2022 -- H 7283

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LC004280

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR INVESTMENT ACT

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Noret, Donovan, Vella-Wilkinson, Shallcross
Smith, Alzate, Diaz, Kazarian, Ruggiero, and Caldwell

     Date Introduced: February 02, 2022

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by

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adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 112

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RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR INVESTMENT ACT

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     16-112-1. Short title.

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     This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Rhode Island Early Educator

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Investment Act."

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     16-112-2. Legislative findings and purpose.

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     The general assembly hereby finds that:

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     (1) Young children's healthy brain development and learning depends on consistent,

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nurturing care and enriching learning opportunities at home and in early care and education settings.

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Starting at birth, day-to-day interactions with family members and early educators shape children’s

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brain architecture upon which all future learning and development is built.

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     (2) Many of the early educators and early childhood professionals in Rhode Island earn

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very low wages even when they achieve credentials equivalent to kindergarten through grade

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twelve (K-12) teachers and demonstrate effective practices. Child care, family home visiting, early

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head start, head start, Rhode Island Pre-K, and Early Intervention (Part C of the Individuals with

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Disabilities Education Act) programs across the state report difficulty attracting, developing, and

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retaining effective early childhood professionals.

 

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     (3) A 2019 statewide survey of early childhood professionals in Rhode Island found that

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over forty percent (40%) of infant/toddler educators worry about having enough food to feed their

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family and fifty percent (50%) worry about having enough money to pay for housing.

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     (4) The 2019 statewide survey also found that almost one-third (1/3) of early educators had

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a second job to help make ends meet and almost two-thirds (2/3) reported that they plan to leave

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their early education job if the compensation does not improve. And yet, most report that they enjoy

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working with children and families and many have earned college credits and degrees in child

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development and early education.

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     (5) A landmark report issued by the National Academy of Science in 2015 found that

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educators of young children, including infants and toddlers, need the same high level of knowledge

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and competencies as teachers of older children and that educational qualifications and

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compensation of early educators should be equivalent to those of kindergarten through grade twelve

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(K-12) teachers.

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     (6) According to 2020 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for

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a child care teacher in Rhode Island was twelve dollars and eleven cents ($12.11) per hour and the

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median wage for a preschool teacher in Rhode Island was fourteen dollars and thirty-two cents

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($14.32) per hour, well below the state median wage of twenty-two dollars and seventy-seven cents

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($22.77) per hour and significantly below the level of kindergarten teachers who had an average

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annual salary of seventy-nine thousand one hundred fifty dollars ($79,150). Rhode Island state

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agency data show that median wages for Early Intervention (Part C of the Individuals with

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Disabilities Education Act) specialists and family home visitors are significantly below Rhode

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Island median wages for similarly qualified individuals.

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     (7) By enacting this chapter, the general assembly acknowledges the need to develop and

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implement strategies to improve the compensation of early educators in order that programs can

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attract, develop, and retain effective staff to care for and educate young children and provide

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family-focused services.

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     16-112-3. Establishment of a target wage scale.

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      (a) The children’s cabinet established in § 42-72.5-1 shall work in collaboration with the

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department of human services, the department of health, the executive office of health and human

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services, and the department of education to establish goals to improve compensation, including a

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cross-departmental target wage scale for early educators linked to education levels above high

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school and demonstrated competence working with children and families.

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     (b) The target wage scale shall be developed to apply to educators working in child care

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centers, family child care homes, Rhode Island Pre-K classrooms, family home visiting programs,

 

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and Early Intervention (Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) programs. The

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cross-departmental target wage scale shall promote parity with kindergarten through grade twelve

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(K-12) public school teachers for individuals with similar credentials.

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     (c) In developing this cross-departmental target wage scale, the children’s cabinet may

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consider the findings and recommendations provided in the 2019 Moving the Needle on

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Compensation Task Force's report "Improving the Compensation and Retention of Effective

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Infant/Toddler Educators in Rhode Island."

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     16-112-4. Developing strategies to increase compensation of early educators.

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     (a) Once the target wage scale has been established, the children’s cabinet shall design

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strategies and estimate the cost to close the gap between current wages and the cross-departmental

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target wage scale, including parity with public school teaching staff or individuals with similar

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credentials. In developing the plan, the following components shall be considered:

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     (1) Continuation and expansion of the existing statewide, comprehensive, research-based

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early childhood workforce development scholarship program established under § 16-87-4 to

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include stronger and ongoing support for compensation, such as implementation of wage

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supplements or regular stipends for early educators to lift annual income to meet or exceed the

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levels in the target wage scale. Consideration shall be given to the Infant/Toddler Educator

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Education and Retention Awards demonstration program recommended by the Moving the Needle

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on Compensation's Task Force.

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     (2) Proposals to increase rates paid to early childhood programs that are adequate to enable

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programs to pay early educators wages that meet or exceed the levels in the cross-departmental

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target wage scale.

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     (3) Contracts to early childhood programs to expand the availability of high-quality

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services for young children and families with educators in the program paid wages that meet or

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exceed the levels in the cross-departmental target wage scale.

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     (4) Registered apprenticeships for early educators that support completion of college

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coursework and attainment of college credentials while providing opportunities to develop high-

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quality practices through regular on-the-job coaching by master early educators. Apprenticeships

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shall be designed and funded to enable successful participants to earn wages that meet or exceed

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the levels in the cross-departmental target wage scale.

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     16-112-5. Reporting.

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     The children’s cabinet shall report back to the governor and general assembly on or before

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December 1, 2022 with a cross-departmental target wage scale and initial cost estimates for public

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funding to close the wage gaps for early educators.

 

LC004280 - Page 3 of 6

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     SECTION 2. Section 42-72.5-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-72.5 entitled

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"Children's Cabinet" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     42-72.5-2. Policy and goals.

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     The children's cabinet shall:

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     (1) Meet at least monthly to address all issues, especially those that cross departmental

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lines, and relate to children's needs and services;

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     (2) Review, amend, and propose all interagency agreements necessary to provide

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coordinated services to children;

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     (3) Produce an annual comprehensive children's budget, to be submitted with other budget

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documents to the general assembly;

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     (4) Produce, by December 1, 2015, a comprehensive, five (5) year statewide plan and

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proposed budget for an integrated state child service system. This plan shall be submitted to the

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governor; the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate, and updated

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annually thereafter;

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     (5) [Deleted by P.L. 2015, ch. 141, art. 5, § 21].

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     (6) Develop a strategic plan to coordinate and share data to foster interagency

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communication, increase efficiency of service delivery, and simultaneously protect children's

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legitimate expectations of privacy and rights to confidentiality. This shall include data-sharing with

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research partners, pursuant to data-sharing agreements, that maintains data integrity and protects

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the security and confidentiality of these records. Any such data-sharing agreements shall comply

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with all privacy and security requirements of federal and state law and regulation governing the use

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of such data. Any universal student identifier now in use by the state or developed in the future

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shall not involve a student's social security number.; and

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     (7) Establish and maintain an updated target wage scale for early educators working in

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child care, Rhode Island Pre-K, family home visiting, and Early Intervention (Part C of the

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) programs that aligns with compensation of similarly

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qualified kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) educators. This updated target wage scale shall

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also include the design and oversee implementation of a strategic plan to close the gap between

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current wages and the target wage scale, including, but not limited to, the attainment of parity with

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similarly qualified public school teaching staff, pursuant to the provisions of chapter 112 of title

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16.

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     SECTION 3. Title 40 of the General Laws entitled "HUMAN SERVICES" is hereby

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amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 6.7

 

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CHILD CARE AND EARLY EDUCATOR REGISTRY

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     40-6.7-1. Child care and early educator registry.

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     (a) On or before December 1, 2022, the department of human services shall implement a

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child care and early educator registry that meets the recommended guidelines of the National

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Workforce Registry Alliance, and includes information about staff who work directly with children

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in all licensed child care centers and family child care homes in the state. The registry shall be

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designed to support communication of important information and opportunities, including training

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opportunities and opportunities to receive a wage supplement, directly to front-line child care and

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early educators. The registry shall also be designed to help the state gather and maintain information

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about the demographics and annual turnover of child care educators by key factors including

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educational qualifications and age category of children they teach.

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     (b) Annually, beginning on or before March 31, 2023, the department of human services

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shall produce an annual report on the status of the child care educator registry and the characteristics

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of the child care workforce, including demographic information, qualifications, and turnover data.

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The report shall be shared with the general assembly, the children’s cabinet, all licensed child care

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centers and family child care homes, individuals participating in the registry, and posted on the

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department’s website for the general public.

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     (c) On or before December 1, 2022, the department of human services shall design and

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begin implementation of a five million dollars ($5,000,000) pilot program to provide monthly wage

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supplements for child care educators. The program shall be designed to close the gap between the

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actual wages of the child care educators and the target wages according to the cross-departmental

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target wage scale for early educators developed by the children’s cabinet. The department shall

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consider the design of the Infant/Toddler Educator Education and Retention Awards demonstration

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program recommended in 2019 by the Moving the Needle on Compensation's Task Force. The pilot

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shall include child care educators who work in both licensed child care centers and family child

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care homes and shall be available statewide, with priority given to child care educators who work

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with infants and toddlers and children enrolled in the child care assistance program.

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     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR INVESTMENT ACT

***

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     This act would establish the Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act to develop and

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implement strategies to improve the compensation of early childhood educators. This act would

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also direct the children’s cabinet to work with other state departments to establish goals to improve

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compensation for early childhood educators, which would include a target wage scale for early

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childhood educators aligned with the educator’s education level and demonstrated competence in

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the field. This act would also direct the department of human services to implement a child care

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and early educator registry to include information about staff who work directly with children in

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all licensed child care centers and similar placements in the state.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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