402.281  Gold Seal Quality Care program.--

(1)  As part of the Gold Seal Quality Care program, the department shall develop a three-tiered quality rating system for subsidized child care providers, with the highest quality rating given to qualified child care providers who receive the Gold Seal Quality Care designation pursuant to this section.

(2)  Child care facilities or family day care homes which are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting association whose standards substantially meet or exceed 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 shall receive a separate "Gold Seal Quality Care" designation to operate as a gold seal child care facility or family day care home.

(3)  In developing the Gold Seal Quality Care program standards, the department shall consult with the Department of Education, the Florida Head Start Directors Association, the Florida Association of Child Care Management, the Florida Family Day Care Association, the Florida Children's Forum, the State Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Services, the Early Childhood Association of Florida, the National Association for Child Development Education, providers receiving exemptions under s. 402.316, and parents, for the purpose of approving the accrediting associations.