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ENROLLED HB 5001, ENGROSSED 1 2024 LEGISLATURE ______________________________________________________________________________ SECTION 2 - EDUCATION (ALL OTHER FUNDS) From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $30,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to expand the provision of services to low income families at or below 70 percent of the state median income as long as the income does not exceed 85 percent of the state median income. Local matching funds can be derived from local governments, employers, charitable foundations, and other sources so that Florida communities can create local partnerships focused on using the state and local funds for direct services and expanding the number of school readiness slots. To be eligible for funding, an early learning coalition must match its portion of the state funds with a dollar-for-dollar match of local funds. The Division of Early Learning shall establish procedures for the match program which shall include giving priority to early learning coalitions whose local match complies with federal Child Care and Development Block Grant matching requirements. The Division of Early Learning shall provide a report to the Executive Office of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget, the chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and the chair of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee by December 1, 2024, that includes the following information about the division’s allocation of the $30,000,000 in local matching funds provided in Specific Appropriation 77 of chapter 2023-239, Laws of Florida: (1) the amount of funds allocated to each early learning coalition and a breakdown, by coalition, of the amount of funds expended by the coalition on direct services and the amount expended by the coalition on expanding school readiness slots, and (2) the total number of school readiness slots funded by each early learning coalition with the local matching funds. From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $70,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to the Division of Early Learning to administer the Gold Seal Quality Care program allocation established pursuant to section 1002.89(1)(b), Florida Statutes. From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $5,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to the Division of Early Learning to administer the special needs differential allocation established pursuant to section 1002.89(1)(d), Florida Statutes. From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $40,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to the Department of Education to ensure that all early learning coalitions have sufficient funds to provide school readiness services to eligible families. These funds shall be placed in reserve. The Department of Education is authorized to submit budget amendments requesting release of these funds pursuant to chapter 216, Florida Statutes. Release of these funds is contingent upon the submission of a detailed spend plan that documents the early learning coalition’s allocation of school readiness program funds is insufficient to fully fund their eligible families for Fiscal Year 2024-2025. From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $20,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to expand school readiness services to families on a school readiness waitlist, as defined in rule 6M-4.300(1)(j), Florida Administrative Code, as of June 30, 2024. These funds shall be placed in reserve. The Department of Education is authorized to submit budget amendments requesting release of the funds pursuant to chapter 216, Florida Statutes. Release of these funds is contingent upon the submission of a detailed spend plan that documents, by early learning coalition, the number of eligible wait-listed school readiness children and the associated amount to be allocated. From the funds in Specific Appropriation 81, $59,996,451 in nonrecurring funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund is provided to the Division of Early Learning to assist the early learning coalitions in the transition to the school readiness program allocation distribution established pursuant to section 1002.89(1)(a), Florida Statutes, by ensuring all early learning coalitions receive at least the same amount of school readiness program funds as provided in Specific Appropriation 77 of chapter 2023-239, Laws of Florida. The funds shall be distributed as follows: Charlotte, DeSoto, Highlands, Hardee...................... 2,867,831 21