Florida HB 765: Child Care and Early Learning Services

Bill Text

CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 765 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb765-04-c4
Page 1 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to child care and early learning 2
services; amending s. 402.302, F.S.; revising and 3
providing definitions; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; 4
revising the minimum standards for child care facility 5
licensing; amending s. 402.313, F.S.; changing the 6
term "family day care" to "family child care"; 7
removing provisions requiring family day care homes to 8
provide specified information to parents; amending s. 9
402.3131, F.S.; removing provisions requiring large 10
family child care homes to provide specified 11
information to parents; amending s. 627.70161, F.S.; 12
changing the term "family day care" to "family child 13
care"; providing legislative intent relating to large 14
family child care homes; defining the term "large 15
family child care home"; prohibiting residential 16
property insurance policies from providing coverage 17
for liability for claims arising out of, or in 18
connection with, the operations of large family child 19
care homes; providing that insurers are under no 20
obligation to defend against lawsuits covering such 21
claims; providing exceptions; prohibiting insurers 22
from denying, cancelling, and refusing to renew a 23
policy for residential property insurance on the basis 24
that the policyholders or applicants operate large 25

CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 765 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb765-04-c4
Page 2 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

family child care homes; providing exceptions; 26
reenacting and amending s. 1001.24, F.S.; revising the 27
definition of the term "Department of Education 28
direct-support organization"; amending s. 1002.67, 29
F.S.; revising the requirements for certain 30
prekindergarten curricula; establishing a review and 31
approval process for such curricula; creating s. 32
1002.821, F.S.; creating the Florida Child Care Fund; 33
requiring a Department of Education direct-support 34
organization to administer the fund; requiring funds 35
to be deposited into the Early Learning Fund; 36
requiring that funds from state sources and interest 37
earnings be accounted separately; providing for the 38
use of funds; requiring an annual report; providing 39
requirements for such report; amending s. 1002.95, 40
F.S.; providing for the establishment and 41
administration of the Center for Early Childhood 42
Professional Recognition under a specified 43
circumstance; amending s. 39.101, F.S.; conforming a 44
cross-reference; amending ss. 39.202, 125.0109, 45
166.0445, 212.08, 402.306, 402.309, 402.310, 402.3115, 46
402.312, 402.315, 402.316, 402.318, 402.319, 409.988, 47
411.203, 1002.55, 1002.82, 1002.83, 1002.84, 1002.88, 48
1002.895, 1002.92, 1002.93, and 1002.945, F.S.; 49
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 50

CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 765 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb765-04-c4
Page 3 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

providing an effective date. 51
52
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 53
54
Section 1. Subsections (15) through (18) of section 55
402.302, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (16) 56
through (19), respectively, subsections (2), (3), (8), (9), and 57
(11) are amended, and a new subsection (15) is added to that 58
section, to read: 59
402.302 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term: 60
(2) "Child care facility" includes any child care center 61
or child care arrangement which provides child care for more 62
than five children unrelated to the operator and which receives 63
a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, 64
wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit. The 65
following are not included: 66
(a) Public schools and nonpublic schools and their 67
administered integral programs, except as provided in s. 68
402.3025.; 69
(b) Summer camps having children in full-time residence.; 70
(c) Summer day camps.; 71
(d) Bible schools normally conducted during vacation 72
periods.; and 73
(e) Operators of transient establishments, as defined in 74
chapter 509, which provide child care services solely for the 75

CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 765 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb765-04-c4
Page 4 of 54
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

guests of their establishment or resort, provided that all child 76
care personnel of the establishment are screened according to 77
the level 2 screening requirements of chapter 435. 78
(f) Before-school and after-school programs, and any 79
programs during off-school hours, offered and operated by public 80
and nonpublic elementary schools at school sites for the 81
schools' student populations. 82
(3) "Child care personnel" means