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Senate Starts Moving On Early Learning Reform

Senate K-12 Education Committee Chairman John Legg is following through on a plan to revamp Florida’s early learning programs.

The committee unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to overhaul voluntary pre-kindergarten programs. Legg says it’s a starting point for further talks between the House and Senate.

“We’re taking the bill the Senate passed last year and re-filing that as the base bill moving forward to bring a higher level of transparency and accountability to the VPK providers," he said during a conversation about education on WFSU's "It's About Florida” program.

The proposal increases health and safety standards in family child care facilities, requires employees to undergo more extensive background checks and to be trained in subjects like nutrition and child development.

The bill is an extension of a measure backed last year Rep. Marlene O’Toole. (R-Lady Lake).

Follow @HatterLynn

Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University and Florida State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master's in Professional Communication. Lynn has been with WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She has worked with several organizations, including Kaiser Health News.  Lynn has also partnered with USC-Annenberg's Center for Child Wellbeing on the nationally acclaimed series "Committed," which explored the prevalence of involuntary commitment use on children.
She serves on the board of RTDNA and the United Way of the Big Bend, with previous service on the board of the First Amendment Foundation of Florida.

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