child Care Program Office, will be conducting two public workshops for proposed rule changes to Chapter 65C-22, F.A.C. The Child Care Program Office is interested in comments from providers, our community partners and coalition staff, etc. related to the proposed rules changes. In an effort to hear from as many individuals as possible, please disseminate this information to those agencies, providers, and provider organizations in your area that have an interest/investment in this issue.

If you wish to submit written comments concerning the proposed changes, please provide them to Dinah_Gallon@dcf.state.fl.us by September 1st, 2010. If you have any questions regarding this information, you may contact the Policy Unit at (850) 488-4900.

In collaboration with our partners at the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), the Department of Education (DOE), and the Department of Health (DOH) we would like to share the information below with you in an effort to keep you informed of industry activities, changes, and initiatives. Please review and share these materials, as appropriate. Below you will find the following:

Statutory Change Alert - 2010 Senate Bill 2014
Child Care Program Regulation 2010 Legislative Changes
Voluntary Prekindergarten(VPK) Provider Kindergarten Readiness Rate
One Set of Standards for Florida's Four-Year-Olds
What's Happening in VPK?
IMPORTANT Vaccination Revisions
Florida's Core Competencies for Early Care and Education
Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS)
FFCCHA 19th Annual Conference
Emergent Literacy Course for VPK Instructors
Don't Let Your Child Die Because You Weren't Paying Attention
Child Care Provider Email Address Form
New Law Affecting Child Care Facilities, Family Day Care Homes and Large Family Child Care Homes
Senate Bill 2014 Modifications to the Early Learning System
What Else Can I Do to Keep My Baby Safe & Healthy?

In collaboration with our partners at the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI), the Department of Education (DOE), and the Department of Health (DOH) we would like to share the information below with you in an effort to keep you informed of industry activities, changes, and initiatives. Please review and share these materials, as appropriate. Below you will find the following:

Mail Out Cover Letter
65C-20-FAW Version - January 13, 2010 (DCF)
65C-22- FAW Version - January 13, 2010 (DCF)
2010 Conference Brochure
2010 Conference Brochure BW
A10798 coping crying Rev proof (DOH)
FL Early Learning Dev Standard Online (AWI)
Coping with Crying Staff Fact Sheet Feb19 (DOH)
CPSC Window Covering Safety Memo Spanish (DCF)
CPSC Window Covering Safety Memo (DCF)
Dental Folder Tooth Decay Babies (DOH)
Dental Poster Spanish (DOH)
Dental Poster (DOH)
Environmental Control of Norovirus in Child Care Facilities card (DOH)
DCF Spring 2010 Information Packet