HANDICAP OR HIGH-RISK CONDITION PREVENTION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSISTANCE

F.S. Ch. 411

in effect

F.S. 411.22 Legislative intent.

The Legislature finds and declares that 50 percent of handicapping conditions in young children can be prevented, and such conditions which are not prevented can be minimized by focusing prevention efforts on high-risk pregnant women and on high-risk and handicapped preschool children and their families. The Legislature further finds that by preventing handicaps in preschool children, infant mortality and child abuse can be reduced and this state can reap substantial savings in both human potential and state funds. The Legislature finds that infant mortality, handicapping conditions in young children, and other health problems for infants and mothers are associated with teenage pregnancy and that the prevention of sexual activity and unwanted teenage pregnancy can reduce the number of at-risk children, while increasing human potential and reducing the cost of health care. The Legislature further finds that a continuum of integrated services is needed to identify, diagnose, and treat high-risk conditions in pregnant women and in preschool children. The Legislature finds that intraagency and interagency coordination can enhance the framework of a continuum that is already in existence and that coordination of public sector and private sector prevention services can reduce infant mortality and handicapping conditions in preschool children and minimize the effects of handicapping conditions. It is the intent of the Legislature, therefore, that a continuum of efficient and cost-effective prevention and early assistance services be identified, that a plan for intraagency and interagency coordination be developed for the purpose of implementing such a continuum, and that the continuum of services be implemented as resources are made available for such implementation.

F.S. 411.24 Short title.

This part may be cited as the “Florida Education Now and Babies Later (ENABL) Act.”

F.S. 411.201 Florida Prevention, Early Assistance, and Early Childhood Act; short title.

This chapter may be cited as the “Florida Prevention, Early Assistance, and Early Childhood Act.”

F.S. 411.202 Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term: (1) “Assistance services” means those assessments, individualized therapies, and other medical, educational, and social services designed to enhance the environment for the high-risk or handicapped preschool child, in order to achieve optimum growth and development. Provision of such services may include monitoring and modifying the delivery of assistance services. (2) “Case management” means those activities aimed at assessing the needs of the high-risk child and his or her family; planning and linking the service system to the child and his or her family, based on child and family outcome objectives; coordinating and monitoring service delivery; and evaluating the effect of the service delivery system. (3) “Community-based local contractor” means any unit of county or local government, any for-profit or not-for-profit organization, or a school district. (4) “Developmental assistance” means individualized therapies and services needed to enhance both the high-risk child’s growth and development and family functioning. (5) “Discharge planning” means the modification of the written individual and family service plan at the time of discharge from the hospital, which plan identifies for the family of a high-risk or handicapped infant a prescription of needed medical treatments or medications, specialized evaluation needs, and necessary nonmedical and educational intervention services. (6) “Drug-exposed child” means any child from birth to 5 years of age for whom there is documented evidence that the mother used illicit drugs or was a substance abuser, or both, during pregnancy and the child exhibits: (a) Abnormal growth; (b) Abnormal neurological patterns; (c) Abnormal behavior problems; or (d) Abnormal cognitive development. (7) “Early assistance” means any sustained and systematic effort designed to prevent or reduce the assessed level of health, educational, biological, environmental, or social risk for a high-risk child and his or her family. (8) “Handicapped child” means a preschool child who is developmentally disabled, mentally handicapped, speech impaired, language impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, blind or partially sighted, physically handicapped, health impaired, or emotionally handicapped; a preschool child who has a specific learning disability; or any other child who has been classified under rules of the State Board of Education as eligible for preschool special education services, with the exception of those who are classified solely as gifted. (9) “High-risk child” or “at-risk child” means a preschool child with one or more of the following characteristics: (a) The child is a victim or a sibling of a victim in a confirmed or indicated report of child abuse or neglect. (b) The child is a graduate of a perinatal intensive care unit. (c) The child’s mother is under 18 years of age, unless the mother received necessary comprehensive maternity care and the mother and child currently receive necessary support services. (d) The child has a developmental delay of one standard deviation below the mean in cognition, language, or physical development. (e) The child has survived a catastrophic infectious or traumatic illness known to be associated with developmental delay. (f) The child has survived an accident resulting in a developmental delay. (g) The child has a parent or guardian who is developmentally disabled, severely emotionally disturbed, drug or alcohol dependent, or incarcerated and who requires assistance in meeting the child’s developmental needs. (h) The child has no parent or guardian. (i) The child is drug exposed. (j) The child’s family’s income is at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level or the child’s family’s income level impairs the development of the child. (k) The child is a handicapped child as defined in subsection (8). (l) The child has been placed in residential care under the custody of the state through dependency proceedings pursuant to chapter 39. (m) The child is a member of a migrant farmworker family. (10) “Impact evaluation” means the provision of evaluation information to the department on the impact of the components of the childhood pregnancy prevention public education program and an assessment of the impact of the program on a child’s related sexual knowledge, attitudes, and risk-taking behavior. (11) “Individual and family service plan” means a written individualized plan describing the developmental status of the high-risk child and the therapies and services needed to enhance both the high-risk child’s growth and development and family functioning, and shall include the contents of the written individualized family service plan as defined in part H of Pub. L. No. 99-457. (12) “Infant” or “toddler” means any child from birth to 3 years of age. (13) “Interdisciplinary team” means a team that may include the physician, psychologist, educator, social worker, nursing staff, physical or occupational therapist, speech pathologist, parents, developmental intervention and parent support and training program director, case manager for the child and family, and others who are involved with the individual and family service plan. (14) “Parent support and training” means a range of services for families of high-risk or handicapped preschool children, including family counseling; financial planning; agency referral; development of parent-to-parent support groups; education relating to growth and development, developmental assistance, and objective measurable skills, including abuse avoidance skills; training of parents to advocate for their child; and bereavement counseling. (15) “Posthospital assistance services” means assessment, individual and family service planning, developmental assistance, counseling, parent education, and referrals which are delivered as needed in a home or nonhome setting, upon discharge, by a professional or paraprofessional trained for this purpose. (16) “Prenatal” means the time period from pregnancy to delivery. (17) “Preschool child” means a child from birth to 5 years of age, including a child who attains 5 years of age before September 1. (18) “Prevention” means any program, service, or sustained activity designed to eliminate or reduce high-risk conditions in pregnant women, to eliminate or ameliorate handicapping or high-risk conditions in infants, toddlers, or preschool children, or to reduce sexual activity or the risk of unwanted pregnancy in teenagers. (19) “Preventive health care” means periodic physical examinations, immunizations, and assessments for hearing, vision, nutritional deficiencies, development of language, physical growth, small and large muscle skills, and emotional behavior, as well as age-appropriate laboratory tests. (20) “Process evaluation” means the provision of information to the department on the breadth and scope of the childhood pregnancy prevention public education program. The evaluation must identify program areas that need modification and identify community-based local contractor strategies and procedures which are particularly effective. (21) “Strategic plan” means a report that analyzes existing programs, services, resources, policy, and needs and sets clear and consistent direction for programs and services for high-risk pregnant women and for preschool children, with emphasis on high-risk and handicapped children, by establishing goals and child and family outcomes, and strategies to meet them. (22) “Teen parent” means a person under 18 years of age or enrolled in school in grade 12 or below, who is pregnant, who is the father of an unborn child, or who is the parent of a child.

F.S. 411.203 Continuum of comprehensive services.

The Department of Education and the Department of Health shall utilize the continuum of prevention and early assistance services for high-risk pregnant women and for high-risk and handicapped children and their families, as outlined in this section, as a basis for the intraagency and interagency program coordination, monitoring, and analysis required in this chapter. The continuum shall be the guide for the comprehensive statewide approach for services for high-risk pregnant women and for high-risk and handicapped children and their families, and may be expanded or reduced as necessary for the enhancement of those services. Expansion or reduction of the continuum shall be determined by intraagency or interagency findings and agreement, whichever is applicable. Implementation of the continuum shall be based upon applicable eligibility criteria, availability of resources, and interagency prioritization when programs impact both agencies, or upon single agency prioritization when programs impact only one agency. The continuum shall include, but not be limited to: (1) EDUCATION AND AWARENESS. — (a) Education of the public concerning, but not limited to, the causes of handicapping conditions, normal and abnormal child development, the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity, and the consequences of teenage pregnancy. (b) Education of professionals and paraprofessionals concerning, but not limited to, the causes of handicapping conditions, normal and abnormal child development, parenting skills, the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity, and the consequences of teenage pregnancy, through preservice and inservice training, continuing education, and required postsecondary coursework. (2) INFORMATION AND REFERRAL. — (a) Providing information about available services and programs to families of high-risk and handicapped children. (b) Providing information about service options and providing technical assistance to aid families in the decisionmaking process. (c) Directing the family to appropriate services and programs to meet identified needs. (3) CASE MANAGEMENT. — (a) Arranging and coordinating services and activities for high-risk pregnant women, and for high-risk children and their families, with identified service providers. (b) Providing appropriate casework services to pregnant women and to high-risk children and their families. (c) Advocating for pregnant women and for children and their families. (4) SUPPORT SERVICES PRIOR TO PREGNANCY. — (a) Basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. (b) Health education. (c) Family planning services, on a voluntary basis. (d) Counseling to promote a healthy, stable, and supportive family unit, to include, but not be limited to, financial planning, stress management, and educational planning. (5) MATERNITY AND NEWBORN SERVICES. — (a) Comprehensive prenatal care, accessible to all pregnant women and provided for high-risk pregnant women. (b) Adoption counseling for unmarried pregnant teenagers. (c) Nutrition services for high-risk pregnant women. (d) Perinatal intensive care. (e) Delivery services for high-risk pregnant women. (f) Postpartum care. (g) Nutrition services for lactating mothers of high-risk children. (h) A new mother information program at the birth site, to provide an informational brochure about immunizations, normal child development, abuse avoidance and appropriate parenting strategies, family planning, and community resources and support services for all parents of newborns and to schedule Medicaid-eligible infants for a health checkup. (i) Appropriate screenings, to include, but not be limited to, metabolic screening, sickle-cell screening, hearing screening, developmental screening, and categorical screening. (j) Followup family planning services for high-risk mothers and mothers of high-risk infants. (6) HEALTH AND NUTRITION SERVICES FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. — (a) Preventive health services for all preschool children. (b) Nutrition services for all preschool children, including, but not limited to, the Child Care Food Program and the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children. (c) Medical care for seriously medically impaired preschool children. (d) Cost-effective quality health care alternatives for medically involved preschool children, in or near their homes. (7) EDUCATION, EARLY ASSISTANCE, AND RELATED SERVICES FOR HIGH-RISK CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. — (a) Early assistance, including, but not limited to, developmental assistance programs, parent support and training programs, and appropriate followup assistance services, for handicapped and high-risk infants and their families. (b) Special education and related services for handicapped children. (c) Education, early assistance, and related services for high-risk children. (8) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ALL EXPECTANT PARENTS AND PARENTS OF HIGH-RISK CHILDREN. — (a) Nonmedical prenatal and support services for pregnant teenagers and other high-risk pregnant women. (b) Child care and early childhood programs, including, but not limited to, licensed child care facilities, family day care homes, therapeutic child care, Head Start, and preschool programs in public and private schools. (c) Parent education and counseling. (d) Transportation. (e) Respite care, homemaker care, crisis management, and other services that allow families of high-risk children to maintain and provide quality care to their children at home. (f) Parent support groups, such as parents as first teachers, to strengthen families and to enable families of high-risk children to better meet their needs. (g) Utilization of the elderly, either as volunteers or paid employees, to work with high-risk children. (h) Utilization of high school and postsecondary students as volunteers to work with high-risk children. (9) MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES. — (a) Resource information systems on services and programs available for families. (b) Registry of high-risk newborns and newborns with birth defects, which utilizes privacy safeguards for children and parents who are subjects of the registry. (c) Local registry of preschoolers with high-risk or handicapping conditions, which utilizes privacy safeguards for children and parents who are subjects of the registry. (d) Information sharing system among the Department of Health, the Department of Education, local education agencies, and other appropriate entities, on children eligible for services. Information may be shared when parental or guardian permission has been given for release. (e) Well-baby insurance for preschoolers included in the family policy coverage. (f) Evaluation, to include: 1. Establishing child-centered and family-focused goals and objectives for each element of the continuum. 2. Developing a system to report child and family outcomes and program effectiveness for each element of the continuum. (g) Planning for continuation of services, to include: 1. Individual and family service plan by an interdisciplinary team, for the transition from birth or the earliest point of identification of a high-risk infant or toddler into an early assistance, preschool program for 3-year-olds or 4-year-olds, or other appropriate programs. 2. Individual and family service plan by an interdisciplinary team, for the transition of a high-risk preschool child into a public or private school system.

F.S. 411.223 Uniform standards.

(1) The Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall establish a minimum set of procedures for each preschool child who receives preventive health care with state funds. Preventive health care services shall meet the minimum standards established by federal law for the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program and shall provide guidance on screening instruments which are appropriate for identifying health risks and handicapping conditions in preschool children. (2) Duplicative diagnostic and planning practices shall be eliminated to the extent possible. Diagnostic and other information necessary to provide quality services to high-risk or handicapped children shall be shared among the program offices of the Department of Children and Families, pursuant to the provisions of s. 1002.22.

F.S. 411.224 Family support planning process.

The Legislature establishes a family support planning process to be used by the Department of Children and Families as the service planning process for targeted individuals, children, and families under its purview. (1) The Department of Education shall take all appropriate and necessary steps to encourage and facilitate the implementation of the family support planning process for individuals, children, and families within its purview. (2) To the extent possible within existing resources, the following populations must be included in the family support planning process: (a) Children from birth to age 5 who are served by the clinic and programs of the Division of Children’s Medical Services of the Department of Health. (b) Children participating in the developmental evaluation and intervention program of the Division of Children’s Medical Services of the Department of Health. (c) Children from age 3 through age 5 who are served by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. (d) Children from birth through age 5 who are served by the Mental Health Program Office of the Department of Children and Families. (e) Healthy Start participants in need of ongoing service coordination. (f) Children from birth through age 5 who are served by the voluntary family services, protective supervision, foster care, or adoption and related services programs of the Child Care Services Program Office of the Department of Children and Families, and who are eligible for ongoing services from one or more other programs or agencies that participate in family support planning; however, children served by the voluntary family services program, where the planned length of intervention is 30 days or less, are excluded from this population. (3) When individuals included in the target population are served by Head Start, local education agencies, or other prevention and early intervention programs, providers must be notified and efforts made to facilitate the concerned agency’s participation in family support planning. (4) Local education agencies are encouraged to use a family support planning process for children from birth through 5 years of age who are served by the prekindergarten program for children with disabilities, in lieu of the individual education plan. (5) There must be only a single-family support plan to address the problems of the various family members unless the family requests that an individual family support plan be developed for different members of that family. The family support plan must replace individual habilitation plans for children from 3 through 5 years old who are served by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. (6) The family support plan at a minimum must include the following information: (a) The family’s statement of family concerns, priorities, and resources. (b) Information related to the health, educational, economic and social needs, and overall development of the individual and the family. (c) The outcomes that the plan is intended to achieve. (d) Identification of the resources and services to achieve each outcome projected in the plan. These resources and services are to be provided based on availability and funding. (7) A family support plan meeting must be held with the family to initially develop the family support plan and annually thereafter to update the plan as necessary. The family includes anyone who has an integral role in the life of the individual or child as identified by the individual or family. The family support plan must be reviewed periodically during the year, at least at 6-month intervals, to modify and update the plan as needed. Such periodic reviews do not require a family support plan team meeting but may be accomplished through other means such as a case file review and telephone conference with the family. (8) The initial family support plan must be developed within a 90-day period. If exceptional circumstances make it impossible to complete the evaluation activities and to hold the initial family support plan team meeting within a reasonable time period, these circumstances must be documented, and the individual or family must be notified of the reason for the delay. With the agreement of the family and the provider, services for which either the individual or the family is eligible may be initiated before the completion of the evaluation activities and the family support plan. (9) The Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, and the Department of Education, to the extent that funds are available, must offer technical assistance to communities to facilitate the implementation of the family support plan.

F.S. 411.227 Components of the Learning Gateway.

The Learning Gateway system consists of the following components: (1) COMMUNITY EDUCATION STRATEGIES AND FAMILY-ORIENTED ACCESS. — (a) Each local demonstration project shall establish the system access point, or gateway, by which parents can receive information about available appropriate services. An existing public or private agency or provider or new provider may serve as the system gateway. The local Learning Gateway should provide parents and caretakers with a single point of access for screening, assessment, and referral for services for children from birth through age 9. The demonstration projects have the budgetary authority to hire appropriate personnel to perform administrative functions. These staff members must be knowledgeable about child development, early identification of learning problems and learning disabilities, family service planning, and services in the local area. Each demonstration project must arrange for the following services to be provided by existing service systems: 1. Conducting intake with families. 2. Conducting appropriate screening or referral for such services. 3. Conducting needs/strengths-based family assessment. 4. Developing family resource plans. 5. Making referrals for needed services and assisting families in the application process. 6. Providing service coordination as needed by families. 7. Assisting families in establishing a medical home. 8. Conducting case management and transition planning as necessary. 9. Monitoring performance of service providers against appropriate standards. (b) The Learning Gateway Steering Committee and demonstration projects shall designate a central information and referral access phone number for parents in each pilot community. This centralized phone number should be used to increase public awareness and to improve access to local supports and services for children from birth through age 9 and their families. The number should be highly publicized as the primary source of information on services for young children. The telephone staff should be trained and supported to offer accurate and complete information and to make appropriate referrals to existing public and private community agencies. (c) In collaboration with local resources such as Healthy Start, the demonstration projects shall develop strategies for offering hospital visits or home visits by trained staff to new mothers. The Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall provide technical assistance to local demonstration projects in developing brochures and other materials to be distributed to parents of newborns. (d) In collaboration with other local resources, the demonstration projects shall develop public awareness strategies to disseminate information about developmental milestones, precursors of learning problems and other developmental delays, and the service system that is available. The information should target parents of children from birth through age 9 and should be distributed to parents, health care providers, and caregivers of children from birth through age 9. A variety of media should be used as appropriate, such as print, television, radio, and a community-based Internet website, as well as opportunities such as those presented by parent visits to physicians for well-child checkups. The Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall provide technical assistance to the local demonstration projects in developing and distributing educational materials and information. 1. Public awareness strategies targeting parents of children from birth through age 5 shall be designed to provide information to public and private preschool programs, child care providers, pediatricians, parents, and local businesses and organizations. These strategies should include information on the school readiness performance standards adopted by the Department of Education. 2. Public awareness strategies targeting parents of children from ages 6 through 9 must be designed to disseminate training materials and brochures to parents and public and private school personnel, and must be coordinated with the local school board and the appropriate school advisory committees in the demonstration projects. The materials should contain information on state and district achievement levels for grades K-3. (2) SCREENING AND DEVELOPMENTAL MONITORING. — (a) In coordination with the Department of Education and the Florida Pediatric Society, and using information learned from the local demonstration projects, the Learning Gateway Steering Committee shall establish guidelines for screening children from birth through age 9. The guidelines should incorporate recent research on the indicators most likely to predict early learning problems, mild developmental delays, child-specific precursors of school failure, and other related developmental indicators in the domains of cognition; communication; attention; perception; behavior; and social, emotional, sensory, and motor functioning. (b) Based on the guidelines established by the steering committee and in cooperation with the Florida Pediatric Society, the steering committee shall adopt a comprehensive checklist for child health care checkups and a corresponding training package for physicians and other medical personnel in implementing more effective screening for precursors of learning problems, learning disabilities, and mild developmental delays. (c) Using the screening guidelines developed by the steering committee, local demonstration projects should engage local physicians and other medical professionals in enhancing the screening opportunities presented by immunization visits and other well-child appointments, in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics Periodicity Schedule. (d) Using the screening guidelines developed by the steering committee, the demonstration projects shall develop strategies to increase early identification of precursors to learning problems and learning disabilities through providing parents the option of improved screening and referral practices within public and private early care and education programs and K-3 public and private school settings. Strategies may include training and technical assistance teams to assist program providers and teachers. The program shall collaborate appropriately with the school readiness coalitions, local school boards, and other community resources in arranging training and technical assistance for early identification and screening with parental consent. (e) The demonstration project shall work with appropriate local entities to reduce the duplication of cross-agency screening in each demonstration project area. Demonstration projects shall provide opportunities for public and private providers of screening and assessment at each age level to meet periodically to identify gaps or duplication of efforts in screening practices. (f) Based on technical assistance and support provided by the steering committee and in conjunction with the school readiness coalitions and other appropriate entities, demonstration projects shall develop a system to log the number of children screened, assessed, and referred for services. After development and testing, tracking should be supported by a standard electronic data system for screening and assessment information. (g) In conjunction with the technical assistance of the steering committee, demonstration projects shall develop a system for targeted screening. The projects should conduct a needs assessment of existing services and programs where targeted screening programs should be offered. Based on the results of the needs assessment, the project shall develop procedures within the demonstration community whereby periodic developmental screening could be offered to parents of children from birth through age 9 who are served by state intervention programs or whose parents or caregivers are in state intervention programs. Intervention programs for children, parents, and caregivers include those administered or funded by the: 1. Agency for Health Care Administration; 2. Department of Children and Families; 3. Department of Corrections and other criminal justice programs; 4. Department of Education; 5. Department of Health; and 6. Department of Juvenile Justice. (h) When results of screening suggest developmental problems, potential learning problems, or learning disabilities, the intervention program shall inform the child’s parent of the results of the screening and shall offer to refer the child to the Learning Gateway for coordination of further assessment. If the parent chooses to have further assessment, the Learning Gateway shall make referrals to the appropriate entities within the service system. (i) The local Learning Gateway shall provide for followup contact to all families whose children have been found ineligible for services under Part B or Part C of the IDEA to inform them of other services available in the county. (j) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, each agency participating in the Learning Gateway is authorized to provide to a Learning Gateway program confidential information exempt from disclosure under chapter 119 regarding a developmental screening on any child participating in the Learning Gateway who is or has been the subject of a developmental screening within the jurisdiction of each agency. (3) EARLY EDUCATION, SERVICES AND SUPPORTS. — (a) The demonstration projects shall develop a conceptual model system of care that builds upon, integrates, and fills the gaps in existing services. The model shall indicate how qualified providers of family-based or center-based interventions or public and private school personnel may offer services in a manner consistent with the standards established by their profession and by the standards and criteria adopted by the steering committee and consistent with effective and proven strategies. The specific services and supports may include: 1. High-quality early education and care programs. 2. Assistance to parents and other caregivers, such as home-based modeling programs for parents and play programs to provide peer interactions. 3. Speech and language therapy that is age-appropriate. 4. Parent education and training. 5. Comprehensive medical screening and referral with biomedical interventions as necessary. 6. Referral as needed for family therapy, other mental health services, and treatment programs. 7. Family support services as necessary. 8. Therapy for learning differences in reading and math, and attention to subject material for children in grades K-3. 9. Referral for Part B or Part C services as required. 10. Expanded access to community-based services for parents. 11. Parental choice in the provision of services by public and private providers. The model shall include a statement of the cost of implementing the model. (b) Demonstration projects shall develop strategies to increase the use of appropriate intervention practices with children who have learning problems and learning disabilities within public and private early care and education programs and K-3 public and private school settings. Strategies may include training and technical assistance teams. Intervention must be coordinated and must focus on providing effective supports to children and their families within their regular education and community environment. These strategies must incorporate, as appropriate, school and district activities related to the student’s progress monitoring plan and must provide parents with greater access to community-based services that should be available beyond the traditional school day. Academic expectations for public school students in grades K-3 must be based upon the local school board’s adopted achievement levels. When appropriate, school personnel shall consult with the local Learning Gateway to identify other community resources for supporting the child and the family. (c) The steering committee, in cooperation with the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Education, shall identify the elements of an effective research-based curriculum for early care and education programs. (d) The steering committee, in conjunction with the demonstration projects, shall develop processes for identifying and sharing promising practices and shall showcase these programs and practices at a dissemination conference. (e) The steering committee shall establish processes for facilitating state and local providers’ ready access to information and training concerning effective instructional and behavioral practices and interventions based on advances in the field and for encouraging researchers to regularly guide practitioners in designing and implementing research-based practices. The steering committee shall assist the demonstration projects in conducting a conference for participants in the three demonstration projects for the dissemination of information on best practices and new insights about early identification, education, and intervention for children from birth through age 9. The conference should be established so that continuing education credits may be awarded to medical professionals, teachers, and others for whom this is an incentive. (f) Demonstration projects shall investigate and may recommend to the steering committee more effective resource allocation and flexible funding strategies if such strategies are in the best interest of the children and families in the community. The Department of Education and other relevant agencies shall assist the demonstration projects in securing state and federal waivers as appropriate.

F.S. 411.228 Accountability.

(1) The steering committee shall provide information to the School Readiness Estimating Conference and the Enrollment Conference for Public Schools regarding estimates of the population of children from birth through age 9 who are at risk of learning problems and learning disabilities. (2) The steering committee, in conjunction with the demonstration projects, shall develop accountability mechanisms to ensure that the demonstration programs are effective and that resources are used as efficiently as possible. Accountability should be addressed through a multilevel evaluation system, including measurement of outcomes and operational indicators. Measurable outcomes must be developed to address improved child development, improved child health, and success in school. Indicators of system improvements must be developed to address quality of programs and integration of services. Agency monitoring of programs shall include a review of child and family outcomes and system effectiveness indicators with a specific focus on elimination of unnecessary duplication of planning, screening, and services. (3) The steering committee, in conjunction with the demonstration projects, shall develop a model county-level strategic plan to formalize the goals, objectives, strategies, and intended outcomes of the comprehensive system, and to support the integration and efficient delivery of all services and supports for parents of children from birth through age 9 who have learning problems or learning disabilities. The model county-level strategic plan must include, but need not be limited to, strategies to: (a) Establish a system whereby parents can access information about learning problems in young children and receive services at their discretion; (b) Improve early identification of those who are at risk for learning problems and learning disabilities; (c) Provide access to an appropriate array of services within the child’s natural environment or regular classroom setting or specialized training in other settings; (d) Improve and coordinate screening for children from birth through age 9; (e) Improve and coordinate services for children from birth through age 9; (f) Address training of professionals in effectively identifying factors, across all domains, which place children from birth through age 9 at risk of school failure and in appropriate interventions for the learning differences; (g) Provide appropriate support to families; (h) Share best practices with caregivers and referral sources; (i) Address resource needs of the assessment and intervention system; and (j) Address development of implementation plans to establish protocols for requiring and receiving parental consent for services; to identify action steps, responsible parties, and implementation schedules; and to ensure appropriate alignment with agency strategic plans.

F.S. 411.241 Legislative intent.

The Legislature finds and declares that childhood pregnancies continue to be a serious problem in the state. Therefore, the Legislature intends to establish, through a public-private partnership, a program to encourage children to abstain from sexual activity.

F.S. 411.243 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Community Initiative.

Subject to the availability of funds, the Department of Health shall create a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Community Initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to create collaborative community partnerships to reduce teen pregnancy. Participating communities shall examine their needs and resources relative to teen pregnancy prevention and develop plans which provide for a collaborative approach to how existing, enhanced, and new initiatives together will reduce teen pregnancy in a community. Community incentive grants shall provide funds for communities to implement plans which provide for a collaborative, comprehensive, outcome-focused approach to reducing teen pregnancy. (1) The requirements of the community incentive grants are as follows: (a) The goal required of all grants is to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy. All grants must be designed and required to maintain the data to substantiate reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy in the targeted area in their community. (b) The target population is teens through 19 years of age, including both males and females and mothers and fathers. (c) Grants must target a specified geographic area or region, for which data can be maintained to substantiate the teen pregnancy rate. (d) In order to receive funding, communities must demonstrate collaboration in the provision of existing and new teen pregnancy prevention initiatives. This collaboration shall include developing linkages to the health care, social services, and education systems. (e) Plans must be developed for how a community will reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy in a specified geographic area or region. These plans must include: 1. Provision for collaboration between existing and new initiatives for a comprehensive, well-planned, outcome-focused approach. All organizations involved in teen pregnancy prevention in the community must be involved in the planning and implementation of the community incentive grant initiative. 2. Provision in the targeted area or region for all of the components identified below. These components may be addressed through a collaboration of existing initiatives, enhancements, or new initiatives. Community incentive grant funds must address current gaps in the comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention plan for communities. a. Primary prevention components are: (I) Prevention strategies targeting males. (II) Role modeling and monitoring. (III) Intervention strategies targeting abused or neglected children. (IV) Human sexuality education. (V) Sexual advances protection education. (VI) Reproductive health care. (VII) Intervention strategies targeting younger siblings of teen mothers. (VIII) Community and public awareness. (IX) Innovative programs to facilitate prosecutions under s. 794.011, s. 794.05, or s. 800.04. b. Secondary prevention components are: (I) Home visiting. (II) Parent education, skill building, and supports. (III) Care coordination and case management. (IV) Career development. (V) Goal setting and achievement. Community plans must provide for initiatives which are culturally competent and relevant to the families’ values. (2) The state shall conduct an independent process and outcome evaluation of all the community incentive grant initiatives. The evaluation shall be conducted in three phases: The first phase shall focus on process, including implementation and operation, to be reported on after the first year of operation; the second phase shall be an interim evaluation of the outcome, to be completed after the third year of operation; the third phase shall be a final evaluation of process, outcome, and achievement of the overall goal of reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy, to be completed at the end of the fifth year of operation. (3) The state shall provide technical assistance, training, and quality assurance to assist the initiative in achieving its goals.

F.S. 411.2035 Dangers of shaking infants and young children; requirements for distributing brochures.

(1) Every hospital, birthing facility, and provider of home birth which has maternity and newborn services shall provide to the parents of a newborn, before they take their newborn home from the hospital or birthing facility, written information with an explanation concerning the dangers of shaking infants and young children. (2) The Department of Health shall prepare a brochure that describes the dangers of shaking infants and young children. The description must include information concerning the grave effects of shaking infants and young children, information concerning appropriate ways to manage the causes that can lead a person to shake infants and young children, and a discussion of ways to reduce the risks that can lead a person to shake infants and young children. (3) This section does not preclude a hospital, birthing facility, or a home birth provider from providing the notice required under this section as an addendum to, or in connection with, any other required information. (4) A cause of action does not accrue against the state or any subdivision or agency thereof or any hospital birthing facility or home-birth provider for failure to give or receive the information required under this section.

Source: FL Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/Chapter411/AllFetched: 7/8/2026