General Assembly Raised Bill No. 275
February Session, 2010 LCO No. 1387
*01387_______ED_*
Referred to Committee on Education
Introduced by:
(ED)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 275
February Session, 2010
LCO No. 1387
*01387_______ED_*
Referred to Committee on Education
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING STAFF QUALIFICATIONS FOR SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAMS FOR 2015.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 10-16p of the 2010 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2010):
(b) The Department of Education shall be the lead agency for school readiness. For purposes of this section and section 10-16u, school readiness program providers eligible for funding from the Department of Education shall include local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, family resource centers and providers of child day care centers, as defined in section 19a-77, Head Start programs, preschool programs and other programs that meet such standards established by the Commissioner of Education. The department shall establish standards for school readiness programs. The standards may include, but need not be limited to, guidelines for staff-child interactions, curriculum content, including preliteracy development, lesson plans, parent involvement, staff qualifications and training, transition to school and administration. The department shall develop age-appropriate developmental skills and goals for children attending such programs. The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioners of Higher Education and Social Services and other appropriate entities, shall develop a continuing education training program for the staff of school readiness programs. For purposes of this section, (1) prior to July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: [(1)] (A) A childhood development associate credential or an equivalent credential issued by an organization approved by the Commissioner of Education, and [nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005,] twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development, as determined by the Commissioner of Higher Education, after consultation with the Commissioners of Education and Social Services, from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; [(2)] (B) an associate's degree with [nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005,] twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development, as determined by the Commissioner of Higher Education, after consultation with the Commissioners of Education and Social Services, from such an institution; [(3)] (C) a four-year degree with [nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005,] twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development, as determined by the Commissioner of Higher Education, after consultation with the Commissioners of Education and Social Services, from such an institution; or [(4)] (D) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education; [or special education,] and (2) on and after July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means [there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: (A) A bachelor's degree in early childhood education or childhood development, or in a related field approved by the Commissioner of Education from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; or (B) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or special education] for each program accepting school readiness funds that (A) at least fifty per cent of its teachers (i) hold certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education, or (ii) hold a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited, (B) the remaining teachers hold an associate degree from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited, and (C) all such teachers described in subparagraph (A)(ii) and subparagraph (B) of this subdivision have completed a program of study approved by the Commissioners of Education and Higher Education.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2010 10-16p(b)
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
July 1, 2010
10-16p(b)
Statement of Purpose:
To require that at least fifty per cent of teachers in a program accepting school readiness funds have either a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education or a teaching certificate with an early childhood education endorsement by 2015.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]