1. (1) General Provisions.

   1. (a) A school readiness (SR) provider is not eligible to receive payment for a student prior to the student’s first day of attendance or after the student’s last date of attendance at the SR program.
   2. (b) Reimbursement rates must be paid based on a child’s care level and unit of care as defined by the coalition established rate schedule for the county in which the provider’s facility is located.

   3. (c) Daily attendance documentation must be maintained by each SR provider based on the terms of the Statewide School Readiness Provider Contract, specified in Rule 6M-4.610, F.A.C. The provider must record daily child attendance using a paper sign-in and sign-out form or electronic attendance-tracking system that is maintained at the provider site to validate the attendance data. For electronic attendance systems, the provider must backup records on a regular basis to safeguard against loss. The sign-in and sign-out forms must contain the following information:

      1. Provider’s name;

      2. Child’s first and last name;

      3. Time signed in and signed out;

      4. Date (month, day, year); and,

      5. An authorized signature or electronic attendance-tracking system that records the date, child’s name, and electronic signature, card swipe, entry of a personal identification number, or similar daily action taken by the parent or other person dropping off or picking up the child to, or from, the provider site. An authorized signature, paper or electronic, includes provider designee for children who are transported via school to or from the provider site or a parent or person authorized by the parent as documented in writing and on file with the provider.

   4. (d) A provider will be reimbursed for each day there is documented evidence that the child was in attendance. If a child is concurrently enrolled at different providers, each provider will be reimbursed in accordance with the child’s authorized schedule for each provider site.
   5. (e) For SR children who are transported to and/or from the provider site, attendance must be documented in accordance with the School Readiness Program Health and Safety Standards Handbook as specified in Rule 6M-4.620, F.A.C.
   6. (f) The provider must report any discrepancy, overpayment, or underpayment within sixty (60) calendar days of transmission of the reimbursement summary. Reported changes must include supporting documentation. Discrepancies validated by the coalition will be corrected.
   7. (g) For a child who is authorized only full-time care, a coalition must not recoup or adjust a provider’s reimbursement for days a child attends part-time.
   8. (h) The coalition must not reduce authorized hours of care prior to redetermination unless the parent requests a reduction in the authorized hours of care based on hours of care needed.
   9. (i) The coalition must conduct monitoring activities in accordance with Rule 6M-4.630, F.A.C., to ensure the accuracy of payments of the monthly reimbursements. If it is determined through monitoring of the attendance and reimbursement documentation that a provider received an improper payment (overpayment or underpayment), the coalition must process a payment adjustment required to correct the improper payment.
   10. (j) To receive reimbursement for a child served by a different coalition, the provider must have executed a Statewide School Readiness Provider Contract with the coalition of the child’s residence prior to the child’s enrollment. Reimbursement rates are based on the county where the provider is physically located and the child’s care level and unit of care.
   11. (k) In accordance with s. 1002.84(11), F.S., attendance records may not be altered or amended after December 31 of the subsequent year.

2. (2) Monthly Certification of Child Attendance for Reimbursement.

   1. (a) A provider must complete and certify a monthly roster, using the single statewide information system (SSIS), that lists each child enrolled in the provider’s SR program. An early learning coalition is authorized to request a SR provider submit paper sign-in and out forms or a print-out from the provider’s electronic attendance system to verify attendance prior to a payment reimbursement. In the event the SSIS is non-operational, the early learning coalition must provide the SR provider with a monthly roster.
   2. (b) The coalition will not pay the SR provider until the provider submits a monthly attendance roster to the coalition which certifies the attendance of each enrolled child from the prior month.
   3. (c) If a child arrives at a SR provider’s site but the provider or school refuses the child’s attendance, the provider must record the instructional day as a non-reimbursable absence.

3. (3) Holidays and Staff Training Days.

   1. (a) A recognized holiday or staff training day as approved by the coalition will not be counted as an absence for purposes of reimbursement. The coalition must reimburse providers for up to twelve (12) holidays per year and one (1) optional staff training day, as authorized in the Statewide School Readiness Provider Contract and in accordance with a child’s authorized schedule.
   2. (b) The staff training day must be approved by the coalition prior to the training occuring and align with child performance standards in accordance with Rule 6M-4.700, F.A.C., the Florida Standards and Key Competencies described in Rule 6M-4.735, F.A.C., Form DEL-SR 735, or Department of Children and Families (DCF) child care training.
   3. (c) For school-aged children authorized for part time care, a provider will be reimbursed at a part time rate on a coalition approved holiday. For a school-aged child authorized full time care on school holidays, school closures, summer closures, or teacher inservice days, a provider will be reimbursed at a full time rate for coalition approved holidays.

4. (4) Absences.

   1. (a) Reimbursement will be authorized for no more than three (3) absences per calendar month per child except in the event of extraordinary circumstances. The coalition or its designee must document approval for payment based on written documentation provided by the parent justifying extraordinary circumstances. Reimbursement for absences due to extraordinary circumstances is limited to ten (10) days per calendar month per child. Extraordinary circumstances do not include vacation or recreational time.

      Examples of extraordinary circumstances include but are not limited to the following:

      1. Hospitalization of the child or parent with appropriate documentation (i.e., doctor’s note, hospital admission),

      2. Illness requiring home-stay as documented (i.e., doctor’s note, parent statement),

      3. Death in the immediate family with appropriate documentation (i.e., obituary, death certificate, parent statement),

      4. Court ordered visitation with appropriate documentation (i.e., court order),

      5. Unforeseen documented military deployment or exercise of the parent(s) (i.e., military orders of deployment, reserve duty),

      6. Doctor appointments or other health related appointments (i.e., therapy, routine).

   2. (b) Total monthly reimbursed absences must not exceed thirteen (13) calendar days.

   3. (c) If a child has five (5) consecutive days of absences during the child’s regularly scheduled attendance or ten (10) unexplained absences during a calendar month with no contact from the parent, the provider must submit written notification to the coalition or its designee. The coalition must determine the need for continued SR services and document in the case file all attempts to contact the parent by the coalition, provider, or referring agency, if applicable.

      1. If a determination is made that SR services are no longer needed, the coalition or designee must send a notice of termination to the parent and SR provider in accordance with Rule 6M-4.200, F.A.C.

      2. An at-risk child as defined in s. 1002.81(1), F.S., may not be disenrolled from the program without the written approval of the Office of Child and Family Well-Being of the Department of Children and Families or the community-based lead agency. A notice of termination must be maintained in the case file and provided to the parent, provider and referring agency.

   4. (d) When an at-risk child under the age of school entry has one (1) unexcused absence or seven (7) consecutive days of excused absences, the SR provider must notify the Department of Children and Families or community-based lead agency and the coalition prior to the close of business on the day of the absence. The provider must maintain documentation of the notification. The coalition must document any contact made with the provider, referring agency and parent in the case file.
5. (5) Reimbursement for Contracted Slots. If a coalition participates in the Contracted Slots Program and determines a provider is eligible for the program in accordance with Rule 6M-4.610, F.A.C., the provider may be reimbursed a contracted slots differential of ten (10) percent above the established coalition reimbursement rate for each care level.

6. (6) Reimbursement for Registration Fees. Subject to the limitations set forth in this subsection, if a provider has indicated that it charges a registration fee in Exhibit 5 of the Statewide School Readiness Provider Contract, the coalition must pay the provider a registration fee for each child enrolled in the SR program. The coalition is authorized to pay the registration fee no more than two (2) times within a five (5) year period during a child’s continuous eligibility for the program, except as set forth in this subsection.

   1. (a) Reimbursement for a registration fee by a coalition is limited to no more than seventy-five dollars per eligible child. The payment for the registration fee must not exceed the provider’s published private registration fee. The coalition must reimburse the registration fee with the reimbursement for the child’s first month of attendance with the provider. For children currently enrolled in the program, the coalition will reimburse the provider the registration fee the next time the fee is due to the provider. If a child is attending different providers concurrently, the coalition must pay the registration fee to the provider that the child attends the majority of the time. If a child concurrently attends all providers an equal amount of time, the registration is paid to the provider where the child has been enrolled the longest.

   2. (b) Exceptions to the reimbursement two-time limit.

      1. If there is a break in the child’s eligibility of at least twelve consecutive months, the two-time limit set forth in subsection (6) starts over.

      2. If the child’s provider permanently closes or has its contract terminated, the registration fee is paid to the new provider.

      3. If the family experiences a hardship requiring a transfer to a different provider, the coalition must pay the registration fee to the new provider. Hardship may be demonstrated by evidence of one or more of the following:

      a. Illness of the child or parent requiring the family to relocate.

      b. Loss of a parent resulting in family relocation.

      c. Loss of employment resulting in family relocation.

      d. Eviction requiring the family to relocate.

      e. Natural or man-made disaster.

      f. Child expulsion in accordance with the provider’s policies.

      g. Guardianship transfer.

   3. (c) The coalition must recoup the registration fee in cases where a provider expels a child within three (3) months of enrollment.

7. (7) Reimbursement for Children with Special Needs.

   1. (a) A SR provider may be reimbursed a special needs differential by the coalition if caring for any SR child with special needs requiring additional care beyond services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The differential will be negotiated between the provider and coalition up to twenty (20) percent above the established coalition reimbursement rate for infant care. A special needs differential requires a diagnosis by a licensed health, mental health, education or social service professional other than the child’s parent or person employed by the child care provider, of a physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral condition that requires a higher level of care in the child care setting.

   2. (b) In order to receive the special needs differential, the provider must submit a request to the coalition and receive approval. The request must include a list of proposed accomodations or special needs services in addition to services required by the ADA for each child and the following documentation to determine the child’s eligiblity for such accommocations:

      1. A current individual educational plan with a Florida school district;

      2. A current individualized family support plan;

      3. A diagnosed special need; or

      4. A written determination of required accommodations by a licensed health care professional, mental health care professional or an educational psychologist.

   3. (c) Beginning July 1, 2027, to receive a special needs differential, a SR provider must meet or exceed the minimum program assessment composite score identified in Rule 6M-4.740, F.A.C., and submit to the coalition documentation of instructional staff assigned by the provider to the child having met training requirements established in s. 1002.89(1)(d), F.S. The list of staff training courses approved by the department is available at https://www.fldoe.org/schools/early-learning/providers/sr-train-screen-serv.stml.

8. (8) Reimbursement for Quality Programs. A SR provider that is currently participating in a state or local quality improvement program, as documented by the coalition and approved by the Division of Early Learning (DEL), may receive a differential calculated using the established coalition reimbursement rate for each care level and unit of care.

   1. (a) Gold Seal Quality Care Programs. A SR provider that has a current Gold Seal Quality Care designation, will receive a differential in accordance with s. 1002.945(6), F.S.

   2. (b) Quality Performance Incentive. An eligible SR provider that receives a qualifying program assessment composite score will receive a tiered Quality Performance Incentive differential above the established coalition reimbursement rate for each care level and unit of care. A SR provider’s Quality Performance Incentive differential is based on the provider’s most recent program assessment composite score and applied at the next monthly provider reimbursement payment. A qualifying program assessment composite score of:

      1. 5.00 to 5.99 results in a seven (7) percent differential.

      2. 6.00 to 7.00 results in a ten (10) percent differential.

   3. (c) Child Assessments. An eligible SR provider that participates in child assessment in accordance with this paragraph will receive a child assessment differential of five (5) percent for each eligible child within 60 calendar days of conclusion of each assessment review period with the monthly reimbursement. To receive the differential, a provider must:

      1. Submit a roster of all birth to kindergarten entry classrooms through the DEL-defined system as required in Form DEL-SR 740 (November 2022), incorporated by reference in Rule 6M-4.740, F.A.C. At least 75% of the provider’s teachers reported on its roster must meet the DEL-approved assessment tool’s reliability requirements.

      2. Have teachers who meet the assessment tool’s reliability requirements assess the eligible SR children, ages birth to kindergarten entry who have been enrolled at the provider for at least 60 calendar days during the eligible assessment periods, on all domains required by the approved tool.

      a. If a provider falls below the 75% teacher reliability requirement, it must notify the coalition within five (5) business days of the previous teacher’s last employment date or the current teacher’s last reliability date. The provider will have 60 calendar days to again meet the 75% requirement. If the provider does not, the differential will not be paid for the remainder of the contract term.

      b. If a child enrolls at the provider later than 60 calendar days before the end of the assessment period, the child will be assessed in the next assessment period.

      3. Submit complete data and upload required documents to the DEL-specified system no later than the last day of each period:

      a. Assessment Period One – August 1 – October 31.

      b. Assessment Period Two – November 1 – January 31.

      c. Assessment Period Three – February 1 – April 30.

      4. A parent may decline to have a child assessed at the time of enrollment at the provider through the SSIS. A provider participating in child assessment will assess only those children whose parents have not declined assessment.

      5. A provider is not eligible to receive the differential if the provider:

      a. Is currently on a Quality Improvement Plan pursuant to Rule 6M-4.740, F.A.C.;

      b. Contracts for the SR program at a time that does not allow for the completion of three (3) assessment period in the contract year; or

      c. Does not comply with this subsection.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1002.79 FS. Law Implemented 1002.82(2)(c), 1002.82(2)(f)1.a.(III), 1002.82(2)(k), (o), (p), 1002.87(8), (9) FS. History–New 2-2-05, Formerly 60BB-4.500, Amended 1-1-15, 5-28-17, 6-23-19, 6-14-22, 5-13-25, 6-17-26.