H 345

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  HB 345  2026
1A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to funding for the Voluntary
3Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s.
41002.71, F.S.; revising the calculation of the base
5student allocation for the Voluntary Prekindergarten
6Education Program; requiring the Division of Early
7Learning to annually publish and provide to early
8learning coalitions specified information; authorizing
9the Legislature to provide additional funding for the
10program; providing an effective date.
11
12Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14Section 1.        Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section
151002.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
161002.71      Funding; financial and attendance reporting.—
17(3)(a)      Each private prekindergarten provider and public
18school delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
19Program shall be paid a separate base student allocation per
20full-time equivalent student as in the Voluntary Prekindergarten
21Education Program shall be provided in the General
22Appropriations Act.
231.      Beginning with the 2026-2027 program year, the base
24student allocation for a school-year prekindergarten program and
25for a summer prekindergarten program may not be less than the
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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
 HB 345  2026
26    amount appropriated for the previous program year, adjusted
27    annually on July 1 by the percentage change in the Consumer
28    Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the most recent calendar
29    year, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United
30    States Department of Labor, not to exceed 5 percent each year.
31    The base student allocation for a school-year program shall be
32    equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
33    enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a
34    public school or a private prekindergarten provider. The base
35    student allocation for a summer prekindergarten program shall be
36    equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is
37    enrolled in a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a
38    public school or private prekindergarten provider.
392.      The Division of Early Learning shall annually publish
40    on its website the adjusted base student allocation and provide
41    the amount of the allocation to each early learning coalition no
42    later than May 1 for use in the following program year.
433.      The Legislature may provide a greater base student
44    allocation than calculated under subparagraph 1. or additional
45    supplements for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program
46    in the General Appropriations Act.
47Section 2.        This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
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