06 LC 22
5997
House
Bill 994
By:
Representative Ashe of the
56th
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 20-1A-10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating
to licensing, commission, and registration of early care and education programs,
so as to provide for certification of excellence of early care and learning
programs in specific areas of service; to provide for rules and regulations; to
provide for notation of any certification on the
prograḿs
license, registration, or commission; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 20-1A-10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
licensing, commission, and registration of early care and education programs, is
amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting in lieu thereof the
following:
"(d)
The department shall publish and make available to early care and education
programs and interested persons a list of guidelines for quality child care.
The department
shall promulgate rules and regulations to set out criteria for licensed,
commissioned, or registered early care and education programs to be certified as
providing excellent services exceeding standards for licensure, registration, or
commissioning in specific areas of service. Such rules and regulations shall
include without limitation criteria for certification in mental health services
for children, teachers with excellent qualifications, excellent teacher-child
ratio, and services for overweight or obese children. An early care and
education program may earn one or more than one certification, but certification
shall not be required for licensure, registration, or commissioning. The
license, commission, or registration issued to an early care and education
program shall include a notation of any certification earned by the
program."
SECTION
2.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.