2022 -- S 2235

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LC004086

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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: Senators Cano, DiMario, Quezada, Euer, Murray, Lawson, Kallman,
Anderson, Seveney, and Pearson

     Date Introduced: February 08, 2022

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Legislative findings and purpose.

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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. Childcare, 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 childcare 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 so programs can attract,

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

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focused services.

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     SECTION 2. 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. Establishment of a target wage scale.

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     (a) The children’s cabinet created in § 42-72.5-1 shall work to establish goals to improve

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compensation, including a cross-departmental target wage scale, for early educators linked to

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education levels above high school and demonstrated competence working with children and

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families.

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

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

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and Early Intervention programs pursuant to part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education

 

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Act (20 USC §1431). The cross-departmental target wage scale shall promote parity with

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kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) public school teachers for individuals with similar

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credentials.

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

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consider findings and recommendations including those provided in the 2019 moving the needle

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on 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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     16-112-3. 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 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 education

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and retention awards demonstration program recommended by the moving the needle on

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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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     16-112-4. 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.

 

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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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CHILDCARE AND EARLY EDUCATOR REGISTRY

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     40-6.7-Section. Childcare 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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childcare 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 childcare centers and family childcare 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 childcare 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 childcare educators by key factors including

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educational qualifications and age category of children they teach.

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

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an annual report on the status of the childcare educator registry and the characteristics of the

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childcare workforce, including demographic information, qualifications, and turnover data. The

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report shall be shared with the general assembly, the children’s cabinet, all licensed childcare

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centers and family childcare 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 ($5,000,000.00) pilot program to provide monthly

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wage supplements for childcare educators. The program shall be designed to close the gap between

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the actual wages of the childcare educators and the target wages according to the cross-

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

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department shall consider the design of the infant/toddler educator education and retention awards

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demonstration program recommended in 2019 by the moving the needle on compensation's task

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force. The pilot shall include childcare educators who work in both licensed childcare centers and

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family childcare homes and shall be available statewide, with priority given to childcare educators

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who work with infants and toddlers and children enrolled in the childcare assistance program.

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     SECTION 4. 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.

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

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childcare, RI Pre-K, family home visiting, and Early Intervention pursuant to part C of the

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 USC §1431) programs that aligns with

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compensation of similarly qualified kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) educators. This shall

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include the design of and oversight of the implementation of a strategic plan to close the gap

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between current wages and the target wage scale, including parity with similarly qualified public

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school teaching staff pursuant to the provisions of chapter 112 of title 16.

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     SECTION 5. 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 require the children’s cabinet, to develop and implement a strategic plan to

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retain early childhood educators by creating a cross-departmental target wage scale of early

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educators and that of a similarly qualified public school teaching staff or individuals with similar

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credentials. The children’s cabinet to would be required to consider matters such as scholarships in

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early childhood education, wage supplements or stipends, apprenticeships. The children’s cabinet

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would report findings to the governor and the general assembly by December 1, 2022. It would

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also require the department of human services to create and maintain a childcare and early educator

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registry.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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