6M-9.300. Child Care Resource and Referral and Consumer Education

(1) The Division of Early Learning, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) state network, must ensure delivery of CCR&R services as defined in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, 45 C.F.R. part 98, and Section 1002.92, Florida Statutes (F.S.).

(2) Definitions.

(a) “Business hours” refers to the hours during which a CCR&R organization has staff available to provide services to customers via telephone, email, or in person.

(b) “CCR&R organization” refers to any early learning coalition or other contracted entity providing CCR&R services to customers pursuant to Section 1002.92, F.S.

(c) “Child care listing” refers to the customized list of child care providers generated from the single statewide information system that best meets a family’s needs.

(d) “Community outreach” refers to activities in the CCR&R service area that increase awareness of CCR&R services, such as  involvement in community events, establishing community partnerships, displaying program materials in public spaces and on social media platforms, and marketing activities.

(e) “Community resources” refers to social service and financial assistance programs that a family may be eligible for, such as provider discounts and scholarships, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Office on Homelessness, home visiting programs, mental health services, the School Readiness Program, the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Education Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Head Start and Early Head Start, as well as any organization or service that a family may qualify for that will support the family’s financial independence, assist with developmental concerns, and help fill an unmet need.

(f) “Consumer education” refers to information and resources that assist an individual or family in making informed decisions regarding quality child care and cost of care.

(g) “Differential fee” refers to a child care fee charged by a provider to a parent who participates in the School Readiness Program or any other subsidized child care assistance program that is in addition to the parent copayment set by the early learning coalition.

(h) “Family engagement” refers to the systematic inclusion of families as partners in their children’s development, learning, and wellness, enabled by positive relationships between families and staff in coalitions and early learning programs.

(i) “Legally operating provider” refers to any child care, early learning, or school-age provider that is either licensed, registered, or has a qualifying exemption from licensure from the Florida Department of Children and Families, including before-school and after-school programs, summer recreation and summer day camp programs, and recreational facilities.

(j) “Quality child care” refers to child care programs that maintain a degree of excellence, going above and beyond minimum health and safety standards and training, and that maintain a high level of positive teacher-child interactions, promoting the health and well-being of all children physically, socially, emotionally, and developmentally.

(k) “Registration fee” refers to a fee charged by a provider to a parent for enrollment of a child into a child care program.

(l) “Service area” refers to the county or multicounty region served by the CCR&R organization.

(m) “Single statewide information system” refers to the statewide early learning data system used to capture and provide critical information to early learning coalitions, parents, partners, and providers.

(n) “Standard business hours” refers to operating hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

(3) Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Services.

CCR&R services must be locally administered, coordinated, and overseen by early learning coalitions or their contracted entities in accordance with Section 1002.92, F.S. Early learning coalitions or their contracted CCR&R organizations must:

(a) Offer CCR&R services including child care listings, consumer education, and information regarding community resources, as identified in subsection (7) of this rule, to each family requesting CCR&R, the School Readiness Program, or VPK Education Program services, without regard to age, level of income, or individual circumstances.

(b) Provide CCR&R services without cost to the family requesting services within two (2) business days of the request.

(c) Attempt to contact and respond to families requesting services in an emergency situation within four (4) business hours of becoming aware of the request. Emergency situations may include:

1. Closure of a child care or early learning provider with less than forty-eight (48) hours of notice;

2. Declaration of a state of emergency by local, state, or federal officials that affects families and providers within the CCR&R organization’s service area; and,

3. Family emergencies including the death or hospitalization of a parent or guardian, a change in custody of a child with less than forty-eight (48) hours of notice, or a change in employment or employment status with less than forty-eight (48) hours of notice.

(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (3)(b) and (c) of this rule, the CCR&R organization is not required to provide services in emergency situations if the CCR&R organization is unable to operate as a result of a state of emergency as declared by local, state, or federal officials.

(4) Accessibility of Information and Services.

(a) Each CCR&R organization must provide the Division of Early Learning (DEL) with an annual accessibility report, in the DEL-designated location, no later than the last business day in August, identifying how CCR&R services are made accessible to families and providers within its service area, including families who have limited access to telephone services, internet services, or transportation. The report must also outline the CCR&R organization’s plan for family engagement and community outreach. The CCR&R organization must coordinate with other community entities in order to expand the accessibility of services and document such coordination in the accessibility report.

(b) Each CCR&R organization must maintain a website and at least one other form of outreach and awareness within its service area. The outreach and awareness must include a statement of CCR&R and services offered through the program. The home page of the website for the CCR&R organization, must clearly display, at a minimum, a brief description of CCR&R family and provider services, the primary family and provider telephone number(s), and hours of operation.

(5) Location and Hours of Service.

(a) At least one physical location for CCR&R services must be available in each CCR&R organization’s service area.

(b) Each CCR&R organization must have staff members available to provide CCR&R services via telephone, email, and in person for a minimum of forty (40) hours each week during the organization’s business hours.

(c) If the CCR&R organization is closed at any time during standard business hours, the CCR&R organization must provide a message on its family services line and home page of its website, with its hours of operation and contact information for an alternative organization that can assist families during emergency situations, such as those outlined in paragraph (3)(c) of this rule.

(d) CCR&R organizations are permitted to reduce the number of weekly hours of in-person and telephone availability by a maximum of eight (8) hours for each local, state, or federal holiday and each business day during which a local, state, or federal emergency is declared that makes the CCR&R organization unable to operate.

(6) Customized Child Care Listings.

(a) CCR&R services, including listings, may be offered in person, via telephone, or using other electronic means.

(b) Child care listings must be generated using the single statewide information system maintained by the DEL.

(c) CCR&R organizations must provide or send each family requesting services a list of legally operating providers in their service area within two (2) business days and by the means requested by the family. Each list must be customized according to information provided by the family requesting services or, at a minimum, must include the following information:

1. Location;

2. Days/time care is needed;

3. Child’s date of birth;

4. Type of early learning program or provider, if requested;

5. Child’s special need, if applicable;

6. Family’s primary language, if not English;

7. Reason for care; and

8. Other services offered by providers, as requested by the family.

(d) Child care listings must include a minimum of six (6) providers matching the criteria identified by the family requesting services unless fewer than six (6) providers match the criteria. The CCR&R organization must document when fewer than six (6) providers match the family’s criteria. Listings must also include contact information for the CCR&R organization if additional listings or resources are needed by the family.

(e) The following consumer education information must be included with each customized provider listing:

1. How to access each provider’s licensing status, required health and safety standards, recent inspection reports and history of violations, as applicable.

2. How to access information regarding voluntary quality standards met by the provider, such as accreditation, Gold Seal, program assessment, child assessment, or participation in local quality initiatives.

3. Information on how to submit a complaint through the child care licensing agency.

4. Contact information for the state and local child care provider licensing agencies.

(f) Additional consumer education and community resources, as identified in subsection (7) of the rule, must be included with each customized listing, unless declined by the family.

(7) Consumer Education and Community Resources.

(a) CCR&R organizations must offer information regarding and access to consumer education and community resources to all families requesting CCR&R services, unless declined by the family.

(b) Consumer education must include:

1. Information and resources that enable parents to recognize quality indicators and to make informed choices on quality child care;

2. Information on the full range of child care provider types available, whether licensed or license-exempt, such as family child care homes, child care facilities, before or after school programs, public or nonpublic schools, faith-based, and recreational facilities;

3. Child care licensing and inspection requirements for each provider type;

4. Health and safety requirements, including background screening and disqualifying offenses;

5. Research and best practices regarding children’s social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development, developmentally appropriate practices, and meaningful parent and family engagement;

6. State policies regarding the social-emotional and behavioral health of children; and

7. Information on where parents can receive a developmental screening for their child(ren).

(c) Each CCR&R organization must maintain a current directory of community resources, which must include:

1. Community services for each county within the CCR&R organization’s service area;

2. Federal and state financial assistance programs;

3. Federal, state, and local partners, including state agencies and social services organizations;

4. Child healthcare;

5. Child welfare and abuse;

6. Services for children with special needs or developmental disabilities, such as developmental screenings or assessments;

7. Resources provided by the DEL or identified through collaboration with other entities; and

8. Other resources as needed and appropriate to the specific needs of the individual family.

(8) Provider Profile Updates.

(a) Each CCR&R organization must ensure that contracted and non-contracted provider information for each legally operating provider is updated and approved between January 1 and May 31 of each calendar year in the single statewide information system maintained by the DEL.

(b) Provider information for providers seeking to provide School Readiness or VPK services must be updated and approved prior to contract execution.

(c) At a minimum, the CCR&R organization must ensure that the following information is updated for each provider:

1. Type of Program;

2. Contact information;

3. Gold Seal designation under Section 1002.945, F.S., and accreditation status, if applicable;

4. Quality rating;

5. Program schedule;

6. Ages served;

7. Group sizes and ratios;

8. Enrollment information;

9. Private pay rates charged;

10. Registration, differential, and other fees charged, if applicable;

11. Environment;

12. Special services offered or information about what the provider offers, including but not limited to, arts and crafts, computer activities, family engagement, music lessons, therapeutic services, web cam on site with special education programs for prekindergarten children with disabilities, services for children with developmental disabilities, and vacation care programs;

13. Languages other than English spoken fluently by the provider’s staff;

14. Transportation;

15. Meal options;

16. Family discounts;

17. Legal operating status;

18. Participation in the Child Care Food Program, if applicable;

19. A link to licensing inspection reports, if applicable;

20. The components of the VPK Education Program performance metric calculated under Section 1002.68, F.S., which must consist of the composite program assessment score, learning gains score, achievement score, and the provider’s designations, if applicable;

21. The School Readiness composite program assessment score and program assessment care level composite score results delineated by infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms results under Section 1002.82, F.S., if applicable;

22. Implementation of a DOE-approved curriculum and the name of that curriculum, if applicable; and

23. Participation in School Readiness child assessment under Section 1002.82, F.S.; and

24. The average annual costs associated with curriculum, materials, food, maintenance, and any regulatory fees or operational costs per child under Section 1002.895(6)(b), F.S., if applicable.

(d) Regardless of being contracted or non-contracted, child care facilities licensed under Section 402.305, F.S., and licensed and registered family day care homes must, at a minimum, provide the following information annually: type of program, hours of service, ages of children served, fees and eligibility for services and data required under Section 1002.895, F.S., pursuant to Section 1002.92(4), F.S.

(e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (8)(a) and (b) of this rule, the CCR&R organization must ensure that provider information updated outside of the annual provider update period is approved within fifteen (15) calendar days of being submitted by the provider into the single statewide information system.

(f) Legally operating providers must be included in the provider update process upon request by the provider.

(9) The CCR&R organization must document each request for CCR&R services described in subsection (6) of this rule in the single statewide information system. Monthly, the CCR&R organization must review the DEL specified data report(s) to monitor CCR&R customer intake data in the single statewide information system. If DEL determines through its quarterly review that the organization’s data is not representative of CCR&R services offered, the CCR&R organization must review procedures to determine if revisions are needed to increase the number of CCR&R customer intakes in the single statewide information system.

(10) Staff Training Requirements.

(a) The CCR&R organization must ensure all CCR&R staff, including staff in blended positions who provide CCR&R services, are trained by a CCR&R Coordinator or designated trainer, in customer service, consumer education, community resources, and available types of child care and early learning providers and programs, specific to their service area, and have successfully completed the CCR&R Specialist Evaluation within four (4) months of employment as a CCR&R Specialist. Designated trainers for the CCR&R program, if not the Coordinator, must comply with the Coordinator training requirements.

(b) Each CCR&R organization must have a designated CCR&R Coordinator. The designated CCR&R Coordinator must successfully complete the CCR&R Specialist Evaluation and CCR&R Coordinator Evaluation within four (4) months of employment as the designated CCR&R Coordinator.

(c) Each CCR&R organization must accurately complete and submit the staff list to the DEL-designated location by the established deadline. Staff lists may not be changed nor removed from the designated location once submitted. The CCR&R organization must provide email notification and an updated staff list to the CCR&R state network office within five (5) business days of a change in the designated CCR&R Coordinator position.

(d) Each CCR&R organization must complete assessments on fifty (50) percent of its CCR&R staff by December 31 and complete assessments on the remaining fifty (50) percent of CCR&R staff by June 30. The organization must deliver training to CCR&R staff based on assessment results for quality assurance and retain records of completed assessments, trainings, and staff assessment data for each CCR&R staff member on its staff list.

(11) Each CCR&R organization must establish written procedures for training CCR&R staff on serving families and providers, including offering technical assistance to providers, monitoring CCR&R program data, completing provider profile updates, and completing CCR&R customer intakes in the single statewide information system.

(12) CCR&R organizations are prohibited from charging a provider or other organization a fee for identifying the provider or other organization through the single statewide information system.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1002.92 FS. Law Implemented 1002.92 FS. History–New 8-10-09, Formerly 60BB-9.300, Amended 9-1-15, 10-21-18, 11-23-21, 2-21-23.