¹411.222  State Coordinating Council for School Readiness Programs; responsibilities.--

(1)  CREATION; INTENT.--The State Coordinating Council for School Readiness Programs is established to ensure coordination among the programs that serve preschool children in order to support the first state education goal, readiness to start school; to facilitate communication, cooperation, and the maximum use of resources; and to promote high standards for all programs that serve preschool children in this state. It is the intent of the Legislature that the coordinating council be an independent nonpartisan body and not be identified or affiliated with any one agency, program, or group.

(2)  MEMBERSHIP.--The council shall be composed of the following 15 members:

(a)  The seven current members of the 1998-1999 State Coordinating Council Executive Committee.

(b)  Eight additional members, appointed by the executive committee, including a representative of each of the following: subsidized child care programs; prekindergarten early intervention programs; Head Start programs; health care programs; private providers; faith-based providers; programs for children with disabilities; and parents of preschool children.

(3)  TERM.--The State Coordinating Council for School Readiness Programs shall terminate on July 1, 2002.

(4)  ORGANIZATION.--

(a)  The council shall adopt internal organizational procedures or bylaws necessary for the efficient operation of the council. The council may establish committees that are responsible for conducting specific council programs and activities.

(b)  The council shall have a budget and be financed through an annual appropriation made for this purpose in the General Appropriations Act. Council members are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061 while carrying out official business of the council. When appropriate, parent representatives shall receive a stipend for child care costs incurred while attending council meetings. For administrative purposes only, the council is assigned to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness.

(c)  The coordinating council shall hold quarterly meetings that are open to the public, and the public shall be given the opportunity to comment at each such meeting. The coordinating council shall notify persons of the date, time, and place of each quarterly meeting upon request.

(5)  DUTIES.--The coordinating council shall recommend to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness methods for coordinating public and private school readiness programs and procedures to facilitate communication, cooperation, and the maximum use of resources to achieve the first state education goal, readiness to start school. In addition, the council shall:

(a)  Advise the Florida Partnership for School Readiness concerning criteria for grant proposal guidelines, the review of plans and proposals, and eligibility for services of school readiness programs.

(b)  Recommend to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness methods to increase the involvement of public and private partnerships in school readiness programs in order to maximize the availability of federal funds and to effectively use available resources through cooperative funding and coordinated services.

(6)  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.--The coordinating council shall submit its final report to the Florida Partnership for School Readiness by July 1, 2002.

History.--ss. 2, 14, ch. 89-379; s. 9, ch. 90-358; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 14, ch. 94-124; s. 121, ch. 94-209; s. 7, ch. 97-98; s. 49, ch. 99-5; ss. 6, 7, ch. 99-357; s. 13, ch. 2000-337.

¹Note.--

A.  Section 5, ch. 2000-149, provides that "[e]ffective July 1, 2000, no state funding shall be provided to support activities of the State Coordinating Council for School Readiness Services established pursuant to section 411.222(4), Florida Statutes." As amended by s. 13, ch. 2000-337, s. 411.222(4) was redesignated as s. 411.222(1)-(6).