2024 -- S 2038

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LC004137

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR COMPENSATION

STABILIZATION ACT

     Introduced By: Senators Cano, DiMario, Bissaillon, Gallo, Lawson, Pearson, Murray,
Lauria, Valverde, and Quezada

     Date Introduced: January 12, 2024

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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

adding thereto the following chapter:

CHAPTER 114

RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR COMPENSATION STABLIZATION ACT

     16-114-1. Short title.

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

Compensation Stabilization Act."

     16-114-2. Legislative findings and purpose.

     The general assembly hereby finds that:

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

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

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

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

     (2) Many of the early educators in Rhode Island earn very low wages even when they

achieve credentials equivalent to kindergarten teachers and demonstrate effective practices.

Licensed child care and early learning programs across the state report difficulty attracting,

developing, and retaining effective early childhood professionals.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

development and early education.

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

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

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

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

(K-12) teachers.

     (6) According to 2022 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for

a child care teacher in Rhode Island was thirteen dollars and ninety-seven cents ($13.97) per hour,

in the same range or below the hourly wages of fast food workers, dishwashers, laundry workers,

animal caretakers and retail sales workers.

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

strengthen strategies to help licensed child care and early learning programs attract, develop, and

retain effective educators to care for and educate children.

     16-114-3. Stabilizing and strengthening the early educator workforce.

     The departments of human services and education, shall work in collaboration to:

     (1) Allocate sufficient funds to continue the Rhode Island T.E.A.C.H. early childhood

program, the statewide, comprehensive, research-based workforce development scholarship

program established under § 16-87-4 to support attainment of the national Child Development

Associate credential and completion of college coursework and degrees in early childhood

education and child or youth development.

     (2) Allocate sufficient funds to continue and strengthen registered apprenticeships for early

educators that support attainment of national credentials, college coursework and degrees while

providing opportunities to develop high-quality practices through regular on-the-job coaching by

master early educators.

     (3) Allocate sufficient funds of at least two million five hundred thousand dollars

($2,500,000) to continue the Child Care WAGE$ program, providing education-based salary

supplements to center-based educators, directors, and family childcare providers working with

children in licensed early childhood programs to increase retention of qualified and educated

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teachers and providers.

     (4) Allocate sufficient funds in FY 2025 to continue providing a seven hundred fifty dollar

($750) retention bonus every three (3) months to those individuals working in licensed child care

and early learning programs who:

     (i) Have received a pandemic retention bonus in three (3) of the previous four (4) quarters

and have been with the same employer for at least twelve (12) months.

     (ii) Work directly and consistently with children for at least ten (10) hours per week.

     (iii) Earn less than or equal to twenty-three dollars ($23.00) per hour as a base wage.

     SECTION 2. 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 COMPENSATION

STABILIZATION ACT

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     This act would direct the department of human services and the department of education

to work collaboratively to sustain and strengthen existing workforce development and

compensation programs for educators working in licensed child care and early learning programs

statewide.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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